Cadel Evans’ Tour de France…
After three weeks racing through the mountains of France, Cadel Evans trailed Andy Schleck by only 57 seconds entering the
After three weeks racing through the mountains of France, Cadel Evans trailed Andy Schleck by only 57 seconds entering the
Champions are made through victory. It’s always impressive to watch an athlete who masters the measure of his/her sport and beats the competition to the line. In an event like last weekend’s Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii, victory means showing the world that you’re one of the greatest athletes on the planet. Multiple disciplines in 100+ Degree heat, for more than 8 grueling hours, clearly make this event one of the top challenges in the sporting world. And to win defines the victor as a champion. (click read more for the rest of the article) It takes more than victory, however, to become a hero. To be a hero, winning isn’t enough. To be a hero, you have to capture the imagination of those watching; to go outside the lines of the expected and rise above whatever line might have been pre-ordained. Being a hero means scoffing in the face of “experts.” Sometimes it means sacrificing your success for another. Other times, it means doing something no one else thought was possible. It’s an expression of oneself on the pitch, or the field, or the road, or the trail, or in the water with such passion and determination that a person looking on is forced to pause, to stare, to take notice that they’re watching something truly extraordinary. It takes more than a win to fill our hearts with passion, and excitement, and a deeper belief in the human spirit. It’s that rare individual who isn’t racing against the competition, but against possibility itself that we come to call hero. It’s that person who looks deep into the eyes of “reality” and says, “come on out chump, we’re gonna have a go,” It’s the person who isn’t racing to win, but rather to find out what the limits of greatness look like who we call a hero. On Saturday, in Kona, the greatest triathletes in world gathered to find out who was the champion. A 2.4 mile swim and a 112 mile bike ride, followed by a marathon to define the world’s greatest endurance athlete. At mile 50 of the bike portion of the race Trek Athlete Chris Lieto took to the front of the race and dared the rest of world’s best Triathletes to hang with him. He once again proved that he was the fastest cyclist in the sport and quickly built a 6 minute lead on the field and a 12 minute lead on the race favorites. While the rest of the field jockeyed for position and used the variable speed increases of one another to maintain a blistering pace, Lieto ran alone at the front with only his self-will and pride to keep him in the lead. While the race favorites raced to see who would win, Lieto did something more. He raced to see how fast was fast. He raced to see where the limits of endurance were, not the limits of his competitors. In the face of the experts who said he could never hold them off, he ran at the front of the hardest race on the planet for 22 miles before being overtaken by the eventual champion and the sport’s top runner Craig Alexander. It was another 1.5 miles before the champion would eventually pull away. Again and again the announcers changed their predictions of when he would be caught as he courageously held off the run specialists mile after agonizing mile. Every self-proclaimed race expert said he would “fade off the podium,” that “he wasn’t a good runner,” but someone forgot to tell Lieto. On Saturday in Kona, Chris Lieto road away from the best Triathletes in the world and dared them to, “come and get him.” It took 138.6 miles of a 140.6 mile race, and only the fastest runner the sport has seen for decades could answer that call. On Saturday, in Kona, Chris Lieto allowed courage to be his guide and raced, not against the rest of world’s best, but rather against his own personal limits. On Saturday, in Kona, Chris Lieto finished second in the world’s hardest race. On Saturday, in Kona, Craig Alexander became the 2009 Ironman World Champion, but Chris Lieto became something more. On Saturday in Kona, Chris Lieto became a hero. It’s events like these, fueled by performances of the true heroes, those individuals who push the limits of possibility, that fuel us here at Trek to push the limits of bicycle performance. It’s athletes and performances like Chris’s this weekend in Kona, that make us look at the bicycle and stop saying, how can we be better than our competition, and start saying how good can we really be. We are constantly reminded by the people who ride our bikes that being a champion can only make you better than your competition; it doesn’t allow you to find the extent of your ability. It’s the ethereal place beyond that where we will continue to drive. At Trek we love building bikes for champions, but it’s the heroes that capture our hearts and drive us be as good as we can. Thanks Chris for another fastest bike split, and for reminding us of the ingredients that make up success. Thanks for Reading and remember: Don’t worry about where you’re going, just keep riding.
Originally posted here:
Chris Lieto’s 2011 Trek…
Learning to swim is often the biggest hurdle for adults getting into triathlon. With all the literature and videos out there, is a coach necessary to get started? This month Sara McLarty debates Tim Edwards, a coach with North Coast Endurance in Cleveland, Ohio. Sara: With family and work schedules, very few people have the ability to train with a coach. Instead, it’s much easier to purchase a DVD or book that they can follow at their own pace. Most are cheaper than a session with a coach, plus you can also find free videos on YouTube. Tim: Most triathletes have Type A personalities and they are very driven by schedules. Getting together with a coach for an hour is not a huge hurdle to overcome. Newbies are often lost in the mountain of data. With so much to think about, they don’t have a logical progression to follow as they start their journey in the pool. A coach can break down the individual skills and move on only when they have mastered them. Sara: Triathlete recently outlined a simple way to create your own underwater video camera. You can film yourself in the pool and analyze your technique each week as you progress. Compare your video to professional swimmers online. Tim: Athletes can videotape themselves, but the feedback is delayed. They have to wait to download the video and spend time comparing. Trying a skill, having it analyzed by a coach, learning the corrections and trying it again is compressed into minutes—not days. This progression is worth the extra couple of bucks. RELATED: How To Analyze Your Own Swim Stroke Sara: I’ve coached some athletes who just won’t listen to what I say, even if I’ve told them a million times. They finally end up figuring it out themselves and when that happens, it sticks. Learning on your own forces you to think about what you are doing and why you are doing it. Tim: The swim usually creates the most stress for a new triathlete. A coach is able to mentally help out by being there in this new environment. I swim with many athletes the first time they are in open water, “holding their hands” as they get comfortable. No video or book will reassure them when they first encounter a breaking wave or a plant wrapping around their hand. Sara: I can’t really argue against having a coach with you for your open-water swim training. Other than going with a very experienced friend, I don’t recommend any athletes trying open water without some support system nearby. Tim: Empowering the athlete is excellent. Athletes who really want to reach that next level of competition need to have a high level of investment in the process. One of the best ways for athletes to learn is to combine video of their practice with analysis of the technique. Many athletes I have coached have finally “got it” when they can see with their own eyes. Triathlete final thoughts: Videos and books can get you started, but a great coach can take you much further in your swim training.
