20-Minute Workouts for Endurance Athletes

By Matt Fitzgerald



To most non-athletes, 20 minutes of exercise seems like an eternity. But to endurance athletes in marathon training or triathlon training, a 20-minute workout may seem like it's hardly worth the bother.

After all, if your average workout lasts an hour, what can a 20-minute session possibly do to increase your fitness? Quite a lot, actually—even for the fittest endurance athlete.

Consider these four benefits:

1. 20-minute workouts burn a meaningful amount of calories and, thereby, help you reach and maintain your optimal racing weight. For example, a 150-pound runner burns approximately 280 calories in a moderate-intensity 20-minute run. If you normally miss a scheduled longer run roughly once every 10 days due to lack of time, you could burn an extra 10,000 calories over the course of a year by squeezing in 20-minute runs instead.

2. 20-minute workouts provide extra repetitions of the running stride, swim stroke, or pedal stroke that stimulate improvements in efficiency. A big part of what makes you a better, more efficient swimmer, runner, or cyclist is simply time spent practicing the movement. So, even short workouts count as additional movement practice.

3. 20-minute workouts can increase endurance by adding to total weekly glycogen turnover. An interesting Scottish study found that weekly training volume was a better predictor of marathon performance than the distance of the longest training run. In other words, the study suggested that marathon runners are better off running 50 miles a week with a maximum long run of 16 miles than running 40 miles a week with a maximum long run of 22 miles.

The reason is that endurance improves through the repeated depletion of muscle glycogen stores in training. And a heavy week of training will result in more total muscle glycogen depletion, and thus build more endurance, than a lighter week. 20-minute workouts can add a meaningful amount of glycogen-depleting volume to your training week.

4. 20-minute workouts can produce an excellent high-intensity training stimulus. A little swimming, cycling, or running at anaerobic threshold intensity and above goes a long way. Twenty minutes is plenty of time to get all the high-intensity work you need to take your fitness up a notch.

There are basically two ways to incorporate 20-minute workouts into your marathon training, triathlon training, or any other endurance sport training. One is to do a 20-minute workout instead of taking a day off whenever you are too pressed for time to complete a longer workout.

The other way is to add one or more 20-minute workouts to your weekly training schedule to increase your overall training volume without creating a significant risk of overtraining.

Here are some suggested 20-minute workouts:

The Filler: Simply swim, ride, or run at an easy tempo for 20 minutes. This is a great workout to do when you want to avoid the guilt of doing nothing but you're not mentally or physically ready for anything challenging.

Tabata Intervals: Swim, ride, or run at an easy tempo for 16 minutes, then complete 8 x 20-second all-out sprints with 10-second passive recoveries between sprints.

Fartlek Intervals: Sprinkle 5 to 10 fast 30-second efforts throughout an otherwise moderate, steady-pace workout.

Threshold Session: Warm up for five minutes at a comfortable tempo, then go for 15 minutes at anaerobic threshold intensity (the fastest pace you could hold for one hour in a race).

Progression Workout: Swim, ride, or run for 15 minutes at a steady, moderate pace, then blast the last five minutes.

Time Trials:

• Swimming—Warm up, then swim 800 meters (875 yards) as fast as you can. Cool down as long as necessary to make the total workout 20 minutes.
• Cycling—Warm up, then ride 5 km as fast as you can. Cool down as long as necessary to make the total workout 20 minutes.
• Running—Warm up, then run 1 mile as fast as you can. Cool down as long as necessary to make the total workout 20 minutes.

Ten Tips Toward Your Best Triathlon

from Training Peaks

Now that we’re getting into triathlon race season, it’s a great idea to review some important things to do so that you can have a race that is as smooth as possible. Of course these tips assume you are physically prepared (you have been training, right?) for your race!

10) Write a race plan. Have your race-day strategy planned out on paper or via electrons. The plan should mimic what you’ve been doing in your training. Have a coach? Make sure you work with your coach when developing your plan. Include packing lists in your plan. One list should be for race items (gear/nutrition) and one for “other” items, especially if you are travelling to the race location before the event.


9) Practice changing a flat tire. Because you are usually your own mechanic in triathlons, the quicker you can change a flat, the better your race will be if you were to get a flat. And practice using those CO₂ cartridges! (Not all of us will be fortunate like Chrissie Wellington’s 2008 Ironman World Championship experience.)

8) Do not try to “cram” in extra workouts. Stick to your training plan. If this is an “A” race for you, you will have a nice taper so that you can enter the race rested but ready to go your race pace. Don’t negate the gains that you have made by “making sure you can do the distance” the week of the race.

7) Read the race information and attend a pre-race meeting. Many races publish information for athletes  on the race website a few days before the race. Get familiar with the course, the race rules, and know in which wave you are!

6) Focus on your nutrition several days before the race. Eat foods that you know sit well with you starting a few days before the race. Decrease fiber intake (that big black bean burrito might look good the day before your race, but there’s a good chance you’ll regret it!) I recommend planning your nutrition strategy starting a couple days before the race.  Make sure you hydrate well, but there is no need to over-hydrate (those trips to the bathroom in the middle of the night just get in the way!)

RACE DAY TIPS
5) Get to the race site early. This leaves you plenty of time to take care of business, handle any last minute “oh craps!” and learn the layout of transition.

4) Warm-up. Get in at least 10 minutes of a warm-up. I like my athletes to do dynamic warm-ups, jog/run for a few minutes and finish with a few short accelerations to race pace to wake up the legs. Also, if the race venue allows, get in a few hundred yards of swimming as close to your race start as possible.  The shorter the race, the longer your warm-up should be.

3) Stick to your plan. You wrote a race plan based on your training successes (pacing and nutrition) so stick to it as best you can. Granted, there will be deviations, but those will be easier to handle if you are prepared.

2) Have quick but not hurried transitions. You should have practiced transitions in your training, so these should be smooth – almost second nature. Stay relaxed and you’ll be quick!

1) Smile at the finish. You’ll be in the pain cave, the hurt locker, your world of hurt, or whatever you call race day “pain” out on the race course. But you’ll have more fun if you smile through it (Or be like me and make your grimace look like a smile…the spectators will never know!).

6 Steps to a Smooth Swim Exit

By Jené Shaw



Exiting the open water is an often overlooked part of the transition from swim to bike. Many seconds can be gained and lost, so technique and planning are important.

Sara McLarty thinks about the swim exit in six steps:
Step 1: Swim toward the finish. Know the course and find tall buildings or trees to sight that are in line with the swim exit.
Step 2: Activate your legs. Kick a little extra during the last 200 meters of the swim.
Step 3: Keep swimming! Don't stop or stand up until you have run aground in the shallow water. When your fingers scrape the bottom, take a few more strokes by pulling right under your torso.
Step 4: Stand up and lift your goggles onto your forehead. This action clears your vision as you start to run out of the water.
Step 5: Unzip your wetsuit on solid ground. Running through sand and rocks is hard enough. Wait until you reach carpeting or pavement to search for that strap!
Step 6: Take off your cap and goggles when you see your bike. Abandonment of equipment can result in a penalty, so don't risk dropping these small items.

10 Ways to Enhance Your Sprint Triathlon Training

Posted on June 28, 2011 by TPCourtney

by Ben Greenfield on the Training Peaks Blog

Are you thinking about signing up for a sprint triathlon this year? Perhaps you’re a complete beginner just trying to decide if sprint triathlon training is right for you. Or maybe you’re a seasoned veteran of triathlons, but you want some handy tips to enhance your sprint triathlon training this year.
No matter who you are, I’ve designed 10 ways to make your sprint triathlon training productive, efficient and enjoyable.


1. Sign-Up Now. That’s right. Don’t wait until 4 weeks out from the race. By signing up right now, you’ll trigger some very powerful components of your psyche – specifically the parts that inspire you to get off the couch or out of bed and begin your sprint triathlon training. The pressure of knowing that you are signed up for an event provides intrinsic motivation (“must be ready!”) combined with extrinsic motivation (“can’t embarrass myself!”. The latter motivation will be even more powerful if you tell the whole world that you signed up for a sprint triathlon.

2. Make Your Plan. Here’s how to perfectly design your sprint triathlon training plan: a) pick the date of the race – that’s your race and taper week; b) take the 4-6 weeks leading up to that week – that’s the part where your workouts build in intensity and race specificity; c) take the 4-6 weeks before that – that’s the part where each workout becomes longer and you develop more endurance; d) take the 4-6 weeks before that – that’s the part where you hone your skills like swim drills and run drills and strength training. Voila! A sprint triathlon training plan!

 3. Test. There is nothing else that even comes close to motivating you than a test. One of the biggest mistakes that triathletes make during sprint triathlon training is not taking a baseline measurement, then repeating that measurement several times leading up to the race. Try to test every 4 weeks: a 500m swim test, a 1 mile run test, and a 3 mile bike test are perfect measurements for a sprint triathlon.

4. Avoid Your Facebook Ironman Friends. If you just got back from an explosive 2 mile run, then log-in to your social network to find that your friend just slogged out 12 miles, you may be discouraged. It is very important, however, for you to realize that the individual who is training for Ironman is actually making themselves slower when it comes to sprint triathlon training. So don’t be discouraged that you’re not “fit enough”. For sprint triathlon training, you should pursue speed, and not slow endurance.

