LifeSport Coaching Tips

LifeSport Pro Training Secrets: Lisa Mensink

Athlete: LISA MENSINK, Dutch national team member, 2008 Olympic hopeful.
Distance: Olympic-distance (draft-legal)
Hometown: Calgary, Alberta.
Coached by: PAUL REGENSBURG

WORKOUT
Tempo trainer, 3 x [8 x 100m]
Warm-up: 20-30min swim/drill/kick
Main set: 3x [8x100m] on 1:40, hold best average time at set tempo each set, increase tempo each set (for example: 0.9, 0.85, 0.8)
Cool down: 500m swim

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LifeSport Pro Training Secrets: Kim Loeffler

thlete: KIM LOEFFLER, U.S. Ironman Champion, top-10 Kona finisher
Distance: Ironman, Ironman 70.3
Hometown: Colchester, Vermont
Coached by: LANCE WATSON

WORKOUT
2.5-hour run on Magnolia road in Boulder, Colorado

WHY I LIKE THIS WORKOUT:
Loeffler: “I do this run every time I go to Boulder to train and it is definitely one of my favorites. This hilly run starts out at 8,000 feet and climbs to around 9,000 feet. I do one big out and back and, because I am a glutton for punishment, I drive out and reverse the loop so the last hour is a gradual climb up to 9,000 feet.

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LifeSport's Pro Training Secrets: Lucy Smith

LifeSport Coaching works with some of the finest multisport athletes in the world. The coaches strive to supply these athletes with workouts that have a specific physiological purpose while providing inspiration. These training sessions are often trying, but when tackled with zest, result in world-beating performances.

Athlete: LUCY SMITH, world duathlon medalist, Canadian running and long-distance triathlon champion
Distance: Duathlon, 70.3, Ironman
Hometown: Victoria, B.C., Canada
Coached by: Lance Watson

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LifeSport’s Pro Athlete Training Secrets: Brent McMahon

This series offers a little peek into the training diary of LifeSport’s elite athletes. Note the workout adjustments included at the end for athletes of various abilities, experience and fitness levels.

Athlete: BRENT MCMAHON, World Cup/XTERRA racer
Distance: Olympic
Hometown: Victoria, B.C., Canada
Coached by: Lance Watson

LifeSport’s Pro Athlete Training Secrets: Bree Wee

This series offers a little peek into the training diary of LifeSport’s elite athletes. Note the workout adjustments included at the end for athletes of various abilities, experience and fitness levels.

Athlete: BREE WEE – first-overall female amateur at 2007 Ironman world championship (course record 9:47:40)
Hometown: Kailua-Kona, Hawaii
Distance: Olympic-distance/Ironman 70.3
Coached by: Paul Regensburg, LifeSport Coaching

LifeSport’s Pro Athlete Training Secrets: Chris Lieto

Athlete: CHRIS LIETO, top U.S. Ironman and top Ironman cyclist
Hometown: Danville, California.
Distance: Ironman/Ironman 70.3
Coached by: Lance Watson, LifeSport Coaching

Workout: 5x1 minute hills, 6x1 mile repeats

Warm-up: 20 minutes easy jog, drills/activation/strides
Main set: 5x1 minute uphill run easy run back down (continuous) 1-mile moderate run, 6x1 mile at tempo pace.
Cool down: 10 minutes easy jog

WHY I LIKE THIS WORKOUT

Lieto: As much as this workout hurts, I know it makes a big difference. The strength I get from the hills helps with my flat running by recruiting the hip flexors and glutes to create a good stride strength. If my butt is sore the next day, I know I am getting faster.

This is a workout that I will start doing early season and we revisit it periodically throughout the season.

Planning Your Ironman Year

As posted on Ironman.com:

The term 'periodization' seems to lead to some confusion in the triathlon world. A number of articles have suggested that you move through the training year going from slower aerobic training in the general preparation ('base') period through to faster paced work closer to the racing season.

