Leaving Blogspot for..............

.................................blog.triswami.com

Sorry for the trouble, but the above listed blog site partners with my website a bit better. It may be a few days before it is functional.

Regards,
'swami

OKAY- one last thing about run technique........

Providing unsolicited advice since 1996................

No picture today. Short and sweet. Try running barefoot (wear socks) on debris -free grass field. Give it about a 5 minute effort and build to 20 minutes. Do it once a week. The African runners are some of the most efficient and it's correlated with HOW they learn to run as youths. If you imagine running barefoot on pointy pebbles, hot coal, sand spurs, summer asphalt........whatever, you can picture that you would have fast feet and would probably strike mid-forefoot first, rather than heel to toe. Remember, contact time with the ground slows us down. Fast feet are those which are not touching the ground, but moving forward through the air. A mid-foot strike w/ hi rpm and forward lean will result in less contact time. Hence, moving forward at a faster rate.

That is the last you'll read about this topic from me for a while. It is time to move on the other things.

Regards,
'swami

More on running form..........

Providing unsolicited advice since 1996................

This month's edition of Triathlete magazine has an article "When Less or More", or some such, which may be very helpful for anyone even halfway interested in a running "make-over". The article addresses the virtues of minimalist shoes and how they can actually prevnt injury and promote a more natural foot strike and running stride. Not to mention, how some experts believe that the advances in shoe support and cushioning are actually contributing to injuries, rather than preventing them.

Here is where I throw in my own disclaimer- Dont' blame me if you get hurt trying this.

Now, I fully believe in the idea behind forward lean, mid-foot strike, minimalist shoe running, but if you are coming from a jogger, plodder, heel striking, beefy heeled shoe culture, then please, please, please take this slow. Dont go from a 13 oz New Balance to 5 oz racing flat or Newton. Maybe, move toward that slowly, by first going to a lightweight trainer with a nice forefoot midsole cushion. Also, dont try the new running form for 20 minutes at a time to start out. Build up to that with, perhaps, a "1 minute new form: 4 minutes old form" ratio for a total of 5 or 10 minutes of new form running and then build from there.

Now, when you are ready to go completely off the deep-end, get ya a pair of these Vibram's.

http://www.vibramfivefingers.com/index.cfm

Between these goofy little shoe/socks and a pair of compression hose, you can alienate, not just the average on-looker, but every self-resepcting triathlete/runner, as well.

Cheers,

'swami

Runners and Joggers

Providing unsolicited advice since 1996................

Runner or Jogger.......which one are you? The differences can be subtle. Just take a look at the pictures.

The difference between a runner and a jogger is less about speed or effort and more about technique........................and perhaps, a little 'tude. I believe anyone can be a runner and, for that matter, anyone can be a jogger. If, between your natural ability and the fitness that you have developed, you have a 20 minute 5k in you, but you cant seem to drop under 23, you may be jogging. Jogging fast mind you, but jogging.

So, after you have maxed out on natural ability and hard work, how do you find those extra 3 minutes? Efficiency! Technique! Gravity! Physics! Proper running form, an oft ignored part of the equation, is, in my humble opinion, the thing that separates runners from joggers. We are constantly being reminded of proper swim technique and pedaling technique. Why not take that great running fitness and package it with perfect form, too?

I could have chosen a picture of a real plodder, but I wanted to show a "jogger" whose flaws are subtle and are quite common. For the record, both these pictures are from a 5k. One, on a track and one, on the road. So, the "flying ghost" is not simply running 1/4s and "tan-man" is not on the tail-end of an IM run.

Books have been written about the virtues of "Evolution Running" the "Pose Method" etc. and I think they make a strong case. I cant dissect everything in these pictures on a simple blog entry. So, I will suggest that you google the above methods and key phrases like "mid-foot striking", "high cadence running", "forward lean", "lean from the ankles", "feet under hips" etc. And, if I might add; It all begins with posture, starting from head down. Core strength is integral in achieving and maintaining the proper posture and forward lean that it takes to transform from a jogger to a runner.

