By LifeSport Coach Bruce Regensburg
The LavaCamp, being hosted by LifeSport, the Official Coaches of Ironman, began Day 3 on the picturesque “A” Bay (conveniently short for Anaehoomalu Bay) – the site of the Lavaman Race. Many of the athletes had smiles on their faces with reports from home of rain and snow. Janet Neilsen, a former member of the National Junior and U23 Team, demonstrated transitions for the group in the same location that the race transition area was located a few days earlier. Some of the key messages from the demonstration included:
- Have a methodology to the order in which you complete your transition that is memorized and practiced in advance
-
If possible rack your bike with the front wheel directed outward
-
The best transitions are where you only need to put on your helmet, glasses, and un-rack your bike
-
Helmet should be the first item on and the last item off
-
Do not sprint through transitions, move smoothly and avoid mistakes
Next the group headed to the “A” Bay beach for an ocean swim workout. The coaches reviewed the open water specific swim skills from the seminar the day before and the athletes were given 15 minutes to rehearse their own personal swim warm-ups that they could repeat on race day. The main swim set consisted of 8 x 50 free with higher than normal stroke rates followed by 2 longer intervals of 10-15 minutes on a mini swim course. During the session the athletes were encourage to practice drafting even for the short distance. To the amazement of some, they were able to stay right on the feet of the better swimmers and get pulled along finishing right behind at the end of the 50’s.
After lunch the group gathered with their bikes and run gear, and headed out on to the Queen K with the destination of the Natural Energy Lab. The Energy Lab, better known in the triathlon circles as the famous heat-drenched Ironman turn around and site of many epic race battles, was the perfect setting to practice transitioning the run off the bike. The athletes dismounted the bikes and quickly got into their shoes and headed out on to the course for a 5 minute tempo run effort. After some easy running and a drink, it was time for a fartlek run of 6-8 sets of 2 minutes of fast running with 90 seconds easy. The goal was to focus on run form under the stress of running fast on tired legs. Some of the keys to running well of the bike included:
- Be well hydrated and fueled on the bike – don’t start the run in debtIncreasing the run cadence to compensate for fatigued quadricepsMentally review technical running cues one at a time and implement for 10 second segments
- Find your rhythm and dial it in
To finish the day the athletes rode back to the Hilton Waikoloa Resort enjoying a nice tail wind back down the Queen K. Everyone said there goodbyes and discussed their plans for a well deserved recovery day in Hawaii. The goals of the camp, to experience great training on the Hawaii 70.3 and Ironman World Championships course and bring back training knowledge to their home communities, was achieved with flying colors. LifeSport and its coaches wish all the camp participants well and we’ll see you at the races!
