Run Cadence And Its Effect On Efficiency When someone asks what your run cadence is, do you know? Just how important is run cadence? What is a good run cadence? Most runners get asked this question at some point during training. Let us first define run cadence. It is the number of steps (i.e. strides) at the rate you repeat that action per minute (SPM). There is no right answer to what that number should be for each athlete. Factors like leg length, body weight and leg strength come into play. As an example, someone with longer legs might take longer strides hence a lower turnover. Cadence Calculator So let’s calculate your cadence using this formula. Count how many times your right foot hits the ground for 30 seconds. Then take that number times two for a one-minute total. Then double that number to get a total for both feet. Most of us will have a cadence between 150 – 180. Lower than 150 and you are probably over-reaching with your stride and heal striking makin...

Strength And Conditioning For Triathletes So being in the race holding pattern we find ourselves in, there is something we could be doing at home to stay fit. Strength training is not only for the off season but should be a part of your weekly training plan. Why again do you need to do strength and conditioning? Specifically designed exercises that target those muscles used in a triathlon are key to increasing flexibility in your swim, bike and run. With that increased flexibility comes more power, range of motion, coordination, and stability. Strengthening your core will improve your efficiency in each discipline and help increase your overall performance. During the training for a triathlon, especially for long distance races, your body gets stressed and muscle fatigue sets in. During the constant repetitive motions in training, a lack of flexibility and range of motion is why most injuries occur. With a strong core you can minimize those injuries and shorten the re...

What Makes Successful Triathletes So Good As I continue to adhere to the shelter-in-place mandated order, I’m running out of things to watch on Netflix and Amazon Prime. So last night I watched the 2017 Ironman World Championships to get some much-needed motivation going into the weekend. After watching Lionel Sanders turn himself inside out on the run portion of the race. I started to wonder. What do these athletes have that I don’t? Well, let’s start with the fact these pros are extremely talented and gifted to do what they do. But how about the Age Grouper ? That average joe who has a fulltime job and is trying to split his/her time up with career and family. Other than the DNA makeup of those pros. What traits do we age groupers also have, but just don’t use?  Here’s my top five. Let’s start with doers . You can be at peak fitness, but if you’re not fit emotionally then all that training was for not. There’s a saying, “the body follows the mind”. Elite ath...

Training in Hot Weather As all the spring triathlon races are being canceled or postponed and you’ve hit the reset button on your training, it’s time to find a race this fall that you can get into. If you’ve found one or your race as a new date you’re probably about 5-7 months out before race day. Now since you were training for that spring race, you’ve established a good base foundation of fitness, but like last week’s blog post, you want to keep that fitness. Unfortunately, we’re coming into the summer months and hot weather. I’ve heard so many stories from athletes who thought they were fit and prepared to race, but ended up bonking and in some cases not finishing because the weather on race day was to hot and humid. Usually my first question I ask them is, "so when and how were you training?" And 9 times out of 10 they say they did a lot of their training in the early morning or late evening, both inside and outside. Of course, many have families and full-time ...

How To Cope with Corona Virus And The Race Season? This is a testing time for everyone. With races being canceled all over the globe, and with outdoor training opportunities rapidly dwindling with the stay at home mandates. Athletes are starting to struggle with motivation and make workouts count. Some of you that have had those big race accomplishments are probably coping fine. While others who are just starting out or have that big bucket list race are definitely more frustrated. I for one was in the middle of prepping for the Challenge Roth race this coming July. Unfortunately, it was canceled this week and won’t return to the schedule until next year. So, I’ll have to hit the reset button and fine another race for later this year that hopefully won’t have the same demise. I’ve got athletes who’s races have been postponed and haven’t got that make-up date yet too. So how do you stay motivated? Losing that goalpost carrot of your race can leave you with a sense of ...

Heart Rate Triathlon Training Before I get into the heart rate training. I wanted to take a moment to address the fact that the world is being turned upside down with the COVID-19 pandemic. A lot of you have been training for the upcoming triathlon season, and everyone's races are either being postponed or cancelled. My heart goes out to everyone that's been training so hard for their race and not knowing if or when you'll compete. It goes without saying that it's the right thing to do and we'll all get through this. While we're in this racing holding pattern, I would suggest getting your pain cave up and running. Low impact bike trainer workouts are great along with the occasional light treadmill session. Now is also a good time to get the strength sessions going too. I would recommend staying away from the pool venues until things get back to normal. Here are a few links that I'm using to keep informed about the races and the virus. Ironman -  h...