Safety Is Coming, 360fly!

Capturing all of life. 360Fly. from 360fly on Vimeo.

At 360fly, we create products and software for interactive, one-shot 360° panoramic video. Through a partnership with VOXX International the company will deliver a line of unique panoramic video cameras to market that virtually includes everyone...from the extreme sports enthusiast to parents shooting their children's birthday party. Our users will see and share video in a way that captivates and engages audiences like never before. Video is about to change.

Bikes of Kona!

From SlowTwitch, best for everything endurance. 

Many go to Kona hoping for a win, and they're not all athletes. Who came out of Kona smiling?

When I began the Kona Bike Count in 1992 there were over 200 bike brands represented in the race. There has been some consolidation at the top, because the barrier to entry is high. Used to be that an old mechanical Bridgeport mill, a gas torch and a headbadge was all you needed to be a bike maker. Not so now, when the great majority of new bikes pop out of molds, and a size run of molds costs tens of thousands. 

But there is still a shipload of bike brands on that pier. Who won?

Five or six companies stand out in my mind. First, of course, Cervelo, with 496 bikes in the race – almost 1 in 4 – and it wasn't that long ago that Cervelo was thought by many retail stores washed up, the brand of the past. Obviously rumors of its demise were greatly exaggerated. In my opinion, one stat that holds up fairly well is:

incremental gains = (this year's total) - .75(last year's total)

The idea is to guess at incremental gains year-over-year. If Cervelo, the company, was wiped off the map, you'd still see a lot of bikes the subsequent year. How many? Historically, 75% of the prior year's total is not a bad number.

Full Article Here...

Warning Stay In Aero Position

This is great, another device to tell me I am not ridding correctly. Actually the Lazer Wasp Air is extremely helpful, Lazer has one of the few that will help a triathlete stick to the aero position. The Wasp Air is a nice looking helmet that also ticks all the important marks for a good aero helmet. And tucked into the tail is a special device that vibrates when the rider dips his head downward. It’s a gentle, but obvious, reminder to stick to the aero position.
Read more at..

Tri's vs. Xterra

So I love Triathlons, I started doing Xterra events cause I was a XC mountain bike racer. Course of life changed and this was over 11 years ago, things changed again I got hooked and went into triathlons full force, sponsorship, podium finished, early mornings and epic swims, bikes and rides,  not to mention the friends and conversations we had along the way.
Another change has has happened and I am back to XC Mountain biking, with triathlons in my blood. One thing that I noticed is how cool the Mountain Bike industry makes riding look, from their films, Gopro captures, gear, and of course racing. This started me thinking why has triathlons not made this transition, make the riding look cool, swims shots epic and gear, well cool.
I went for a ride at a place I had not ridden in 8 years, what I noticed was the parking lot was full, families were riding, people were conversing and generally everyone looked to be having fun. The ride started fast and I was transformed back 8 years ago to why I LOVE mountain biking. The setting and not having to be worried about getting run over, it has happened. No horns, middle fingers, crazy jesters, or stress. Just time to focus on what I love to do ride. Same goes with trail running, that is a topic for another day.
The triathlon series has to embrace the good, show the videos, great spots to do events, the events, parties, tents and families that spend countless hours watching loved ones compete.

Embrace and take note from another side of this sport. Tri's are cool, epic and the best thing you can do, now they just have to be shown that way.

Timex Game Changer, Ironman One GPS+

Timex added the Ironman One GPS+ to it's line up. The big change is the separation from the smartphone. Now getting another contract can seem like a hassle, maybe they will let you add it to your existing plan, lets hope, ATT get the hint. Now I am not sure that the masses are going to flock to this watch but there a good amount 300,000+ triathletes that might see this as a welcome change. Who know check it out. TIMEX ONE GPS+

RECHARGABLE LI-ION BATTERY

8-hour life in Full GPS and cellular-connected mode.

BLUETOOTH®

Compatible with Bluetooth® heart-rate monitors, foot pods, and wireless headphones.

NOTIFICATIONS

Get notified when you've achieved a personal record.

INDIGLO® NIGHT-LIGHT

See your accomplishments in the dark.

CONNECTED BY AT&T

One year of AT&T mobile data service included. Features vary by market.

WATER-RESISTANT

Water-resistant up to 50 meters.

TIMERS

10 customizable interval timers.

HEART RATE READY

Compatible with Bluetooth heart rate monitors.

Changing it up- In The Zone - Fitz Interview

In the fitz zone, Whistler Mountain Park. Now we just need a couple more on the east coast.

How to Practice Open Water Swimming in the Pool

Another great one from Training Peaks

For the majority of all triathlons you will be swimming in open water. This is typically a source of anxiety and fear for many athletes as training for the open water is often limited. While not perfect, it is possible to prepare for race day in a pool? Here are some drills and games that you can do in the pool to be prepared.

Sighting

The first, and perhaps most obvious, thing you can do in the pool is to practice sighting. In a short course pool (25 yards or meters) pick your head up twice each lap and sight on something at the end of the pool. In a long course pool, sight at least five times per lap.