This might work if your event is the 800m on the track, or possibly even an Olympic Distance triathlon. The misconception comes, I believe, from the fact that the original concept of periodization was developed around power events and so the year was divided into out of season conditioning and in season speed and power (event specific) training. The key phrase here is 'event-specific' and is what we need to bear in mind when considering periodization for Ironman. Read More

Preparing For Ironman

As posted on Ironman.com:

Every year athletes select races from the calendar and dream about their performances. Some athletes might go so far as to write down goals. Hopefully, these goals are based upon their abilities and experience, as well as the requirements of the event As we saw in the last article, setting goals is important so that your racing season is focused, directed, and you have a framework on which to base your training.

Often these goals are performance oriented and quite specific. For example, you might say: "I want to go 10:30 at Ironman Louisville on August 31, 2008." This goal is time specific and date limited.More...

Goal Setting: What Do You Dream Of ? by Lance Watson

As posted on Ironman.com

We all participate and compete for different reasons. It may be to stay fit, enjoy events, or to compete or win.

It is very motivational in the winter months to take some time to identify what makes you tick, and methodically set goals to keep you on the path towards achieving what you set out to when you started this great sport. More...

Lucy Smith's NYC Marathon Nutrition:

Lucy is 5'4" and about 116lbs. She ran 2:48 on the hilly course:

Here's her "fuelled by POWERBAR" marathon as posted on her blog:

6AM porridge and banana
8:15AM Performance Bar with C2 Max (Honey Roasted Nut)
9:25 (15 min before race start): Double Latte gel
@45 min: Double Latte gel
@ 1:30: Double Latte gel
18 miles: stashed 2 more gels from the POWERBAR zone
@ 2 hrs: Vanilla gel
@2:30 Strawberry Banana gel

Coach Lance Watson in Kona: Building an Ironman Champ

At Triathlete's "Legends of the Lava" seminar last week, a question was posed to Mark Allen, Dave Scott and Paula Newby Fraser: "Why did you guys race so fast back then, compared to now?” As a coach fascinated by models of long term athlete development (LTAD), my ears perked up to hear their answers.

Paula talked about having no barriers and chasing the guys in training, rather than a structured regime that might present limits. Mark and Dave eluded the fear factor of racing each other and training for a 7:45 Ironman and 2:30ish marathon, to be fit enough to lay that down if necessary. There were less group tactics and more going solo and going hard. More...
Kona for Beginners. By Alister Russell: The idea of having a preparation camp prior to the Ironman World Championships seemed like a great idea. We would give age group athletes the access to training and coaching that would build on their prior physical preparation and allow them to race the course to the best of their ability but armed with course-specific information.

So the bookings were made, the content decided upon and last Wednesday evening we landed in the Ironman mecca; Kona on the Big Island of Hawaii.

Since this was my first time in Hawaii I was given a quick tour, some course maps and sent off to explore. Our house is situated at the south end of Alii Drive and having driven along there a few times and run a section I had a good idea of what the athletes could expect and how to tackle it. So, my first of call was the Energy Lab. More...
Heat Prep for Kona.: The Ford Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii has some unique variables that make it more difficult that other Ironman courses around the world. In addition to a potentially choppy, non-wetsuit swim, relentless hills and extreme winds on the bike, one obvious barrier to success is the heat and humidity. Poor heat acclimation and hydration strategies can ruin even the best training preparation.

