IN THIS EDITION…
- Accelerate your progress with hill running
- A simple off-season roadmap for optimal gains
- Overcome a monospeed stroke for faster freestyle
- Add workout variety for better marathon training
- Age group IRONMAN excellence – what it takes
BEAT MARATHON MONOTONY
Marathon training can get tedious, and it’s easy to lose focus if you’re suffering from the monotony of repetitive long runs.
Coach Andrew Simmons offers 6 progressive workouts to spice up your marathon preparation. Each one is designed for a specific purpose and will build upon each other as you advance through your training.
Integrate these into your program, and not only will you get faster and stronger, but you’ll remain mentally fresh and engaged as race day approaches.
SINGLE-SPEED PROBLEMS
One of the most common limiters for open water swimmers is the monospeed pull. That’s when the hand travels at the same velocity throughout the stroke, from the entry, catch, pull to finish.
Commonly seen in adult onset swimmers, these athletes never learned how and when to apply force to their stroke. The lack of stroke acceleration prevents the swimmer from holding water throughout the pull, which results in a stroke that lacks propulsive force.
To learn how to overcome this critical problem, check out this instructive post by Vasa or in-depth video analysis by SwimCycleRunCoach. By incorporating the suggested cues and drills, you can add some sparkle to your freestyle and become far more dynamic in the water.
PRESCRIPTION FOR OFF-SEASON
Coach, author and athlete Gordo Byrn analyzed the over-50 age group triathletes who competed in Kona. His fascinating insights provide guidance on how we can get the most from our off-season training.
He suggests the most efficient allocation of training sessions for the 5-month period from November to March.
He also reveals the race paces of these top veterans, and discovers that the best over-50 year olds are not running quite as fast as he’d presumed. That has important implications on how much energy you should spend – and save — in your own run training.
FINALLY, FIX YOUR FUELING
UCAN’s proprietary SuperStarch (now called LIVSTEADY) is a low-glycemic, complex carbohydrate that has changed the way triathletes train and race.
UCAN products provide athletes with steady, long-lasting energy without the spikes and crashes associated with sugary gels and drinks.
Best of all, the flavors are subtle and not too sweet. With zero sugars and zero stimulants, UCAN provides sustained energy throughout the race with no GI or stomach upset.
We require steady energy and sharp mental focus throughout the race day. That’s why champions like Katie Zaferes, Tim O’Donnell, Emily Sisson and Meb Keflezighi rely on UCAN to fuel their performances.
As always, readers of TriathlonWire receive 15% off of all UCAN purchases by using this link. Check out their complete line of drinks, energy bars and snacks today!
STEEP LEARNING CURVE
Often referred to as speedwork in disguise, hill running offers triathletes many benefits.
Increased speed, improved running economy, more strength and a reduced risk of injury… These are just some of the reasons why you should embrace running hills.
Yes, hill running is hard. But it’s these stressors that drive the adaptations we seek to become better runners.
To help you make the most of your uphill efforts, coach Laura Norris outlines 3 proven hill workouts that will transform your running. She also explains when and how to perform them. Add these to your repertoire and watch your speed, strength and grit skyrocket!
TEST TO IMPRESS
As long distance triathletes, we train a lot… up to 16 hours per week, or more.
With such high training volumes, it’s easy to get so wrapped up in managing our workouts that we lose track of our improvements or even knowing if our training is effective.
In this post coach Phil Mosely offers 3 test sets that will measure our progress. Perform them every 8 to 12 weeks to confirm your performance improvements and – when necessary – to recalibrate your training zones.
QUICK HIITS:
- Iden Runs Slow
Coach Alan Couzens crunched the numbers from IRONMAN World Champion Gustav Iden’s last 4 months of run training prior to Kona. Turns out that over 62% of it was performed at Zone 1 intensity, and his average training speed was just 75% of his race pace.
- Speedy Gear
Review this timeline of triathlon technology advances to see where athletes have gained some free speed over the years. It also serves as a useful checklist to audit your own kit, and learn if you can bank some time from your equipment choices.
- What’s Your Excuse?
At 78 years of age Cherie Gruenfeld became the oldest female ever to complete the Hawaii IRONMAN. Remarkably it was also her 14th Kona world championship title. Learn what drives this amazing athlete in this uplifting conversation on the Tri Talking Sport podcast.
