Friday, February 24, 2017

Tiss The Season, 8 Week Olympic Training Plan!

From Triathlete.com

Race your fastest this season with this focused training plan.
In order to take your racing to the next level, your training plan needs to develop all aspects of your athleticism with progression and consistency. My philosophy as a coach is to create an environment that enables athletes to understand their tendencies while developing them to be their best. If you want to be a complete, well-rounded athlete, you have to train the full range of all your systems.
This program is designed for intermediate athletes training for an Olympic-distance triathlon. An athlete taking on this eight-week program should have a background of successfully completing and sustaining eight weeks worth of training with a base of at least six hours per week. The key is consistency and adhering to the training zones described here. With the right focus and hard work, you’re bound to race your best Olympic this season!

Training Zones

Easy: 4/10 effort level
This is very low intensity training that promotes increased oxygen absorption and can aid in injury prevention and recovery. No fueling is required in this zone, and all your warm-up and cool- down time surrounding workouts should be spent here.
Aerobic: 6/10 effort level 
The majority of your training each week should be dedicated to this zone, which is moderate in intensity and increases your ability to tolerate higher workloads. Very little concentration is needed, and you should be able to carry on a complete conversation.
Tempo: 7/10 effort level 
When conversation becomes difficult and you take your first deep breath—that’s when you’ve reached the tempo zone. Your concentration at this effort should start to switch on.
Threshold: 8/10 effort level 
A large portion of your training should be spent here, as it develops the ability of your fast-twitch muscle fibers and improves your body’s ability to process lactate. Threshold requires solid concentration, and breathing should be labored but manageable.
VO2 max: 9/10 effort level 
Your Vo2 max work is where high speed gains are made. Recovery from this zone takes the longest, and training at this intensity is also higher risk—warm-ups and cool-downs are essential.
Conditioning-specific strength endurance: 7/10 effort level
The effort for this type of training is similar to the tempo zone, but while working with a high load of resistance or using max torque to build strength.
Neuromuscular quickness:
Keep the load extremely light in this zone, with a focus on a high, smooth turnover. For experienced athletes, this session can aid in recovery. High coordination is required.

Week 1

Monday:
Swim 1000
• 200 easy
• 4×50 as 25 scull drill/25 swim
• 4×50 25 fingertip drag drill/25 swim • 4×25 paddle on right hand only
• 4×25 paddle on left hand only
• 4×50 swim, descend the pace 1–4
• 200 freestyle/backstroke
Gym Core routine
Tuesday:
Bike 45 min
• Warm-up: 20 min easy
• 4x[30 sec right leg only/30 sec both legs/30 sec left leg only]
Tip: When single-leg pedaling, let the unclipped leg just hang unsupported, and keep smooth circles with the pedaling leg.
In an easy gear with no tension:
• 2 min at 90 RPM
• 1:30 at 95 RPM
• 1 min at 100 RPM • 45 sec at 105 RPM
• 30 sec at 110 RPM • 45 sec at 100 RPM • 1 min at 95 RPM
• 1:30 at 95 RPM
• 2 min at 90 RPM
• Cool down easy to reach total time
This session’s goal is neuromuscular quickness under a very light load with easy gearing. HR should stay low. Power is low. Efficient, smooth pedaling is the focus. If you start to bounce on the saddle or move around a lot, you need to smooth out the pedal stroke.
Run 30 min, easy with drills
4×15 meters of each drill
• Butt kicks
• High knees
• Monster walk
• Side-to-side shuffle
Wednesday: 
Run 40 min
• Easy run with 8×30 sec hill strides with easy jog back down
Gym Core routine
Thursday:
Gym Core routine
Run 45 min
• Include 6×90 sec uphill
• Slow jog back down for recovery
• Hill reps should be done on a sufficient grade but not a steep hill. Efforts should be strong but not full speed.
Friday:
Swim 1800
4×150 as:
1. Pull with buoy
2. 50 pull with buoy, 100 free
3. 50 head up drill, 100 free
4. 50 scull, 100 free
• 4×100 descend pace 1–4
• 4×100 ascend pace 1–4 (start out fast) • 2×200 as 50 catch-up drill/50 swim
Saturday:
Bike 2:00 Aerobic, easy ride
Sunday: 
Run 50 min Easy run

