With the long months of training behind you, it can be hard to manage the emotional roller coaster before your first marathon. You’ve made it this far so hang tough since navigating this part is critical to your race day performance. Let’s dive into the details of your training, nutrition, and mental tactics so you are ready to toe the starting line with confidence and ease.
Avoiding GI Distress in Endurance Triathlons
It’s race day, and you are ready to cash in on your hard-earned fitness after hundreds of hours devoted to swimming, biking, and running. During the race, all goes as planned in the swim and bike—only for a plethora of gastrointestinal issues to hit you on the run: nausea, bloating, reflux, stomach pain, cramping, diarrhea, and vomiting. Heaven forbid, you might even be at risk of a DNF!
If this is your story, you are not alone. GI problems are the most common cause of underperformance in endurance events. [Read more…]
Lessons from Triathlon Camp
It’s ironic but the word, “camp” is a bit misleading here. Camp implies, sailing boats, riding zip lines and making smores by the camp fire. This camp included none of that. We swam, rode our bikes (180 miles with a total of 17,000 ft elevation gain) and ran off the bike, on hills, and at the track. This camp was a deep dive immersion into the art of triathlon. The focus was not on how to get faster but how to swim, bike and ride —- WELL. If you don’t know how to do something well, then how will you have the skills to go fast? So the intent on the 4.5-day full immersion – was [Read more…]
Breaking 4 Bad Run Habits in Triathlon
Whether you come to triathlon as an experienced runner or are new to running, triathlon is not about how well you run but how well you swim, bike and run off the bike. Since running is the last of the three sports on race day, it happens to be where many race day disasters occur such as cramping, GI distress, and exhaustion. Naturally, athletes blame their run fitness on an unfavorable outcome and vow to place a greater emphasis on run training. However, a triathlete’s run performance is directly influenced by [Read more…]
Beating the Mid-Season Slump
Most triathletes kick off the year with clear goals and a spring race or two to shake off the post-season cobwebs. By mid-season, however, many triathletes struggle to maintain their motivation as training starts to feel less exciting and more routine–the mid-season slump. If you feel like you’re stuck in a rut, here are a few tips to stay focused on your goals and fired up about reaching them.
Happy Cinco de Mayo
Thank goodness it’s Friday! But this year, May 5 is not just any Friday—it’s Cinco de Mayo! All over the country, you’ll find margarita mix, chips, and premade guacamole front and center in grocery stores. If you, like me, are tempted by these treats, don’t worry—there’s a smart way to work them into your nutrition and training plan that won’t derail you from reaching your goals. [Read more…]
Bouncing Back after an Illness
There’s almost nothing triathletes loathe more than being sidelined with an illness. The idea of lying in bed or slumbering on the couch while our friends are out training is sheer torture! We panic and visualize our hard earned fitness slipping away. In our short-sighted thinking we either push through only delaying the illness and missing more workouts, or we take a step back, think long term, view it as a life giving us a rest day(s), and get well.
The Three Biggest Mistakes Made by Athletes
Triathletes devote precious time, energy, and hard earned money on the single goal of reaching the finish line faster than the time before. From the lightest, most aero triathlon bike – sleekest helmet – tightest kit – customized training plan- to the most precise fuel/hydration plan and daily nutrition protocol, the odds are in our favor, right? You’d hope so with this level of attention to detail, but without proper recovery, all of that “devotion” is for not.