Prevent Workout Interruptis

Triathletes rely on their equipment.  It's what attracts some of us to the sport.  Geeky gps watches, flashy bikes made of exotic materials, bright shoes named after English physicists.   Today my equipment failed.  Worse that that, I failed.  Failed to plan for that failure.

I went to the gym with 1 pair of goggles in my bag.  That's the last time that will happen.  I wouldn't start a training ride without replacement tube, CO2 cartridge and tire wrench.  Now I won't head out for a swim without backup goggles.  I don't think I'll carry this preparation so far as to carry an extra pair of speed laces on a run, but you never know.

Well at least I had a spectacular 267 yard warmup before they failed.

Get your new TFI Cycling Jersey

We've put together a new Tri For It! Coaching cycling jersey for 2012.  You can also get a sleeveless jersey or tri top.  We hope you like the design.  $50 gets you a jersey or tri top.  For sizing information check here Champion Size Chart.  Email coachrich@triforit.com to get yours soon.

More Courteous Driving

New signage on the TFI support vehicle means I'll have to be driving more courteous.  The tagline about achieving YOUR goals - shares TFI's emphasis on taking each athlete as they come and helping them get to where they want to be.  Want some help achieving YOUR goals?  Start here - TriForIt.com

Watch for new TFI cycling jersey design - coming soon!

IM Texas 70.3 Brushes with Greatness (or at least fastness)

One of the great things about triathlon is that often it's possible to share the course with the best athletes in the sport.  The pros are often accessible in the days leading up to the race.  Here's TFI athlete OB chatting with Tim O'Donnell two days before the race.  We're not sure which of Coach Rich's coaching pearls OB shared with Tim, but it worked - Tim won on Sunday.

Tim chats with one of the other pros during the prerace press conference.  The other pro came in 7th after getting nipped at the line.  (You may recognize him)  Chris Lieto didn't race, but was hanging around at the tent for his charity More than Sport, visiting with age groupers, raising awareness and funds to fight poverty.  Here he is checking out the press conference.

Tim O'Donnell coming in off the bike trailing Lance.

 Lance came in first off the bike.  They were headed back in on the out and back course as Coach Rich and OB were headed out.

O'Donnell preparing for one of the run courses many hairpin turns.

 Despite trailing the other top pros the camera stayed on Lance for the entire race.

If nothing else, having top pros there gave our "sherpas" something to do while we were riding 56 miles.

Partnership with Xterra Wetsuits

Tri For It! Coaching is stoked (we are talking wetsuits here so stoked seems appropriate) to announce its partnership with Xterra Wetsuits.  As a TFI athlete, friend of TFI (or frankly casual reader of this blog) you can get up to 60% off Xterra Wetsuits.  This includes, my personal favorite, the Vector Pro X2.

I've used this suit for 4 seasons and was blown away by the upper body flexibility.

Follow this link and enter CO-TRIFORIT during checkout. Xterra Wetsuis Coaches Discount

Here I am in my Vector Pro:

On the shores of Lake Couer d'Alene prior to Ironman CDA 2009
(ignore the small guy in the 2xu)

Race Selection Criteria

So how does your 2012 season look?  Most of us are base building,  working on limiters, eyeing the calendar and trying to put together our race schedule.  Early bird registration discounts are expiring soon (those that haven’t already) – now is the time to act.

New races are added to the local triathlon calendar every year.  Good thing too, since so many of the races fill quickly.  It's practically possible to race every weekend in June, July and August (often both days) without leaving the Twin Cities.  Sounds expensive and exhausting.    How to narrow down the choices?

Proximity

The easiest starting point is proximity to your home.  If you live in Minnetonka, Liberty Triathlon  is more convenient than the Manitou Triatlon held in White Bear Lake the same weekend. The reverse is true if you live in Lake Elmo.

Many triathlons have fostered close relationships with the communities in which they are held.  Let's face it; disrupting traffic (even early on a Sunday) doesn't always make us popular.  Donating over $32,000 like the Turtleman did to community charities in 2010 is one way to keep races going.  It’s nice to know that your race helps others in your own community.

Racing close to home also makes it easier for friends and family to come out and watch you sweat.  They might even get caught up in the energy of the event and give this whole multisport thing a try.  Sweet – more training partners.

Distances

Not all sprints are created equally.  The distance of each discipline (swim and bike) can vary greatly from race to race.  The run distance in a sprint is pretty consistent –  around 3 miles.

Not a big fan of swimming in cool water?  The New Bri Tri with its ½ mile swim in early June probably isn’t the sprint for you.  Maybe Minneman’s 1/3 mile swim/walk (the water is shallow for a long way) in late June is a better fit.

