Triathlons

How To Prepare Your Bike For The Triathlon Season

Spring weather is on its way!

No more indoor trainers or spin classes; pretty soon all your riding will be outdoors.

Are you and your bike ready for the road and primed for the upcoming triathlon season?

Following are some tips to help you prepare your bike after the winter hiatus. Topics covered:

• How to change a flat tire
   
• How to clean and lube your bike
   
• How to tune-up your bike

...and other basic bike maintenance tips.

Continue reading: Prepare Your Bike For A Triathlon

High-Tech Bikes & Gear For Triathletes

There is always room for improvement.

This post identifies a few of the latest high-tech bike gear options for triathletes, including:

• triathlon bikes
• shoes
• socks
• LED lights
• Lace locks
• Gel bottles

Continue reading: High-Tech Gear For Triathletes

Triathlete Bike Gear: Best Ways To Carry Nutrition & Hydration Supplies While Cycling

There are a lot of options in terms of gear accessories for your bike so you can carry your nutrition-related items during triathlon training and competition.

In a nutshell, during triathlon training and competition -- especially long distance triathlons -- the major re-fueling time is during the biking leg. Obviously, you can't re-fuel during the swim, and were you to wait for the run to take in nutrition, it would be too late.

A critical time for re-fueling is on the bike, and you need a good way to carry all of your nutrition and hydration supplies.  

Here are some ways to carry those items with you on the bike...

Continue reading: How To Carry Energy Supplies On Your Bike

Bodyweight Exercises Build Functional Strength For Triathletes

When it comes to building functional strength as a triathlete, there is the question of bodyweight exercises verses free-weight exercises.

Bodyweight exercises are exactly what they sound like: exercises that rely on your body weight alone -- no weights and no machines that provide resistance.

The most common are push-ups, sit-ups, and squats. Other examples are pull-ups, swinging exercises, dips, and bending or twisting exercises. There are hundreds of variations of these basic exercises.

Continue reading: Bodyweight Exercises For Triathletes

Functional Strength Training vs Weight Machines For Triathletes

A while back at the gym I was doing bench press. For my body weight, I was benching a significant amount. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed a guy across the way doing wide-grip pull-ups.

When I finished bench press, I moseyed over to the pull-up bar to give it a shot. How embarrassing! I used every ounce of energy I had to do 2... okay, one and a half.

The following week, I saw the same guy in the gym doing handstand push-ups. I decided to start doing pull-ups regularly, and now I'm up to in 10 for consecutive wide-grip pull-ups.

I'm sure you've heard the phrase about being "Army Strong." I got to wondering about the difference between being weight-lifting strong and being bodyweight strong and if the difference could mean something significant for the triathlete.

What kind of strength does one need as a triathlete?

The next couple posts are going to cover some of what I learned as I explored this question.

Continue reading: Functional Strength Training vs Weight Machines

Staying Hydrated: Dehydration, Overhydration & Body Weight Loss

What are the key fuels that need to be replenished during endurance training and competition?

First and foremost, water. Water is considered the most important substance on Earth. It covers 71% of the Earth's surface.

The human body is anywhere from 55% to 78% water, depending on body size. To function properly, the body requires between one and 7 liters of water per day to avoid dehydration.

Water is the number one concern on any athlete's intake list. This is especially true for triathletes. You must stay hydrated for optimal performance as an endurance athlete. As you swim, bike, and run long distances, you sweat -- which means you lose body weight since water comprises the highest percentage of your weight.

Continue reading: Dehydration, Overhydration & Body Weight Loss

Re-Fueling Strategies For Triathletes: Sports Energy Drinks, Bars, Gels, Pills & Mixes

On my last long run, which was an 18-miler, I carried one 24 oz. bottle of diluted Gatorade and one PowerBar Gel.

Frankly, this probably wasn't enough. I ran out of Gatorade too early, and another Gel might have helped.

Wouldn't it be nice if you could know exactly how to re-fuel during endurance training and competition to ensure your body had everything it needs to perform at its best?

The good news is that you can know, and the next few posts are going to deal with this issue.

Continue reading: Triathlete Refueling Strategies

How To Put The Fun Back In Triathlons, Training And Being A Triathlete

Sometimes, in order to survive as a triathlete, you've got to break the rules.

Let’s begin by stating the obvious, which is often the first thing we lose sight of on the journey: Training and competing in triathlons is something you chose to do.

Whatever circumstances and motivations led to becoming a triathlete, it’s something you voluntarily chose to get into. No one is making you train and compete in triathlons. There is no gun to your head demanding you sign up for the Florida Challenge Triathlon. Right now, you could pull the plug on the entire triathlon thing if you wanted.

Your motivation for doing triathlons was likely a very positive one, and perhaps it was all worthwhile and inspiring at first. But now it’s a routine -- day after day after day after day of the same old thing. Swim, bike, run, repeat. Lift weights, stretch, repeat. Eat carbs, eat protein, drink water, repeat. Ice shoulder, apply IB Relief cream to feet, use heat pack on lower back, repeat. Rise early in the morning, check off another demanding training session, work, start fading around 7:30 p.m., repeat; oh yeah, do extra on the weekends.

You may be suffering with a severe case of the triathlon doldrums if you have any of the following signs...

Continue reading: Put The Fun Back In Triathlon Training

How A Cycling Power Meter Can Help Triathletes

Bicycle power meters are the new rage for triathletes.

The Internet is brimming with articles, videos, and testimonials raving about the benefits of using a power meter. So now you're wondering if you should get one.

Consider this a crash course on power meters to help you determine if a power meter could help you in your training as a triathlete.

Continue reading: How Bike Power Meters Help Cyclists

Ironman Triathlons: Are You Ready For An Ironman?

The crown jewel of the sport of triathlon is the Ironman Triathlon - 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, 26.2 run. Many of the most popular Ironman races and venues fill up in less than 60 minutes.

Most triathletes of every stripe at least flirt with the idea of doing the Ironman. It's contagious. It's quite a phenomenon that it's actually trendy now for people to want to subject themselves to this torture. People want the tattoo, or at least the finisher metal. We image updating our Facebook status as follows: "Susan is recovering from yesterday's IRONMAN triathlon."

So the two main questions are: Should you even consider doing an Ironman? Are you ready for an Ironman?

Continue reading: Are You Ready For Ironman?