Information overload: 10 Tips for Triathletes

When starting a new athletic journey or wanting to live a healthier, more active life, it's normal to try to find as much information as possible on a given topic. Information overload is common in today's society. Although it's easy to get information from the internet, it can easily prevent athletes and fitness enthusiasts from taking action or making sensible decisions due to too much information to consume. And more so, so much of the information available provides conflicting advice.

Given all the advice, tips, hacks and plans that are available, many people fail to start (or stay in) a sport, exercise regime or a more healthy style of eating because they are afraid of doing something wrong. For example, the simple task of finding the right pair of running shoes, warm-up routine, swim goggles or pre-workout snack can feel overwhelming.

Most of the time, the best way to minimize information overload is to focus on the most simple path to get you started, keep you healthy and to maintain consistency. There's no one-size-fits all when it comes to what will work (or not work) for your health, training and fitness journey.  While it's great to learn, always listen to your body and figure out what works best for you.

As part of our event "Triathlon Night," each expert had an opportunity to share their top tip related to their area of expertise. I wanted to share a few simple, practical and realistic tips that I heard from the experts in our Greenville community:

1. Don't expect or look for quick fixes. 
2. Never neglect sleep. This is where growth happens. 
3. Don't diet. Eat right and give your body what it needs to perform. 
4. Don't neglect your mental and physical health while training for a triathlon. 
5. Keep up with prehab. Regular massage therapist or PT work should be part of your regime. Don't wait until you are injured to start treating your body. 
6. Make time for strength training - especially core strength. A strong body performs well.
7. Work on your breathing and movement patterns - many triathletes don't know how to breath properly or to move efficiently. 
8. Keep the sport fun. If you start to feel overwhelmed, take a step back and remember why you started. 
9. Don't be afraid to ask for help. Invest into a team of experts to keep you on your path. 
10. Your bike fit and shoe choice should be unique to your body - not based on what other athletes are using. 

Race smart in unfavorable conditions: IMFL

As athletes, we try to do our very best to be as mentally prepared as possible for race day. Typically we think about how to be strong when our body is aching, how to stay positive when obstacles arise and how to stay tough when the going gets hard. 

When it comes to being mentally tough on race day, I am reminded of a quote that reads "When you are 90% done, you are only half way there."
As athletes we do a lot of mental training throughout training, on race week and even in the hours before the race start. I often speak about controlling the controllables and not wasting energy on things out of our control and this all comes down to the mental component of being an athlete. We can’t control the weather, but we can control our gear/clothing for race day. We can also control our pacing, attitude and nutrition. We can’t control who shows up on race day, the course, how many volunteers and spectators are out on the course or the exact start time of the race.

Although a large part of preparing for a race involves the physical training that is involved, there is a large mental component that is required to feel “ready” for race day. Often you will hear that endurance racing is more mental than physical. Although a large amount of fitness is required to prepare the human body for a specific distance, a fit body can’t perform without a strong mind. It should be assumed that a fit body will not reach its full potential unless the mind is in a good place.

I do not know an endurance athlete who is not mentally strong. I really don’t believe that you can train for an endurance event without being mentally strong. There is no such thing as an easy training plan or a perfect season of training because life doesn't stop just because you are training for a race. I also don’t believe that an endurance athlete (regardless of the fitness level) would even want an easy training plan because the entire reason for choosing to train for an endurance event is the challenge and allure of pushing the body to higher limits. Ultimately, we train our bodies so that one day (on race day) we can look back and be wowed at where we are now and where we were when we started training for an event.

While supporting our nine Trimarni athletes at IMFL, we experienced a variety of normal emotions before the race. Emotions that are expected on the day before a 140.6 mile event. However, come race day morning, just 30 minutes before the race start, the emotions shifted and our coach duties were put to the ultimate test as we had 9 athletes that were now mentally preparing for a cancelled swim and a cold, windy day on the bike which would start their 138.2 mile journey.

Because a cancelled race/sport doesn't happen a lot, we don’t believe that athletes need to go into every race being mentally prepared that the race will be cancelled. However, in the case of an all-day event, like the Ironman, there is a lot that can happen throughout the day that may be out of our control and it is possible to race smart even in the most unfavorable conditions.