5. Consider Nutrition Supplementation. There are many nutrition supplements that can assist you with explosiveness, power, speed and recovery. A few of the tried and true aids that are easily accessible to enhance your sprint triathlon training include: creatine, nitric oxide, CoQ10, branched chain amino acids and glutamine. Don’t be afraid of supplements! All those listed here have been researched many times and found to be both safe and effective.

 6. Include Overspeed Training. Despite popular belief, overspeed training does not mean that you go out and swim, bike or run faster than you normally would during your sprint triathlon training. Instead, this term refers to neuromuscular training – teaching your muscles how to contract quickly and repetitively. For swimming, this could include practicing with a metronome. For running, you can include treadmill efforts at a pace that makes your legs turn over faster than they would while running outside. And for cycling, you can simply choose an easy gear and perform fast spins at 100+ revolutions per minute.

7. Do Plyometrics. Jumping, hopping, bounding and leaping exercises, also known as “plyometrics” can significantly enhance your sprint triathlon training performance by teaching your muscles to recover quickly between contractions and also produce faster and more forceful efforts. An example of plyometrics would include perform a series of 3×10 jumps up onto a bench or box before you go out for run, or chest passing a medicine ball against a wall for 8 explosive reps. Doing a single plyometric session at least once per week for eight weeks leading up to your sprint triathlon will make you a quicker athlete.

8. Don’t Taper Too Long. Tapering for 2-3 weeks is a “trickle-down” technique from Ironman triathletes that unfortunately will leave a sprint triathlete unfit and stale for their relatively shorter competition. Five to seven days will adequately prepare most athletes for a sprint triathlon, and seven to ten days are all that is necessary for an athlete who is performing rigorous sprint triathlon training.

 9. Don’t Lift Weights On Race Week. At many gyms, you’ll see triathletes rushing to the weights on race week to get that last little bit of strength training into their sprint triathlon training preparation. Unfortunately, it can take up to seven days for your body to fully recover from the muscle tearing and damage that occurs while resistance training. In the last week prior to your sprint triathlon, stay out of the weight room and skip your plyometric exercises. Instead, focus on a few quality swim, bike and run sessions at race pace intensity.

10. Do Sugar Rinses. Although your body has more than enough carbohydrate storage to last the entire length of a sprint distance triathlon, that doesn’t mean that you should completely avoid any sugar during the race. Research studies have shown cyclists to be significantly faster and have a higher tolerance to the pain of exercise when they simply tasted sugar by doing a quick mouth rinse with a carbohydrate-based sport drink solution. During the last few weeks of your sprint triathlon training, try swirling and spitting a sweet solution. You’ll find that it gives you just a little extra energy, even if you don’t actually take a drink.

These ten rules of sprint triathlon training, brought to you by Ben Greenfield and the Rock Star Triathlete Academy, will ensure that the build-up to your race is smart and highly effective. For more practical and useful tips just like this, go to http://www.rockstartriathlete.com!   If you’re interested in having Ben as your coach or using a training plan written by Ben, check out his plans on TrainingPeaks.

5 Little Things That Make a Big Difference on Race Day

By Amanda McCracken
D3Multisport.com
 
You've diligently logged your miles, your time, your heart rate, your hours of sleep and perhaps even your daily caloric intake. You've followed your plan to a "T" and religiously nailed your workouts day after day. You even skipped the biggest barbecue party of the summer because it was two nights before your big race (the most important night of sleep). The only room for error is misfortune (flat tire or bad weather), right?

Wrong! Here are five important practices that are often overlooked on the way to the start line.

#5: Check your gear.
Are your tires pumped? Do you have a spare tube and a CO2 cartridge in case of a flat tire? Do you have an extra pair of goggles? Do you have body glide to ease out of wetsuit transition and prevent chafing? Are your shoes laced with the elastic laces for easy on and off removal? Are the laces so tight they are going to create a bruise over the top arch of your foot? Ladies, do you have extra tampons in your bag in case of a race morning surprise? If you are using deep dish wheels, be sure to bring the adapter to pump your tires.

#4: Rehearse transition and warm up before your swim.
Many of you know that the number one rule of transition is NOT to be in transition! Ideally you've practiced your transitions during training but did you also visualize the perfect transition on race morning? Have you rehearsed the steps in your mind?

Entering the water is really your first "transition". Get in the water for a short warm-up (even if just for a few bobs) before the start of the swim. This helps your body get accustomed to the temperature of the water, which helps pave the way for a calmer swim start.

Remember, excellent transition times can be the difference between several age group places.

#3: Be diligent about nutrition.
While this is an immensely dense subject, I want to highlight a few things to remember. Be sure to eat your dinner (low in fiber) about 12 hours before your wave starts so that your body has time to digest it all. If you can manage getting up early enough, eat your breakfast about two to three hours before the start of your race. Make sure your bottles are full of the fuel you used in training. Pack extra gels that you know your stomach can digest. Depending on the heat and length of your race, you should have a couple of electrolyte tabs on hand, too.

It's easy to get distracted during the race and forget to address your nutritional needs until it's too late. Before your race, draw up a nutrition map. Figure out when you are going to take gels and how much/how often you will hydrate.

#2: Know the course.
If you live close to the race site, you should pre-ride the course. If you don't have time or energy to ride/run the course, then drive it the day before. Do you know where the hills are located? How about the wicked potholes and the sharp downhill turns?

Then scope out the swim course and take a mental note of where the main buoys are located.

Finally, know where the run/bike in and out spots are located, and where the finish line is. I like to run the last 400-meter stretch before the race so I have a good reference for when to pick up the pace. Don't let an athlete outrun you for a first place age group award simply because you think the finish line is further away than it actually is.

#1: Tame your mind.
Triathletes often psyche themselves out before the race even starts. Avoid over analyzing the way your body feels the week before the race. Tell yourself it's a well-trained machine that's ready to perform.

When you get to the race, keep your "blinders" on. Don't let the looks of someone's solid six pack or shiny deep dish wheels intimidate you. Remember, it's the motor inside that really matters.

Be sure you have a script that you've rehearsed to help battle the potential negative talk, fear and panic in the race. What are you going to tell yourself when your legs feel like lead and you've just been passed by your ex's new flame? Make sure you've got a mantra you can peel out of your sticky gel pocket to do battle. I like to draw out my own "word map" of the course. What am I going to tell myself when I get to point "X"?

Being mindful of the details can help prevent things like getting a DNF (Did Not Finish) due to a flat tire, panicking in the water, bonking, getting lost, or mentally cracking. Simply plan ahead and keep your mind in check.

Why You Should Stop Running Long on Sundays

By Rich Strauss
Endurance Nation
 
Many Ironman athletes, training plans and coaches schedule the weekly long run on Sunday, after a long bike on Saturday. The reason often given is: "You need to practice running long on tired legs."
This is NOT a good idea and here's why:

• A long run on tired legs is just another opportunity to practice running slowly on tired legs versus running more quickly on fresh legs. The best way to become a faster runner is to create opportunities in your training week for you to run faster, not slog through a run on wooden legs.
• The recovery cost of a long run done on Sunday, after a long Saturday bike, is much greater than that same run done mid-week. The net is that Monday, often Tuesday and sometimes Wednesday's workouts begin to become compromised, especially as that weekend volume gets up to a four-to-six-hour bike ride on Saturday and two-and-a-half-to-three-hour run.
• Any long run in training will have at least an hour or more where your legs feel OK. That is, they feel like you're starting a long run after a long bike the day before. Contrast this to Ironman race day, where you're coming right off a 112-mile bike after a 2.4-mile swim. After you get your legs back, around mile six or seven, your legs will feel, at best, like they do around mile 15 of your best long run...then it just gets harder. My point is that your tired legs on Sunday long run isn't even close to what it's going to feel like on race day, so why bother?

I made the switch with my athletes to a mid-week (Tuesday or Thursday) long run about eight years ago and never looked back.

Some benefits of running long during the week are:

• The long run can now accommodate some get-faster work.
• You can separate the long run from the long bike with a no-legs day on Friday.
• You can weight the cycling to the weekend. A three-hour semi-long ride on Sunday has a MUCH lower recovery cost than a hard two-and-a-half hour Sunday run. This mean a much lower chance that it, and it's combination with the Saturday ride, will affect your early week workouts the following week.
• Finally, it may create a social opportunity for you on the bike on Sunday--a Sunday ride with friends. Riding with other athletes, especially those stronger than you, is a very, very valuable opportunity that we encourage our athletes to seek out.

I've been fighting this fight for years and it's a clear line that separates old from new school. It clearly identifies coaches and self-coached athletes who get it versus those who don't have enough experience, haven't done it themselves, and/or haven't stepped back to think things through more critically.

Rich Strauss is the head coach and co-founder of Endurance Nation. Please visit Endurance Nation to learn more about their triathlon coaching and free training resources.

