Ironman Championship, Pain and finishing

image ironman 2007 world campionship
We have seen the footage, watched the race, heard the stories and maybe one day will experience the thrill, disappointment, satisfaction of this race that captures the curiosity of all triathletes. This year seems to be the year that will put the Ironman into Tour De France status, in turms of media coverage. You could watch the whole event on Ironman.com's website, next year this will or should be covered live by Versus. An article (blog) that was published by Chris Lieto sums up the race, first hand.
Check it out! Trifuel 's Ironman World Championships Race Report

Neglected and Over Used!

image from eothopod
One of the most overused muscle and seldom worked out is the rotator cuff. We spend countless time in front of our computers, in our cars, swimming and biking and this causes our shoulders to be internally rotated and protracted for long periods of time. Which leads to weakness!

This is the off season lets get to work on making the core and muscle that are overused and neglected stronger.

Scapular Push-up: This strengthens your scapular muscles, rhomboids, and middle trapezius.

1. Put your hands directly under your shoulders on a Swiss ball.
2. With arms slightly bent, pinch your shoulder blades together for 2 seconds, then push them apart and pause. Do 12 to 15 reps

Behind the Neck Band Pull: Lower traps for adequate scapular upward rotation and shoulder health.

1. Arms shoulder width apart, grasp the resistance band with your at shoulder width apart and palms facing forward.
   
2. Pull the bands apart, by pulling the shoulder blades back and down and flexing the elbows.
   

To learn more goto Triathlete magazine, or subscribe.

2007 Ford Ironman World Championship

KONA, KONA, KONA, is upon us! If you can watch the race, it is going to be one of the best based on all the trash talking going one. Here are some of the stats:
The field racing here in Kona on Saturday will include just over 1,800 athletes.

Of that group, 73 per cent are men.

There are 90 male pros and 52 women professionals.

The largest category is the men 35-39 with 259 athletes, but the men's 40-44 is only nine behind on that front.

The largest women's categories are the 30-34 and 40-44, each with 75 participants.

51 countries are represented here, making this truly a world championship

There are 49 states represented.

One way to celebrate your birthday would be doing an Ironman, which is exactly what Patrick Bless, Marty Bulcock, Erik Grimm, Michelle Krelle, Hiroyuki Nishiuchi and Lynette Warn are doing.

The youngest competitors on Saturday include Phan Long from Carmel, Indiana and Tatiana Vertiz from Dallas, Texas.

Frank Farrar, the former governor of South Dakota, is our oldest competitor at 78. He's a few months older than our other 78-year-old, California's Loren Leonard.

Sister Madonna Buder, 77, from Spokane, Washington, is our oldest female competitor.

Watch this video from last years champion Normann Stadler.

The one competitor that is sure to excite is the defending Ford Ironman 70.3 World Champion, Samantha McGlone, is here to compete in her first Ironman. She’s prepared carefully and arrives here in Kona both fresh and with lots of bottom-end speed thanks to a career that included both the Olympics and lots of World Cup experience. She has breathed some life back into the smaller events and has shown that you don't need to do Kona to be successful. Samantha is the best at the 70.3 distance.

and

Craig Alexander
who is a world class professional triathlete with nearly a decade of racing experience. Craig, known as Crowie, is based in Boulder Colorado in the USA for the spring and summer, then heads home to Cronulla for the Australian summer. He too is also the male Ford Ironman 70.3 World Champion 2006.

This is crucial to your training.
Kona

Cyclocross coming to Mercer County Park, NJ

Mercer Cup, presented by Toyota
, is coming to NJ. Wow Mercer County park has changed so much in the last 10 years, you now have the New Jersey State Triathlon being held here and the USRowing National Championship Regatta, what a great thing to see.
So what is this:

• "Cyclocross has been described in many ways, some of the more common phrases are...
• “the toughest hour in cycling”
• “the NASCAR of bike racing"
• “requires the finesse of a ballet dancer, the speed of a motorcycler and the grit of a hockey player”

Cyclocross is a fall/winter, on-road/off-road cycling discipline held on a looped circuit of approximately 1-2 miles.