Karel and I learned a lot as coaches, after the 2.4 mile swim was cancelled around 6:40am at IMFL due to dangerous rip currents. The race turned into a 112 mile bike and 26.2 mile run with a time-trial bike start. After a 1-hour delay, athletes lined up in the transition area, in order of bib numbers, bundled up in bike gear (it was in the low 40’s and very windy) and in rows of 2,3 or 4, athletes walked their bikes across the mount line, a few seconds apart, to start their timing chip and then the race started. All time cut-offs remained the same (as far as I know of) and the last athlete was off around 10am.

In the case that you are put into a triathlon race day scenario like IMFL, we want to offer our tips so that you can be mentally prepared for unfavorable race day conditions:

The race still goes on – At the end of the day, your body is still fit and trained regardless if the race is shortened or if weather conditions are not ideal. In the case of IMFL, there were still paychecks to be given to the pros, awards given to top five finishers in each age group and Kona slots given to athletes who earned their spot for the 2015 Ironman World Championships. As an athlete, you will find success on race day if you can adjust to any and all situations presented to you but let it be known that not always will you like the situations that you are presented with and not always will it be easy to control your emotions.  It is incredibly hard to not be emotional when situations are not ideal so I recommend to use your months of training wisely and every now and then, put yourself into situations that are unfavorable and perhaps a bit uncomfortable. Certainly, your health should never be compromised but if you train smart, you race smart. By reducing the excuses in training, you will provide yourself with more opportunities on race day.  Recognize how to race smart in unfavorable circumstances (like forgetting goal times and focusing on pacing yourself) will allow you to be the athlete who knows how to turn a negative situation into a positive.

Adjust your gear – What you were on race day is extremely important to how you will perform. Cold muscles do not work as good as warm muscles so I recommend to pack clothing for your race to prepare for all situations like cold and rain in the case of inclement weather.  Being prepared for all scenarios (with practice) improves your confidence for race day and reduces worries.  Keep in mind as to the most appropriate gear that you feel most comfortable wearing while racing. Never worry about being overprepared as you can put as much gear as you want in your transition (AND special needs) bags and it is up to you if you want to use it.

A few tips for a race like IMFL which was cold and windy, with a cancelled swim: 

-Avoid the parachute –like baggy jackets (the aero helmet doesn't come in handy if your clothing is baggy and you are sitting up a lot) and NEVER tie a jacket around your waist if you decide to take it off as this can be seriously dangerous if the jacket falls off and catches in your wheel. The best scenario for a race that is 45-50 degrees to start but is expected to get warmer (even if only a few degrees) is to wear a short sleeve jersey with arm warmers and if needed, a vest. You can also use newspaper inside your jersey to shield the wind on your chest. 

-Protect the sensitive areas like your hands (inexpensive winter gloves will do the trick), ears (ear band) and toes (shoe/toe covers).
-Forget going for "the look". Focus on being comfortable on the bike. Not too cold but not too hot. 

-Other – knee warmers, tights and long sleeve jerseys are all acceptable but be sure your clothing is breathable and consider what you will do with your gear if you begin to get warm. 

-Try to warm-up before you start the bike. Standing for 30+ minutes in the cold and then riding your bike can increase the risk for tight muscles and cramping. Stay indoors for as long as possible to stay warm, then around 20 minutes before, go for a jog (with an extra pair of run shoes) and keep yourself warm by doing dynamic warm-ups. 

Proper equipment choice – I talk about this topic often with my sport nutrition posts but your fueling strategy should be simple enough to work in all weather conditions (but tweaked depending on the distance/intensity). In other words, by relying on liquid calories, you will easily meet your electrolyte (yes, even in the cold you need electrolytes), calorie and fluid needs. Be sure your hydration cages are easy to use/reach. 

On a different topic, Karel was very adamant to our athletes that they all use proper wheel choices for the windy conditions, yet flat roads. Sure, a race wheel may prove to be fast in a wind tunnel or may work for a professional or top age grouper who is riding at a speed that a race wheel will come in handy but too deep of a dish in a race wheel can often make for a slower and more exhausting ride in windy conditions. Although race wheel selection depends on your size, experience, fitness (ex. speed)  and race day conditions/terrain, keep in mind that your front wheel takes a lot of energy to control and since this is where you are placing your upper body, it will require a lot of extra energy to control a deep dish wheel in the front, in windy conditions. Karel rarely recommends disc wheels to athletes unless they are fast enough to use them and the conditions/terrain make sense that a disc wheel will come in handy.

