Carefully Curated Triathlon News for January 04, 2024

IN THIS EDITION…

  • Dr. Stephen Seiler’s 12 rules of endurance training
  • Stroke adjustments for open water success
  • How to avoid running injuries
  • Build a winning off-season
  • 2 workouts for aerobic endurance on the bike

CYCLING ENGINE

Building aerobic endurance on the bike is one of the keys to unlocking faster IRONMAN performances.

While experts tell us to spend most of our time in Zone 2, there’s lots of room between a recovery pace and LT to spice up your workouts. 

Chris Carmichael offers 2 interval sessions for building aerobic endurance: Aerobic Tempo intervals and Sweet Spot Tempo intervals.  Perform them a couple days per week (indoors or out) to accumulate more time-at-intensity.

OFF & RUNNING

The off-season is critical for all triathlon disciplines, but especially for running.  It allows you to fully recover, build strength and enhance biomechanics.

Unfortunately many athletes don’t schedule a true off-season, for fear of losing fitness.

Dr. Ellen Foster explains why this is a mistake, and presents guidelines on how to modify your off-season running to ensure improvement in all 3 areas.  Follow her advice and you’ll be well-prepared for your next training cycle.

NAIL YOUR NUTRITION

UCAN’s proprietary SuperStarch (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 demand 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.

TriathlonWire readers receive incredible discounts on all UCAN purchases by using this link.  Check out their complete line of drinks, energy bars and snacks today!!

IN THE OPEN

In this fascinating conversation between Brenton Ford and former pro Tim Reed, they discuss how to adjust from pool to open water for maximum race speed.

They explain the risks of only swimming with a masters group and reveal Reed’s process for identifying your optimal open water stroke rate.

Additionally Reed clarifies the true goal of a triathlon swimmer, and offers his practical tips for improving your technique.

QUICK FIX

To avoid a debilitating running injury you must act immediately when you first feel unusual tightness or pain.  But what exactly should you do to expedite healing and recovery?

Coach Greg McMillan’s proven 4-step injury prevention protocol will help you respond and adjust, so you can keep your training on track.

QUICK HIITS:

  • Feel Better
    Sculling is a subtle drill you can use to improve your feel for the water and reinforce good technique.  Follow Olivier Poirier-Leroy’s 5 tips for better sculling to master this important skill.
  • 12 Rules of Endurance
    Get 2024 off to a great start by applying Dr. Stephen Seiler’s 12 rules of endurance training into your own program.  It’s gonna be a great year!
  • Building Back
    The reasons for your absence don’t matter; it’s time to return to the pool.  Use these 6 tips to accelerate your return to swimming by Ryan Heisler, and you’ll be back to full speed before you know it.