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Fearful Of The Open Water? Try…

admin — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 19:12:51 +0000

Choppy water. Flailing arms And legs. Sharks. Limited visibility. Frigid temperatures. Shuddering yet? The fear of open water holds back a lot of triathletes who are otherwise confident swimmers, taking pre-race anxiety to another level. To help athletes with this problem, Lidia Garcia uses hypnotism. “Regardless of their training, if athletes have a doubt in their minds, what they’re focused on is probably going to come true,” says the hypnotherapist and running coach from Toluca Lake, Calif. Through hypnosis, Garcia can desensitize the fear until athletes are ready to race with confidence. Most of Garcia’s clients fear “the pack”: getting beat up by fellow swimmers or missing a breath because water splashed in their mouths. Under hypnosis, she guides them through race day step by step. As soon as they show signs of anxiety, she’ll go through the fear over and over until the athlete can pass through. “It’s just like going on a rollercoaster,” Garcia says. “The first time it was scary, but the 20th time it’s like nothing. As soon as the water fear comes up and they get anxious, I replace that feeling with something else.” Sports psychologists across the country are using hypnosis to help prepare athletes for competition. Runner Kara Goucher works with a sports psychologist who uses mental rehearsals, mantra reciting and anchors (triggers for emotional or physical changes), all techniques Garcia also incorporates. Garcia starts sessions with an interview process to understand how your fear was manifested and why it’s holding you back. From there, she’s able to create suggestions to change the ideas you have in your subconscious mind. If you’re thinking, “I can’t be hypnotized,” take note: Garcia says athletes are actually easier to hypnotize because of the mind-body connection they have from doing an individualized sport. And hypnosis doesn’t involve the pendulum-swinging “you are getting verrrry sleepy” scenario that leads to dancing with a broom in front of a room of strangers. She says everyone is hypnotized on a regular basis—those moments where you forget the past five minutes while driving, or when you’re crying during a movie, or how you feel right before you fall asleep, are all trance-like states. Overcome Your Open Water Fear • Create a vision board. Include photos of a goal race PR, your planned reward after the race (i.e. Coldstone) or a cutout of your head on Chrissie or Macca’s body. “Look at it for 15 minutes in the morning, 15 minutes at night. Meditating on it will change how the subconscious mind sees the result,” Garcia says. • Put “anchors” in place—decide on a motion that reminds you that you’re safe. (Touching two fingers together is a common one.) • Come up with a mantra that’s present and positive. “Keep moving forward,” for example. • Do a full mental rehearsal of your race from alarm clock to finish line. The more often, the better. • Try a session with Garcia if you’re in the area (starting around $80), or contact her for a recorded hypnosis that you can listen to pre-race. Lidiamgarcia.com More swim training articles from Triathlete.com.

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Fearful Of The Open Water? Try…

5 Tips For Avoiding Cycling…

admin — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 18:46:14 +0000

Photo: Paul Phillips Cycling is an extremely repetitive sport that involves long duration and high-intensity training—which can ultimately lead to injury. Much like changing your car’s oil allows it to perform better and last longer, these five injury prevention techniques can help you perform at a higher level and reduce your risk of overuse. 1. Pre-workout: Perform dynamic stretches for 5–10 minutes, such as leg crossovers and scorpions to open up the hips and spine. They will help reduce joint and muscle stiffness prior to hopping on the bike. 2. During the workout: Keep your cadence at 90 rpm or greater to reduce stress on the knee, specifically the patellofemoral joint (kneecap area). High-intensity training at lower rpm may have rewards but also comes with greater injury risk. 3. Post-workout: Use the foam roller to reduce muscle soreness and tightness. Focus on the iliotibial band, quadriceps and piriformis (a deep gluteal muscle). 4. Gear: Assuming that a professional bike fit has been done, keep well-documented measurements of saddle height and fore/aft position. Always check measurements when traveling with the bike and after a bike crash. 5. Shoes: Tighten cleat screws/bolts, as they sometimes loosen and cause the cleat to shift. Once you have the cleat in the ideal position, make sure you outline the cleat in permanent marker. Overuse injuries can be created if the cleat shifts too far forward or back, increasing stress on the knee. More cycling articles from Triathlete.com.

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5 Tips For Avoiding Cycling…

What Are The Best Test Sets…

admin — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 12:37:14 +0000

Photo: Nils Nilsen I have my athletes do broken sets—rather than one long continuous swim—for testing. I find that it’s easier for swimmers to pace themselves during the test, making the results more accurate for use in workouts. In both of the test sets (one for sprint racers and the second for Olympic distance or longer) the goal is to swim the fastest sustainable speed for each repeat. Avoid sprinting on the first repeat only to fade on the last one, resulting in a big discrepancy in times. After the test, you’ll know your T-pace (test pace) that you can apply to future workouts. For both tests, warm up with your choice of swimming, kicking and pulling for about 15 minutes. Near the end of your warm-up, include 4–6 x 25 at goal pace or slightly faster with 10 seconds’ recovery between each. Sprint test: Swim 3

