HOW TRIATHLETES CAN AVOID A FAST START
Too frequently triathletes are told by their coaches to ignore what is going on around them. The coaches who tell you to just not do it are unaware of the power of habit. Following the crowd, going out too fast because of the other athletes around you, is a symptom of a habit. Under pressure, you are going to return to your old familiar habits. This is why competing successfully in triathlons is a mental game.andnbsp; Jeanandrsquo;s goal was to approach this triathlon race season differently. She has a big heart, goes with the flow and is a joiner. Jean has been this way as long as she could remember. Caring for other people and volunteering time toward worthy causes is highly satisfying for her. Jean needed the psychological proficiency to withstand the pressures of the race. Just like Jeanandrsquo;s tendency to go out too fast then burn out early in the race, this occurs in other parts of her life as well. Jeanandrsquo;s solution, therefore, was to develop better boundaries on and off t [Read More]published May 13, 2012 at 8:13am EDT
REAL SWIMMING FOR TRIATHLETES: FLEXIBILITY
In our third video in the series Real Swimming for Triathletes, we introduce the concept of gaining flexibility in order to swim faster. Triathletes without a swim background do not have the same flexibility in their shoulders, hips, torso and ankles as lifelong swimmers.This lack of flexibility is one of the biggest culprits in poor swim form. If the shoulders, hips and torso are stiff, rotation will be limited and the ability to make a good catch will be hindered. In this video, we explain some movements and stretches that will open up the body. If done on a regular basis, you will start to notice improvements in your swim form which will reduce the risk for injury and help you swim faster. Thanks again to Roman Mica of Everymantri and Brandon del Campo. [Read More]published May 9, 2012 at 5:54pm EDT
WHAT’S HARDER THAN WINNING?
There is only one thing harder than winning a championship: Defending it. The past few months, while Iandrsquo;ve been climbing out of the IT Band Mosh Pit, Jesse and#40;the huzand#41; has been preparing to defend his Wildflower Triathlon Title. Gettin after it, back when one sport was enough for J-Man. As far as I know, this is the first time Jesseandrsquo;s ever had to defend anything legit. He won his first state cross country and track titles his Senior Year of high school, and it turns out they donandrsquo;t let you come back as a college kid and defend. He got to experience the same unbridled in-your-face-ness his senior year of college when he finally won his first Pac 10 Title. Good timing in both cases, in my opinion. But Wildflowerandhellip; When Jesse shocked the triathlon community last year by winning one of the most prestigious and historic triathlons in the world on a borrowed bike and race kit with Walgreens Aviators on, he did so at the very beginning of his Pro Triathlon C [Read More]published May 8, 2012 at 2:27am EDT
REAL SWIMMING FOR TRIATHLETES: TOP 5 SWIM TIPS FOR TRIATHLETES
In this short video, we introduce 5 important swim tips to make you a better swimmer. We will delve into each one of these tips more deeply in future videos. Thanks to Roman Mica of everymantri for his video expertise and Brandon del Campo for being such a good sport. [Read More]published April 30, 2012 at 5:06pm EDT
COACHING: MY PERSPECTIVE WITH A LITTLE RESEARCH THROWN IN
This week I've decided to cover a topic I don't think I've ever discussed in any depth here before: coaching. *Note that the following contains my perspective on the role with a little help from the recent research on the subject. The importance of a good coach and their respective attributes is a frequent topic in my professional, athletic, and personal life and#40;which is perhapsandnbsp;mostandnbsp;importantand#41;. I have been very fortunate to have run with Bill Dwyer since late 2008 and recently gaining some advice from Tim Floyd for swimming. Both awesome guys; very knowledgeable and have somewhat different styles and#40;as different sports obviously call for difference in approachesand#41;. And it is working for me so far. I think I'll continue to become a more physically and mentally tough athlete by experiencing multiple perspectives. On the running side, I now haveandnbsp;a fewandnbsp;years experience and now know what kind of coachandnbsp;Iandnbsp;work best with-open, innovative, and somebod [Read More]published April 29, 2012 at 8:22am EDT