Trust your plan – Luckily, in cooler temps, GI issues are not as common as compared to warmer temperatures when blood is forced to cool the body and support working muscles as body temperature rises. However, one of the most common issues in cooler temperatures is cramping. It is extremely common for athletes to push harder in cooler temps (especially at the start of a race) because RPE is lower and there is a feeling of wanting to warm up quickly. Also, because muscles are cold, they do not contract/relax properly. Additionally, athletes can experience little drive to drink (unlike warm temps which often cause overhydrating and being spontaneous with nutrition intake as the race continues) which can often lead to dehydration in cooler temps. Although you may not be sweating as much in cooler temps, compared to warmer temps, and may not be losing a lot of electrolytes  in sweat, your body still requires fuel, liquids and electrolytes to support the training stress on the bike and to prepare your body for the run in an Ironman. Do not deviate from what has worked in training and stay consistent/frequent with your liquid nutrition intake every 10-15 minutes.. The only thing that may change in cooler temps is that the gut will tolerate solid food a little easier so in addition to your liquid nutrition, your tummy may want a little solid food as your body may need a bit more calories in cooler temps. 

The second issue is often the biggest problem for athletes who experience a cancelled swim in a triathlon. Can you guess it? Yep, you got it – overbiking! 

Just because you aren't swimming, this doesn't mean you are more fit to bike harder. Because your effort on the bike sets you up for the run, I recommend to keep with your game plan and no matter if you swim or don’t swim before the bike, the only way you will run strong off the bike is if you pace yourself on the bike. We encourage our athletes to break up the race into 20-30 min segments and to only focus on one segment at a time. Because all of our IMFL athletes had power meters, we gave them all specific zones (typically upper Z2) for pacing on the bike to ensure a strong run off the bike (as well as to control GI issues as they all needed to fuel on the bike so pacing is key for proper digestion of sport nutrition). We have them focus on normalized LAP power. In addition to reminding our athletes to not overbike, we also instructed them all to maintain as high of a cadence as possible (that was effective for smooth pedaling) to keep their legs as fresh as possible for the run. 

Coach knows best – If your coach tells you not to race just because conditions are not ideal, I would suggest to re-evaluate your coaches responsibilities. As a coach, my job is more than writing great workouts. Karel and I give a lot of positive energy to our athletes to keep them going. It doesn’t matter how motivated, determined and passionate our athletes are but when faced with an obstacle or a setback, it is our job to keep them focused. When emotions are at their highest (like a cancelled swim before an IM, especially for our two first-time Ironman athletes), it would be absolutely inappropriate for us to tell our athletes to throw in the towel and to not even race because the race "isn't worth it".
I hope I am not alone here but ass a coach, it didn't even cross my mind that athletes would not race at IMFL because of the cancelled swim and unfavorable race day conditions. Certainly, I would never ask an athlete to compromise his/her health just for a race but at IMFL, I saw a lot of athletes giving up before even trying and I contribute this to emotions and feeling alone with thoughts, in the moment.  In this scenario, the only way to get through this situation was to control emotions in order to see what was possible for the day.  And that is exactly what all 9 Trimarni athletes did on race day.
Despite our athletes dealing with a lot of conflicting emotions just like everyone else, Karel and I were able to remind our athletes as to the work they did to prepare for the Ironman and the training was not a waste just for 2.4 miles subtracted in a 140.6 mile event..
In a 8+ hour event, there is still a lot of racing to be done and the day would not be without obstacles to overcome and plenty of lows that would need to be dealt with in 138.2 miles of racing. And that is what the Ironman is all about!
 I am sure that the athletes who started IMFL did so because they had something to prove. The same mental training that was needed to prepare for 140.6 miles of racing was still needed for 138.2 miles. The day was not easy. There was a lot of fighting, suffering and hardships for 138.2 miles but also a lot of passion and even smiles. Correct me if I am wrong but a 138.2 mile duathlon absolutely requires a lot of training so why would an Ironman athlete feel less deserving of this accomplishment compared to 140.6 miles? Sure, it's not the same and I get that but if you can't control the situation, control your attitude.
For the IMFL athlete who refused to give up on a dream that was given 3,6,12+ months of preparing for, I am certain that success was still felt at the finish line and bragging rights were still allowed despite the slightly shortened event.

