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Aquathon… Triathlon without the bike

Posted on February 3rd, 2014 by

Aquathon, no bike needed so why not decorate!
 Lago di Garda, Italy

One of the wonderful things about being a multisport athlete is there are endless ways to create workouts and have fun doing so.  One order to combine events is by doing a swim/run or the more common term, aquathon.  Competing in aquathon events is gaining popularity among athletes that are looking for new challenges in the multisport world.  Some people love to swim and run as part of the fitness regime but when it comes to the bike have no desire, do not have a bike or can't afford one.  Let's take a little closer look at some of the basics of aquathon.

Race Format - Typically is either run/swim/run or swim/run.  Of course swimmers would love to see a swim/run/swim event to even things out.  Hmmm.... idea for a future blog.  Some triathlons are now starting to offer an Aquathon as one of the formats to choose from on race day along with biathlons which are run/bike/run events.  For more listings of aquathons that may be in your area, check out http://trifind.com/gs_aquathlon/AquathlonRaces.html
Race Distances - For the run/swim/run format will typically range from
Sprint 1.6 mile run, 1/4 mile swim, 1.6 mile run 
Intermediate 4 mile run .63 mile swim, 4 mile run
Long 8 mile run, 1.25 mile swim, 8 mile run
Ultra where they may run 18.6 miles, swim 2.0 miles, run 18.6 miles
For the swim/format, either a 1/3 - 1/2 mile swim, 3.1 mile run or 2/3 - 1 mile swim, 10K bike seem to be popular.  Really any combination of distances could work predicated on the venue you are using.  The swim part can be challenging because of limited access to water sometimes.

Time - It takes less time to train for an aquathon than a triathlon as the athlete is saving hours by not having to train for the bike portion of a triathlon which is close to 50% of most races.

Training - You can pretty much run anywhere it is just a matter of finding a lake, ocean or pool to swim in.  If you're lucky to live near a fitness center with a Vasa Ergometer or have your own, you can complete your swimming and even stay dry.  No cap, goggles, or bathing suit so you can already be dressed in your running stuff ready to go!

Variety - Along the lines of training, there are endless ways to combine events, based on distance, time or both to get a great workout and work on transitioning from one sport to another.  One thing I used to enjoy doing when I lived in Kona, Hawaii was run to the ocean or pool as warm up, then do my swim workout, then run home either as an easy cool down, or a hard run if I was feeling spry.  Just the opposite of that, some days a swim warm up, followed by a run, followed by a swim cool down was a great training session and swimming I have found over the decades is great way to finish off any run session.

If you ever have the chance to travel to Kona, head down to the pier for a swim, then a run along Ali'i drive.  Great way to start the day.  They have swim/run events from time to time their as well and they are free.  More info, check out http://bigislandraces.com/extras/peaman-events/

For more questions about Aquathon, how to set up a training plan for it or questions in general about training, please contact me at eric@coachericneilsen.com

Make it a great week,
Coach Eric

Triathletes and training the other strokes

Posted on January 27th, 2014 by

Recently I was asked if triathletes should train the other strokes from time to time and my answer was YES!  Swimming is the most technical of the three sports in triathlon and requires the athlete to learn to be one with the water.  Often times you will hear coaches talking about "the feel" of the water and one way you can enhance this feel is by training the other strokes from time to time.  In case you don't know what those other strokes are they would be butterfly, backstroke and breastroke.  If you do those three strokes in order and then add the freestyle, you would then being doing an Individual Medley or IM for short.

Typically the best all round swimmer is usually the 400 IM champion at Nationals (yearly) World championships (every 2 years) and Olympics (every 4 years). Interesting note 400 IM in swimming is a combination of doing 4 different strokes the fasted and a IM distance triathlon is a combination of doing 3 different sports the fastest.  
Where to start? If you only know freestyle, then I suggest the next stroke you learn would be backstroke.