Practice in training: You can actually train your body to be able to ingest fluid more efficiently. A good goal is one liter, or two small bottles, per hour. Drinking should be done regularly and systematically; if you forget and then “guzzle” to get the fluids in, it is more difficult to ingest. Hydration keeps blood plasma volume levels up, which is necessary for oxygen delivery to muscles and sweating

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Late Race Focus by Coach Alister Russell: Triathlon; a word that conjures up a long period of physical effort. Not only is there extended physical effort in triathlon, there is also the, very often overlooked, mental effort involved. Many athletes find that after a triathlon, they are very tired physically, but are also very tired mentally as well. To race fast over an extended period of time requires concentration. When we have to concentrate intensely for a long period of time, as in a triathlon, we drain ourselves emotionally as well as physically. Sometimes late in race it's the lack of emotional energy that causes us to slow down, not a lack of physical energy. In other words, we lose focus on the task at hand and our pace slows. More...
How Many Calories do you need for a Long Ride?: How many times have you heard a triathlete say that they ran out of calories and bonked on their long ride? “Bonking” occurs when the body runs out of the blood or muscle carbohydrate that is providing the fuel for your effort. Triathletes can often be guilty of not bringing along the proper nutritional requirements on the bike resulting in a ride that is cut short or inefficient. More...
Dan Smith: Defying Gravity, Love the Hills!: As posted on Triathlete Magazine Online, www.TriathleteMag.com

Unless you live in Florida, hills are a part of almost any bike leg in triathlon. And even the Sunshine State has areas with some significant elevation changes (no joke!), as was recently pointed out to me. Since we can't get away from the undulations of terrain, whether they are the leg-breaking rollers of Wisconsin or the long, steady climbs of Arizona, the number one way to master the battle over gravity is to embrace the climb. Having a positive mental attitude to going up will allow both the lightest age grouper and Clydesdale to ascend with ease. More...
Perspective: Triathlon, Do You Live and Die By It? by Lance Watson and Charlene Waldner: As posted on www.XTRI.com:

Many athletes live and die by their triathlon racing and training. Are you one of those athletes? Do believe that your self-image is tied to your performances in racing, training and workouts, your body composition, what kind of equipment you have, the number of Ironman tattoos? More...
LifeSport by Lance Watson: Indoor Riding for Outdoor Performance.: As posted on www.InsideTri.com:

Recently an athlete I coach remarked, "I did two hours on the trainer, that's like three hours outdoors, right?" While I had to agree that riding the trainer provides you with a quality workout, I had to remind him of my simple indoor-outdoor riding formula: 1 hour = 1 hour. More...
Coach Dan Smith: Incorporating drills to improve run technique as posted on Triathlete Magazine Online: Late winter is often the time to revisit or refine technique that may have become rusty over the winter. There are a few basics running skills that will allow you run smoothly without wasting energy and with maximum forward propulsion.

A general reminder: Begin by performing a mental checklist from head to toe. Relax your neck and jaw while focusing your vision where you want to go, approximately 20 feet ahead. Your shoulders should be comfortably loose and square to the direction you are running. By keeping the rotation of your core to a minimum, all your energy is transferred forward. Think “ I am tall,” while maintaining a slight forward lean that actually starts from the ankles and runs through the hips to the torso. This includes keeping the butt tucked in. The feet should strike from the ball to midsole (not the heel) directly under the hips.

