2011-03 Triathlete by Alejandro Piñeiro

the world's best races

ultimate guide to Racing ➔aero upGradeS ➔Speed STraTeGieS ➔pro inSiGhTS YouR

FaSteSt

olYmpic FiniSh eveR Get there with our training plan

the Simple StepS of diY coachinG

Racing Shoe ReviewS

page 122

mar2011triathlete.com

leSleY pateRSon

The Scottish superstar shares her secret for success

ÂŠAmerican Sporting Goods Corporation 2010

avia.com

Contents MARCh2011

features

Top Races for 23 Triathlete Types

With thousands of notable races to choose from, how can an athlete carve out the best possible calendar to suit his specific wants and needs? Here are our top recommendations for 2011. By Holly Bennett

A Second(hand) Chance

You don’t have to break the bank to get some of the best triathlon equipment on the market. Score your next bargain using our secondhand buying guide. By Jené Shaw

Natural Born Athlete

A new crop of companies claims that athletic-based genetic testing can predict your true physical talent and help prevent the injuries you’re most susceptible to. Is this the wave of the future for giving triathletes a competitive edge? By Aaron Hersh

102

Race Day Ready

You know how to swim, bike and run, but you have to seamlessly integrate those skills on race day to become a successful triathlete. These how-to tips and tricks will help you master the details that can make or break your race. By Aaron Hersh

110

2011 Racing Shoe Review By Adam Chase

122

p. 106 Great Scot

Don’t be deceived by her petite stature; Scottish pro Lesley Paterson is a mega talent just hitting her stride in triathlon’s big leagues By Julia Beeson Polloreno

Your Fastest Olympic Race. Ever.

By Tim Crowley 4

triathlete.com | March 2011

john segesta

This 12-week training plan involves many of the principles Tim Crowley, coach to 2012 Olympic hopeful Jarrod Shoemaker, has used to coach athletes to world and national championships as well as ITU podiums.

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2011 ORDU SLT ORBEA CARBON MONOCOQUE SIZE SPECIFIC NERVE TECHNOLOGY FULL SHIMANO ULTEGRA GROUP $3299.00

Contents MARCH2011

62 12 | From the Editor Introducing your new favorite race.

18 | Letters A triathlete’s campaign to give back; three cheers for Coach Franks; and wetsuit rules explained.

23 | Checking In

TRIATHLETE.COM | March 2011

55 | Swim DIY swim coaching with an underwater camera; freestyle technique; steps to a smooth swim exit from a pro; the go-to websites for swim training.

ON THE COVER

61 | Bike

Xterra and 70.3 pro triathlete Lesley Paterson Photograph by John Segesta

Hone your group riding skills; add some bling to your ride; the top picks in aero helmets.

69 | Run Treadmill workouts to keep you going; the language of running; spring 2011 running shorts round-up.

133 | Fuel Easy food switches that yield the greatest benefits; great-tasting electrolyte tablets; fueling and hydrating advice for cold weather; tried-and-true advice from longtime pro Tim DeBoom.

152 | Never a Bad Day The perks of racing.

THE WORLD'S BEST RACES

ULTIMATE GUIDE TO RACING ➔ AERO UPGRADES

➔SPEED STRATEGIE ➔PRO INSIGHTS S YOUR

FASTEST

OLYMPIC FINISH EVER Get there with our training plan PAGE 122

THE SIMPLE STEPS OF DIY COACHING

RACING SHOE REVIEWS LESLEY PATERSON

The Scottish superstar shares her secret for success

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: CARSON BLUME, NILS NILSEN, JOHN SEGESTA

Need to Know Eight reasons you should volunteer at a race; why a post-race beer is good for you; the advantages of selfcoaching; shoes that build strength. Time-Crunched Triathlete Choosing the right 2011 races for you. Racing Weight Keep it simple when it comes to dieting. Tour Guide A trip to coastal Orange County, Calif. PROfile Get to know Xterra world champion Shonny Vanlandingham. Dear Coach Fueling and training to utilize fat. Ask a Pro How to push hard in a race without blowing up. I’m a Triathlete Overstock.com senior vice president Sam Peterson juggles a highpressure job with his Kona dreams. Confessions of an Age-Grouper In triathlon, sometimes rules are a good thing.

LIVE HARD GNC Performance Goal: Power through the challenge Solution: Pro PerformanceÂŽ AMP Amplified Endurance Booster Effect: Clinically shown to improve finish time by nearly two minutes* Result: Maximum energy and stamina for the long haul

*In a randomized, double-blind, crossover study of 12 subjects involving 90 minutes of continuous cycling immediately followed by high intensity cycling at 85% VO2Max, consumption of two servings of the endurance formula present in this product during exercise resulted in improved time to exhaustion (4.57 minutes on active vs. 2.57 minutes on placebo) during the high-intensity training cycling bout, reflecting an approximate 78% improvement in endurance performance. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Call 1.800.477.4462 or visit GNC.com for the store nearest you. ÂŠ2011 General Nutrition Corporation. Ad: Arnell Photo: Arnell

* Race Planning

“

I want to hit some of the Xterras because those hark back to the early years when I first started in the sport, where it’s a little more grassroots-y and a little more fun, a little more lighthearted.” — Tim DeBoom to Triathlete.com on his post-Kona plans

POLLS We love hearing from our readers. Visit the website and take our latest Triathlete.com poll.

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Now is the time to plan your 2011 season. What are the keys to scheduling a successful racing year? Check out Triathlete.com for tips.

If your phone has a Web browser and a camera: • Download the free app at http://gettag.mobi using your phone browser. • Scan over or take a photo of a barcode you see in this issue. • The video will load instantly. • No phone? Use the links provided next to the barcode to view our videos on a computer.

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* TriCenter

Latest News Keeping Up with the Pros Race Wrap-ups

* Hot Links PHOTOS

NEWS

Stay up-to-date on the top pros’ racing plans. Who’s hitting the early races and who’s extending the off-season? We’ll let you know.

TRIATHLETE.COM | March 2011

RACE COVERAGE

The 2011 season is finally underway! Coverage this month includes international action from Costa Rica, New Zealand and Abu Dhabi.

GEAR & TECH

Ladies, check out our women-specific gear and clothing reviews that focus more on the important facts and less on the prevalence of pink.

NUTRITION

Spring is just around the corner. We’ve got the tips to get you in shape in time for racing season.

MARIO CANTU

Our photographers bring you the best images of your favorite race destinations and professional athletes.

FIRST WAVE

TRIATHLETE.COM | March 2011

Chasing Greatness

By Nils Nilsen

Australian triathlon legend Michellie Jones, an Ironman world champion, Olympic silver medalist, two-time ITU world champion and Xterra world champion, preps for the 2011 race season during a training ride in her adopted hometown of San Diego. Jones will race Ironman 70.3 San Juan in Puerto Rico on March 19 and Ironman 70.3 California in Oceanside on April 2.

March 2011 | TRIATHLETE.COM

From the Editor (arguably) the best catered finish line meal anywhere and awards handmade by local artists. Plus, the race is a fundraiser for Disabled Sports Eastern Sierra. Sounds like a winner, right? Last year’s men’s sprint race winner (and Olympian) Dan Browne thinks so: “Competing in the June Lake Triathlon has been the greatest thing I’ve done since the 2004 Olympics. The beauty and challenge of this course is like a dream!”

June Lake Triathlon

Off to the Races

TRIATHLETE.COM | March 2011

Calif., in the Eastern Sierra Nevada. The race venue, with sprint and Olympic distance options, is nothing short of spectacular. Imagine the most perfect summer alpine setting—we’re talking 7,600 feet above sea level—with electric blue skies, towering pine trees and glittering lakes dotting the landscape. Swimming in pristine June Lake is one of the most memorable race experiences I’ve ever had, and not just because of the involuntary-expletive-it’s-so-cold water. Then, you get to ride around the June Lake Loop, touring four different lakes and the quaint, rustic resort cabins that draw fishing enthusiasts each summer. The run evokes the spirit and challenge of an Xterra race, pointing racers directly up a mountain for a backcountry tour before they bomb back down in a dusty shuffle to the lakeside finish line. Beyond just the course, the High Sierra Triathlon Club (the race’s organizer) pulls off a top-notch production, complete with tons of on-course volunteer support,

As the triathlon season ramps up, this issue celebrates the challenges and rewards of racing. Whether you’re new to the sport or a seasoned vet, our “Race Day Ready” guide, page 102, offers tips and insights that can yield significant time savings the next time you toe the line. And we’ve got a roundup of some of the best races on the planet in “Top Races for 23 Triathlete Types,” page 79. With a mind toward everyone from the budgetconscious to the family-oriented to the intrepid traveler, contributor Holly Bennett matches you with your next favorite race. The issue is also packed with our usual healthy dose of swim, bike and run training advice and tips for fueling your body through it all. Happy racing,

Julia Beeson Polloreno

Editor-in-Chief

KATIE PEDERSEN, AMATEURENDURANCE.COM; LANCE POLLORENO

It happens every time. Moments before the start of a race, I stand on some shore somewhere in the early morning chill, my heart thumping into my throat, and the same question bubbles to the surface of my mind: “Why am I doing this again?” And then—just as sure as the prospect that I’m not alone in that exact pre-race thought process—the gun fires, I find my rhythm and that internal voice sings a new tune: “How cool is this?” Every triathlete has a personal reason for racing, whether it’s for the physical challenge, to feed a competitive drive or achieve a fitness goal, for the camaraderie or the finish line-induced rush. I race for a combination of these reasons, but one of the biggest draws triathlon holds for me is that it allows me to experience places that I’d otherwise never see—all from the unique perspectives of a swimmer, cyclist and runner. One of my all-time favorite races is the June Lake Triathlon (Highsierratri.org/ junelake.html) just outside of Mammoth,

CHRISSIE WELLINGTON 3X WORLD IRONMAN CHAMPION

LEARN FROM YESTERDAY, LIVE FOR TODAY, NEVER GIVE UP.

QUARTZ HELMET WORN BY CHRISSIE WELLINGTON AT IRONMAN ARIZONA 2010 WHERE SHE BROKE THE WORLD IRONMAN RECORD BY 11 MINUTES

PATENTED

Editorial Editor-in-Chief Julia Beeson Polloreno Managing Editor Somyr McLean Perry Senior Tech Editor Aaron Hersh Senior Editor Courtney Baird Assistant Editor Bethany Leach Mavis Copy Editor Marilyn Iturri Contributing Editors Pip Taylor, Chris Carmichael Contributing Writers Bob Babbitt, Holly Bennett, Matt Dixon, Matt Fitzgerald, Sarah Wassner Flynn, Adam Kelinson, Samantha McGlone, Sara McLarty, Melanie McQuaid, Jené Shaw, Lance Watson Medical Advisory Board Jordan Metzl, MD, Jeff Sankoff, MD art Art Director Lisa Williams Photo Editor Nils Nilsen Graphic Designer Oliver Baker Contributing Artists & Photographers Hunter King, Jon Davis, Paul Phillips, John Segesta, Eric Wynn CirCulation & ProduCtion Director, Audience Development John Francis Audience Development Manager Cassie Lee-Trettel Fulfillment Manager Leslie Dodds Production Manager Meghan McElravy Advertising Coordinator Shane Anderson triathlEtE.Com Online Content Director Kurt Hoy Web Producer Liz Hichens Senior Video Producer Steve Godwin Video Producer Kevin LaClaire digital mEdia Vice President, Digital Media Dan Vaughan Director, Digital Advertising Sales Jason Rossiter advErtising EVP, Media/Publishing Director Andrew R. Hersam Senior Vice President, National Sales John Smith Senior Vice President, Marketing Bouker Pool Vice President, Endemic Sales Kevin Burnette Senior Vice President, Midwestern Region Sales Doug Kaplan Vice President, Western Region Sales David O’Connell Vice President, Eastern Region Sales Rebecca McKinnon Account Executives, Endemic Sales Lars Finanger lfinanger@competitorgroup.com, Nathan Forbes nforbes@competitorgroup.com, Mark Gouge mgouge@competitorgroup.com, Justin Sands jsands@competitorgroup.com, David Walker dwalker@competitorgroup.com Regional Event Sales Tom Borda, Katie Campbell, Chris Hohn, Chip McLaughlin, Ashley Powell, Dave Ragsdale, Matt Steinberg, Kelly Trimble, Chris Wheeler Vice President, Sales Development Sean Clottu Account Executive, Marketplace Sales Alex Jarman triathlEtE EuroPE Publisher Jim Peskett jim.peskett@competitormedia.com Editor Ian Osborne ian.osborne@competitormedia.co.uk Graphic Designer Kirstin Goodenough kirstin.goodenough@competitormedia.co.uk Digital Content Editor Paul Moore paul.moore@competitormedia.co.uk a PubliCation of

Chairman David Moross Chief Executive Officer Peter Englehart President & Chief Operating Officer Scott P. Dickey Executive Vice President, Media Andrew R. Hersam Chief Financial Officer Steve Gintowt triathlEtE magazinE offiCEs 9477 Waples Street, Suite 150, San Diego, CA 92121 Phone: 858-450-6510 Fax: 858-768-6806 Attention RetAileRs: To carry Triathlete in your store, call Retail Vision: 800-381-1288. sUBsCRiPtions: Your satisfaction is important to us. For questions regarding your subscription call 800-441-1666 or 760-291-1562. Or, write to: Triathlete, P.O. Box 469055, Escondido, CA 92046. Or, e-mail: triathlete@pcspublink.com. Back Issues available for $8 each. Send a check to Triathlete Magazine Back Issues, 9477 Waples Street, Suite 150, San Diego, CA 92121 and specify issues requested, or visit Triathlete.com. For a copy of Triathlete’s contributor guidelines, visit Triathlete.com. Triathlete cannot be held responsible for unsolicited material. Printed in the USA.

triathlete.com | March 2011

Contributors Adam Chase Triathlons always presented two formidable hurdles to get through before the run, which explains the progression—some might say digression—to ultrarunning and adventure racing for this Boulder, Colo.-based runner, tax attorney and freelance writer. But logging many miles afoot helps in testing almost 100 pair of shoes per year. Check out his reviews of the best racing shoes on the market on page 110.

Mackenzie Madison A professional triathlete and coach in Eugene, Ore., Madison earned a master’s in exercise physiology from the University of Oregon, where she focused on testing elite cyclists, and currently coaches the Oregon Track Club elite runners. Starting out as a distance runner for Iowa State University, she quickly found her passion in the multisport community. Madison also finds time to compete as a category 2 cyclist. Read her explanation of the benefits of self-coaching on page 24.

avia.com

triathlete.com | March 2011

Adam Kelinson Kelinson, a three-time Ironman finisher and author of “The Athlete’s Plate: Real Food for High Performance,” knows firsthand that a busy life, top-notch training program and rigorous competition schedule leave precious little time for grocery shopping and home-cooked meals. Recognizing that people with active lifestyles were searching for guidance with these challenges he created Organic Performance to help athletes recreate their relationship with food. Read his advice on cold-weather nutrition on page 142.

jilly bethany, al roker entertainment

©American Sporting Goods Corporation 2010

2011 AVI-STOLTZ

www.fuelbelt.com

REVENGE

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One Handed Entry + Exit

Ò For racing I would not start an Ironman event without my Fuel Belt. The new Revenge belt worked perfectly at the Hawaii Ironman World Championships, which I won for a second time this year.Ó

Chris McCormack 2X Hawaii Ironman World Champion

Letters Off-seasOn training guide

*irOnman Hawaii issue

entry level bike reviews

Overhaul yOur nutritiOn

Center Stage at Kona

CHECKING IN

Trash Talk

NEED TO KNOW

Triathlete Spotlight

m hlete.com triathlete.co Nov2010triat

Jenn Sommermann is

Tri*speak fred n. 1. a person who spends a lot of money on his bike and clothing, but hasn’t mastered basic bike handling and etiquette 2. generally clueless rider 3. synonym for poser. Triathletes, especially those opting to ride their time trial bike and wear their aero helmet during the Saturday morning group ride, are especially vulnerable to being lumped into this category by roadie purists. Usage: "I rode with this fred yesterday who matched his bike frame from head to toe but couldn’t change his flat tire."

on a 50-state

campaign to give back sport that she credits with to the saving her life. Sommerm ann survived ovarian cancer, a cancer with mild symptoms in its early stages, making it difficult to detect until it’s virtually untreatable. When Sommerm ann came down with the disease, she had been participating in triathlon for two years and the sport had given her an awareness of her body that she had never had before. “I knew something wasn’t right,” she says. She went to her doctor and discovered she had stage three ovarian cancer, which meant she still had time to beat it. During chemotherapy, Sommermann, 46, decided that she would use triathlon to raise awareness about the disease as well as money for the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund, which is dedicated to finding an early detection method. Sommerm ann’s goal is to raise $100,000 for the foundation while participati ng in 50 triathlons in 50 states by the time she’s 50 years old—all while holding down a full-time job. At press time, Sommerm an had participated in triathlons in 15 states and raised $27,000. Her campaign is self-funded in that she pays for all of her own travel expenses and every donation dollar she raises goes toward the foundation, she says. You can follow Sommermann or donate to her campaign by visiting Jennsommermann.bl ogspot.com. // COURTNEY BAIRD

Ginger: The New Cure For Muscle Pain?

A Worthy Cause Thank you for the profile of Jenn Sommermann in the November 2010 issue. My wife is also an ovarian cancer survivor, and the write-up and link to Jenn’s website stirred me to action. I contacted Jenn, and since she had not completed a tri in Texas, I invited her to come on down. Members of my department, the Highland Park Department of Public Safety, will be competing with and raising money for Jenn in the St. Patrick’s Day triathlon on March 13 in Keller, Texas. I urge everyone in the North Texas area to come out and meet Jenn and help support her cause, early detection and a cure for ovarian cancer, and donate to the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund at Ocrf .org. Thanks again for publicizing this worthwhile cause. Sgt. John Lee, Dallas 18

TRIATHLETE.COM | March 2011

OF QVC

| November 2010

SOMMERMAN: COURTESY

TRIATHLET E.COM

ILLUSTRATION: HUNTER KING; JENN

Ginger root has long been used for the treatment of asthma, nausea and recent study from the diabetes. But a University of Georgia revealed that daily ginger consumpti also reduce exercise-in duced muscle pain. Participan on can ts in the study were given of ginger for 11 consecutiv two grams e days. They performed 18 heavy weight elbow induce moderate muscle extensions to injury. After assessing inflammation and pain exercise, the study showed before and after the that the ginger supplemen t reduced muscle pain by 25 percent. Try incorporating ginger into your daily fueling with one of these ideas: » Chop crystallized ginger into granola or trail mix. » Boil fresh ginger and add to tea. » Add ground ginger to pancake batter or muffins. » Mince ginger into a vinaigrette for salad. » Peel and thinly slice ginger for stir-fry. » Grill salmon or pork with a ginger-lime marinade. » Sauté broccoli with ginger and garlic. » Combine sugar, water, lemon juice and ginger root for ginger lemonade. » Bake carrots with lemon juice, butter and fresh ginger. // JENÉ SHAW

About a month ago, I was doing my normal two- to three-hour Sunday run and was stopped at a traffic light before going under the freeway overpass heading to Cook Park. As I looked across the street, I was appalled by the amount of garbage that had accumulated over the last four years on that block since we moved to our home. I continued my run and saw a trash bin at the transit center around the corner and thought, “Someone should clean up that mess.” Our triathlete club, the Ironheads, stresses service and giving back to the athletic community through volunteerism. I thought maybe it would be a neat idea to a start a personal campaign to give back. Since that overcast day, I collect two handfuls of trash on each run and deposit it in the bin by the transit center. The area is slowly improving each week but I am not sure I will ever be done. By the way, the dead rat stays. I am not a tree-hugger but I think that all triathletes should follow this idea of “adopt a block” as I have to rejuvenate the areas we work out in. Besides, don’t you think we all owe it to the community after all those empty electrolyte packets that never made it back to transition? John Mozena, Lake Oswego, Ore.

Kudos for Coach I just completed my first Olympicdistance triathlon two weeks ago. I followed coach Duane Franks’ training schedule in Triathlete magazine. I finished strong and felt great! I now want to approach doing a half-Ironman and I am looking for a training schedule. Sarena Williams, Pearland, Texas Editor’s Note: Don’t miss Franks’ half-iron training plan in the February 2011 issue of Triathlete.

So InSanely anatomIcal, you feel naked. Women’s isoTransition & Women’s Tri Fly III Superior power transfer on the bike and plush cushioning on the run fit your foot so naturally, you feel barefoot.

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Letters

T R A INING

INTENSITY & HEART RATE ZONES ZONE

Active recovery Aerobic endurance

APPROX. MAXIMUM DURATION IT COULD BE MAINTAINED

DESCRIPTION

1 2

to get you through your first few races, but you might eventually find yourself stuck on a performance plateau. Some attempt to break free from this rut by logging more training hours or by spending more time at higher intensities. These measures frequently result in illness, injury or burnout,

All-day low-intensity activity All-day moderate intensity activity

core

Duane Franks is a triathlon pioneer who has competed and coached for 30 years. A USAT-certified triathlon level 2 coach and a certified fitness director by the American College of Sports Medicine, Franks has coached hundreds of individuals and groups of all levels. He lives in the San Francisco Bay Area and is the founder of Trifiniti Endurance Performance Coaching. Visit Trifiniti.com or contact him at Duane@trifiniti.com.

APPROX % OF MAXIMUM HEART RATE 50-60%

RATING OF PERCEIVED EXERTION (RPE SCALE 1-10)

Train for an Olympic-Distance Race in 12 Weeks

Extended endurance/long race pace

Low- to mid-threshold

Mid- to upper-threshold Supra threshold

61-70%

Races lasting 3-5 hours (marathons, century bike races)

71-80%

Races lasting 2 hours Races lasting 1 hour

86-90%

81-85%

Easy

Easy to moderate

Moderate

Moderate to hard

<4.0 4-5

5-6

strong

Wetsuit Rules Explained

exercises. Focus longorand on train | Strength yoga option. RI = 10 seconds. also Swim: 300reducing easy warm-up. 100 kick with board. 6 x WEDNESDAY fitness while minutes of comfortably high cadence. your race-specificWEDNESDAY 100 at base pace: RI= 10 second. 100 to moderate zone 1-2 effort. Include 10 minutes or mix in 25. 200aseasy alternateeasy cool-down. Total = 1,300 yards. | Bike: yards. | Bike:IM50-60 stroke (breast, back) on every other planned, exercises. | Strength train or yoga option. 50-60 minutes easy to moderate zone the chance of setbacks. If all goes 1-2 effort. If on trainer, spin include 5 minutes of one-legged spin drills | 15-20 minutes of stretching and core hilly terrain. onstationary bike or zone 2-3 effort alternating every 15-20 seconds. Run: 35-45 min moderate bike then highest fitness peak just final 50. RI= 10-15 seconds. 100, THURSDAY you will reach your THURSDAY Run: 45-50 min easy to moderate zone 1-2 easy then building to base pace in the effort on flat to rolling terrain. | 15-20 minutes tells us the following ladder starting each interval of stretching easy warm-up. and core Swim in time for your big event. Experience exercises. | Strength train or yoga option. Swim: 100 Swim: 1,400 reverse the = 1,300 yards. Total stroke. ladder: breast 500, of 400, FRIDAY yards 300, 50 200. plan, with a Allow to 5-10FRIDAY seconds rest between 200, cool-down intervals. 300, Swim500. each 100 that the more closely you adhere intervaleasy is easy cool-down. | Bike: 30 minutes easy faster than the preceding. Final 100 in last run at easy to moderate zone 1-2 effort. zone 1 spin on trainer, spin, stationary, or road interval followed by a quick transition and 20-minute achieve effort will 1-2 bike you on zone mostly that flat moderate course. to Maintain easy possibility the comfortably SATURDAY greater high cadence. Bike: 1:45-2:00 moderate zone 2-3 effort Bike/Run Brick: Bike 60 minutes on terrain similar SATURDAY to race course. goals. Run: 50 minutes rolling terrain. to flat on effort your performance SUNDAY 1-2 zone moderate to easy to moderate zone 1-2 effort on rolling Run 45 minutes easy to hilly terrain. OKRun: SUNDAY to increase is designed for the busy to zone 3-4 on hills. plan This 12-week WEEK 4 RECOVERY 1 APPROX. HOURS: to the sport. The training 4.5 on base pace; RI = 15 WEEK 3 BUILD 1 APPROX. HOURS: 8 athlete who is new MONDAY of choice); RI = 5-10 seconds. 3 x 200 Complete Rest Day. 25 drill of choice; 25 alternate or IM stroke moderate by most standards, cadence (95+ rpm). volume is low toTUESDAY Swim: 200 easy warm-up. 4 x 75 (25 swim; easy spin zone 1-2 at comfortably high Run: 30 minutes easy zone 1 effort. Focus on good running form Total = 1,300 yards. | Bike: 45 minutes to nine hours. MONDAY cool-down. and turnover. | 15-20 easy and minutes of200 seconds. with a weekly average of six stretching to threshold zone 3-4 effort core exercises. | Strength train or yoga option. Swim: Jog 5 minutes easy then increase pace 100 easy warm-up. or the8 x 75 (25 swim, 25 choice of drill, 25 back or breast); WEDNESDAY podium you to the from easy zone 1 to zone 2 for final 5 minutes. building RI = 5Warm-up It might not get minutes seconds. 415 focusing on long glides; RI = 10 seconds. x 50 Run: kicking with exercises. | Strength train or yoga option. fins and board. 2 x 100 pull buoys 200 easy cool-down. Total = 1,300 yards has produced | 15-20 minutes of stretching and core TUESDAY but this formula other Olympic trials,THURSDAY for 20 minutes. 5 minutes easy jog cool-down. Bike: 30-40 minutes easy zone 1 recovery in alternate stroke (breast, back) on every mix or IM spin 100 on mostly second. training flat 10 terrain. RI= Comfortably pace: triathletes high cadence. board. 6 x 100 at base outstanding results with Swim: 1,000 ladder: 100, stationary bike then Swim: 300 easy warm-up. 100 kick with zone 1-2 effort. If on trainer, spin bike or 200, 300, 400. Increase rest interval from FRIDAY 10 to 30 seconds as the swim intervals Total = 1,300 yards. | Bike: 50-60 minutes easy to moderate interval is an easy cool-down. for Olympic-distance events. length. Final 100 of the last WEDNESDAY 25. 200 easy cool-down.increase inspin drills alternating every 15-20 seconds. Delly Carr/triathlon.org

here are two types of triathletes: those who follow a structured plan and those who plan to follow a plan. First-time triathletes often take a random approach, juggling workouts with a busy schedule that is already packed with family and work commitments. This haphazard methodology can work fine

T R A INING

Delly Carr/triathlon.org

T R A INING Train for an Olympic-Distance Race in 12 Weeks BY DUANE FRANKS

leaving them far short of their goals. WEEK 2 AEROBIC ENDURANCE BASE & The best way to reach optimal fitness SKILLS APPROX. HOURS: 6 is to limit the number of setbacks in your MONDAY Complete Rest Day: Light stretching only. training. A well-structured, periodized training Run: 30 min easy to moderate zone 1-2 program TUESDAY run on mostly flat terrain. Include 4 x 100-meter will systematically and progressively strides at cadence slightly higher than base cadence count). Stretch well after. | 15-20 improve (from last week’s minutes of stretching and core exercises. your race-specific fitness while also reducing | Strength train or yoga option. Swim: 300 easy warm-up. 6 x 50 (25 drill of choice; 25 swim). 2 x 50 easy to moderate the chance of setbacks. If all goes as planned, WEDNESDAY RI = 10 seconds. Focus on long kick with board; fins optional. 4 x 100 at and strong pulls with good follow-thru at base pace (from TT); you will reach your highest fitness peak end of stroke. 100 easy cool-down with yards. | Bike: 50-60 minutes easy to moderate just 50 yards of backstroke. Total = 1,200 zone 1-2 effort. Include 10 minutes of comfortably in time for your big event. Experience high cadence. tells us THURSDAY Run: 35-45 min moderate zone 2-3 effort on hilly terrain. | 15-20 minutes of stretching that the more closely you adhere to a and core exercises. | Strength train or yoga plan, the option. Swim: 100 easy warm-up. Swim the following greater the possibility that you will FRIDAY ladder starting each interval easy then achieve building to 200, base 300, 500. 100 easy cool-down with 50 pace in the final 50. RI= 10-15 seconds. your performance goals. yards of breast stroke. Total = 1,300 yards. 100, SATURDAY Bike/Run Brick: Bike 60 minutes easy to This 12-week plan is designed for the moderate zone 1-2 effort followed by a quick busy 6 transition HOURS: 20-minute APPROX. athlete who is new to the sport. The run at easy & SKILLS to moderate BASE SUNDAY zone 1-2 effort. Run: Run 45 minutes easy to moderate ENDURANCE and training WEEK zone 1-2 effort on flat 2to AEROBIC rolling terrain. volume is low to moderate by most standards, their1goals. WEEK of leaving them far short 3 BUILD APPROX. HOURS: 8 last week’s Complete Rest Day: Light stretching only. with a weekly average of six to nine MONDAY fitness is to at cadence slightly higher than base (from hours. The best way to reach optimal flat terrain. Include 4 x 100-meter strides Swim: 200 easy warm-up. It might not get you to the podium MONDAY easy to moderate zone 1-2 run on mostly option. 30 min or the in your training. 4 x 75 (25 swim; 25 drill of choice; 25 alternateRun: or IM stroke of choice); RI = 5-10 seconds. 3 x 200 minutes of stretching and core exercises. | Strength train or yoga Olympic trials, but this formula has produced limit the number of setbacks seconds. 200 easy cool-down. Total = 1,300 yards. | Bike: on TUESDAY Stretch well after. | 15-20 base pace; RI = 15 45 minutes easycadence spin zonecount). 1-2 at comfortably program 4 x 100 at base pace (from TT); high cadence (95+ rpm). , periodized training outstanding results with triathletes Run: Warm-up moderate kick with board; fins optional. 15 minutes building from easy zone 1 to training A well-structured TUESDAY zone 2 for final 5 minutes. Jog 5 minutes Total = 1,200 drill of choice; 25 swim). 2 x 50 easy to 6 x 50 (25 improve for 20 minutes. easy then increase Swim: 300 easy warm-up. for Olympic-distance events. 5 minutes easy jog cool-down. | 15-20 pace to threshold zone 3-4 effort 100 easy cool-down with 50 yards of backstroke. will systematically and progressively minutes of stretching and pulls with good follow-thru at end of stroke.

