Can training be simple and should it be? Although many of us use sport to unplug from the rest our busy, dynamic lives, we tend to stay overly “plugged in” to our metrics. Certainly there are times to adhere to prescribed watts or paces, but when we lack an adaptive approach to training and become exclusively … Continued
We may have had a snowfall last week, but we’re officially into spring, and April is the perfect time to tidy up your training plan, training habits, and give your gear a scrub. Here are 5 steps to a sparkling shoulder season. 1. Tune Your Bike As you move from riding exclusively indoors on the … Continued
Starting a new season with an injury can feel utterly deflating, but it doesn’t have to. There are definitely ways to keep your spirits up, your fitness building and make significant improvements to your swim, bike or run. Taking the time to honour your injury while finding alternative ways to keep moving can even help … Continued
Of the three disciplines triathletes train for, swimming is the most inefficient from a prep time to workout time perspective. For each swim workout, whether it be 30 minutes or 2 hours, you need to get to the venue, find parking, change, socialize, workout, shower, change, return to work, or home or elsewhere. I sometimes … Continued
Get your freestyle stroke analyzed – An effective way to correct technique is to have your stroke videotaped and analyzed by an experienced swim technician. You can increase the effectiveness of one of these sessions by repeating the process with the same, trusted, technician. You will only know whether you have integrated the changes from the analysis if you are … Continued
Chess is to checkers what the triathlon swim is to racing in a pool. While they’re both fun, chess requires knowing more game pieces and experimenting with a few more moves. The variable nature of open water ensures that there is not a silver bullet workout when it comes to developing speed. Athletes who are … Continued
Breathing technique is the key to swimming fast, swimming relaxed and your buoyancy. It is the single most important technical skill that swimmers must master, and it is the skill that is most often misunderstood, poorly taught and ignored. Below, I explain how to breathe and improve your breath-holding capabilities. Here are the steps to … Continued
Of the three disciplines triathletes train for, swimming is the most inefficient from a prep time to workout time perspective. For each swim workout, whether it be 30 minutes or 2 hours, you need to get to the venue, find parking, change, socialize, workout, shower, change, return to work, or home or elsewhere. I sometimes … Continued
If you’re training for an Ironman or half-Ironman, it’s important to include some longer swim sessions into your training program. Those should either cover cover the race distance or last as long as your projected completion time for the swim. You need to do this in order to develop your muscular endurance, your mental stamina … Continued
Most seasoned triathletes understand the importance of training with power on the bike. Power in the water is just as critical, but unfortunately it is less understood. The good news is that swim power is easily explained and the tools can be bought for less than $40 – considerably less than power for your bike. … Continued