Week 2

Monday:
Swim 1900

• 200 warm-up
• 4×50 single-arm swimming with fins (right arm for 25/left arm for 25)
• 200 pull
• 4×50 scull
• 200 pull
• 4×50 fingertip drag drill
• 200 pull
• 200 steady swim
• 4×50 kick fast
• 100 easy
Gym Core routine
Tuesday: 
Bike 1:00
• Warm-up: 10 min easy
• 6x[30 sec right leg only/30 sec both legs/30 sec left leg only]
In an easy gear and no tension, do this twice through: • 2 min at 100 RPM
• 1:30 at 105 RPM
• 1 min at 110 RPM
• 45 sec at 115 RPM
• 30 sec at 120 RPM
• 45 sec at 115 RPM
• 1 min at 110 RPM
• 1:30 at 105 RPM
• 2 min at 100 RPM
Take 10 min easy between sets.
• Cool down easy to reach total time
Run 45 min
Easy run with drills and strides
Include:
• 6×20 sec strides/40 sec easy jog
4×15 meter of each drill:
• Butt kicks
• High knees
• Bounding
• Monster walk
• Side-to-side shuffle
Wednesday:
Swim 2100
• 3×200 as 1 swim/1 pull/1 swim
• 8×50 as 2 drill/swim, 2 build, 25 fast/25 easy
• 6×50 build to fast, 15 sec rest
• 7×100 steady to strong effort, 10 sec rest
• 100 easy cool-down
Bike 1:00
• Warm-up: 10 min
• 4 min, single-leg work: [1 min right leg/1 min left leg/1 min both legs]
10 min high cadence work:
• 1 min at 100 RPM
• 1 min at 110 RPM
• 1 min 90–95 RPM
• Repeat to total 10 min
• Light gear smooth pedaling
• 20 min big gear work (use 95 RPM as base)
• 1 min base, 1 min at 85 RPM
• 2 min base, 2 min at 80 RPM
• 3 min base, 3 min at 75 RPM
• 4 min base, 4 min at 70 RPM
• 30 sec base, 30 sec at 65 RPM
• 30 sec base, 30 sec at 60 RPM
• 30 sec base, 30 sec at 55 RPM
• Cool down 10 min
Thursday: 
Gym Core routine
Run 45 min
• Jog easy for 10–15 min on flat terrain
• 5×1 min steady-strong uphill, focus on good form. Jog back to the bottom for recovery.
• 5×1 min on a slight downhill or flat road, building cadence throughout the 1 min
• 1 min easy jog between each
• Cool down 10 min jog
Friday:
Swim 2300
• 4×100 as 25 swim/25 choice drill/25 build effort/25 easy, 10 sec rest
• 8×200 pull with optional gear (band, buoy, paddles), 10 sec rest
• 8×25 kick fast, 15 sec rest
• 100 easy
Saturday: 
Bike 1:30
• 10 min easy spin
• 5 min build to steady
• 5 min easy
• For the remaining hour, continuously repeat: 6 min big
gear 60–65 RPM, 4 min spin, 90+ RPM
• Cool down 10 min easy spin RUN 30 min
Easy run
Sunday:
Run 50 min
• 15 min of easy aerobic warm-up
• Then do a “ladder” for 10 min, where you go from walking to tempo pace, increasing your step pace every minute. Power walk for a couple minutes.
Main Set
• 16 min total
• 1 min on at tempo pace/1 min off at 50% of VO2 max Key things:
• If you lose form then you are either going too fast, or you have done enough repeats. It’s easy to tell when form is gone on treadmill because you’ll start pounding the deck!
• Cool down to reach total time

