Entries Tagged as 'ironman'

You know you’re a triathlete when…

Someone on my team e-mailed me these. As you may have guessed, I can relate to most of these:

  1. You are over 30 and there is still someone in your life that you refer to as “coach”.
  2. Your last bike cost more than your first car.
  3. You have peed outdoors more times in the last year than you did in your first year of university.
  4. You think of mowing the lawn as a form of cross-training.
  5. You’ve worn a heart-rate monitor to bed.
  6. And it wasn’t when you were sleeping.
  7. You refer to the front hall of your house as the “transition area”.
  8. When you get home from a training session at the pool, the newspaper is just being delivered to your house.
  9. You have changed more flat tires this year than light bulbs.
  10. The most frequently used software program on your computer is the one that keeps track of your workouts.
  11. You have no idea why they call Cal Ripken Jr. “Iron Man” when, after all, he was a baseball player.
  12. The first three items on your grocery list are Gatorade, power bars, and gels.
  13. When you floss at night, it’s to get the bugs out of your teeth.

Tags: ironman, training, triathlon by TriathleteDad
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Why Train in the Morning?

When you are training for a big race like an Ironman or a triathalon, you need to workout twice a day. This means you won’t be able to escape a morning workout. Here’s are some good reasons to train in the morning.

  1. The kids are asleep.
  2. If you do it first thing, you’ll be less likely to make up an excuse about why you can’t do it later.
  3. An early morning workout kickstarts your metabolism.
  4. Releases endorphins, and gives you a great start for the day.
  5. It’s done. You don’t have to think about it again.
  6. You won’t miss your workout if something unexpected comes up later in the day.
  7. The gym, the streets, or wherever you train, will be less crowded.
  8. You’ll be free in the evening to rough-house with your kids, and read to them.
  9. Clears your mind, so you can plan your day, while you’re working out.
  10. You will be less likely to grab a donut… you’ll just feel too good.
  11. You’ll be hungry after your workout, and more likely to eat a substantial, good breakfast that can carry you through the day.
  12. When you work out at night, you can’t sleep for two hours after you work out, because of the increase in your heart rate. This makes it difficult for you to get some sleep.
  13. You’ll be able to get to bed earlier, and give yourself a good night’s rest, so your muscles recover.

Plus, there’s nothing like bragging to your buddies at lunch that you’re done.

Tags: ironman, training, triathlon by TriathleteDad
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Ironman Photos

To read the Ironman story, click here. swim swim

swim swim [Read more →]

Tags: bikes, cycling, ironman, running, swim, training, triathlon by TriathleteDad
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Hate the swim?

So do I. A strong swim has three benefits to any triathlete:

  • Efficient swimming can shave minutes off your triathlon time.
  • Swim training carries improved fitness that benefits the bike and the run portions of the triathlon.
  • Swimming is a full body work out that’s easy on your joints. Gives your body a break from the pounding of the run.

    • Swimming is all about technique.

    swim Poor technique can wear you out before you even get to your bike. Before my first Ironman, swiming was my weakest link. In fact, in my first triathlon 15 years ago, I swam with my head out of the water for the entire 1/2 mile. Before the IM, fishing and water skiing were my adventures with water. Swimming the Ironman’s 2.4 miles is much different than swimming to get the tow rope behind a ski boat. (In triathlon, the shortest distance race is a swim portion of 800 meters or about 1/2 mile.)

    Training for the triathlon swim adds about 3 extra hours of training every week, not even counting the travel to the pool or lake. That’s the main reason why I stuck to duathalons (run/bike/run) races for 8 years.

    I’ve improved a lot since then. Here’s how I improved my swim time: [Read more →]

    Tags: ironman, swim, training, triathlon by TriathleteDad
    3 Comments »

    5 Things that Helped Me Cross the Ironman Finish Line

    1. I was pumped up! I trained for 9 months, getting up at 5 in the morning to hit the gym or the pool, and I was finally here. With a sunny blue sky and amazing landscape, I just focused on being in the moment. I was living my dream of doing an Ironman.
    2. 5,000 Spectators that keep screaming “You can do it.”
    3. E-caps that kept my sodium levels in balance. Temps were soaring into the 90s (F), and in extreme heat your body [Read more →]

      Tags: ironman, training, triathlon by TriathleteDad
      9 Comments »

    Where do you find the time to train?

    One of my favorite blogs to read for business is Seth’s Blog. Today, he wrote about Marketing Time. How did I find time to train for an Ironman with four kids, a wife and a job? We’re all busy. And, there are a million excuses about why we don’t have time to train.

    A contractor that prides himself on finishing every single job on the day it’s due, regardless of what it takes, is telling a powerful story, doing marketing that’s actually cheaper and more effective than advertising ever could be.

    Finding time is a simple formula.

      Hit the pool.
      Hit the bike.
      Hit the track.

    Do your training today, and leave nothing left undone for tomorrow.

    Tags: bikes, cycling, ironman, swim, training by TriathleteDad
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    Extreme Shaving?

    I ran across this website. Interesting. And I thought this:

    • 2.4 mi (3.8 km) Swim
    • 112 mi (180 km) Run
    • 26.2 mi (42.195 km) marathon Run

    was an extreme sport.

    Tags: ironman, running, swim, training, triathlon by TriathleteDad
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    What are the official rules for Triathlon?

    According to Wikipedia, Traditionally, triathlon is an individual sport: each athlete is competing against the course and the clock for the best time. As such, athletes are not allowed to receive assistance from anyone else inside or outside the race, with the exception of race-sanctioned aid volunteers who distribute food and water on the course. This also means that team tactics, such as drafting, a cycling tactic in which several riders cluster closely to reduce the air resistance of the group, are not allowed.

    This has begun to change with the introduction of triathlon into the Olympic Games. Many Olympic-distance races, including the Olympics themselves and ITU World Cup events, now allow drafting during the cycling stage. This change has [Read more →]

    Tags: bikes, cycling, ironman, running, swim, triathlon by TriathleteDad
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    What is a triathlon?

    What is a Triathlon? A triathlon is an athletic event that includes swimming, running, and cycling. How long is the swim? How long is the bike? How long is the run? There are different lengths of triathlons:

    How long is a Sprint Triathlon?

    • ½ mile (750m) swim
    • 12.4-mile (20Km) swim
    • 3.1 mile (5km) run

    How long is an Olympic Triathlon? [Read more →]

    Tags: bikes, cycling, ironman, running, swim, triathlon by TriathleteDad
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    Triathlon Spring Training: Focus on Transition from Bike to Run

    Are you ready? A tough triathlon spring training schedule should put you to the test, by maximizing your workout in the last few weeks before triathlon race season. My team is holding triathlon spring training camp that will elevate our fitness to a high enough level to do well and above in the April and May races. Training is 6 of the next 7 days with at least two disciplines each day.

    One of the most important strategies you can focus on is the transition from bike to run. So if you can do nothing else, work on this crucial transition. This would entail biking say 1 - 3 hours depending on your race distance and then running within 5 mins after the bike for 15-25 mins. For Ironman the longest transition run would be about 45 mins . This helps get your muscles used to biking and running. For the extra motivated you can actually do 2-3 sets of this. Bike 45 mins, run 15 mins, bike 45 mins, run 15 mins, etc. This technique will almost eliminate your legs feeling like jelly in the race after the bike.

    I’ll post more as the training progresses over the next few weeks.

    Tags: bikes, cycling, ironman, running, triathlon by TriathleteDad
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