Gosh, there is soooooo much to discuss on this matter, but this is not the forum. Feel free to e-mail me at triswami@gmail.com.

Run like the deer that your grand-pa shot and fed you..............................only faster.

'swami

Lessons learned, re-learned and re-iterated

Providing unsolicited advice since 1996................

No, this is not a cat-themed blogspot, despite the last two pictures. This one is intended to be more of a self-portrait.

This weekend was exhausting and most of it was self-induced. Along the way, though, I was enlightened to a few things. Some old and some new.

The old-

1. My swimming sucks.

2. The first hard rides of Spring are humbling.

3. Alcohol (in excess) and training do not mix.

4. You cant ride "easy" in the hills or into a head wind.

The new-

1. J.C. is a sandbagging, deceitful, bastich!!!! Now, before you thumpers get all indignant; I am talking about the real J.C.- Joseph Conrad.

2. J.C. has created a new product- Ass Savior.....................................you'll have to ask him.

3. Andy Byrn has a serious drinking problem and he keeps getting me involved.

4. No matter how many times you take a new (to the family) dog outside, if she wants to crap inside, she'll hold it through a 1/2 mile walk and 30 minutes of play time in the backyard, just to make a deposit on your Persian rug.

5. My swimming still sucks.

Here was my weekend itinerary-

Sat-

Off of limited sleep (new dog) :-(

6a

Walk dog, round up "indoor cat(s)" who have taken a liking to the back deck and decided that today would be the day to chase birds into the neighbors yard, get "lost" and scare his parents. I think he was pissed at the attention the new gal was getting.

7a

3.5 hours on tri-bike w/ Bruce Gennari (one lunged, or not, he is still the best around), Kevin Crossman (trying out BG's 2008 tri-bike, and determined to "make it fast" so he could justify the purchase), Heath "I am either late or lost" Clark, Andy "Nordmeyer is paying dividends"Byrn, Todd "Go hard early and limp home" Collins, Richard "I'll bury myself and everyone with me" Kenmuir, and a cameo by Chris "Zone 4, but I'll say otherwise" Conlee- aka "Google Earth"

12p

Mowed the lawn for the first time this year........and so it begins.

2p

USAT-SE Tri Expo. Those who have been putting this on for 3 years, now, do a great job and we should all appreciate them for it. That said, this year's was a bit underwhelming. It was posted to run until 4p, but when we got there at 2:30, half the vendors were packed up and gone. Perhaps the fact it was held in March on a sunny day and people were out training. The previous 2 were held in Jan/Feb. I also understand that their lunch supplier bailed out at the last minute and left the organizers without lunch to serve the attendees. Who knows, but it just wasn't as I had come to expect.

4p

Mafiosa's for Excel Party. Beer, Beer, Beer, Pizza, Beer, Pizza, Beer, Beer. Man, let me tell ya what!!!! After a few beers, not only did the people get better looking and the conversation more engaging, but I looked stunning and was the absolute focus of the event. It was magical..........

................................

8p

Asleep on the couch after being chauffeured home by my beautiful and tolerant wife. Can you believe that the lies I told 23 years ago have kept her around this long? I said she was beautiful, not brilliant.

Sun-

9a

2 hr "recovery" ride with JC. Well, I was certainly thinking a lot about the other JC. Mr Conrad did not flog himself aerobically, or indulgently, on Saturday. So, my recovery ride turned into a "You go ahead Joseph, just take a left at the next crossroads and wait for me when that road ends" kind of ride. Joseph was strong and I was pathetic. He has just eliminated any excuse to miss the Saturday rides. Ridicule and guilt will reign should he not participate.

11a

Home, in a zombie state. Minor early Spring projects involving a skill saw, hammer, etc etc,

3p

Run errands (returning flawed dog -related supplies to retailer) in a zombie state.

4p

Excel T30 in a zombie state. Ass handed to me by all my peers....................................and the Senior Citizen water-aerobic class.