REAL SWIMMING FOR TRIATHLETES VIDEO: TOP 5 DON'TS AT MASTERS SWIMMING
My good friend Roman Mica over at Everymantri.com has graciously offered his time and stellar camera and editing skills to help launch a new series of swim videos with myself and my training buddy Brandon del Campo. The videos, Real Swimming for Triathletes, are designed to give triathletes some important swim information in a concise and hopefully humorous way. These videos are short -- they are not meant to be the final word in any of the topics we cover. We hope you enjoy the videos and if you have any particular topics you would like to see covered, let us know! [Read More]published April 19, 2012 at 10:05am EDT
13-YEAR-OLD WINTER VINECKI: COMPETING FOR A CAUSE
It was May 1st, 2011.andnbsp; I was standing on the starting line of the Eugene Half Marathon beside a small, athletic-looking pre-teen with a neat blonde braid.andnbsp; When the gun went off, so did she.andnbsp; A man running beside me uttered between strides, andldquo;Youandrsquo;ll never see that one again!andnbsp; Most kids sprint and fade, but sheandrsquo;s tough!andrdquo; Tough she is.andnbsp; Her name is Winter Vinecki, and on April 29th, 2012, she will embark upon her quest to be the youngest person to ever complete a full marathon on every continent.andnbsp; But Winter isnandrsquo;t doing this just to hold a world record, which she will upon successful completion; she is competing for a cause and racing to raise money and awareness for prostate cancer, the disease that took her father on March 12, 2009. Winter has always been a determined athlete who wanted to find a way to give back.andnbsp; At the age of five, she discovered that she was a talented triathlete, and as she grew older, she wante [Read More]published April 16, 2012 at 12:30am EDT
JOANNA ZEIGER DEALING WITH MORE BUMPS IN THE ROAD...
andnbsp; Races are usually tests of fitness. Or so the theory goes. On Saturday I will be testing my lack of fitness. I am running the inaugural Hollywood Half Marathon in LA. The race coincides nicely with Passover, so I thought I would spend some time with family over the holiday and sneak in a race while I was there. Ah, yes, the best laid plansandhellip;My training since the Masters Cross Country championships in early February has been flimsy and haphazard. Upon my return from St. Louis, I had to take some time off due to a foot injury. When my foot healed, the pollen in Boulder exploded causing some breathing issues affecting my ability to run hard. Then, just when I thought I had it all under control, I contracted the flu. This was no ordinary flu, and I think it deserves its own name. There are fancy flu viruses out there with ominous designations like H1N1, swine flu, avian flu. I am dubbing this particular flu the andldquo;mutant fluandrdquo;. Most fluandrsquo;s elevate your temperatu [Read More]published April 3, 2012 at 5:20pm EDT
SHOES, STRENGTH, AND OTHER LOWER LEGISMS
Here's the synopsis: Almost every year, I seem to hurt my lower leg. My legs even like to take turns Last year it was the right, this year the left. Yeah, it sucks. Yeah, it hurts. Sometimes it's really bad, sometimes it's not. It doesn't take a good sport psychologist to point out a cycle and or pattern! So this time around , I was graced by some oddity of a deep calf muscle and tendonandnbsp;and#40;and to clarify the left sideand#41;andnbsp;- sort of like shin splints on a banned substance. Limp city- at least when I tried to run. Last time this happened I went into a stability shoe a la Brooks' fine Adrenaline 11, and they helped. I then went on to rotate some neutral shoes in there, notably the Brooks Pure Flows. Note: injuries are hardly ever, in my opinion, just about shoes, although they do help. I also picked up some strengthening exercises that I have recommitted myself to. The result? Returning to running in 3 weeks instead of the 4-6 I anticipated. I recently was asked about my ro [Read More]published March 23, 2012 at 4:10pm EDT
published March 21, 2012 at 8:19am EDT