What is core training and do I need it for triathlon?

by Stacy Munn
Seattle Examiner

There's a lot of buzz around core training for triathlon, and frankly just about every other activity outside of sleeping! But exactly what is the “core” and why is core strength and stability so important for triathlon?
The core is everything between your head and your hips and includes big and small muscles. The core muscles stabilize the spine and pelvis and drive the arms and legs. Many fitness classes, online articles and exercise libraries focus on the abdominal muscles for core training. While the abdominal muscles, (specifically the transversus abdominus, rectus abdominus, internal and external obliques) play an important role, they’re only part of the core story. The muscles in the back, pelvic floor and hips are also crucial to core strength and stability.

Core strength is important during swimming, biking and running for power transfer (between arms and legs) and for stabilization. In swimming, a weak core can cause “fishtailing,” where the hips and legs wiggle from side to side. This extra drag slows you down in the water. A cyclist with poor core strength may have a lot of side-to-side rocking in the shoulders and hips. This extra movement is not only inefficient, it also puts extra wear and tear on the joints, which could, over time, lead to injury. Runners with a weak core often have a drop in the hip during the recovery phase. This is the cause of many running injuries.

Poor core strength results in a loss of power in all three sports and could lead to injury. Incorporate core training 2-3 times a week as part your training program for faster race times and to stay injury free. Here are two excellent exercises to improve and maintain your core strength and stability.

Contra lateral limb raises (aka bird-dog)
Objective: train the body how to stabilize the low back while the arms and legs are moving.

1. Come onto your hands and knees on an exercise mat or floor with your hands directly under your shoulders and knees directly under your hips.
2. Engage your core muscles (abdominals, back and pelvic floor muscles) so your spine is in a neutral position.
3. Raise your left leg and straighten your left while simultaneously raising your right arm. Your right arm and left leg should be parallel to the floor. Keep your neck in neutral alignment with the rest of your spine and nose pointed down at the floor.
4. Keep both hips and shoulders parallel to the floor and keep your core engaged while you lower your left leg and right arm back to the starting position and repeat with the opposite limbs. 

Front plank

1. Lie on your stomach with your arms bent, elbows close to your sides, palms down, legs straight and toes tucked under.
2. Contract your core and slowly lift your torso off the mat, keeping your legs straight and your torso stiff. Make as straight a line as possible from the crown of your head down to your ankles. Avoid sagging in your low back, hiking your hips upwards or bending your knees. Keep your shoulders directly over your elbows. Continue to breathe and hold this position for 5 seconds or more.
3. Maintain a stiff torso and straight legs while lowering your body back down to the mat.
4. Relax a few seconds, then repeat.
5. Work up to holding the plan for 45 seconds, doing 3 repetitions.

You can find more core training and other strength exercises at the ACE exercise library from the American Council on Exercise.

Running off the bike

from firstoffthebike.com

If there's anything that truly defines a triathlon it's the feeling of running off the bike. Whether you've just ridden to the shops or an Ironman bike leg your legs feel dead and heavy, and certainly not primed for running, let alone fast running. This form of running should almost have it's own definition with a similar distinction that "long distance running" has from "ultra running"...not to mention the associated sub-cultures that exist within essentially the same sport!!

How well you run off the bike also determines how well you finish, from age group sprint distance tris to ITU racing and up to Ironman. If you falter in the run leg there'll surely be someone running you down. Sometimes a "slower" runner will outrun a "faster" runner when thrown into a triathlon, which is another defining aspect of triathlons - a better **triathlete** can often beat a better **athlete**.

So, what contributes to running well off the bike, and what are the key criteria for doing so? The main components are fitness (bike & run), tactics, running form and psychology. Let's look at each of these.

Fitness
Fitness is the biggest determinant of your ability to run off the bike. Obviously, if you haven't done any run training then you can't expect to run well, full stop!!

Having said that, your fitness in other sports - swimming and bike riding - can benefit you in running, but consistent with the rule of specificity, the fitness you gain through run training is what will get you through in the long run (pardon the pun).

To contrast the relative benefit of each single-sport fitness - and the relative difficulty of each sport - only a few cyclists could run much further than a kilometre without exhausting themselves. However most runners could ride quite long and hard, albeit not necessarily very well. Running is by far the more demanding sport and by extension running fitness will be more beneficial to running well off the bike than cycling (or swimming) fitness.

Tactics
How you 'use' your relative cycling and running fitness - your tactics - also has a large influence in how you run off the bike. Most athletes have differing abilities between biking and running, even with similar relative fitness levels between the two sports.

Since the bike leg comes first, strong cyclists are often inclined to ride to the limits of their ability - which is usually faster than most - with small regard for the run leg ahead. Then, the longer the run leg the more they're likely to suffer from the extent of their exertion during the ride. Sometimes these kinds of triathletes can pull it off (eg, Normann Stadler in Kona '04 and '06) but more often than not they'll be passed during the run by athletes who rode more conservatively in order to run closer to their potential.

A simple example makes the point clear...if going 10 mins slower on the bike means you run 5 mins faster, then your overall time will be 5 mins faster. Basically, going a little slower on the bike will usually mean you run faster by a greater amount off the bike. The fact you might be strong bike rider doesn't change this model.

To use an analogy...countries having a nuclear weapon don't ever plan to use it.

Running Form
This is a favourite topic of mine, and as Fitness is related to Tactics, so Running Form is related to Psychology of running off the bike. Running off the bike differs little from 'open' running, although in general it more closely resembles marathon running form than it does track running form. Either way, the basics of good running form still apply - I've previously written about this in "How to run".

In triathlon the efficient runner is rewarded with better running off the bike. Specifically, this includes the following:
* Limiting upper body motion - torso and arms.
* Holding your torso in an erect position which is more efficient to maintain.
* Slightly shorter steps, although this is only to ensure running cadence is around 90-95 per leg per min (generally speaking).
* Minimising vertical movement.

At ITU level it is found that the best runners run at a cadence of about 10 less than they ride at, which links back to tactics on the bike in the gears you ride. It's very difficult to increase your run cadence off the bike, so you're better off riding at a higher cadence in the first place your most recent muscle memory when you start running is at/near that cadence.

The alternative is a slow run cadence, which implies / leads to over-striding which is closely related to poor running form. Because it's a triathlon shouldn't dramatically change your running form.

Psychology
When things get really tough, such as in and half or full Ironman is where running form can really go to pot, and where athletes can tend to "give in" to the circumstances and go into a survival mode of dropping their head, rounding shoulders and back, tilting hips back and basically neglecting most of the most basic aspects of running form.

Even in sprint and Olympic distance events - which are not long races by any means - there's a large number of people who "cave in". I suspect that numerous people have the mindset that "this is a triathlon and I'd doing it tough", and so their body language follows suit and they're almost waving the white flag before even giving themselves a chance to run well.

In this case a change in perspective would help. Think of a triathlon run leg as just a run with a swim and ride beforehand - it is not a world of torment and torture. Remember the fundamentals of running well, the basics of efficient running form and all the things you've done in training many times over. Concentrate, relax and don't be defeated by the scenario.

Psychology is especially important when the weather warms up. Yes, heat does mean a slower pace but it does not mean that survival mode is the only option. On these days it's the people who run positively and with confidence who stand out from the crowd, both in terms of strong running form and actual running pace.

Psychology during the run leg - as well as the whole triathlon - can make a huge difference to your performance, and how well you deal with situations that arise during a race. For running off the bike, a positive mindset is key to running well.

In summary, running off the bike will always be a little slower than 'open' running. But there are still many similarities and the fundamentals don't change. How well you can perform those fundamentals, and maintain them, is the key to running well off the bike.

Proper Wetsuit Care

From USATriathlon

Most wetsuits are constructed with the fastest and most technologically advanced materials available. Because of this, your wetsuit is delicate and requires proper care and handling to prolong its life. USA Triathlon Wetsuits has a few tips on how to best care for your wetsuit.

GENERAL CARE

Do:

• Rinse inside and out with fresh water after each use paying close attention to the zipper area.
• Hang to dry inside out on a thick padded hangar (not wire). Do not leave your wetsuit in the direct sunlight.
• Store your dry wetsuit in a cool dry place, laying flat folded across the waist.
• For travel, fold your wetsuit according to the following diagram. Do not fold your wetsuit lengthwise.

Don't:

• Do not use petroleum based products like Vaseline on your suit.
• Do not use your suit in chlorinated water.
• Do not use your wetsuit for sports other than swimming.
• Do not hang your wetsuit for a prolonged period of time. This could put stress on the rubber in the shoulder area causing it to stretch and possibly crack.
• NEVER leave your wetsuit folded in a hot car or in direct sunlight! The rubber in your wetsuit will fuse.
• Do not put your wetsuit in a washing machine or dryer. Do not dry clean your wetsuit.
• Be very careful when putting your wetsuit on and taking it off. The rubber in your wetsuit is very technologically advanced, making it extremely flexible and comfortable but also making it susceptible to nicks and tears from sharp objects, especially fingernails.

Clif Bar Commercial - Triathlon Start

This makes me laugh every time!

4 Triathlon Training Tips to Avoid Plateauing

From TransWorldNews

Here are 4 tips that you can use in your triathlon training to avoid plateauing.