6p

Get report from Melanie on the latest dog "tricks". Grill chicken on the deck. Pass out.

Missy props and a random rant

Providing unsolicited advice since 1996................

I am going to quit blogging and let Missy Hulbert handle my IT marketing and Social Media.

http://missysironmanflorida2008.blogspot.com/

Is Social Media one of the 'mo-est terms ever created? Like sales and business folks using "synergy" and such. Wut-ehva!!!........are you feeding us lunch in exchange for our business relationship, or what? Say synergy one more time and I am eating a second Bread and Company lunch box on your dime. Synergy............................

Social Media is right there with synergy. Sure, I am using Social Media but did we really need a catch-all phrase for Twit/Face/Blog -o-matics? What's wrong with terms like "Twit or Facial"? Social Media..........................

Anyway, I digress, Missy's blog are hysterical and from the sound of things she has started a grass-roots movement of Nashvillians running in swimsuits. Ashley is gonna be pissed!!!

.......and she uses the "(see the subject matter in this picure) word" on her blog, a lot. I dont think I could get away with that.

Providing unsolicited advice since 1996................

There comes in time in all our lives when we realize we are slowing down. I am there. Trying to be a coach and remain a competitive athlete, at the same time, can be complicated. You want your athletes to improve and believe in your coaching philosophy and you want to stay in the mix as an athlete. Is it better to be faster than all your clients and remain that way? It is for the athlete in me, but what does that say about my coaching? I am coaching poor protoplasm, or am I poor coaching protoplasm? Now, it is widely known that you dont have to be a great athlete to be a great coach. Good thing for me! As they often say- "Those who CAN, do. Those who CAN'T, coach.". But the athlete in me still wants to go fast and stay high on the food chain while seeing my clients improve and excel. Well, my God-stolen talents, combined with age are making it difficult to keep up. And, now I have 2 clients poised to kick my arse this year and 3 more nipping at my heels. One, swims 2 lanes faster than me and complains about his run (which rivals mine). The other guy just jumped in the pool yesterday after a year layoff and led our lane for the first half of the workout..................

So, I am taking page out of Steve Martin's playbook-of-life. He once suggested that it would be funny to just "talk wrong" around your infant child so that he/she grows up to speak gibberish. From this point forward, I am just going to coach wrong. Hard track workouts, the night before a

1/2 marathon. Shots of tequila in water bottles to dull the pain (hmmmm, that may actually be worth a try). Major equipment changes the morning of a big race. Screw this coaching gig! I want to kick their butts.

Your ever humble and gracious Triswami.

This guy's wife will hurt you!!!!!!!

Providing unsolicited advice since 1996................

I understand why this dude in the picture, Richard Kenmuir, does a lot of swim,bike, run workouts. ..........It gets him away from the dungeon!!! AKA- Linda Kenmuir's home fitness studio.

Log on to www.fit2000usa and take a gander at her workout routines. To RK's credit, he is often her "client" in these workout videos and even leads some of the sets. But, make no mistake, she is the mastermind behind these on-line floggings. This site is phenomenal once you learn how to navigate it.............and interpret the audio- These 2 rock spiders have been living on this side of the pond for several years, now and there kids have a loverly southeastern US dialect. Richard and Linda, however, continue to speak in heavy RSA. At least, they have stopped speaking in Afrikans (sp?). But, I digress. Just watch the video and ignore the soft-spoken gibberish.

Triathletes, if you find it hard to fit in your strength training sessions, this is your site. A 20-30 minute on-line video session w Linda twice per week and that is all you need. So, as your triathlon volume increases and your available time for strength training decreases, this site is a great way to get in a short, but productive strength set.

You can do these workouts from home, office, or in the gym. You just need your laptop, a swiss, ball, 2 light-medium dumbells and a mat.

'swami

No finer people.....................

Providing unsolicited advice since 1996................

I just want to take this moment to congratulate a couple of friends who just got married. Since I didnt get clearance from them I guess I cant I.D. them, but if you know them, then you recognize them and if you don't, then what's in a name? Except to say that now they have the same name.

