It's Really NOT About The Bike

With another Ironman looming in the not-too-distant future, obsessing about the race starts to balloon in my thoughts.  Am I taking the right bike for the climbs?  Are my shoes going to feel good for the run?  Will my goggles fog?  Have I trained enough?  Hydration, nutrition, endurance - oh my!

But after reading Bob Babbitt's narrative in Triathlete Magazine about his first Iron Journey in 1979, I'm 100 percent sure that it's NOT about carbon fiber, locking laces or aerobars.

Here's a brief excerpt from his article:

Bob Babbitt and friend - slowtwitch.com

"(In 1980, I) bungee-corded a (radio) to the padded handlebars of my $75 fire-damaged police auction bike, which also had a fuzzy raccoon seat cover, solid rubber tires because I couldn't change a flat plus panniers holding my sleeping bag and tent.  Since I thought Ironman was a two-day event (swim 2.4 and ride 56 on day one, ride 56 and run 26.2 on day two) it made sense to carry a portable hotel room, right?


When I emerged from Ala Moana Channel, I put on my long-sleeve shirt along with khaki shorts and belt, mounted up and headed off on the second part of my Ironman adventure.  Riding through Waikiki I turned on my radio and started to enjoy a day that I will never forget.


My crew gave me a Big Mac, fries and a Coke about 25 miles into the ride, a root beer snow cone at mile 80 and then a 45-minute massage between the bike and the run, which means I probably have one of the longest Ironman bike-to-run transitions ever.  


The marathon was more of a walk a shuffle than a run, but it didn't matter.  By that time I had already surprised myself.  I had no idea that I could complete this unbelievable event all in one day.  So when I did, I felt like I now had this business card in my pocket for the rest of my life that let me know I could accomplish anything I set my mind to - whether it was in business, sport or life."

Indeed, it's ALL about the journey and the experience -- not about a ten thousand dollar bike.

Enjoy the event.  Train hard.  And as Dori says, "Just keep swimming!"

Podium Stance At All Times

In the book "The Mental Edge" by Kenneth Baum, the author writes about how to maintain a positive  attitude while training and racing in any athletic event.  It's a good read if you struggle with self-doubt.  Here's a tip from his book:

Nadia

"Your posture is a direct link to the brain, and it can dramatically influence your self-confidence and your performance.  Assume the body posture you would have if you were playing at peak levels.  How would you be standing if you were at the top of your game?  How would you be moving?  What would your facial expression be?  Assume and maintain that posture and your game will improve."

Free Swim

When I arrived at Masters swim yesterday, for the first time ever, there was no coach on deck.  The Nationals meet was being set up, so we were left to our own devices.  In other words:  Free Swim!

Now, "Free Swim" might not mean anything to you.  But if you happened to spend any time in your youth at a public pool, you might appreciate those words as much as I do.  Back in the day, Free Swim meant the time was now yours to spash, dunk, dive and manhandle your way around the pool.  It meant Marco Polo matches, underwater tea parties, handstands and pretend gymnastics on the pool floor's balance beam, aka the lane line, and hour after hour of creative dives off the high dive.

Spending the afternoon goofing off at the pool meant freedom for us kids.  In our neighborhood, we got dropped off at the pool in the back of our neighbor's truck.  Car seats, seat belts, wha?  We'd spend from noon to dusk swimming at the pool with nary a parent in sight.  Our afternoon snack consisted of a melty Big Hunk that we'd shove into our mouths and then jump into the pool like we were getting away with something, since no food was allowed on deck.

In our town, the lifeguards knew us by name.  Our tan lines were tattooed on our bronze bodies.  And our feet were tougher than the thickest belt leather.

Morning swim was organized as a team, where we honed our strokes and perfected our starts from the blocks.

But afternoons were all about the fun -- jumping into the refreshing water and getting a reprive from the 100-plus Arizona temperatures.

Which is why still today, some of my favorite smells are potent chlorine and the whiff of a new latex swim cap.  Swimming for me is a pleasure - a rest from the heaviness of the world, a chance to become weightless and glide through one hour of the day.  No pounding the pavement, no endless spin of the cranks, just a solo effort through 50 yards of cool blue.

Masters swim I will always love.  But Free Swim - there's just nothing better.

Stretch Armstrong

Stretching is one of those things we all KNOW we should do it, but don't.  But then there is tightness, stress, and finally, injury.  Right?  And what/who's too blame?  Yep.

I asked Judy Stowers, a licensed stretch therapist, to give me her two cents about the benefits of stretching.  Judy stretches athletes for a living and if you've never had her put you through a session, you're missing out.  Here's what Judy had to say:

apexbodyworx.com

BENEFITS: It is quite possible that the greatest benefit of stretching is that it FEELS GOOD!!!  Our bodies adapt to stress much easier if the muscles in the body are free from tension.  When the muscles in the body are free from this tension, we eliminate, or greatly reduce, the risks of injury.

Whether in sport or just in our activities of daily living, stretching can help eliminate pain and stiffness in our bodies.  Stretching also greatly increases circulation in the body.  This is important because our bodies need good blood and oxygen flow in order to operate efficiently.

WHEN TO STRETCH:  You will read a variety of opinions on when to stretch.  The best advice I can give you on this is to stretch post-workout.  The exercise itself, running for example, should be its own warm up.  The post-workout stretch is vital to helping the muscles with recovery.

Each time we workout or put stress on our muscles, it creates tiny micro tears in the muscles.  Stretching will help the muscles recover from these tears and also help prevent soreness and injury.  There are certainly cases where stretching before can also be beneficial but by taking the time after your workout, you are applying the greatest benefit to your muscles.  Think of it as preparation for the next workout!