1. Racing Too Much

There are also those triathletes who drool over the race calendar and check off nearly every weekend with competition, from sprints to Olympics to 5K's to half-marathons. Not only does this subject your body to a volume of intensity that will probably cause it to break about halfway through the year, but it also decreases your chance of ever having a really "good" race, and instead just having a large handful of mediocre performance. And those of you with families are guaranteeing that your wife or children will regret the fact that every vacation has to be a "triathlon vacation". Choose and commit to a small number of good races, then focus on excelling at those events. You'll have more medals, less injuries, and higher quality triathlon training at the end of the season!

2. Not Practicing Transitions

If you glance over the race results for any triathlon, you'll notice some individuals with smoking fast swim, bike and run times who completely lost a podium spot or a personal best because they spent an extra few minutes in transition. Those minutes can really add up. An extra 60 seconds in transition at an Olympic distance race means you'll have to run almost 10 seconds per mile faster to catch the person who was able to shave a minute. Inserting just a few "transition"practice sessions at your local beach, park, golf course, backyard or driveway will pay off. Practice both swim-to-bike and bike-to-run changes during your triathlon training. This is one area of a triathlon where you can be just as good as the pros!

3. Winging It Nutritionally

You're asking for big trouble if you're going into a race or race day with absolutely no plan but to eat and drink when you're hungry or thirsty. Not only will you have no consistency with your nutrition, but you'll have no confidence about whether you're taking in too little or too much. Not only should you write down your pre-race meal and fueling plan, but you should also go over it again and again in your head while you're lying in bed the night before the race (not to mention including it in your weeks of triathlon training leading up to the race). This mental preparation will stick with you on race day when you're deciding on whether you need to eat that extra gel, or it's just going to give you a stomachache.

4. Nutritional Rigidity

At the same time, if you decide that you're going to stick to your nutrition plan no matter what, then you could also be asking for trouble. What if it's hotter than usual and you decided not to take any salt tablets out with you on the course, or an extra water bottle? What if the bike course is easier and faster than you planned, but you still decide to try to shove in six gels during the ride? What if you planned on getting a banana at the aid station turnaround, but there are no bananas? Be ready and flexible with your nutrition plan, and these type of situations won't do as much damage to your race. Practice with differing amounts of fuel and fuel types in your triathlon training, and you'll be ready for anything.

What do you think? Are you at fault of committing any of the top eleven triathlon training mistakes? Now, skim through that list again. What can you change? Now is the time to take action!

Triathlon Training

kerry@rockstartriathlete.com
www.rockstartriathlete.com

Quote for the Day

“The pros had finished the Chicago Triathlon two hours before and I was headed out of transition to go to pack and catch a redeye flight home that night. I was walking past the finish chute which, when the pros and early finishers came through, was packed with people screaming and cheering. Then here comes this woman, who is a little heavyset, coming around the corner. There is not a soul standing along the fence cheering. But as I am walking, I see her coming, and notice that she is looking at the clock. I turn around and it shows about 20-25 seconds to get under the four hour mark. So when she saw it, she just went into this all out sprint. I put my bike on the grass and I started yelling 'Go!' And then I started crying. That is actually my favorite moment of all in triathlon. I’ll never forget it. Her eyes locking into that clock and thinking: ‘I’m going to get in there. For me. I’m just about dead last. No one is watching me. No one cares. But I’m gonna do it for me.’ That's triathlon. And so that's a beautiful thing.” 2004 ITU World Champion Sheila Taormina on her favorite moment in the sport

Why I am not excited to do an Ironman

A lot of my friends did their first Ironman this year. This means I've read a lot of race reports, and most of them contain nuggets that reassure me why I am not training for an Ironman.

Here are some funny bits. I've left them anonymous for obvious reasons, and while I laugh and gag at them, I am very proud at the way everyone persevered...No DNF's!


SWIM

When the cannon went off, I started swimming and immediately got pummeled. Within the first few minutes, I got kicked in the right eye and had to stop briefly to release the pressure on my eye. A few minutes later I got an elbow in the left eye. Somewhere else, I had some guy swim next to me and grab my shoulder and push it down. After he did it a few times I slowed a bit to get away from him. A number of times someone grabbed my feet and gave them a slight yank.

Eventually I was able to really start swimming but 5 min in I realized I had practiced the wrong sport.. this wasn’t swimming, it was a cross between rugby and sumo wrestling. I had an advantage in this situation since I grew up playing with my friends in our pool… you know “try to drown your friend” kind of games:)… well that is what this sort of felt like. I felt like a salmon trying to swim up river with a 1000 of my closest fish friends.

I noticed I was getting kicked in the face and people were trying to swim over me. I have been to triathlons before and seen a little bit of this, but this was the first time it was relentless. I got kicked in the face twice pretty hard but it didn’t really hurt that bad. One guy I did kick accidentally tried to push my feet down and then punch me in the side, which was pretty crazy.

The swim was fairly violent. A lot of thigh slapping, foot slapping, and side bumping. At one point I was drafting pretty well behind someone, and suddenly his feet disappeared in the murky water. I was wondering “What happened?” just as he kicked me hard in the face – he had switched to a breast stroke to sight and I had caught up too close.

soon after starting swimming I was getting hit around pretty good. There was one guy who kept head butting my side, and then in the span of 30 seconds I had been head butted from the right, slapped in the face from the left, my ankles grabbed from behind, then my right arm hooked and my head dunked while breathing so I choked badly. I had a panic reaction right then – I was incredibly hot, I couldn’t get any air, and a little devil in my head screamed “GET OUT NOW”!

[L - I could post a hundered more like this, but you get the point]


BIKE

I ran to the mount line and it was like beginner-city. Two men in front of me fell off their bikes trying to get on in a hurry. One lost both water bottles and apparently decided his time was too important to stop and pick them up. Hey, people, it’s a freakin’ IRONMAN, not a sprint, get your crap together, take your time and get on your bike without getting hurt! "What’s with these people???" I thought. How could that guy leave all his nutrition at the beginning of the bike course!???!

[After she flatted just out of T1...] Just then, the boy I sent to get help came back to me and said if I wanted help, I had to go back to transition. WHAT??!?!? Crap. I chose to run back into transition. It was a nightmare. All these bikers were coming out and I was running all the way back in. I was almost run over several times by people who mounted their bikes and were still looking down at their feet as they rode off...they wouldn't even look up until I yelled to them. It was not only embarrassing, it was frustrating. Any lead I had built up on that fabulous swim was now gone....and then some... I saw some men standing under a tent and I asked them for a pump. They pointed across one of the aisles and I saw about 6 bike technicians standing there with a bunch of pumps. I called to them, but then one of the men I was standing by chastised me and said I need to go over there if I want to use a pump. I was like, "Dude, it's much easier to carry a pump across the aisle with all these athletes going by than it is for me to wheel my bike across the aisle!" He was pretty mean about it and told me I needed to wait for it to be clear. And just like Frogger, I maneuvered my way across the streaming flow of athletes and shoved my back wheel towards the technicians... I would later find out that no less than 700 athletes passed me during the time it took me to take care of this flat. Depressing.

Then I noticed I couldn’t see out of my left eye. I kept blinking and sure enough, my contact popped out! At mile 12 or so, I stopped to put it back in. I was a bit embarrassed as spectators asked me if I was OK. Man, I’d BETTER be OK considering as I’m only 12 miles into a 112 mile ride! Sheesh! The contact didn’t feel so good, but it was in and I could see, so I took off. Played more with my watch, not working. Mile 15, contact came out again. WTF! Pull over, tell the spectators I’m fine, and ride off. Now it’s stinging, probably from the salt on my fingers getting into my eye. Whatever, I got a ride to do. Between, mile 18 and 19, contact pops out again. YOU’VE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME! So I rip it out and continue the rest of the ride with just one contact in.

He also mentioned that putting ice in the crotch is the most important because it cools your body down without your body reacting to it. You have arteries that run down there and they don’t inform the brain you are cool and if you put ice on your head your brain can think that you are cool even if you are still hot. [L - my brain would think "WTF? Why are you putting ice in your pants?]

I looked down and the wrong display was on my computer. I must've looked down for too long because by the time I looked up, I was headed off to the side of the road in some deep, loose gravel. It was too late and my reaction to turn the bike back onto the road was too late. I fell less than a quarter mile into the bike course. I hit my elbow very hard and my head lightly tapped the pavement.

I rolled in to get my bike special needs bag and yelled out my number. The volunteer yelled back "It’s not here." I’m like, what do you mean, it’s not there, and I yelled my number again. She ran around, looking like a chicken with her head cut off and apologized, but my bag was nowhere to be found. Dejected, I pulled away from special needs and decided today just wasn’t my day.

I started to swing out around him, but he fell over and I wasn’t able to miss him. I hit him and went flying. I landed on my left shoulder and rolled over onto my right side. My first thought as I lay in the road was “this can’t be happening, it’s just not fair!” I laid there moaning, more out of pity than pain, then decided to stand and assess the damage. [L- OK, most of you know who this is. We don't call her Kollarbone Kris for nothing! ;-)]

I stopped at the top of the descent to retch, but managed to bring up only a little and only felt a little better. Yuck. Time wasted, and I still felt crappy and sloshy inside.

