On October 12th, athletes from around the world will be stepping up to race at the IM World Championships in Kona, Hawaii.  For some it will be a return to the Big Island of Hawaii, others there first attempt on the course that Julie Moss put on the map back in 1982 (See the video )

But what makes this race and the days leading up to it just a bit different from any other IM?  Well there are a number of things but two stick out in my mind, the competition and the course.

Competition - You have the best of the best in 2013 bringing their "A" game ready to challenge their bodies and minds.  As athletes start rolling into town (well flying), the energy starts to build.  The morning swims down at the pier get more crowded as swimmers start getting used to the ocean conditions and race week there usually is a boat serving coffee about 400M off the pier.  Out on the Queen K athletes are putting in their final miles/km doing, tempo work, seeing how the bike handles in gusty cross winds, headwinds, tailwinds and making sure all systems are in working order after being put back together.  Along Ali' Drive runners scurry about and make new friends while striking up a conversation at the aid stations put out for training.  It is easy to get psyched out as so many fit and fast bodies are zooming all over the place and you feel the urge to push a little hard.  Now is not the time for that.  Stick to your plan and don't go chasing down some uber cyclist, or keep pace with someone on Ali'i.  Save it for race day!

#2 The course itself.  Ocean swim...This may seem trivial to some, but can freak others out who have never swam in a body of water where you can see everything and the current or swells are moving your body all over the place.  One minute you're headed for the Royal Kona, the next out to sea towards Maui.  For 8 years I lived, trained and coached in Kona and was fortunate to race their 3 x with a PR of 10:06 in 2010.  I have seen some pretty windy days out on the bike and that combined with the heat and humidity can humble even the most hardened athlete.  That is why you have to have a plan to manage not only the race, but particularly the bike segment (50+% of your day) and stick to that plan.  Should the winds decide to crank it up aka headwind from Kawaihae or Waikoloa all the way back to town, you must let go of any pre conceived notion of a time you are trying to achieve, otherwise you will bury yourself for the run.  Accept the fact that you can be riding in the single digits when going up any of the rollers if Madame Pele is blowing hard.  The Run is tough in any IM distance race, but running on a paved road in the middle of a lava field during the second 1/2 of the run will really test your limits both mentally and physically.

Kona is a special place to race no question about it.  Whether your racing Kona or doing your first triathlon, Have a plan... Race your race!

Make it a great week of training.
Coach Eric

Calling ALL athletes.... Do your Easy... EASY and your Hard... HARD!

So simple, yet so effective.  Some of my best ideas have come while walking, (this post and others) because it allows me to slow down and get in tune with what I need for my mind & body.   But how is walking going to help me get faster?

At work, a short, 3- 5 minute walk to get up from the computer or just stretch the legs out is a great way to get refocused.  This length of walk is also a great way to start and finish a run or any workout in the gym.  Try using walks in the 20-30 minute range on a day of no swim, bike, run, core strength, etc... as a way to just loosen up a bit, aid in the recovery process and quite your mind because you are not working out in your chosen sport(s)

Remember training is recovery based.  Can't tell you how many athletes I have seen over the years that are stuck in the middle with performance and often injury prone.  Active rest, recovery workouts, zone 1, whatever name you want to give it, it must be EASY! Otherwise, when it is time for endurance, tempo, threshold, VO2, Zone 5ab or C, Anaerobic, etc... you will be compromised in these sessions and struggle to meet the training objectives of the workout.  Allow yourself the time to go easy when called for, so you can maximize your training time and adapt to the harder training sessions.

Finally, Taking a walk allows me the time to reflect on what I have accomplished both personally and professionally.  A time to set my intensions & desires for what I want to accomplish in the future.  A time to just practice present moment awareness and embrace where I am at right now!

If you have questions on setting up structured rest and specific training plans, please contact me at eric@coachericneilsen.com

Make it a great week of training and try taking a walk if you do not already incorporate that into your day!

Coach Eric

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zY1rmt7OcyQ&feature=youtu.be

These simple focus points can be included in warm up, part of a main set or cool down. By breaking the stroke down into components, it helps you identify not only your strengths, but your weaknesses.  Is my entry to wide, too narrow?  Am I setting a good catch or dropping my elbow?  Is my recovery relaxed? Sometimes just focussing on one of these can help reset your swimming stroke and help you find balance in the water.  Repetition through deliberate practice while training in the pool or on the Vasa Ergometer will help you maximize your time spent training. 

For more questions on how I may be able to hep you with your swimming, please contact me at eric@coachericneilsen.com

Make it a great week of training.
Coach Eric

Photo: Bill Greentree

I was reviewing some articles the other day and came across a good one on "The Core", how it is used when running and some simple exercises you can implement.

When you have a moment, check it out The Core

Happy Labor Day and make it a great week.

Coach Eric

It has been a while since my last post.  This is due to two things: 1) way too much outdoor fun in the Colorado summer and 2) not having any topics that have motivated me to write more on.  So, after some good suggestions from Cortney Martin, you can check her blog out here at http://www.cortthesport.com/ and some more reflecting over mexican food the other night I thought I would start real simple.

If you could do just 3 things that would help you improve & maintain optimal health, what would they be?

Adequate sleep - Some are fine on 6-7 hours, others need 8+ Find what your body needs and get to bed!

Balanced nutrition - Keep it simple here 80% of the time be mindful in your food choices, 20% of the time allow yourself some flexibility just don't go nuts.