 Karel and I are a team and we both need each other. We both experience a rollercoaster of emotions with every race and we are lucky to have each other for those necessary pep talks. Regardless if you have a coach or not, be sure to surround yourself with people who give you positive energy and do not steal it away from you. Every athlete needs a teammate because when you can’t think clearly because emotions are high and negativity is filling the air, you need someone who can clear that air and put some positive thoughts in your head. 

Congrats to all IMFL finishers. You are an inspiration to many....including Karel and me!
Your courageous efforts were not ignored and to every athlete who started the race, you are now a smarter, fitter and more experienced athlete. You will remember your IMFL experience forever. 

Race Ready tips

Our bikes are making their way to Lake Placid, New York for Ironman Lake Placid on July 28th thanks to Tri Bike Transport!

Seeing that my amazing bike mechanic/hubby will be racing in his first Ironman

and not riding on his road bike, giving my parents updates during my race (pic below from Kona 2011), we will be using Tri Bike Transport for my 6th Ironman and not traveling with our bikes on the airplane. What a treat!

Are you race ready?

New shoes, new race wheels, new wetsuit, new outfit.

Athletes are notorious for race week shopping, whether it is online, at local small business stores or at the race expo. I feel there is a nice psychological boost to having new things, so long as they are effective and practical for the race for motivation increases when you have a drive to use something new.

But having new items does not out-weigh the 3 most important tips for being race day ready.

1) Skills

2) Confidence

3) Planning

To briefly break down my 3 most important tips for being race day ready, let's start with skills.

Running requires you to  move one leg in front of each other, quickly. If you don't want to run, you can walk. Although running requires good form, most people can run without having the proper skills to run. When it comes to swimming and cycling, skills are very important. From skills to keep your body safe in the water and on the road to skills to efficiently use your body on the race day course/terrain. I find that many athletes do the work by training hard and putting in the work but the lack of skills in training is overpowered by zone-training, high heart rates and social workouts. Be sure you put just as much time in your racing skills as you do in training your heart, muscles and lungs.

I love training knowing that I am working toward executing my current level of fitness on race day. Although it is completely normal and fine to have race week/day nerves and to fear the upcoming distance or course, you should never let your fears get the best of you. On the flip side, remind yourself the work that you put in to prepare for the race. Many times during a race (and before) you will have doubts, moments of "is this worth is" and even thoughts of "I can't wait til this is over." More often than not, those thoughts are temporary. Keep in mind that every negative thought comes before or after a positive thought. You just have to keep moving forward to catch those positive thoughts and hang on to them. When you finish a race, every negative thought will disappear and suddenly everything will be worth it, you won't believe it is over and you will be so proud that you did it. Don't let negative thoughts or energy fill your head when you can fill your mind with confidence and beliefs that you can race smart no matter what the day has in store for you.

There are many controllables when it comes to racing and lots of uncontrollables. You can't control your competition, you can't control the weather and you can't change the course. But you can control your race by planing your nutrition, your clothing, your pacing plan and your attitude. Consider these four very important components of putting together an effective, smart race day plan for racing is not about showing up to race day and hoping for a great race but instead, considering how you can be in control of your race day execution and knowing how to deal with situations as they come about (which they will).