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Triathlete Magazine: Preparing for First Triathlon By Lance Watson: With the growth of Ironman and the spectacular introduction of triathlon into the Olympics, our sport has grown in leaps and bounds over the past several years. Today, there are more people training for and competing in triathlon than ever before, and there is no better time to consider participating in your first multisport event. More...
Triathlete Magazine: Checking in With Coach Watson Ironman Canada 2006 Preview: In the latest installment of our ongoing series of webcasts with the sport's top coaches and athletes, Triathlete talked to multisport coach Lance Watson. This week, Watson previews the Ironman Canada course and field (the event takes place on August 27) and offers a few tactics for race-day success More...
Goal Setting for Ironman by Lance Watson: As posted on Xtri.com: Before Ironman I am often asked by athletes I coach, "what pace should I ride", or "what should my finish time be?". The process of setting goals for a big event like an Ironman should be multi-tiered and it's worth taking time to mentally prepare for your race properly to achieve your best result. Try and look a level beyond pace or outcome. Consider setting goals that reflect process as well as outcome. more...
12 tips for Ironman tapering by Lisa Bentley www.LisaBentley.com: Over the past 6 years that I have been coached and mentored by Lance Watson, I would say that we have fine-tuned and perfected the taper portion of my training cycle. Magically, during every taper, the fatigue that builds up during the Ironman build phase vanishes. The “I’m never training for another Ironman – I want a life” mantra gets replaced with “can I do 4 Ironman races this year?” Once the taper begins, the drastic reduction in physical training refreshes my body and mind. All of a sudden, Ironman pace feels easy instead of labored and my little speedy race prep workouts feel sharp. My mind wants to race. My spirit is renewed and I feel ready to tackle the Ironman day! Here are 10 Ironman taper tips that can make your next Ironman your best journey. more...
What Do You Meditate On? by Lance Watson: As posted on TriFuel.com:
When you are out training, it is empowering to start becoming aware of your though patterns. Obviously the way we think and the things we focus on in practice become habitual over time, and that place we regularly visit in our mind and spirit become an automatic response to stress and stimuli on race day. More...
Checking In with Coach Lance Watson: By Cameron Elford; Checking In with Coach Lance Watson By Cameron Elford In the latest installment of our ongoing series of webcasts with the sport's top coaches and athletes, Triathlete talked to Lifesport coach Lance Watson. This week, Watson discusses race-day hydration tactics and tips. Listen Here

Checking In with Coach Lance Watson: By Cameron Elford; Checking In with Coach Lance Watson By Cameron Elford This week, Watson offers a few technique tips for triathletes who would like to streamline their freestyle stroke this summer. Also be sure to check back on triathletemag.com for Watson's swim-training progression, which will begin next week. And don't forget to catch Watson's XTERRA-training column in the July issue of Triathlete, which will be available in early June. Listen Here
Taking on the early season: Ask 10 athletes and coaches about how one should prepare for next season and odds are you will get 10 completely different answers. Some will tell you to begin preparation only after an extensive "off-season," where you do very little training and allow your body to recover with a month, or even more, of time off. Others will tell you the precise opposite. Others will advocate a position somewhere in between. More...
Power Bar Tip: " Timing your nutrition ": Presented by Power Bar. We all know one of the keys to athletic success is making healthy nutritional choices. But maximizing performance is not just a case of what you eat, but when you eat it. For instance, caloric intake should fluctuate through the year, according to whether you are in a recovery phase, building endurance miles, or peaking and tapering for events. More...
LifeSport with Coach Lance Watson: Boosting your kick: Some people struggle in exceptionally cold water as their core temperature drops. Thus, if you kick very little, your legs may not warm up during the swim, meaning that when you hit the beach you’re running to your bike on legs that may not yet be quite up to the task of going hard. More...