I just finished re-reading the January 2011 issue and came across the article titled “By the Rules.” In No. 2, you attempt to clarify the wetsuit rules, but for me they just became more muddled. I thought the temperature cutoff changed this year from 78 to 76.1 degrees; I even did one race in October where they used the new 76.1 cutoff. After reading your article, I went back to the USAT site and found a link to the rules that match what you wrote. Still not convinced, I queried the Ironman 70.3 Austin site and they informed me the cutoff is now 76.1. So what gives, and where can I find reliable and accurate information about when a wetsuit can legally be worn? It would be nice if you could quote a USAT source and/or include a link to the current rules. Arnie Lachner, Houston

Swim/Bike Brick: Swim 1,000 yards in include 5 minutes of one-legged SATURDAY a continuous relaxed effort. Bike: 60 minutes exercises. | Strength train or yoga option. competed easy zone 1 effort ride on mostly flat to effort on flat to rolling terrain. | 15-20 minutes of stretching and core Higherwho thanhas normal cadence. gently Duane Franks is a triathlon pioneer Run: 45-50 min easy to moderate zone 1-2 rolling terrain. Final 100 in last interval triathlon THURSDAY Run: 45 minutes easy 30 years. A USAT-certified Swim each interval faster than the preceding. zone 1-2 effort on mostly flat to rolling and coached forSUNDAY terrain. , 200. Allow 5-10 seconds rest between intervals. high cadence. by the Swim: 1,400 reverse ladder: 500, 400, 300, WEEK bike on mostly flat course. Maintain comfortably a certified 5 BUILD 2fitness (RACE director SPECIFIC) APPROX. HOURS: 8 level 2 coach and zone 1 spin on trainer, spin, stationary, or road FRIDAY is easy cool-down. | Bike: 30 minutes easy Franks has Medicine, of SportsSwim: American College 300 easy course. warm-up. race 8 x 50 (25 drill of choice, 25 swim breathing MONDAY plateau. 2-3 effort on terrain similar to of all on andRIgroups side than 1:45-2:00 normal). moderate base pace; 3 x 50 easy zone a plan. First-time triath- performance = 15 seconds. 100 cool-down. Total = 1,400 SATURDAYoppositeBike: Swim: 100 easy warm-up. kicking with board, fins. 3 x 150 on who plan 6 x 50 to this rut coached hundreds of individuals 3-4 on hills. (25follow MONDAY from zone drill; 25 swim) Recovery Interval=5 seconds. to yards. free increase break to to OK terrain. attempt hilly to Some alternating sides every 5 strokes. 200 easya random approach, juggling4 x 50 kick with board; fins optional. 3 x 50 kick on Bay Area and is the 1-2 effort on rolling the San Francisco Run: Warm-up 10 minutes building from levels. He lives in fins, Run: 50 minutes easy to moderate zone letes often take cool-down. Total= 850 yards. Note: Drills = left arm only, right more spending bywith TUESDAY hours orside easy zone 1 to zone 2SUNDAY training for final 5 minutes. Jog 5 minutes easy arm, catch-up. logging by Coaching. Repeat. already is Performance for that TUESDAY 25 then minutes. increase pace to threshold zone 4-5 effort Run: 30 min easy toworkouts schedule 5 minutes easy jog cool-down. | 15-20 a busy with moderate zone 1-2 run 4.5 minutes of stretching and core exercises. on mostly flat terrain. | 15-20 minutes These measures founder of Trifiniti Endurance of stretching time at higher intensities. | StrengthHOURS: m. train or yoga option. WEEK 4 RECOVERY 1 APPROX. at Duane@trifiniti.co Strength train or yoga option. or contact him Swim: family and work commitments. moreand core exercises. | illness, 200 easy warm-up. 100 easy kick with with Swim: 200 easy warm-up. packed injury or burnout, Visit Trifiniti.com 4 x 75 board/fins. 4 x 75 (25 swim, 25 choice (25 swim; 25 drill; 25 swim). 2 x 50 easy result in WEDNESDAY paddles (small size) and buoy; RI of drill, 25Rest kick with fineboard;frequently Complete WEDNESDAY cool-down. Total = 1,100 yards. IM orDay. train or yoga option. alternate stroke); RI = 5 seconds. 6 x 50 can work fins optional. 2 x 200 moderate pace; RI=15 MONDAY = 10 seconds. 3 x 200 on base Note: drills =methodology with of stretching and core exercises. | Strength This haphazard seconds. 100 catch-up, zipper, fist, sculling. Bike: 45-60 pace; RI = 15 seconds. 100 cool-down. with 15-20 minutes at higher than normal running form and turnover. | 15-20 minutes min easy zone 1-2 ride on spin, stationary Total good minutes = 1,600 on50-60 comfortably high cadence (approx. 95-105 Focus yards. | Bike: 1 effort. zone cadence approx. 10 rpm higher than base.Run: 30 minutes easy or road bike. Focus on rpm) while pedaling in smooth circles. Stretch pull buoys TUESDAY well after. 4 x 50 kicking with fins and board. 2 x 100 45-50 minute drill, 25 back or breast); RI = 5 seconds. Run: 25-35 min easy to moderate zone 1-2 & HEART RATE ZONES EXERTION easy to moderate zone 1-2 effort on flat PERCEIVED RATING OFRun: THURSDAY INTENSITY run on mostly flat terrain. Count cadence (step cycles per minute) for reference. warm-up. 8 x 75 (25 swim, 25 choice of easy to rolling terrain. IncludeSwim: 100 APPROX % OF MAXIMUMTHURSDAY 4 x 100 meter IT COULD 15-20 minutes of stretching and core exercises. strides at slightly higher than normal cadence. and core exercises. | Strength train or yoga Total = 1,300 yards | 15-20 minutes APPROX. MAXIMUM DURATION | Strength trainWEDNESDAY of stretching | option. 1-10) 10 seconds. 200 easy cool-down. = RI or yoga SCALE option. glides; (RPE focusing on long HEART RATE cadence. Swim: 1,600 pyramid: 100, 200, 300, 400, DESCRIPTION Swim: Time Trial (TT) to establish ZONE benchmark BE MAINTAINED on mostly flat terrain. Comfortably high FRIDAY 300, 200, 100. Goal is to swim the intervals spin <4.0 and 100-yard base pace. 100 easy warm-up. recovery 1 zone easy minutes Easy FRIDAY on 30-40 Swim 1,000 yards continuously. Note 500-yard Bike: the backside faster than the front. Allow only 5-10 seconds rest between intervals. Final 100 is easy 100 of the last time and divide by 10. This is your 100-yard cool-down. Total = 1,600THURSDAY split. Record50-60% base pace. 100 cool-down. Total = 1,200 All-day low-intensity activity the swim intervals increase in length. Final yards. OR swim approx. 1 mile in open water yards. Steady, comfortable effort.4-5 rest interval from 10 to 30 seconds as in wetsuit Increase (if you300, 400. plan to race 200, Active recovery in 100, a wetsuit). 1 moderate SATURDAY to ladder: Easy Bike: 80-minute easy to moderate 1,000 Swim: 61-70% zone 1-2 effort on mostly flat to rolling activity intensity terrain. Use gears moderate to keep FRIDAY Bike/Run Brick: Bike 90 minutes at moderate All-day a steady 85-95 cadence. interval is an easy cool-down. SATURDAY zone 1-2 effort for the first 45 minutes, then mostly flat to gently rolling terrain. SUNDAY Aerobic endurance 2 Run: 50 minutes easy to moderate build to close to race effort (zone 3-4) for zone 1-2 effort on flat to rolling terrain. 60 minutes easy zone 1 effort ride on Quick transition to run. Run5-6 30 minutes at moderate zone 2 effort. Moderate the next If possible onRaces hours (marathons, century 71-80% 30 minutes. relaxed effort. Bike: a continuous dirt or other lasting soft 3-5 surface. Swim/Bike Brick: Swim 1,000 yards in SUNDAY Run: 65 minutes. Begin easy zone 1 then Extended endurance/long race pace bike races) 3 build to moderate zone SATURDAY than normal cadence. 122 triathletemag.com 7-8 2-3 effort during finalHigher 30 minutes. Moderate to hard 81-85% mostly flat to rolling terrain. , Races lasting 2 hours Run: 45 minutes easy zone 1-2 effort on may 2010 8-8.5 SUNDAY Low- to mid-threshold may 4

FRANKS Races or intervals BY DUANE lasting 3-10 minutes

Hard

7-8

8-8.5

91-95% Very hard 7 Max VO2 / anaerobic endurance 8.5-9but Intervals lasting less than a few minutes to get you through your first few races, those 95-100% here are two types of triathletes: Nearfind maximum stuck>9on a to max yourself WEEK 1 AEROBIC ENDURANCE BASE & plan and those you might eventually a structured follow SKILLS who – APPROX. HOURS: 6.5

Mid- to upper-threshold

Supra threshold Max VO2 / anaerobic endurance

Races lasting 1 hour Races or intervals lasting 3-10 minutes Intervals lasting less than a few minutes

SKILLS – APPROX. HOURS: 6.5 WEEK 1 AEROBIC ENDURANCE BASE & MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY SUNDAY

86-90%

91-95% 95-100%

2 0Hard 10

8.5-9

Very hard Near maximum to max

fins optional. 3 x 50 kick on side with fins,

4 x 50 kick with board; 25 swim) Recovery Interval=5 seconds. Swim: 100 easy warm-up. 6 x 50 (25 drill; = left arm only, right arm, catch-up. Repeat. cool-down. Total= 850 yards. Note: Drills alternating sides every 5 strokes. 200 easy train or yoga option. of stretching and core exercises. | Strength run on mostly flat terrain. | 15-20 minutes Run: 30 min easy to moderate zone 1-2 pace; RI=15 seconds. 100 board; fins optional. 2 x 200 moderate 25 drill; 25 swim). 2 x 50 easy kick with or road bike. Focus on Swim: 200 easy warm-up. 4 x 75 (25 swim; min easy zone 1-2 ride on spin, stationary = catch-up, zipper, fist, sculling. Bike: 45-60 cool-down. Total = 1,100 yards. Note: drills well after. Stretch circles. smooth in pedaling rpm) while comfortably high cadence (approx. 95-105 15-20 minutes of stretching (step cycles per minute) for reference. | run on mostly flat terrain. Count cadence Run: 25-35 min easy to moderate zone 1-2 option. yoga or train Strength and core exercises. | split. Record Swim 1,000 yards continuously. Note 500-yard and 100-yard base pace. 100 easy warm-up. Swim: Time Trial (TT) to establish benchmark yards. base pace. 100 cool-down. Total = 1,200 time and divide by 10. This is your 100-yard Use gears to keep a steady 85-95 cadence. 1-2 effort on mostly flat to rolling terrain. Bike: 80-minute easy to moderate zone soft surface. to rolling terrain. If possible on dirt or other flat on effort 1-2 zone moderate to Run: 50 minutes easy may 2010

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triathletemag.com

Thank you Coach Duane Franks for your article in the May 2010 issue of Triathlete magazine. I have followed your program with great results. I placed third at the Ko Olina Sprint Triathlon in October and second at the Haleiwa Sprint Triathlon two weeks ago. The Haleiwa is the last triathlon of the year and the last mile of the 5K run was in thick North Shore sand (our shoes sunk six inches with each stride). But I still finished second! Rodney Wong, Honolulu I followed Duane Franks’ protocol for his 12-week training program for an Olympic-distance triathlon, in training for some smaller sprint triathlons. It was my first year, and I learned that I was overtraining after reading his informative article. In following his regime, my body was able to get stronger and push its limits without burning out. I am excited to start up with hard training and will use Duane’s step-by-step training regime to progress to an Olympic race for this spring! Amy-Jean Taylor, Beaumont, Alberta, Canada

HOURS: 8 iathletemag.com 123 WEEK 5 BUILD 2 (RACE SPECIFIC) t rAPPROX. MONDAY

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY

SATURDAY SUNDAY

board, fins. 3 x 150 on side than normal). 3 x 50 easy kicking with of choice, 25 swim breathing on opposite Swim: 300 easy warm-up. 8 x 50 (25 drill Total = 1,400 yards. base pace; RI = 15 seconds. 100 cool-down. to threshold zone 4-5 effort Jog 5 minutes easy then increase pace easy zone 1 to zone 2 for final 5 minutes. Run: Warm-up 10 minutes building from exercises. | Strength train or yoga option. | 15-20 minutes of stretching and core for 25 minutes. 5 minutes easy jog cool-down. 5 seconds. 6 x 50 with of drill, 25 IM or alternate stroke); RI = with board/fins. 4 x 75 (25 swim, 25 choice yards. | Bike: 50-60 minutes Swim: 200 easy warm-up. 100 easy kick seconds. 100 cool-down. Total = 1,600 seconds. 3 x 200 on base pace; RI = 15 paddles (small size) and buoy; RI = 10 cadence approx. 10 rpm higher than base. with 15-20 minutes at higher than normal slightly higher than normal cadence. | at strides meter 100 x 4 Include 1-2 effort on flat to rolling terrain. Run: 45-50 minute easy to moderate zone | Strength train or yoga option. 15-20 minutes of stretching and core exercises. only 5-10 seconds on the backside faster than the front. Allow 300, 200, 100. Goal is to swim the intervals you plan to race in a wetsuit). Swim: 1,600 pyramid: 100, 200, 300, 400, approx. 1 mile in open water in wetsuit (if cool-down. Total = 1,600 yards. OR swim rest between intervals. Final 100 is easy Steady, comfortable effort. the next 30 minutes. build to close to race effort (zone 3-4) for zone 1-2 effort for the first 45 minutes, then Bike/Run Brick: Bike 90 minutes at moderate at moderate zone 2 effort. Quick transition to run. Run 30 minutes final 30 minutes. build to moderate zone 2-3 effort during Run: 65 minutes. Begin easy zone 1 then triathletemag.com

Editor’s note: According to USA Triathlon’s communications and media relations manager, John Martin, the rule printed in the January issue that age-group athletes may wear a wetsuit if the water is below 78 degrees F is correct, as stated in the USAT rules published online at Usatriathlon. org, and it has not changed in the last year. However, some World Triathlon Corporation races, such as Ironman 70.3 Austin, have received a rules dispensation from USAT that allows them to lower the water temperature requirement to 76.1 degrees. If you’re participating in a WTCoperated race, check the event website prior to race day for rules relating to wetsuits.

We want to hear from you! Send your letters to TriLetters@competitorgroup.com. Please include your name and city. Letters may be edited for length and clarity. 20

TRIATHLETE.COM | March 2011

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may 2010

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RUN, BIKE, SKI

Off-road triathlete Josiah Middaugh captured the men's title at the 2011 USA Triathlon Winter Triathlon National Championship at Soldier Hollow resort in Utah. The Jan. 15 race featured a 5K run, 10K mountain bike and 8K crosscountry ski, which the Vail, Colo.based Middaugh completed in 56:31. Emma Garrard of Park City, Utah, won the women's race in 1:07:48. Both athletes will represent the U.S. at the 2011 ITU Elite Winter Triathlon World Championship March 26-27 in Jamijarvi, Finland. PHOTOGRAPH BY SCOTT SINE/USA TRIATHLON

March 2011 | TRIATHLETE.COM

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Be Your Own Coach

As a triathlon coach, it might confuse you to hear my argument for why forgoing a coach and instead structuring your own training can be a good thing. But hear me out—the benefits might surprise you. Why self-coach? No one knows your strengths and weaknesses better than you do. Triathlon training is a learning process as you fine-tune what works and what doesn’t work for you. You become more aware of your body and its responses to a variety of training situations. Self-coaching makes you tune in closely to your body’s responses and make honest assessments.

You learn how to become your own motivator. You must find motivation and get yourself out the door for a workout for self-imposed reasons, and not because you have to answer to a coach. Your dependency on others to create motivation greatly decreases, which comes in handy in challenging race situations, when you have only yourself to rely upon for that kick of motivation. You know why you are doing certain workouts. In order to coach yourself you have to ask the question “why” for each workout. Instead of doing a workout and not knowing its purpose, you learn to un-

derstand the goal of each workout. Driving your own workouts keeps you connected to the short-term goals that will help you realize your long-term objectives. You can take credit for your own success. Getting yourself across the finish line after self-coaching yields big returns in terms of self-confidence and personal satisfaction. This kind of success can also translate to other challenges in your life. With proven results under your belt, you can become a good mentor for other triathletes. It’s free. Need I say more? When deciding if you should be your own coach, take some time to plot out your goals for the upcoming season. Then, consider what you need to do to accomplish those goals. Do you need to bike longer? Be able to run a faster halfmarathon? Working backward from your overall objectives and looking at the time frame you have to complete your goals will help you tremendously. Then, introduce the details. What are your daily workouts going to be like in terms of duration, frequency and intensity? This is where you become a student of the sport. There are many good online resources (start with Triathlete.com) and training books. If you find yourself questioning something in your training, don’t be afraid to ask for advice from those more experienced or knowledgeable than you. With time, you’ll be able to understand your physiological responses, adaptations and improvements more intimately than any other coach could. // mackenzie madison

WTC Kicks off 5i50 Series

triathlete.com | March 2011

2011 5150 U.S. SerieS March 20 Miami International Triathlon

June 19 Washington D.C. Triathlon June 25 5150 Provo (Utah)

May 1 St. Anthony’s Triathlon (St. Petersburg, Fla.)

July 10 Boulder Peak Triathlon (Colo.)

May 15 5150 New Orleans

August 7 Nautica New York City Triathlon

May 22 Memphis in May Triathlon (Tunica, Miss.)

September 4 Hy-Vee Triathlon/5150 U.S. Championship (Des Moines, Iowa)

September 11 5150 Lake Lanier (Gainesville, Ga.) October 2 5150 Lake Las Vegas (Henderson, Nev.) October 23 5150 Galveston (Texas) November 12 5150 Clearwater/5150 Series Finale (Fla.)

5150 international Series June 5 5150 Frankfurt (Germany) June 12 5150 Klagenfurt (Austria) July 9 5150 Zurich (Switzerland) Nick Salazar

The World Triathlon Corporation kicks off the inaugural 5i50 (or 5150) Triathlon Series March 20 with the Miami International Triathlon. Consisting of a 1.5K swim, 40K bike and 10K run, the 2011 5i50 Triathlon Series will be the largest international distance triathlon series in the world and the first non-drafting international race series of its kind. The series offers 13 events in the U.S. and three in Europe. Visit 5150.com to register and for more information.

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Triathlete Spotlight

JEN DAVINO

// PAUL D. TYLER

TRIATHLETE.COM | March 2011

Mind Matters

Many athletes believe the most effective recovery modalities are those that focus on physiological regeneration—nutrition, hydration and activities like ice baths, physical therapy, massage and yoga. There is no arguing that these are important for regenerating the body for the next planned training session, but what about your mind? The very core of becoming an athlete was born of motivation and inspiration. So what happens when that passion and motivation are drained? Most athletes know that mental state affects performance as much as your level of fitness. Research has shown that the key markers of overtraining or staleness in training, aside from poor performance, are mood and emotions. After your next block of training, monitor more than just the feeling in your legs. If you’re feeling mentally drained or restless, follow this checklist to help manage mental and neuromuscular fatigue: 1. Get adequate sleep. Sleep does wonders to regenerate the mind. The central nervous system is critical to high-performance athletics and it needs time to repair. This happens when you are sleeping, so try to get enough hours per night or add naps. 2. Constantly self-monitor. Ask yourself, “Do I feel like doing this?” If you don’t, take a break rather than force yourself to train and further drain your body and mind. 3. Meditation. Regeneration of the mind will occur during relaxation. A lot of visualization techniques are also very valuable for relaxing and centering the mind and body. By refocusing you can find your purpose and motivation within a training cycle, which will help you sort through distractions and stress. 4. Prioritize. Life goes on during a training cycle. You need to remain flexible. If, for example, you are constantly procrastinating a responsibility outside of training it could be weighing on you and adding stress. Make the time to get it done and you will find you can get back to training with better focus. 5. Periodize. Planning major training weeks when you have conflicting responsibilities at home or work is not wise. You can only handle so much stress, so plan to train harder when work, school or life has enough room for the increased training load. // MELANIE MCQUAID

HUNTER KING

More than half of the 700 entrants of the Toughman Half Triathlon in Crotonon-Hudson, N.Y., last September had never before finished a halfiron-distance race. In that group was Jen Davino, a 29-year-old from Brooklyn, N.Y., who also wanted to prove that diabetes would not keep her from becoming an endurance triathlete. Davino first learned she had diabetes in high school, when her mother recognized her symptoms of constant thirst and urination as signs of diabetes and took her to the doctor. Five years ago she decided to truly take control of her health. “I wanted to live a long time,” she says. A biking program sponsored by the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation helped her realize her athletic potential. The tipping point occurred when she watched a diabetic friend finish the 2008 Ironman Louisville. She decided she too would finish an Ironman and signed up for the 2011 Ironman Lake Placid, a goal supported by her local tri club, the Brooklyn Tri Club, and a newly formed national team, Diabetes Performance. The Toughman Triathlon provided an ideal training opportunity. At 4 a.m. on race day, Davino checked her blood sugar. By 6:45, she had on both her glucose monitor and insulin pump. A backup blood sugar meter sat safely in her bento box. After mid-race blood checks and a steady intake of nutrition, including Gu every 30 minutes, Davino crossed the finish line in her goal time of sub-eight hours. And more importantly, she finished feeling healthy. Davino is one of approximately 23.6 million people in the U.S. with diabetes, or about 7.8 percent of the total population. Her advice for people like her who want to get into the sport? “Get with a group,” she says. “There are a lot of diabetics out there. They will open up your world.”

Photo: Eric Wynn

Chris McCormack rides the 808 Firecrest wheelset, Zipp Tangente Tubulars, and SRAM RED components

HIT THE GROUND RUNNING. We launched the new 808 Firecrest at Kona, and Chris McCormack took full advantage. Out on the Queen K, his 808s with Zipp Tangente tubulars were the fastest, most efficient, best handling wheels on the road. And in the marathon’s final mile, he had enough left in the tank to win one of the most dramatic duels in triathlon history. | Not only is Firecrest more aerodynamic than any other rim design, its distinctive wide profile also improves handling in crosswinds, wheel strength, and overall ride quality. It only took one shot for Macca to prove that it’s simply a better wheel in every way. | But that victory wasn’t the only one for Zipp this year. Mirinda Carfrae won on ZEDTECH 4s and Karin Thuerig set a bike course record with a 303/404 setup. Zipp once again dominated the Kona Bike Count with nearly 60% of all aero wheels. Clearly, superior technology makes a difference for every athlete.

Firecrest 808 available in Tubular, Carbon Clincher, ZEDTECH ®. Zipp Tangente Tires available in Tubular & Clincher 21mm & 23mm.

1.800.472.3972 | zipp.com

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Build Strength From the Ground up

two unconventional styles of shoe—one that mimics being barefoot and one that promotes instability—have recently gained followings for their purported ability to improve fitness, burn calories, prevent injuries or increase strength. Some athletes have shown their enthusiasm for these “miracle shoes” with both their feet and their wallets. Triathlete sought out expert opinions about the effect of these shoes on strengthtraining programs for endurance athletes.

Barefoot Simulators

Swim, Bike, Run …

and Volunteer

// holly Bennett

triathlete.com | March 2011

instability Shoes Skechers commissioned physical therapist Bob Forster to conduct a study that investigates the effect of its SSR instability shoes during load-bearing exercise such as running. Forster, who has collaborated with the School of Medicine at UCLA on running-related studies, says he approached the project with skepticism but was surprised when his study showed that SSR increases the frequency of ankle stabilizer muscle contraction. He used electromyography, which measures muscle contraction, to quantify the work being done by those ankle stabilizers and he found that those muscles contract more frequently, although not with more force, when wearing the instability shoes than when wearing standard running shoes. Forster believes that adding this layer of stress to weight-bearing strength-training exercises, such as lunges and squats, will increase athletes’ functional strength and help them avoid injury. // aaron herSh

rich cruse, nils nilsen

Volunteers comprise the bulk of any race’s hands-on staff, donating their time with unerring enthusiasm. Inspired by this altruism, we’ve compiled eight reasons to don a volunteer T-shirt and take your turn on the sidelines. 1. Pay it forward. You’ve likely benefitted from the generosity and spirit of a volunteer. Why not provide a positive race experience for someone else? 2. It’s simple math. The sport of triathlon continues to flourish, with a race—or two or three—on any given weekend. Volunteers are the lifeblood of every event. More opportunities to race means greater demand for helpful hands. 3. Share the wealth. The wealth of knowledge you’ve gained as an experienced racer, that is. As energetic as most volunteers are, you’ve probably been frustrated once or twice by someone who doesn’t have the task at hand totally nailed. Show a rookie volunteer the ropes. 4. Feeling slightly selfish? If most of your free time is spent swimming, cycling and running, you might be stuck in the shallow end of the giving pool. Add some do-good action to your training plan by volunteering. 5. Test your multitasking mettle. Combine philanthropy and fitness by helping with pre-race registration, then giving it your competitive all on race day. 6. Take the inside track. If you’ve never raced a triathlon—or not yet competed on a particular course—volunteering can provide an intimate look at the race from the inside out. It’s also an option for earning priority registration rights for the following year at a handful of high-demand events. 7. Flaunt your non-tri talents. Chances are you hold a job outside of the tri grind. If you have a special skill—such as massage or medical training—your expertise will be in high demand at triathlon events. 8. Get up close and personal with the pros. Break out the Sharpie for body marking, slather sunscreen on sweaty shoulders or volunteer at an aid station to have the who’s who of the sport literally eating out of your hand.

tim Crowley, 2009 U.S. olympic Committee national Coach of the Year for triathlon, believes that ultra-minimalistic footwear, such as Vibram Fivefingers, is “very good for weight training and can help [athletes] get a lot more out of their strength program from the stabilizer muscles.” Crowley has his athletes, including America’s premier ItU triathlete, Jarrod Shoemaker, perform “quality strength work” to develop tendon strength, muscular strength and muscular power. He believes footwear that improves athletes’ connection with the ground, such as Fivefingers, allows them to maximize the benefit of their strength-training routine for both stabilizing and major muscle groups.