Week 3

Monday: 
Swim 2100

• 150 swim/50 kick, 150 pull/50 kick
• 10×50 swim steady
• 100 easy
• 10×50 swim strong
• 100 easy
• 10×50 at 80–85%
• 200 cool-down
Gym Core routine
Tuesday: 
Brick 1:00
Bike 40 min
Include 12×15 sec fast, 45 sec easy
Run 20 min
Easy run off the bike
Wednesday: 
Swim 2500
• 500 warm-up
• 20×25 as fast as you can/rest for the equal time as it took your 25
• 500 easy pull
• 20×25 fast as you can/equal rest
• 500 easy pull
Bike 1:00
Warm-up choice
Main Set
3×16 min as:
• 4 min tempo choice cadence
• 4 min tempo, 60 RPM
• 4 min stand, choice cadence and effort
• 4 min tempo, 92 RPM
• Insert two min easy spin recovery between each • Cool down easy to reach total time
Thursday: 
Gym Core routine
Run 45 min
• Include 6×90 sec uphill
• Slow jog back down for recovery
• Hill reps should be done on a sufficient grade but not a steep hill. These efforts should be strong but not full speed.
Friday:
Swim 2300
Goal of the entire workout is to swim the second 1000 faster than the first
• 200 easy and relaxed on 15 sec rest
• 4×75 steady with the middle 25 fast on 10 sec rest
• 100 easy
• 1000 start easy and build to steady effort (note time)
• 100 easy and relaxed
• 1000 swim faster than the first one (note change in effort required to swim faster)
• 100 cool-down
These long swims are an essential part of building up the mental skill required for success in open water. The two that are important: (a) a relaxed start and (b) the capacity to be strong at the end.
Saturday:
Bike 1:30
Warm-up 10 min
• 4×9 min big gear, 55–65 RPM, 4 min easy spin between each
• 5 min easy
• 3×10 min tempo, 6–7/10 effort, 5 min easy between each
• Cool down to reach total time
Run 45 min
Include 6×20 sec strides/40 sec easy jog 4x15m of each drill:
• Butt kicks
• Monster walks
• Side-to-side shuffle
Sunday:
Run 1:00
Warm-up easy 10 min
• 4x(2 min tempo/1 min easy/2 min tempo/1 min easy)
• Tempo is at 75%, easy is 60%
• Cool down 10–15 min

Week 4

Monday:
Swim 2000
• 100 easy
• 4×25 kick, 10 sec rest
• 4×25 head up drill, 10 sec rest
• 5×100 swim, descending 1–5, 15 sec rest
• 50 easy kick
• 5×100 buoy and band, descending 1–5, 10 sec rest
• 50 easy swim
• 5×100 swim target race effort, 15 sec rest
• 100 easy cool-down
Gym Core routine
Tuesday: 
Brick
Bike 1:00
Warm-up 10 min easy:
• 5x[45 sec right leg only/15 sec both legs/45 sec left leg only/15 sec both]
• 1 min easy
• 5 min, build the 5 min to tempo, 5 min easy
• 15×1 min, alternating power* 1 min /1 min easy spinning 90+ RPM
• Cool-down 10 min
*Power minute: Goal is to hold strong power in a hard gear. Because the gearing is hard, you might start the minute in a lower RPM and ramp it up throughout.
Run 30 min
Run off the bike with a steady effort. Insert 1 min walking into each 10 min block, ending with 6×75 meter strides on 30 sec walking recovery.
Wednesday: 
Swim 2500
• 100 swim, 100 drill/swim, 100 kick
• 10×200 band/bouy/paddles on 15 sec rest
• 200 cool-down
Bike 1:30
Warm-up 10 min easy
• 5 min, build to tempo
• 3x[1 min strong/1 min easy]
• 5 min easy
3×10 min in race position (aerobars if riding a tri bike)
• Cadence of 85–95 RPM
• Take 5 min between efforts
• Cool down 15–20 min
Thursday: 
Gym Core routine
Run 1:00, track
• Warm-up 10 min jog
• 4x15m of each drill:
• Butt kicks
• Monster walks
• Side-to-side shuffle
• 10×200/200 easy
• Focus is 90+ cadence and keeping the stride short. Think quick feet!
• Jog to cool down.
Friday: 
Swim 2000
• 100 swim, 100 kick, 100 drill
Twice through the following: (Round 1 swim/Round 2 use fins)
• 100 fast/100 easy
• 2x(75 fast/25 easy)
• 2x(50 fast/50 easy)
• 2x(25 fast/75 easy)
• 1 min rest between rounds
• 100 cool-down
Saturday: 
Bike 2:00
• Warm-up 10 min
• 5×15 min tempo in race position at 90–95 RPM, 5 min easy between each
• Cool down 10 min
Sunday: 
Run 1:00
Main Set
• 3×10 min, start relaxed and end at tempo pace. Easy 2 min jog between.
• End with 6×20 sec strides/40 sec walk. Jog to reach total time.