Cyclocross racers navigate mud, sand, pavement, grass, gravel, pasture, and mulch. When the terrain is too steep to ride or they are confronted by a standard set of wooden barriers, riders dismount, shoulder their bikes and run. Regulations suggest a lap be comprised of 90% riding and 10% running.

Each race is a timed event lasting anywhere from 40 minutes to an hour depending on the racer's category. The race leader at the completion of the last lap is declared the winner. The sport originated in Europe after the second World War where road cyclists began riding in pastures and muddy fields to maintain their fitness. The first World Championship was held in Paris in 1950.

A cyclocross bike splits the difference between a road bike and a mountain bike, equipped with knobby skinny tires, drop handlebars and a lightweight frame.

Cyclocross enjoys a colossal following in continental Europe and is currently the fastest growing cycling discipline in the United States. The UCI has targeted the US as a key market for the expansion and continued growth of the sport.

In 2007 US athletes made history - winning 3 Silver Medals at the World Championships for the first time since the US began competing on the international stage.

Cyclocross is a great sport for viewing by spectators as the racers complete laps every 6-7 minutes, so there is always plenty of action happening right before your eyes. Clanging cowbells are a staple accessory used in cheering on the competitors at most every cyclocross event."

This is a great way to change it up and enjoy another way to train in the off season. If not just come out and support the riders. Cyclocross, Mercer County Park

Nike Amp+ and Nano maybe the iPhone

Well this is pretty cool looking, Nike could have made a bit more fashionable watch but at least the made the watch. The Nike Amp+ Sport Remote Control is a watch and a remote for the Nike+ experience. Hear instant voice feedback of your time, distance, calories and pace when you add the Nike+ iPod Sport Kit and Nike+ Ready shoes or the Shoe Pouch.
Now I am not a fan of the crazy new look but for the individuals that are wearing this at the gym or to do their daily run, Nike has hit the spot. Not being able to use a iPod or MP3 player while in a race, training with one becomes a crutch.
They built the controls right into the front of the watch along with a speaker so if you don't have the headphones you can still hear your results, smart since you don't want your headphones in while running on a crowded street or at night.
Nike and Apple are pushing technology further than most and other companies are just following at this point. The Polar is still the leader in high fitness, but with the middle market still needing a cool watch Nike + Apple are it. If they wanted to take this to the next level (which I am sure they have thought of) is the iPhone, let me have one device to do it all.
Check it out.
Nike Amp+

300 workout, improve your strength

The 300 workout seems to be one of the best overall body workouts. Keeping your core fit is important and better than just doing a boring gym routine. Developing real strength that can be used outside of the gym and to tackle "real" world task is important. From chopping wood to doing a Triathlon, ones body must be prepared to fit off injury. This is not for the weak, so most triathletes should not have a problem, and since this is the off season it is the best time to redefine your core body.

The 300 Workout
The workout gets its name from the total number of repetitions.

25 pull-ups
50 deadlifts at 135 pounds
50 push-ups
50 box jumps with a 24-inch box
50 "floor wipers" (a core and shoulders exercise at 135 pounds)
50 "clean and press" at 36 pounds (a weight-lifting exercise)
25 more pull-ups -- for a total of 300 reps
There's no rest between movements

Beginners, start slow and work up to the 300.
Fortunately, this can all easily be adapted. Appropriate exercises can be subbed in: Drop down to 150 total reps, or 4-6 exercises of 15-25 reps each. For example, you might try this workout, great for a guy with moderate fitness:

15 bodyweight rows
25 bodyweight squats
15 pushups
50 jumping jacks
20 mountain climbers
10 close grip pushups
15 bodyweight rows

Now build the strength to carry you through next season.