Saturday, September 22, 2007

Bike Crashes, Road ID


OK here is my public service announcement, be careful and over cautious. Now a lot of people who do the sport of triathlons have fallen down or been hit by a car while biking.
So here are some things to remember and DO:
  1. You must carry ID on you, it is against the law not to have ID.
  2. Get a Road ID
  3. Never, Ever think that someone (a car) sees you, be on the offense at all time. This stinks for serious training but we are smaller and lighter than a 5,000 pound car.
  4. If you carry a phone, and you should have I.C.E. (In Case of Emergency) plugged into your contacts or favorites so if unconscious, the police have a number to call.
  5. Helmet, but this one is not for us.
  6. Insurance, both for your bike and yourself.
Having this happen is scary and there are really only two outcome, scraps bruises and broken bones or morgue.

Be safe and careful, I like having people around reading Thinktri

Wednesday, September 19, 2007

Off Season


Well here we go, for some of us on the east coast we are heading into the off season. Yes of course we will still get out and ride and do an occasional race but for the most part we are inside. So what to do, work on your "bad" events, or find a triathlon in some warm spot, and use it for training. If your swim is your weak event, go out hard and see how the rest of the race plays out, this will give you some idea of how hard you can push and where you start to fall off. Nutrition can play a big role in your training, work on getting fluids into your system doing the run or bike. See what does not agree with your system.
There are many things that you can do, find your weak event and exploit it, attack it and make it your strong part of the triathlon, best of all enjoy the down time, the season will be back soon.
Fun warm triathlons
Caribbean
Think, Tri, Train!

Tuesday, September 11, 2007

Power Meter Training


I guess the more that you do one thing the more you learn. Triathlons have been growing in numbers the last couple years and this year has seen one of the biggest jumps, so how do you gt better. First start with a heart rate monitor and make sure you are staying within your threshold. As you progress, a cadence, and power meter for biking are going to be one of your biggest investments, besides a bike!
Training Peaks has a great article on training with a power meter.
"Training with power means that you are utilizing the latest tool in the cycling industry today in order to maximize your athletic potential. A power meter is a measuring device that is on your bicycle to determine the amount of wattage that you can produce while pedaling the bicycle. These power meters can measure the watts in the hub of the bicycle wheel, the 'spider' of the crank arm, the axle of the bottom bracket or even measure the tension of the bicycle chain. A power meter looks just like a larger more complex bicycle speed-o-meter and it records every few seconds while the cyclists rides. It records many different metrics from the rider including: watts, heart rate, speed, cadence, torque, and distance that the rider has traveled. This record of the cyclists ride is then available for download to a PC computer and can be analyzed post-ride to determine optimal training or racing performance." more..

Wednesday, September 5, 2007

Kids, running and making you faster!


If you ever get the oportunity to go for a run with your child or with a high school cross country team you will be amazed at how fast these kids really are! Some where as we get older we have forgotten how to run, watch these kids and they are fast and most have proper running technique, without ever being taught. Take a look at this animation to see a good representation of how one should run.
Running on a Cross Country team in K-8 was one of the best experiences, you are against all types and the best part was that everyone ran all out, there was no pacing yourself, gun goes off and everyone ran until the race was over.
Being young and not knowing was a great place to start, so get back if you get a chance.
Cheers