IN THIS EDITION…

  • Improve Freestyle Hand Speed
  • No More Heavy Legs
  • Why Race Simulations are Vital
  • 70.3 Tapers are Different
  • 21 Tips from Triathlon’s Top Pros

WIN WITH 21

When Chrissie Wellington, Ali Brownlee and Lucy Charles-Barclay speak, smart triathletes listen.

Check out these 21 top tips provided by triathlon’s greatest performers.

In this collection of actionable nuggets, you’ll discover practical and clever advice that can immediately be put to use.

MONOSPEED MISTAKE

Many adult swimmers exhibit a common mistake: their hand speed remains constant throughout their freestyle stroke.

Think of it as lacking snap.

Coach Eric Neilsen calls this plodding technical error “monospeed,” and he attributes it to never being taught how to properly apply varying force from the catch to the finish of the stroke.

In this article he discusses the 3 phases of a freestyle stroke – the entry, catch and finish – and discusses how optimal hand speed differs in each.  He then explains how to break the monospeed habit with a series of effective drills.

This nuanced concept will get you thinking about your technique in a very different way.  Soon you’ll be able to accelerate your hand speed, sustain higher power, and attain a more efficient and dynamic stroke.

RACE SIMULATION

What’s the most important workout you can do before your “A” triathlon?  According to the experts at Endurance Nation, it’s the race simulation. 

More than just a casual brick that checks a box, their race simulation is a carefully designed “mini event” that follows a precise 5-step framework.

This process includes mimicking key sections of the route and replicating their changes in topography during training.  It also calls for a full-blown dress rehearsal with the gear and nutrition you plan to use on race day, repeated in multiple weekend outings prior to the event.

How long should these race simulations be?  Get the answer to this question and much more by watching this short video.

Event simulations provide the opportunity to reconcile your performance aspirations with your current fitness.  Now you can arrive at the start line familiar with what’s ahead, and race with more confidence.

PICK IT UP

A major problem of many triathlon swimmers is overthinking their freestyle stroke.  By trying to focus on too many cues for improving technique, their stroke rate drops and they develop deadspots that kill their speed.

One way to avoid this is to increase your stroke rate by training with the FINIS Tempo Trainer Pro.  With this unobtrusive underwater metronome, you can aim to raise your turnover to 35 strokes per minute (or higher). Doing so will smooth out your power curve and increase your efficiency.

Additionally a higher turnover is more conducive for success in the open water where other swimmers, waves and chop frequently disrupt your forward momentum.

Best of all, TriathlonWire readers get a 20% discount by using the coupon code TRIWIRE at checkout. Get on it!

HALF THE TAPER

We all know that tapering is an important tactic of full-distance triathlon preparation, but should we taper for an IRONMAN 70.3?   

Coach Andy Kirkland argues that, in order to optimize your peak, tapering is just as vital for a half-distance race.

Of course, one size of taper doesn’t fit all race distances, and in this article Kirkland outlines what makes a 70.3 taper unique, and how you can optimize it.

RUN WITH IT

Running out of T2 has never been described as a pleasant experience.  That “heavy legs” feeling is an inherent part of triathlon.

However, coach Mikael Eriksson presents 11 tips for running faster off the bike. 

While there are just 2 tactics that have been scientifically proven to improve running performance off the bike, the preponderance of anecdotal evidence suggests that you’ll find some of these other tips to be helpful, too.

QUICK HIITS:

  • Ownership Privileges
    Super League Triathlon continues to break new ground by offering you the opportunity to own a piece of your favorite team.  Now you can buy a fraction of the SLT Cheetahs.  In return, you’ll have a say in kit design, gain exclusive access and weigh-in on racing tactics.
  • Worth Your Salt
    Other than sodium, should we supplement with electrolytes?  What do they even do? Asker Jeukendrup explains the roles of “the other” electrolytes and describes the consequences of having too little or too much of them.
  • Road to Kona
    53 Ironman races in 24 countries offer 1,920 slots for the 45th edition of the upcoming IRONMAN World Championships in Kona.  Use this searchable database by Endurance Data to discover where you might have the best chance of snagging a place on the pier.