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Coach's Tips
These ideas and experiences below are not for every athlete but try them to see if they work for you. At some time or another over the years they have very successfully worked for me or one of the athletes I have coached.
1. Running Technique
To run efficiently there are 3 things to focus on:
1) Point your nose 15-20 yards in front of you - this promotes a forward body lean;
2) Work on high leg turnover which means about 180 foot strikes per minute. The faster your foot turnover the faster you can run;
3) Do not let your hands come out too far in front of your chest. This promotes heel striking and probable deceleration (as you are landing so that force is pushing backward through your ankles, knees and hips) leading to muscle tightness and potential injury.
2. New Running Shoes
So, one of the BIG things that really makes a mess of people's legs is new running shoes. PLEASE do not buy new shoes (even if they are exactly the same as the ones you currently have) and not break them in slowly!
Buy new shoes (that's fine) and continue alternating by using the old ones as well. Use the new shoes for short runs for a couple of weeks before using for longer runs so that your legs get used to the cushioning/stability of the new shoes. Otherwise you will end up with sore legs or even worse an injury.
3. Over-Training
If you train hard every day, you'll wear your body down rather then build it up. You need to recover after a tough workout or race to give your muscles a chance to mend and to stock up on glycogen for your next hard effort. Here are a handful of ways to avoid overtraining:
- If your training program is leaving you tired and cranky, add another rest day into your schedule.
- Consider at least one recovery week each 4-5 weeks; train about 30-40% of your normal training.
- When you wake up, check your mood and muscle soreness. If a gloomy mood is accompanied by increased soreness, consider training very lightly for a few days.
- Monitor your training mileage. See if there are signs of doing too much too fast over the course of your training plan.
- If you've had a tough workout and your tri times slow down, don't force yourself to immediately train harder. Instead, rest for several days and resume training with a fresh spirit and body.
- Don't try to significantly up your training at a time when stress due to other life factors is on an upswing.
- Think quality over quantity in order to maximize training productivity.
4. Staying in your Heart Rate Zones
I strongly promote staying within required Heart Rate Zones to maximize your training value. However listen to your body! If you don't feel right you're most likely not well, if you feel great you most likely can push a bit harder. Do it!
Also when you should go hard go hard...when you can go easy go easy! Most people go too hard when they should go easy, and go too easy when they should go hard...promoting being average. YOU are not average...so train right!
5. Practice...practice...practice...
There is no substitute for practice - that's why you put in all those long hard hours of training. However it is common for athletes to not practice the little things - such as transitioning or mental preparation.
Don't make the mistake of not training for the 'little things!' - practice transitions, practice mental training prior to race day. Not only will you have a better race but it will be less frustrating. There is nothing worse than having a really good swim only to lose 3-4 mins trying to get your wetsuit off because you forgot the best way to do it.
It is smart to get videoed doing transitions...you'll be amazed at how much time you waste in repetitive movements or in not having a procedure to follow.
Coach's Articles
Proper Warmups Key to Swimming - published in the Tallahassee Democrat (3/7/09)
Know your Own Training Zones for Pacing - published in The Fleet Foot (March 2009)
Building a Successful Triathlon Training Program - published in GWTri Newsletter (April 2009)
Cut Race Times with Quick Transitions - published in the Tallahassee Democrat (4/25/09)
It's Time to Evaluate Your Performance - published in the Tallahassee Democrat (5/23/09)
Strength Training - Essential for Success - published in the Tallahassee Democrat (6/27/09)
Training with a Purpose - published in the Tallahassee Democrat (7/25/09)
Improving Fitness as Season comes to an End - published in the Tallahassee Democrat (8/22/09)
End of Season Kick - written by Coach Frank Duncan (8/30/09)
Time to Peak for Performance - published in the Tallahassee Democrat
Smart Planning for Next Season - published in the Tallahassee Democrat (11/28/09)
Effective Training with Focus Weeks - published in the Tallahassee Democrat (1/23/10)