Around mile 80 I was really feeling the seat and i couldn’t get comfortable… I am sure if you were following me you would have thought i had ants in my pants because i just kept moving around on the seat attempting to find something that worked.

Now I'm at mile 90 or so and out of nowhere, both legs cramped up.

Physically I felt terrible and adding insult to injury my bike seat fell off at mile 70 forcing me to ride for an hour without at seat until I was finally able to duct tape it on for the final miles.

On the last descent I was going really fast and my back tire started locking up and skidding. I decided to keep the pace between 15-20 mph that way if I went down I would only break a collar bone or something and not worse. I looked down to see what was happening and then I saw it was my frame was cracked right on the back right wheel and basically my back wheel was about to fall off my bike and I was just like oh $H!t this is just great. I just kept preparing to crash to the right and mitigate the impact as much as possible when and if it happened.

While in the porta potty, I hear an athlete who just came out of another porta potty start swearing. Apparently, he broke his cleat. He’s screaming at the poor volunteer, who really has no idea what to do, nor is it his job, and I am happy I just don’t take myself that seriously.

After a decent swim and an uncharacteristically slow and uneven bike during which I was seeing spots and blacking out, I was pulled off the course before the start of the run and ended up spending several hours convulsing in the med tent with no idea of what was wrong with me.


RUN

My husband saw me immediately as I came out of the changing tent and yelled to me to ask how I was feeling. I was afraid to look at him because I thought I might start crying and I just shook my head.

I don’t think I even made it as far as the timing mat before I had to walk. It was just too painful. Walking wasn’t too painful, so I started preparing myself mentally for a long walk. After walking about half a mile I attempted to run again. I found that if I kept my arm tight against my body so that the shoulder didn’t move much, it was almost bearable. I continued running this way to the first water stop, they gave me some ice to put on my shoulder. After icing for 15 minutes or so, I asked the medical person to strap my arm down. She put it in a make-shift sling and I headed back out onto the course. Shortly before mile 22, there was a spot where we transitioned from a parking lot to a walkway, and for some reason there was a piece of carpet down. I tripped on the carpet and landed hard on my right side. Thankfully, I didn’t seem to have done any additional damage, so I got up and said a few expletives and told the volunteers I was okay, even though I didn’t really feel okay.

Everything was going really good, I was miserable and I felt like throwing up but I was making it.

About 1/2 mile later my stomach rolled and I barely made it to the side of the road to projectile vomit. I continued like this for miles.

As I crossed the bridge on the 1st loop, I watched one of the pros stop and throw up. I stopped and offered him ice, which he gladly accepted.

[I got] the hiccups at mile 18, which lasted (painfully) until mile 22, where I threw up again and got rid of them.

Right after Mile17 and my required gel, I yacked it right back up with a ton of liquid. I HATE PUKING!

Normally, I hate regular cola, but that day, it tasted like gold and I couldn’t get enough. I kept getting an ice and a cola, dumped the ice in the cola, waited a few seconds and chugged the cola like someone was going to steal it from me. After a huge belch, I started to feel pretty good! LOL! It became routine for the next several miles.

There were so many people crashed out on the side of the road and ambulances racing by. It was like a battlefield. I have since found out about 9 percent of the field DNF'd for various reasons. Not sure if this is typical or not but there were a lot of bodies scattered about for sure!

I continued trying to run as much as I could but I had to stop at every porta potty along the way.

Even "inspiration station" wasn't very inspiring. It was just one woman with a megaphone, yelling "Go runners" every minute or so.

My face was covered with salt. I’d take a sponge every few aid stations to wipe off my face, but then I saw them recycling sponges. That ended that little ritual.

My legs felt heavy and the sound of my feet shuffling on the pavement irritated me. I just didn't have the strength to pick them up high enough to not make that noise any more.

Thanks to leg rocking cramps, it became war out there.

In the second loop, I got supper dizzy and started walking again. At this point I knew I was in trouble. I figured I was pretty dehydrated and because of the goosebumps, close to heat stress. Rubbed ice on my face and neck to try to keep from passing out.

Once I got to 21 miles my body started sending me a lot of different signals that I had never felt before, I knew they were not good at all. My stomach I could tell was completely turned off, it wasn’t hurting anymore it was off. In fact nothing was hurting that bad anymore except my knees. I started to feel cold and I knew I was hot. I also noticed that I wasn’t producing saliva anymore so I would try to hydrate but I knew that my body just wasn’t taking in water.

The last 5 miles people kept yelling you are almost there and I kept thinking to myself damn it you don’t understand no I am not, this is a long way for me still considering the way I feel. In fact it started making me angry when people would say you are almost there because my body was getting weaker and weaker. I felt like blurting out, “you guys keep saying that this whole time!”

I started getting really tired on the last half mile to the finish and this lady passed me and this guy yells “don’t let that chick pass you!” and I was thinking man I should let her pass me just because it is so rude to say that and I know she heard that, but then I am like no I am not going to let her pass me, not because of what the guy said but because I know I can beat her and I should beat her to the finish, so I started to pass people.


POST-RACE

When I arrived at the finish I just stopped and then I look to my left and right and two ladies are holding me and I was kind of frustrated they were holding me and I was like, “I am fine,” but then they said you think so and they let go for a second and I started to fall over and then I realized I was not standing up on my own. They informed me that I fell over at the end and that they caught me. They were asking me simple questions like what size shirt I wear and I couldn’t even answer the questions, so they plopped me down in a wheel chair and I was under supervision. I tried to get up and they wouldn’t let me go. Finally they convinced me that I really couldn’t walk on my own and it turned out to be true. It was about 5 minutes that I really wasn’t doing very good and then I started to feel really bad and when I started to feel really bad I knew that I was okay.

We sat and talked for awhile and I asked if it was ok to lie down and I think he said ok. That is about when I passed out I guess I got into a wheelchair and I remember hurling copious amounts of vomit first on myself and probably XXX and then into a ziploc. My blood pressure was taken and registered a whopping 73/60 and that was my golden ticket to an iv. I had 2 liters put in and was finally able to sip enough gatorade to be allowed out of the med tent 90 min. later. I was so cold it was unbelievable!

The Finish was in this order: Cross the line, a few tears, Leg collapse, Sit in front of heater under blankets, and a waddle to the car

The doctor in the medical didn’t even look at the shoulder, he just told me to go to the nearest emergency room... I had lots of company in ER. There were a number of dehydrated athletes there and we chatted about the race while waiting for our turns. I got x-rayed fairly quickly. Then I had to wait a bit to see the doctor. When he came in, he asked what happened and told me my scapula was broken. He said that because it takes a lot of force to break a scapula he needed to check that I hadn’t also torn my aorta! He didn’t really think I did, since I’d run a marathon afterward, but said he needed to be sure. [L - she didn't tear her aorta.]

XXXXXX convinced me that I shouldn’t sleep in the street and finally we got to a place that she could drive the car to. I found a nice rock and layed my head against it and a guy walked by and told me that a pillow would feel a lot more comfortable then that rock. I remember being really surprised at how there were actually some people that seemed to be able to walk after the IronMan, because I wasn’t one of them. I was done.

After that I went with XXXXX and my parents to Denny’s which was the only restaurant that was open that we could easily find. I kept falling asleep in the restaurant and was spilling my food.

My last surprise of the day was next. The girls had spent time in the SUV reading and staying out of the rain, and the story was: ”Uh, Dad? I know you told us not to, but we turned on the lights so we could read, and now we think the battery is dead.” So my post-race time was spent calling CAA and waiting for a jump, and that took long enough that all the restaurants in town had closed.

In spite of drinking a lot of water and Gatorade after the race, it took almost a full 24 hours after the race before I urinated.

__________

YIKES! See what I mean? Lots of stories of crashing, barfing, cramping and passing out. And these are just the stories in print! Verbally I've heard:
- People would just get off their bikes in the middle of the race and lay down on the side of the road.
- My friend had such bad heat exhaustion in the middle of the run that we put him in a cooler of ice at the aid station.
- My knee really started bothering me about halfway through the bike, so I did 60 miles riding with one leg.

Yet at the end of all of these reports, the people say how happy they are to have finished, how proud they are of their race, and how they can't wait to do it again. And in all their picture they are smiling! So the suffering must all be worth it! And with that said...never say never. ;-)

informational triathlon websites

Here are some good websites if you're looking for information on training, equipment, athletes, or a forum of people to chat with.


Beginner Triathlete - www.beginnertriathlete.com

Obviously geared towards the beginner triathlete, but I have many accomplished triathlete friends who love this website! They have a training log, race log (where you can write up race reports), forum, gear reviews, articles, routes and more! Good information!


SLOWTWITCH.COM - www.slowtwitch.com

Lots and lots and lots of articles! Good detailed information with articles seeming more for Ironman athletes/fans and total gear heads! Perhaps more for the experienced triathlete. Lots of articles on professional triathletes and pro races. I've found their forum very helpful when I'm looking into buying a particular product and want people's opinion on it. Also has sections on training, products, bike fit, and more.


trifuel - www.trifuel.com

I have not spent very much time on this site. But now that I look at it closer it looks pretty good! They focus on training articles and triathlon gear reviews. They also offer a forum, training plans, a training log and more.