  • Great for recovery swimming between sets stretching out the chest and shoulder muscles.
  • Helps connect the core to the pull as your body rotates and shoulder shifts similar to freestyle
  • Teaches the swimmer to kick with long legs and loose ankles
  • In the open water sometimes 4-6 strokes on your back in a long swim will give your freestyle muscles just enough of a break to maintain a good solid pace when you roll back on your stomach.  Lastly, if you are swimming an ocean race and have to come thru surf to finish, you can roll on your back for a couple quick strokes to check the waves behind you and possibly catch a free ride into the beach.
If you are feeling good about your backstroke, then next up would be butterfly. 

  • The pull pattern is similar to freestyle except now you are pulling with both arms at the same time and your body is moving through the water in an undulating motion like a dolphin instead of rotating from side to side.
  • Great stroke for helping swimmers develop power when repeats are done in short increments like 4 strokes,  12 1/2 or 25 for advanced athletes that can hold form.
  • Using the undulating motion of butterfly is great for dolphin dives at the beginning of a swim (beach start or shallow water) and exiting the water. 
Breastroke rounds out the other strokes.  A challenging stroke to teach as there are different ways to swim this stroke and swimmers knee, hip and ankle range of motion will determine the best kick.

  • Great for loosening up the hips, knees and ankles.
  • Because of the difference in the kicking motion, be careful when swimming breastroke and make sure you are warmed up before trying any harder kicking. 
  • The arm pull on breastroke outsweep and insweep, is a great way to enhance feel for the water and really give the forearms a good workout.

A simple set you can do to incorporate the other strokes would be 3 rounds of

4 x 25 Stroke
1 x 200 Free
The first round the stroke is butterfly, round two backstroke and round 3 breastroke.  As you progress you can bump up to 6 or 8 x 25's before the 200.
Not only does training the other strokes help feel for the water, it gives the freestyle muscles a break which may help decrease potential injuries from overuse.  Plus, it is a great way to add variety to a work out and keep the heart rate elevated as changing strokes and muscles groups frequently will challenge any athlete.
Have fun with it and don't be afraid to try something new in the pool the next time you go for a swim.
Make it a great week,
Coach Eric

Bike Workout + Time Crunched = Tempo Time

Posted on January 20th, 2014 by
Cruiser bike works good in snow with tires at about 10psi

I decided to stay with the cycling theme after last week as many people are having to ride indoors this time of year.  Multisport athletes are usually time crunched between the training and everything else that occupies there waking day.  So, when time is short, get some bang for your buck with some tempo work.  Tempo pace is what I like to call "comfortably hard".  You are working but it is something you could sustain if needed for close to 60 minutes.

Here is a great workout I like that takes about 60-65 minutes depending on how long you cool down.

Warm up 5 minutes easy spinning focussing on smooth pedal strokes
3 minutes alternating 
20 seconds single leg right
20 seconds single leg left
20 seconds spin up to 100+ Cadence
repeat 2 more times.
Main set
1 x 10 min Tempo (use first 3-4 minutes to build up to that then hold)
2 1/2 minute easy spin
2 x 8 minutes Tempo
2 minute easy spin between each
3 x 4 minutes Tempo
1 minute easy spin between
5-10 min cool
That works out to 38 minutes of tempo pace work during the session.  The goal is not to go harder on the shorter repeats, but just hold a good steady pace.  A progression from this after 3-4 weeks may have you going
Main set
1 x 15 min Tempo (use first 3-4 minutes to build up to that then hold)
3 minute easy spin
2 x 10 minutes Tempo
2 minute easy spin between each
3 x 5 minutes Tempo
1 minute easy spin between
The training benefits from tempo work on the bike as well as running and swimming will continue to teach the athlete how to properly pace themselves.  Learning to measure ones effort for a workout is critical to getting the most out of each session.  For example, some days 6:30 pace running may come at  an easy effort other days, it is a monumental effort.  Or cycling if using power you know some days cycling at or near FTP comes easier than other days.  So, learning to measure your perceived effort for that particular day is critical because that is all your body/mind may have for that particular training session and you have to accept that.  
Make it a great week of training,
Coach Eric

Triathletes and Group rides

Posted on January 13th, 2014 by

As a triathlete, joining a group ride from time to time can have some great training benefits.  But, joining a larger group for the first time or a group you don't know can be a bit scary.  I came across an informative article today by Katya Meyers, professional triathlete and coach.  She points out 5 things that are just good common sense not only for triathletes joining a group, but anyone riding in the group to help keep things safe while getting a good workout.