Week 5

Monday:
Swim 1400

• 200 choice
• 4×25 build to fast, 10 sec rest
• 100 easy
• 400 time trial: Best possible effort today.
• 3×200 pull buoy/band/paddles aerobic, 10 sec rest BIKE 1:00 easy
Tuesday:
Brick
Bike
• Warm-up 10 min easy
• 4x(30 sec right leg only/30 sec both legs/30 sec left leg only/30 sec both legs)
• 2 min spin easy
• 5×30 sec hard/30 sec easy
• 5×1 min hard/1 min easy
• 5×2 min hard/2 min easy
• 5×1 min hard/1 min easy
• 5×30 sec hard/30 sec easy
• Easy 5 min
Run 40 min
• 10 min at target race pace
• 10×1 min slightly above race pace/30 sec race pace
• Cool down easy to reach total time
Wednesday:
Swim 2600
• 200 warm-up
• 4×50 descending pace 1–4, 10 sec rest
• Pull (buoy, band, paddles): 4x(100 fast, 300 mid race pace effort, 100 easy), 15 sec rest
• 200 easy
Bike 1:00
Warm-up, then:
• 6×5 min big gear (cadence 50–60 RPM)
• Take 5 min recovery at a cadence of 100 RPM between each interval
• Cool down 15 min
*Note: Effort on the 5 min is strength focused—hard tension, big gear, strong legs in TT position.
Thursday:
Rest Day
Friday:
Swim 2500
• 400 choice warm-up
Main Set (40×50)
• 16×50 as 1 fast, 3 steady (x4), all on 5 sec rest
• 12×50 as 1 fast, 2 steady (x4), all on 10 sec rest
• 8×50 as 1 fast, 1 steady (x4), all on 15 sec rest
• 4×50 all fast, 20 sec rest
• Do the first 16 with buoy and band (if you have band experience). Do the next 12 with no gear. Do the next 8 with small paddles.
• Cool-down as needed
Run 50 min, track
• Warm-up 10 min jog
• 4x strides
• 3×600 at 80%, 200 jog
• 2 min rest
• 6×200 at 85–90%, 200 jog
• Cool down jog and stretch
Saturday:
Bike 2:30
After a warm-up, include:
• 2x(3×15 min TT position at tempo effort, 5 min easy between, 80–90 RPM)
Sunday:
Run 1:10
On flat road or treadmill
• Warm-up 10–15 min
• 10×3 min tempo, build to threshold, 90 sec easy between
• Cool down 10 min easy

