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SMART GEAR CHOICES
Are you planning an upgrade to your triathlon gear? Then start by considering what the world’s best use, as documented by the annual Kona Gear Count. Even without a race in 2020, you’ll find the data instructive and worthwhile.
The brainchild of Dan Empfield back in 1992, this survey takes place each year at the IRONMAN World Championships as athletes set up in the transition area. Its results have become the leading indicator of trends in our sport.
For tri bikes, throughout the past decade the clear favorite on the pier has been Cervelo (although Canyon, Trek and Felt have been making inroads). You can check out the complete results of the 2019 bike count here to gain insights on which brands might be next to emerge.
For racing flats, the data was less conclusive because there wasn’t an official count in 2019. Nike looked to be the leader on Ali’i Drive with its carbon insoled VaporFly, nudging out HOKA ONE ONE for the top spot. However, in a recent poll conducted by Slowtwitch.com, HOKA emerged as the clear favorite for training shoes.
Of course, we all need to make gear and apparel choices based on what’s best for our own needs, but it’s useful to know what the top triathletes use in Kona.
MY 3 RUNS
Is your run training efficient and effective? San Diego-based coach Sergio Borges believes that you can maximize your ROI by running just 3 times per week… as long as those sessions are purposely designed.
Borges has been a full-time triathlon coach for over 25 years, guiding hundreds of athletes to PRs and Kona qualifications. He knows how to strike the right balance between frequency, volume and intensity to ensure steady progress while avoiding injury.
In this article he outlines your 3 key weekly runs and provides a sample week of workouts. You’ll notice that each session has a specific purpose — such as strength, endurance or speed — which will help you achieve your goals faster and with less guesswork.
SWIMMING PRIORITIES
Swimming can seem so complex… how should you allocate your pool time? How do you balance technique vs. fitness? And what drills should you be doing… and when?
Conrad Goeringer and Rob Sleamaker have built their careers on simplifying swim training for triathletes. In this podcast they reveal unique strategies that triathlon swimmers can adopt to become faster and more proficient in the water.
They explain how to alternate between drills and full-on swimming to truly build speed. They cover workout structure, recommendations on drills and technical cues, and even the swimming accessories that you need in your bag. If your off-season goal is to improve your swimming, then bookmark this conversation and refer back to it often.
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.
Now’s the perfect time to upgrade your swimming accessories! TriathlonWire readers get a 20% discount by using the coupon code TRIWIRE20 at checkout.
HILL OF A WORKOUT
Improving your aerobic threshold on the run delivers fitness gains and faster racing, and can best be achieved through threshold intervals. Usually conducted in demanding track workouts, you can add variety to your training by taking to the hills.
Threshold intervals bring you right up to (but not over) the edge of your lactate threshold. They’re repeated with barely enough rest to catch your breath, keeping intensity high.
By varying your terrain with uphill running, you can obtain all of the benefits of threshold training while keeping your workouts fresh.
BALANCING ACT
If you’re struggling to achieve balance in your triathlon training — or simply want to improve your results without increasing overall training time — then a great place to start is with these 6 Principles of Efficient Triathlon Training.
These guidelines will help you understand why key sessions are more important than overall weekly training hours and why even a short 45-minute midweek workouts are critical for your progress.
QUICK HIITS:
- Prize Money Fever
The PTO Championships at CHALLENGE Daytona this December just expanded its purse to a whopping $1.15 million and will pay prize money to athletes 60 deep. As superstar Richard Murray tweeted: Everyone goes home with something! - Leading Women
The 2020 Women in Triathlon Awards presented by Coeur Sports will take place virtually on November 15. Check out the amazing nominees in the 9 award categories and register to attend here. - Have a Plan
We found an interesting app called RaceDay that helps you formulate a personalized pacing and nutrition plan for your next triathlon. We appreciate its simplicity and look forward to testing it in the coming months.