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NEED TO KNOW

THREE CHEERS FOR BEER During college I had a friend who would say, “Beer is food—let’s eat!” Guess what. He was right. Though he didn’t realize it at the time, beer is actually packed with nutritional benefits. No more endless reasoning to justify tossing back a cold one after a hard session or race—moderate beer consumption is actually a perfectly acceptable postworkout pursuit. A fermented beverage, beer has been a diet staple for thousands of years in almost every society across the globe. Although the ingredients have varied, beer today should consist of four components: water, barley, hops and yeast, says Ted Vivatson, founder and head brewer of Eel River Brewing Company in Fortuna, Calif., the country’s first certified organic brewery. Anything else, such as rice or corn, are cheap adjuncts to create alcohol. Organic ingredients further boost the health benefits of beer, says Ted’s son and co-head brewer, Matt Vivatson. “We use only organics because chemicals are not part of the growing

2011 BUYER’S GUIDE 30

TRIATHLETE.COM | March 2011

Eel River Brewing Company With seven vegan beers to chose from, including Raven’s Eye Stout, Triple Exultation, Amber Ale and California Blonde, Eel River crafts brews that rank highest in our tasting. If you’re specifically looking for a nutritional beer, check out the Acai Berry Wheat with pomegranate and blueberries, an antioxidant powerhouse to help you recover from an especially intense workout. Dogfish Head Craft Brewery These “off-centered ales for off-centered people” include the well-hopped 60 Minute IPA and Indian Brown Ale. A true microbrewery in scale, Dogfish Head makes beers that pack macro flavor and inject sudsy replenishment after any session. Wolaver’s Organic Brewing The Vermont-based outfit produces seasonal brews that will suit any discerning palate. The Alta Garcia Coffee Porter is not meant for breakfast but will lift you up after a cold spring excursion. Look for the Brown Ale and India Pale Ale with their full body and yeast to take you through the summer.

We’ve got the best and the latest gear for all things triathlon in our first-ever Buyer’s Guide, hitting mailboxes and newsstands this spring. Whether you’re a beginner looking to get started in the sport or a gearhead that can’t get enough of aero wheels and power meters, the Triathlete Buyer’s Guide is your map to every category of triathlon wares. It is packed with more than 200 products— from bikes to nutrition to shoes—and editor’s picks in categories such as “best value.” Stay tuned for this special issue, which offers readers a chance to win a fully equipped special edition Triathlete magazine Trek Speed Concept bike, valued at $10,000.

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DON’T MISS IT:

process,” says Matt. “This translates into the nutritional health of the beer.” Five reasons to drink up (in moderation, of course): Carbs: Most beers contain 13 to 14 grams of carbohydrates that comes from the barley. Carbs are very important to post-exercise replenishment of glycogen stores. Protein: A minimal amount is left behind from the barley and yeast, but that’s all you need to help carry those carbs into the bloodstream and begin the recovery and repair of muscles. Fat: There is none. And alcohol helps increase levels of good cholesterol (HDL) in the bloodstream. Antioxidants: Higher levels are found in darker beers (stouts and porters), but the flavonoids present in all beers help collect cell-damaging free radicals created from exercising. B vitamins: As a result of the use of yeast in the brewing process, beer contains vitamins B2 and B6. These nutrients help the body convert protein and carbohydrates into energy as well as for muscle cell repair and production. Unfiltered beers contain the most. Of course, none of this is a prescription to consider beer a necessary part of one’s training, but for those who do imbibe, it won’t hurt your performance. Cheers! // ADAM KELINSON

Looking for a few great beer makers and brews? Read, then drink on.

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tiMe-crunched triathlete

fitness north where most competitors still have early-season fitness.

Racing to your Strengths You can also benefit from selecting races based on your personal strengths as an athlete. Here are some guidelines to keep in mind when choosing the conditions that will best suit your strengths.

Choosing the Right Race It’s advantageous for all triathletes to choose events that are best suited to their strengths, but it’s particularly important for time-crunched triathletes. Here’s why: When balancing your commitment to triathlon with a full-time job and a family, you need to squeeze out the greatest benefit from everything you do in training. If you don’t have an overabundance of base fitness (many of us simply don’t have an extra 12-plus hours per week to train), it pays to be more selective about the competitions you enter. Here are some factors to consider when selecting the “right” race.

triathlete.com | March 2011

Athletes who live and train at an elevation greater than 5,000 feet above sea level often feel like Superman in races at lower elevations. In contrast, those living and training at sea level might not have their best performance at a high-altitude triathlon. Considering heat and humidity is also key. If you’re training in a dry environment, you’re more likely to suffer from heat-related issues if you travel to a hot and humid race without taking steps to acclimatize to the conditions you’ll be racing in. For time-crunched athletes, acclimatization activities, such as training in an artificially hot or humid environment, are often too time-consuming to be practical. You'll perform best in events held in conditions similar to where you train. If you’re planning a destination race, consider the seasons to gain an advantage. This works best for athletes who train where it’s warm all year and the season starts early. If you travel to a race, you can have some fun by taking mid-season

CTS expert coach Patrick Valentine cowrote this article. Valentine is the 2010 U.S. Off-Road Triathlon National Champion (20-24). Chris Carmichael is the author of “The Time-Crunched Triathlete” and founder of Carmichael Training Systems.

RyaN BETHKE; joHN sEgEsTa

by chris carmichael

Season and Geography

Swimming: » If swimming is not your strong suit, choose a race you’re certain will be wetsuit-legal to help you achieve a faster time with a little less effort. Strong swimmers should seek a non-wetsuit swim to gain a competitive edge. » Strong swimmers should look for a swim that will have a current, such as in an ocean, bay or river, whereas weaker swimmers are best sticking to lake or pool swims. Cycling: » If you’re a lighter athlete and/or a good climber, pick a hilly race so you can benefit from your high power-to-weight ratio. » If you are a heavier athlete and/or train on flatter terrain, pick a race that features a flat course. You’ll likely cope with windy conditions better than lighter athletes. Running: » If you are lighter weight and/or a stronger runner, pick a race that has a challenging run course with more hills. » A flat run course will be best for an individual that is heavier and/or has a weaker run. » Running surface is a big factor as well. If you train a lot on trails or softer surfaces, or your legs and feet cannot tolerate pavement pounding, pick a race with a run course that features more dirt or gravel. If you’re a fast road runner, then make sure you pick a race that will maximize the amount of time you spend on pavement during the run leg.

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racing weight

The Doable Diet Research shows simplicity is a virtue when it comes to weight management.

Several months ago a friend of mine purchased the “Food Lovers Fat Loss” system, an expensive kit of slickly packaged books, CDs and DVDs that deliver a weight-loss program based on the concept of food combining. Not only did the sheer volume of material in the kit seem overwhelming to me, but the underlying food-combining concept—the idea that the key to weight loss is eating certain types of foods together—also struck me as rather puzzling. I kept my reservations to myself, but I did not expect her to stick with it very long and she did not. It was just too complex. Research has shown that simplicity is a virtue in the matter of weight management. Those who lose weight successfully tend to focus on fewer rules than those who fail in their weight-loss efforts. For example, in a 2010 study, American and German psychologists com-

triathlete.com | March 2011

it up before the end of the eight weeks. If there were truly only one right way to eat for health, performance and weight management, it wouldn’t matter how simple or complicated the rules were. You’d just have to do it. But in fact there are many different healthy diets. Vegetarian, Mediterranean, low-fat, “primitive” and various other diets have been validated by scientific research. It’s not only the food that matters, however. As the study described above demon-

©iStockphoto.com/Sjlocke ; NilS NilSeN

by matt fitzgerald

pared the perceived complexity and adherence rates of two diet programs— Brigitte, a simple German plan consisting of ready-made meal plans, and Weight Watchers, a complicated plan based on a points system. During the course of the study, 390 women following one program or the other were surveyed at the beginning, middle and end of an eightweek period. The researchers found that the more complex a dieter perceived her plan to be, the more likely she was to give

racing weight strates, how you perceive the dietary rules you live by is also important. So instead of trying to figure out which diet is the absolute best, choose a diet from among the many healthy options that seems especially “doable” to you.

1. At least five servings of fruits and vegetables per day 2. No sweets except a bit of dark chocolate, and the occasional treat 3. No beverages with calories except for my evening glass of beer

Instead of trying to figure out which diet is the absolute best, choose a diet from among the many healthy options that seems especially “doable” to you.

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It doesn’t even have to be a diet per se. Studies have shown that a majority of the most successful dieters—those who have maintained a weight loss of at least 30 pounds for at least one year—do not follow formal diet plans. Instead, they choose a small handful of their own rules and heed them consistently. The typical triathlete knows enough about nutrition—and enough about himself or herself—to set sensible rules. Here, for example, are the main rules that govern my eating habits:

4. Whole grains instead of refined grains whenever possible These rules help me keep my weight in check because they address the specific dietary mistakes that had previously caused my weight to creep upward, and in a way that I find sustainable. But you might find that a completely different set of rules works for you. Here’s an example of an alternative set of rules that might work especially well for someone whose primary dietary mistake is overeating: 1. Six small meals and snacks per day

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2. Stop eating when satisfied, not full 3. Protein with every meal and snack (to manage appetite) Interestingly, research has also shown that successful dieters tend to eat a smaller variety of foods than the average person. While we’re used to thinking of dietary variety as a virtue (and it is), using repetition sensibly in your diet is another way to take advantage of simplicity in the effort to control your body weight. As long as you include a good balance and variety of foods within the day, it’s OK to eat more or less the same foods every day. Weight management is difficult for most of us, no matter what. That’s because it requires resisting some foods we like that promote weight gain and also resisting the urge to overeat. Nothing can be done about these requirements. So don’t make weight management any more difficult than it has to be with a complicated diet. Keep it simple. Matt Fitzgerald is the author of “Racing Weight Quick Start Guide” (VeloPress, 2011).

gulfcoasttri.com info@gulfcoasttriathlon.com

Entry fee includes: • Pre Race Dinner at Boardwalk Beach Resort • Age group awards 10 deep • Post-Race party at Spinnaker Beach Club featuring a video with race footage • Beer at the finish line All proceeds benefit local community organizations. The GCT leads the community in promoting healthy lifestyles by developing youth through fitness

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Lesley Paterson - 1st San Diego International Triathlon (2010) - 2nd CA 70.3 Championships (2010) © Larry Rosa Photography

- 2nd World Xterra Championships (2009)

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TOUR GUIDE

D Marriott’s Newport Coast Villas

Coastal Orange County 38

TRIATHLETE.COM | March 2011

getaway for two (with some training thrown in)—there are plenty of classy restaurants and ocean views. But it’s also a great spot to bring the whole family—there are multiple beaches, an amusement park on the Balboa Peninsula and family-friendly dining. Keep in mind, though, when planning your trip that Newport Beach is one of the most expensive areas of the country—in 2010 it ranked No. 16 in Forbes’ annual ranking of America’s most expensive ZIP codes. If traveling with the family, stay at Marriott’s Newport Coast Villas, where each villa has two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a kitchen (equipped with everything from pots and pans to a coffee maker), a washer and dryer, an ocean view and a balcony. There are several heated pools on-site and daily activities for adults and kids alike. There are nearby golf courses, such as Pelican Hill, and the Newport Coast Villas are within walking distance of Crystal Cove State Park, Orange County’s last acreage of

MATT HARBICHT

Ocean views, mild temps and local fare make the O.C. ideal for travel and training. By Bethany Leach Mavis

Driving on PCH—Pacific Coast Highway—from San Diego to Newport Coast in Orange County, I open my sunroof, turn up my heater and breathe in the salty ocean air. The marine layer of clouds has loitered above the cliffs all day, but it doesn’t keep a few brave surfers out of the winter waves. Along Highway 1, narrow multi-story buildings are packed between the road and the ocean, and from Dana Point, through Laguna Beach and into Newport Beach are myriad boutiques, cafés and art galleries battling each other for Orange County real estate. Despite its sometimes uppity reputation, the Newport Beach area is an ideal place for some early season triathlon training—it’s easy to lose track of time running or riding when you have these kinds of ocean views. And one of the most popular swim training spots is Corona del Mar Beach, called Big Corona, where buoys mark the course. The Newport Beach area is a great locale for either a romantic weekend

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TOUR GUIDE

Kéan Coffee

ORANGE COUNTY SHOUT-OUTS If you want … Tech help Head to Rock N’ Road Cyclery for all your bike needs. 6282 Irvine Blvd. in Irvine

True Food Kitchen

TRIATHLETE.COM | March 2011

be complete without a coffee fix at the popular Kéan Coffee, where you’ll find a line and a shortage of seating any morning of the week. Still, it’s worth a visit. Coffee snobs will love any of the signature drinks—the Turkish caffé latte with cardamom is exotic and delicious, and all lattes are served with a skillfully crafted design in the foam. Kéan also whips up acai fruit smoothies and Mayan spiced hot chocolate. It’s not a vacation to Southern California without some shopping, and Newport Beach offers a healthy dose of retail therapy—you can find vintage shops, local designers and up-scale boutiques. Fashion Island mall is the essence of Orange County with its high-end stores. For some family fun, head to Balboa Peninsula for the Balboa Fun Zone amusement park or take the auto ferry to manmade Balboa Island for some specialty shops and dining along Marine Avenue. Renting a bike is a popular way to get around. The coastal towns of Orange County might live up to their affluent, up-scale reputations in some ways, yet a few days of ocean views, mild weather, incredible food and recreational outings will convince you that Orange County also lives up to it reputation as one of the best resort towns in the country.

A filling breakfast You can’t go wrong at Pacific Whey Café. I’m a sucker for the A.B.C. omelette: avocado, bacon and cheddar cheese. 7962 E. Coast Highway in the Crystal Cove Promenade Fresh produce Tour the Saturday morning Laguna Beach Farmers Market (8 a.m. to noon, rain or shine) to find a variety of fruits, veggies and vendors who are generous with samples. Lumberyard parking lot next to City Hall in Laguna Beach A local brew Try the Ted-a-ger Imperial Porter or the Wedge Weizen at the Newport Beach Brewing Company. 2920 Newport Blvd. in Newport Beach A fitness check Test your early season run fitness on May 1 at the O.C. Marathon and Half Marathon, the first 10 miles of which are along the Pacific Ocean and Newport Beach's Back Bay. Visit Ocmarathon.com for details. A swanky date night Javier’s Cantina & Grill in Crystal Cove won’t disappoint—low lighting, great margarita selection and tasty enchiladas de mariscos (one crab and one shrimp enchilada). 7832 Pacific Coast Highway in the Crystal Cove Promenade A group ride Coffee Crew (at 6:15 Tuesday and Thursday mornings) and Food Park (8:30 a.m. Saturday mornings) are great options for two-hour rides through Irvine and Newport. Both meet in Irvine. Check Socalcycling.com for details.

MATT HARBICHT

undeveloped coastline. If you drive to the state park, it’s $15 for a day pass, but the fantastic ocean views and meandering trails are well worth it. Go for a short run or an easy bike ride through Crystal Cove, and afterward you can take the shuttle from the same parking lot to the Beachcomber Café, a casual restaurant literally on the beach that serves everything from portobello crab cakes to spinach truffle mac. There’s no shortage of healthy Orange County eateries, too. A new local favorite is True Food Kitchen, located at Fashion Island mall in Newport Beach. The menu is based on Dr. Andrew Weil’s anti-inflammatory diet and food pyramid. The “globally inspired cuisine” is delectable, and the ambience is eco-chic. True Food is ultra green in form and function—there are vegetables planted in galvanized pots surrounding the waiting area—and the menu has excellent variety. Try the caramelized onion tart, with smoked garlic, black fig and gorgonzola, as an appetizer. Another local green-certified eatery is The Crow Bar and Kitchen in Corona del Mar. This classy yet laidback gastropub pairs good food—try the flavorful burgers and brick oven flatbreads—with good beer (there are more than 20 on tap), and seasonal ingredients are the focus. A visit to Newport Beach would not

A sugar fix Make your day a little sweeter with a $3.25 cupcake at the highly acclaimed Sprinkles Cupcakes, which started in Beverly Hills. 944 Avocado Ave. in Corona del Mar Plaza

TELL YOUR BLOOD

WHERE TO GO.

Zoot is a registered trademark of Zoot Sports. © Zoot 2011

The secret to Zoot compression gear is this: it knows how to push your blood around. Because when blood gets returned to the heart in a quick, orderly fashion, the competitive advantage borders on the unfair — less fatigue, less risk of injury, less soreness. While some take a one-size-fits-all approach, our graduated, zone-specific compression fits every contour of every muscle creating the Zoot ULTRA edge. Radically applied science? Absolutely. It’s in our blood.

WELCOME TO THE TRIBE.

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PROfile

Shonny Vanlandingham Known as “Money” in college because of her basketball jump-shot prowess, Vanlandingham celebrated her first world championship victory at the Maui Xterra race in October. At 41, she has a mere three seasons under her belt, but Vanlandingham’s warm-up to world champion status included five national titles as a single-discipline mountain bike racing phenom. certainly my starting point each day. As far as I’m concerned, and I have a degree in nutrition, if coffee makes you happy and you’re not overindulging, then it’s good for you. Outfitted for a fight: I’ve been a part of the “Yes Ma’am” campaign in the battle against breast cancer for three years. Through sales of our “Fight” signature cycling jersey, we’ve helped fund the creation of a comprehensive breast care center at Mercy Regional Medical Center in Durango, Mercydurango.org, my Colorado home base. It’s the only center of its kind in the Four Corners area. Tweet this: I see the value of social media, especially in regard to promoting one’s sponsors, but it just doesn’t synch with my personality. I do write race reports for Teamlunachix.com, but otherwise I’d rather have an actual conversation with someone, face to face. Xterra 11 years later. I like to say we can still go fast as we get older, just not as often. Breathing room: The wetsuit thing took me awhile. I’m claustrophobic, and it’s a mental battle each time I have to wear one. I used to have panic attacks.

Giddyup: No, I do not have a burning desire to compete in the rodeo, even though I was born and raised in Texas. I have dated a number of cowboys, though. Plus I’ve been known to last eight seconds on a mechanical bull.

Just like fine wine: My name is rarely mentioned without my age these days. I’m actually really proud of that. I want to inspire people to be in the best shape of their lives at 40 and over. I didn’t even start racing mountain bikes until age 28 and

The daily grind: When I bought my house in Hawaii, it came with a small coffee farm, Wahinefarms.com. It’s fully operational and I work there when I can. I drink coffee every morning—preferably two cappuccinos. I wouldn’t say it’s my secret weapon, but

Up and away: I’ve been a trampoline addict since kindergarten. We used to jump off our roof way before trampolines came with pads and safety nets. It’s great for agility. My goal is to be able to nail an aerial back flip until I’m at least 80. // holly Bennett

triathlete.com | March 2011

Mike AdriAn/XTerrA PHOTOS

I had a dream: Two nights before the race, I actually dreamt that I won in Maui. That’s only happened once before. In college, I played intramural softball—not very successfully. But I dreamt that I hit a home run on the day of the championship game and sure enough, it happened.

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dear coach

Fuel the Burn Dear Coach, I've heard that to teach the body to use fat as energy you should deprive yourself of calories during lowerintensity, longer workouts. Is this a smart option for amateur triathletes? Many athletes and coaches fall into the trap of viewing each component of training as entities acting mutually exclusive of other factors. In fact, the art of creating a successful approach to training is to understand the interrelating factors of performance. For example, a training program will only be successful if it is balanced with the other factors that provide stress to you as an individual. Your approach to nutrition will either be a great supporter of training and health (if done correctly) or an additional stressor on your system (if done incorrectly, in terms of quality, quantity and timing). So, as we delve into answering this question, it’s important to maintain a broad view of how nutrition fits in the overall training spectrum. Your question is related less to nutrition and more to fueling, and that is an important distinction for an endurance athlete. I refer to “nutrition” as the daily

triathlete.com | March 2011

The peer-reviewed research focusing on carbohydrate deprivation during low-intensity exercise shows that there likely is an increase of lipid (fat) utilization. So, at first glance, it would seem like a good decision to limit carbs during a long, low-intensity training session, but here lies the problem of simply applying myopic findings to real-life approaches. As a coach I've experimented with fat deprivation in training and, ultimately, have never seen positive long-term results. The overall stress created by reduced fueling has always resulted in a decline in training performance, impaired recovery and an increased frequency of illness and loss of motivation for training. I recommend you fuel every workout by “wrapping” the sessions with carbohydrates, get in your proteins, oils and nutrients (veggies and fruits), and allow the accumulation of training load, consistently applied, to increase your endurance and ability to utilize fat as a fuel source. You will be a better-trained, healthier and well-recovered athlete for it. Matt Dixon is an exercise physiologist, former professional triathlete, elite coach and the owner of San Francisco-based Purplepatch Fitness.

nils nilsen, larry rosa

with matt dixon

calories you take in through your main meals spread throughout the day. These calories provide the vast majority of your nutrients, building blocks (proteins) and oils (fats). “Fueling” refers to the calories that you consume during and immediately following exercise, and the primary purpose of these calories is to aid training. Your performance during any workout, recovery from the workout, pursuit of optimal body composition, and support of training in terms of stress reduction, stems from fueling. This is the most important factor in nutrition for an endurance athlete to get right, but it’s also the one area in which most athletes underconsume relative to energy costs. The primary fuel that your body utilizes during training is glycogen, a stored form of carbohydrate. No matter how trained at utilizing fat you become, you will always utilize plenty of your stored glycogen in activity. Failure to replenish those stores during and following activity activates a series of negative and highly stressful events in the body. An accumulation of these events results in impaired recovery, a possible retention of fat and long-term loss of muscle, and an increase in overall stress on your system.

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Racing at the Edge

I want to give everything I have but still make it to the finish line in one piece. How do I know how hard to push during a race?

That is the million-dollar question and a tough one to answer. It takes athletes years to find the balance between leaving it all out on the course and going so hard that they blow up before the finish. The short answer is experience. Consider that a pro might race 10 to 20 times per year for 10 years; that’s a lot of chances to get it right or wrong. And everyone gets it wrong at one point. If

triathlete.com | March 2011

Nils NilseN

with samantha mcglone

you race long enough, you will have a day that gets ugly and ends with a long walk home, or worse, a trip to the med tent. Those races definitely make for tough days, but they can be valuable learning experiences. So how do you learn where the edge is without wasting a key race? Try it out in training or at a low-key, shorter race. Go out a little harder than you think is wise and try to pinpoint your personal limits. A test set in training can act as an indicator of fitness and give some good guidelines for where your effort should be in a race. Go to the track and run 10x1K at goal pace for Olympic-distance race training or head out for a timed 20-miler to see if that marathon pace is possible. (The goal is to reach failure, so if you don’t make it through the set it just means you did it right.) Now you have an indicator of what is realistic.

On the bike, wattage can be a very helpful tool. I train with an SRM power meter to give me constant feedback of what kind of power I can sustain over different distances. Get used to the feel of each effort during training and you can be a good judge of pace and power in races. On race day you should be rested and fueled properly, so ideally you should be able to sustain a slightly higher maximal effort than in training. This is where a time trial or a low-key road race in your training can be helpful. Compete in a local 10K or 40K bike TT and be prepared to go a little harder than you think is wise. Push yourself to sustain the pace as long as possible and note where the wheels come off. These barrier-breaking workouts will help you discover where your absolute limit is—it is probably higher than you might have thought. They can also help you identify what type of athlete you are: speed- or endurance-oriented. Typically, men seem to have higher power and speed and need to work on endurance; they may find they go out too hard early on and have to slow down considerably. Women tend to be more naturally suited to endurance events and maintain a more even pace, but they often find they reach the finish line with energy to spare. I tend to go as hard as I can straight from the gun, otherwise I naturally settle into a pace that is too slow. In my best races I have hit a point where I think the effort is way too hard and I won’t be able to sustain it. Then I just keep hanging on (and it hurts like hell) but surprise myself at the end with a new PR. The goal in a race should be to measure your energy throughout so you cross the finish line using the absolute last drop of gas in the tank. And just remember: No true athletic career is complete without one epic blowup story to tell around the campfire.

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Cameron Elford

Choose your distance: Sprint, Olympic or Half Iron

Champion of the 1982 Mighty Hamptons: Triathlete Magazine on the Mighty Man Half: “All the triathletes in the ‘82 event were warmly welcomed “Challenge yourself to one of the most awesome by the community and I’m sorry that I can’t be with you for tests of endurance. Simply; A Must do Event”. the 30th running. Keep me on the list, I look forward to coming back for the 31st! Good luck to everyone and enjoy the great hospitality and scenery of the Mighty Hamptons!”

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Want to swim faster? Swimpower 3 can take 1:30* off your 1.5k swim time in 8 weeks

A Proven Method: The Swimpower 3 Program (DVD, manual and Sport Vector Cord) 10-15 minutes, 3 times a week. Along with structured swim sessions. Swim Power 3 will give you what you need to improve your swim speed by helping you improve your pull technique and pull power.

July 12, 2010 Review of SP 3: “The Swim Power 3 DVD teaches a great program for swimmers to add to their training routine to increase their freestyle pull strength and technique. It is a simple, inexpensive way to increase swimming ability and swimming speed.” —Matt Luebbers, about.com guide to swimming August, 2010 Review of SP 3: Swim Power 3 provides everything needed to improve swim-specific strength, flexibility and technique without getting in a pool. —Aaron Hersh, Competitor Magazine, August 2010

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*Swimmers improved an average of 26 seconds per 500 freestyle, your results may vary. As in, you may very well get even faster!

