Improving your Swim

Many multi-sport athletes spend countless hours in the pool a year staring at a black line. With the intent on yardage rather than quality, many of these athletes seem to never get any faster in the water. Why is this?

Although swimming yardage will generally improve your swim endurance, it may not necessarily improve your swim speed. Compared to the other sports of running and cycling, swimming is a much more "form" oriented sport. To excel at swimming, not only must you spend time in the water, but you must have a specific focus for each workout.

This may mean on Monday doing 10 x 100 with :30 rest focusing on a tempo effort throughout the swim. And, on Thursday, this may mean emphasizing drilling and technique in the main set of Thursday's swim.

Drills, performed correctly, are the swimmer's best friend. Technique is so key in swimming that "drilling" must be performed year round to excel at swimming. There are many different types of swim drills that each focus on specific parts of the stroke. Find your weakness and find a drill that will help develop that weakness into a strength.

Check out this article for tips on how to improve your swim technique. For any questions or for any swim drills, feel free to email Jamie at coacha@triyourbest.com.

Racing Season is Almost Here

For many athletes, a race is the culmination of weeks and months worth of hard and focused training. The question that is always asked is "How hard is too hard?" when discussing a race.

Many athletes often train in a gray zone and thus are never able to find their "racing zone" when it comes to races. I was once told that one of the biggest mistakes endurance athletes make is not training hard enough on hard days and training too hard on easy days. This will leave an athlete too tired to race well and lacking enough hard efforts to really put forth a race effort.

So, how does one find their racing zone? Check out this article that details ways to find your racing zone. For more information, please contact Jamie at coach@triyourbest.com.

The Runner's Injury - Plantar Fasciitis

Every multi-sport athlete will likely, at one time in their life, have to deal with some type of injury that interrupts their training plans or even temporarily prevents them from doing the sports they love. For runners and triathletes alike, one of the most common injuries is that of Plantar Fasciitis.

The key to overcoming an injury is not only in prevention, but in the method of healing the injury. The longer the injury persists, the longer we are forced to cross-train or not work out at all. So, the question becomes, "How do I heal my injury without losing fitness"?

Check out the article below from Stacey Smith that details some options for healing of plantar fasciitis. Stacey is an up and coming running coach pending her USATF Coaching Certification. For more information on her training packages, feel free to email Stacey or Jamie Church.

"My marathon is eight weeks away, but I can't walk like a normal human being from my bed to the bathroom this morning! (Sound familiar???) When I wake up- my right heel, arch and achilles are seemingly 'stuck' in that shortened position they adopted six hours ago when I laid down to go to sleep. Only my right foot suffers the problem. Six hours ago I could walk like a normal person, yet I am now hobbling like a cowboy who just got off his horse after riding for a week straight! I roll out of bed. En-route to the bathroom I bow my legs out at the knees, balance myself completely on the outside edges of both feet with my ankle bones nearly touching the carpet when I walk. I'm only 35 years old for crying out loud! What's wrong with me? I've got 'marathon-on-the-brain' and I'm at my limit with this painful morning ritual!

Anyone who is blessed with this little nagging problem called 'plantar fasciitis' likely has a morning ritual similar to mine. I've talked to several other runners, walkers, podiatrists and non-athletes about this problem. I've tried every recommendation each of those people offered not to mention every suggested treatment I could find listed in books and online in order to avoid the dreaded final options of cortisone injections or surgery. With a combination of little things taken from all those sources I found a way to keep the plantar fascia demon at bay.

The routine: Do not be lax with this! Even when your feet feel good in the morning do not skip the routine! Before you step one foot out of bed, stretch your legs. Gently massage and work your toes, arch, achilles and especially your calves out of the short, tight position they've been stuck in since you fell asleep. Pull your toes up towards you and rub/massage the bottoms of your feet. The idea is to saturate your feet with blood so they're warm and 'pliable' BEFORE you get out of bed instead of expecting them to be happy holding up your entire being while they're cold, stiff and still asleep. This only takes a minute or two to do! Wake your feet up BEFORE you try to use them! I do this every morning. If I don't do it, my feet are still tight and inflexible when I try to stand on them. This only aggravates them and they start the day inflamed and irritated because I tried to stomp them to life with my weight when they were still sleeping! I end up spending the rest of the morning hobbling around trying to calm them down from an evil wake-up call.

You must do the wake-up stretching and massage religiously! At the recommendation of a friend I even spell the entire alphabet out with my feet after I'm done massaging them. I lay on my back, one leg raised, spelling out each letter of the alphabet with each foot individually. It isn't as easy as you think! I only got to letter 'k' on my first attempt. Your feet will gain so much flexibility if you include the alphabet session in your morning routine. Flexibility is key to eliminating plantar fascia problems. Simple, eh?

I take this all a step further (no pun intended!). While I'm having breakfast I rest my feet on a very warm bean-bag-buddy (Wal-Mart, $10) which pools the blood into my arches and heels and keeps the fascias warm, loose and flexible. I was always told to ICE my feet for plantar fascia (and I do ice after my workouts) but at the moment I'd rather my fascia and achilles be saturated with blood so they move freely in every direction. This way they won't become irritated when I really start walking around on them.

I find that stretching my calves throughout the day keeps my fascia from getting short and tight again as they tend to do when I sit down for any extended amount of time. Think about it. The calve stretch is key. The calve is the lifeline to the achilles which leads right down to that beloved fascia! It's a snowball effect. You must keep all the parts happy in order for them to make YOU happy.

The basic idea behind my routine is to stop the irritation of the fascia before it starts. Get those feet warmed up and ready before you use them in the morning. Keep them happy in little stretching spurts during the day. Ice them to reduce any inflammation after your workouts and walks. Heat them after you ice them so they become pliable again. Roll your arch over a golf ball to really get the circulation going deep into the base of the heel.