What’s most important here is that you don’t just go through the motions. Be sure you actually focus on what it is that you’re looking for. You can even have a lane mate at the end holding up fingers for you to read.

Swimming Straight

How often should you sight? Well, that depends on how straight you swim. When you’re in the pool, going fast is what gets you to the next wall more quickly. In open water, speed is not enough. It’s your velocity plus your trajectory that determine how quickly you get into T1. In a lane by yourself, push off the wall and swim with your eyes closed. Can you make it to the other end without hitting the laneline? (Make sure you know your stroke count so you can open your eyes before you get to the wall if you happen to make it all the way down the lane!) If not, how far can you go?

If you start in the middle of the lane and drift to one side by the other end, that’s not too bad, but you’re still off course about a meter over a length of 25 meters. If you’re consistent, that would work out to about 20 meters off course every 500 and then double that because you’ll have to swim back onto the course. So that might cost you 30 to 60 seconds every 500 meters. But what if you hit the lane line after only a few strokes? You might be costing yourself several minutes over 500 meters. The solution is sighting. If you can swim four strokes before veering off course, you should be sighting every four strokes. If you stay on course through 10 strokes, sight every 10.

Now put these two elements together. Swim with your eyes closed but open your eyes to sight every 4, 6, 10 strokes. Now can you make it down the lane in a straight line? You’re onto something important! Sighting may slow you down a bit, but it’ll keep you in a straight line—that makes for a faster swim split.

MORE...

CRAMPING, Are You Fueled?

This article from SlowTwitch is great!

Deadspin featured a mostly fun but partly serious and thoroughly entertaining piece in exercise-induced cramping, prompted by LeBron James’s muscular malfunction during one of the recent NBA playoff games. The piece was called Everything You Know About Cramps Is Wrong, And Gatorade Is Full Of Shit. I admit a vicarious schadenfreudish peace washed over me as I read about a corporate titan brought low. (We had a 52-post thread on LeBron’s cramps.)

But in Gatorade’s defense, it’s caught in a bind. It cannot sell the perfect sports drink for exercise in convenience stores. That drink would not taste good enough to be sold at retail to those reaching for a sports drink to wash down Spicy Nacho Doritos (cornerstone of the lunch of champions – the formercornerstone, ideally).

Some months back I was rounding into pretty good running shape. Then, 4 miles into an 8 mile loop, my calf seized. And I mean exactly 4 miles in, so that I had to get back exactly 4 miles on that calf, which did the calf no good. I tried everything. Stretching. Walking. Waiting it out. That camp would not unseize. Further, for the next 6 weeks I was “crampy.” I cramped swimming. I cramped walking around the house. I woke up crampy. It was not just in my calf, I was crampy systemically.

Cramps are a mystery, and I can’t prove it but I suspect cramps are the proximate cause of a number of other injuries. I wonder whether a lot of trunk and torso related strains – high hamstring, psoas, hip flexors – might not occur because of a cramp during exercise that we play through, that spasm exerting extra tension on the connective tissue.

There are too many glib, single-etiology responses by those who think they have the answer to why we cramp. If you go on our reader forum cramping is caused by under-hydrating. No, it’s caused by over-hydrating. No, you cramped because you trained or raced beyond your capacity. No, cramping is mental.

How do we not cramp? “Train more, race smarter,” according to one Slowtwitcher. Compression gear. Salt tablets. Electrolyte replacement (no, not that brand, this brand!)

MORE...

Sara Gross finally captured her first Ironman title in Brazil

First, well done, you deserve the win. Second shame on all negative post. The interview from Slow Twitch,one thing that was not pointed out in the article is the age groupers that are doing this time and time again. 

In the picture shown how many are drafting, 11 by my count, we all go to the briefing, but once on the course everyone forgets the rule. Many new comer to the sport are guilty of this, or are not sure what is legal or not, let me speak from experience, if you are thinking is this legal then it is. This is not your Sunday ride, some of us want to do well, stay to the right, if someone has caught you let them pass, they are faster than you, trust me if they caught you they are, move over. This sort of thing happens when a race course has two loops, most of the time you have no choice, you have lapped or caught the slower group, they are out just to complete, not podium, SO MOVE OVER. Sara a professional, keeps her cool, congrats, you deserve the win, stop hating and just see it for what it is a race, unless you fix the course problem and bad etiquette this will continue to be a RACE problem not a athlete problem. Get it right, train hard be one of the AG winners then through your stones, you won't.

Tips for getting out of T2 Fast!

Race sockless Sliding socks over wet feet amid the chaos of transition takes time—more than you may expect. Going sockless can help get you onto the run course faster, but if race day is your first run without socks, the outcome will be predictable. You’ll need to build a tolerance in order to run comfortably without the protection of a sock.


 Read more at Triathlon Competitor 

Flutter Kick Done Right!

GoSwim!

Other than the freestyle pull, flutter kick is the most used skill in swimming.  Some people kick well, other people kick poorly, but just about everyone kicks a little when they swim freestyle.  While it sometimes takes a lot of thought to develop a good flutter kick, it's certainly worth the time.

Here is a small collection of five videos that all focus on the same thing... narrowing the flutter kick to a more usable level that can help make you a better swimmer.

