Triathlons

Should You Use A Speedsuit? Which Speedsuits Are Best?

A speedsuit is a thin outer garment you wear in non-wet suit races that provides some hydrodynamic advantage over traditional triathlon racing suits.

They are awesome for warm water races because they really slip through the water. Wetsuits are faster overall due to their superior hydrodynamic and buoyancy and should always be used when the rules permit -- if you want to be as quick as possible.

You would only opt for the speedsuit if wetsuits were not allowed.

There is a mixed opinion about allowing speedsuits in triathlon events.

Continue reading: Best Speedsuits For Triathletes

4 Ways To Save Money As A Triathlete

How can you reduce the money you spend as a triathlete?

If you will adopt the following mentality, you can significantly lower the financial expense of training and competing in triathlons.

I've learned firsthand that these are some simple ways to save big bucks on gear, equipment, events, and other things that triathletes typically spend a lot of money on.

Continue reading: Triathlon Budget: How To Save Money

Overcoming Anxiety And Negative Thoughts As A Triathlete

One of the most significant mental or psychological disruptions for a triathlete is anxiety.

Some common triathlete anxieties include:

•   A newbie's anxiety in their first triathlon
•   Common pre-face jitters or nerves
•   Anxiety associated with open-water swimming
•   Fear of not making your split times in a race
•   General doubts about level of readiness
•   Anxiety caused by the unexpected or gear malfunction

 

There are several signs that signal that anxiety may be affecting your triathlon performance. They include:

•   Extreme nerves during competition
•   Lack of belief in yourself
•   Great in training, but terrible in competition
•   Training hard but getting little payback
•   Injuries or illnesses occurring just before competitions
•   Slumps in form
•   Regularly recurring problems in competition
•   Concentration and technical problems
•   Doubts, fears, worries and anxiety, worrying about what others think
•   Inconsistency in competition performances
•   Overly worrying about the "uncontrollables"
•   Feeling sick on the day of the triathlon
   

The sport of triathlon lends itself to anxiety for a few different reasons. Here are 2 of them:

#1 Replicating Race Conditions

First, it's very difficult to replicate race conditions in triathlon training.

If you train by yourself or with a partner or two, this is not the same as what happens in actual competition. A nice, calm open-water training swim with a couple tri friends is not the same as the mayhem of the typical triathlon swim, especially the start.

Even without the mayhem, there's normally a higher level of anxiety associated with performing in competition even if you've shown you can do it in training. This pretty much applies to all sports. You can make 20 consecutive free-throws in practice, but it is different standing on the free-throw line when there's 6 seconds left and you are down by one point.

#2 Abundance Of Triathlete Gear

Another stress area in the sport of triathlon involves the abundance of gear.

If you are a marathon runner, you have very little gear and no concerns of gear malfunction. The triathlete, on the other hand, has a multitude of gear items to keep track of, tote around, unpack, adjust, and assure proper functioning.

The gear issue alone can be a source of anxiety and stress on race day. You've already experienced this if you've ever misplaced or forgotten a gear item on race day, had a flat tire during the race, or needed that extra pair of goggles you never bothered purchasing.

Continue reading: Overcoming Anxiety & Negative Thoughts

How To Build Self-Confidence As A Triathlete

Athletes often say about their sports performance, "It's mostly mental."

In other words, many athletes have a similar set of physical skills and capacities, but what often enables one athlete to perform better than another is "mental" -- things such as confidence, focus, calm, resiliency, determination, and self-control.

We are prone to especially notice the superior athletic skills and abilities of epic athletes like Michael Jordon and Tiger Woods. They, however, attribute mental toughness as the key to their success. For example, Michael Jordan turned failure into a deep motivation for success, and claims his determination, not his natural talent, was his true greatness.

The mind is such a critical factor for sports performance that there's an entire field devoted to it: sports psychology.