CHECKING IN

I’M A TRIATHLETE

Sam Peterson BY LAUREN VENTURA

TRIATHLETE.COM | March 2011

ASIPHOTO.COM

When Peterson was a kid, he knew he was going to grow up to be just like his father. Living in a household with one of the integral developers of the WordPerfect enterprise—the word processing program that essentially gave birth to most of the writing software we use today—it seemed destined that he would become a computer techie. What he didn’t know was that he would become a committed triathlete. ››

At age 35, Peterson is a top-level techie overseeing Salt Lake City-based Overstock.com as senior vice president of technology. It’s a demanding job that Peterson helped make even more demanding by reducing outsourcing and instead hiring almost 100 new software developers that he directs in-house. Each day, Peterson manages the online retailer’s website, which offers Internet bargain-hunters a litany of goods and products, while at night—and in the wee hours of the morning—he swims, bikes and runs. Sandwiched between Peterson’s goals of shedding some pounds, getting into shape, raising a family and following his career path was getting to the lava fields of Kona. But first, he had to see if he could even finish a triathlon. “I wrestled in high school in Orem, Utah, but I was a twig—really skinny— so I didn’t do much with that, then I tried basketball because I was tall,” he says of his spotty athletic career. Years passed and he began to notice his weight creeping up on him due to a desk job that demanded 40-plus-hour work weeks. At 30, he entered a small sprint triathlon in Salem, Utah. “It was definitely a big jump to go from the athletic background I had into the sport, but I did do a

i'm a triathlete lot of road biking so I figured it was worth a shot,” he says. After successfully completing that race, Peterson was hooked and signed up for the Ironman 70.3 Vineman. A few months later, Peterson signed up for Ironman Arizona and shed 30 pounds during training. After learning that the World Triathlon Corporation offered business executives the opportunity to earn a Kona slot through its Ironman XC Executive Challenge, Peterson knew getting to Kona was in reach at the Ironman Arizona race. “I literally chased down the guy in the lead and got my entry to Kona. And I don’t think there was one bad thing about my first Kona experience—except my marathon time,” Peterson says. “For me, it was Disneyland. Do I wish that my run time were about an hour faster? Yes. But I still wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world.” And as with many triathletes who juggle career and family, the training needed to get there wasn’t easy, either. “It defi-

triathlete.com | March 2011

nitely gives you dedication,” says Peterson. “Training for an Ironman is not one of those things that you can do if you just say, ‘Oh, I’ll train for a year.’ You have to break it up into what you’re going to do this month. And if I’m going to get that sort of training in each month then what will I have to do each week, then I have to ask myself what I’m going to do every day. "It’s interesting to correlate that with my job. If I want to accomplish something here at work over the next year, I have to boil it down into small, realistic tasks.” His co-workers and wife, Melissa, were amazed by his dedication to training. To celebrate Peterson’s getting to Kona, Overstock.com media developers created a short movie chronicling his struggle to train, work and sleep (Search “Sam Peterson Ironman” on YouTube.com). In the movie, his wife says that every moment of Peterson’s spare time is invested in getting to Kona. Despite his missing out on family time with his three children, and perhaps shirking some around-the-house

chores, Melissa adamantly says that no matter what, “There’s no way he’s quitting now.” And Peterson didn’t quit. Even when he landed in the medical tent around the 5-mile mark of the run, he kept going—after two IVs—and finished in 12:03:01. His 20- to 25-hour-a-week training plan paid off. All those mornings waking up at 5 for a Masters swim class that Peterson says he was surprised he didn’t get kicked out of, “because I’ll admit it: I’m a terrible swimmer. In fact, if they graded the class on a curve, I’d get a D,” were all worth it. Though Peterson promised his wife, family and co-workers that he would tone down the training schedule in 2011, it’s a promise that’s been hard to keep; he claims to be experiencing those postIronman blues. “Even though I promised my wife that I would not do any iron-distance triathlons during 2011, she might let me do a half,” Peterson says with a laugh.

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checking in

confessions of an age-grouper

Let There Be Law by holly bennett

triathlete.com | March 2011

one’s dorm room during designated visiting hours. The rule stated that we keep the door open the width of a trash can, at least one light on and three (out of a presumed four) feet on the floor. Well, it was high school, when a creative disregard for rules is de rigueur. We bought the narrowest trash bins we could find, nearly set the dorm afire with tapestries draped over burning bulbs and fully exercised our adolescent flexibility. But once the too-cool-for-rules phase passes and we mature into adulthood, most of us realize that rules generally exist for good reason. Whether for the sake of safety or fairness or just plain propriety, a little law and order is appropriate, if not essential. We all agree that cheating during a race is a no-no. That’s as crystalclearly wrong as stealing or smacking someone upside the head. And while you might believe it silly that race entries are unequivocally non-transferable, the rule is in place to proactively protect individuals by keeping proper track, as opposed to an unfair annoyance.

So I’m all for the rule books and whatever regulations the leaders of our sport want to throw down. In fact, I think doling out a few additional permissions might help control certain gray-area offenses against sportsmanship and decorum, enhancing the triathlon experience across the board. Let’s try selective spitting and snot rocket permissions, allowing racers to spew away, but only after confirming a clear path. Likewise, tactful cup-tossing permission would oblige runners to aim for the rubbish, rather than their rivals. A good mood clause would compel complainers to stay home. Permission to seed oneself would continue to be available, but only after an honest self-assessment of one’s swimming skill. And a personal favorite petition—white spandex permission—would be granted only to those athletes who are ridiculously fit and really, really good-looking. And they’d be welcome to wear it year-round.

hunter king

Lately there’s been loads of controversy surrounding rules, policies and procedures put forth by the various triathlon organizations. We sure do have a lot of rules. There are rules for pros and rules for age-groupers, regulations for wetsuits, speedsuits, drug testing and draft-busting. There are new world championship qualification procedures, ever-shifting prize money policies, age-up ordinances, registration routines and, occasionally, work-around options for folks who don’t want to follow any rules. We’ve seen some regulations repealed nearly as fast as they’ve been written. Others are quickly cemented. As much as we might agree with some edicts and stomp our feet against others, one thing’s for certain—over time, the dust will settle, the edge of controversy will dull and the new standards will seem like old hat. There are rules in every aspect of life, and some simply seem less sensible than others. Can anyone rightfully explain why airlines charge upwards of $150 to transport a bike, while golf clubs fly free? Or why we shouldn’t wear white after Labor Day? During my ninth to 12th grade boarding school stint, my classmates and I were subject to rules aplenty. One opportunity-laden favorite, straight from the student handbook, pertained to hosting a member of the opposite sex in

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BREAKING THROUGH

Turn to page 56 to learn how to achieve a breakthrough in your swimming with the help of a DIY underwater camera set-up and some simple swim drills. PHOTOGRAPH BY JOHN SEGESTA

March 2011 | TRIATHLETE.COM

training tips

diY swim coaching There are dozens of books and DVDs—not to mention YouTube videos—that demonstrate and attempt to teach correct freestyle technique, yet most of us can’t glide through the water like an Olympian. What gives? Integrating advice about freestyle technique into your own stroke is difficult in part because perceiving your own mistakes requires experience. Thankfully, technology can partially replace wisdom in this case. Use an underwater video camera to film your stroke so you can view your mistakes first hand and work through them. Get the supplies. We used a Gopro HD Hero 960 ($179.99, Goprocamera.com) because it uploads easily to a computer, takes high-quality video, comes with a waterproof housing and is tiny and relatively inexpensive, but any video camera in an underwater housing will suffice. We mounted the camera to a 5-pound square dumbbell—which served as our anchor—using the handlebar seatpost mount ($19.99, Goprocamera .com). The square weight serves as a platform and keeps the camera stable on the bottom of the pool. position the camera. Place the camera approximately halfway between the walls and point it straight up toward the surface so you record complete strokes when passing over it from both directions. The fisheye lens provides a 170-degree field of view, which allows it to grab several strokes in a single pass in moderately deep water. We found a depth of 8 feet provides the best combination of detail and length, but any depth from 5 to 10 feet works well. Make sure to orient the camera sideways to capture maximum swim distance and you can point it down the lane to get a head-on view of your stroke.

workout on a single card. Sifting through an hour-long swim can be tricky, however, so we recommend recording just your main set. review and use the information. Once you have your own stroke on video, find an example of excellent technique from swim DVDs or YouTube and make a list of differences between your stroke and the example. Save this first video for future reference. Next time you go to the pool, focus on one of your technique problems throughout the entire workout. Persist for a week and then bring the camera back to the pool to record your new and hopefully improved stroke. Compare your original video to the new one and note how your stroke has changed. If you have fixed the problem, move onto No. 2 on your list. In the head-on view, check out head and body position in relation to the surface of the water. The water line should slice along the top of your head, leaving half above and half below the surface. Your body should follow directly behind your head on the surface and be almost invisible to the camera. Check out the path of your hand during the catch and pull phases. This view is perfect to check for center line crossing. No part of your arm should ever cross to the other side. Your hand should enter the water in direct line with the shoulder and then make a sweeping, questionmark motion toward the hip. Finally, watch your legs as you swim away from the lens. Look for the highest and lowest point of the kick; aim for a maximum of 1 to 2 feet of difference. Verify that each foot kicks through the surface of the water and makes bubbles on re-entry. This view is useful to identify good pointed toes and improperly flexed feet.

steve Tarpinian of TTUniversity.com believes in improving the fundamental components of stroke mechanics before addressing anything else. These are the three foundational elements of freestyle technique that Tarpinian recommends all triathletes focus on, especially beginners:

Breathing. exhale throughout your stroke and breathe to the side rather than the front. if your head jerks out of the water to grab a breath, try rolling your body onto its side rather than lifting your head out of the water to grab air. Body position. Many triathletes struggle to keep their hips and legs high in the water. if you see your lower body sink below the surface, pressing your chest deep into the water will lift your hips higher in the water. Pull. Optimize your propulsion by orienting your forearm vertically to grab as much water as possible. Focus on keeping your elbow high when your hand moves through the water. The fist drill, single arm drill and sculling drill can help you focus on this element of technique.

// aaron hersh

triathlete.com | March 2011

Nils NilseN

collect video. An 8-gigabyte memory card, which can be purchased for about $15 to $20, will record just over two hours in the high definition wide angle mode, so you can plant the camera at the bottom of the pool and record an entire

Technique Training

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TRAINING TIPS

Swimming Online Welcome to the 21st century of triathlon training: the Internet and free access to hundreds of sites, videos, forums and workouts. But where do you begin? What do you watch? Whose advice is best? We scoured the Web for three of the best sites (and one printed book) to improve your swimming. YouTube is a great place for swimming advice. Tr y Goswim098’s channel for swim videos starring Olympians, world record holders and famous swim coaches. Here, you will find videos demonstrating freestyle drills, equipment instructions, openwater tips, flip-turn directions and other strokes. Click on Swim smooth.com for the best animated swimmer on the Web! Download the app for free and watch the freestyle stroke technique. Find your swimmer personality like Bambino, Kicktastic and Overglider, and discover ways to improve like Mr. Smooth. The

tips for open-water swimming and injury prevention are also worth checking out. Once you have developed good technique in the water, head over to NTC Mastersswim.blogspot.com for swim workouts. Creative and challenging workouts for three levels of ability are posted Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Also, the

Exiting the open water is an often overlooked part of the transition from swim to bike. Many seconds can be gained and lost, so technique and planning are important.

Mr. Smooth, the best animated swimmer on the web

waterproof “Workouts in a Binder: Swim Workouts for Triathletes” by Gale Bernhardt and Nick Hansen is very practical for use on the pool deck and storing in your equipment bag.

swim with the front pack even though they have no swimming background. It is incorrectly assumed that all decent swimmers must have been swimming since birth. You only need a keen awareness of how your body moves and reacts to neuromuscular signals. So for those starting a triathlon career later in life, spend extra time on technique and get a feel for the water before trying to swim fast.

Step 1: Swim toward the finish. Know the course and find tall buildings or trees to sight that are in line with the swim exit. Step 2: Activate your legs. Kick a little extra during the last 200 meters of the swim. Step 3: Keep swimming! Don’t stop or stand up until you have run aground in the shallow water. When your fingers scrape the bottom, take a few more strokes by pulling right under your torso. Step 4: Stand up and lift your goggles onto your forehead. This action clears your vision for any potential hazard underfoot as you start to run out of the water. Step 5: Unzip your wetsuit on solid ground. Running through sand and rocks is hard enough. Wait until you reach carpeting or pavement to search for that strap! Step 6: Take off your cap and goggles when you see your bike. Abandonment of equipment can result in a penalty, so don’t risk dropping these small items.

// SARA MCLARTY

TRIATHLETE.COM | March 2011

MR. SMOOTH COURTESY SWIMSMOOTH.COM, SWIM EXIT: NILS NILSEN

Brains or Brawn? Swimming well is based on acute body awareness. It depends on form and technique, not raw power or brute strength. The simplest way to improve body awareness is by swimming slow and engaging your brain. Some of the tiniest women can beat big muscular men in the pool. The difference is knowing how to control each body part during each phase of the stroke. Newbies often want to know how to

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Pro Tim Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Donnell grinds up Catalina Highway toward the peak of Mount Lemmon, just outside of Tucson, Ariz. The mountain sits in the middle of the popular winter training ground in the desert, but its 9,157-foot summit collects enough snow to support the Mount Lemmon Ski Valley resort in the cold-weather months. PHOTOGRAPH BY NILS NILSEN

March 2011 | TRIATHLETE.COM

training tips

In Good Company

a group ride can benefit your training and make you faster.

triathlete.com | March 2011

ride as an excellent way to meet others, improve bike handling skills and get a killer workout. In a single group ride you might find yourself having a grueling hill workout, a leg-searing lactate threshold session, and plenty of steady tempo riding, often at or above the level you might be able to achieve on your own. To find a suitable group ride near you, head to the nearest bike or tri shop and ask them for suggestions. Be sure to let them know your ability level and experience with group riding so they can tailor their recommendations accordingly. If you

// Scott Fliegelman

Scott Fliegelman is the owner and head coach of FastForward Sports, which provides group running and triathlon training for several hundred athletes of all levels in Boulder and Denver, Colo.

Carson Blume

Though triathlon is generally a non-drafting sport, ironically some of the most fun and beneficial training we can do on the bike involves riding in a draft-friendly group. Organized group rides can be found in nearly all active communities, and may be geared toward bike racers, recreational cyclists or triathletes. As a coach, I structure my athletes’ bike training to allow ample time for solo sessions in order to prepare for the specific demands of non-drafting racing, such as time in the aerobars, focused effort and intensity management, but I also strongly suggest adding in a weekly group

have access to a triathlon or bike club in your area, one of the many perks of joining might be the chance to join weekly group rides. Facebook can also be an excellent way to get some targeted suggestions on the subject, and if your FB friends aren’t yet hip to the local group ride scene then you could just start a group ride of your own! Once you have decided to “test ride” a group, you’ll want to keep a few key areas of group riding etiquette in mind: Minimize the “tri geek” factor by leaving the aero helmet and tri outfit at home. Surely you’ll want to let them know that you are a triathlete, but there will be plenty of time for chitchat when you can casually mention the 4,000 meters you swam at 6 a.m. and the 30-minute brick run you’ll be doing off the bike. Ride a road bike if you have one. If not, then a tri bike is fine as long as you refrain from using your aerobars when riding within 25 meters of others. Your hands belong out wide on the base bar, near the brakes so you are prepared for sudden stops or turns. Keep your eyes up and active at all times—and off your Garmin or iPhone. And try to use only one hand when efficiently taking sips from your water bottle or eating. It is best to take care of your nutrition needs at the back of the pack. Ride about a bike length or closer from the rider in front of you, and pay attention to their verbal warnings and hand signals regarding road obstacles, traffic and upcoming turns and stops, and pass the message on to those behind you. Most importantly, be sure to smile a lot, ask a lot of questions and be a humble and safe ambassador for the sport of triathlon. After a couple of rides the others may start asking you questions about wetsuits, Body Glide and compression socks.

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Bike Bling

You can cross the finish line without these upgrades, but if you want to deck your ride out with the latest in bike tech, look no further.

The Hive Revl brake calipers, $365 If Red or Dura-Ace brakes just aren’t flashy enough for your ride, the Revl calipers might fit the bill. Their single pivot design minimizes weight—they are a scant 239 grams—and their sturdy arms and uniquely adjustable brake leverage ratio creates stable, dependable braking power. The single pivot design does, however, make them prone to coming out of adjustment. If you don’t mind turning a wrench once in a while, these all-carbon stoppers are a thing of beauty on any dream machine.

Zipp Vumacrono crank, $1,290 It looks more like a medieval weapon than a bicycle crank, but don’t be fooled—the Vumacrono is a finely tuned piece of cycling technology. Zipp eliminated the jagged metal spider that most cranks are built around and replaced it with a continuous carbon structure to smooth airflow and therefore reduce aerodynamic drag. The chainrings themselves are metal (and replaceable) but the rest of the crank body is carbon fiber. The small chainring is also a solid disc and is made of aluminum. Zipp says the Vumacrono is vastly more aerodynamic than other cranks, and while we can’t confirm or deny that claim, we’re confident that it doesn’t sacrifice any functionality. The teeth on the big chainring are shaped to help the chain jump from the small ring to the big and, even though it isn’t the best shifting crank on the market, it executes quick and precise up-shifts.

triathlete.com | March 2011

nils nilsen

Pro Missile EVO, $1,199 The Pro Missile EVO is a stiff, light, aerodynamically shaped bar— just like nearly every other expensive new aerobar—but its adjustability, ergonomic characteristics and minimalistic construction set it apart from other top-shelf bars. The bar can be manipulated to accommodate nearly any style of position. Several aerobars can match the Missile EVO’s adjustability, but most of those bars have so many protruding bolts they look like a creation of Dr. Frankenstein. The Missile EVO maintains the elegant simplicity of a onepiece bar while matching the adjustability of bulkier bars. Not only does the Missile EVO adjust to the rider’s position, but it also ergonomically connects the rider and the machine. The aero extensions tilt upward and inward to create a natural hand position that is comfortable for hours but still adequately tense to provide extra leverage to power over a short hill. Our only complaint is that the extensions can twist side to side slightly. All things considered, the Pro Missile EVO is our current favorite aerobar. // aaron hersh

Gear BaG

A Head for Speed An aero helmet is considered to be one of the most cost-effective aerodynamic upgrades. But with all the options to choose from, how can you pick the best one for your needs? Short of going to the wind tunnel or conducting sophisticated on-road testing, it’s impossible to know which helmet will be the fastest for you. However, there are a few simple rules of thumb to apply when buying an aero helmet. First, generally speaking, very long helmets tend to work best for athletes who are able to hold their head relatively still while riding

triathlete.com | March 2011

Giro Advantage 2, $165 This helmet is seen on the heads of many professional triathletes, including 2010 Ironman World Championship runner-up Andreas Raelert, as well as star cyclists Lance Armstrong, Levi Leipheimer and Dave Zabriskie. It is also one of the most popular helmets among age-group triathletes, no doubt in part because it comes in three sizes, allowing it to fit a wide variety of head sizes. It is also exceptionally well ventilated, with external vents and internal channels. It’s best described as a medium-length helmet and has an open tail section. The ear covers are more substantial on this helmet than many others, which means that they have less flexibility when you put the helmet on. While this doesn’t make it a challenge to put on, it does mean you will struggle to squeeze your head into a slightly smaller helmet if you’re between sizes.

Limar Speed Demon, $200 Limar makes two different TT helmets: the Speed Demon and the Crono. The Speed Demon is the longer of the two helmets and has a medium-length tail that is nearly identical in length to the Giro Advantage 2. Though it comes in only one size, its ear covers are quite flexible, which make it easy to put on quickly. It boasts 15 vents and an open tail to maximize cooling, so athletes concerned about airflow should give it a look. It is also one of the less expensive aero helmets on the market, so it is a good place to start for athletes who want a fast helmet without breaking the bank.

Rudy Project Wingspan, $300 Of the six helmets featured here, the Wingspan has the most unique features aimed directly at triathletes and has a distinct tail shape. Perhaps the helmet’s most interesting feature is its ability to be altered for optimal aerodynamic performance or airflow. The athlete has the choice to leave the front vents open, partially block them with a screen or block them entirely for maximum aerodynamics with minimal airflow through the helmet. Likewise, the tail of this helmet comes with a removable piece, which allows the athlete to box the tail for aero advantage or leave it open for more airflow. It is by far the shortest helmet here and was designed by noted cycling aerodynamicist John Cobb to work well for a large variety of positions and with the head down. It is available in only one size, so it won’t work for everybody.

Nils NilseN

Catlike Chrono, $300 This helmet is relatively lesser known among triathletes, but not for lack of a pedigree. It was the TT helmet of choice of the Cervélo professional cycling team, which was known to be meticulous about equipment selection to maximize every possible advantage. It was worn by Carlos Sastre in the time trial stages en route to his Tour de France victory and by Emma Pooley when she won the elite women’s time trial at the 2010 UCI Road Cycling World Championships. It’s the second longest helmet of these six and features a boxed-in tail section to maximize aerodynamic advantage. It presents a relatively small profile from the front and a long streamlined shaped from the side. It is one of the sleekest looking helmets in this group. It only comes in one size, however, so it may not be an optimal fit for riders with a smaller or larger head.

and don’t spend a lot of time looking down at the pavement, which causes the tail of the helmet to stick up into otherwise clean airflow. Second, it is important to find a helmet with a small profile that closely follows the rider’s head. Third, as with all helmets, fit is important. A good fit ensures protection in a crash and that the helmet is easy to put on in T1—an athlete can lose the aero time gains with a sloppy transition. Here are some top picks to help guide you to the right aero helmet.

// EMMA SNOWSILL

OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALIST & ITU WORLD CHAMPION

Louis Garneau Superlegerra, $180 If looking at the helmets seen on riders at races and in race photos is any indication, Louis Garneau aero helmets are likely the most popular aero helmets in triathlon. The Rocket Air helmet was reputed to be fast for a large cross section of athletes, and its descendent, the Superleggera, has a similar shape but also has very large dimples on its front surface. It also allows a great amount of airflow through the helmet thanks to five vents and an open tail section. With three size options, it fits a large range of athletes’ heads, and its relatively flexible ear covers make it easy to put on quickly.

Specialized TT2, $250 This is the helmet Chris McCormack wore en route to both of his Ironman World Championship wins, and it has also been used by a number of top professional cyclists. It is the longest of the six helmets profiled here and is best suited to riders who keep their heads up. It is a massively well-ventilated aero helmet, likely the best of these six, so it should be a top pick for any athlete who wants the feel of a road helmet’s ventilation in an aero helmet. It comes in two sizes and it’s the only helmet here that comes with a carrying case. // Christopher Kautz

Christopher Kautz is the president of the Master Bike Fitters Association, owner and founder of PK Cycling (Pkcycling.com), and is one of the originators of the fit studio concept. His clients include numerous Ironman world champions, Tour de France veterans and Olympians, as well as thousands of age-group athletes.

To see more images of these aero helmets, go to Triathlete.com/aerohelmets or download the free app to your smartphone at http://gettag.mobi to scan this barcode.

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Bridging the Gap: Aero Road Helmets For athletes that don’t want to spring for a helmet that will only be used on race day, a road helmet with betterthan-most aerodynamics is a great place to start. Both the Specialized Prevail ($230) and Catlike Whisper Plus ($275) are great options. While these helmets won’t afford the time savings of a full aero helmet, over a distance of 40 kilometers they can save 20 to 30 seconds over most road helmets.

TRAIN HARDER. RECOVER FASTER. FOR THOSE HIGH MILEAGE TRAINING WEEKS, 2XU COMPRESSION PROVIDES THESE BENEFITS: • Graduated pressure (mmHg) improves circulation during and after training and racing. • Muscle containment reduces muscle fatigue and damage, resulting in faster recovery. • High gauge, circular knit fabric technology offers performance, comfort, protection and durability.

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March 2011 | triathlete.com

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1/18/11 5:45 PM

UP FOR THE CHALLENGE

Billed as the world’s most scenic iron-distance triathlon (there’s also a half-iron option), the Challenge Wanaka races took place January 15 against the backdrop of Mount Aspiring National Park and Lake Wanaka on New Zealand’s South Island. Pro triathlete Petr Vabrousek of the Czech Republic finished sixth. Jamie Whyte of New Zealand took the men’s title, while Aussie Belinda Granger won the women’s race.

PHOTOGRAPH BY PHIL WALTER /GETTY IMAGES FOR CHALLENGE WANAKA

March 2011 | TRIATHLETE.COM

training tips

Run of the (Tread)Mill There are pros and cons to treadmill workouts. On the plus side, they can provide you with “instantaneous biofeedback,” says Eric Bean, professional triathlete and coach of the Fast Forward Triathlon Pro Development Team based in Chapel Hill, N.C. In other words, treadmill workouts allow you to “experiment with foot plant, body lean, and arm and leg mechanics,” he says, giving you feedback on how to make your stride as efficient as possible. And they can teach your body to run at a consistent pace, as you can’t subconsciously slow down on a treadmill like you can on the roads. A treadmill workout can also be a good solution when it’s too dark or cold outside to run. And many age-groupers use the treadmill when they can’t leave the house because they have to keep an eye on the kids. Here are three treadmill workouts—two from top coaches and one from an Ironman world champion—that can boost your run training. Always be sure to set your treadmill to at least a 1 percent grade, as this simulates running on the road. // courtney Baird

Run Speak Did that fartlek workout lead to a major bonk instead of runner’s high? Need a glossary just to understand what we’re talking about? We demystify some of the most common running terms. //c.B.

triathlete.com | March 2011

Workout No. 1 Warm-up: eight minutes easy followed by 4x20 seconds at 5K pace or slightly faster. main set: 12x1 minute, alternating at a 4 percent grade, a 4.5 percent grade and a 5 percent grade. the interval at 4 percent should be moderate, the effort at 4.5 percent should be moderately hard, and the interval at 5 percent should be hard. try to run faster with each set of three. take one minute of rest in between each interval. cool-down: 10 minutes easy. —mike ricci, head coach, university of colorado at Boulder triathlon team

Workout No. 2 “One treadmill session i have a love-hate relationship with is 10x3 minutes at best effort, with three minutes rest between each,” says ironman world champion mirinda carfrae. “it’s kind of boring but quite effective!” always remember to properly warm up before you do this session. a proper warm-up should include some strides on the treadmill.

Workout No. 3 Warm-up: 20 minutes. the first five min-

Bonk [bongk] Verb: To become utterly exhausted and depleted and unable to keep moving forward at a desired pace. This occurs when your glycogen stores are depleted. Example: “I didn’t think I’d bonk so hard during the race, but it felt like I hit a brick wall and my

utes should be easy and can include walking. By minute 10, you should be running the same pace you would during a long run, and by minute 15, you should be running at a moderately fast pace. For the final five minutes of your warm-up, do progressively faster strides that are 15 to 30 seconds long, separated by 15 to 45 seconds of “recovery running” that is done slightly faster than the pace you expect to hold during the main set. Set no. 1: 3x30- to 45-second hill repeats at a 5 percent, 6 percent and 7 percent grade. these hill repeats should be fast, but not so fast that you can’t finish the workout. take 2:15 to 2:30 rest, so that each repeat takes three minutes. Set no. 2: 3x30- to 45-second hill repeats at a 6 percent, 7 percent and 8 percent grade. slightly increase the pace you’re running as well. take 2:15 to 2:30 rest, so that each repeat takes three minutes. Set no. 3: 3x30- to 45-second hill repeats at a 7 percent, 8 percent and 9 percent grade. slightly increase the pace you’re running as well. take 2:15 to 2:30 rest, so that each repeat takes three minutes. cool-down: 10 minutes of easy running. — eric Bean, professional triathlete and coach of the Fast Forward triathlon Pro development team

legs were made of concrete.”

Fart • lek [fahrt-lek] Noun: A Swedish word that means “speedplay.” A run where you speed up and slow down several different times during the workout. You must keep running during the entire workout for it to be considered a fartlek.

Example: “Our fartlek was 10x90 seconds with one minute of jogging in between.”

In • ter • vals [in-ter-vuhls] Noun: Set distances or times that are meant to be run fast and followed by periods of rest. Example: “Yesterday I did three

training tips

A Smooth Landing

Retrain your stride to reduce impact and injury risk. Some runners hit the ground hard with their feet. Others land softly. Even when two major factors affecting impact forces—body weight and running speed—are held constant, there is a large degree of individual variation with respect to ground impact. Certain subtleties in biomechanics appear to be at fault for causing a hard landing in some runners. You can’t always identify a stomper by watching them run, but you can tell from their injury history. Studies have shown that runners exhibiting unusually high impact forces when they run also have a very high risk of developing common overuse injuries such as plantar fasciitis and shin splints. The good news is that there are also studies showing that runners can learn to run more softly. For example, in a 2010

one-mile intervals in the park with six minutes rest between each.”

