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"A journey of 140.6 miles begins with a single swim stroke."© Cliff Eggink
Special 2009 Ironman Arizona Online Training Program.
Novice and Master Athletes are our specialty! LIMIT - six clients.
We are offering two plans, a 10 month plan that will begin February, 2009, and a 6 month training program will begin in June 2009.
The training plans are course specific and will be tailored to each individual athlete participating in our IM AZ November, 2009, program.
For people living out of state, we will have a course preview a day or two before the event. We will have a van tour of the bike course and a slow easy bike ride of the run course.
Each participant will complete a background questionnaire which includes athletic history, age, family status, medical history, type of bike and other equipment, goals, description of local training areas, etc. A heart rate monitor is also a must.
A hold harmless waiver must be signed and a release from his/her health care provider is also required.
Sign up for training will open December 1, 2008. Questions? irongeezer@irongeezer.com
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"JUST GET ACTIVE!"
* GET ACTIVE! Our permanent reminder to those of you that are not yet active. Get Active! Get Started! Step 1: Get up and be grateful that you are alive.
Step 2: Pick an activity. Play kickball, four square, dodge ball, do Nordic walking, Irish road bowling, wiffleball, synchronized swimming, four-on-four flag football, arm wrestle, exercise for weight loss, cross-train, stretch, play ping-pong, golf and carry your clubs, do yoga, do pilates, stand while you fish, play tennis, shoot some hoops, skate, kick a ball, play catch, jump waves, dance, hike, water-ski, stroll, horseback ride, skull, meander, bike, go to a gym, set up a gym at home, walk with purpose to do your errands, jump on a pogo stick, garden, clean house with gusto, rock climb, wash the car, be your own chore service provider, fidget, aquajog, fence, row, kayak, canoe, play handball, peddle boat, dragon boat, play croquet, throw a frisbee, bowl, participate in pool aerobics, do tai chi, play bocce or pickleball, play squash, H2O hockey, badminton, or racquetball, play horseshoes or shuffleboard, lift weights, surf, boogie-board, ski, skim board, play lacrosse or tether-ball, windsurf, do karate, jujitsu, ballroom dance, snorkel, curl, snowshoe, train for a sprint triathlon, scuba dive, jump rope -the possibilities are endless.
Step 3: If you don't know what activity to choose, start out doing what you liked to do as a child! PLAY.
Step 4: After you have picked an activity, and before getting active, get a physical from your health care provider. Also see your doctor before increasing the intensity, speed, or duration of any activity that you are already involved in.
Step 5: GET ACTIVE! Then relax, rest, and recover. Eat to fuel your LifeStyle, no more, no less.
"Getting Started" 5K or Sprint Triathlon - MAKE IT FUN!
* SET A HEALTH AND FITNESS GOAL! Make all of your life goals as specific as possible:
How long will you exercise today, tomorrow, next week? At what intensity or how hard? Focus on how achieving those goals will improve your life. Use a journal to record your goals and your progress toward them.
* CREATE A DAILY EXERCISE PLAN THAT YOU WILL STICK TO LONG-TERM, A PLAN THAT FITS INTO YOUR LIFESTYLE.
Begin slowly, at a low level of intensity, and build up gradually to 30 to 60 minutes of physical activity most days of the week. You can break the activities into shorter intervals, such as taking two 30 minute walks, or even doing four different activities (swim, bike, jog or hike) instead of taking a 60 minute walk.
* STAY COMMITTED!
Many people find it helps to share their health and fitness goals with a friend or family member. Online communities, such as Irongeezer.com and Irongeezer.org can also provide support.
Always check with your doctor before starting any new activity, or increasing the intensity of your present program.