Consistent exercise - Anything is better than nothing and there are so many ways to get a workout in.  Just try to do something on most days of the week.

So, just like when you were a kid, practice your ABC's

Make it a great week!
Coach Eric

I was going to write about swim training this week, but I came across a great post, first in a 3 part series that Cortney Martin wrote for VASA Inc that I thought you should read.  

Here is the link titled When the pool is not an option

Make it a great week of training,
Coach Eric

The Italian's love their cycling

When I was swimming, I used to love doing IM workouts on Monday's and coined the phrase: "Medley Monday".  This was followed by "Turbo Tuesday", Wacky Wednesday", Thrasher Thursday", "Fun Friday", and "Super Saturday".  As triathletes we compete using the freestyle stroke, but that does not mean we should ignore the other strokes.  I feel it is important to train all the strokes to enhance ones feel for the water, help with injury prevention and add some variety to the training session.  Now you don't have to be turning out 400 IM's like Ryan Lochte and Michael Phelps, but if you do decide to embrace the other strokes, put backstroke at the top of the list.  It is the one stroke that lets you unwind your arms a bit and real easy to work a few strokes in during any race to just loosen up before rolling back onto your stomach.  Plus you can see who has been smacking your feet!

Taking the "Medley Monday" approach a bit further, one can apply it to running and cycling very easily.  Mix up training routes into A) flat, B) rolling, C) hills, or D all of the above.  
Mix up training intensity into A) easy, B) moderate, C) hard, D all of the above
Now, I am not saying you should vary your training all the time, but during different times of the year, you most certainly should include a good mix of both training routes and intensities.     This will enable you to become a more balanced athlete in the 3 disciplines of triathlon and allow you some time to work on your weakest sport while maintaining fitness in you strongest.  

Training for triathlon should never be boring as there are so many different ways to string workouts together and still achieve your training objective for the day.  One of my favorites is a 10 minute session on the Vasa Ergometer working on technique and a few short bursts of power.  Then hit the road on the TT bike for 55-60 minutes that includes 3 x 10 minutes @ tempo pace with 1 minute recovery between and finish up with a 30 minute run mixing in drills to work on foot speed.

I would enjoy hearing about your favorite go to workout or a creative workout you have done in the past, so please leave a comment below.

Make it a great week of training,
Coach Eric

Now we all know that exercise is part of a healthy lifestyle, along with balanced nutrition and adequate sleep.  But recent research is showing that we are spending more and more time sitting on our bum and too much sitting may shorten your life up to 2 years.  So, whether you are exercising 5 hours a week or 15 hours, be mindful of any prolonged time spent in a seated position.  Here are some simple things to incorporate into your workday or any part of the day for that matter to help break up time sitting.

In the office

• On the phone, stand up from time to time.
• Instead of sending e-mail to co-worker, if possible walk over and talk to them
• Set a timer to go off every 30 minutes as a reminder to stand up. The key to this one is placing away from your desk so you have to get up to turn it off and reset it.
• Take the stairs instead of the elevator

What to do when you stand up

• Raise your arms over your head for an easy stretch
• Roll your neck in counter and counter clockwise direction
• 5 deep breaths keep shoulders relaxed
• Balance on 1 leg, then the other
• Short walk break 30-60 seconds

Anytime during your day

• Walk, run or ride a bike instead of driving the car for errands close to home
• Short walk after any meal 
• Park you car far from the door at the store
• Walk backwards
• Swing one arm backward, then the other, then both at the same time
• Stretch any muscles that may be experiencing tightness
• Walk in place lifting knees high

I encourage you to incorporate any one of these suggestions during the next 7 days and see if it makes a difference in how you feel both mentally and physically.  Sometimes just the smallest change can have a big impact on your day.

Make it a great week and stand up for your health!

This morning I had a track session comprised of 200's and 400's after an easy ride to warm up the legs.
Before I hopped on my cruiser bike for the ride to the track, I did something that I have found helpful over the years before starting a workout,  I reviewed my training journal.

I would encourage any athlete to keep a training journal.  Some of you may prefer to write in an actual paper journal, others may find it easier to update one on the computer.  Either is fine, it just depends what works best for you and gets you taking notes on your workouts.

How detailed should the journal/notes be?  Well, that is up to you but here is what I would call my top 10

Type of workout (swim, bike, run, etc...)
Duration
Purpose/Intensity
Drills/Technique work
Any data you collected (HR, Power, lap splits, etc...)
Nutrition during
Morning resting HR
How much sleep
Energy level both physical and mental
Weather conditions

By reviewing my notes in the journal, I knew what I had done the previous week.  So, the goal this week was to see if I could repeat the performance from the prior week (hold same times) and see if it felt just a little bit easier.  Fortunately, things worked out well and the workout was a success.  One of the things I noted from the previous week was that I had a good warm up that included some drills to finish it off.  This left me feeling good and warmed up, ready to start the main part of the session.

Keeping good notes allows you to see if the training you are doing is helping you to improve.  Also, very helpful if an injury pops up, you can review what you have been doing in previous workouts to see if overtraining is an issue.  

Good notes allow you (and your coach if you have one) to better plan future workouts.  This leads to smarter training and for those that race, going FASTER!

Finally, once you have determined how you will record your training, determine when you are most likely to do so (right after the workout or later in the day) and get in the habit of doing it consistently.

Make it a great week of training,
Coach Eric