See, I promised I'd write something of substance today.

Regards

'Swami

No respect, I tell ya!!!!!

Providing unsolicited advice since 1996................

Molina, schmolina!!!! I open up the newly formatted Inside Triathlon and see this article by Scott Molina regarding the advances in technology and as I am reading it, I am thinking "I have been saying these very things to my clients and on my website for some time!!!". I could have written the article myself.

So why does this nimrod get the print in a major publication as I plunder in obscurity on my lowly blog?! Does no one see the sheer genius in my ramblings.....erh, teachings? Scott wasnt even my favorite during his racing days. He was a fearless and relentless competitor, but I was always a Mike Pigg and Dave Scott groupie. Now, after 20 years, he mirrors my thoughts while stealing my thunder. Bastage!!!!!!

So, why did he get write the article instead of me? Oh sure, he was first overall at Ironman Hawaii in 1988 and he won another 103 races over the course of his career. So, what! I was first overall to record the race on VHS and I am sure that I have DONE 104 races. Two of which were, indeed, Overall wins. Marty's Quadrathlon in the mid 90's and the 2003 AORN 5k in Chi-town. Between the two races I assure you, there were at least 100 people........if you include volunteers and spectators. I have the street cred, dammit!!! Just ask me. So, what gives? I need sum luv from the media. This blogging is getting me nowhere. I need a major publication to recognize my phenomenal acheivements and quirky writing skills.

Tomorrow, or the next, or the next, I will actually write something of substance regarding that very issue of Inside Tri, which was dedicated to current tech trends.

Regards,

'swami

Signing up v Throwin'down

Providing unsolicited advice since 1996................

Today one of my clients stated that she had experienced her 312th wake-up call. She was referring to the task that lay ahead in prepping for IM. Her wake up call was a 2 hour r ide in the hills. Now, she has been doing her homework, but all the trainer rides and core strength sessions cant replicate a windy ride in nasty hills. She did just fine, but me thinks she did not have fun and was having visions of a meltdown at the 12 IM bike ride if she felt this bad after 2 hours. I assured her that she was on schedule, but the time for skipped, shortened or slacker efforts expired on Feb 1.

It donned on me that truly might not appreciate what lies ahead. So, i shared with hr a paraphrased quote form the great Joe Paterno. he had used this, or something damn close to it after his team which had enjoyed great success the previous year and pre-season hype, but lost early in the season.................................................................... 'the will to win is important, but the will to prepare is essential."

This is sooooo true for those engaging in the first season of racing their first Ironman.

It's exciting to sign-up, envision the day, covet the t-shirt and justify the tattoo. Race day, or at least the thought of it, is "sexy". Getting up at 4a for 5a swim workout is not. The thought of being fit enough to complete an IM is awe inspiring, while the thought of a 4 hour training ride, on a morning that you wake up and just lying in bed you feel like have ALREADY done a 4 hour bike ride, is daunting.

So to borrow a bit from JoPa- "The desire to BE an ironman is nice, but the will to PREPARE for it is mandatory."

Regards

'Swami

This guy was bad-arse!!!!!!!

Providing unsolicited advice since 1996................

http://www.triathloncoach.com/principles.html

No, this is NOT a picture of me from the early 90s (I was waaaaaaaay hotter!), nor is the above a link to my website. Leave it to Triswami to promote someone else who coaches, but I am compelled to do so, as a final anecdotal to my recent ramblings regarding "Train fast to go fast", etc. This guy is Michael McCormack (No, not Chris McCormack) and he won Overall titles, back-to-back, at IM Canada in the early 90s.......... as an amateur !!!!!!

The reason he is important to me is the way he went about training for his second title. Granted, he didnt train as he did by choice, but that is beside the point. What he did, was add a lot validity to the argument of Quality over Quantity. A very important concept for amateurs faced with limited training time while trying to prep for a 1/2IM or longer. I shall limit my text to this and simply ask you to click the link and read the "Less equals More, Quality versus Quantity" article.

