Triathlon Journey

Couch to Sprint Tri: Transitions

Possibly the most daunting portion of a triathlon is the transition. With a little preparation, you can reduce your race anxiety and time in transition.

#1 – Get some practice in for your transition before race day!

It can be easy to overlook the transition in your training. But, you don’t want to end up tangled in a wetsuit pretzel 1/3 of the way through your event. Knowing what the transition is going to feel like will make your whole race go smoother and make it more fun too.

#2 – Keep it clean!

You will be working in a tight space with many other people. Be respectful. Lay a small towel to put your stuff on and keep your gear organized and within your space.

#3 – Every second counts!

Whether you are trying to win your race or just finish, remember that every second counts in triathlon. Transitions can be 90 seconds or 20 minutes. When you are just trying to get your bearings, time can pass you by without you even noticing. This doesn’t need to be the portion of the event that hinders your success.

#4 – Bring extra stuff!

When heading out on the bike or run, you don’t want to carry everything but the kitchen sink with you. But, it is ok to have spare and extra items in your transition area. Don’t be afraid to have a little more nutrition than you might need, extra socks if you wear them, supplies to change a bike tire, a garbage bag in case you need to cover your items in bad weather. The name of the game is: be prepared.

Here is a video with great ideas on how to go through transition and many other time saving tips:

Here is a video with instructions on a good way to remove that wetsuit:

See the couch to sprint triathlon training plan here.

Find out what gear you may or may not need here.

Get some easy tips and tricks for each event here.

Read about James’ (StrideBox Founder) first, second, and third week of training.

Subscribe to StrideBox here.

Couch to Tri: Technique Tips and Tricks

This week we hope to give you a few simple and easy tips for each of the three sports to help you move faster while saving that precious energy.

Swimming

The power in swimming comes from your hips. There should be little movement in your knees when kicking. Think about using those glutes and letting your hips do most of the work for your lower body.

You should be able to lay your body against the surface without moving. Next time you are in the pool, give it a try. Hands together in front of you lay flat against the surface of the water…do your feet and hips sink? They shouldn’t. Get those hips lifted to the surface.

Get out into the open water. I cannot stress enough that pool swimming is very different from open water swimming. Do not discount the value open water practice can have.

Here are some tips from the pros:

Cycling

When cycling you should feel smooth and fluid. No portion of your movement should be harder or easier than another unless you are changing your speed.

No rocking in your seat. Your hips and shoulders shouldn’t be moving around as you pedal. All of that movement is in the cycling in your legs.

Never stop peddling, even when coasting downhill.

Push the pedals with a flat foot. Pushing with either your toes or through your heels will fatigue some of the smaller muscles, like your calves.

Running

My favorite running tip is to picture your feet grabbing the ground and throwing it behind you. Naturally we thinking about falling forward, but throwing the ground behind you can be a game changer.

How your arms move can really help or hinder your run. Bend the arms and move them back and forth. Elbows should stay in and hands shouldn’t cross your body.

Keep the cadence of your feet quick and don’t let your stride be too long.

Here is a great video to help with running form:

See the couch to sprint triathlon training plan here.

Find out what gear you may or may not need here.

Read about James’ (StrideBox Founder) first and second week of training.

Subscribe to StrideBox here.

Couch To Tri – Week 1 Update

Hello runner,

This is James, for those of you who don’t know, almost three years ago, I launched StrideBox, and since then, it’s grown quite a bit, and although the endless hours, and many sleepless nights have helped it grow, they have also led me to a somewhat less active life than before. No time for training, no events, etc… In other words, all work and no play makes James a dull boy.

So in a fed up fit, I decided to get back to training and “competing” in events (participating is more like it.) I’m still working hard to grow and improve Stridebox, but as the saying goes… I don’t find time to run, I make time… It’s time to make time.

If you read Sarah’s kickoff article last week, you’ll know I’m starting with an event I’ve never done, a Sprint Triathlon… if you haven’t read and seen the training schedule, Click Here to read it.

Okay, with that into out of the way, I’ll be chiming in every Friday (from here on out) to give an update to the week, how my training went, and raise any questions about Triathlon training, fueling, racing, and anything else. I invite you to send your questions to us on twitter using the hashtag #sTRIdebox. If you don’t follow us on twitter, Go Here.

This Week – Balance and Efficiency

In these updates, I want to share a couple of struggle points for me, and how I’ve overcome them, plus any Tri-related questions I am running into. Please feel free to provide some feedback, and look for Sarah’s answer on the Monday edition.

The first one is balance…

…As in work/life/training balance. I know this is one many people struggle with, and I hit that head on this week with training. Even though it was only a paltry 3 days last week, I found it hard to squeeze in the training to fit the schedule.

Between getting the kids to school, putting in precious family time, and getting the next month’s StrideBox planned and put together, there were small bits of time, and getting changed, and getting on a bike or getting to the pool, or finding a good route to run was taking up much of the training time.

So, here’s what I did about it going forward:

#1: Scheduled workouts for certain times and days. I’m so easily scheduled for meeting, I will just treat this like a meeting and have it pre-scheduled. That way the times are always available.

#2: Packed any and all workout stuff in a bag that I’ll keep with me. This includes goggles and swimsuit as well as a change of underwear, running shorts and socks. That way, I’ll have no excuse to getting out and doing something even if only the shortest time window opens. As the boyscouts said, Be Prepared.

#3: Got the kids in swimming lessons. Being that I don’t have a pool in my backyard, I was wondering how to get my swimming time in. Well, my wife and I put the kids in swimming lessons. This gets them in the pool an hour a day 2x/week, which gives me some time to head to the lap pool to get my training in.

#4: I quit worrying about the perfect swim/bike/run, and just went. In between starting StrideBox and now, we moved to a new city, and I have no idea of the good running/biking trails around here. I also know that the pool will be crammed at times, and getting a perfect swim in may be out of the question. But I know the endurance will only come with time, and along the way, I am sure I’ll find the awesome trails and top secret swim times at the pool.

Big focus/question – Efficiency

In my past in the Marine Corps, we had a saying, “Slow is smooth, and smooth is fast.”*

During my training sessions this week, I struggled a bit with them, but not a lot. I do know though that if something doesn’t change, I’ll be in trouble come July 18th.

It’s because my technique is bad. There, I said it.

The swim especially. Making through a 15 minute swim was OK, I used to be a great swimmer (Thanks Marines), but I haven’t swam a lot lately, and knowing that I’ll have to get out of the water, and jump on a bike for 12 miles, then run for 3 miles. I know I’ll need some extra energy.

The swim is a downriver one, so I am not concerned about choppy waves, but I have to streamline my technique to make it as efficient as possible in order to keep up, and have the energy to jump out and with to bike mode. Same goes when switching from bike to run. Efficiency will be everything.

This week, I will still be pulling the week 2 schedule that Sarah posted HERE. But I will put a lot more emphasis on technique in the run, bike, and swim. I think doing this early will lead not only to more efficient racing, but also more efficient training. Figuring out the places I can save energy while not sacrificing time will be a big help on race day.

See you next Friday!

That’s all for this update. Like I said, I’ll be updating you on the progress all the way through race day on July 18. If you have any questions or help, feel free to send us a note on Twitter with hashtag #sTIRdebox

Until next time, Just Keep Running.

* We likely stole this from the SEALS.