Jobs losses starting to hit home, Tri a Tri!

So you have, you might, you will lose you job, it sucks and hurts. On the brighter side think of all the events that you have signed up for, the equipment you have bought, what better time to see what you are made of. If you don't want to pay travel fees TriFind has every state and most tri that are happening. pick local events bring the kids and have fun. Hey you can't look for a job 8-10 hours a day 7 days a week so use your time to improve your health and results. It might seem like you are slacking off but in all reality you are just keeping yourself busy during one of the worst recession this country has ever seen.
Now get training.

Swim Drills to Motivate Your Winter Training

From Active.com
Trying to get the miles in during the build phase can be tough but this is a great time to really develop your stroke. The season we are focused on training, the off season is for feel and build so use it, experiment and develop a better stroke.

Count your strokes: Work on increasing the distance covered per stroke to improve your feel for the water and your strength and stroke efficiency. Take as few strokes as possible from wall to wall and try to elongate each one. If you are at 30 strokes or above for 25 meters, try decreasing your stroke count by one or two per 25 each week. Decreased stroke count means increased efficiency, so a stroke count of 12 to 15 is far more efficient than a stroke count of 35.

Golf drill: This is a fun drill to do with stroke count and speed. Count the number of strokes you take over 50 meters and add that number to your 50-meter split time. Now, as in golf, try to decrease your score by either swimming faster or taking fewer strokes.

Rotate to breathe: Place a tennis ball under your chin. Swim freestyle, but as you turn to breathe, keep your head down and try not to let the tennis ball pop up. This drill is difficult, but is very helpful for emphasizing proper rotation and breathing technique. Keeping your head down in order to keep the tennis ball in place emphasizes proper head positioning, particularly in the breathing phase of the stroke.

Proper head alignment is key as our legs drop to counter-balance a lifted head, ultimately creating more drag and a slower swim split. By keeping the tennis ball tucked securely under your chin you will ensure proper head positioning and minimize any leg drag associated with lifting your head to breathe.

Now go swim better!

Functional Strength and Muscle Elasticity for Better Running

The best thing about the web is the resources that are available at a click of a button. Many years ago finding out information on how to be a better runner would be to take courses or go to the library and read the text books donated by the local college.
Well TriFuel is one of the better resource places on the web, Improve Your Functional Strength and Muscle Elasticity for Better Running This Season and Beyond really gets to the heart of the matter with how to stay strong and injury free. Now some of us do work core muscle groups, others abandon this once the season starts and just get to the miles. How wrong you can be, you might not feel it today but the wear and tear will catchup and injuries will creep in, read, digest and practice, this will make you stronger.

Beat the Winter Blues

Ok not all of us like the winter, training on the treadmill cause it is dark out at 4:30 am, to cold to ride, or icy, swimming is indoors unless you go to the islands. Well as hard as it is try these three simple remedies.

Exercise. When you're feeling down, you may be tempted to just plop on the couch and stare at the TV. But that's the last thing you should do. Exercise helps to energize you, release stress, and it elevates your mood.
Eat right. Healthy eating habits can boost your mood. Include plenty of complex carbs (whole grains, fruits, vegetables) in your diet for a long-lasting energy boost; and avoid refined and processed foods, which can cause your blood sugar to spike and drop and can sap your energy.
Step outside. I know it's cold outside, but a little daylight will do you a world of good. Bundle up and go for a short walk. Even simply opening the blinds and letting the sunlight in your living room or office can help, too.

Chop Wood

So the winter is tough and lately it has been cold, bitter cold for some in the Northeast. Well time to break it up and work parts of your body you never though you had. Fiskars axes are incredible, they go through wood like butter, that being said grab one and head out to the wood pile and start chopping, after about an hour stack what you have chopped and head in to enjoy your reward, warming yourself by the fire. The next day you will thank yourself, you might be sore enough to stay in front of the fire.