A few other tips for racing:
-I am not a fan of racing "stimulants" - avoid the chemical boosters (ex. drinks, pills) for energy and do a race warm-up to get the blood flowing and the body ready for the upcoming effort.
-Do not sabotage your race day by worrying about your weight. There is no reason to restrict, control or stress about food, especially if it real food that has fueled your training or can help you properly taper for your race.
-If you are investing in new race day equipment such as cycling wheels, be sure to practice on them prior to the race (at least 2-3 weeks prior). Racing wheels can be difficult to get use to for many athletes and more often than not, they will make you look fast but if you don't have the right skills, they won't work as intended.
-Do not deviate from what has worked in the place. Athletes often second guess themselves on the days before a race, often trying new things, wondering how to fuel for the race, stressing about what others will think of their race day performance. Remember that you are racing with your current level of fitness so your body will perform how you trained it to perform.
-Race your own race. You will find a way to get to the finish line no matter what but to waste your entire race day pacing plan in the first few miles of a race will make for a very long race. There are no certainties with racing but to only trust yourself and staying within your comfort zone of your skills, nutrition strategy and pacing plan.
-Help out others. There is a special power in cheering on others, especially if you need a boost as well. Thank the volunteers, high-five the spectators and smile at the other athletes. Your worst day may be someone else's best day so if you have it in you or not, remember that everyone has their own reason for racing.
-Don't get stuck on time, paces and rankings. The best race day stories are not told by a piece of paper or online but instead, by YOU the athlete. Consider writing a post race blog report or writing about your day to share with others. Do not let your race day goals keep you from inspiring others.
-Have fun! If you don't love what you are doing, why do it? Unless you are a professional, you should be enjoying the journey of challenging yourself, overcoming obstacles and becoming a stronger, smarter and healthier individual. Whatever your sport may be, it is your lifestyle, not your life. Never stop being grateful for what your body allows you to do and thank your body many times during the race.
-Be prepared for race day. Review the course (or try it out), check the weather, consider outside variables that may affect you. Do not worry about doing something that "isn't cool", being different or unique. Be prepared for your day and don't worry about what others think of you as you are racing your own race and only you, your body and your mind can get you to the finish line.

Happy Racing!

Weekend training recap and my cycling tips

As human beings, we all make mistakes. But there is a big difference in making mistakes but knowing better, making the same mistake over and over and making mistakes to learn. 

I think we could all put ourselves in one of those categories at various times in our life from training/racing with injuries, saying something you regretted/didn't mean, making choices regarding food, etc. But the best thing about making mistakes is knowing that you are trying and that you can make yourself better in the long run. 

I remember a few weeks ago when Karel and I were doing a long brick and after our intervals, we joined our normal Saturday morning ride (which is around 50-70 minutes total depending on when we meet up with the fast group) and Karel was feeling the need for speed so him and a few other cyclists broke away and as the pack chased Karel, he was just ripping the pack apart...he was untouchable and seeing him in the distance, I knew my cyclist of a hubby was loving this suffer fest.....for us chasers. Unfortunately, Karel pushed beyond his IM limits and completely bonked after the ride and wasn't able to run off the bike. He laughed about it afterward and since then, he has stayed within his limits for his IM specific training. Of course, he was smart as to not try to be stubborn and try to run x-miles off the bike and of course, no amount of nutrition is going to help him bike and run at a pace that he didn't train himself to do in training. Just like many athletes, we can swim, bike and run at a certain pace solo but if you are a triathlete, it is knowing how to put the pieces together that really matters. There is something impressive about someone who can individual swim, bike and run fast but that doesn't matter much with endurance triathlon training/racing. Sure, it can impact your fitness but you have to know how to put the pieces together and that is what IM training is all about. Creating new limits but knowing how to stay within them. I take IM training very seriously as there is a lot to learn within the journey. Many athletes get so caught up in the miles and fearing the distance but I believe that we must not rush the journey and recognize how important it is to focus on the key workouts that make up great race day performances. 

On Saturday morning, I joined Karel for our 4.5 hour  brick. 4 hours on the bike and a 30 minute run. Well, that was the plan. 

After I stuck to Karel's wheel for the first hour, we did the most difficult set that my body has ever done....

10 minutes steady, 5 minutes hard....continuous for 1 hour. 

On paper, this doesn't look hard but Karel has been peaking and I knew after seeing my watts for the 10 minutes steady that this was going to be a toughy. However, I made an IM-rookie mistake of pushing beyond my limits in a brick workout but I just couldn't help but be the athlete I am inside....I just wanted to see if I could do it. 