Week 6

Monday: 
Swim 3300
• 100 swim, 4×50 build on 1:00
• 8×100 steady on 10 sec rest
• 200 easy
• 8×100 at race effort, 15 sec rest
• 200 easy
• 8×100 above race effort, 20 sec rest
• 200 easy
Bike 1:00
• 10×1 min RPM 105 light gear, 30 sec easy between
• 4×5 min 50–60 RPM, 2 min easy between
• Cool down easy to reach total time
Tuesday:Brick
Bike 1:30
• Include 2×10 min tempo effort in race position, 4 min easy between
• 8×1 min hard, 2 min easy between
Run 30 min
• Include 5 min very easy, 5×2 min at race effort, 90 sec easy between
• Cool down easy to reach total time
Wednesday:
Swim 2000
• Continuous and relaxed—if you’re feeling good, the last 1000 should alternate fast/easy by 100
Bike 1:00
• Warm-up 15 min easy
• 30 min progressive big gear
• Start in a gear where you are pushing 70 RPM
• Work your way to bigger gears each 5–10 min, until the last 5 min (of the 30 min) you are pushing 50 RPM
• Do this on a flat road in race position.
• 15 min easy spin to finish
Thursday:
Rest Day
Friday:
Swim 1850
• 200 swim, 200 kick, 200 buoy only, 4×50 right hand paddle for 2/left hand paddle for 2
• 4×25 build to fast on :30
• 2×75 as 25 sprint/50 steady, 15 sec rest
• 100 max effort right into 100 steady
• 2×75 pull, 5 sec rest
• 3×50 descend 1–3 10 sec rest
• 4×25 sprint/equal rest
• 200 easy pull
Run 20 min
• 10×400 at threshold effort, 200 easy jog/walk between
• Cool down 5–10 min
Saturday:
Bike 2:00
• Warm up 5–10 min
• 2x(30 sec right leg only/1 min both legs/30 sec left leg only)
• 5 min progressive: Start in a gear that puts you at about 60% effort. Each min, click up one gear harder to work
your way to 80% by the end of the 5 min.
• 2 min easy Main Set
• TT best effort
• Build throughout the rep to best effort. This should be challenging! Go by feel to get your best possible TT effort today.
• 2×6 min TT effort/2 min easy
• 5 min recovery
• 2×6 min TT effort/2 min easy
• 5 min recovery
• 2×6 min/2 min easy
• Cool down easy to reach total time
Sunday:
Run 1:00
Split the run into thirds:
• Easy effort for first third
• Tempo effort second third
• Hold your tempo pace in final third, effort may increase a bit to threshold
Always start at an effort that leaves you room to finish strong. This is an endurance session, keep the effort comfortably aerobic at all times. If you find that you have to raise HR by more than 5% to hold steady pace, it is best to dial down the middle pace so you don’t have to “race” at the end of the workout.

Week 7

Monday:
Swim 3025
• 3×200 as 1 swim, 1 pull, 1 kick w/fins
• 15×100 as 1 relaxed on 10 sec rest, 2 steady on 5 sec rest, 2 faster on 5 sec rest, repeat.
• 100 easy
• 25×25 fast on 10 sec rest
• 200 cool-down
Tuesday:
Brick
Bike 1:30
30 min easy, 8×3 min TT at threshold, 85–95 RPM, 3 min easy between, spin easy to finish up
Run 30 min
10 min easy/10 min at target race pace/10 min easy
Wednesday:
Swim 2200
• 200 warm-up
• 4×50 single arm swimming with fins on. Right arm for 25/left arm for 25
• 200 pull
• 4×50 scull
• 200 pull
• 4×50 finger tip drag drill
• 200 pull
• 4×50 using a kick board as your buoy like a shark fin
• 200 pull
• 4×50 kick fast
• 200 pull
Bike 1:30
Include the following:
• 3x8min big gear on a slight incline (2–3%),cadence 50–60 RPM
• Recovery is 4 min, 100 RPM
Thursday:
Rest Day
Friday:
Swim 1500
• 200 swim, 8×50 descend 1–4 on 10 sec rest, 100 kick
• 2x(10×25 fast with fins/equal rest, 200 swim relaxed)
• 4×75 as 25 drill/50 swim non-free
Run 1:00, track
• Warm-up 15–20 min
• 6 strides, light stretching
• 1200/800/600/400/200 (just over 10K pace), 200 jog (1 min) between each
• 800/600/400/200 (at 10K pace), 400 jog (2 min) between each
• 600/400/200 (at 5K pace), 400 jog (2 min) between each
Saturday:
Bike 1:30
• Include 2x(3×4 min at threshold, 2 min easy between in TT position at 85–95 RPM) 5 min easy between rounds
Run 30 min, easy
Sunday:
Run 45 min
• Warm up exactly like race day. Then practice your first three miles exactly like you want to run on race day. End with 6x strides with walking recoveries.