Winter Biking

Looking for a good deal this time of year is right around the corner, Jenson USA has some great deals right now, take the Scott Cyclocross Comp a good bike that won't break the bank, wish the price way just a little better, still a great deal. Here is what Scott is saying:
he new CX Comp gets improved geometry and a sloping, hydroformed top tube for easier dismounts and improved stand over clearance. A carbon CX straight blade fork and Shimano 105 components make the CX Comp the perfect choice for the 'Cross fanatic on a budget.

With this type of prices $1049 and shipping just under $50 bike shops should beware, online is trying to survive just like everyone else. Sometimes online is better but you will still have to pay for tune-ups I guess that is where shops differ. If you can turn a wrench this deal might be for you. Plus it keeps you from staring at a TV all winter while you train.

Dirty Pictures, Cyclcross Portland

Cyclocross has been popular in Europe for a while now but the US is just catching on, as you can see by these photos. This new book show a side that many would think was in Europe rather than Portland. Dirty Pictures captures a great insight to Cyclocross in the US. Most hang up their bikes when the weather turns nasty but a small and growing number of us head into Cyclocross for a different sort of training. A cross between Mt. Biking and Road ridding, this inbetween and off season sport is what many need to reintroduce themselves to the sport they love, with a twist of course. Check out the book and a race, you will see why many are hooked.
Cheers

Get In The Water's Fine.

Well January 1st is right around the corner and for many of us, it is the start of the season. Don't get worried the first month is easing back into the workouts. remember find the first triathlon that you want to do and work back from that one. So just get in, don't worry about workouts but more for time the first week in the pool. Go for a 1/2hr then slowly work to an hour and from there bring in the workouts. If you jump in to fast, well you could get burned out. This is a 9 month season for a lot and year round for others. Look at the beginning as getting out and try different things like Cyclocross or snow shoeing. Also try to remember the gym part of the early workouts, hit the gym, remember the core, try CrossFit it will help you find your core and how strong whiled you really are.
Happy Holidays

Xterra Wetsuits, Great Prices, Great Product

So the sales are starting and it seems as though Triathlon companies might be feeling the heat. When you see Velocity - Speedsuit going for $125 it is hard not to purchase, even if you don't need one, eventually you will. You can't argue with Xterra results on this product either, the Velocity is elegantly fast. Just ask the fastest swimmers at both the 2007 and 2008 Ford Ironman World Championship – they were First out of the Water. Or ask 5 of the top 8 age-grouper swimmers at the 2007 Ford Ironman World Championship, or the 1st 2nd and 3rd fastest age-group swimmers at the 2008 Ford Ironman World Championship. It’s so fast, it’s no wonder the Velocity is the number one choice when wetsuits are verboten. Approved by both USA Triathlon and FINA.
Now get your Christmas gift early I am sure this could replace your wetsuit at many events.

Birthday, New Years, Workout!

Well the new year is coming up fast, time to sign up for 2009 triathlon races. Also as most the gym gets packed, well start a real New Years Tradition, take a ride, run, swim or even a gym workout. There is something about starting the New Year off right, and I mean Jan. 1, 2009 not the 2nd or 3rd. Hopeful there will be snow on the ground if you like that sort of thing and just let yourself get lost.

So this is not just for the New Year how about a Birthday workout, I know most like to sit back and not do anything on their birthday but imagine each year the same workout, pick one from CrossFit and try to improve on that each year, getting older does not mean slower or weaker it just means another day.
Cheers

Rollers

Rollers, tough, challenging and one of the best workouts you can get. Why, well not only are you peddling to keep going but you must balance on 3 inch aluminum roller that are about 2 feet wide. So after about a 1/2 hour you will feel as though you have ridden for well over an hour. You are concentrating the whole time so watching TV is out of the questions, a little break in concentration and off you go. Start by rolling next to a poll (something to brace yourself with) getting going is the toughest part, the rest at the beginning is just learning to ride all over again. You will be surprised on how all over the place you really are, after you see how tough it is to bike in a straight line imagine what you look like on the road, weaving ever so slightly transferred into lost power remember the bike likes to go straight, it scrubs speed when you turn.