So, eight weeks later I ran my marathon. It was outstanding! I suffered no problems at all during or even after the event and I've noticed a huge decrease in pain and tightness of my fascia (even in the mornings!) ever since I started this routine. I STILL do all of these things every single day because I fear the monster will return if I stop the ritual. I can run more now than ever before and I can do speed workouts without being crippled for a week at a time. The routine is cake! Massage, stretch, heat, ice, maintain. Cake!"

The Correct Amount of Calories for Endurance Events

For many athletes, the "endurance" battle of triathlon is only the half the battle. The other part of the battle comes from the effort of getting the correct amount of calories. Too many calories and your body will not be able to digest the calories and will cause you to have stomach cramping or other problems. Too few calories and your body will not have enough energy to keep you going throughout the race.

Getting enough calories for your race is key. The way to take in these calories and the type of calories varies very differently depending on the length of the race. For example, in a one hour sprint triathlon, your body will be peaked out most of the time and be burning plenty of carbohydrates very quickly. But because your body has enough of these carbs to burn for around one and a half hours, you should be fine to use an electrolyte solution to stay hydrated.

With an Ironman however, it becomes very different. The athlete will be on the course anywhere from 9 hours to 17 hours and must be fueled for the entire race. Because this race will be raced at a more aerobic effort, it is important to teach your body first to take energy from your body's fat and then from the glycogen.

Nutrition can be a very funny thing and is very individualized for every athlete. What may work for you may not work for your friend. Check out this article on nutrition from 6 Time Hawaii Ironman winner Mark Allen. For more information or any questions, please email Jamie at coach@triyourbest.com.

The Benefits of Trail Running

For many people, running presents many obstacles including the chance of injury. Because running is such an impact sport, the harsh pounding from miles and miles on the pavement, can cause many different types of running injuries.

This is one of the reasons why triathlon in itself is becoming such a popular sport. Athletes like the three disciplines. Not only do the three sports give the athlete the chance to break things up, it also allows them to cross-train and hopefully keep injury free.

So, what if you love to run and still find that you have running injuries no matter what type of shoes you wear and how careful you are. Give trail running a try. Not only does trail running strengthen different muscles that you do not use while road running, it will also delay the onset of any type of injury because of the comparatively soft dirt.

Check out this article for more information on the benefits of trail running. For any more questions or for where to trail run in your area, please email Jamie at coach@triyourbest.com.

The Ingredients of Sweat

Have you ever wondered what is in the pool of sweat below your bike after your hard one hour trainer workout? And, have you ever wondered what type of supplements you should take to replace the electrolytes lost during your workout.

Even in the cold of winter, an athlete will not only lose fluid during a workout, but also many valuable electrolytes. So, the question becomes what electrolytes are lost and how does the athlete replace them? There are many "electrolyte" drinks such as Gatorade, Powerade, and others. These electrolyte replacements may be enough for some athletes, but some athletes may need more.

Check out this article for more information on what is in your sweat and how to replace the electrolytes.

Bilateral Breathing?

For many triathletes, the swim portion of the triathlon is their weakest. Because of this, some triathletes will spend countless hours in the pool trying to develop pure technique and correct form.

As mentioned in a previous post, to develop sound form, one must spend time perfecting what they are practicing. One of the most important fundamentals to swimming is the aspect of breathing. To have a sound swim portion of the race, the athlete must be comfortable with their ability to breathe - and hopefully to both sides.

As I have worked with various athletes over the years, I have found that it is much more natural for a person to tend to breathe dominantly to their dominant side. For example, I am left-handed and find that it is much more natural for me to breathe to my left side. From working with athletes, this can be said for 90% of the triathlete population.

So, a common question that is asked is "Should I breathe bilaterally or am I fine breathing to one side?" There are many benefits to breathing bilaterally. These benefits include a decrease risk of injury, the ability to sight to both sides, and many more muscular benefits.

Check out this article for more information on bilateral breathing. For more information, feel free to email Jamie at coach@triyourbest.com.

Strength Training for the Endurance Athlete

As we most endurance athletes begin now to become "serious" about their training, one of the questions also asked and always debated is "Should I be lifting weights?

Generally considered a "correct" thing to do, there are also negative attributes that can be attributed to lifting weights as well. One of the biggest is time. If an athlete only has time to do either a 45 minute bike or a 45 minute strength session focusing on the legs, usually it is better to go ahead and do the sport specific workout - the bike.

However, there are many positives associated with strength training such as stronger muscles and the ability to withstand injury. For more information on strength training for the endurance athlete, check out this article.

Practice Makes Perfect?

We have all heard the saying, "Practice Makes Perfect", but what if the technique you are practicing is far from perfect. Will this Practice still make Perfect?

In no sport in this more true than in swimming. In the bike and the run, athletes can muscle their way through the disciplines and still have great success. However, this is far from true with the swim. Swimming is very, very technique and form oriented and in order to get better and faster, not only must you swim consistently, but you also have to maintain and practice the proper form.

Check out this article that gives insight into proper form.

Training in the Winter

One of the hardest things to do as a multi-sport athlete is to dress appropriately for the workout. As athletes, we know that if we are going to go on a two hour ride in 30 degree temperatures, we must dress very warmly and make sure that we are not cold throughout the ride. However, what do we wear during a 50 degree day. Do we wear only arm warmers and shorts or do you wear arm warmers and leg warmers.

As an athlete, it is a must to dress appropriately so that you can focus on the workout at hand and not on the weather induced pain from the cold. Also, staying warm and not cold, will prevent hypothermia and extreme stress on the body.

For more winter workout tips and what to wear, check out this article from Coach Gale Bernhardt. For more information or any questions, feel free to email Jamie at coach@triyourbest.com.