Week 8

Monday: 
Swim 2600
Threshold focus:
• Warm up 200 choice, 6×50 as descending 1–3, 15 sec rest, 100 easy
• Main Set
• 2 rounds of 8×100 at race pace, 10 sec rest
• 100 easy between rounds. Pace consistently across the set.
• Cool-down: 200 pull/paddles cruise, 200 kick/swim easy
Tuesday:
Brick
Bike 45 min
• Warm-up: 10 min
• 3×2 min, build to 85% of race effort, 2 min between each interval
• 10 min easy
• 5 min at tempo
• Cool down easy to reach total time
Run 10 min
• Off the bike as 3 min at race pace, 5×30 sec fast/30 sec walk, 2 min jog to finish
Wednesday:
Swim 1200
• 100 swim, 100 back, 100 scull
• 3×200 buoy only, 10 sec rest
• 8×25 kick build to fast, 15 sec rest • 100easy
Bike 45 min, easy
Thursday:
Rest Day
Today is a good day for a pre-race massage!
Friday:
Pre-Race Workouts
Run
• Pre-race: 10 min easy, include 4×30 sec strides (con- trolled, smooth, faster than race pace, but not forced). Full recovery between strides, 2 min jog.
Bike
• On the race course: Warm-up for 15 min easy, then ride 5 min progressive build to a comfortable but steady effort around race pace. Ride 5 min easy, then 4×30 sec faster than race pace with 90 sec easy between each. Cool down with 10 min easy.
Swim
• On the race course: Warm up 100 mixed strokes, easy. Then do a progressive build effort for 100, followed by 50 easy. Practice 2–3 race starts with 10 strokes fast followed by easy swimming back to the start in between. Finish with 100 easy, mixed strokes.
• Have a look at sighting markers, the entry and exit paths to/from transition, and for any currents in the water.
Saturday:
Race Day
• Warm-up: Jog 3 min very easy, 2×1 min build to race effort, 30 sec walk, 3 min jog.
• If possible, get in the water to do 2–3 10 stroke pick-ups with full recovery followed by a couple easy minutes.
• Alternatively, try the swim cord routine at Triathlete. com/swimcordwarmup.
Sunday:
CELEBRATE!

Thursday, October 20, 2016

Specialized Stumpjumper Now Epic!

OLD

NEW


For over 35 years, the Stumpjumper has been Specialized best selling go to bike. I had one and loved it, Fast, light and one of the best bikes I have ever owned. Now it has been upgraded and those are fantastic. I have not been able to ride one, waiting for Specialized to send one over (Hint, Hint), so that I can compare to the Cannondale that I am ridding. Since the design has moved over to Specialized, this could be huge for Specialized, if the bike is what I remember, the switch could come. Check out a great article from someone who tested the Epic!


Zwift, INDOOR CYCLING AND TREADMILL RUNNING. OUTDONE.



Zwift has revolutionized the way cyclists train indoors with its multiplayer interactive platform, and triathletes will be excited to hear that they’re working to carry that same concept into the running space. In the week leading up to the Ironman World Championship in Kona, athletes were able to test a very early prototype of the running tools. Here we chat with Zwift’s Mike McCarthy about the early stages of this project and find out what else is new from the company
Read more at Triathlon Competitor 

Monday, June 6, 2016

Relax, Try SUP!


With the growing amount of people that have picked up paddle boarding, if you haven’t SUPed yet, you’re missing out. It’s a great way to taxi yourself across a bay and through lagoons, or to really push it and catch a wave and get a full body workout. But to do any of those things, at any pace, you’ll need the gear. First and most importantly, you’ll need a paddle, but to have a truly great time out on the water you’ll need a few things to fend of the sun and keep you out of the water and on your board.
Get all the info and gear links here..

Wednesday, May 11, 2016

Racing Mountain Bikes, How to Train.

So you want to take your cross country riding to the next level, maybe you want to race! We caught up with common wealth gold medalist Liam Kileen to get some advice on how to train for XC.


Tuesday, April 5, 2016

Dry Land Swimming Part 1 and 2.



http://blog.voltathletics.com/home/2016/2/10/dryland-training-for-swimmers-part-1
http://blog.voltathletics.com/home/2016/3/23/dryland-training-for-swimmers-part-2?utm_source=social_media&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=fb_post_dryland_swimming_part_2

Two great articles about dry land swimming, no need to rewrite, please visit the site.