Pushing watts I have not done in training for the past 10 weeks or so, Karel was impressed that I stayed on his wheel for the 1 hour set and by the time we joined the group ride, I knew I overdid it. I managed to stay on for the group ride but when we were heading home in head wind, I had enough. Knowing the physiology of the body, this was not nutrition or motivation related. I just overdid it and now I had to stay with my mistake. So, for about 1 hour of riding in headwind (talk about a hard way to gather your thoughts), I went back and forth in my head as to if I should run off the bike and within 3 miles from home, my "smart" coach thinking won over my "stubborn" athlete thinking and I decided that since that bike had nothing to do with IM training, it would be best to scratch the run off the bike. However, although the mistake was made, I was still able to think of plan B. Water jog. So I hoped in the complex pool for a refreshing 20 minute water jog as it was much kinder on my body than pounding the pavement for 30 minutes. Karel ended up having an amazing workout for both bike and run and when we connected that evening after he got off work, all was good and I was happy I made this mistake. For it was fun while it lasted but Sat. showed me that like many athletes, you have to respect your own fitness level when training for an endurance event. I love training with Karel but with 4 weeks til race day, the training is very specific to both of our bodies. We can continue to share this journey together but at different paces, intensities and volume. 

Thankfully, Sunday I was able to regroup and have an amazing brick workout - 1 hour bike, 13.3 mile run, 2 hour bike. As for Karel, he did his first ever 20 mile run with a 1 hour EZ spin after the run. Success for both of us to wrap up 3 hard, quality weeks of training. Gotta love progress. 

So as I was collecting my thoughts after my suffer-session with Karel, I couldn't help but think about the progress I have made on my bike so I thought I'd share some of my top tips for becoming a better, smarter and stronger cyclist. By no means am I a professional cyclist or cycling coach but having been coached by Karel on the bike since we met in 2006 and Karel riding a bike all his life, I have learned a lot about cycling and how to properly ride/train on a bike as well as being more and more comfortable on the bike (since cycling was very new to me when I started tri's and I was very scared on the bike). Most importantly, you can always get better as a cyclist so don't ever give up. 

-Train with a power meter

-Learn how to change your gears appropriately

-Learn how to switch from big/small ring while drafting 

-Learn how to anticipate changing terrain and adjust gears appropriately

-Be sure your bike is set-up with a hydration system that is easy to access (ex. rear bottle cages) and that all bottles are secure

-Learn what your nutrition needs are for each individual workout

-Learn how to become "one" with your bike

-Learn how to adjust gears before stopping

-Learn how to break properly, especially before stopping or if slowing down in a group

-Relax on the bike

-Maintain good position of your seat bone on the saddle

-Learn how to pedal smoothly

-Learn how to climb based on your size/height (I generally climb in my small chain ring and standing)

-Don't be afraid to ride with others but be sure you are not taking your time away from your own specific training

-Don't ride scared

-Learn how to change a flat tire

-Learn how to anticipate other objects around you, possibly getting in your way (react quickly but smart)

-Learn how to embrace the pain to get stronger (good pain, not injury pain)

-Just ride your bike for fun - get more comfortable on your bike in all types of conditions (be smart)

-Practice scenarios similar to race day - set up your bike, wear clothing, wear HR monitor, stuff jersey pockets, etc. similar to race day to get use to what "it" feels like. 

-Be sure to have a bike that fits you - don't buy a bike and then try to fit it. 

-Trust your mechanic (or be married to him/her :)) and be sure he/she understands your individual needs and goals

-For most triathletes, there is no reason to be "aero" on the bike with a flat back. Avoid an aggressive/aero position on the bike and get a retul fit by a fitter who is qualified to fit you with the Retul system. 

-Know how to dress appropriately on the bike and invest in comfortable shoes and helmet. 

-Use your gadgets appropriately. Use a bike computer, separate from a running garmin so you can fix it to your bike and not on your wrist. Rather than being stuck on speed, consider lap times every 10-20-30 minutes so you can better pace yourself. 

-Create sets that will allow you to progress with fitness and remember that athletes will peak at different times. 

-Do not get frustrated on the bike as cycling is one of the best activities that you can do for a lifetime (like swimming) that is easy on the body. 

-Ride safe, wear a Road ID and have fun!