New Season, New Goals

admin — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 22:25:59 +0000

Photo: Nils Nilsen Goal setting is one of the defining characteristics that separates athletes from exercisers; we set our sights on specific targets and we strive for performance. As you get ready to put your 2012 goals down on paper (which I highly recommend), here are some guidelines to keep in mind. I’ve divided these goal-setting tips into categories based on three groups of triathletes I frequently talk to. You may fit squarely into one category or identify with more than one. “I want to be a contender.” “I coulda’ been a contenda,” lamented Marlon Brando in “On the Waterfront.” But he wasn’t, because as a fighter he didn’t have anyone looking out for him and he went for the easy buck instead of the long-term gain. If you want to step up your performance in 2012 and stand atop the podium, get yourself: A coach. I know I’m biased, but during the natural ups and downs of the training process athletes benefit from external guidance. Coaching is not just a training program or data analysis; it’s the relationship that guides you through the dark days, when fatigue causes self-doubt and insecurities to cloud your judgment. Performance monitors. If you want to win, invest in a power meter for the bike and a GPS-enabled heart rate monitor for your other activities. Even more important: Download the data and use it. You’d be surprised at the number of athletes who have the gear but do nothing with the useful information it provides. Speed. Endurance gets you to the finish line, but speed wins races. If you want to win you have to put your time into high-intensity speed work on the track, cycling intervals above lactate threshold intensity, and VO 2 max intervals in the pool. RELATED: Meet 5 New Male Pros

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New Season, New Goals

Sara’s Slam: Should…

admin — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 16:12:44 +0000

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.

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Sara’s Slam: Should…

Does Winter Running Burn More…

admin — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 15:13:50 +0000

Photo: Triathlon.org Winter running breeds some interesting misconceptions, so we decided to get the straight story. We enlisted the help of one of the key scientists studying cold-weather workouts: John Castellani, Ph.D., research physiologist at the U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine in Natick, Mass. See if you can separate the truths from the lies below—and stay warm and fit all winter.

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Does Winter Running Burn More…

The Inside Scoop: Race During…

admin — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 15:42:08 +0000

Need a challenge to stay motivated this off-season? Sign up for an indoor triathlon. The typical format is 60 minutes of racing: 10-minute pool swim, 30-minute indoor bike and 20-minute treadmill run, with variations depending on location and organizers. Can’t find an event near you? Create your own at the gym! JackRabbit Sports New York City; $50 ; Jan. 8 and 22, Feb. 4 and 19, March 4 This Big Apple tri shop hosts five events around the city and the top finishers compete in a championship. Jackrabbitsports.com Life Time Fitness Various U.S. locations; $25 for members, $30 for non-members ; see website for dates. The gym chain hosts outdoor events during the tri season and indoor races throughout the year. Lifetimefitness.com Progression Triathlon Tolland, Conn.; $25 for members, $35 for non-members ; Jan. 8, Feb. 5, March 11, April 15 and May 6 Every month the distance increases, ending with the final race—an 800-yd swim, 28-mile bike and 7-mile run. Starhillsports.com Tri to Help Maryland, Connecticut, Pennsylvania; $40 individual, $90 team (early registration); Jan. 14, Feb. 12 and 25 This series raises money for Stroup Kids for Kids Epilepsy Foundation, and hopes to expand to 4–5 states next year. Tritohelp.org Give It a Tri Duncan, Okla.; $35 individual, $90 for team ; Feb. 26 A 300-meter swim, 8-mile stationary bike and 3-mile run, with two race options for kids. Drhhealthfoundation.org RainMan Seattle; $45 ; April 1 A slightly different format—15 min indoor swim, 30 min ride with your bike on a trainer, then a 2.97-mile run around Green Lake. Trifreaks.com

Video: Energy Sources For…

admin — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 11:52:54 +0000

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.

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Video: Energy Sources For…

Your Best 10-Minute Run Warmup

admin — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 13:10:34 +0000

If you want to get the best results from your run workouts, don’t neglect your warm-up. These 10 exercises from 2011 Xterra world champion and coach Lesley Paterson thoroughly warm up your muscles through dynamic stretching, allowing you to perform at a higher intensity. Do these each for one minute before your next run.

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Your Best 10-Minute Run Warmup

Get In ‘The Zone’ By…

admin — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 18:36:22 +0000

Athletes have tried for years to get in “the zone” through mental training methods such as meditation and visualization. But recent studies show that it may be the heart—not the brain—that controls your body’s physiological responses. Surprisingly, the rhythm of a healthy heart is irregular from beat to beat, and emotions can strongly influence those rhythms. Negative emotions, such as fear or stress, trigger a fight-or-flight response that produces irregular heartbeats—whereas positive emotions, like empathy, gratitude and love, create rhythmic heartbeats that slow heart rate, lower blood pressure and increase respiratory flow. Studies of athletes in the zone have shown that they have smooth, even heart rhythms. HeartMath, a company in Northern California specializing in neurocardiology development, calls this metronome-like pattern “coherence.” Sara Gilman, a psychotherapist in Encinitas, Calif., likens it to a “strong Internet connection” where information flows unimpeded from the heart to the mind, and then throughout the body. By achieving coherence, an athlete can operate at high efficiency even when under stress. HeartMath created a system called the Quick Coherence Technique to help athletes control heart rhythms during competition. Gilman has helped elite athletes using this method, and recommends practicing the method at bedtime, when waking up and before and after training for at least three weeks before a key race. The Quick Coherence Technique Heart Focus Focus all of your attention on the heart muscle. Heart Breath Imagine you are breathing through your heart. Feel your chest rise and fall slowly for one minute. Heart Feeling Think of a positive experience you’ve had in racing or training and try to re-create those feelings with visualization. HeartMath’s emWave product ($229, Heartmath.com ) gives a visual measurement of coherence. For more information, contact Sara Gilman at Saragilman.com .

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Get In ‘The Zone’ By…