Respond with a comment and let me know your opinions on these site and if there are any I missed!

Sarah Reinertson

Sarah Reinertson is the first female above the knee amputee to become an Ironman.

picture from alwaystri.net

She has been missing her leg since she was 7 years old, and has become an inspiration for women athletes of all ages, and especially for young women with disabilities. Since she got her first prosthesis at age 11 she has ran in track meets, run marathons, and set world records! Read more about her story.


Sarah has recently released her autobiography, In a Single Bound: Losing My Leg, Finding Myself, and Training for Life. "A must-read for disabled readers seeking inspiration for their dreams, and will hold the interest - and crush the excuses - of those training for marathons and triathlons." - Kirkus Reviews, August 1, 2009.



Sarah is also on the cover of the October 19^th issue of ESPN Magazine, which is “The Body Issue”, celebrating the athletic form. Holly Bennett of Women's Running said after meeting with her recently that "the timing was perfect, after having exposed herself emotionally through writing the book, to expose herself physically as well."

Picture from usatoday blog.

You can visit Sarah's website at www.alwaystri.net.

LUNA Pro Athlete Shonny Vanlandingham

Today is XTERRA World Championship on Maui! Two of the LUNA Chix Pro's - Shonny Vanlandingham and Danelle Kabush will be racing. Plus, my teammate from the Seattle Triathlon Team, Carrie, will be racing as well! Good luck! You can follow the race on the XTERRA link above.

Below is an interview with Shonny from Slowtwitch, from two months ago. Last year Shonny switched from mountain biking to XTERRA racing, and has been very successful, winning races. And she's 40 years old! An inspiration and goddess!

All about Shonny Vanlandingham

Written by: Herbert Krabel
Date: Sun Aug 09 2009

Former pro mountain biker Shonny Vanlandingham is now focused on XTERRA racing and will be one of the women to watch at the XTERRA World Championships in Maui this year. Slowtwitch talked to this 40-year old energizer bunny.

Slowtwitch: Shonny, 2 big XTERRA CUP wins this season in the USA and that must feel pretty good.

Shonny: Yes it does. Being in only my second year of full time XTERRA racing, I am really pleased with my progression. Along with the wins I have had a few second places in the XTERRA Cup races that were very close so that’s encouraging for my future in the sport.

ST: What will it take for you to take the overall XTERRA Cup series title?

Shonny: I will need to win the last race, the XTERRA National Championship, in Ogden, UT. And the current series leader, Melanie McQuaid, would have to be well out of the top 5. Melanie has had an impressive year and has raced consistently, so I’m guessing the likelihood of that happening is slim.

ST: Well, I should have said 3 XTERRA wins because you just came away with a win at XTERRA Mexico. Talk about that race

Shonny: Well, the swim wasn't my best performance. The start was very aggressive and I got kick and pummeled in the first 50 meters. I spent the next minute composing myself, catching my breath and adjusting my goggles. But this made for an exciting chase during the bike. I was able to catch the leader just before T2 and managed to hold her off in the run by a mere 26 seconds. The race venue in Valle de Bravo was stunningly beautiful. I recommend the race to anyone wanting an adventure.

ST: Does that mean that you have walked away from mountain bike racing and you are now a fulltime XTERRA triathlete?

Shonny: Yes, I started XTERRA full time last year. I had done a few XTERRA races before that but without any swim and run training. It’s exciting to be a beginner again - in the swim and run disciplines. I am learning a lot and can see steady improvements.

ST: What is left for you remainder of the season other than the XTERRA Cup Final?

Shonny: The most important races are still to come, the XTERRA National Championship in Ogden, UT, and the XTERRA World Championships in Maui, HI. I will also do a few regional XTERRA events in Texas, XTERRA Camp Eagle and XTERRA Austin. I’ve also got the Single Speed Mountain Bike World Championships on my schedule in September. I couldn’t resist doing it since it’s in my hometown of Durango, CO.

ST: How often do you ride your single speed?

Shonny: I try to ride my Orbea Alma single speed a couple times per month. It's hard when I'm traveling and racing. When I get home I usually need a couple of recovery rides. The single speed isn't the best choice for recovery unless you're riding on the road. I love my SS rides, makes me feel like a kid riding with the boys around the neighborhood and jumping curbs. Riding SS on trails is good for your skills, makes you commit and go for it!

ST: Some folks are very passionate about single speed bikes, but others have called it a fad. What do you say?

Shonny: It's here to stay. Try riding one and you'll see why.

ST: Can you describe your athletic background and who or what inspired you to race mountain bikes in the first place?

Shonny: I played volleyball, soccer, basketball and ran track in high school. I attended college on a full basketball scholarship. I’ve played basketball internationally in Brazil. I also played with the National Team Handball team. So I have a vast history of sport and have enjoyed each of them. After college I move to Hawaii and became a bike tour guide just for fun before I would start my real career of being a Dietician. I became hooked on biking and thought, “hmm, people are doing this for a living? Maybe I can do that.” I spent the next summer in Colorado and started racing at the mature age of 28. At the age of 29 I started on the pro NORBA race circuit.

ST: Where did you go to college?

Shonny: East Texas State University

ST: Are some guys surprised when you school them on the basketball court or do you not play much anymore?

Shonny: Haha, I used to school some dudes on the court (after betting some cash of course) but I don't play much anymore, just an occasional game of HORSE.

ST: What gave you the idea to race off-road triathlons?

Shonny: Since my winter home is on the Big Island of Hawaii I decided to try the XTERRA World Championships on Maui ‘for fun’ at the end of my mountain bike season. I liked the organization of XTERRA and adventure so much that I decided that one day I would like to do more XTERRAs with some proper preparation.

ST: Are you slowly getting ill of all the traveling or are you still enjoying seeing new places or revisiting places you haven't seen in a while?

Shonny: I am fully enjoying racing a new circuit. XTERRA racing last year and this year has taken me to many new venues. Loving it.

ST: Tell us how you deal with a not so good race.

Shonny: I’ve been racing for 10 years as a pro and have had many great races and some disappointing ones too. People say you learn more from the disappointing ones and I would have to agree with that. I guess it’s easier to deal with when you have another race the next week. I just don’t have time to dwell on it. I take the lessons I can from it and move on.

ST: Is training different now than it was?

Shonny: At my age, 40, I don’t train as many hours as I used to. Quality is better than quantity at this point in my career. My coach, Rick Crawford, and I sit down and map out two weeks of hard training and one week of active recovery. The hard weeks may be something like 3 swims (2.5K to 4K with varying intervals), 4 bikes (2 hard rides, 1 tempo ride and brick to run, and one recovery ride), and 3 runs (1 tempo, 1 track w/out and one recovery).

ST: What is going on with you in terms of sponsorship?

Shonny: My long time sponsor, LUNA Women’s Pro Team, was on board to back me in my switch to XTERRA after many years of pro mountain biking promoting the LUNA brand. They have been happy with the exposure in the still growing sport of triathlon. LUNA team sponsors include: Breast Cancer Fund, Orbea, Fox, Maxxis, AVIA, Giro, LUNA Sport, Clif Bar, Mavic, Shimano, Pedros, Easton, High Sierra, Blackburn, Neve, Vetta.
I also have personal sponsorships with Kona Brewing Company, AVIA, Blue Seventy, Rudy Project, Xtenex, HALO, Inside Ride, Land Roller, HealthFx, Bike Works, and Pacific Island Fitness.

ST: Rumor has it that you are sponsored by Wahine Farms, a coffee farm in Hawaii. Any truth to that?

Shonny: Why yes. Haha Wahine Farms is actually my 100% Kona coffee farm on the Big Island of Hawaii. My partner and I bought the house and ‘gentleman’s farm’ a few years ago and launched our brand at the beginning of this year. You can order online at wahinefarms.com If you’ve never had 100% Kona coffee I can guarantee you will love the smooth rich flavor.

ST: How do you typically spend the off-season?

Shonny: I live at my house on the Big Island in Captain Cook during the off season. The fall and early winter are harvest time for coffee. So I spend a lot of time picking coffee beans and taking care of the coffee trees. Besides that, I am putting in the base miles to get ready for the next race season.

ST: Do you follow any other sports?

Shonny: I love March Madness. Basketball was my first love and I still have a lot of passion for the sport.

ST: What foods do you like and dislike?

Shonny: I love potato chips, sushi and cinnamon candy. I don’t like creamy foods like gulosh, mashed potatoes or casseroles.

ST: Can you share your music taste with us?

Shonny: Love it all! I especially like Country. Must be that I grew up in Texas. I like shooting guns too. ;-)

ST: What was the last book you read?

Shonny: Confederates in the Attic.

ST: Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

Shonny: Probably retired from full time racing, I will be 45. But I will still show up now then to line up with the youngsters to see what I’ve got. I may be involved in some aspect of the new LUNA Sport clothing line. Lunasport.com
Most likely I will still live part time in my home in Durango, CO, and spend the winters on my small coffee farm in Hawaii.