Remember, speed, distance, and intensity will be different for everyone. Set an agenda and workout schedule that you are comfortable with. If you haven't been active and want to start, start out slowly and don't overdo it. Irongeezer.com
If you are looking for marathon or ironman distance plans, click > www.irongeezer.org
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Lessons From the Smartest Triathlete Alive How one rookie's mistakes helped transform her into a better athlete.
by Kathryn Bertine When a fellow triathlete once asked me what my background was, I told him that I was from New York. By the time I got around to my French Huguenot ancestry, the man clarified himself. “What I meant was, are you a swimmer, biker, or runner?” Oooooooh. That background. I mumbled something about running in high school, and then quickly slunk away. I had a lot to learn about triathlon, including how to spell the damn word so that it has only three syllables. Three years have passed since I did my first tri-ath-a-lon. Although I have a lot more to discover, my understanding of the sport has grown considerably. I have learned that with flip turns you will get superior momentum if you push off the wall with your feet instead of your head. Hence, the flip turn should be performed before you hit the wall, not as you do so. Goggles do not need to be asphyxiate-the-eyeball tight, and goggle marks should disappear after a few hours, not a few months. Learn the metric system: one lap of a long course pool is not 100 kilometres – it is best to find this out before you swim with others. Bathing suits do in fact have a life span, and if you try to convince anyone otherwise, they will quite literally see right through you. When racing, if you are on a first-name basis with the man in the kayak, you need to practice swimming a little straighter. I have also learned a thing or two about bikes. It is possible to fall off your trainer and have a near-death encounter with the coffee table. Helmets with big vents let in lots of nice, cool air. And small, mean bees. Spare tubes work best when taken with you on a ride. That spongy thing that comes with an aerobar water bottle is there to keep the water from splashing out over your bike and body. Do not throw it away thinking it is part of the packaging. The Big Chain Ring and the Little Chain Ring like to leave constellations of grease marks on your calves, which can later be observed on the southern hemisphere of your white couch. A derailleur is not a French dessert. Every bicycle component has an actual name, but the best bike mechanics are fluent in “thingy.” Odd entities appear in bike lanes, and the discarded Happy Meal toy can be just as deadly as the bulky two-by-four, although more fun to collect and trade. I have learned that for best results while doing a brick workout, you should change out of your cycling shoes before the run. Drinking or chowing down too much before going on a run is not advisable, but you have to do it once or twice to fully understand the repercussions. Eating or drinking too little will trigger an energy-depleted, ego-sapping condition known as “bonking,” the athletic synonym for “duh.” Running is most enjoyable with thin socks, cool weather, a hydrated body, and a well-fitting sports bra, of which only the first three exist. If it is true that we learn best from our mistakes, then I just may be the smartest triathlete alive. The best advice I can offer fellow rookie tri-geeks is to laugh at these moments of absurdity, because if you stick with triathlon for a while, you’ll have some good material for the self-deprecating comedian in you. Laugh at the goofy mistakes now, and you may be smiling at some pretty savoury successes in the future. After all, if you are tough enough to collide with a cactus in practice, do you really think that a sweaty, thornless human competitor is going to be as difficult to pass during a race? Every beginner’s mishap is destined to be a positive deposit in the experience bank. Except road rash. That’s just plain awful. IrongeezerSays: “Work Up A Sweat.”
According to the Council on Fitness, vigorous work-outs - when you're breathing hard and sweating - help your heart pump better, give you more energy and help you look and feel your best. Start with a warm-up that stretches your muscles. Include 20 minutes of aerobic activity, such as running, jogging, or dancing. Follow-up with activities that help make you stronger such as push-ups or lifting weights. Then cool-down with more stretching and deep breathing.
CYCLING workouts: www.irongeezer.org
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Your 12 week plan to your 1st sprint triathlon.
Swim - Bike - Run This program is for beginners of ALL AGES! It is not based on speed, but on endurance. You can go as slow, or fast as you want. The training schedule is in minutes, not yards or miles. Since this is your FIRST triathlon, the goal is to finish and to have fun! Before starting this program, you should have been walking, biking, or running consistently. If not, work on being able to swim for 20 minutes, bike 30 minutes and run/walk 20-30 minutes.