Junk miles

triathlete.com | March 2011

else than contribute to injury. Example: “I was putting a lot of miles into the bank while training for Ironman, while my teammate wasn’t concerned about getting in junk miles.”

LSD [l. s. d.] Acronym: “Long slow distance.” This is a run you do to build your

aerobic capacity. Example: “My LSD run was 20 miles this week.”

mile interval with a 5:20 and then a 5:15 mile.”

Neg • a • tive split

[ri-kuhv-uh-ree ruhn] Noun: To run at a very easy pace, which pushes blood through your muscles and allows them to recover more quickly than they would if you did nothing.

[neg-uh-tiv split] Verb: To finish the second half of your interval or race faster than the first. Example: “I negative split the two-

Re • cov • er • y run

Nils NilseN

[juhngk mahylz] Noun: Miles you get in just to keep your weekly mileage high. Some coaches believe that junk miles make you stronger, while others believe that they do little

study, Irene Davis of the University of Delaware used visual biofeedback to train a group of 10 stomping runners to run with less impact. A one-month follow-up test revealed that the change was permanent. According to Davis, you don’t need hightech force plates and visual biofeedback monitors to learn to run with less impact. “Practice running at a higher cadence, or more strides per minute, without changing your pace,” she says. For example, if your left foot normally lands 75 times per minute, aim for a 10 percent increase, or 82 to 83 strides per minute. This will naturally shorten your stride and make your feet land flatter, which is less jarring than an overstriding heel strike. Don’t try this unless you are often injured, however. That’s because any change

you make to your natural stride will make it less efficient, even if it does lower your injury risk. I’m living proof. A couple of months ago I switched to a softer stride that allowed me to run without pain in my left Achilles tendon, which I could not do with my natural stride. Then I visited the biomechanics lab of Stephen McGregor at Eastern Michigan University. McGregor had me run on a treadmill alternately with my new (softer) stride and my old (harder) stride. Then he showed me some graphs. Sure enough, the new stride reduced my measured impact force considerably. But it also reduced my running economy. McGregor cheered me up. “The fastest way to run is not always the best way to run from an optimal performance standpoint,” he said. “With the improved fitness you may accumulate as a result of staying healthier, you could end up running as fast or faster than before.” And so might you. // matt Fitzgerald

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TRAINING TIPS

How slow is slow?

Take It Slow

Running at a gentle pace has more benefits than you might think. Kenya’s distance runners are known as some of the fastest in the world. But they don’t always run fast. “They actually do a lot of their training at very easy paces,” says Lance Watson, cofounder of Lifesport Coaching in Vancouver, British Columbia. “Kenyan runners often come to Vancouver to train, and sometimes when you see them out running together they’re barely moving.” Willingness to go slow is not uncommon among elite distance runners. It’s

Example: “I’m really sore from bonking in that race—I need to get outside and do a recovery run.”

Run • ner’s high [ruhn-ers hahy] Noun: A feeling that runners sometimes get after a brutal workout or race, or after a long run. During a runner’s high, you

TRIATHLETE.COM | March 2011

much less common, however, among competitive age-group triathletes, who, because they run less frequently than runners, think they have to “make every run count” by going at least moderately fast. But, according to Watson, there is a place for slow running in triathlon training too. “Just because slow running is relatively easy doesn’t mean it isn’t beneficial,” Watson says. “It builds aerobic fitness, endurance and fat-burning capacity.”

feel invincible, unstoppable. When this occurs during a workout you feel like you’re running effortlessly and could go for miles on end. Example: “Work’s been kicking my butt lately—I need to go for an interval workout and get a runner’s high.”

Strides [strahyds]

According to tri coach Lance Watson, the appropriate pace for slow running is the equivalent of a comfortable warm-up pace. In heart rate terms, it’s zone 1, or about 25 beats per minute below your threshold heart rate. Watson recommends slow running for no fewer than five distinct situations: Recovery runs: Your first run after a long or high-intensity run or bike ride should be slow and comfortable, according to Watson. Extra runs: Watson is a big believer in training as frequently as possible in all three triathlon disciplines. But any runs you add to your current weekly schedule should be slow to provide an extra aerobic stimulus without a lot of extra stress on the body. Plan B workouts: On days when you have a challenging run planned but your body just doesn’t feel up to it, do a slow run instead. “It’s far better than nothing,” Watson says. Long bricks: When Watson coaches an athlete who has trouble putting a decent marathon together in an Ironman, he has him or her do very long bike-run (or “brick”) workouts that include a zone 1 run. Start with an hour run after a two-hour ride and build to a two-hour run after a three- to four-hour ride. But keep it slow! “It’s all about getting used to being on your feet for a prolonged period of time,” Watson says. Returning from injury: Zone 1 running is much less stressful on the tissues of the legs than faster running. Therefore, Watson advises athletes to do all of their running at a slow pace for the first couple weeks after an injury layoff to minimize the risk of a setback.

Noun: Short, quick runs that are 50 to 100 meters in length. They should be run at a pace that is fast, but not so fast that you lose your form. They’re meant to help you warm up for a race or workout and to help you get the feeling of running fast. Example: “If I don’t run strides before a race, I can’t seem to hit

// MATT FITZGERALD

my rhythm.”

Taper [tey-per] Verb: To reduce your mileage and sharpen your fitness before a big race. A taper should leave you feeling fresh and ready to roll. Example: “I’m winding down my training this week as part of my taper for my A-race in two weeks.”

0 11 2 S E I R E N S E • 10K RUN T R I AT H L O B IK • 40K 1 .5 K S W IM

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EST G R A L LD‘S R O W TA N C E S I THE D L IONA T A N R ERIES S INTE N O L T R I AT H

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Gear BaG

Best New Shorts The latest designs in running shorts combine style, comfort and functionality. Whether you prefer a fuller cut or a barely there cut, these shorts are constructed with lightweight, “moveable” fabrics that perform beautifully during a 5K or marathon-distance run. By tawnee Prazak Men’s De Soto Tuesday Run Short, $52

Men’s Brooks HVAC Synergy Short II, $44

Women’s K-Swiss Bound Split Short V2, $45

Women’s Zoot Haute Run Short, $40

Men’s 2XU Run Short Medium Leg, $55

For a more conservative woman’s short, Pearl Izumi offers the new Infinity LD Short with five-inch inseam. It’s a somewhat form-fitting short that features Pearl Izumi’s patented Minerale liner that is said to dry 50 percent faster than regular performance polyesters and provide odor absorption. The outer shell is a polyester UPF 50-plus (high protection from ultraviolet rays) material that’s lightweight even with the added length. Other standout features include elastic sides and back with draw cord for superior fit, two zipper pockets and two “hook and loop” pockets.

This durable run short has been a staple for many triathletes since 1991. But the 2011 version has more to offer, including an inner-support liner, meant to aid in cooling during hot runs, as well as De Soto’s new softer, less abrasive body and skin mesh liner. The short also doubles as a swim trunk that has a low drag factor, and the drawstring waist stays in place. The shorts are equipped with secure pockets made with Velcro and rip-resistant mesh, ensuring your keys aren’t going anywhere. The short is mid-thigh length with a four-inch inseam and fullsided loose fit.

Brooks’ newest running short is loaded with technology. Of note is Brooks’ updated heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC) Synergy technology for thermoregulation, odor-banishment and moisture transfer. The HVAC Synergy Short is specially designed for 65 degrees and above, helping runners beat the heat. With a four-inch inseam and split shell, the short has a lightweight feel with exceptional range of motion. It comes with dual hoister pockets, Brooks’ special reflectivity for safety during dark runs, elastic waist and drawstring, and an inner liner.

K-Swiss introduces an updated version of their popular Bound Split Short V2, which combines classic style with modern flair. The short features a 2.5-inch inseam, split sides, inner brief and a mix of polyester and spandex for full flexibility. The comfort continues with its soft elastic waistband plus internal draw cord that won’t “suck in” the wrong areas. Plus, the reflective graphics promote safety during runs in the dark, and the back zippered pocket is convenient for holding keys or an ID. The Bound Split, like all of K-Swiss’ shorts, offer “quick dry” fabrics and UV protection.

This women’s run short from Zoot might quickly qualify for our “all-time favorite” status. The Haute Short is a formfitting, ergonomically designed knit short that offers fast-moving style as well as a barely there feel. It also features a comfortable yoga-style waistband and short two-inch inseam. With its moisture-wicking high-spandex fabric, the Haute Short is built to stay in place where it should and move with your every stride (without any awkward bunching), while also remaining dry unlike traditional cotton-based spandex shorts.

The 2011 version of this short has an inseam of 6.5 inches, and although it’s more of a casual short, it still features 2XU’s high-performance fabrics. This particular run short offers moisture management—achieved with 2XU’s unique “vapor” technology of finer material on the outside that wicks moisture from the thicker inner material—durability, a lightweight feel and stretch material that allows full range of motion. It also features an “active lining” that prevents chafing. This short style, the brand’s most popular, is appropriate for any athlete running at any speed.

triathlete.com | March 2011

Nils NilseN

Women’s Pearl Izumi Infinity LD Short, $49

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23 Top Races for

T R I AT H L E T E

TYPES

Soma Triathlon, the best race for fair-weather athletes.

NILS NILSEN

With thousands of notable races to choose from—many occurring simultaneously on a single weekend—how can an athlete carve out the best possible calendar to suit his specific wants and needs? Through an array of research techniques—our own reader survey, advice from industry insiders, queries sent to a pack of professionals and assessment of our own race experiences—we’ve compiled a collection of worthy events which serve to satisfy a wide variety of triathletes. Here are our top recommendations for 2011.

BY HOLLY BENNET T March 2011 | TRIATHLETE.COM

the kona hopeful

Ironman China May 22, 2011, Jixian, China

With 50 qualifying slots and no more than 900 projected participants, the odds of qualifying for Kona at Ironman China are tipped in your favor. 2011’s race moves to a new fast-course venue and a temperate date in May, making race conditions more agreeable than ever. Sure, it’s a long haul to China, but that won’t deter those folks obsessed with earning a spot on the Kona start list.

the Budgetconscious Athlete

Scheels High Cliff Triathlon, June 18, 2011, Sherwood, Wis. An $85 early bird entry fee for a USAT-sanctioned half-iron-distance event is almost unheard of these

triathlete.com | March 2011

Rev3 Quassy and Rev3 Cedar Point, June 4-5, 2011, Middlebury, Conn., Sept. 11, 2011, Sandusky, Ohio

The Rev3 races clearly live up to their billing as family-friendly events. Both the Quassy and Cedar Point venues are actual amusement parks, and athletes receive discounted park entry with their registration. With a weekend filled with family fun activities—past events have included an adventure race, an obstacle course and a T-shirt tie-dye booth—it’s no wonder one reader’s son kept asking, “When can we come back?”

the pros’ picks 80

the Family-Focused Athlete

Mirinda Carfrae: Ironman World Championship and Ironman 70.3 Asia-Pacific Championship

Luke McKenzie: Noosa Triathlon Multi Sport Festival

andrew loehman; John m Cooper photography; dan hiCok

days. Add to that a tightly run event featuring immediate chip-timed results, unique awards, free training clinics and technical race tees— along with a sensationally scenic venue overlooking Wisconsin’s Lake Winnebago—and you’ve found the Scheels High Cliff Half Triathlon. The icing on the budget-conscious cake comes from race producer Midwest Sports Events’ bulk-buy discount program, wherein a commitment to any five or more MSE events earns a free race entry.

The Beginner

Tri the Parks Series, Various 2011 dates throughout Georgia

The six-race Tri the Parks Series offers up a full palette of events: Olympic and sprint triathlons, duathlons, aquabikes and even an aquathlon. The series caters to newcomers, with safety a top priority, small wave starts, a rich relay division and superb on-course support. Race directors estimate that up to 35 percent of participants are newbies; the rest are returning athletes relishing the low entry fees and rollicking good fun.

©iStockphoto.com/Sebatl ; chriS bernacchi/brightroom.com; ryan bethke

The Romantic

Triathlon at Pacific Grove, Sept. 9-11, 2011, Pacific Grove, Calif.

Can it get any more romantic than racing together around Lovers Point? The answer is yes, if you and your sweetheart take advantage of the many attractions the Monterey Peninsula has to offer. Spend the morning competing on the spectator-friendly Olympic- or sprint-distance course, then hit up a Cannery Row restaurant, visit the mate-for-life penguins at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, cruise the cliff-strewn coastal highway to Big Sur and bunk down at a bed and breakfast in nearby Carmel-by-the-Sea.

The Single Athlete

Nautica New York City Triathlon, Aug. 7, 2011, New York City

The sheer numbers at any big city triathlon make it a best bet if you’re an athlete on the prowl. But one reader confided that New York City holds a special magnetism, as several of her friends met their soon-to-be significant others at the Nautica event. Perhaps it has something to do with the Jamaica Underwear Run, held the Friday evening before each year’s race. What better opportunity to size up the playing field and secure a date for a hot summer night in the city?

The Rock & Roller

TriRock Series, Various 2011 dates nationwide Expanding on the popularity and success of their Rock & Roll Marathon sister series, the newly launched TriRock races merge music with multisport. When the tunes literally rise out of the water on the swim course (via a live band positioned on a catamaran) you know you’re in for beat-thumping treats and rock-star treatment throughout the day. Chris Legh: Wildflower Long Course and Ironman 70.3 Asia-Pacific Championship

Paul Matthews: Boulder Peak Triathlon and Noosa Triathlon

Matt Reed: St. Anthony’s Triathlon and Ironman 70.3 California

March 2011 | triathlete.com

The EcoConscious Athlete

USA Triathlon Age Group National Championship, Aug. 20, 2011, Burlington, Vt. USAT has worked hard to green their championship events, adopting the Athletes for a Fit Planet’s Pledge of Sustainability. Environmental initiatives will be in full force at the 2011 event in eco-chic Burlington. Notable practices include the use of 125-gallon bulk water coolers on course and

Aurlandsfjellet Xtreme Triathlon, Aug. 13, 2011, Aurland, Norway

A new race for 2011, and limited to 150 lucky participants, the half-iron-distance Aurlandsfjellet Xtreme Triathlon promises to serve up postcard-come-to-life panoramic vistas. Cycling through the majestic fjords of Norway and running the area’s steep and scenic valley—logging a combined climbing total of more than 13,000 feet—is a challenge reserved for only the most robust among us. But surely any race-induced pain will be numbed by the beauty that abounds in this pastoral paradise.

10 Leanda Cave: Ironman Arizona and Garmin Alpen-Triathlon

triathlete.com | March 2011

The After-Party-Goer

Ironman World Championship 70.3, Sept. 11, 2011, Lake Las Vegas, Nev. Even though the Ironman World Championship in Kona and the Xterra World Championship in Maui both boast legendary after-parties, there’s little doubt that the new Ironman World Championship 70.3 venue of Las Vegas will top them all. There’s nothing quite like a group of otherwise intensely focused athletes, finally unfettered at season’s end. A built-in Vegas bonus? The happening hot spots are ample and open 24/7—with no VIP party passes required.

Tim O’Donnell: Ironman 70.3 St. Croix and Immenstadt Triathlon

Julie Dibens: Wildflower Long Course

Don Mulligan/brightrooM.coM; ©iStockphoto.coM/baiaz; nilS nilSen

reusable bottles at the finish line, recycling of all possible waste, an athlete carpool program, carbon offsets available for purchase, paperless race communications and registration, eco-friendly goodie bags and race Tshirts made from recycled fabric.

The Landscape Lover

The Team Player

American Triple-T, May 2022, 2011, Portsmouth, Ohio, Oct. 14-16, 2011, White Lake, N.C. If relay-teaming is your style, you haven’t truly raced until you’ve tried the American Triple T format. Over a three-day weekend, athletes complete a sprint (Friday afternoon), two Olympic (Saturday morning and afternoon) and one half-iron distance (Sunday morning) courses. Races No. 1 and No. 2 two can be completed at an individual pace, but No. 3 and No. 4 must be finished together. If you and your partner survive the arduous effort unscathed, and manage to avoid team-spirit sabotage, you’re guaranteed to share an amazing bond for life.

The Philanthropist

San Diego Triathlon Challenge, Oct. 23, 2011, La Jolla, Calif.

The San Diego Triathlon Challenge, and the accompanying 4.5-hour spin-a-thon and 5K fitness walk, is an event like no other. Celebrating the unstoppable spirit and abilities of individuals on the Challenged Athletes Foundation roster, more than 125 challenged athletes participate alongside 550 able-bodied triathletes, celebrities and pros. The event raises more than $850,000 annually for CAF, and everyone involved is infused with a whopping dose of contagious inspiration.

Rev3 Costa Rica, Feb. 19-20, 2011

Every race in the Rev3 series has a reputation for loading athletes up with a cool, quality swag bag. Racers receive two custom shirts, a hat or visor, sweet sponsor goodies and, where applicable, amusement park discounts. But participants in the new Rev3 Costa Rica event will be especially fortunate, taking home a unique (and as of now under-wraps) item honoring the exotic locale, in addition to the traditional Rev3 haul.

The Foodie

Xterra Sardinia, May 29, 2011, Orsei, Sardinia, Italy

A hungry athlete’s haven, Sardinia features a host of hearty cuisine: locally raised meat, freshly baked bread, abundant pasta and the island’s gastronomic specialty, pecorino cheese yielded from Sardinian sheep. The food is fabulous and bountiful at the various race functions, plus dozens of quaint trattorias and ristorantes dot the surrounding area, with strong and flavorful Sardinian wine accompanying every meal. The scenery is equally amazing around this Italian coastal isle, with steep marble mountains, fertile valleys and idyllic olive orchards aplenty.

Laura Tingle: Ironman 70.3 Augusta and Ironman Canada

triathlete.com | March 2011

Linsey Corbin: Ironman World Championship and Ironman 70.3 Pucon

Melanie McQuaid: Vineman Ironman 70.3 and Xterra Sardinia

rich cruse; nils nilsen; JAcVAn-TriMAXheBDO

The Swag Hound

FEATURED EVENTS St. Anthony’s Triathlon St. Petersburg, FL – May 1st Ford Ironman Lake Placid July 24th Nautica New York City Triathlon – August 7th Subaru Ironman Canada August 28th Ford Ironman Wisconsin September 11th Ford Ironman Arizona November 20th

RACE PERKS: Free entry to SoLd ouT events AFAC/Team Newton Race Kit Newton running shoes Travel/Lodging assistance

Never Give In… until we cross the finish line We invite you to become part of our Triathlon Endurance Team in one of six premier triathlons across North America where you can race for free in these SoLd ouT races. These events will be more than just a race, you will have the ability to be part of a greater good…helping to find a cure for prostate cancer...This is why we tri, and will Never Give In.

Join us in

2011

and RACE FOR FREE All money raised by Athletes for a Cure benefits the Prostate Cancer Foundation. To register or for more information about Athletes for a Cure visit us at

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The FairWeather Athlete

Soma Triathlon, Oct. 23, 2011, Tempe, Ariz. As evidenced by the number of pros who call Arizona home, the desert landscape provides near perfect training grounds—at the right time of year. Late October is as good as it gets, with an average air temperature of 73 degrees, average rainfall a mere .85 inches and water temperature in Tempe Town Lake in the mid-70s. As

16 many as 1,800 athletes flock to the Soma Triathlon to take advantage of the moderate, dry climate and the chance to race one of the nation’s largest independent half-iron-distance events, which parallels portions of the Ironman Arizona course.

The City Slicker

Virgin Active Health Clubs London Triathlon, July 30-31, 2011, London, United Kingdom

In a nod to the 2012 Olympic venue, and in honor of the U.K.’s multiple triathlon world champions, why not hop a flight to London and soak in the city sights during the swim, bike and run? The course passes by a variety of landmarks, including Big Ben, the Tower Bridge and the London Eye, and caters to athletes of all levels, from beginner to elite. You’re sure to find plenty of pubs worth visiting once the day’s activities are complete, and with 13,000 fellow athletes (it’s the largest triathlon in the world) you’re guaranteed to be in good company.

Amanda Balding: Ironman 70.3 St. Croix and Ironman Brazil

triathlete.com | March 2011

Wildflower Triathlon, April 29-May 1, 2011, Lake San Antonio, Calif. With its frat party-like festival of camping, revelry and—oh yeah—racing, the Wildflower Triathlons Festival wins this category hands down. Known for its brutal courses and hot, dry conditions, made tolerable by the entertainment of drunk, oftentimes naked, but always good-humored volunteers from nearby college Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, the event is a must-do on any triathlete’s bucket list.

Chrissie Wellington: Ironman World Championship and Challenge Roth

T.J. Tollakson: Vineman Ironman 70.3 and Hell of the West Triathlon

asiphoto.com; ©istockphoto.com/compassandcamera; kurt hoy

The Forever 21

The Under-the-Radar Iron-Distance Athlete Full Vineman, July 30, 2011, Windsor, Calif.

If you want to go the distance but feel overwhelmed by M-dot fury, the Full Vineman is the perfect race for you. With a sound history (it’s the oldest independent iron-distance event in the continental U.S.) and a slim field (2010’s race saw 700 entrants), Vineman emphasizes individual attention and a low-key vibe in the midst of a charming—and no less challenging— wine-country course.

The Strong Swimmer

Aquaman Even Up Kingdom Triathlon, Aug. 6, 2011, Derby, Vt.

Shonny Vanlandingham: Xterra Richmond and Xterra Brazil

triathlete.com | March 2011

The Strong Cyclist

Alpe d’Huez Triathlon, July 26-28, 2011, Oisans, France

You’d be hard-pressed to find a race more suited to cycling virtuosos than the Alpe d’Huez Triathlon. Cycling the legendary climb made famous by the Tour de France is certainly a dream come true for Lycra lovers. It’s not for the faint of heart or leg, however—three-time Ironman world champion Chrissie Wellington labels the race “sheer masochism,” and loves it for precisely that reason.

Michellie Jones: Escape from Alcatraz and Ironman 70.3 Philippines

Belinda Granger: Challenge Roth and Laguna Phuket Triathlon

Luke Bell: Ironman New Zealand

asiphoto.com

While Escape from Alcatraz is generally considered the ultimate swimmer’s race, the Aquaman Even Up Kingdom Triathlon is a swim-fest of epic proportions. The event, buttressed by the rallying cry, “Swimmers of the world unite and fight for an Even Up Aquaman Triathlon,” features a 3.5mile swim, followed by a mere 30-mile ride and a traditional half marathon run. The reason? Athletes are meant to spend roughly equal lengths of time racing each of the three disciplines.

LAS VEGAS 5.14.11

LifE timE Epic 250

Entry qualifications at

lEadmantri.com

The Strong Runner

Ironman St. George, May 7, 2011, St. George, Utah

While Wildflower has long been a contender in this category, with its brutally hilly trail run and predictably hot and dusty conditions, the newly launched Ironman St. George instantly gained fame as having the toughest Ironman run on the circuit. Just looking at a the online course profile is intimidating enough, much less traversing the steeply sloped loop two times through. One strong-running competitor in the inaugural 2010 event called the course “pure evil” on her way to a hardearned Ironman PR.

Laguna Phuket Triathlon, Nov. 27, 2011, and Ironman 70.3 Asia-Pacific Championship, December 2011, Laguna Phuket, Thailand

The Intrepid Traveler

Xterra Saipan, March 12, 2011, Saipan, CNMI

triathlete.com | March 2011

Whether you prefer the WTC’s Ironman 70.3 Asia-Pacific Championship or the classic (and shorter) Laguna Phuket Triathlon, it’s hard not to choose Laguna Phuket, Thailand, as our No. 1 luxury race destination. Pros and age-groupers alike laud the amazing beaches and lush accommodations of this idyllic island locale. The renowned Banyan Tree ranks as a favorite resort, and while far from cheap, the digs are so indulgent you might be in danger of missing your race morning alarm.

Tyler Butterfield: Philadelphia Insurance Triathlon

Torsten Abel: Ironman World Championship and TriGrandPrix Basque Country

nils nilsen; ©istockphoto.com/adisa

On a tiny island (46.5 square miles) on the far side of the globe lies Xterra’s “crown jewel” course in Saipan. The race starts on the same beach where Marines attacked during 1944’s Battle of Saipan. The bike course traverses nearly every inch of rugged island terrain, peaking on top of Mount Tapotchau (elevation 1,545 feet). A 12K trail run takes competitors through thick jungle, past World War II relics and into secret caves. Three-time Xterra world champ Julie Dibens dubs Saipan “one tough-ass race, well worth the trip to one of the most beautiful islands in the world.”

Craig Alexander: Ironman World Championship and Ironman 70.3 St. Croix

The Luxury Traveler

triathlete.com | March 2011

a Second

(hand)

ChanCe You donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have to break the bank to get some of the best triathlon equipment on the market. Score your next bargain using our secondhand buying guide.

By JenĂŠ Shaw PhotograPhS By nilS nilSen

March 2011 | triathlete.com

riathlon technology changes so fast that this year’s cutting-edge item could easily be replaced by next year’s breakthrough model. And what do triathletes do when there’s a piece of gear that’s faster, lighter and better than their own? They buy it and sell their old one. And when they upgrade—from a product likely still in good condition—you can reap the benefits. In the past, swap meets, flea markets, garage sales and auctions were the go-to venues for discovering deals. But because of the easy access to products worldwide, as opposed to just locally, online shopping has taken over. Not only does the Web simplify the process of finding that specific crankset or heart rate monitor you’re looking for, it makes it easy to comparison shop to find the best deal. The eBay store The Pros Closet is a testament to the rapid growth of used equipment shopping online. Five years ago, the Boulder-based business was the two-man operation of Nick Martin and Pete Lopinto, both former professional cyclists (racing mountain and road bikes, respectively). They started with the goal of selling their own equipment to make some cash, and quickly found themselves selling gear for their roadie friends and retailers with overstock. Now the 14-person operation is the biggest used cycling equipment store on the Internet, selling around 200 items per day. “Cyclists are pretty savvy about buying stuff online,” Martin says. “And eBay is growing as more and more people become comfortable with online shopping. It’s a marketplace that can’t be ignored.” Check out these spots for secondhand shopping and follow our tips to make a smart decision on your next purchase.

TRIATHLETE.COM | March 2011

eBay.com The worldwide marketplace lets you bid on countless goods with auction-style listings. EBay’s advanced search tool helps to find everything you need, which is especially useful if you’re looking for a rare or specific name-brand item. “We have a lot of clients on the road and on the mountain, so we have pro team clothes that you wouldn’t find at a bike shop,” Martin says. “It’s just like buying a jersey you want from your favorite football team.” You can be confident making purchases because of the eBay buyer protection return policy. If you’re not satisfied with an item after 30 days—it can be as simple as “these aerobars didn’t fit”—you can return it and eBay will reimburse the total cost, including original shipping. eBay Quick Tips: 1. Search complete listings so you know the going price for items similar to what you’re bidding on. 2. Check the seller’s rating—feedback can tell you if he ships quickly, what quality his items are in, etc. 3. Use Esnipe.com, a service that automatically places your bid in the last few seconds of an auction. No more bidding wars!

Craigslist.org If you’re buying a heavy or bulky item such as an indoor trainer or jogging stroller, Craigslist is the way to go. It’s segmented by city for easy browsing in your area. The local classifieds format allows you to try before you buy and take an item home the same day in your car. Unfortunately the likelihood of fraud can be higher with Craigslist, so proceed with caution. Craigslist Quick Tips: 1. Negotiate if you think it’s fair. Sellers are often just looking to get rid of an item, so they might consider bargaining. 2. Meet people face-to-face in public areas to purchase items and bring another person along. 3. Avoid scams: Never wire money; watch out for fake checks; don’t give out your financial information; be wary of badly written English; and ignore inquiries from another country.