PS- Group ride. Sat 8:30.Model Airplane fields. Triathadorks on road bikes. 50 miles. See you there.

Regards

'swami

And the preacher said.....

............."Do as I say, not as I do !"

Conflicting motivations (wanting to train but happily obligated to a new business), deterents that needn't be (cold weather- why would that deter me from swimming indoors), a gap in vigilance (sleeping through my morning run) and simply biting off more than I can chew (poor planning/time management) add up to 2 missed workouts in the span of 12 hours.

Training has been going well and I am pleased, given the fact that it's early Feb. That doesnt ease the guilt when you are sitting here typing on your blog and the rest of your peers are stroking at Excel. Especially, after missing the Wed morning group run earlier today.

I DID get in a killer CTS podcast trainer ride this morning (when I finally got moving) but it doesnt ease the fact that I swim like a rock and need the pool time.

'Swami clients, dont let this be you! Stay on task. Keep your focus. Long warm days will be here soon enough and you want to be fit when they get here. Eye of the Tiger, Thousand Points of Lights, yada yada yada.

Until next time,

Swami

Providing unsolicited advice since 1996................

I am sadly delinquent in keeping my postings up to date. In addition to my coaching business being strangely busy in the dead of winter, I have started a new business. It's jus-kine-ah-wutcha-do when your employer of 6 years becomes your former employer. So, in the interest of staying in touch but keeping in short and sweet; I leave you with these random thoughts-

Pale and fat is no way to enjoy a week in Florida.
Self employment has, thus far, been very busy. If I can get organized and into a routine, it could be great.
I am sick of indoor trainers and cold weather.....and we have at least 6 more weeks of this crapola.
My wife deserves a medal.
I owe a trip to Dan's new store- Endurance Sports and Recreation
Getting old sucks.
I hope Bruce recovers nicely.
Excel rocks!!!!!
The folks at Gran Fondo and Fleet Feet treat me like a rock star. I hope they never look at my race results.

Providing unsolicited advice since 1996................

I have copied and pasted the following from my website in an attempt to populate my Blooger archives. I hope this looks relatively easy on the eyes.

1/23/09

"Including some limited high intensity work in your winter base training."

In last weeks initial "Triswami Speaks" which went out by old fashioned e-mail and can now be found on My Rants and Ruminations page of my website- www.triswami.com, I wrote about the divergent arguments of "Go slow to go fast" v "Go fast to go fast". My opinion was that there was validity to both, but for the average age grouper we could never get in enough "go slow" base to justify an extended base building season of soley zone 2 training. To clarify, we cant spend an hour spinning easy on the trainer or lightly jogging with Fido around the 'hood and think that this is aerobic base building. It's aerobic, but for this audience, neither of those is building on our base endurance. You need to be married to that dang trainer for 2 and 4 hours at a time or take Fido for a 2 hour trail trot if you want to be adding to your aerobic base. Except for a few psycho lab rats (Hello Bruce G) who can ride mindlessly indoors for hours at weeks on end.......most of us just wont get that volume in Jan-March. Our base/volume tends to increase at the same time our intensity picks up. Not ideal......but real. Certainly, training for a winter marathon can provide for serious running base, but for most us that means letting the swim and bike take a backseat. Some of that running fitness will transfer, but it will not replace a winter of training all 3 equally.So, what's my point? The point is that we need to incorporate some basic sub-threshold and anaerobic threshold efforts into our winter training. So, when Spring finally springs, we can handle a little bump in volume AND intensity at the same time. Now, we needn’t hammer ourselves into submission. I am not suggesting 5 x 1 mile repeats on the track at 5k pace or 8 x 5 min in a huge gear at high zone 4. I simply think we need to throw in some short fartlek efforts and pick-ups on the run once, maybe twice, per week and a few high HR efforts on the bike. Not very many reps and not very long, but something to make us a little uncomfortable without having lingering effects into the next workout. Combined with strength training and still a bevy (80-90% of the total volume) of easy aerobic training and you'll be better prepared for the Springtime beat down that we inevitably go through.Next week, I'll provide an anectodal to this article.