This plan is a record of what we did. We are not recommending that you follow this plan. Your plan is up to you, your doctor, and your coach.
If you can't do all the minutes in the program below, don't worry. 45 min. of running or 35 min. of swimming does sound like a lot. Just do the best you can. On race day, you will get an extra boost from race day adrenaline. However, make sure that you have done at least one 800 yard swim before your event, especially if your first tri is in a lake or the ocean and not in a pool. Biking will be easy at the sprint tri distance. During the run, you can stop and walk as much as is needed, it's allowed in an event.
This plan will be posted here thru 2010.
Put his site in your favorites, and refer to it as often as you need to when you start your training plan. A typical sprint triathlon is a 500 yard swim, 12 mile bike ride, and a 3 mile run. These distances are often expressed metrically: 400m swim, 20k bike and a 5k run. This training plan is in minutes, not miles or yards. Naturally, you can change the days of the week to suit your schedule.
| Week | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thur | Fri | Sat | Sun | | 1 | Swim 15 Run 20 | off | Bike 35 | Run 20 | Swim 30 | off | Bike 40 | | 2 | Swim 20 Run 25 | off | Bike 35 | Run 20 | Swim 30 | off | Bike 45 | | 3 | Swim 20 Run 25 | off | Bike 30 | Run 25 | Swim 35 | off | Bike 45 | | 4 | Swim 20 Bike 30 | off | Run 25 | Swim 25 | Bike 45 | off | Run 30 | | 5 | Swim 25 Run 30 | off | Run 25 | Run 30 | Swim 30 | off | Bike 45 | 6 EZ | Run 15 | off | Bike 25 | Run 15 | Bike 25 | off | Swim 20 | | 7 | Run 20 | off | Bike 30 | Bike 25 | Run 20 | off | Swim 25 | | 8 | Swim 25 Bike 35 | off | Run 35 | Bike 50 | Swim 30 | off | Run 35 | | 9 | Swim 25 Bike 35 | off | Run 25 | Swim 30 | Bike 35 Run 20 | off | Run 35 | | 10 | Swim 30 Run 30 | off | Bike 45 | Run 45 | Swim 35 | off | Bike 60 | | 11 | Swim 20 Bike 30 | off | Run 25 | Bike 35 | Swim 20 | off | Bike 55 Run 30 | | 12 | Swim 20 | off | off | Run 30 | Bike 45 | off | Swim20 | | Race | off | Bike 15 | off | Swim 10 | Run 10 | off | Race |
START -SWIM - TRANSITION #1 - BIKE - TRANSITOIN #2 - RUN - FINISH
The Start: Your race may start on dry land, or in the water. This information will be available when you sign up for the event. Find out about the start, and practice that type of start. Transition #1: Known as T1, swim to bike. After leaving the water, you will proceed to a transition area. You will need to don and fasten your bike helmet, shoes, glasses, race number, and whatever you need before mounting your bike. Your race web site and race packet will explain where the transition area will be located, and how to enter and exit. If not, check this out first thing race morning. Be sure to practice the swim to bike transition during your training. Transition #2: Known as T2, bike to run. You will return to the area that you left on your bike. You will remove your bike helmet, after racking your bike etc. Put on your running shoes, cap and any other special equipment (no personal audio equipment) that you prefer to have while you run. Practice the bike to run transition in your training. Tip 1: If at all possible, we recommend that you watch a triathlon in person, before you participate in your first one. It will make your first triathlon a little easier. Tip 2: Know the course. If the course is near your home, and it is safe to do so, practice on that course, at least once. Tip 3: Know the rules of triathlon. A sanctioned race - sanctioned by the governing body USAT - will adhere to the competitive rules of that organization. You should review these rules, especially the drafting rules. www.usatriathlon.org
Tip 4: You will here the word "brick" from triathletes during your training. A brick is when, in your training, you swim/bike, or bike/run, or swim/bike/run quickly in that order. It is what you will do in a triathlon, so it is a good idea to practice bricks. It will help your muscles adapt to the demands.