To be successful in any endurance event, you have to refuel. In this video, Dr. Bob Sallis explains the basics of energy sources for endurance athletes. More videos from Triathlete.com.
In this video, Dr Bob Sallis explains the causes of gastrointestinal problems during exercise and how to avoid them. More videos from Triathlete.com.
Reigning four-time Ironman World Champion Chrissie Wellington announced on her website that she will not compete in Ironman events in 2012 to pursue “other opportunities”. See the news release from her website, Chrissiewellington.org , below and check back to Triathlete.com as we continue to cover this breaking story. Photo: Nils Nilsen Four time World Champion and World Ironman Distance Record Holder, Chrissie Wellington has announced that she’ll be taking a break from competing in Ironman during 2012 to explore other opportunities, including the forthcoming publication of her autobiography, A Life Without Limits . Chrissie, who won her fourth World Championship in Kona, Hawaii, last October and maintained her unbeaten record at Ironman distance – making it 13 victories from 13 races – said of her decision, “I’ve given absolutely everything to Ironman over the past five years. However, this year I’ve decided to take a break as I would like to spend more time focusing on other pursuits including dedicating more time to my chosen charities, the publication of my book and more active promotion of the sport in the UK, as well as giving myself the chance to explore and seize new opportunities within triathlon and outside. I feel that I wouldn’t be able to pursue all of these different goals whilst simultaneously dedicating the energy and time needed to compete in Ironman events and treat them with the respect and complete dedication they deserve. PHOTOS: Chrissie Wellington In Kona The past five years have been absolutely incredible and I am extremely happy, proud and content with everything that I have achieved in the sport – topping it all off with the race of my life in Kona last year. I have always seen triathlon as a part of my life, rather than the be all and end all, and am looking forward to a little more variety and balance by pursuing other interests, as well as spending more time with my family and friends. I am really excited about what the future holds and being able to spend more time around the sport without the commitment of full time ironman training and racing”. RELATED VIDEOS – Chrissie In Kona: The Post-Race Interview Series
Need some new training ideas? Check out these sites for pilates exercises, yoga videos and other triathlon training videos aimed to help endurance athletes
The two 2010 Ironman World Champions, Chris McCormack and Mirinda Carfrae, were also the two athletes featured on Training Day. How did they prepare to win the Kona race? Find out in these videos
With personal trainers producing YouTube fitness videos, iPod Nanos sporting pedometers, and yogis practicing tree pose using the Wii Fit –technology has become one of the best ways to set and maintain fitness goals.
With personal trainers producing YouTube fitness videos, iPod Nanos sporting pedometers, and yogis practicing tree pose using the Wii Fit–technology has become one of the best ways to set and maintain fitness goals. We consulted sports professionals, fitness enthusiasts, and tech companies to find the latest and most interesting hardware, software, and Websites that you can use to get in shape …
Heading to participate in the Wildflower Triathlon Festival this weekend for the first time? Check out these photo galleries and videos from last year’s events to get an idea of what you’re getting yourself into. Photos 2009 Avia Wildflower Long Course Triathlon #1 2009 Avia Wildflower Long Course Triathlon #2 2009 Avia Wildflower Olympic Course Triathlon Photo Gallery Videos 2009 Wildflower
I did the Trainer ride with a Pro tonight at Inside Out Sports in Cary. The store sponsors these workouts (almost) every Tuesday evening at 6:30 pm. They are free – you just have to bring your own bike and your own trainer. It was great killer workout, and I plan on doing this every Tuesday evening. My new job is five minutes from Inside Out Sports. Tonight’s workout was led by local pro triathlete, Alex McDonald. Since I get off work at 5, and the workout starts at 6:30, I was the first one to arrive for the workout. Alex is a member of Team Timex, and he had some free schwag for the first one to arrive. That was me! How lucky is that. I got a brand new Timex Sleek 150 lap tap technology watch. It’s very slim design and I am wearing it right now as I type. I love it so far – very sleek and comfortable! I asked him if he would take my picture so I could tweet about my prize. (Click any image below to enlarge.) I tweeted: “won timex ironman tap watch cuz i was first to arrive at @alexmmtri spin class” The first thing we did after the warmup was isolated leg drills. That is where you unclip one leg and only spin with the other leg. We did alot of those, and I hated them. But that means they were good for me. Alex let me tweet a picture of him. I twote: “single leg drill at ios with @alexmmtri “. The middle part of the workout were three tempo sets. I love those. I am very good at steady eddie riding. Then we did some super spins. Hate, hate, hated those! But again, if you hate a workout, it means it is good. After the workout, Alex let us all try a Recovery drink called Ultragen made by First Endurance. It was really good tasting. Not too sweet like most similar products. I was very impressed. I tweeted: “free first endurance recovery drink from @alexmmtri yum ” One last picture for you to enjoy: Tweet: “at IOS – look at the P4’s!” …if you found this post inspiring, please help fight Hunger by supporting the Gatorade G Movement! Here is no comments yet by the time your rss reader get this, Do you want to be the first commentor? Hurry up
