NAIL YOUR BEST HALF

The perfect half marathon pace is easy to estimate but hard to pin down.

Coach Greg McMillan lifts the veil on how to dial-in your ideal half marathon speed.  In this article he lays out his 5 keys to finding your best pace.

His awesome advice includes how to project your half marathon pace based upon your 10km or marathon race times.  Then he delves into a few workouts that will make you faster.  He even provides some pointers on how to toughen up, ensuring that your hard-earned efforts are applied to their max all the way to the finish line.

Apply a few of these key steps and you’ll nail your best half.

HEAT CHEAT SHEET

After mercifully emerging from the hottest summer on record, we can look back and consider what we’ve learned about racing in extreme heat.

If you truly want to improve your performance in hot weather, then check out this post by ultrarunning coach Jason Koop.  After combing through the latest research, he outlines a ranked set of training tactics that elicit the best heat adaptations.

Spoiler alert: go with a dry sauna.

Koop goes on to suggest a number of heat training protocols that you can integrate into your pre-event taper to optimize temperature adaptations without eroding your fitness.

Keep this cheat sheet handy for your next hot weather race to improve your chances of a top performance.

ALTITUDE 101

How does a flatlander race at altitude?

Team EF Education-NIPPO’s Head of Medicine Dr. Kevin Sprouse offers up his advice on how age group athletes can perform best at higher elevations.

In this practical Q & A, he reminds us of the importance of hydration, more electrolytes and mental preparation.  Ever better, Sprouse provides 2 key tips on how we can best prepare for races at altitude.

First he describes the ideal time to arrive at the race venue.  Second, he recommends daily sessions in a sauna during the weeks leading up to the event to stimulate the same hematological adaptations that are normally observed at altitude.

As a bonus, he explains how to complete your taper relative to when you arrive at altitude.  You don’t want to miss this article.

COMMIT TO FASTER SWIMMING

Other than having a great coach, nothing improves your swimming faster than training and drilling with the right accessories and equipment.

Our partners at FINIS offer an incomparable collection of training gear.  Swimmers’ fins, a variety of technical paddles, kickboards and buoys of all sizes, and much more.

Their highly-rated products are available to TriathlonWire readers at 20% off, by using coupon code TRIWIRE at checkout.

Commit to becoming faster in the water by upgrading the gear in your tri bag today!

AVERAGE IRON

Have you ever wondered how your IRONMAN time stacks up against others in your category?  Thanks to the folks at MyTriWorld you now can see the average performance for every age group.

Their analysis shows that you’ll probably spend about 50% of your overall race time on the bike, and 38% of your day on the run.  It makes you question why you were so worried about the swim, doesn’t it?

Their data also shows that men are only about 1 hour faster than women across all age groups.

Want some free speed?  Then focus on reducing the 17 minute average spent in transition.

MISTAKES OF MASTERS

As a masters triathlete, you’ve probably already discovered that inconsistent training is a cardinal sin if you’re seeking optimal performance. That’s not news.

But are you also avoiding these 4 common mistakes of senior age groupers?  Your gains can continue – even in advancing age – if you adopt these tips.

Of particular interest is that athletes over 50 years old should lift heavy weights.  It helps preserve functional capacityby stimulating muscle fiber recruitment, and it builds strength.

Masters triathletes still have plenty of room to improve, and these tips on training, recovery and nutrition will help mitigate most age-related declines.

QUICK HIITS:

  • Fat Loading
    For races over 4 hours, there’s growing evidence that suggests athletes should forget about traditional carb loading and pay more attention to healthy fats.  Here’s an introduction to the concept.
  • Now That’s Iron
    In this captivating interview, Mike Reilly connects with internationally renowned bodybuilder Kris Gethin as he recounts his transformation from iron man to IRONMAN.  Tune in here to the Find Your Finish Line podcast.
  • Open Water GPS
    If you’re considering a new GPS watch for tracking your open water swimming, then be sure to check out this exhaustive review painstakingly assembled by DC Rainmaker.  He weighs in on 12 popular models to help you make the best choice.