Power Bar Tip: " The Importance of Being Relaxed ": Presented by Power Bar. The most important thing you can try to do the last few weeks before a big race, besides finish up your training [!], is to try to stay relaxed. This is especially important in your 10-day, pre-race “taper” period. More...
Triathlon 101 With coach Lance Watson: Target Training: Communicating your ideas and needs to your coach is of utmost importance. Coaches are there to guide and support, but it is a two-way relationship, and athletes have to feel comfortable expressing their needs. Have you discussed your program with your coach (in a non-challenging, constructive manner). More...
Power Bar Tip: "The Home Course Advantage": Presented by Power Bar. After the hard physical work of preparing for your big event, the last phase of nailing your peak is mental preparation. We have all heard of the “home course”, “home rink”, or “home field” advantage. When you compete somewhere you know inside-and-out, it is easier to anticipate what is coming, what it will feel like, and how you will handle the effort and different scenarios on that particular course.
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Triathlon 101 with Coach Lance Watson: Heart-rate training zones: The heart is not a machine, but a muscle. Training by heart rate can be very effective, but remember that your heart rate will be affected by a number of different external factors, including stress, hormones, climate, residual training fatigue and diet. More...
Triathlon 101 with Coach Lance Watson: Single-sport focus: Triathlon is a complicated sport: You have to consider when to work on run speed, or hill climbing and descending skills on the bike, or stroke-rate or technical proficiency in the pool. There are always areas to improve upon, and that’s what makes our sport so challenging and intriguing. More...
Training 101 with Lance Watson: A lot of triathletes take the fall as their off-season and focus on other activities. Swimming is the sport that is often the easiest to skip. It’s wonderfully convenient to be able to run or ride right from the door of your house, but when you have to drive to the pool, work your schedule around lane space or find others to train with, the desire to swim can quickly disappear. More...
Training your brain: Having a life passion is a gift. While triathletes may possess a wide range of natural ability, most share a passion for the interconnected nature of health, well-being and personal excellence. Generally speaking, athletes who are training toward goals are by nature driven and highly motivated individuals. More...
12 tips for Ironman tapering: Over the past 6 years that I have been coached and mentored by Lance Watson, I would say that we have fine-tuned and perfected the taper portion of my training cycle. Magically, during every taper, the fatigue that builds up during the Ironman build phase vanishes. The “I’m never training for another Ironman – I want a life” mantra gets replaced with “can I do 4 Ironman races this year?”. More...
10 essential items to bring on your next bike ride: It's a beautiful day. You are out on a long ride and everything is great - the sun is shining and you have a 20 MPH tailwind. This is the life. Suddenly, it clouds over, the temperature drops, you begin to feel a bit weak and then you hear "PSSSSSSSSS, thump, thump, thump." You wheel carefully to the side of the road with a flat tire. More...
Three workouts to kick start your season: The competitive season is fast approaching, and the time to transition into more event-specific training has arrived. For many, the winter has been a time to put in longer miles and develop technique, but spring is the time to boost your anaerobic-threshold before moving into speed work. More...
Five great track workouts: Some people hate running loops around a track as they feel they are not actually going anywhere, but the ability to monitor your pace and know exact distances is what makes the track a perfect venue for running speed. The track is where you get fast. More...

