Blog

The Aquathlon was a very humbling experience today. I wanted to use the race as a warm-up to the ITU Olympic distance World Triathlon Championship on Saturday. However it is hard to hold back in a race environment.

The weather on the Gold Coast is amazing. It is usually in the 70s by 9 AM. This morning I ran on the beach at Surfers Paradise. It was such a beautiful run. The beach is miles and miles of golden sand...

Big day is here. On a plane filled with triathletes flying from LA to Brisbane. I tried to tire myself out this morning with a good workout. I did back to back Rev It Up programs on the Lemond g-force trainer at level 12...

Last Race Before Gold Coast Australia Event.

Yesterday I raced in the Lake Sammamish Sprint Triathlon.  My mom wanted to see me race before heading off to the World Championships so I signed up for this local race close to home.  The race sold out and drew 700 participants.  As I drove to the race the rain started falling. I arrived an hour before the start of the race.  Generally I advise my triathlon team to get there at least 90 minutes prior to the start of the race so they do not feel rushed.  As I walked to the swim start I saw my mother and friends who had come to cheer me on.

I include strength training throughout the triathlon training season.  However, during race season I cut back to two days a week.  Before lifting any weights I take time to turn on my core and go through some movement prep exercises.  I will change the sets, repetitions, tempo, recovery, resistance to keep my body from adapting to the workout.  Every two weeks I will add and delete exercises.

This is a list of my top nine favorite races.  It is not in a specific order because I highly recommend all of these races.  It’s not a top ten list because I’m leaving a spot open for the world championships.

1. Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon – 1.5 mile swim, 18 mile bike, 8 mile run www.escapefromalcatraztriathlon.com
2. Pacific Crest ½ Ironman – 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, 13.1 mile run www.racecenter.com/pacificcrest
3. Hagg Lake Olympic Triathlon – 1.5 k swim, 40 k bike, 10 k run www.racecenter.com/hagglake
4. Whisky Dick Triathlon – 1 mile swim, 28 mile bike, 8.8 mile run www.whiskydick.com
5. Boston Marathon – 26.2 miles  www.bostonmarathon.org
6. Wild Sky Adventure Race – 30 mile mountain bike, 15 mile trail run, 10 mile white water raft www.trioba.com/triobahome.html
7. Ironman Canada – 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, 26.2 mile run   www.ironman.ca
8. Mountain to Sound Multi Sport Race – 22 mile mountain bike, 45 mile road bike, 12 mile kayak, 13.2 mile road run, 6 mile road run. www.mountainstosound.com
9. Ironman UK – 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, 26.2 mile run www.ironmanuk.com

Training for triathlons is a long process that can become monotonous.  A way to avoid this is to add more fun to your training schedule.  This year I added mountain biking to my weekend cycle training.  I would do one high intensity workout on the Lemond g-Force UT and then the next day I would go out and ride my mountain bike on the trails of Washington State.  I also traded one of my weekly runs for a mountain conditioning class.  And I started to kayak outdoors in place of one of my swim workouts.  This infused fun into my training plan.

Having the right gear is important.  I’m a big believer in getting good gear from the start.  Triathlon gear can be very pricey, but you can find good gear for a reasonable price.  Seven years ago I bought my first triathlon bicycle, a P3 Cervelo aluminum bicycle.

Race day nutrition can be a big question mark for many athletes.  The nutrition plan that works for me may not work for you.  The key to race day nutrition is to practice it well in advance of your event.

I find a spin on the Lemond g-Force UT always makes my legs feel better after a race.  On Monday I did the manual program for 60 min on the UT.