Check out this link when you have a minute

benefits-of-group-rides-for-triathletes

In the meantime, keep having fun with your training, sticking to any resolutions for 2014 and as always, make it a great week.

Coach Eric

Swimming, keep it simple…do the work!

Posted on January 6th, 2014 by

This morning at Masters swim practice, I had the swimmers do one of my favorite freestyle sets:
1 x 400
2 x 300
3 x 200
4 x 100
Quick math tells you that is 2000 and there is no hiding one's aerobic fitness level in a set of that length.  
The goal was to pick a base per 100 for an interval, stick with that and remain steady all the way through the set.  This makes them get realistic about what their aerobic swimming pace is because if you go out too fast at the beginning, there is usually a slow down as the set progresses.  
From a coaches view, a great time to make corrections to stroke biomechanics as the set progresses.  Easy to hold good form when fresh, but good form 1200-1400 into a set is even more important.  I can see who is good at pacing or who goes out too fast and fades.

A set of this length is a great reference set to use from time to time.  Maybe early in the season you can handle the set on a 1:30 per/100 base.  With some training, in 3-4 weeks you may try it again one of two ways: bring that down to a 1:25 base per 100 or keep the base at 1:30 per 100, but try to swim at a faster pace than the first time.  If you can achieve either of these, then chances are, your swimming fitness has improved.

Along with some longer endurance sets this time of the year, consider one workout every week or two that you devote more time to swimming the other strokes.  This will help your feel for the water, provide a great workout using muscles a bit differently and giving your freestyle muscles a little break.

Keep blowing bubbles and have a great week!

Coach Eric

Re-post… Stress + Rest = Progress

Posted on December 30th, 2013 by

With the sun setting on 2013 this week, many people will be setting New Year's resolutions.  In the health and fitness industry, we see a huge surge at the gym.  Masters swim programs, running and cycling groups all see an increase in activity and workout participation.  So, I thought it would be a good time to share the post form earlier in the year as a reminder to keep the balance with your training.  This will hopefully allow you to stay healthy which leads to consistency in training which leads to you reaching your goals for the 2014 year.

One of my favorite authors, Matthew Kelly has a saying he calls “carefree timelessness”, such a simple yet powerful statement.  I drew the inspiration for this article on a training break as I spent the morning lazily wandering along a river taking pictures of my friends fly-fishing.  The landscape was stunning and as the morning progressed, large billowy clouds slowly formed on the mountaintops surrounding the valley.  The sound of the leaves rustling in the gentle breeze was both soothing and cooling and the thought of a nap crossed my mind on more than once occasion. 
From an athletic standpoint, we call this a recovery day or in some cases a recovery week.  It is just as important to schedule rest and recovery days, as it is the hard training days.  Rest is when the training adaptations occur and too much training without taking into account recovery, can lead to injury and burnout. Stress is the combination of workouts that challenge both your body and mind.  Rest comes in the form of easy training days or complete days off from exercise.  Progress is made when you have the optimum balance of stress and rest. This balance will be different for every individual.
When setting up a training plan for an athlete, balancing the stress and rest of training is a top priority.  First and foremost is the age of the athlete.  Let’s face it; we just don’t bounce back like we did when we were kids.  That said the adult athlete can still perform at a very high levels of intensity, but is just takes longer to recovery from those efforts.  Other things to be considered are current level of fitness, number of years in the sport, past or present injuries, demands of job, family obligations and how much can they train versus how much they are willing to train.
But, what if you’re not training for an event?  What can you do to add a little rest and recovery into your day?  Try taking time to check in with yourself, hitting the reset button and putting the fast paced world on hold.  It does not have to be a long period of time by any means even five minutes will do.   Some people find mornings are best to check in and set your intentions before beginning the day.  Others may find a mid-day break is just what they need before diving back into the afternoon to do list. Or maybe you prefer some quiet time in the evening to unwind and decompress from it all. 
Really it can be pretty much anytime that works for you.  One of my colleagues, Cris Dobrosielski, http://monumentalresults.com/ has a saying that I really like, “small consistent change, over a significant period of time, leads to monumental results”.  Five minutes may not seem like a lot, but it can have a big impact over time if you are consistent.  So, keep searching to find your optimum balance, not only sport, but in everything you do in life.
Best of luck in all you set out to do in 2014 and Happy New Year!
Coach Eric