Wednesday, March 16, 2016

Time To Get Out and Ride: NightRider SENTINEL™ 40



So the NR Sentinel 40 is an amazing safety solution.

The Sentinel™ 40 has a powerful 2 watt LED, 5 modes, is USB rechargeable and has a brand new safety feature, Laser Lanes! The Laser Lanes mode is designed to project ultra bright laser lines on the ground, giving the rider their own virtual lane.


  • The Sentinel 40 complies with FDA standard for lasers, notice No. 50, 2007
  • Highly visible laser lanes
  • Ultra bright 40 lumen output
  • All in one, Laser and tail light!
  • USB rechargeable
  • Group Ride Mode – be seen without annoying fellow cyclists
  • The new standard in tail light safety
  • FL 1 Standard IP64, water resistantniterider_sentinel_40_specs

Wednesday, March 2, 2016

Transition: Indoor to Outdoor Training

This has to be one of the best articles about transitioning from indoor to outdoor training. The running section is something I have never read before: See the whole article from Training Peaks.

Run Considerations
Surface and Temperature
When switching from running on a treadmill to outdoors, head for hard packed trails and stay off the pavement if possible, particularly for extended downhills. Your body is used to the shock absorbing belt of the treadmill so it’s wise to minimize the impact of the ground. Wear softer, stable training shoes with good tread and grip for potentially slick or mucky trails.

Keep warm to remain injury free and stay healthy. Running is a high impact sport and cold muscles are less supple to absorb pounding. If the weather is below 52F (12C) avoid shorts. Keep your legs covered on windy days as well. Gloves and windproof gear are recommended, and don’t forget to dress in layers. A low core temperature stresses your  immune system so keeping warm will help ward off illness.

Training
Trim down your distance/time run on the treadmill by 10 to 20 percent initially. The motor of a treadmill is doing some of the work, with the belt pulling your stride though and it can take one to two weeks for the body to adapt to the change in forces acting on your ligaments and muscles. The speed or pace settings on a treadmill are not always 100 percent accurate so when you head outdoors, focus on your effort, such as heart rate, until you are comfortable it has settled down into familiar territory. This will also allow you to complete a prescribed workout in the appropriate heart rate zones. Use this time to consistently remind yourself of proper form– running tall and not over striding. Counting your cadence is a way to program yourself to hold that economical 90rpm. Aim for 22 steps in 15 seconds.

Friday, February 19, 2016

100 Mile Mountain Bike Race, You Can Do It!

Great article from TrainingPeaks on how to accomplish a 100 mile mountain bike race.
or many endurance athletes, a 100-mile mountain bike race is either a bucket list event or the capstone of their season. This distance takes both mental and physical training to properly prepare. The appropriate balance of endurance training and specific race preparation is important to ensure success.
You’ll want to start at least 28 weeks out from your race so as to have plenty of time to effectively integrate the three key periods of training. Using the base, build, and specialty phases will allow you to gradually build your endurance, threshold, and anaerobic capacity so that you’ve prepared all of your body’s systems for the event.

The Base Phase

The start of your race preparation will be the base training phase. Depending on your current level of fitness, this period should last approximately 12 weeks. During the base period the focus should be on building a strong aerobic base. Having solid endurance to build upon is critical for a successful 100-mile race. It’s during the base period that you’ll want to perform longer sub-threshold efforts to push your aerobic capacity.
This is also a good time to integrate strength workouts into your training to help prevent injury as you begin to gradually increase your volume and intensity. Remember that this is not the time to do hard anaerobic efforts- that time will come. Think of the base period as the foundation on which your successful season is being built. A couple of key workouts during your base period are:

Sweet Spot Intervals

20 minute warm up in zones 1 and 2. Then perform 30 to 45 minutes in your sweet spot (90 to 95 percent of threshold). Finish the ride in zone 2.

Aerobic Threshold

20 minute warm up in zones 1 and 2. Then perform 30 to 45 minutes at the top end of your zone 2 range. Finish the remainder of the ride at endurance pace.