A NOTE ON BREATHING:  Breathing during a session of stretching is vital to the process of lengthening our muscles and reducing the tension found in the muscles.  If you are holding your breath while you are stretching, your body actually holds in the tension, thus eliminating the possibility for the muscle to relax and be lengthened.  Tension will always decrease in the muscles as you breathe out!  The body will not be able to feel relaxed in a stretch while the muscles are under tension.  By breathing through the stretch you are performing, you can physiologically alter the state of the muscle to be in a relaxed and lengthened state.

BEST APPROACH:  Again, you will find a variety of opinions on what is best.  With my training, I have found the best approach to be a contract-relax (C-R) approach.  With this approach, you can incorporate a brief contraction to the muscle, followed by a deeper stretch.  After a very strong contraction, the muscle's resistance to elongation is temporarily reduced, allowing us to stretch deeper than we would otherwise be able to do.  Following a pattern of C-R stretches will allow you to create the maximum amount of flexibility in the body!

There is much to be learned and applied with stretching!  I encourage you to spend some quiet time stretching and really FEEL your muscles lengthen.  If you take just a few minutes a day to stretch, you will feel invigorated and will perform better in your given sports and activities!

For more information about a personal stretching session, contact Judy at www.apexbodyworx.com.  It's better than a massage!

Thing I Have Learned This Week

Pristine Canyon Lake, Arizona

In no particular order:

--  Running and cycling with friends will help you go faster and farther than you thought you could on any given day. 

-- Compact cranksets are sweet and make hill climbing easier for these reasons: 

• Higher RPMs can be maintained on steep climbs because of a lower low gear.
• Closer spacing of the gears makes it easer to maintain the optimal cadence as wind gusts and or small changes in elevation cause small speed changes.
• Some maximal speed potential on down hills is lost, but unless you are sustaining speeds of over 33mph on the flats this shouldn't be an issue.


-- Salt Sticks work when you feel your legs cramping.


-- The new Honey Stinger Vanilla Waffles may be better than the original.


-- Support your local bike shop because they support you.


--Open water swimming is much different than pool swimming, and you should go jump in the lake often.


-- Do your long run on the day before your long bike/brick, not visa versa. **Mark Allen was right about this one.


--A good training week will give you confidence.  A bad one just sucks.


--Having a big race on your schedule gives you the motivation to get up before dawn to train.


--Naps are heaven sent.


--If tracking elevation gain on your Garmin is what keeps your pedaling, so be it.


--Exercise gives you endorphins.  And that, Martha Stewart, is a good thing.

The List Every Runner Should Memorize

There's a lot of terminology thrown around in the world of endurance training and racing.  And a lot of stuff that goes in one ear and out the other because, frankly, what is the difference between a tempo run and a cruise interval?

I found a concise TRAINING KEY in the Spring 2011 Runner's World.  I'm reprinting it here because I think it is such important information for every runner, which means you, my blogger friends.

LONG RUN:  These should be run at a conversational pace and on trail terrain similar to that of your race. Training specificity during your long run gives you the most bang for your buck.

FAST FINISH AND PROGRESSION RUN:  This is a dress rehearsal.  Test your gear on the trails that you'll be running on race day.  This workout should mimic your long run's steady pace, but in the last five minutes, increase your effort so that you are running faster than 5-K race pace.  Focus on your foot plant and practice weaving around obstacles on the trails without losing momentum.

HILL REPEATS:  An excellent way to strengthen the legs and increase the cardiovascular workload without stressing your joints.  Find a hill with a six to 10 percent grade that you can ascend in 60 to 90 seconds.  Jog back down to recover between reps.  Each hill repeat should be run at an effort equivalent to your mile race pace, which translates to roughly a 5-K race pace.  If you do not have an appropriate hill nearby, use a treadmill, highway overpass, or parking garage.

TEMPO INTERVALS:  Run these at 10-K race pace on an even, flat surface in order to maximize leg turnover.  Recover for four to five minutes between intervals.

CRUISE INTERVALS:  Run these on an even, flat surface as well.  These intervals are shorter and slightly faster than your Tempo Intervals (roughly 8-K pace).  Recovery is 200 meters for 1,000 meter repeats.

STRIDE WORKOUT:  Warm up thoroughly (15 to 30 minutes).  Gradually build your speed as you progress through each stride.  Focus on form and turnover.  These are not all-out sprints.  Cool down for 10 to 20 minutes.

EASY RUNS:  Run at your natural pace.  There is no need to push this workout.  You should run on whatever surface is most convenient for you.

OFF DAYS:  You can use these days as you wish - just no running.  Cross-training (yoga, swimming, biking, rowing) is fine, but be sure to incorporate only very light cross-training as you approach race day.

STRENGTH AND BALANCE TRAINING:  The key is to develop the muscles - particularly your hips, quads, glutes, and ankles - that aren't used enough during road running.  This training also helps cultivate proprioception, or your awareness of your own body relative to its surroundings.

Gilbert Has It Going On

I found a little hidden gem in Gilbert, Arizona last weekend.  K and I went for a run on the Gilbert canals and passed the beautiful Riparian Preserve.  What a nice place for a run!

The Preserve is 110 acres of land on the corner of Gilbert and Greenfield Roads.  There are gravel trails that wind their way through the park with marshes and desert landscape.  I think I saw cranes dipping their beaks into the water.  It was so cool!

Next to the Preserve is the eight-mile canal.  One side of the canal is paved, the other is dirt so runners and cyclists can both enjoy the trails through the city.  And every half a mile or so there are rustic bridges that cross the water, adding a quaint charm to the route.

Gilbert is really a great place to go for a run.  If you're looking for something new, give it a try.  Break from your own route and head to a new beautiful part of this great big city.