2013…almost history. The future… a mystery!

Posted on December 20th, 2013 by

The end of the calendar year is often a time to look back and reflect on what has transpired the past 365 days.   So, before the year comes to an end in 8 days,  I challenge you to set a side a little time to reflect back on what 2013 has meant to you and answer this one question before getting too carried away with thinking ahead to 2014.

Do you know why you do what you do?

If you know the why, then the how you do it and what you do will take care of themselves.  This could be applied to many aspects of one's waking life such as work, school & sport to name a few. 

If 2013 was a year you considered successful, then keep building on that momentum.  If the year had some bumpy patches, try to learn from those experiences and bring that new knowledge forward into 2014.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Coach Eric 

Run… The hour of Power

Posted on December 10th, 2013 by
Thought I would take advantage of the layover in Singapore to share this great 1 hour run workout I love to do while on travel. 
Really quite simple, and can be done on any type of surface: road, trail, snow, treadmill and terrain: flat, rolling or hilly route.
9 min easy/1 min hard
8 min easy/1 min hard 
7 min easy/1 min hard
6 min easy/1 min hard
5 min easy/1 min hard
4 min easy/1 min hard
3 min easy/1 min hard
2 min easy/1 min hard
1 min easy/1 min hard
1 min what ever you have left in the tank

Finish up with 5 min cool down and you have 60 minutes on the nose.

So, you end up getting some speed in as well as a progression type workout as the rest time between efforts gradually decreases. 

Make it a great week!

Coach Eric 

Catching up with Kyle in Cottesloe, Australia

Posted on December 3rd, 2013 by
Warm up time.... 50M pool at Scocth School

Kyle in action!

The Aussies love their swimming.  With over 60 (50M) meter pools in the Perth area alone, no wonder there are so many good swimmers down under.  Water sports are a big part of the Aussie culture.  Head to the ocean and you will find surf lifesaving clubs are scattered up and down the coast from Cottesloe Beach. 

Last week, I dropped in on a swim squad that Kyle trains with from time to time and snapped a few pics from his last long session (a little over 7K) before IM Western Australia.  This particular squad is in preparation for the biggest open water swim in this part of Western Australia, the Rottnest Channel Swim next February.  After the session, we sat down and chatted more about his training.