Continue reading: Build Self-Confidence As A Triathlete

Is Triathlon A Dangerous Sport? What Are The Risks?

A new study that was released just days ago resulted in a sober warning directed at triathletes: "Triathlons pose at least twice the risk of sudden death as marathons do."

Dr. Kevin Harris, a cardiologist at the Minneapolis Heart Institute at Abbott Northwestern Hospital, led the study and presented results Saturday at an American College of Cardiology conference in Florida. The Minneapolis institute's foundation sponsored the work and tracks athlete-related sudden deaths in a national registry.

Statistics show that for every million participants in a 26.2-mile marathon, there will be 4 to 8 deaths.

The study shows that the rate for triathletes is far higher --15 out of a million. Almost all occurred during the swim portion of the triathlon.

Continue reading: Is Triathlon A Dangerous Sport?

Alternative Nutrition Options: Sports Drinks, Bars & Gels Without High Fructose Corn Syrup In Them

I recently read 2 interesting books, both by Michael Pollan:

• The Omnivore's Dilemma
   
• In Defense of Food

In both books, Pollan identifies and challenges the underlying premises of the modern American food industry ("the industrialization of eating"), which most people accept without question.

Pollan also provides an eye-opening history of how our culture of food has dramatically changed since the days of our grandparents, "What is driving such relentless change in the American diet? One force is a 32-billion-dollar food-marketing machine that thrives on change for its own sake."

The books inspired me to take inventory of everything I put into my body, including sports nutrition products.

Continue reading: Alternative Sports Nutrition

Essential Oils And Alternative Remedies For A Triathlete's Aches & Pains

I'm over 40. Though that doesn't prevent me from being an endurance athlete, the aches and pains have multiplied compared to my 20's and 30's.

After a long run, I walk gingerly through the house, grimace in pain when getting out of a chair, and normally have difficulty sleeping that night. If I had a dollar for every bottle of ibuprofen I've used, I'd be set even if Wall Street collapsed... again.

But some time ago, I did some research on NSAIDs and grew concerned. I began exploring alternatives.

Continue reading: Essential Oils & Alternative Remedies

Alternative Health Options For Triathletes

The predominant current healthcare system in the U.S. is a configuration of:

• Doctors and other medical professionals;
   
• Hospitals, clinics, and doctor's offices; and
   
• The use of drugs and medical procedures to treat patient injury and illness.

Our system is the most advanced of its kind in the world.

The cost associated with healthcare is massive. The U.S. spends nearly $2 trillion on healthcare, which includes $200 billion on prescriptions annually.

I'm not an anti-medical establishment guy, but it was a little worrisome to discover the following trends in conventional healthcare...

Continue reading: Alternative Health For Triathletes

Common Triathlete Injuries & How To Treat Them

Every triathlete wants to be healthy and injury-free. But consistently pushing the body to its limits inevitably results in injury.

Injuries in triathletes are common, and can significantly hinder training and affect racing performance. It is vital that triathletes quickly recognize and treat injuries.

In a nutshell, if you don't manage injuries well as a triathlete, you are not going to be very successful.

Following are some of the most common triathlete injuries and how to treat them...

Continue reading: Evaluating Conventional Health Care

Best Triathlon Gear Bags That Hold Everything A Triathlete Needs

Do yourself a favor, get a triathlon gear bag.

Things go so much smoother if you can transport your triathlon gear in a bag specifically designed for that purpose.

A newbie may think of this as a "luxury" -- until they leave behind or lose an important gear item on race day as a result of a sloppy pack and travel plan.

There is a tremendous amount of gear you have to pack and carry to a triathlon.

With the exception of your bike and the few items stored in your saddle bag, all the rest of the stuff has to be packed in something.

You could cram everything into 2 or 3 different bags, wondering if you missed anything, and forgetting what gear is in which bag OR you could purchase a triathlon gear bag that sorts it out for you.

Continue reading: Best Triathlon Gear Bags