Not only do rollers provide the most awesome stationary workout with incredible real-world ride feel, but they're also simple to set-up, store and transport. For warming up before a race or watching the time fly by during an indoor ride, rollers offer the ultimate in versatility and simplicity.

Cheers

Russian Kettlebell, Train Your Core.

Want to train your core, get strong for the upcoming triathlon season, start using Kettlebell's. If you think that you are in shape and have a great center, prepared to be humbled. Andrey Patenko from Russian Kettlebell House will run you through a great workout. First lets say if you are going to take a class, well make sure they are from the source, former Soviet Union should do it. Like Jiu-Jitsu you would take it from the source that has been perfecting it for generations, the Gracie's. KettleBell's are a total body workout and if you mix it with CrossFit you will see results almost instantly. Flexibility, power, strength and core are all addressed and the effects are felt for days.

Here is Russian Kettlebell House's Level One - For Beginners class
This four hour seminar and workshop is the ideal course for non-professionals and athletes alike, interested in safely and properly implementing kettlebell training in their workout. This step-by-step kettlebell experience includes:

Basic and fundamental kettlebell drills
The foundations and history of Russian kettlebell training
Basic kinesiology as it relates to kettlebell training
Acceleration/deceleration and ballistic movements, and its superiority in muscle, joint, ligament and skeletal healing, training and conditioning.
Systema for weight loss, longevity and reversing aging
Systema for breathing, energy, flexibility and healing
Kettlebell training safety and spotting techniques
For professionals we will teach you how to work with your clients, and how to integrate kettlebell training into your clients' health, rehabilitation and strength goals.
And much more ...

Gyms are great for pools, but a specialized Kettlebell workout with achieve more in a month than you could hope to get in a year at a gym. So go out and get a couple Kettlebell's and feel the effects that help you train better and feel better.

Training Peaks Gift Certificates

This is great TrainingPeaks gift certificate for your favorite athlete. Functional and practical, $119 for 12 months. Hooks into all watches and PC or MAC. You don’t have to be a Tour de France podium finisher like Cadel Evans to benefit from using TrainingPeaks. Whether your goal is to post your personal best ride time up your favorite hill, finish a local bike race or, like Cadel Evans, win the Tour de France, TrainingPeaks has the software tools to help you achieve success.

KNAPP'S TOTAL TRIATHLON NIGHT

Local bike shops really pushing cycling to increase awareness is great. From cyclocross to triathlon night a talk about the sport we all love and enjoy. There are not many details on the website but any talk about triathlons are worth the trip. Jersey Area Multisport will be there talking up their club, as well as some USAT Level 1 Trainers.
Check it out, December 18th, 2008

Trek Women's Triathlon Series

It is all coming together, triathlons are starting to see the credit they deserve, more races, more sponsorships and woman's series put on buy a major bike company Trek, life is good!
The TREK Women's Triathlon Series™ plans to hold one dozen races across the country, with nearly 25,000 anticipated participants, making it one of the largest multisport events in the world.
Triathlon legend Sally Edwards, Hall of Fame triathlete, CEO of HeartZones USA, and best-selling author of 22 books on triathlon and fitness training, is the Spokeswoman for the new Series. Sally was formerly the Spokeswoman for the Danskin Women's Triathlon Series

The Series Director and a member of The Xxtra Mile LLC, Maggie Sullivan, has played an integral role in the building of events that have caused participation by women in the sport of triathlon to soar over the past 17 years. Sullivan, and a seasoned group of triathlon veterans, will lead a team of talented event promotion specialists to bring life changing experiences to women and girls across the USA.

The TREK Women's Triathlon Series™ will consist of sprint distance races (1/2 mile Swim; 12 mile Bike; 3 mile Run) in an anticipated 12 markets, including California, Colorado, Florida, Massachusetts, New York Metro, North Carolina, Texas, Washington and Wisconsin. Selected cities within the Series will include "youth focused" triathlons.

Now go sign up!