FLASH POLL
What’s the one piece of triathlon gear or apparel you plan to upgrade this year before your priority race? Let us know!
We’ll report the results in next week’s edition.
CAPTURING YOUR 10K SPEED
It’s a bold claim to call this the “best” 10k workout ever, but that’s exactly what Greg McMillan of McMillan Running alleges.
It’s not easy. You’ll probably have to build up to it. But, don’t worry: McMillan provides a sequence of sessions that not only prepares you for the goal workout but also serves as a darn good 8-week 10k training plan.
Consider this if you’re aiming to improve your 10k PR or want to inject some speed into your 70.3 run splits.
NEW PRO TEAM
It’s always exciting to welcome new brands into our sport (especially after such a difficult year). This week 5x World Champion Craig “Crowie” Alexander announced the launch of his Vespa Professional Triathlon Team.
Sponsored by the legendary Italian scooter company, the team will initially feature 12 elites. But the pros won’t have all the fun: Team Vespa is planning to roll out an age group squad later this year.
Lucy Charles-Barclay, Sarah Crowley, Heather Jackson and Rudy Von Berg will lead Team Vespa’s debut at the CHALLENGE:MIAMI Triathlon on Friday, March 12.
Learn more about Team Vespa by watching Bob Babbitt’s interview with Crowie here…
BACK TO THE CATCH
We spend a lot of time talking about the catch in freestyle because it’s such a vital component for improving your swimming speed. Brenton Ford of Effortless Swimming clearly describes what constitutes an effective catch, and why it’s difficult to achieve.
We’ve all heard that dropping the elbow is a common mistake that prevents an optimal catch. Ford contends that a dropped elbow usually originates from a dropped shoulder, and suggests two drills that will eliminate engrained bad habits and help you overcome this flaw in technique.
Once you’ve established a high shoulder, you’ll find it easier to master the elbow-forward power position that engages your lats for more pull-through power.
PRO STRENGTH
American pro cyclists Joe Dombrowski and Alex Howes reveal why squats and deadlifts are their go-to moves for increasing watts and improving stability and snap.
They need to fortify the lower back and core for better power transfer but, just like triathletes, these riders want stronger – not bigger – muscles. Here’s how they get it done…
MASTER YOUR MENTAL GAME
As we prepare for our return to racing, it’s important not to neglect our mental training. To help us master our minds, we turn to two of the greatest triathletes in the mental game: 6x Ironman World Champions Mark Allen and Natascha Badmann.
Both of these superstars learned not to allow a few bad moments to derail an entire race.
For Natascha, staying focused during a long race was one of the greatest challenges of our sport. In the heat of competition she would take “mental breaks” to maintain a balance between focus and mental recovery. She constantly trained to replace negative thoughts with pre-planned visualizations.
Mark also invested vast amounts of time training his mind, practicing how to purge negative thoughts that crop up during tough patches in a race and quieting his thinking. This power of regrouping was one key to his success. Learn some of his insights and techniques that helped make him such a dominant racer.
QUICK HIITS:
- Forget Pink and Shrink
Join the Feisty Womxn’s Performance Summit on March 26-28, organized by 2x Ironman champion Dr. Sarah Gross. This first of its kind conference will position issues related to female athletic performance front and center. - Not Wading Around
Nothing is going to stop this 16 year-old Scottish triathlete from advancing into the elite ranks… not even a closed community pool. Check out Struan Bennet’s workaround… We wish him the best! - Reading List
The capacity to endure is a key trait that underlies great triathlon results. In his bestselling book, Endure, award-winning journalist Alex Hutchinson explores how managing the interplay between mind and body can lead to breakthrough performances.
