Carefully Curated Triathlon News for July 11, 2024
IN THIS EDITION…
- 5 common mistakes of adult onset swimmers
- Stronger hips for injury-free running
- 6 persistent myths in endurance sports
- How hard should you ride for a faster run?
- How an age grouper swam sub-60 in an IM
ADULT HABITS
New swimmers – especially triathletes who learned to swim as adults – are susceptible to developing habits that stunt their progress and erode their efficiency in the water.
Check out Jackson Harrell’s 5 common mistakes of adult onset swimmers (and how to correct them).
Use this list as a guide to audit your triathlon swimming. You’ll find that it provides uncommonly practical solutions that you can put to immediate use, which will accelerate your progress and shorten your learning curve.
BIKE DICTATES RUN
In any triathlon, a strong bike followed by a poor run is a failure.
How hard should you ride? Probably not as hard as you think. Fortunately coach Rob Wilby’s clever method for calculating your race day bike pace will establish guardrails to help prevent overbiking.
His system is a cheat code for determining your ideal power output… And is designed to set you up for a great run.
SUB-60
Age grouper Felipe Telles reveals how he transformed his freestyle from 2:00/100m to swimming a sub-1 hour IRONMAN split.
Telles re-engineered his swim training to prioritize fundamentals such as head position, balance, breathing, hand entry and the catch & pull.
He committed to swim 4 days per week, but carefully governed his intensity to ensure improvement over the long haul.
His story is inspirational and informative, and demonstrates that impressive results are achievable with consistency and intention.
PROTECT YOUR SKIN
Despite all the benefits of triathlon, we frequently subject ourselves to excessive sun exposure.
Most of us understand the risk of skin cancer. But did you also know that sunburn suppresses our thermoregulation and ability to dissipate heat, potentially compromising performance?
Fortunately now you can prioritize skin health with the full line of products by Dermasport.
Designed specifically for athletes, Dermasport protects, hydrates and repairs skin from excessive exposure to sun and chlorine.
Check out Dermasport’s complete skin care line for endurance athletes, and enjoy a 20% discount by using coupon code TRIWIRE at checkout.
ENDURING MYTHS
Triathlon can feel overwhelming at times, and our understanding of human performance is constantly evolving.
Sports scientist and Kona age group record holder Dr. Dan Plews busts 6 persistent myths in endurance sports.
He addresses hot topics like consuming high amounts of carbs during the race, training the gut, and whether sodium supplementation can prevent cramping.
HIPS & CORE
The “core” is composed of 29 muscle pairs that – among other things – provides a stable foundation for movement. It includes the muscles of the lower trunk and pelvis.
Various studies have demonstrated that runners who present injuries like IT band pain, sciatica and patella tendonitis have particularly weak hip flexors and abductors.
You can significantly strengthen your hips with these 3 simple exercises that require only an elastic band. Doing so will improve your running economy and help you avoid injuries.
QUICK HIITS:
- Faster Front
Designed to be used only on the front wheel, Continental’s new Aero III tire features “vortex generators” in its tread pattern to deliver a claimed 5-watt advantage over a wide range of speeds.
- Blazing
A fast course, cool conditions and amazing athletes produced new course records at Challenge Roth. Magnus Ditlev improved the men’s mark by over 1 minute, and Anne Haug posted a remarkable 2:38:52 marathon split to shatter the women’s record by 6 minutes!
- Mobility, Balance, Speed
Practice this drill every day to improve your streamlined position. Better mobility is often overlooked as a key element of faster freestyle.