Always check with your doctor before starting a new training plan.
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Triathlon Tips from TriRenaissance Coaching, LLC www.TriRenaissance.com
Running: Preventing Overuse Injuries What causes an overuse injury in a runner? Overuse injury in a runner most often occurs because of a training error (running too far, too fast, too soon). With every mile that is run, the feet must absorb 110 tons of energy. Therefore, it is not surprising that up to 70% of runners develop injuries every year. Return to top How can overuse injury be prevented? You can decrease your risk of injury by following these recommendations: Do not increase running mileage by more than 10% per week. Do not run more than 45 miles per week. There is little evidence that running more than 45 miles per week improves your performance, but a great deal of evidence shows that running more than 45 miles per week increases your risk for an overuse injury. Do not run on slanted or uneven surfaces. The best running surface is soft, flat terrain. Do not "run through pain." Pain is a sign that should not be ignored, because it indicates that something is wrong. If you do have pain when you run, place ice on the area and rest for 2 or 3 days. If the pain continues for 1 week, see your doctor.
Follow hard training or running days with easy days. Change your running shoes every 500 miles. After this distance shoes lose their ability to absorb the shock of running. Source: familydoctor.com
IrongeezerSays: "Fix it Now" Pebble in your shoe, shoelace untied, starting to chafe? Whether in a race or a training run, or a walk, stop and fix the problem, whatever it is, as soon as you are aware of it.
It's not going to go away on its own, and will most likely get worse and be more of a bother and distraction as your run continues. Chafing, pebbles, sunburn, and various other problems will not only interfere with your run, but can cause lasting adverse conditions, if not corrected immediately. Remember, fix it now!
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Triathlon: Overtraining: Why You Should Think About it Now
Sent to us by Marc Strickland, Psy.D
For the purposes of this article you need to be familiar with three terms, overreaching, overtraining, and burnout. Overreaching is short-term overtraining that can be compensated for by adequate recovery, overtraining is an imbalance between stress and recovery, and burnout is a psychological and physical withdrawal from sport as a result of chronic stress. You may be asking yourself, why is he talking about this when my season has just started? Simple, they are cumulative and the behaviors you are engaging in now may have serious physical and psychological repercussions during this or next season. How then does an athlete avoid engaging in behaviors that might lead to burnout? The first step is to realize that overtraining and burnout are not just physical mechanisms. Burnout can be caused by the psychological stress and as an athlete you need to factor in life stress during the recovery portions of your training. Secondly, recovery is part of the training program. As you approach your A-race recognize that being under-recovered can be just as detrimental to your performance as being over-trained. Third, while most coaches talk about rest it is important to actually include rest in your training plans. Rest and recovery are the only times your body has to heal physically and psychologically. Lastly, use your support system (i.e. spouse, family, coach) to help you understand when you are possibly overtraining. They may be better predictors of your mood and ultimately better at helping you avoid injury and/or burnout. Overreaching, overtraining, and burnout are all avoidable if you structure your training and racing to allow for physical and psychological recovery. Do not fall prey to the “more is better” theory, because many times that is not true. Give yourself permission do only what is necessary to be a well-trained athlete. Marc Strickland is a Licensed Psychologist in Phoenix, AZ specializing in Sport Psychology. He focuses on helping endurance sport athletes improve their performance through mental preparation. IrongeezerSays™: “Do it the easy way!” Are you new to triathlon? Get a “number belt.” What is it? It is an elastic belt that snaps around the waist, with the official race number fastened to it. After exiting the swim, put it on in T1 with the number facing to the rear for the bike portion of the triathlon. In T2, simply spin the belt around so the number is facing forward for the run to the finish line. Do it the easy way, don’t pin the race number to the race uniform.
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