TRIATHLETES WITHOUT TRIATHLONS

Without races, most triathletes are all trained up but have nowhere to go.  However an intrepid few have taken matters into their own hands, creating personal multisport adventures.

Faced with no triathlons, Joe Wilson concocted the EverythingIsCancelledMan, an epic day from Atlanta to Chattanooga. It included a 1.6 mile swim, 131 mile bike and a 4 mile run.

Or consider David Gonzales of Jackson, WY who devised the sinister Grand Picnic: ride 22 miles to Jenny Lake; swim 1.3 miles to the opposite shore; climb 10 miles to the summit of the Grand Teton (7,500’ of vertical)… then reverse it all for the return home to the town square.

We’re still triathletes… even without triathlons!  What’s your adventure?

HOW MUCH PROTEIN DO I REALLY NEED?

We’re constantly reminded to eat more protein or even supplement with amino acids, but how much protein is optimal for you? As triathletes with high training volumes, don’t we need more protein to repair muscle damage?

In order to determine your optimal daily protein intake, it helps to understand the process of muscle protein synthesis.  This article provides a concise overview of how your body processes protein, and outlines how to calculate your daily protein needs.

IRON ANDORRA

At an average elevation of 6,500’, Andorra embraces its mountainous terrain and has established itself into the high altitude sports mecca of the Pyrenees. The home base of countless World Tour pro cyclists, Andorra has finally been discovered by IRONMAN.

In 2021 this tiny principality will present five IRONMAN-owned events — packaged as the Andorra Multisport Festival — including trail running, mountain biking, road cycling and 2 triathlons.

We predict that there will be more IRONMAN races hosted by resort communities, where operations are less complex, events are appreciated during the offseason and athletes are welcome.

FASTER WITH FINIS

FINIS recognizes the unique needs of triathletes, and has developed a line of innovative products that will make you a better, faster and more efficient triathlon swimmer.

We especially like their new Slide Dryland Trainer stretch cords.  Its clever design provides constant (not variable) resistance throughout the swim stroke cycle.  Perfect for keeping freestyle tone now, it’s also ideal for pre-event warmup when we finally return to racing.

TriathlonWire readers get a 20% discount by using the coupon code TRIWIRE20 at checkout.

STRONGER IS FASTER

Triathletes are slowly realizing that strength training is a critical component of faster long distance racing.  However how to apply strength training for endurance performance has remained rather murky… until now.

How can you translate your progress in the gym to the race course? In this thorough TrainingPeaks blog post, coach Joe Hamilton explains the whys and hows of strength training for triathletes, and maps out a framework that you can immediately integrate into your training program.

VIRTUAL CRACKS

With few other options, IRONMAN continues to serve up virtual races in an attempt to keep its triathletes engaged.

Although race entry remains free (for now), both overall registrations and the percentage of athletes who actually complete the events are showing signs of decay.

The first 7 IRONMAN VR events logged a total of 152,101 registrations, 63.1% of whom completed their races.  In contrast, VR10 through VR16 had only a 55.1% finish rate out of 78,381 registrants.

Are virtual triathlons merely a stopgap measure until we return to the real start line, or is VR racing here to stay? 

QUICK HIITS:

  • Older and Dryer
    Did you know that masters triathletes are more susceptible to dehydration?  It turns out that the muscle loss associated with aging also causes a related decline in your body’s hydration.  This, along with other age-related conditions, is why older athletes have different hydration needs… Here’s what you can do about it.
  • Self-Service Garmin
    By now we all know about Garmin’s recent (and ongoing) ransomware attack that has derailed Garmin Connect.  Fortunately you can still manually upload any of your Garmin data — even during the outage — by connecting it to your computer.  Here’s how.
  • Grip Strength
    6x IRONMAN World Champion and master coach Mark Allen (aka “Grip”) has teamed up with smart home gym brand Tonal to deliver unique strength training programs for triathletes. Now’s a great time to work on your muscular endurance and power so you’ll be ready for our return to racing.
  • Good Form in Open Water
    FORM, the augmented reality swim goggle, just released a software upgrade that allows pairing with your GPS watch to track real time performance during open water swims (and not just in the pool). After your workout you can analyze the map of your swim.