Forums Classifieds on popular forums such as Slowtwitch.com or Beginnertriathlete. com can be an effective way to find top-notch gear from devoted triathletes. Dave Stark, a USAT-certified coach in Walnut Creek, Calif., is a frequent Slowtwitch shopper. “My rule of thumb is that sellers need to have been around for at least a year on the message board and have at least 50 posts,” he says. “Having been around Slowtwitch now for several years, I sort of know the good folks who sell often.” Both forums have strict rules before you can sell—Beginnertriathlete.com requires a 30-day membership and Slowtwitch.com asks that you post at least 25 times in various forums over the course of at least 30 days.

Forum Quick Tips: 1. Stark advises buyers to use the instant message feature to contact the seller—not only will you get more details on the item, but you’ll also get more info on them. 2. Check out Beginnertriathlete’s “Pay it Forward” section, where triathletes donate their gear for free to the first responder. 3. Watch out for the usual warning signs and pay with Paypal whenever possible. Forums are typically a “buy at your own risk” operation.

Other options Although the three places above are great options, don’t forget these other possibilities: • Bike shops for used race wheels or bikes • Amazon.com for training books or DVDs • Triathlon stores for previously rented wetsuits • Classifieds section on your local triathlon or cycling clubs’ online forums.

There are pros and cons to buying from both eBay and Craigslist. See how the online marketplaces stack up against each other: eBay.com

Craigslist.org

Safety

Robust security features

Watch out for fraud and scams

Shipping

Can add up on big items

Just pick it up

Selection

Worldwide, seemingly endless

Local, random variety

Payment

Quick and safe Paypal

Cash

Price

Depends on other bidders

Often negotiable

Returns

Possible with eBay buyer protection

It's yours once you buy it

Sale time table

eBay determines

Buyer determines

Transactions

Only online

Face-to-face

March 2011 | TRIATHLETE.COM

Natural Born athlete by AAron HersH IllustratIons by n.C. WInters

A new crop of companies claims that athletic-based genetic testing can predict your true physical talent and help prevent the training injuries youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re most susceptible to. Is genetic testing the wave of the future for giving triathletes a competitive edge?

It took scientists

The nascent field of athleticbased gene testing is now able to offer the first generation of substantive tests that may be able to leverage people’s genetic codes to predict their talents and risks as athletes.

13 years and approximately $3 billion to decipher the human genome, but now that the code has been cracked, the price of genetic testing is plummeting into affordability. The information contained within an individual’s genome is no longer the exclusive domain of well-funded research scientists—it’s accessible to anyone, and perhaps of special interest to triathletes. A few private companies offer tests that reveal the predictive secrets held in each person’s genome with the goal of helping that individual become a better athlete. The nascent field of athletic-based gene testing is now able to offer the first generation of substantive tests that may be able to leverage people’s genetic codes to predict their talents and risks as athletes. Today, you can send a sample of your saliva through the mail to companies that will test a portion of your genome for less than the price of a half-iron race entry fee. However, the field of personal genetics is still developing and the real question is: What practical use can these tests provide for athletes? Atlas Sport Genetics, Atlasgene.com, a small genetic testing company based in Boulder, Colo., promises to help clients realize their true athletic potential. “Become the best athlete you were born to be,” the company’s brochure reads. For $169, the company will test the ACTN3 gene, said to influence sprint power, speed and endurance, to determine if the subject shares genetic qualities with the majority of elite sprint and power athletes. There is an association between ACTN3 and athletic performance, but that specific gene plays only a small role in determining an individual’s likelihood of performing well in power-based sports, such as football, sprinting and shot put. Daniel MacArthur, Ph.D., co-author of a 2003 article in the American Journal of Human Genetics, writes, “Most studies performed so far suggest that ACTN3 explains just 2 to 3 percent of the variation in muscle function in the general population.” So, although it is true that your ACTN3 gene provides information about your personal talent for developing strength, MacArthur says it only explains a small percentage of the actual physical difference between individuals. The influence of the gene on sprint performance is small because many other factors such as training, nutrition and

I took Athleticode’s genetic test and physical assessment, and the results show that I have a higher-than-average risk for both ACL and Achilles tendon injury—not exactly wonderful news. I have consistently struggled with overuse injuries since I started running my junior year of high school, so the result wasn’t a big surprise. My genetic inclination to have weak connective tissue only partially explains why I get overuse injuries from relatively moderate training loads. Skeletal structure, muscular balance

Lab

other genes also influence an individual’s physical condition. The presence of the ACTN3 variant that is not related to sprint performance correlates with endurance performance, although the relation to endurance isn’t as strong as the relation with sprinting. Combining information from several genes that affect a specific characteristic along with information about a person’s current physical condition can generate a more accurate prediction about that person’s athletic future than a single gene alone. The allure of deciphering the code contained in a person’s DNA that determines a person’s talents, risks and capabilities is undeniable, but this information is merely novelty if it doesn’t arm the subjects with a way to use that information for their benefit. Athleticode, Athleticode.com, is a genetic testing startup that strives to do exactly that. Its CEO, James Kovach, M.D., says the company’s goal is to “connect the genetics to the biology.” Send a cheek swab to Athleticode’s lab in Lenexa, Kan., and the company will test your COL1A1, COL5A1, COL12A1, MMP3 and GDF5 genes for $350. These five genes influence collagen strength, protein regeneration and growth. Clinical research has shown that these genes affect a person’s chance of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and Achilles tendon injuries. ACL tears are more common in soccer players and skiers than triathletes, but many endurance athletes perpetually struggle with other connective tissue injuries. If an athlete knew he was high risk for specific ligament and tendon injuries, he might be able to prevent the injuries from ever happening by performing the strengthening exercises that are typically prescribed to an athlete recovering after an injury to prevent a relapse. Since the only research investigating the influence these genes have on injury has focused on the Achilles and ACL, a direct link between these genes and all connective tissue injury cannot yet be declared, but Dr. Kovach says it can be “suggested.” In order to make definite connections between these genes and other injuries, researchers must gather more data. Hunt Willard, Ph.D., Athleticode co-founder and director of the Institute for Genome Sciences and Policy at Duke University, is charged with expanding the practical information that Athleticode can glean from a genetic test. Willard says, “The next question is: Are there other injuries that the same group [that is susceptible to ACL injury] might be prone to?’” Athleticode is pursuing the answer to that question by collaborating with researchers at the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital (CCH) Sports Biodynamics Center. This group of scientists works to associate physical characteristics, not genetic information, with injury risk, and they have a database containing the physical makeup and injury history of more than 2,000 athletes. To relate the data collected by the Sports Biodynamics Center to specific gene sequences, Athleticode is testing the genome of many of those same subjects. Greg Myer, Ph.D., a scientist at the CCH Sports Biodynamics Center, says this allows them to “go back and see if there are genes or sets of genes that are related to [other] injuries.” Since the subjects’ genetic code is the same

Rat

cOL5A1 Gene

Ligament and Collagen Composition TT

and flexibility also influence a person’s risk for injury, so Athleticode recommends that subjects seek information about their physical condition from a trainer or physical therapist. My physical assessment revealed four major skeletal asymmetries—my left leg is longer than my right, my right knee has large natural valgus (abnormal outward turning of bone), my right tibia is everted (turns outward) and my arch and foot eversion (movement away from the median plane) are asymmetrical—but noted that my “functional and movement scores are either symmetrical or very subtly asymmetrical, indicating that you have compensated for this through your current training regimen.” Athleticode’s final recommendations to me were to “maintain symmetry in mobility, flexibility and strength and to add additional core training to help assist in balancing your right and left sides.” Kovach says the way to use this information to prevent injury is to seek help from a trainer that prescribes exercises to compensate for structural or genetic vulnerability. I learned the hard way— multiple stress fractures, partially torn hamstring, myriad hip and knee injuries—that I need to work to keep myself healthy, so the information in the test was primarily a confirmation of what I already knew. However, taking the test as a young runner could have provided the same information I learned through a series of injuries and perhaps spared me some pain and recovery time. //A.H. To see Hersh’s complete test results, go to Triathlete.com/genetics or download the free app to your smartphone at http://gettag.mobi to scan this barcode.

Snap it!

Genetic tests do not reveal the map to one’s future as a triathlete, but they can provide guidance and insight about natural risks and inclinations that was unavailable as recently as a year ago. today as it was when they were born, injuries sustained at any point in their life provide insight into the correlation between specific genes and specific injuries. There is no need to wait for new injuries to gather data associating an individual’s genetic code with their likelihood of different injuries; a 35-yearold test subject has 35 years of history. The goal of this process is to “improve our ability to identify a person’s risk,” says Myer, and eventually to use this information to reduce injury by “improving pre-habilitation,” the process of strengthening oneself against a likely injury to prevent it from ever happening. If Athleticode fulfills this ambition, it will be able to use a genetic test to inform athletes which injuries are most likely to derail their athletic and fitness ambitions so the athlete can prevent them from ever happening. Although Athleticode’s current test that evaluates a person’s innate injury risk is not as extensive as Willard and Kovach hope it eventually will be, it can provide clues about the types of injuries an athlete might experience. Tendons influence more than just injury risk. They are an integral part of a running stride, so the same COL5A1 gene that Athleticode tests to help determine a person’s likelihood for tendon and ligament injury might also influence a person’s natural distance running talent. Tendon stiffness has been linked to running economy, but not in the way you might expect. Inflexibility appears to improve running economy. When the runner strikes the ground and leans forward, the Achilles tendon stretches like a spring and stores a portion of the energy from the runner’s momentum. That energy is returned to the runner when the tendon recoils during the toe-off stage of the stride. Although energy returned by the Achilles tendon might seem trivial, this process actually saves an immense amount of energy and is critical to running efficiency. Human tendon has a specific stiffness characteristic, like any other spring, that influences the amount of energy it recycles from stride to stride. Researchers at the

100

University College London found that “optimal [Achilles tendon] elastic stiffness for maximizing running efficiency is equal or slightly higher than that of the average Achilles tendon.” In other words, a stiffer-than-average Achilles tendon improves running efficiency. COL5A1 affects tendon stiffness, so a research group from the University of Cape Town in South Africa studied the relationship between this specific gene and run performance. They studied 313 men that raced the 2006 and 2007 editions of Ironman South Africa and their recently published study revealed a striking relationship. Individuals with the TT genotype, which creates stiffer tendons than the other two potential COL5A1 genotypes, TC or CC, averaged a 4:56 marathon split and racers with another code averaged 5:07. Although the time difference between groups appears small, their statistics imply that there is less than a 2 percent chance the relationship is due to coincidence. The difference between the groups appears to be due to the COL5A1 gene. Even more convincing that there is a genuine relationship between COL5A1 and Ironman run performance is that there was no relationship between that gene and swim, bike or overall performance. It was only linked to run performance. The South African researchers have demonstrated that this code might improve run performance slightly, but earlier research has shown that the TT genotype is also associated with a greater risk of tendon injury. Individuals with the CC genotype, the loosest configuration, are less likely to get injured but also might have lower natural running efficiency. Since the CC genotype is correlated to injury resilience, Kovach suggests that a person with that gene version could be bolder with their training than an individual with the TT code, who should be weary of increasing their training dramatically from week to week. These personal genetic tests do not reveal the map to one’s future as a triathlete, but they can provide guidance and insight about natural risks and inclinations that was unavailable as recently as a year ago. Knowing one’s own genetic code will become more and more useful as scientists continue to decipher the roles of specific genes, but that information can already help athletes guide their strengthening and training programs today.

COACH IN A BOX Looking to make gains in your swim, bike and run? Look no further.

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March 2011 | triathlete.com

101

Race Day

ReAdy You know how to swim, bike and run, but you have to seamlessly integrate those skills on race day to become a successful triathlete. These how-to tips and tricks will help you master the details that can make or break your race. By Aaron Hersh | Photographs by Nils Nilsen

102

How to … Put on a wetsuit (the right way) Wetsuit neoprene is susceptible to puncture, even from a fingernail. Instead of grabbing the neoprene with your fingers, either pinch it between your thumb and first knuckle or wear gloves to cover your nails. Apply skin lubricant (non petroleumbased) to your ankles, wrists and neck to prevent chafing and to help the suit slide off after the swim. Slip your feet into the suit and pull the ankle opening about 3 inches above the ankle (wearing knee-high socks makes this step easier) and position the suit’s calves. Pull the thighs into position and yank the waist as high as possible without squeezing your “equipment” too tightly.

After the lower body is correctly positioned, pull one sleeve up your arm until the wrist opening is a few inches above your wrist and yank the extra material up toward your shoulders. Do the same with your other arm. Zip the suit up (ask a friend for help if needed), walk into the water and scoop some water into the suit’s neck opening. Walk onto dry land and push the water through the suit and out the ankle and wrist openings. This will help the suit settle into its ideal position.

Choose the right race goggles Check the direction of the swim course on the course map before race day. Any portion of the swim that goes to the east is likely to point you straight into the sun, which creates potentially blinding glare. Mirrored goggles cut down on glare that reflects off the water.

Equip your transition bag You will obviously need your bike and running shoes, but fill your transition backpack with these extras to be prepared in case of last-minute emergency:

zip ties, baby powder, electrical tape, floor pump, rubber bands, extra water and sports drink, food, multitool, skin lubricant, extra goggles and cap, towel, ibuprofen and sunscreen.

Nail your fastest swim exit Keep swimming until your fingers dig into the sand. Take one more pull and jump onto your feet. If you stand up any sooner you will spend a ton of energy dragging your legs through thigh-deep water. Once you are on your feet, grab your goggles

Sight during the swim leg Navigation is one of the biggest differences between swimming in a pool and swimming in open water. You will need to regularly lift your head to sight for the next buoy and avoid zigzagging along the swim course. Sighting every six right-arm pulls will help keep you on course, but lifting your head to sight can break your stroke rhythm and force your feet to drop in the water, which creates drag. Coordinating your head lift with your stroke and breath can efficiently integrate sighting into your stroke. If you are breathing to the right, lift your head as your right arm goes into the catch phase of the stroke and give a strong kick. Lift your head high enough so that your nose barely pokes out of the water. As your arm enters the second half of the stroke, raise your chin as you turn your head to the side to take a breath before putting your face back into the water.

and put them on top of your head—instead of taking them off—to keep your hands free to strip off your wetsuit. Wait until you are completely out of the water before unzipping the suit. Run to your transition area, remove your cap, drop your goggles and forcefully push your wetsuit toward the ground by the waist.

Navigate transition Before arriving on the beach, plan the route you will take to and from your transition area for both T1 and T2. You might be disoriented when you run to your bike during the first transition, so it is important to construct a foolproof plan to find your bike. Walk from the “Swim In” gate toward your transition area and count the number of rows you pass before reaching your own. Then, walk down your row and find a landmark that distinguishes your transition area. A colorful balloon or towel at your transition area can help your bike stand out among hundreds of others. To plan T2, walk from the “Bike In” gate to your transition area and again count the rows. Finally, walk from your transition area to the “Run Out” gate so you can zip out of transition during the race.

Draft…when appropriate (and legal) Drafting during the bike is the most reviled thing a triathlete can do. (I was penalized 103

Master the flying mount It sounds like a circus routine, but a flying mount—taking a running jump onto your bike out of T1 with your shoes already clipped into the pedals—can shave important seconds off your time and set you up for a strong bike leg. Click your shoes into your pedals before leaving the transition area for the swim. Bonus points: Use clips or rubber bands to hold the shoes

upright rather than allowing them to flop upside down. When you run out of transition, there’s likely to be a cluster of people fumbling to mount right at the mount line. Run past this congestion before jumping on your bike. Lean into the handlebars to support some of your weight and decisively jump while throwing your right leg over the saddle.

2. 3.

Rather than landing on your butt, which can really hurt, land on your inner thigh and slide onto your butt. Put your feet on top of your shoes and accelerate up to speed. Slide one foot into its shoe and reaccelerate before putting on the second shoe. Reach down to Velcro close each shoe.

Master the flying dismount Like the flying mount, the dismount is a time-saving race tactic that can make a difference in tight competition. You’ll want to practice both before race day. Save time in T2 by pulling your feet out of the shoes while still on the bike. Make sure you have a little space between you and your fellow racers before pulling one foot out of its shoe and placing it on top of the shoe. Reaccelerate, just like you did for the flying mount, and pull your second foot out of its shoe. As you approach the dismount line, move your hands onto the brake grips and decelerate to a moderate speed. As you roll toward the dismount line, pull your right foot over the rear wheel (be careful if you use a behind-the-saddle hydration system) and stand on your left.

2. 3.

Put your right foot in front of the left between the shoe and the frame. Be very careful using your brakes while in this unstable position.

Snap it!

Get the free mobile Get the free mobile appapp at at

http:/ / gettag.mobi http:/ / gettag.mobi 104

Spring off your left shoe in the final meters before the dismount line, land on your right foot and run into transition.

How-to video: Learn how to perform a flying mount on your phone or at Triathlete.com/flyingmount or download the free app to your smartphone at http:// gettag.mobi to scan this barcode.

for drafting in 2009—my only penalty in seven years of racing and my training partners still give me hell about it.) But drafting during the swim is a smart racing tactic. Swimming the first 150 meters a little faster than race pace is a good way to find a fast pair of feet to draft. Once you are around swimmers that are slightly out of your league, find someone’s feet and aggressively move behind them. Tenaciously stay on them and you will get out of the water faster and fresher than ever before.

Hydrate on the bike There are five common types of hydration accessories that allow you to carry additional fluids on race day, and they all have trade-offs. Here are the pros and cons for each style: Frame-mounted round bottles Pro: Easily replaceable; you already have them; 40-56 ounces of carrying capacity Con: There are more aerodynamic options. Frame-mounted aero bottles Pro: Less aerodynamic drag than round bottles. Con: Can’t be replaced at aid stations. Between-the-aerobars water bottle mount Pro: Potentially reduces aerodynamic drag; can be replaced at aid stations; race/training dual functionality; easy to reach. Con: Can interfere with hand position, depending on the rider’s position. Between-the-aerobars fixed bottle Pro: Bottle can potentially reduce drag; fix it and forget it; refillable; drink from a straw without grabbing a bottle. Con: Straw creates drag. Behind-the-saddle bottle mount Pro: 20-84 ounces of carrying capacity; space for flat repair; great to have for long training rides. Con: Most difficult-to-reach position for a bottle; variation in location can have a large influence on aero drag.

are another way to cut drag for less than the cost of a race entry. Tires such as the Bontrager R4 Aero, Zipp Tangente, Michelin Pro Race 3 and Specialized S-Works Turbo create less rolling resistance (sometimes less aerodynamic resistance as well) than standard tires. They are priced between $120 and $150 for a set of clinchers and save several watts of rolling resistance over the less flexible tires that usually come as standard equipment on bikes off the shelf. Get a pair and reserve them for race day so they last for the entire year and don’t pick up little shards of glass. Put them on your wheels about a week before the race to make sure your tube isn’t pinched between the tire and rim, which can cause a seemingly spontaneous flat tire.

Set up your running shoes for a fast transition Optimize your standard running shoes for triathlon by adding a pair of elastic laces or Zero-Friction[BL1] fittings. These aftermarket accessories allow you to quickly secure your shoes and speed through T2. If you run without socks, sprinkle a little baby powder inside your shoes to absorb moisture, which helps your damp feet slide all the way into the shoes without getting caught on the tongue.

Try caffeine Numerous studies have shown that caffeine improves endurance performance. Many studies recommend about 2 mg of caffeine per pound of body weight, which equates to 250 mg for a 125-pound person, or about the amount found in a tall cup of Starbucks coffee. If coffee doesn’t sit well in your stomach, try caffeine supplements such as Pure Kick or NoDoz tablets, but make sure to test them out before the race.

Trim your T2 time Grab each shoe by the tongue and heel loop and yank it wide open to force your foot into it. Grab your Fuel Belt, visor, race number belt and any other accessories and head for the Run Out. Put these accessories on as you run.

Get the most wheel (read: speed) for your dollar Wheels are considered “free speed” because they allow you to ride faster without improving fitness, but race wheels are anything but free at the cash register. If you are looking for a cheap way to go faster, the Wheelbuilder.com Aero Disc Cover transforms any spoked training wheel into a disc, albeit a heavy one. Race tires 105

Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be deceived by her petite stature; Scottish pro lesley Paterson is a mega talent just hitting her stride in triathlonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s big leagues.

Great by Julia Beeson Polloreno PhotograPhS by John SegeSta

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At the 2010 Ironman 70.3 California

scot

in Oceanside, you could hear the question ripple through the crowd of spectators gathered at the finish line: “Who is that girl?” The curiosity was directed squarely at Scottish pro triathlete Lesley Paterson, a petite powerhouse who seemed to storm onto the 70.3 scene from out of nowhere. Though she and her husband lived in nearby San Diego, her second-place finish that day came as a surprise to many (and, to an extent, even herself). The only woman able to beat Paterson that spring morning in her second-ever attempt at the half-iron distance was Aussie Mirinda Carfrae, the 2010 Ironman world champion and 70.3 speedster. “I didn’t realize the magnitude of that event,” says Paterson. “My training had been going really well and I knew I was super strong, but I had never put it together like that before. I didn’t know the names of the other, better-known competitors very well—Leanda Cave, Mirinda Carfrae, Sam McGlone—and I ended up passing a bunch of them and it never really dawned on me who they were. I guess I was just in the zone.” If you’re already familiar with Paterson, chances are it’s because of her Xterra racing—highlighted most recently by a second-place finish at the 2010 Xterra USA National Championship in Utah. Offroad triathlon holds a natural appeal to Paterson, who grew up playing in the rainslicked Scottish countryside. Her first foray into athletics was through rugby. “When I was young I’d go and watch my brother play; it’s a pretty hardcore game and of course in Scotland it’s wet and muddy, and I thought, ‘Yeah, that looks like a challenge, I’d fancy a piece of that!’” She was 7 years old and the only girl on the field. “I played rugby until I was 12, then I had to give it up because I was no longer allowed to play with the boys.” Hungry for a sport that held equally rugged appeal and challenge, she decided to give triathlon a shot. At 13, buoyed by the encouragement of her triathlete father, Paterson entered her first triathlon—and won. For the next six years she competed at the junior level on the Scottish and British national teams for running, duathlon and triathlon. An early career highlight

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Game On

Race talk with Lesley Which type of racing do you prefer: Xterra or 70.3? I love Xterra and 70.3 racing equally for different reasons. When everything is going well in a half-Ironman and you’re in the zone it’s a very linear experience, whereas Xterra is a very dynamic experience and you have to cope with the terrain and a different type of acceleration. I love being in the outdoors and up in the mountains, where you feel like you’re racing the terrain, not other athletes. Do you have a favorite race? There’s an event in Scotland called the Dumyat Hill Race, where you run to the top of a mountain and then throw yourself off the top of it. The prize is totally awesome—it’s a keg of beer. I love those kinds of local races where you’ve got anybody showing up, and there’s that real camaraderie where everyone is suffering together. I also like the Xterra USa Championship in Utah; that time of year the leaves are changing colors and it feels like you’re in Switzerland. What are your racing essentials? In terms of pre-race nutrition, I’ve gotta have my Scottish porridge oats. Without it, I’m nobody. Vaseline is a big one for sure. also, my Jamis bike. The company is run by a woman, and I feel really connected to the brand. my other sponsors include avia, CeP compression, Skinfit, Spider Tech Tape and Gu. What’s your best piece of racing advice to age-groupers? Take care of yourself; don’t get concerned about what other people are doing. a lot of times athletes will show up to a race and get completely psyched out by what everyone else is wearing, what they’re doing, what their warm-up routine is. Get things dialed in beforehand; have a strict plan that you follow, whether you have headphones in or a hoodie over your head—do whatever it takes to get focused. Create your own plan and stick to it. The confidence comes in knowing that you’ve done it time and time again and that it’s worked for you.

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paul phillips

In her second ever half-iron race, Ironman 70.3 California in Oceanside, Paterson finished second among the pro women in 4:24:31. Her half-marathon split was less than a minute slower than winner Mirinda Carfrae’s.

“

I grew up in the hills of Scotland and in the outdoors, so Xterra meshed that muddy challenge with triathlon. I ended up doing really well pretty quickly and thought, ‘This is me; I’m back.’”

was a second-place finish at the 2000 Duathlon Junior World Championship. Still, there was one formidable obstacle that prevented Paterson from realizing loftier results in triathlon: the swim. “I always struggled with swimming and got quite disillusioned with the sport,” she says. “I started to get pretty down on myself.” At the time she was studying drama at Loughborough University in England, where she met future husband Simon Marshall, an avid cyclist. “We hit it off, and he got offered a job in San Diego so we got married and moved there,” she recalls. “Ironically, I had given up the sport of triathlon and then moved to the home of triathlon.

But I just needed to find myself and find my passion again.” Transplanted in San Diego, Paterson enrolled in a master’s theater program at San Diego State University and began studying film acting, writing and producing. “I was so enthralled with it and so hyper, I felt a passion and energy coming back,” she says. Re-energized in body and mind, she began entering running races. “I had this newfound sense of maturity about why I was doing it, how my body was and how my mind worked—all those things you get with age and experience.” She started to compete again in triathlon, winning the 2007 Scottish Championship as one of her first races back. She also found a racing niche in Xterra and off-road triathlon. “I grew up in the hills of Scotland and in the outdoors, so Xterra meshed that muddy challenge with triathlon. I ended up doing really well pretty quickly and thought, ‘This is me—I’m back.’” Not just back, but better than ever. In 2009 she finished second to Julie Dibens at the Xterra World Championship in Maui, then made her mark on the halfiron scene last year with her Oceanside debut and sixth-place finish at the Ironman World Championship 70.3 in Clearwater, Fla. “I went from thinking, ‘I can’t imagine this being my career’ and ‘I’m just doing it for a laugh and a giggle,’ to ‘Oh, now I’ve got sponsorships and, wow, this is kind of wild.’” Paterson, 30, now finds herself at “this bizarre juncture in my life where I’m trying to do two careers—film and triathlon—and also coach about 20 athletes.” On the film side, Paterson and writing/producing partner Ian Stokell secured the rights to “All Quiet on the Western Front,” the famous German World War I novel, adapted a screenplay and signed actor Daniel Radcliffe of “Harry Potter” fame to star in the film, which they’re hoping to shoot in Europe next year. “It’s been a wild ride,” says Paterson. “I feel like everything I’ve Continued on page 148

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2011

Racing Shoe Review O

ne triathlete’s racing flat is another’s trainer. Whether it’s because of body weight, running style, the impact cycling has on running gait or the distance they have to run off the bike, triathletes might need more under foot than a one-sport runner. Counter those needs with the current minimalist, barefoot trend and it is only natural to wonder what is best. The answer, not surprisingly, is that you won’t be satisfied—and might even risk injury—with any shoe that doesn’t fit properly. In determining that accommodating fit, keep in mind that you’ll most likely be wearing your racing flats or lightweight trainers without socks and that these types of shoes normally have a close fit and are less plush than highmileage, everyday training footwear. Once you’ve cleared the fit hurdle, you can address

concerns about quickness in transition, performance, breathability and drainage. Our test team will help guide your decision based on an evaluation of “fit” (how a shoe feels when you first put it on your foot), “feel” (how it feels when you start walking in it) and “ride” (how it feels when you run in it). A Colorado-based panel of experienced and elite racers tested samples and gave their objective feedback regarding the various characteristics of the shoes, providing a few subjective comments along the way. This racing shoe guide should be used as a tool to help you align your requirements based on your running profile and idiosyncrasies, matching them up against the “fit, feel and ride” criteria of the shoes featured in this review. The tool should narrow the choices down to a short list so you can head to a running shoe store and dial it all in for a final selection.