Tuesday, February 9, 2016

Tri this, Red Bull 400, it Going to Hurt!

Running 400m doesn't sound like much of a challenge, does it? But what if you were to run those 400m at an altitude close to 200m and as a pure uphill sprint? That's a race guaranteed to put your calves, quads and endurance to the ultimate test.

Red Bull 400 is set to conquer the ski jumps of Europe and the US this year, putting sprinters all over the world to one of the toughest tests they will ever face.

Warm up your leg muscles and sign up for the hardest 400m of your life.

Monday, February 8, 2016

Dave Mirra, Unexpected Loss!

Dave Mirra, an unexpected loss. Bikes, he loved them, could ride them all and was instrumental in bringing the X-Games to where it is today. He got into Triathlon late and was outstanding at them as well. You will be missed.
Great Article at SlowTwitch.com

Thursday, January 28, 2016

Top 100 Running Blogs!

In case you missed this from blog.feedspot.com
http://blog.feedspot.com/2016/01/25/running-blogs/

Thursday, January 21, 2016

UK's First Indoor Mt. Bike Park. Dirt Factory

In light of how successful Ray's Indoor MTB Parks have been stateside, it's perhaps a little surprising that a similar concept has not yet popped up in the UK. With thousands of serious riders and fairly inclement weather conditions most of the year, you would have to think such a project would be met with instant success. Well, that is exactly what the team behind the "Dirt Factory" is betting on.

Regular participation in cycling can benefit people of all ages. The positive impacts on health and wellbeing are well documented. The social impact we aim to achieve through Dirt Factory is much more far reaching. Dirt Factory will be a community hub of riders, families and friends. We want to inspire people to have fun, be more confident on their bike and adopt cycling as part of their everyday life. Using the skills and experience gained at Dirt Factory, we believe riders will be enthused to ride more often. We have already established a number of partnerships with schools, universities, charities and community organisations keen to use Dirt Factory as a way to engage and develop their beneficiaries. Our plan is to house dedicated learning spaces and business incubator units within the infrastructure of Dirt Factory. We aim to provide learning, volunteering and employment opportunities to young people from communities across Greater Manchester.

Dirt Factory

Tuesday, December 22, 2015

Bunny Hoping Skills


Bunny hopping is a technique that everyone wants to master, but some riders have a lot of trouble learning. If you’re having trouble and feel hopeless, this tutorial is just for you. If you already know how to bunny hop, I need your help in the comments section. There will be others with questions, so do your best to offer them helpful and friendly advice. No one should be deprived of bunny hopping.
Let’s start with a quick overview, then we’ll go into detail.
To bunny hop, you need to lift your front wheel off the ground, jump upwards, and push your bars forwards.
To do this, you’ll need to get your front wheel off the ground, so let’s start there and talk about what could go wrong.
First of all, if you’re small like me, you’ll need a small bike. If you’re big, you’ll be okay on a big bike. This is important because you’ll need plenty of space between you and your bike to pull up and transfer weight around. If your bike is too big, you’re going to have more trouble. So, make sure your bike is the right size for you.
Second, bunny hops are much easier on a mountain bike with an aggressive slanted back geometry. By this, I mean that the top of your seat tube is lower than your bars. Dropping your saddle is an obvious way to achieve this geometry, but some bikes just aren’t shaped right for this. In that case, you can get riser bars or a taller stem, which should help a little.
Third, you probably have front suspension, and maybe even rear suspension. Because suspension is designed to absorb changes in the terrain, it will also absorb your movements, thereby dampening your efforts at a bunny hop. To counteract this, you need to preload. Preloading is when you compress your suspension and use the recoil to work with you instead of against you. On suspension forks, this means pushing down before you pop up, kinda like the spring on a pogo stick. You see how the shocks can actually help pop you off the ground? Well, they won’t unless you preload.
For bikes with rear suspension, you’ll need to pull back even further to preload the rear suspension before you pop up. I find that it’s just as easy to hop on a full suspension as it is on a hardtail, provided you take the suspension into consideration and get a feel for the recoil.