Bike distances vary as well – Chisago Lakes Tri has a 22 mile bike for the Sprint. That’s almost twice as far as your typical 13 mile bike in a sprint.

Course Characteristics

One of the great things about Triathlon is that each course has its own unique characteristics.  Lake size varies.  A big lake can lend itself to rough water.  Water quality varies as well – the swim in the Square Lake races in early September is in some of the cleanest, clearest water you can find.  The Twin Cities Triathlon is held in the Mississippi River in St. Paul.  It’s downstream and fast, but not so clear.

Lots of races advertise themselves as “flat and fast” – some are flatter and faster than others.  Other races tout the difficulty of the course profile.  Trinona’s tagline is Battle for the Bluff.

Liberty’s run is on rolling paths with lots of shade (and one climb on woodchips).  Chisago is mostly on roads with less shade (especially the half iron distance).  One Last Tri in Big Marine Park in mid September is run on a mix of paved and unpaved trails.

If you like challenging hills on your ride and run – there’s a course for that.  Hills make you . . . uh, run for the hills?  There’s a course for that.

Look at the race websites, talk to your coach, talk to the staff at your local tri shop, check out race reports at beginnertriathlete.com.  Course information is out there, you just have to look.

Timing

Sometimes you want to build your fitness over the season and finish with your “A” race.  Maybe it’s the first time you’ve tackled an Olympic, a half iron, a full iron.  Having that race cap off your season makes sense.  Although with the Olympic and half distances it is sometimes nice to have 2 of them in case the first one doesn’t go as planned.

Need some late winter/early spring motivation to get in shape?  Schedule a half as early in the season as you can.  Liberty’s ½ in early June fits the bill if you don’t want to travel.  Yes, you’re asking for a lot of quality time in your basement on the trainer, but we should all be there anyhow.

Price

Not all races are priced the same.  Generally as your race gets longer, the price goes up.  Ironman Wisconsin will cost you $625 (normal registration) – that’s assuming you were there the day after the race last year and have already registered.  If not you can purchase a Foundation Registration for $1,250.  Mineapolis Lifetime Tri is probably the next most costly at $149 for either the Sprint or Olympic distance.

This won’t help for 2012, but FrontRunner USA (which puts on New Bri, Square Lake, St. Paul Tri among others) often has a ½ price sale towards the end of the calendar year.

A lot of race organizers offer free registration to one race if you volunteer at one of their other races.  Definitely worth an email.  Volunteering is a fun way to give back to the sport.

Whichever factors are most important to you, now is the time to act. 

Solutions for Snowy and Icy Running Paths

This is a reprise of a post from last December.  The slippery weather up here in Minneapolis has made it just as relevant today.  I've probably gotten more comments about the screws in the shoes than anything else I've written.  Here it is:

Couple cold weather, slippery paths, darkness and no race looming and you may just decide to skip that run.  I'm here to say don't do it!

This article will help you prepare for those snowy/icy slippery paths or roads.

I offer suggestions for 3 different levels of slipperyness and snow cover.  If the paths are generally clear  or have a thin layer of snow but you may encounter an occasional visible slick spot I suggest running in a pair of shoes designed for trail running.  These shoes often have a deeper tread and some measure of water resistance which helps keep toes dry and warm.  The deeper tread provides better grip in loose snow than your typical road shoes.The solution for the next level is a little screwy (sorry but sometimes I can't resist a pun, good or otherwise)

A few 1/4" or 3/8" provide great traction on hardpack or the spots that have melted and frozen again.  I find those refrozen areas to be the most treacherous.  I thought this solution was a bit out there but have used it with success.  It seems to have gone mainstream as there's an article in the January 2011 issue of Triathlete magazine - "Snow Chains for Your Running Shoes" by Aaron Hersh which suggests it.

The 3rd level is for complete ice with or without some snow cover.  It's a commercial solution and will cost you about $30.

I use the Yaktrax Pro and have been pretty happy with them.  I've found that they grip ice really well (even if it's hidden by a thin layer of snow).  They don't help much if there's 4 or more inches of snow on the ground (although they're still better in that situation than the screws or nothing).  When there's that much snow skis or snowshoes may be your best bet.  They won't hold up to a lot of running on bare pavement so some people complain about their durability.  I'm on my 2nd or 3rd winter with mine.  No, I'm not a paid shill for Yaktrax either, just a customer.

One caution with the Yaktrax - they do change the pressure points on your feet so you may experience some foot fatigue or blisters.  Get your feet used to them on shorter runs will help prevent blisters/foot issues.