Tuning up for your spring triathlon: The days are getting longer, temperatures a bit warmer. Not only are those signs that winter is coming to an end, it should also serve notice that your first races of the season are just around the corner. If you haven't started already, your training should now begin to include intervals specific to your physiology and your goal races. More...
What's the big deal with pool running?: Throughout much of the early fall of 2003, Greg Bennett, a talented Aussie short courser currently ranked No. 1 in the world by the ITU, was sidelined by a minor foot injury that prevented him from running. But less than two weeks after resuming his run training, Bennett won the Treasure Island ITU race in San Francisco, taking the victory over top American Hunter Kemper and five-time ITU world champion Simon Lessing. More...
The importance of being rested: There is much discussion these days about overtraining, and the term has become so popular that many triathletes believe that even if they just feel tired over the course of regular training that must be over trained. More...
Planning for success: As the Northern Hemisphere season is rolling around and the race dates are finalized, now is a good time to sit down and try to make sense of your ambitions this season. How am I going to fit in all those races? Which ones should I skip, and which ones are beneficial? How can I avoid feeling fried by July? More...
Winging it in Winter: Winter can be a frustrating time for a triathlete. Not only is there a near absence of competitive triathlon opportunities, but also the weather can often throw a monkey wrench into your training. More...
Triathlon 101 with Coach Lance Watson: Heart-rate training zones: The heart is not a machine, but a muscle. Training by heart rate can be very effective, but remember that your heart rate will be affected by a number of different external factors, including stress, hormones, climate, residual training fatigue and diet. More...
Dress for success: Power Suits, Bold Ties, High Cut Skirts -- whatever it is you use to present yourself in your non-athletic world, your attire says something about you to your potential partners, employers, and clients. Of course, the same can be said about the triathlon world. More...
The perfect set-up: Hit the ground pedaling; A highly trained athlete can get away with taking nine to 12 days off the bike without much loss of form, but a six-week break can require a 12- to 16-week effort to regain fitness. So while you're wisely taking a bit of down time this winter, don't hang up the bike completely or you might face a long road back in the spring. More...
Taking on the early season: Enhance your preparation for the coming season; Ask 10 athletes and coaches about how one should prepare for next season and odds are you will get 10 completely different answers. Some will tell you to begin preparation only after an extensive "off-season," where you do very little training and allow your body to recover with a month, or even more, of time off. Others will tell you the precise opposite. Others will advocate a position somewhere in between. More...
Don't be a winter world champion: How to periodize training to build fitness; This is the time of year to be certain that you understand your goals for the upcoming season and ask yourself whether your training is on track to reach those goals? Are you building yourself a solid aerobic foundation for success throughout your season? Before you jump into your race-specific, high-intensity sessions, you should focus your training on improving your aerobic foundation. More...
Inside Triathlon with Lucy Smith:: Keeping Fit on the Road.; Travel Tips: If your holiday travel plans or regular business schedule have you trapped in planes, trains or automobiles, out of your usual training environment, you will have to be creative to squeeze in your workouts. The best of training intentions can remain dormant, like the workout gear folded in your suitcase, unless you prepare yourself and commit to getting some exercise: More...
Lance Watson:: Planning for Success.; Now is a good time to sit down and try to make sense of your ambitions this season. How am I going to fit in all those races? Which ones should I skip, and which ones are beneficial? How can I avoid feeling fried by July? Here are some ideas: More...
Lucy Smith:: Staying Fit through the Holidays.; While the holidays are a joyful and restful break for most people, they can present athletes with restricted training times and an interruption in an otherwise predictable routine. More...
Inside Triathlon Ask Coach Watson:: Ice Baths.; Ice baths are one of the best forms of recovery and I'm sure they will be an excellent compliment to your marathon training. Although not exactly enjoyable, soaking in a tub of ice water after a long run or an intense workout will not only help boost the body's recovery processes, but also help prevent injury. More...
The Power of Goal Setting:: Looking Forward to '05.; Every person on the start line of a triathlon, whether it is a local sprint event or a world cup, has a goal that they are looking to achieve. For some it may be to finish the race and have fun. Others may want to finish feeling strong or in a certain time, and still others will be looking for a top placing.More...
Inside Triathlon with Lucy Smith and Lance Watson