What got you into triathlons?  
Kyle - It was a slow progression in 2010 when I did the bike leg for a relay team in a 1/2 IM and that inspired me to try a 1/2 IM on my own in 2011.  In addition to the 1/2 IM that year,  I competed in a number of sprint and olympic distance events.  I have a good good support group of friends to train and race with and in 2013, a few committed to going "the full hog" and signed up for the Western Australia IM in Busselton Dec 8th, 2013
Why do you want to do an Ironman?  
Kyle - Looking for a bigger challenge and it seemed like a natural progression after completing the 1/2 IM distance.
How do you feel your Army training has helped you prepare for the IM?  
Kyle - For starters, it has gotten me used to sleep deprivation, but more importantly, the discipline and mental toughness that the Army training has instilled in me has been a great asset.  The flip side is the IM training has allowed me to better develop my endurance.  Only being 23, in the past I have been too aggressive in my training so, taking on the IM distance has taught me how to be patient with a better long term approach to my overall fitness.
How do you keep the balance with school, work, girlfriend, family and training? 
Kyle - I sometimes tread a fine line between too much training and too little study.  Better planning of my days and cutting out unnecessary tasks is the key.  The bottom line, it comes down to one word: efficiency.  My girlfriend has been very supportive of the training and I look forward to the time we spend together away from our studies and work; often taking the option of a stroll along the beach or at a park to unwind.
What is your favorite recovery meal?  
Kyle - For sure a smoothie post ride or run taste great.  Coach has been showing me how to "really eat" after a tough training session.  My new favorite smoothie is chocolate milk, with bananas, a few ice cubes and scoop of protein powder.

What is he saying to that gel?
Lots of gear to choose from

Just like this pic!

Anything else you would like to add? 
Kyle - Don't under estimate the logistics of training and the time commitment of Ironman and endurance sports.  A good way to be efficient with my cycling training was commuting to Uni.  Sometimes as a recovery from a workout, other times serving as a warm up for a workout.  Set up your training groups to help you stay on task and motivated in the training.  We usually have a large group that heads down for the 1/2 IM every year now and a little healthy competition can be a great motivator.

Training and racing abroad

Posted on November 22nd, 2013 by

So, you want to travel to a foreign country, see some sites, stay fit and maybe even race.  Training and racing abroad is a great experience and with a little bit of planning, you can make the most of your time abroad.  Here are a few things to consider before you depart, during travel and once you have arrived.
Pre trip – Make a list!  Sounds simple, but is most helpful.  Take a few moments before you depart to educate yourself a little bit more about where you are traveling too.  Paper maps are quite helpful to keep handy in case Google maps or the Garmin is not working.   Make extra (Paper) copies of passport, credit cards, travel itinerary and any contact info in case you loose anything or your smart phone gets stolen/lost or won’t charge.   Notify your credit card company of the dates you plan to travel to avoid delays making any purchases.  Arrange for transportation to your accommodations ahead of time instead of trying to figure it out when you arrive and are tired. 
Travel – Allow enough time to not have to rush.  Check in, baggage, customs, all take a little more time than domestic travel.  Have a small amount of local currency when you arrive to cover anything that may arise.   Wear comfortable and functional clothes/shoes for travel.   Sometimes you have a lot of walking to do along with baggage and possibly a bike box.
Food & Hydration - Drink plenty of water on the plane and during the travel day.  Pack a few snacks in case you have delays or not feeling like eating the airline food.   However, be aware of any food restrictions of your destination country, as you may have to declare items you are brining into country on your customs forms.  Some countries you cannot bring certain foods in at all so, don’t bother bringing it along unless you plan to consume it on the plane or on any layovers.  
Time change – Give you body a few days to adjust from the travel.  Best thing I have found to help this is upon arrival get some kind of easy workout in.  You are an athlete after all.  Helps the body loosen up from the flight/train and starts getting your reset on local time.   Set an alarm to get up the following morning on local time as well and keep drinking water!
Rules of the road, local customs – Here in Australia, when you ride a bike, you must wear a helmet otherwise be subject to a fine.  Also, vehicles travel on the other side of the road compared to the states, so when you step off the curb, or merge into traffic look right first.  Speed limit signs are in KMH not MPH.    Dining out in some countries the tip is already include in the bill. 
Check out the course – Course knowledge is always helpful so plan on driving or riding part of the course before race day to get more familiar.   Pay attention to road surfaces, wind conditions and what parts of the course are and are not open to traffic on race day.  Great to get in the water at the swim finish area so you can get some land based objects to site on for the end of your swim.
Where are you going to travel next?  Don't forget the camera!
Make it a great week,
Coach Eric