ST: Is there anything else we should know about you?

Shonny: I wouldn’t be surprised if I’m still racing professionally in 5 years, I’ll be 45 yrs old. Passion has a funny way of trumping logic.


Image 1 courtesy of Nils Nilsen of n2fotoservices.com
Images 2 and 3 courtesy of Rich Cruse of richcruse.com
Images 4 and 5 are courtesy Shonny Vanlandingham

LUNA Chix Pro Athlete Tyler Stewart's Ironman Hawaii Race Report

Ironman Hawaii

I think there are a lot of people out there who have some sort of athletic goal that they want to accomplish before they “kick the bucket”. I didn’t sign up for Ironman as a lifelong goal but rather a lifelong lesson. I had things to teach myself, lessons to learn before I “kick the bucket”. After my fifth time racing at the Ironman World Championships I can say that I have achieved my goal of teaching myself some lifelong lessons.

What are these lessons? Well, they aren’t about to stop wars, cure AIDS or eliminate cancer but they are my little goals. When I started doing triathlon 6 years ago I did it as a way to teach myself to face fear. As a child growing up I had ridden horses and played a number of team sports including lacrosse and field hockey. I was quite good at all of them. In fact, I was one of the best at both field hockey and lacrosse up until the 8th grade. But when I went to high school I gave up team sports. There would be a bunch of kids coming from all different schools and what happened if I wasn’t one of the best anymore. Instead of find out, I just quit! What a loser!

When a dare got me into triathlon I couldn’t turn it down. This was a way for me to play sports after a 12-year hiatus. This was my chance to nip fear of failure in the butt. So what if I wasn’t the best, so what if I didn’t finish, so what! People weren’t going to think any differently of me whether I won or whether I lost.

I’m now 8 Ironman deep, 5 Ironman world championships in and I am confidently going to say I have faced my fear of failure! I have raced as an amateur, I have raced as a professional, I have been 6th in my age group, I have won my age group, I have been the last professional to finish, I’ve won an Ironman and now the 10th best in the world. As a kid 10th in sports would have made me quit. Today 10th feels like a huge victory to me!

About my race:
Every morning of a race I wake up and say to myself, “Why do I do this?” When you are about to swim 2.4 miles, bike 112 miles and run 26.2 miles you better have a good answer to that question. I recently read an article asking the same question. Many people said things like, “so I can eat what I want” or “it keeps me fit”….let me tell you when you are out on the Queen K running towards the energy lab with the wind in your face, 100 degree heat, blisters on your feet, you better have a better answer than that!

I had thought about why I do this a lot before I came here to Kona this time around. In the last year I’ve had some seriously bad luck and unfortunate events and I didn’t even think I would be racing this year. I came here strong, healthy and ready to race. I came here to race for my friend and training partner Monique Petrov, who was suppose to race with me but 3 weeks ago was hit on her bike by a car going 45 mph. She’s alive but with 8 broken vertebrae, a shattered patella, a punctured lung, the list goes on and on she couldn’t be here. I came here to race for my step-dad Don that was suppose to be dead 3 years ago from lung cancer but is still here stomping around my races and giving me splits as I bike and run by. I came here to race because last November I came dangerously close to heart attack during IM Arizona after an ignorant doctor incorrectly – and dangerously—medicated me for a thyroid disorder. I came to Hawaii to race because I could and a lot of people would kill to be racing this race. I am now healthy, I am now strong and I am fortunate, so I toed the line at 6:45 am on October 10th and the cannon went off.

For the first time in my triathlon career I spent the entire swim with a pack. I have been working a lot on my swimming and it has been getting a lot better. I felt like the swim was easy, I sat on feet and just got pulled along. I was a little disappointed in my swim time cause I know I could have done better had I found some faster feet! But I was still 2 minutes faster than last year so at least I’m improving.

The bike is always the fun part. Every time I get on my trusty Orbea I feel at home. My coach, Matt Dixon, and I had decided that this year we were going to go about the bike course in a different way. I took the entire ride up to Hawi easy. I felt awesome. On my way back down from Hawi I planned to pick up the pace a little bit and own the back half of the bike course. I was flying. I am pretty sure I passed at least 35 girls on the bike. By the time I hit mile 80 I had not been drinking enough and the damage started to set in. For the first time in a race I had not peed on my bike which had me a little worried and in the last 30 miles I felt terrible. A wretched head wind coming back on the Queen K, dehydration and a left foot that was bugging me, I think I lost about 10 minutes in that last 30 miles. But hey, its all part of the race and all part of the day. I had very negative thoughts in my head as I was getting off the bike.

Onto the run and immediately I was in trouble. I have never been passed by that many girls right off the bat. I’m pretty sure in the first 8 miles 6 girls passed me that I had passed on the bike. I was running like a slug just doing anything I could to get through mile by mile. I still had not peed and for a girl that usually pees 5 times on the bike, I knew I was in trouble. There’s not a whole lot that I can say about the run except that I ran from aid station to aid station, ice cups to ice cups, cold water to cold water, hose to hose. There was nothing I could do about my pace as much as I tried to motivate myself by thinking about all the reasons I was here to race, my legs just wouldn’t move. It was hot out there! There seemed to be no wind at times, no mercy and all just survival mode. As awful as I felt some of the girls that passed me in the beginning had slowed down and I was able to pass them back and hold them off until the end of the race. (picture from slowtwitch.com)

I learned a lot out there last Saturday. Often times when you don’t feel well its easy to give up, but if you just keep putting one foot in front of the other its amazing what forward motion will bring you. When I talk to my friend Meredith about this race I often find myself describing it as a race of attrition. Sometimes if you can just hang on, just keep moving, you will do better than you think. I ended up in 10th place last Saturday. Am I happy? I am happy to be 10th in the World. Does it make me wonder what I could have done had I had the race I wanted, sure does! But that is part of this sport. Aside from Chrissie Wellington, the athletes that finished in the top 5 last year either DNF’ed or placed way below where they did last year. It’s not because they are not as fit as last year, it’s just that this sport has such a huge x-factor that we cannot control. At the same time I think that is also what makes it so much fun!

Now my season is over and I couldn’t be happier to get back to the more normal part of my life. Back to hanging out with all my friends who I have neglected over the past 2 months, back to hosting our annual costume party, and of course our annual mechanical bull riding night.

As much as I love this sport I will never give my life to it. There are so many great things to do in this world and for me I now have the wings to explore all those other things. I can’t wait to go skiing, run the Dipsea Trail, do my first 50k, go snowshoeing, have another Saturday at work where we wash 35 dogs and to sleep in on a Sunday with my husband and not get out of bed until noon!

If you do this crazy sport of Ironman make sure you thank all of those that support you. It may look like a one-man sport but it is a team sport and couldn’t be done any other way.

I was 4th at Wildflower this year, won my first Ironman at Coeur d’Alene, was second at Vineman and was just 10th in the World at the Ironman World Championships, I think I will call that a good year. Accomplishing my life long goal of “no more fear of failure”, I’d call that a great year!

Tyler

Check her out on teamlunachix.com!

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Ironman Perseverance

aka "Why I Don't do an Ironman!"

In keeping with the Ironman theme, I thought I would share part of my friend's race report from her first Ironman. With her husband having an almost fatal bike accident a few months before her race, getting to the race start was an accomplishment in itself. But what happened during the race made finishing challenging. She is an inspiration to never give up!

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I needed to figure out the cramping issue before attempting an ironman, so I went to a sports doctor to talk about my nutrition plan. She did a complete blood workup and discovered that everything was out of whack – my iron, B12, and D were low, and my leptin and testosterone levels were low too. She suspected overtraining syndrome, or celiac disease (gluten intolerance). I was a little surprised by the latter because I didn’t have the typically GI symptoms. The blood test came back positive for Celiac disease, and I was put on mega-doses of B12, D and iron. I was told to keep eating gluten before having a biopsy to confirm the diagnosis. The biopsy was definitive, so by the time everything was confirmed, it was only 3.5 weeks before Ironman. Boy, did that mess with my nutrition plan!

I immediately went on a gluten-free diet and started trying out every gluten-free bread and pasta I could find in the hopes of finding something I could eat pre-race. Somewhat counter-intuitively, I was having more GI issues on the new diet than I was before. I saw a nutritionist and she said my gut was inflamed and the bacteria were out of whack, so I started taking a priobitic several times a day. By then, it was less than 1 week to IMAZ!
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[Race Day]
I wasn’t sure where to seed myself, but based on a perusal of past IMAZ results decided I should be relatively close to the front, so I started working my way forward. When the cannon went off, I started swimming and immediately got pummeled. Within the first few minutes, I got kicked in the right eye and had to stop briefly to release the pressure on my eye. A few minutes later I got an elbow in the left eye. Somewhere else, I had some guy swim next to me and grab my shoulder and push it down. After he did it a few times I slowed a bit to get away from him. A number of times someone grabbed my feet and gave them a slight yank. Whenever that happened, I kicked more vigorously and that seemed to scare them off. The pummeling continued for quite a while. I didn’t look at my watch, but I would guess that it went on for about 10 minutes. After that, I mostly swam without incident to the turnaround point.
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The bike is a 3 “loop” (really an out-and-back) course with a slight elevation gain as you get near the turn-around point. On the first leg out, I felt like I was flying. Even though there was a slight head-wind, I was averaging between 17 and 20mph for most of the way – way ahead of my expected pace (I was hoping to average 16mph overall) – and, best of all, I was staying in my aerobic zone!