Post Ironman Blues; Humans, athletes included, are not generally very comfortable with change. Making the transition from racing season to off-season invariably leaves some people feeling antsy for a while before they adjust to this new schedule and reality. Athletes who love the ritual of training hard and having goals can report feelings of grumpiness, having the blues and sheer boredom without their action-packed workout schedules to keep the adrenaline going. More...
Coach Watson's Diary: Late Season, Low Maintenance Workouts; You can feel the season winding down; your Sunday bike group has dwindled since the beginning of September and sometimes only two people are in your lane at swim practice because people have finished racing for the year. You feel like you could get burned out if you keep up the training schedule too much longer, but there's another race in you yet and you're not quite ready to call it a day. More...
The perfect taper: Getting it right for race day; Much like finding the perfect pair of shoes, finding the perfect taper is something that takes time and patience. Not every taper fits everyone the same way, so what follows is a guide to planning out a taper, but use it as that: a guide. More...
Tackling your first Ironman: Planning makes perfect; The Ironman is considered one of the world's toughest single-day sporting events, and sometimes it seems bigger than life. It attracts people of all ages, from all walks of life, some competing for a specific time and others just attempting to finish. More...
Going long: Unlock the secrets to a successful season; The long workout is a staple of most successful athletes' training regimes. Some have groups they join for this weekly ritual, like the famous Sunday forest run in San Diego, while others prefer solitude as they log long hours on the road. More...
The power of goal setting: Don't leave a great performance to chance; Every person on the start line of a triathlon, whether it is a local sprint event or an Ironman, has a goal they hope to achieve. For some it may be to finish the race and have fun. Others may want to finish feeling strong or in a certain time, and still others will be looking for a top placing. More...
5 great track workouts: Build speed by logging some oval time; Some people hate running loops around a track as they feel they are not actually going anywhere, but the ability to monitor your pace and know exact distances is what makes the track a perfect venue for running speed. The track is where you get fast. More...
Train your brain: The power of staying positive; Having a life passion is a gift. While triathletes may possess a wide range of natural ability, most share a passion for the interconnected nature of health, well-being and personal excellence. More...
Iron nirvana: 10 ways to recharge your season; There are few endeavors, athletic or otherwise, in which fate plays such a decisive role as in an Ironman. In fact one of the few factors over which you have some control is the fitness you bring to the start line. Once the gun goes off, any number of problems can sidetrack your day. More...
What to do when it all goes wrong: How to cope with race-day emergencies; Few races push competitors to their physical, mental and spiritual limits like the Ironman Triathlon World Championships in Hawaii. The geography, the duration of the race, the environmental conditions and the sheer number of participants make this annual event the ultimate goal for many athletes. More...
Open-water swimming: You can develop your skills in the pool; The swim in a triathlon can be like a washing machine of arms and legs, and, as a result, most people experience some level of anxiety over open-water mass starts. More...
You can have it all: Maintaining fitness and focus throughout the season; With big early-season events such as St. Anthony's, Wildflower and the Florida Half-Ironman behind us, many athletes are beginning to build toward their second peak of the year. More...
Going short: Is there really life beyond Ironman?; For many of us, the commitment necessary to train for and race Ironman events is not easy to sustain year after year; however, rather than quit the sport when life forces you to, at least temporarily, curtail your long-distance training, you can shift your focus to a rewarding short-course season and give your body and mind a break from going long. More...
It's go time: Improve your racing by lowering your 10K time; Everyone competing in triathlon has taken a different path to this sport. Whether you were a competitive swimmer, a professional cyclist, a gifted runner or a couch potato, the goal remains the same: to get faster. In many ways the run is the most effective area for improving your times: concentrating on achieving a quick 10km time will pay big dividends at the end of triathlons. Your quest for better foot speed off the bike begins with a stop in the efficiency department. More...
Testing the tri waters: Make your first triathlon season a fun experience; Perhaps you fantasize about crossing that storied finish line at Ironman Hawaii on Alii Drive. Well, what once might have been considered a strange dream is now the goal of thousands who are thinking about doing their first triathlon. With the booming growth of Ironman races and the spectacular introduction of triathlon to the Olympics, our sport has grown in leaps and bounds -- especially in North America. Today, there are more people training for and competing in triathlon than ever before. more
About the bike: Four tips for a faster bike split; Popular opinion holds that triathlon, regardless of the distance, is won on the run. This saw is bolstered by performances of athletes such as American Tim DeBoom in Hawaii and Canadian Simon Whitfield on the short-course ITU circuit, both world-class runners. But recently, racers like Switzerland's four-time Ironman world champion Natasha Badmann, ex-pro cyclist Steve Larsen, who won Ironman USA Lake Placid in 2001 by crushing the competition on the bike, and Aussie Chris McCormack, who routinely demolishes the chase pack on the bike in draft-legal events, have brought some yin to the runners' yang. Now it's clear that, even if it's hard to win a triathlon from the saddle, it's certainly easy to lose one on the bike. more
Reach your peak: Effective tapering is your key to that PR; A taper is the culmination of hard training and proper season planning in an attempt to reach your racing goals. As you rest and unload the muscles, you get to enjoy your fitness - all of a sudden you have incredible workouts, tons of energy and a positive mindset. However, a taper can go awry if not given the attention that it deserves. more

: Lance Watson