By Adam W. Chase • Photographs by Nils Nilsen

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Asics Gel 1160 Heel: Snug Mid-foot: Close-fitting Forefoot: Slightly roomy Flex: Flexible Weight: Light Instep: Softly wrapping Cushioning: Soft Stability: Somewhat free Response: Somewhat dampening Transition: Somewhat fast

Asics Gel 1160, $85 The Gel 1160 is more of a training shoe but light enough for some triathletes to use for racing, especially for full-iron distances. With universal appeal to our testers, who found the 1160 accommodated their feet while in motion, it was deemed “comfortable” by all for its cradling heel cup, encompassing mid-foot fit and the generous amount of space in the toe box. The high-value performance trainer/racer offers a good deal of impact absorption and flex. Because there is moderate posting with the new midsole design, the 1160 is a lightweight race option for those who need support or motion control, even in a race shoe.

Brooks T7 Racer Heel: Very snug Mid-foot: Very close-fitting Forefoot: Slightly narrow Flex: Very flexible Weight: Very light Instep: Lightly compressing Cushioning: Soft Stability: Somewhat free Response: Bouncy Transition: Fast

Brooks T7 Racer, $85 The update of the T6 prompted a chorus of praise from our test team when it came to the underfoot rebound and cushioning. The T7’s lightness, low profile and flexibility combined for a quick transition that, despite the thin midsole/outsole, put bounce in our testers’ steps as they felt the responsiveness of these performance shoes that are Chrissie Wellington’s choice. The minimalist approach of these lightweight racers is perfect for quick-tempo runners with an efficient stride, and they felt fine without socks. Remarked one tester, “As a mid-foot runner I found these to be fast in their transfer of push-off, allowing a quicker turnover with less work.”

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Brooks Racer ST 5, $90 A racing flat with mild medial posting, the bold-colored Racer ST 5 was a tester favorite distance racer and lightweight trainer. Although moderate in its weight, the test team said it felt lighter in action and raved about its stability, smooth ride, well-ventilated upper that was comfortable with or without socks, and versatile performance on road, treadmill and trail. Commented one tester, “My favorite aspect of the shoe is the forefoot cushioning, which makes for a very comfortable mid- and forefoot but it’s still firm enough for a solid-feeling toe-off.” While another remarked, “I really see no major faults with the design, other than the shoelaces being a bit flimsy.”

Brooks Racer ST5 Heel: Snug Mid-foot: Close-fitting Forefoot: Slightly narrow Flex: Flexible Weight: Light Instep: Lightly compressing Cushioning: Somewhat firm Stability: Stable Response: Somewhat dampening Transition: Somewhat fast

Ecco Biom A Heel: Snug Mid-foot: Close-fitting Forefoot: Slightly roomy Flex: Flexible Weight: Light Instep: Sock-like Cushioning: Somewhat firm Stability: Somewhat free Response: Bouncy Transition: Somewhat fast

Ecco Biom A, $195 textile, $220 yak leather Of Ecco’s Biom series, the “A” is practically type A—suitably tuned for speed, wired for a quick tempo, rapid turnover mid-foot gait. Our test team was duly impressed, and the second generation of the Biom A received an A-plus in all but the optional yak leather upper which, although comfortable, durable and foot conforming, was considered too heavy for a racing flat. Features include improved cushioning, enhanced outsole traction and a hardened shank. Testers acknowledged the “firm, natural feel,” “foot-conforming” fit, “a motion wrap that adds stability and guides me to transition from heel to forefoot” and “cushioning qualities as you move, despite the firm forefoot.”

Inov-8 F-lite 195, $115 Whether your race is an Xterra or a road tri, the F-lite 195 is well-suited for neutral runners who want slipper-like, low-profile, fly-weight flats. The stability of this minimalist racer comes from the 3 mm differential between heel and forefoot and the proprioception of being so close to the ground, thanks to Inov8’s thin midsole. Our test team noted the excellent traction, lightness and low profile and felt the lack of cushioning and protection underfoot made the 195 best for smooth and non-technical surfaces. From a fit standpoint, as is common with Inov-8, the 195 is narrow and long enough that shoppers should definitely try it on and might want to consider going down a half or full size.

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Inov-8 f-lite 195 Heel: Very snug Mid-foot: Very close-fitting Forefoot: Narrow Flex: Very flexible Weight: Very light Instep: Softly wrapping Cushioning: Somewhat firm Stability: Stable Response: Dampening Transition: Somewhat fast

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Karhu Racer Fulcrum Ride Heel: Less snug Mid-foot: Less close-fitting Forefoot: Slightly roomy Flex: Somewhat stiff Weight: Somewhat heavy Instep: Lightly compressing Cushioning: Somewhat firm Stability: Stable Response: Somewhat dampening Transition: Smooth

Karhu Racer Fulcrum Ride, $115 Although the color is called “poison,” Karhu’s Racer is more like health food or, at least, race food. It sports a roomy upper that our testers deemed wide enough for triathletes with higher volume feet but who still want a lightweight flat. The upper mesh is open for breathability and quick drainage and was flexible enough that the idea of blisters, even with sockless feet, didn’t enter the picture. The neutral midsole offered adequate cushioning while being firmly supportive enough for our test team to recommend the Racer Fulcrum Ride for longer races.

Keen A86, $90 Although designed for the trails, Keen’s A86 is a svelte enough flat-like shoe that it can easily serve as an all-purpose racing shoe, especially for those entering off-road tris. The A86’s close fit and lowprofile performance was reminiscent of the Waffle Racer of the ’80s, only with less weight and with asymmetric lacing updates. The superfly, superflex A86 was a hit with our test team thanks to its lightweight race feel that will appeal to efficient runners who don’t need a lot of underfoot protection and enjoy closeto-the-ground agility and stability.

Keen A86 Heel: Snug Mid-foot: Close-fitting Forefoot: Slightly narrow Flex: Very flexible Weight: Very light Instep: Softly wrapping Cushioning: Somewhat firm Stability: Somewhat free Response: Somewhat bouncy Transition: Fast

K-Swiss K-wicky Blade Light, $130 K-Swiss was far enough of ahead of its development and testing process that it had pros Chris Lieto and Terenzo Bozzone race on an early version of the K-wicky Blade Light in Kona. With its hydrophobic Ion Mask and a seamless upper, the lightweight Blade Light is suitable for training and racing. Testers were impressed by the upper ventilation, but found the tongue was a little tricky to position and that it might take an extra moment in transition to get it situated. The weight felt light, and the cushioning was especially noticeable in the rear in comparison to the forefoot.

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K-Swiss K-wicky Blade-Light Heel: Snug Mid-foot: Close-fitting Forefoot: Slightly roomy Flex: Flexible Weight: Light Instep: Lightly compressing Cushioning: Somewhat firm Stability: Somewhat free Response: Somewhat dampening Transition: Somewhat fast

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New Balance 890 Heel: Snug Mid-foot: Close-fitting Forefoot: Slightly narrow Flex: Flexible Weight: Light Instep: Softly wrapping Cushioning: Soft Stability: Somewhat free Response: Somewhat bouncy Transition: Somewhat fast

New Balance 890 REVlite, $100 Although intended to be a lightweight, everyday trainer for neutral runners, the 890 offered enough performance for many testers to consider it a race shoe, especially for longer-course tris. The REVlite midsole material offered excellent cushioning, and testers really enjoyed the upper’s conforming fit and no-sew comfort that works well without socks. One tester commented that it was the “type of shoe that makes you forget you are even wearing one,” although another said the heel-to-toe transition was a little stiff.

Newton Distance S, $155 It was easy to find testers intrigued by the possibility of sampling Newtons, and they weren’t disappointed. After an initial “getting used to” period when the test team had to adapt to the metatarsal sensor plates that encourage a forefoot strike, testers found the Stability Racer light and efficient in that it seemed to propel them forward. The upper was extremely airy, wide in the toe box and comfortable without socks. As for stability, the forefoot plates were described by one tester as “acting as fulcrums that allowed for a natural roll that precluded the need for pronation control.”

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Newton Distance Stability Heel: Snug Mid-foot: Close-fitting Forefoot: Slightly roomy Flex: Flexible Weight: Very light Instep: Sock-like Cushioning: Soft Stability: Somewhat free Response: Very bouncy Transition: Somewhat fast

Puma Complete Faas 500 Heel: Very snug Mid-foot: Close-fitting Forefoot: Narrow Flex: Flexible Weight: Light Instep: Lightly compressing Cushioning: Soft Stability: Somewhat free Response: Somewhat dampening Transition: Somewhat smooth

Puma Complete Faas 500, $100 The casual look of the Complete Faas 500 was a little deceptive because it is, in fact, quite the lightweight performance vehicle. Testers were impressed with the plush feel and comfort of the cushioned midsole material and socklike upper and noted that the heelto-toe transition was quite smooth, thanks to the 360-degree and lateral flex grooves and heel-to-toe rocker shape that centers the heel strike. The lack of structure puts the Faas 500 into the racer category, and those who need motion control might find it lacking. Our test team was more than happy to wear their Faas 500s around town, given their stylish, attentiongrabbing pop.

Reebok Premier Zigfly, $100 Although too heavy for most to consider the Zigfly a true racing shoe, the weight cost may be worth the flexibility and cushioning benefits for those who value creature comforts that come with certain performance attributes and an upper fit that our testers enjoyed. The novel ZigNano midsole scored high marks for its bounciness, smooth transition, flex and responsiveness, although the amount of lateral flex was a bit much for one tester with vulnerable ankles. The open mesh upper offers sensational breathability and sockless comfort especially for lower volume feet, and the tongue may require some adjusting if you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t get it right in T2.

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Reebok Premier Zigfly Heel: Snug Mid-foot: Close-fitting Forefoot: Slightly narrow Flex: Flexible Weight: Light Instep: Softly wrapping Cushioning: Soft Stability: Somewhat free Response: Bouncy Transition: Smooth

Saucony Mirage Heel: Snug Mid-foot: Close-fitting Forefoot: Slightly roomy Flex: Somewhat stiff Weight: Light Instep: Lightly compressing Cushioning: Somewhat firm Stability: Stable Response: Somewhat dampening Transition: Somewhat smooth

Saucony ProGrid Mirage, $100 With the comfort and stability of a trainer yet the lightness and flat-like low heel-toe differential profile of a racer, the Mirage is more of a Trojan Horse. To give those who wanted the feel of the Kinvara’s natural and neutral minimalism but who needed support and motion control, Saucony outfitted the Mirage with a heel counter and torsion-controlling plastic mid-foot arch bridge. As one tester commented, “The low volume and light weight helped with a smooth transition, and the heel-toforefoot drop does not seem as much as most shoes, which gives it the feel of a racing flat.” Another tester characterized them as comfortable, stable, light and efficient.

Zoot Ultra TT4.0

Zoot Ultra TT4.0, $140 The Ultra TT4.0 impressed our test team with its transition-friendly easy entry and one-pull lacing, although one tester experienced some heel slip. The tongueless, asymmetrical, contoured upper made the TT feel sock-like, and we recommend it to those with narrow feet, especially for those who strike more toward the fore of their feet. For its lack of weight, testers found this neutral racer had a stable platform with moderate cushioning, excellent ventilation and resilience. One tester noted that the heel felt as though it was high but said it didn’t hinder the ride once he got used to it.

Zoot Ultra Tempo 4.0, $140 Slightly heavier than the TT, the Tempo offers an element of stability to an otherwise sleek and responsive raceworthy shoe. The test team appreciated the barefoot compatibility, other than a little bunching of the sock liner. The Tempo’s upper has a snug fit, even without cinching the lace-free bungee system. The Tempo’s flex, lack of weight, low profile, responsiveness, comfort and stability combined for what testers deemed a shoe that was “ready to run in out of the box,” “comfortable enough to just wear around” and one that offered “gentle guidance.”

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Heel: Very snug Mid-foot: Close-fitting Forefoot: Slightly narrow Flex: Flexible Weight: Very light Instep: Sock-like Cushioning: Soft Stability: Somewhat free Response: Somewhat dampening Transition: Somewhat smooth

Zoot Ultra Tempo 4.0 Heel: Snug Mid-foot: Close-fitting Forefoot: Slightly roomy Flex: Flexible Weight: Light Instep: Lightly compressing Cushioning: Soft Stability: Somewhat free Response: Bouncy Transition: Somewhat smooth

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If you’re an athlete like me, you’re If you’re an athlete like me, you’re competitive. You want to feel good and have competitive. You want to feel good and have fun. But it’s no fun when you feel terrible fun. But it’s no fun when you feel terrible during your workout. Or when you can’t during your workout. Or when you can’t train because you’re still feeling tired and train because you’re still feeling tired and sore from your last workout. sore from your last workout. If you want to run faster and feel stronger If you want to run faster and feel stronger while you exercise with less muscle fatigue while you exercise with less muscle fatigue and soreness afterwards … you have to and soreness afterwards … you have to increase your body’s ability to transport and increase your body’s ability to transport and use oxygen. It’s called your aerobic capacity, use oxygen. It’s called your aerobic capacity, or VO2 max. or VO2 max. When you maximize your aerobic When you maximize your aerobic capacity, you maximize your capacity, you maximize your endurance. When you just can’t increase endurance. When you just can’t increase your endurance, it means your aerobic your endurance, it means your aerobic capacity has reached its limit. It’s that simple. capacity has reached its limit. It’s that simple. Maybe you’ve tried caffeine-spiked sports Maybe you’ve tried caffeine-spiked sports drinks. Caffeine gives your central nervous drinks. Caffeine gives your central nervous system a temporary jolt. You’ll stay alert, but system a temporary jolt. You’ll stay alert, but that’s all. Everything else stays the same. that’s all. Everything else stays the same. As a multisport athlete, I look for products As a multisport athlete, I look for products using state of the art science to maximize using state of the art science to maximize endurance. endurance. One such product is VO2-BOOST (see One such product is VO2-BOOST (see www.VO2BOOST.com). Biomedical Research www.VO2BOOST.com). Biomedical Research Laboratories, which makes the product, Laboratories, which makes the product, claims it has found a safe and highly effective claims it has found a safe and highly effective way to maximize endurance . way to maximize endurance . The science behind the claim. One The science behind the claim. One of the BEST ways to improve your endurance of the BEST ways to improve your endurance is to increase your VO2 max. To make this is to increase your VO2 max. To make this

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physiologist Dr. Geraldo Calandro, who has physiologist Dr. Geraldo Calandro, who has taught and worked in the fields of exercise, taught and worked in the fields of exercise, biomechanics and kinesiology since 1971. biomechanics and kinesiology since 1971. I told Dr. Calandro about the six main I told Dr. Calandro about the six main ingredients of the Endurance Complex™. ingredients of the Endurance Complex™. He informed me that for the product to be He informed me that for the product to be successful, the formula would also have to successful, the formula would also have to contain iron, B complex vitamins, and folic contain iron, B complex vitamins, and folic acid. When I read all these ingredients off the acid. When I read all these ingredients off the label to Dr. Calandro, he stated, “It certainly label to Dr. Calandro, he stated, “It certainly would be working for you if all those would be working for you if all those ingredients are there. It’s exactly what’s ingredients are there. It’s exactly what’s needed to be effective.” needed to be effective.” So you’re getting a six-fold effect on your So you’re getting a six-fold effect on your athletic endurance when you take VO2athletic endurance when you take VO2BOOST. Although you may find one or two BOOST. Although you may find one or two of these ingredients in other, more expensive of these ingredients in other, more expensive products, VO2-BOOST is the only product I’ve products, VO2-BOOST is the only product I’ve found that brings them all together in one found that brings them all together in one powerful, unique, reasonably priced formula. powerful, unique, reasonably priced formula. The testimony of elite athletes using VO2The testimony of elite athletes using VO2BOOST indicates that VO2-BOOST’s efficacy BOOST indicates that VO2-BOOST’s efficacy goes far beyond just helping a regular goes far beyond just helping a regular athlete like me see results. Bob Cummings, a athlete like me see results. Bob Cummings, a Category 2 cyclist stated “I have been using Category 2 cyclist stated “I have been using VO2-BOOST for 8 weeks now. I am amazed at VO2-BOOST for 8 weeks now. I am amazed at the performance increase I have experienced the performance increase I have experienced … I genuinely feel that your product has had … I genuinely feel that your product has had a major role in my success.” a major role in my success.” Mr. Cummings is not alone in his praise of Mr. Cummings is not alone in his praise of VO2-BOOST. Gilbert Kiptoo, a top marathon VO2-BOOST. Gilbert Kiptoo, a top marathon runner from Kenya stated “I have been runner from Kenya stated “I have been using VO2-BOOST for several months and I using VO2-BOOST for several months and I have been winning many of my races. This have been winning many of my races. This product has really made a difference … It product has really made a difference … It works great.” works great.” The product has appeared in several The product has appeared in several magazines and dozens of websites and blogs. magazines and dozens of websites and blogs. My review of the scientific evidence, my My review of the scientific evidence, my own experience and the experience of elite own experience and the experience of elite athletes demonstrate that VO2-BOOST will athletes demonstrate that VO2-BOOST will enhance your athletic performance better enhance your athletic performance better than any other product available today. than any other product available today. You’ll see and feel the results almost You’ll see and feel the results almost immediately. You’ll run faster, feel immediately. You’ll run faster, feel stronger, and experience less muscle stronger, and experience less muscle fatigue and tiredness after you exercise. fatigue and tiredness after you exercise. Your performance results will increase Your performance results will increase dramatically. You’ll enjoy your workouts dramatically. You’ll enjoy your workouts more because you’ll feel better the whole more because you’ll feel better the whole time. I know I have. time. I know I have. When’s your next event? You can try VO2When’s your next event? You can try VO2BOOST now risk-free and see for yourself if BOOST now risk-free and see for yourself if the VO2 max enhancers work for you. You the VO2 max enhancers work for you. You can order VO2-BOOST at www.VO2BOOST. can order VO2-BOOST at www.VO2BOOST. com or by calling 800-780-4331. If you order com or by calling 800-780-4331. If you order VO2-BOOST this month, you’ll be eligible for VO2-BOOST this month, you’ll be eligible for free enrollment into the Ultimate Athlete free enrollment into the Ultimate Athlete Club and save 25% off your purchase. Club and save 25% off your purchase. by:1Whitehead Mark Hansen et al. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab, 17 (2007): 378-9 Whitehead et al. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab, 17 (2007): 378-9 2 Eichenberger et al. Int J Vitam Nutr Res, 79 (2009):24-33 2 Eichenberger et al. Int J Vitam Nutr Res, 79 (2009):24-33 1

Your

Fastest olYmpic Finish.

EvEr.

PhotograPhs Courtesy triathlon.org

This 12-week training plan involves many of the principles used to coach athletes to world and national championships as well as ITU podiums. It is designed for triathletes who have completed several races and want to improve performance yet have limited training time. By Tim Crowley

One mistake athletes make is going too hard on their easy days, which hinders their ability to go very fast during quality workouts. This plan is based on three basic intensities: 1. Easy, which is aerobic and relaxed. When in doubt, slower is better. 2. Race pace, which is your current or projected race intensity or speed. 3. Fast or max, which is the highest pace or intensity you can sustain for the given set. This might take some trial and error but will help you learn how to pace properly. This format allows you to use perceived exertion, heart rate or power meter/GPS-based training, depending on which measurement tools you have.

other Key Points • •

•

Weekly time commitment varies little. There are four, three-week blocks, each consisting of two build weeks, followed by five days (weekdays) of active recovery and one weekend race-specific session, since most athletes have more time to train on weekends. Each three-week block has the following emphasis: Weeks 1-3: speed development Weeks 4-6: specific strength Weeks 7-9: race-pace training Weeks 10-12: race taper

Visit Timcrowley.biz for explanations of the drills in this plan. Enjoy the process of reaching the next level in your triathlon development!

March 2011 | triathlete.com

123

speed development Week 1

Monday

Swim: 300 warm-up. 12x25 max speed; 30 sec rest interval. 3x300 pull; 20 sec rest interval. 200 cool-down. Total=1700.

Tuesday

Run: 5 miles aerobic with 5x100m strides. Bike: 60 min; 3x5 min time trials with 5 min spin between each.

Wednesday

Swim: 400 warm-up. 10x100 at best average pace; 20 sec rest interval. 100 cool-down. Total=1500. Run: 30 min aerobic with 3x20m of each drill (high knees, high heels, skips) with walk back recovery.

Thursday

Friday

Saturday Sunday

124

Bike: 75 min on rolling hills with hard effort on all inclines. Swim: 300 warm-up. 6x50 as 25 right arm, 25 left arm; 15 sec rest interval. 2x500 as 50 easy , 50 fast; 30 sec rest interval. 100 cooldown. Total=1700. Run: 5 miles aerobic with 4x30 sec hill reps at 5K effort; jog back. Bike: 90 min; 3x10 min at 40K pace; 10 min spin between each.

Week 2

Monday

Swim: 300 warm-up. 6x50 max speed; 30 sec rest interval. 2x500 pull; 20 sec rest interval. 200 cool-down. Total=1800.

Tuesday

Run: 5 miles aerobic with 6x100m strides. Bike: 60 min; 15x (1 min max effort, 1 min easy spin).

Wednesday

Run: 30 min aerobic with 3x20m of each drill (high knees, high heels, skips) with walk back recovery. Swim: 400 warm-up. 5x200 at best average pace; 30 sec rest interval. 100 cool-down. Total=1500.

Thursday

Friday

Swim: 300 warm-up. 8x50 as 25 right arm, 25 left arm; 15 sec rest interval. 3x300 as 100 fast, 50 easy , 100 fast; 20 sec rest interval. 100 cool-down. Total=1700. Run: 5 miles aerobic with 4x30 sec hill repeats at 5K effort; jog back.

Saturday

Bike: 90 min; 3x15 min at 40K pace; 5 min spin between each.

Sunday

Run: 8 miles with 1 mile at 10K race pace at end.

Run: 8 miles at an aerobic pace.

triathlete.com | March 2011

Bike: 75 min with 3x90 sec hill repeats plus 12 min at race pace on flat road.

Week 3 Monday

Day off

Tuesday

Swim: 300 swim; 300 kick. 10x100 pull, odd swim, even with paddles; 20 sec rest interval. 200 cool-down. Total=1800. Run: 30 min with 6x100m, odd=stride, even=skipping.

Wednesday Thursday

Friday

Saturday Sunday

Bike: 45 min easy recovery. Bike/Run Brick: 45 min easy ride; 25 min easy run. Swim: 300 warm-up. 10x50 with fins fast; 20 sec rest interval. 300/200/100 swim; 20 sec rest interval. 200 cool-down. Total=2000. Bike/Run: Intervals 2x(20 min bike at race pace, 20 min run). Bike: 90 min easy.

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March 2011 | triathlete.com

125

specific strength Week 4

Monday

Swim: 300 warm-up. 12x25 max speed; 30 sec rest interval. 4x300 pull; 20 sec rest interval. 200 cool-down. Total=2000.

Tuesday

Run: 12x400 at best average pace; 30 sec rest interval. Bike: 60 min, middle 20 min at 95 rpm.

Wednesday

Thursday

Swim: 300 swim; 200 kick. 7x200; 20 sec rest interval. 100 cool-down. Total=2000. Run: 30 min easy. Bike: 4x5 min at max effort, 5 min spin recovery between each.

Friday

Swim: 300 warm-up. 14x100; 5 sec rest interval. 100 cool-down. Total=1800. Run: 7 miles with 6x30 sec hill repeats.

Saturday

Bike: 90 min; 3x10 min at 40K pace, 10 min spin between each.

Sunday

Run: 10 miles using a 13 min run, 2 min walk format.

Week 5

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

triathlete.com | March 2011

Bike: 60 min, last 20 at race pace. Run off the bike: 8x800 at race pace; 3 min rest interval. Swim: 300 swim, 200 kick. 2x(200 max, rest 30 sec, 500 at race pace). 100 cool-down. Total=2000. Run: 30 min easy. Bike: 2x20 min at race effort; 10 min rest interval.

Friday

Swim: 300 warm-up. 400 with fins as 50 kick, 50 swim. 20x50, hold best average pace; 30 sec rest interval. 100 cool-down. Total=1800. Run: 7 miles with 6x30 sec hill repeats.

Saturday

Bike: 90 min with 3x(10 min at 70 rpm, 10 min at 90 rpm).

Sunday

126

Swim: 300 warm-up. 12x25 max speed; 30 sec rest interval. 12x100 pull, odd buoy-only, even with paddles; 20 sec rest interval. 200 cool-down. Total=2000.

Run: 10 miles, last 3 at race effort.

Week 6 Monday

Day off

Tuesday

Swim: 300 warm-up. 10x150 as 50 easy, 50 race pace, 50 max effort; 20 sec rest interval. 200 cool-down. Total=2000. Run: 30 min with 8x100m, odd=stride, even=skipping.

Wednesday

Bike: 60 min easy recovery.

Thursday

Bike: 50 min as 30 easy, 20 race pace. Run: 30 min as 15 min race pace, 15 easy.

Friday

Swim: 300 warm-up. 1500 easy and steady. 200 cool-down. Total=2000.

Saturday

Bike: 60 min moderate. Run: 60 min aerobic.

Sunday

Bike: 90 min easy.

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SWEEPSTAKES RULES 1. No purchase necessary. To enter without ordering, send a single entry on an index card to: Triathlete TYR Sweepstakes, 9477 Waples St., Ste. 150, San Diego, CA 92121, with your name, address and phone number. This sweepstakes is sponsored by Competitor Group, Inc., 9477 Waples St., Ste. 150, San Diego, CA 92121. 2. All entries must be received and postmarked by Apr 15, 2011. Triathlete is not responsible for lost, late, misdirected, damaged, illegible or postage-due mail. 3. One entry per person will be eligible for the drawing. 4. One winner will be selected no later than May 15, 2011 from among all eligible entries received. Winner selection will take place under the supervision of Triathlete, whose decisions are final. Each entrant consents to transfer all information contained in the completed entry form to other companies. 5. The odds of winning are determined by the total number of eligible entries received. Taxes, where applicable, are the sole responsibility of the winner. 6. Potential winners will be notified by mail, telephone or e-mail. Potential winners must follow the directions contained in any of the correspondence and return all forms correctly completed within 7 days if the date of correspondence. Non-compliance will result in disqualification and the naming of an alternate winner. A timeline for prize fulfillment will be provided to the winner (may take up to 90 days or more). 7. There is no cash exchange for this prize. 8. Employees of Competitor Group, Inc., TYR or anyone affiliated are not eligible. Sweepstakes subject to all federal, state and local tax laws and void where prohibited by law. 9. For the name of the winner, send a self-addressed, stamped envelope and letter of request to: Triathlete TYR Sweepstakes, 9477 Waples St., Ste. 150, San Diego, CA 92121.

March 2011 | triathlete.com

127

race-pace training Week 7

Monday

Swim: 400 warm-up. 4x300 as 100 race start pace, 200 settle into race pace; 45 sec rest interval. 8x25 sprint; 30 sec rest interval. 200 cool-down. Total=2000.

Tuesday

Run: 2x2 miles at 10K pace; 6 min easy between reps. Bike: 60 min as 10x(30 sec max effort, 30 sec spin).

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

Sunday

128

Swim: 300 swim, 300 kick. 2x(300 pull with paddles, 6x50 fast); 15 sec rest interval. 200 cool-down. Total=2000. Bike: 60 min with 10x(2 min max effort, 1 min spin). Run: 40 min aerobic. Swim: 400 warm-up. 3x500 swim; 20 sec rest interval. 100 cool-down. Total=2000. Bike: 2 hours with 3x20 min at threshold; 10 min rest interval. Run off the bike: 15 min. Run: 12 miles using a 13 min run, 2 min walk format.

triathlete.com | March 2011

Week 8

Monday

Swim: 400 warm-up. 5x300 as odd swim, even pull with paddles; 25 sec rest interval. 100 cooldown. Total=2000.

Tuesday

Run: 5x1 mile at 10K pace, 3 min jog recovery. Bike: 60 min on rolling hills, stand on all inclines.

