Tuesday, May 31, 2011

IMJ Coaching - Boulder camp

Last week I was in Boulder, Colorado for a training camp run by Teresa Rider and Scott Jones of IMJ Coaching. I plan to write a bit more about the camp in the next few days but wanted to start with:

Ten things I learned/relearned

  1. The importance of training with like-minded athletes.
  2. The parallels between triathlon and life are endless.
  3. Training at altitude is breath taking in more ways than one, though particularly in the pool.
  4. Hammer Sustained Energy and Recoverite. (I had never tried either.)
  5. Always eat for the ‘next’ training session.
  6. How to make home-made oatmeal and granola. So easy to do.
  7. An even better fitting bike would improve both my bike and my run. I want to be better, be faster.
  8. Front quadrant swimming.
  9. Being fit is critical to living well each and every day.
  10. Be open to new ideas. Absorb, adapt and look ahead.
http://www.imjcoaching.com/

Saturday, May 14, 2011

Yellow Lake cleared on 12/27

I tested my new 12-27 cassette today on the CompuTrainer at Challenge By Choice by riding about 30k on the second half of the Ironman Canada course through Yellow Lake.

It's a section of the course that has knocked me three times (once in training and twice in races).

I think the value in the CT is merging the real work I've done on the course with time on the computer generated one. About knowing where/when and how much to push and then determine a race day strategy.

I suspect I'll be seeing a lot more of the course over the next year. I have taken a pass on IMC in 2011 but I'm not done there.

Back to Yellow Lake for a moment though. I knew it was a steady climb. I hadn't realized that most of the climb is at 6 degrees or higher. It's not massive, but it comes at a point in the race where if I haven't been good with my nutrition or if I've gone too hard earlier, then ...

I was curious to see if the cassette swap would make any real difference. I have generally been skeptical of changes, thinking that it's about me becoming more fit and more skilled at climbing, and spinning.

What I noticed was that I was able to generate a bit more power and I was able to hold my cadence above 70. So perhaps I should be more open to other potential component changes.

Friday, May 13, 2011

Top 10 Tips from Jan Francke

1. The water is my friend, don't fight it

2. Sculling isn't just for beginners

3. Do drills every single session (see this post for drill ideas)

4. Kick-ing isn't really a four-letter word (Though side kicking is, for me, another story!)

5. Kick without a kick board. (Start on my back, then side to side)

6. There's no excuse for not knowing how to flip turn. (Now I can)

7. On freestyle, high elbows on both arms, watch my hand entry, don't dig so deep, glide, catch and pull myself forward and finish each stroke strong - but focus on one detail at a time

8. Mix in some back, breast stroke and an easy 50m between harder efforts for active rest (Fly will have to wait - Yi-khy?)

9. Use stretch cords often but use pull buoy and paddles in moderation

10. You get out, what you put in

One final thought: smile before, during and after each session. It's swimming, not geopolitics.

**

Jan became a member of the Czech national triathlon team when he was 15 years old. He's an accomplished sprint and Olympic distance triathlete and has coached athletes in Boulder, Co and most recently, in Squamish, BC.

He's been the coach of the Squamish Titans' masters swim squad for the 2010-2011 indoor season. He led the team to multiple podium finishes as well as provincial records for Yi-khy Saw at masters meets in Victoria and Kelowna earlier this year.

Jan continues to race competitively; he won the BC provincial age group 25-29 title in 2010. He's returning to Europe for the summer race season. Be fast.

Thanks Jan!

What a difference. The previous two seasons, I swam almost entirely on my own.

I had some advice from an overseas triathlon coach (Kristian Manietta) as well as from overseas athletes (Lisa Marangon et al) but there was no one on deck for me. I was OK with that.

I had seen the Titans' masters squad in action but I was so focused on my own sets - and in swimming freestyle - that I kept to myself.

I swam freestyle almost exclusively. I also swam most of the time with a pull buoy and I swam about half of the time with paddles.

For me swimming became about trying to power myself through the water as fast as I could. I knew I wasn't as efficient as I could be but I was getting faster. I watched videos and read books and magazine articles too.

I have developed into a solid 1:05 Ironman swimmer. But I've yet to break the one hour mark at an Ironman, which has been a swim target for a number of years. Perhaps in 2012?

I began last season to add 'swim weeks' to my training schedule; I'd swim for seven days in a row and sometimes twice a day - super easy the second time, similar to how I was taught to break up runs longer than 2 hours and to ease the stress I was putting on my body. The full-on weeks of swimming helped immensely and I highly recommend them, especially during winter. Frequency not volume per se is what has worked for me.

These weeks always give me a much better feel for the water and as my endurance increases, so does my ability to hold a steady, faster pace. The weeks also are a superb boost to my overall level of fitness. But of course, as a triathlete, I always want to be just "a little" bit faster in all three disciplines.

That's what led me to join the masters' squad this season. It was one of the best decisions I've ever made as a triathlete.

I had no idea that I would learn so much in such a short period of time. I had no idea I would be swimming so much faster and more confidently.

The past six months of swimming with the squad has been exceptional. I give full credit to Jan Francke for helping me find my inner fins.

While Jan is departing our shores for a period of time, I'll see him every time I hit the water. Thanks.