Around mile 20, as the road was beginning to rise, I heard a loud pop, followed by a hissing sound. The front tire went immediately flat. I changed it (took about 7 minutes), and checked for anything embedded in the tire. I didn’t find anything. I didn’t take the time to look at the tire, but I’m guessing it burst either from being pinched or old. I was really wishing I had changed the tube with the tire two days earlier! I hopped back on the bike and headed to the turn around.
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When I started the third loop, I was really psyched. The bike was going much better than anticipated, and I still felt great. I rode out to the turn around without any stops, and was ready to fly back to transition. My only concern was that I needed to get some more calories in before the run. I had two choices – stop and put the bag of Infinit Nutrition powder into my aero bottle, or grab some gels along the way back and take them with the water. I opted for plan B, figuring that I wouldn’t lose as much time getting the gels as I would stopping to put the powder in. This turned out to be a big mistake!

At the first aid station after the turn around, I swung in and grab some gels. Right after grabbing them from a volunteer, I noticed a biker in front of me reaching for a bottle from the volunteer ahead of me. I started to swing out around him, but he fell over and I wasn’t able to miss him. I hit him and went flying. I landed on my left shoulder and rolled over onto my right side. My first thought as I lay in the road was “this can’t be happening, it’s just not fair!” I laid there moaning, more out of pity than pain, then decided to stand and assess the damage.

When I stood up, I was a bit wobbly, but managed to walk over to the first-aid table. A volunteer cleaned some road rash on my right elbow (which wasn’t even bothering me), and several people asked how I was. I asked to see my bike and another volunteer brought it over. He said the seat and the aerobars were crooked, and the front tire seemed low. I asked if he had any tools to fix them and he went to look. He fixed the seat and came back to ask what to do with the aerobars. We re-adjusted them as best we could, and I prepared to ride. The sheriff showed up at some point and called an aide car. He seemed a bit incredulous when I said I was going to try to ride. He asked if I wanted to cancel the aide car and I said yes, then headed on my way.

I didn’t ride as aggressively on the way back, partly because I wasn’t sure what kind of shape my bike was in. The front tire looked like it might be a bit wobbly. I regretted not letting the volunteer pump up the tire, because I felt more sluggish on the return. But that could have been any number of things. My shoulder ached on the way in, but the pain was not intense.

When I got to transition, I dismounted and a volunteer took my bike. I hobbled to the bag area to collect me stuff. I felt kind of unsteady. I don’t know whether it was from biking for 6+ hours, or pain, or both. After getting my bag, I headed to the changing tent. A volunteer asked if I was okay, and I said no. I told her about my crash, but said I was going to try to finish. She helped me get ready. The last thing she told me was that there was a medical tent just outside of the changing tent. I opted not to stop because I didn’t want them to tell me I couldn’t go on.

I headed out of the tent and let the volunteers slathered me with sunscreen and then I attempted to run. I don’t think I even made it as far as the timing mat before I had to walk. It was just too painful. The crowd was very encouraging, but I just kept walking and did a mental assessment of my options. Since the swim and bike had gone so well, I knew I had plenty of time (over 9 hours) in which to complete the marathon. Walking wasn’t too painful, so I started preparing myself mentally for a long walk. But the idea did not sit well. I just didn’t want to be out there that long! After walking about half a mile I attempted to run again. I found that if I kept my arm tight against my body so that the shoulder didn’t move much, it was almost bearable. I continued running this way to the first water stop. When I got there, I asked to go to the medical tent. While I was there, they gave me some ice to put on my shoulder, and one of the volunteers keep bringing me food and drinks. After icing for 15 minutes or so, I asked the medical person to strap my arm down. She put it in a make-shift sling and I headed back out onto the course.

Running with the sling turned out to be workable, and I was surprised to find that my run splits were averaging between 10 and 11minute miles, including walking breaks at all of the aid stations. So, I just kept plugging along. The crowd was very supportive, and the volunteers were great. I couldn’t get the fuel bottles in and out of my belt with one hand, so I would carry one until it was empty, then stop at an aid station and have a volunteer swap the empty bottle for a full one. I drank or ate something at every aid station, and felt really good. No GI issues, and almost no muscle cramping.

Everyone was very supportive. The course was 3 “loops”, so we passed the same volunteers and fans at least 3 times. On my second and third loops, I heard a lot of “oh my god, she’s back again”, “way to go”, and “hang in there”. A lot of my fellow competitors were very supportive too. More than once, I heard things like “you are an inspiration” or “you really are an ironman!” It definitely helped me persevere.

After the first loop, I stopped at the same medical tent to have some Vaseline put on my feet because I was getting blisters in my arches. The volunteer who helped me was so sweet. She put on my socks and shoes for me, because I couldn’t do it with one hand. She also hung onto my fuel belt while I used the loo, and then put it back on me because I couldn’t do that one handed either!

The miles from around 9 to 20 were uneventful, and I was feeling good, but definitely ready to be done. Shortly before mile 22, there was a spot where we transitioned from a parking lot to a walkway, and for some reason there was a piece of carpet down. I remember looking at it and thinking there must be some sort of grate or something they didn’t want us to trip on. Well, while I was thinking about that, I tripped on the carpet and landed hard on my right side. I felt it in my left side though. Thankfully, I didn’t seem to have done any additional damage, so I got up and said a few expletives and told the volunteers I was okay, even though I didn’t really feel okay. My shoulder started hurting more, and now my knees hurt too!

I walked for a short stretch after falling and did another mental assessment. It was getting close to 7pm and I only had 4 miles to go. Once again, I considered walking the rest of the way, but didn’t really like the idea, so I started running. My shoulder hurt more, and I was not having a lot of fun, but I was determined to keep going.

When I finally got to the point where we got to peel off and head to the finish, I heard a volunteer say only 200 meters to go. I was prepared to turn the corner and see the finish, but such was not the case. I zig-zagged through the cheering crowds for what seemed like a long time before I finally saw the finish arch. Several people tried to give me a high five, but after the first one, I had to stop because it was too jarring.

When I got to the tape, I couldn’t decide how to “break” it. I couldn’t put both arms up, so I just kind of reached for the tape with my right hand. I think one of the volunteers let go of it before I actually touched it because I almost missed it. While I was distracted by the tape, I forgot to pay attention to the announcer, so I never even heard whether he made the traditional “..., you are an ironman!” announcement.

A volunteer wrapped me in a mylar blanket and took me to get my chip removed. Then I posed for a photo and headed to the medical tent. I’m kind of sorry I did that, because I missed out on savoring the moment in the finish tent. The doctor in the medical didn’t even look at the shoulder, he just told me to go to the nearest emergency room. I did see the guy who fell in front of me in the medical tent. Apparently he finished not long before me. He had a mangled thumb and his back was hurting. He apologized for causing the accident and asked how I was. We exchanged some pleasantries, and then one of the medics helped me collect my bike and bags. Thankfully, I only had to take my bike back to the transport area. The medic was really nice, and carried all my stuff to the car.

When I got to the car, I decided to go back to the hotel to clean up a bit. I didn’t want to sit in ER in my sweaty smelly togs for hours. Driving was a bit tricky, but there wasn’t a lot of traffic. Getting my tri top off was fun. Thankfully, I had worn a sports bra with the zipper in the front, so I was able to get that off fairly easily. I showered and put on jeans and another sports bra (didn’t think I could manage to get a regular bra on). I was wishing I had some button down shirts to wear, but alas, all I had were T-shirts and tank tops. I picked the loosest tank top I had and awkwardly pulled it over my head. Then I drove to ER.

I had lots of company in ER. There were a number of dehydrated athletes there and we chatted about the race while waiting for our turns. Fortunately, I didn’t have to wait excessively long to get called in, and got x-rayed fairly quickly. Then I had to wait a bit to see the doctor. When he came in, he asked what happened and told me my scapula was broken. He said that because it takes a lot of force to break a scapula he needed to check that I hadn’t also torn my aorta! He didn’t really think I did, since I’d run a marathon afterward, but said he needed to be sure. They wanted to give me morphine for the pain, but I told them I had to drive home. I didn’t really want it anyway. Unfortunately, they couldn’t give me anything orally until they had the results of the scan, so I couldn’t even take Tylenol. Thankfully, the pain just wasn’t that intense.

I had to wait a while for the CAT scan, then I had to wait an hour or so for the results. As expected, they didn’t find any damage to my aorta, so they wrote me a prescription for pain killers and anti-nausea medicine and sent me home. By now it was almost 4am, so I skipped the stop at the drug store and went to the hotel. It took a while to get ready for bed. I finally laid down at 4:45am. I really wasn’t as exhausted as I expected to be, so I must have gotten more sleep in ER than I realized.
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Despite the accident, I had a great race and I’m really happy I opted to finish.