Wednesday

Swim: 300 swim, 300 kick. 2x(300 pull with paddles, 6x50 fast); 15 sec rest interval. 200 cool-down. Total=2000.

Thursday

Bike: 60 min with 10x(2 min max effort, 1 min spin). Run: 40 min aerobic.

Friday

Swim: 400 warm-up. 3x500 swim; 20 sec rest interval. 100 cool-down. Total=2000.

Saturday

Bike: 2 hours with 3x20 min at threshold; 10 min rest interval. Run off the bike: 15 min.

Sunday

Week 9 Monday

Day off

Tuesday

Swim: 300 warm-up. 10x150 as 50 easy, 50 race pace, 50 max effort; 20 sec rest interval. 200 cool-down. Total=2000. Run: 30 min with 8x100m as odd= stride, even= skipping.

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

Run: 10 miles as 2x2 miles at best average pace; 1 mile rest interval. Sunday

Bike: 60 min easy recovery. Swim: 300 warm-up. 1500 easy and steady. 200 cool-down. Total=2000. Run: 4x(1 min hill repeats, jog back, 1 min fast on flat, jog back). Day off Swim: 200 warm-up. 500/400/300/200/100; 15 sec rest interval. 100 cool-down. Total=1800 Race or race simulation. Bike: 15 min warmup, 2x30 min race effort, 10 min recovery. Run: 3 miles easy, 2-mile tempo, 1 mile easy. Bike: 60 min recovery ride or day off.

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For information on the new TYR Convoy bag line, visit tyr.com.

Subscribe or extend your Triathlete subscription and you’ll be entered to win the TYR Convoy bag line, valued at $745. To enter, simply return the attached subscription card or send your name and contact information to: Triathlete TYR Sweepstakes, 9477 Waples Street, Suite 150, San Diego, CA 92121. Sweepstakes offer expires 4/15/2011. No purchase necessary. Official rules listed in back of the magazine.

race taper Week 10

Monday

Swim: 400 warm-up. 5x300 as odd swim, even pull with paddles; 25 sec rest interval. 100 cooldown. Total=2000.

Tuesday

Run: 3x1 mile at race pace; 3 min recovery. Bike: 45 min recovery.

Wednesday

Thursday

Run: 6x45 sec hill repeats at 5K effort; jog back recovery. Bike: 60 min with 5x(2 min hard effort, 4 min easy spin).

Friday

Swim: 400 warm-up. 5x300 pull; 10 sec rest interval. 100 cooldown. Total=2000.

Saturday

Bike: 30 min as 15 warm-up, 15 time trial. Run: 30 min as 10 tempo, 10 easy, 10 tempo. Bike: 30 min as 10 warm-up, 10 max, 10 easy. Run: 30 min as 10 easy, 10 tempo, 10 easy.

Sunday

130

Swim: 400 warm-up. 20x50 as odd=fast, even=easy; 30 sec rest interval. 200 cool-down. Total=1600.

Week 11

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

triathlete.com | March 2011

Monday

Day off

Tuesday

Swim: 300 warm-up. 500 pull; 30 sec rest. 5x100 at race pace; 20 sec rest interval. 500 easy swim. Total=1800. Run: 6x400m, 90 sec jog recovery.

Wednesday

Bike: 60 min with 3x5 min at race effort; 5 min spin rest interval.

Swim: 500 warm-up. 400 pull, rest 40 sec. 3x100; 30 sec rest interval. 200 pull with paddles; 20 sec rest. 100 swim time trial. 200 cool-down. Total=1700. Run: 5x(30 sec hill repeat, jog back, 1 min fast on flat road, jog back). Bike: 3x(10 min race pace, 5 min spin recovery). Swim: 300 warm-up. 8x75 as odd swim, even paddles; 20 sec rest interval. 8x25 sprint with fins; 30 sec rest interval. 400 easy pull. Total=1500. Run: 6 miles with 6x100m strides.

Friday

Swim: 400 warm-up. 15x100 at best average pace; 40 sec rest interval. 100 cool-down. Total=2000.

Saturday

Bike: 90 min with 2x20 min at race effort; 20 min easy rest interval.

Sunday

Run: 7 miles with 3 miles progressive tempo, increasing speed every half mile.

Bike: 60 min recovery.

Week 12

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

Sunday

Swim: 400 warm-up. 8x50 race pace; 30 sec rest interval. 200 cool-down. Total=1000 Run: 30 min easy. Day off Swim: 300 warm-up. 4x75 build; 20 sec rest interval. 100 cooldown. Bike: 30 min with 4x90 sec efforts at race pace, 90 sec spin. Run: 15 min with 3x100m strides. Race day!

Tim Crowley is a USAT Level III coach. He is the 2009 USAT Elite Coach of the Year and owns TC2 Coaching LLC. He can be reached at Tc2coaching@comcast.net.

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NUTRITION Q&A / MULTISPORT MENU / TriathlEats / EAT RIGHT / HEALTHFUL HINTS

PLOP, PLOP, FIZZ Electrolyte tablets can be a tasty and easy way to supplement hydration during training and racing. Check out a few of the electrolytes-in-a-tube options on page 136.

PHOTOGRAPH BY NILS NILSEN

March 2011 | TRIATHLETE.COM

133

fuel

nutrition Q&A Swap thIS

Switch It Up Q:

What are some easy switches I can make to my diet to yield the greatest nutritional benefits?

for that

Swap thIS

PUMPERNICKEL OR WHOLE GRAIN BREAD (not to be confused with multigrain)

WHITE BREAD

for that

Swap thIS

BARLEY, WILD OR BROWN RICE Use it to make a risotto or pilaf.

WHITE RICE

for that Swap thIS

QUINOA Makes a great lunch or side salad.

PASTA

for that Swap thIS

MASHED POTATOES

for that

PUREED WHITE CANNELLINI OR BUTTER BEANS Add garlic and a dash of olive oil.

Swap thIS

YOGURT Use as a topping or dip.

SOUR CREAM for that

by pip taylor 134

triathlete.com | March 2011

Always use sugar, not artificial sweeteners. These can play havoc with your metabolism as well as train your taste buds

to constantly require sweetness. You are better off using real ingredients and simply reducing portion sizes.

Minimizing refined carbohydrates such as sugary snacks and candy, white breads, pastas, cookies, cereals and sodas will be beneficial, and there are some great whole grains you can add to your diet, such as oats, barley, quinoa, bulgur, brown and wild rice, faro and spelt. Search for whole grain varieties of pastas, cereals and breads—just make sure you read labels carefully, including the back of the packet ingredient list and not just the front, where marketers weave their magic. True whole-grain varieties will be dense, filling and create less havoc with blood sugar levels and insulin response. Legumes, including lentils, garbanzo beans and cannellini beans, are also good substitutes for refined grains and provide valuable nutrients, including protein and fiber. The key is to get creative and truly interested in your health and your food. Try some of these tasty and simple swaps (pictured at right):

STEEL CUT OR WHOLE ROLLED OATS

SUGARY REFINED CEREAL

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fuel

Multisport Menu

Hydration in a Tube

Consuming enough water and electrolytes—which help the body absorb the water—is key during long training and racing sessions. Supplement between carbohydrate-rich sports drinks with these zero- or low-sugar, effervescent electrolyte tablets for on-the-go hydration. Zym Rival

$8 (16 tablets) Nathan Catalyst electrolyte tablets contain sodium, potassium and a small dose of calcium and are available in three flavors: lemon-lime, orange and pomegranateblueberry. The tablets, each of which contains less than one gram of sugar, dissolve quickly and contain a mix of vitamins. These calorie-free tablets have great flavors but left more of an aftertaste than the others tested. Directions: Drop one tablet into 24 ounces of water, or less for more intense flavor. Nathansports.com

$9.99 (10 tablets) Rival, Zym’s natural, sugarfree electrolyte tabs, come in an orange flavor, are naturally sweetened and have no aftertaste. At only seven calories per serving, Rival contains all four essential electrolytes—sodium, potassium, magnesium and calcium—as well as several B vitamins and 150 mg of vitamin C. Rival took a little longer to dissolve than the others tested, but it has a tasty citrus flavor. Directions: Add one tab to 16 ounces of water. Gozym.com

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U Natural Hydration Tablets $7.95 (16 tablets) Nuun fans will enjoy these tablets (made by the folks at Nuun), which have milder flavors, such as cucumber mint and tangerine ginger. Each sugar-free tablet has six to seven calories, 40 mg of vitamin C, plus a mix of the electrolytes sodium, potassium and magnesium. Because of its lighter flavor (and no aftertaste), U is ideal for everyday use. Another cool feature: the tube is recyclable. Directions: Drop one tab in 16 ounces of water. Uhydration.com

Camelbak Elixir $10 (12 tablets) These tablets are loaded with the four essential electrolytes and designed specifically for a CamelBak hydration system—they dissolve easily and won’t leave a sticky residue (no sugar here) if used in a reservoir. Elixir comes in berry and lemon-lime flavors (both great-tasting), contains 10 calories and 86 mg of vitamin C per serving. The Orange Alert variety isn’t as electrolyte rich, but it contains 70 mg of caffeine, about equal to a serving of Red Bull or a shot of espresso. Directions: Use one tablet for every 24 ounces of water. Camelbak.com

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FUEL

TriathlEats

Restaurateur-chef Jamie Gulden has helped make Boca Raton, Fla., a haven for foodies and triathletes alike BY BETHANY LEACH MAVIS

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Jamie Gulden’s Favorites… Gulden spends time running her different food-related businesses: a small lunch café, a catering company, a personal chef service, cooking classes and a brownie company, Sarahssweets.com. After studying restaurant management, she spent several years working at restaurants in Boston and Atlanta before deciding she wanted to be more handson. “I wanted to get back into cooking,” she says. In 1999, she established Set the Table, a personal chef service that provided two weeks of dinners in one day, and then opened a corresponding café in 2001 that serves wraps, salads and sandwich-

Local races: FAU Wellness Triathlon “It’s in Boca, in our backyard. It’s a fast sprint with a lot of people from our club”; Miami Nice Triathlon; Tradewinds Triathlon, a closed course in Tradewinds Park in Coconut Creek Swim training spots: Palmetto Park Road and State Road A1A—the tri club puts out buoys for open-water swimming on Monday nights. Bike training spots: Along A1A up to Palm Beach (60 miles) or to Boynton Beach for a shorter ride “It’s really nice along the ocean with pretty scenery.” Run training spots: A1A “It’s just very tri-friendly.”

ROBERT MURPHY

In 2006, Jamie Gulden was bored with her gym workouts and looking for a new physical challenge. When she spotted a triathlon finisher’s T-shirt on a guy at her gym, she quickly set her sights on multisport. “I knew nothing about triathlons,” she says, “and I had never heard of Ironman.” But after buying the book “Your First Triathlon” by Joe Friel, she completed a local race in Boca Raton, Fla., the Florida Atlantic University Wellness Triathlon. Four years later, the 2010 Ironman 70.3 Miami last October wrapped up Gulden’s fourth racing season. In between her triathlon training,

[SOUTH FLORIDA SPOTLIGHT]

es plus a variety of daily specials such as prepared entrées and homemade soups. Gulden says her culinary style uses a lot of fresh, local ingredients. “Everything is from scratch,” she says, down to the salad dressing. “That’s the most important thing.” In between the demands of her businesses over the years, Gulden squeezes in triathlon training, which “is pretty difficult—I constantly feel like I’m racing from one place to another,” she says. She gets up early to run or bike before work, arrives at her job by 7:30 a.m., and doesn’t leave until around 5 p.m., which in the winter months means it’s already getting dark. “My saving grace is that I can get the long stuff in on the weekends.” As one of the founders of the area triathlon club, the Boca Raton Triathletes, which was created in early 2009 and has grown to about 150 members, she has played a significant role in cultivating the local triathlon community. Gulden, who favors Olympic and sprint distance racing, says Southern Florida makes a great training spot … most of the time. “Boca Raton has the capability of training year-round outside,” she says. “We’re only on the trainers for rainy days or hurricane season.”

From the start, you’ll never forget what it took to finish.

Vegetable Chili with Bulgur Wheat Gulden recommends this recipe as a hearty lunch to give you energy to get through a post-work bike ride. The chili has a healthy dose of veggies, and the bulgur wheat is high in carbohydrate and protein.

Ingredients Serves 6

½ cup bulgur wheat, uncooked 2 tbsp olive oil 1 large onion, diced 1 cup diced zucchini 1 cup diced yellow squash 1 cup diced carrots 1 cup diced red bell peppers 2 15-ounce cans diced tomatoes

2 15-ounce cans red kidney beans 2 cloves garlic, minced 3 tbsp chili powder 1 tbsp cumin 1 tbsp oregano salt pepper

Directions

Bring 1 ½ cups of water to a boil and add the bulgur to the pan, stir, then cover. Continue to cook for approximately 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Drain the excess water after 20 minutes or when the bulgur has plumped up like rice or pasta. Set aside. In a large heavy bottom pot heat the olive oil. Sauté the onion until translucent and stir in the garlic. Add the carrots, zucchini, bell peppers and squash. Stir until coated with the onion and garlic. Continue sautéing the vegetables until softened. Add the chili powder, cumin and oregano, and toss to coat. Stir in the tomatoes and kidney beans. Lower the heat to low and cover. Cook for about 15-20 minutes. Add the bulgur wheat and combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

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fuel

Eat right

Been There, Done That If anyone is in a position to dish out advice when it comes to race nutrition based on practical experience, it’s pro Tim DeBoom. He has raced the Ironman World Championship 16 times, coming away with the win twice and getting on the podium twice more. He also boasts multiple Ironman victories and for more than a decade was ranked as the No. 1 U.S. male Ironman. When it comes to nutrition, he sends a pretty clear message: Good nutrition is vital but it is also extremely personal; use your own experiences to determine your own nutrition race plan, then be prepared to adapt.

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Do you have any specific nutrition credos that you follow daily? I just eat a balanced healthy diet. No big secrets, and not very exciting. The one thing I try to eat everyday is an apple. Something about it, whether real or superstitious, keeps me healthy and happy.

over the years is try not to be so reliant on one nutrition plan so if a single thing goes wrong, the whole race isn’t ruined. You have to develop what I call a “steel gut.” So, out on a training ride, go ahead and eat that bean burrito or doughnut. You might have the best second-half ride ever!

Do you think general daily nutrition has played a significant role in your career longevity and success? Or do you think it is overhyped? Daily nutrition is very important and has been significant in my career. When I was younger, still in college, everyone was talking about the nonfat diet. Well, I fell into that and had some injuries that lingered forever. Finally, someone recommended adding a significant amount of fat and protein to my diet, and it helped me a lot. I also try to eat lots of fruits and veggies, which are filled with antioxidants that help fight the daily abuse my body takes. Recovery is so important in our sport, so quality foods are the only option.

Have you undergone testing or analysis, and did this help you with your race-day nutrition plan? I have gone through testing in the Gatorade lab. The results revealed my sweat rate and a lot about my caloric needs, but I realized I was already taking care of my needs simply through working on it in my own training. You can get just as much from trial and error in training.

Over your years of training and racing, have you changed the way you approach nutrition? My body and its needs change yearly. It is one of the things I find so interesting about this sport. Nutrition is such a key to success, but what works in one race or for one season might not work again. I am always dialing in what’s best for whatever conditions I’m going to be racing in. The biggest change I made from my early years of racing was training my body to take in more calories during a race. I started drinking much higher calorie drinks that contained fat and protein. They felt more substantial than just carbohydrate solutions. Of course, this goes against what has been proven in science labs, but triathletes are unique and so are their needs. In recent years, there have been some studies about mixing different kinds of carbohydrates together to allow the body to absorb more grams of carbs. Powerbar has done a ton with this research and really put it into their products. I really think they work and I have been able to get in more than the 400 calories per hour I was using before. The big thing I have done

Have you struggled with any ongoing nutritional problems in racing? Cramps, nausea, dehydration? I’ve been pretty lucky with nutrition. I do work on it in training, so maybe it’s not luck. I have quite a bit of nausea after races, but that’s better than during.

Any nutritional tricks or strategies in the days and weeks before a race? I tend to cut out my daily caffeine a few weeks before races. I also try to never go to bed hungry the week before a big race. That is no time to be cutting calories.

Favorite pre-race meal? I’m a big fan of French toast for breakfast in the days before. Favorite post-race meal? I love a vanilla milkshake to settle my stomach, and then anything goes. After 16 races in Hawaii, if you had one nutrition message for people who want to be successful on the Big Island, what would it be? Practice what you want to do on race day, but be flexible because most likely things will not go perfectly and you will have to adapt. Also, everyone throws up during the race, even when you win. For more info on Tim, visit his website and blog at Timdeboom.com. // pip taylor

Some dreams are pursued one meter at a time.

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fuel

healthful hints

Deep Freeze Follow a few simple nutrition rules to stay hydrated and happy during cold weather workouts. By AdAm Kelinson

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Here are a few tips to keep you hydrated: • Prevention is always the best policy to avoid dehydration. Drinking 4 to 6 ounces of fluid every 15 minutes has proven its worth for my adventures. • Drinking cold fluids in the cold is a tough challenge. Try warming your fluids on the stove before you leave, and use an insulated water bottle or carrier to keep them warm. • Carry something that you really enjoy and like the taste of—a bit of extra sweetness never hurts. I make a sport cider drink (see recipe below) that keeps me happy and warm on the inside and my legs moving. • Before a cold-weather workout, eat a warm meal, high in carbohydrates with a bit of protein to stoke the thermogenic process and to ward off hunger. • Fuel regularly during your session with easily accessible and digestible foods. Bars or gels are good options if they don’t freeze. Keep them close to the body—inside gloves, under a hat or in an inside pocket close to the chest will keep them from freezing.

Sport Cider 2 cups apple cider ½ cup water 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar 1 tbsp raw honey

½ stick cinnamon 1 tsp whole cloves 1 tsp sea salt

add all ingredients to a pot and warm over low heat. strain cinnamon stick and cloves and enjoy!

Exercising in the cold can be a constant struggle, considering your hydration, clothing and fuel consumption. Luckily, these factors can be balanced and mitigated by the athlete’s best friend in any environment: preparation. “Other than dressing properly, making sure you carry what you need during training” is the most important nutritional consideration says Monique Ryan, author of “Performance Nutrition for Winter Sports.” Hydration is one of the trickier elements to keep in balance and also one of the most important. In cold weather the body constricts blood vessels, called vasoconstriction, in order to prevent heat loss from the core. In warmer months the body does the opposite and begins to sweat to keep cool, which triggers the brain to recognize the water loss and initiate the thirst mechanism. When blood vessels are constricted, the same triggers do not go off. As a result, the desire to drink can be reduced by up to 40 percent in the cold. At the same time, one’s blood pressure increases, particularly in the kidneys, and this creates the need to urinate, furthering fluid loss. For anyone exercising in cold environments these issues can become very problematic if neglected.

Inhaling cold, dry air requires the body to warm and humidify the air using water from the body. Exhalation of this air can be a significant contribution to dehydration. As much as technology has advanced winter clothing and an athlete has perfected his system of layering, neither prevents sweating. Also, many athletes avoid urinating, because of cold exposure and the clothing hassle, by not drinking fluids, which contributes to the fact that so many winter activities end in injury, dehydration or overall deficit in performance. Cold weather does not demand higher energy or caloric requirements until the body temperature drops and begins to shiver. With vasoconstriction comes decreased utilization of fatty acid stores and an increased demand for carbohydrates as an energy source. Once again, for the endurance athlete, carbohydrates are king! Plus, the act of eating produces heat, what is known as the thermogenic effect of foods, so be sure to maintain your glycogen stores with easily digestible carbohydrates.

The average race lasts about two hours. But the experience will last a lifetime.

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fuel

My Day on a Plate

Each month, nutritionist and pro triathlete Pip Taylor digs into a reader’s food diary and offers advice for eating, performing and feeling their best.

Name: Tim Tarpley Hometown: Fort Worth, Texas Profession: Sport massage therapist Club: Trident Sports Age: 42 Years in triathlon: 11, plus coaching for nine Proudest tri achievement: Finishing Ironman Lake Placid Most coveted tri goal: To go sub-5:00 in a 70.3 in 2011

“My races have gotten progressively faster as I have lost weight and improved my nutrition. For Vineman last year, I lost 25 pounds to get down to 170 and 9 percent body fat. I just want to maintain my weight and get stronger and faster.”

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Pip’s Take: Tim, where are your fruits and veggies? Yes, the veggie burger is bound to have some vegetables in it, and the turkey sandwich might also be hiding the odd bit of salad, but you are still falling short of the recommended five servings of vegetables and two of fruit a day. (Two glasses of wine do not count in the fruit

department.) If you look at any one meal in your day there is nothing significantly wrong, but when you look at the day as a whole it becomes apparent that you are lacking some basics. Your three main meals are breadbased products; try to include more whole grains along with those vegetables. Clearly you are trying to limit your calories but your overall caloric intake is quite low, especially for someone who has an active job and is also training. On higher training volume days you should take in additional fuel so that your workouts are effective and successful. I recommend adding some steamed vegetables, side salads, and instead of sweetening your yogurt with artificial sweeteners, add some fresh fruit salad. Also, instead of always drinking sports drink, drink water and snack on a banana for some nutrient-packed energy, or make a fresh fruit smoothie—it seems as though you could use the calcium. If you are really scrimping on calories, then stick to one glass of wine and instead add in some more nutrient-dense foods throughout the day.

jon davis

My Day: This is a normal day food-wise. Sometimes I train more, but calories are pretty much the same. 5:30 a.m. Eat whole-wheat raisin English muffin with peanut butter. Cup of coffee, quart of G2 (light sports drink). 8 a.m. Run for 45 minutes, nice and slow. 9 a.m. Snack of plain Greek yogurt (two packets of Splenda and one fresh-

squeezed lemon). 12-ounce sugar-free Redbull. 10 a.m. First client appointment. 11:30 a.m. Quart of G2. 12 p.m. Another client massage. 1 p.m. Turkey sandwich and chips. Quart of G2 sports drink. 2 p.m. Client appointment. 3 p.m. Snack of plain Greek yogurt (two packets of Splenda and one freshsqueezed lemon), G2 sports drink. 4 p.m. Last appointment of the day. 6:30 p.m. Snack of olive hummus and blue corn flax chips. 7 p.m. Two glasses of wine. 7:45 p.m. Veggie burger. 9 p.m. Popcorn. 10 p.m. Bed. Time to rest—I have a 9-mile run at 8 a.m.

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Great scot continued froM page 109 learned through triathlon—determination, perseverance and a go get ’em attitude— has resulted in my film career being more successful.” In working on the screenplay, she and Stokell watched a lot of war films, often from the seats of their bike trainers. “We watched a ton of them—‘Saving Private Ryan,’ our favorite, ‘Platoon’—any war films. If we couldn’t get our heart rate up while watching, then we knew the film was crap,” laughs Paterson. “My partner is an age-grouper, so I’d go out for a long run and he’d ride his bike and take a notebook with him and we would brainstorm and he’d scribble down notes while we were going.” Paterson spends two to three hours each day on her film work and devotes the rest of her time to triathlon training and coaching through her company, Braveheart Fitness Coaching. The name of the company, inspired by the popular Mel Gibson film “Braveheart,” is a nod to her Scottish roots. (“If they don’t believe in Scottish freedom then they’re not on the team!” jokes Paterson.) Her coaching philosophy, informed in

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part by her psychologist husband, is based on a holistic approach to the individual athlete. “I’m a psychological trainer,” she says. “I form deep relationships with my athletes because I go through the ups and downs of their relationships and careers. I don’t think you can coach an athlete independent of all that. You really have to know your athletes in order to get the best out of them.” For the past two years Paterson has trained with coach Vince Fichera of San Diego-based Slow Step Cycling. “He’s a big advocate of base training, bigger miles and lower heart rate, so I think that through adapting my body to that and finding the benefits, all of a sudden I had this strength. Growing up in Scotland, I only had boys to train with so I was always going hard; you’re kind of just hanging on someone’s wheel or scared that you’re going to get lost or dropped. So I’d never really properly trained. Once I started to train properly, I began to get the bug to train for longer distances and have a go at half-Ironman.” Paterson also recently joined up with

coach Adam Zucco of Training Bible Coaching to fine-tune her training. As for swimming, her early-career Achilles’ heel? Paterson has found that experience and her own coaching have helped her become a better swimmer. “Now that I coach, I’m taking what I learned as a youngster and applying it to help my athletes and, in turn, am helping myself to grow as an athlete. I think a better understating of technique is where your improvements are going to come from.” On April 2, Paterson hopes to claim her first half-iron title in her own backyard at the Ironman 70.3 California. She knows what she has to do to accomplish just that: “I need to swim quicker and come out with the lead girls, have a really solid bike and a quicker run, which I know I’m capable of,” she says. “I don’t think it’s outside the realm of possibility if someone like Mirinda did show up to potentially swim and bike with her and then it would be a head-tohead run. There’s no doubt that someone like that is going to be incredibly hard to beat, but it is definitely doable.”

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Triathlete Issue #323 (ISSN08983410) is published monthly by The Competitor Group, 9477 Waples St., Suite 150, San Diego, CA 92121; (858) 768-6805. Subscription rates: U.S., one year (12 issues) $34.95; two years (24 issues) $59.95. Canada $58.95 per year; all other countries $90.95 per year, U.S. currency only. Periodicals postage paid at San Diego, CA, and additional mailing offices. Single copy price $5.99. Triathlete is copyright 2003 by The Competitor Group. All rights reserved. Postmaster: Send address changes to Triathlete, P.O. Box 469055, Escondido, CA 92046-9513.

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never

a Bad day

My CaMelot By Bob Babbitt

love racing. There is nothing better in the whole wide world. Some people I know get stressed out just thinking about race morning. But for me, if it’s a Saturday or Sunday and there are no numbers scrawled on my legs and arms, I get the shakes. Here’s why racing is a heck of a lot more fun than training:

Swag is the key. Every time you race you get a goodie bag, a T-shirt and a finisher’s medal. Maybe even a cookie. When you train? All you get is sore.

It doesn’t matter if you’re not very good. Actually, being slow is important. Otherwise, how would the fast guys and gals ever know how awesome they are? They have to be way in front of somebody to feel good about

themselves and impress the world. That’s where people like me come in. You’re welcome, fast guys.

People cheer for you no matter how crappy you’re doing. And they’ll always smile and say something awesome like, ‘You’re almost there,’ even though you never are. I love that.

New races equal new roads and new trails. In local races you get acquainted with parts of your neighborhood that you didn’t even know existed.

You will always have someone to chat with during the run and bike, which at the end of the day is why we do this stuff anyway. Make new friends, tell jokes. There are lots of great folks to hang out

with and I don’t even have to pay them or buy them breakfast to spend time with me.

Racing allows you to create your own reality. In my mind, nobody ever passes me on race day. I just decide beforehand that anyone who passes is actually part of a relay team, even if they’re not. For some of us, denial is a good thing.

Races usually start early and, if they are short triathlons, you can actually be done and in the beer garden before most of your friends and family are awake. 9 a.m. is the ultimate time to kick off happy hour.

If there is a Camelot in my life, it’s a finish line … any finish line. The sponsors are

triathlete.com | March 2011

hunter king

Bob Babbitt is the co-founder of Competitor magazine, the co-founder of the Challenged Athletes Foundation, the host of Competitor Radio and the 10th inductee into the Ironman Triathlon Hall of Fame. To hear his interviews with more than 500 endurance legends, visit Competitorradio.com.

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happy, the race directors are happy, the volunteers are happy, the announcers are happy and, of course, the athletes are ecstatic. Everyone is cheering and there is a feeling of accomplishment that hangs in the air no matter how long or tough the race. Then you get to savor the rest of the day and that great finish line-induced adrenaline high. Of course, we all know that this amazing feeling won’t last forever. Which is why you need to hurry home and figure out where you’ll be racing next weekend.

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