Triswami has spoken............
__________________________________________________________________________________________1/15/09Zone
1/15/09

"2 or Zone 4, that is the question."

It has become clear with the bevy of emails, blogs etc that the triathlon world is in mid-season form to debate the nuances of training. Not that anyone IS training, but boy-oh-boy can we talk about it!!!!!!!! So, until the weather turns and the days get longer, far be it from me to stand-by without putting in my two (or five) cents.

Okay, so……… the latest banter I saw were two separate debates. One, on “going slow to go fast” and the other, on “going fast to go fast”. I’d like to open with a suggestion that almost all these arguments must be qualified with whether we are talking about professional athletes or age group athletes. More precisely, athletes who have all the resources and time v those with limited resources and limited time. Triathlon is still a very young sport and research is limited. It’s not easy to find multiple studies yielding similar results. While at the same time, you can almost certainly find something to support any argument. Bottom line is, you have to find what works for you. I have some definite feelings about this-n-that (and clearly, I am right) based on my personal experience, combined with a pinch of science and skoash of common sense.

So, the simple version take-home-messages of these two schools of thought are-

You have to train at an easy aerobic level and build tons of volume before you can start working on the speed/power component.
v
You have to train at, or near, your anaerobic threshold in order to realize a movement in your HR zones and the ability to go faster at a lower heart rate.

There IS evidence to support both. The evidence is multi faceted and can be found in articles all over the internet. So, I won’t rehash. Suffice it say, both theories offer compelling rationale.

The “go slow to go fast” argument tends to hang it’s hat on the idea that you cannot train your anaerobic component sufficiently until after you have developed the aerobic component. I do not buy that completely, because there is a meshing of both anaerobic and aerobic training in almost everything we do. So, you are definitely still training the aerobic engine in middle of a set of all-out 50s in the pool.

Now, let’s stop for a moment and agree that both theories hold water and that ideally you build a huge base in the winter with long slow rides and runs and then integrate the hard stuff as the race season approaches. Sounds good. However, I have a HUGE problem believing that the average age grouper ever gets close to the type base volume required for this progression. We are going slow and short, when the idea is to go slow and long. Most elite athletes training for Olympic distance races put in more mileage (volume) than most age groupers training for Ironman. So, the age grouper misses part one of the equation. Their volume just isn’t very high. By virtue of winter weather and short days the age grouper’s volume tends to be less, not more, in the winter (aka base building season). So, if we wait to employ threshold efforts until our base is ideal, we’ll never get there. Plus, we risk injury if we start picking up the volume AND the intensity at the same time . i.e.- as the season approaches and the days get longer and warmer.

So, what is an age grouper to do when he is stuck inside all winter? Ride for 4 hours non-stop on his trainer? Hell No!!!! I think for the average age grouper there is something to be said for “go fast to go fast”. The trick is to go hard enough and often enough to get fit, while not going so hard, or so often that you either burn-out, or get injured.

In my next e-letter I’ll discuss my thoughts on “how hard and how often” (Insert Beavis and Butthead laugh, now)

Triswami has spoken……………__________________________________________________________________________________________