Vidal suffers heart attack

Be careful out there. Whether we are more connected or pushing ourselves to hard, heart attacks seem to becoming more common. With a sport on the rise, more high profile athletes competing the news travels faster. Be careful, try to see the signs and above all else get regular check ups.

French ITU Pro Laurent Vidal is reported to have likely suffered from a heart attack during swim practice and was airlifted to a hospital in Montpellier.

According to the french newspaper Midi Libre Vidal was training at the Fonquerne Sète pool when he felt chest pain, exited the water and then sought out help from employees at the pool. 

Firefighters were called and Vidal then experienced cardiac arrest. He was revived after a few minutes and regained consciousness. 

He then was airlifted to the hospital.

"Thank you everyone for your kind words for Laurent. Your support means so much. Shocked and so worried! I am traveling to be by his side," tweeted Andrea Hewitt, the fiancee of Laurent Vidal. 

MORE from Slow Twitch..

Mirra Doing Triathlons, Everyone's Doing It!

Great article from Slow Twitch.
Most folks know Dave Mirra because of his BMX Freestyle exploits and some people on this site might even own one of the video games that bear his name. He is also known for his Rallycross skills and a superb string of X-Games victories, but now Mirra is focused on triathlon, doing well and loving it. At last weekend's 70.3 Texas in Galveston Mirra finished in 4:23:57 with a 2:08:18 bike split and 1:33:03 run and grabbed 4th place in M40-44 and a spot for Mont Tremblant. 
FULL ARTICLE

Training Peaks, Love These Options, Three Key Workouts!

Training Peaks Best place for training

1. Short Hill Repetitions

The value in short hill repeats goes beyond just speed. You build muscular endurance, kinetic chain stability (a fancy way of saying the body is working efficiently from top to bottom which in turn leads to injury prevention) and stride efficiency. Beginner runners should start cautiously. While short, these repetitions are demanding.

The Details:

Find a hill that is at least 100 meters in length and relatively steep (approximately 6% grade). Run at a solid sprint, but not all out, up the hill for approximately 50-60 meters. Walk/light jog back to your starting point and repeat.

• Note how long it takes you to complete the 50-60 meters. You want to be sure you are fully recovered after each repeat such that your times for each repeat are consistent. If they are not, take more recovery time.
• I like to insert these repeats into the middle of an aerobic run day. For example, 20 minutes aerobic followed by hill repeats and finishing with 20 more minutes aerobic.
• Insert these repeats once every week to every other week as your training allows building up to a max of 10-12 total repetitions. Start with 2-4 reps if you are a beginner.
• For added strength, aim to also find hills that are steeper (I would not go steeper than 10% grade).

2. Lane 8 Progression Run

Progression runs certainly have tremendous physiological value but I also believe they are one of the best workouts for learning how to pace. If I had to pick one thing that is consistent across the board at races I attend it is the tendency for people to mismanage their pacing. Learning how to manage your pace will make you more aware of effort in short distance racing in addition to producing that attractive finishing time.

The Details:

• Head to the track for this controlled run. Warm up well for 10-15 minutes followed by light stretching. Then run 2 laps where you stride out the straights and coast the curves.
• Run 16 laps, 12 for beginners, in lane 8 on the track where you run EASY from the start line to the number 8 and at “pace” from the number 8 back to the start line. Yes, you are getting a tiny jog recovery each lap.
• “Pace” is as follows – 4 laps at 10K pace/effort, 4 laps just a little faster (approx. 5 sec/mi), 4 laps a little faster yet (approx. 5 more sec/mi), 4 laps making each lap a little faster than the last.
• Cool down well when done, 10-15 minutes.
• This workout forces you to start moderate and build your pace. You spend a decent amount of time at each pace, giving you the opportunity to recognize what different efforts feel like.

3. Pyramid Strides

I love strides. Strides in every form do something good for your running- they require you to go fast! At the end of the day, if you have not asked your body to run paces/efforts faster than you have in the past you cannot expect your results to change. With strides you are able to create proprioceptive awareness to switch gears and tolerance to uncomfortable efforts in a manageable way.

The Details:

• A pyramid stride is exactly as it implies, an effort where you build your pace and then ease off and can be easily inserted within or after a run. They are a great way to effectively generate speed in a safe way.
• Start with pyramid strides lasting 90 seconds. The first 30 seconds you build to good speed/turnover thinking about light and quick feet. The second 30 seconds you hold this effort aiming to maintain good form. For the final 30 seconds gradually ease off from the stride effort, allowing your body to decrease speed gently. Rest is as needed.
• Start with 4-6 strides after an easy run and build up to 8-10. Insert in the middle of a run to break up a pace rut.
• As you get more comfortable with the strides try changing up the duration to either 1 minute or 2 minutes in length. 1 minute pyramids are hard due to the shorter time you have to build your pace. 2 minute pyramids are also challenging due to the length you have to hold your effort.

Learn To Adjust! Front and Back derailleur

Great Instruction for derailleur adjustment, both front and back can be found.
How to check your front derailleur a Road Cycling video by rcuk