1/4/09

New Years Resolutions

We have all done it. Made resolutions and then have varying degree of success or failure. I am not a big fan of the new year resolution for the following reasons.
Resolution's root word is resolve. Relative to the general populace, do triathletes lack resolve?! I think not. Furthermore, do people actually reserve the changing of the calendar before they commit to changing or improving themselves? I suppose many do, but I'd suggest that these sort of resolutions are more likely than not, going to fail, because why wait until the new year to resolve something to which you are truly committed. I guess my point is, that we are only going to succeed in the resolutions that we truly want to do and why would we wait for the new year to do so? Often these new year resolutions are things we know we ought to do, but really don't want to. So, we use this annual tradition to make our lame commitment to something bound to fail. Now, I know that we have all succeeded at some point with a new year resolution, but it was probably something we wanted to do anyway. So how much resolve did it really take? For that matter, of these "successful" resolutions, how many took root and remain part of your daily life?
I have no closing thought, really; just that I think triathletes are already plenty resolute and a new calendar year will neither improve nor diminish the likelihood of clearing their already admirably high hurdles. You'll add that 4th swim per week when you get good ready, but not until then. A new year wont be the X factor. Which reminds me of a quote from famed PSU football coach Joe Paterno- "The will to win is important, but the will to prepare is vital".
So, I guess I did have a closing thought. Showing up on race day hoping/wanting/willing to do well has very little chance of occurring unless the preparation has been completed. I certainly hope a new year resolution is not going to be the motivating factor in your training. I hope the will to succeed will be insured by your will to prepare.

Cheers,
Triswami
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
10/18/08

This Winter Leave Your “laptop” at Home

Consider this. The 4 fastest times ever recorded at Kona occurred before 1997. Long before GPS and PowerTaps. Only the most forward thinking geeks were using HR zones during the 80s and early 90s. I’d argue that Dave Scott, Mark Allen and course record holder, Luc van Lierde were not necessarily superior athletes to today’s stars, like Macca, Stadler, Alexander etc. Yet, only Stadler's 2006 8:11:56 is even close to the four fastest times. If the only time that matters is your finish time, then this fact adds a little credibility to the notion that a lot of this new technology is placing artificial barriers on our training and racing. Scott, Allen and co. were hammering the bike and tearing up the track long before the Timex Ironman or Polar HR Monitor were common place. Never mind a GPS or Power Meter. That’s not to say they wouldn’t have used these things had they been around, but the fact is, they went faster with less electronic bio feedback.

So, crazy as this sounds, let me suggest that this off-season and pre-season you try running without a watch, or at least leave your HR monitor/GPS at home. Take a bike ride with no cyclometer and no pre-determined route, or mileage. I know; that’s down right tri-geek treason. Isn’t it? Run for the sake of running??!!! Blasphemy! Ride down the road less travelled. You know the road. The one that you rode past every week for the last 6 months and wondered where it led. Crazy stuff, I know.

“But coach, how will I know how far I rode? How fast I ran?”
First- It’s the off-season. So, who cares? Second- It’s the off-season (or in January, the pre-season). This is the time to work on technique, form, strength and flexibility. At most, you are building aerobic base. And third- It’s the OFF-season!!!
OFF……..as in “Turn your Garmin off.”

Simplify your life for a few months. Wait until Spring to break out the new “GPS Turbo Link Sublingual Probe and Core Temp Regulating Cyclo Juice Mixer”. You’ll have plenty of time to dial in the HR zones, avg.wattage etc. at that time.

Right now, most of your training should be in the aerobic/zone 2 range. That’s not to say that we can’t go hard just because you are sans tech. We have nothing to lose with a few months of primitive feedback. We might even hone our internal barometers a little and develop a better sense of RPE (Rate of Perceived Exertion). If you want to roll easy, roll easy. If you want to work the run a bit, go for it. Listen to your body. Follow your intuition. Set the pace from your internal speedometer. There is a lot to be said for using RPE rather than electronic bio feedback.

Regards,
Triswami

Providing unsolicited advice since 1996................

Okay, so lets try one with a picture in it!

Melanie is a great photographer, but many of her shots are of yours truly and I dont want this site to be an "I love Triswami." page.......those pictures on my website:-)......which, I may just shut down if this blog fits my needs. This shot, however, was not taken by Melanie.

This is Javier Rodriguez, a good friend of mine. It was taken while we were out in Co. with Chris Conlee doing the Suzuki 24 Hour Triathlon. I just think this picture is one for ages.

Providing unsolicited advice since 1996................

Yo! Triswami is trying, yet, another version of "social media" to get his gospel out to the public.
Stay tuned.