Swim Drills

Drills Drills Drills!

So why should we do drills in the pool?  

They're designed to break down your strokes and skills into individual components which you can target and improve to create a better holistic result. Swimming drills also focus on improving key aspects your form in order to help you to be more streamlined as you move through the water

Tuesday night we did a lot of drills for the stroke.  The swim stroke is THE POWER in your swim.  Your legs are very inefficient at generating motive force AND over using them will result in leg cramps and fatigue on the bike and run.  Some triathletes do not kick at all!  

While I don't recommend not kicking, I do want everyone to have correct body position and good strong strokes by the end of the training program.  

What are the elements of a good strong swim stroke? 

Freestyle swimming is a balance of four major components: breathing, body position, kick, and arm strokes. Everything about the stroke and technique fits into one of these categories, and each category must be built strong to make your stroke efficient.

Read the four pillars of good Free Style here. 

So when we do drills, we are trying to train your muscles to remember how to do the stroke correctly by breaking it into smaller pieces.  

Here are the drills we did and why

Here's a video about swim drills 

Superman: eyes just below the water, watch your hands enter the water.  Try to correct any issues such as crossing over center with your arms, (widen your stroke to shoulder width) or flat hands that may be pushing instead of pulling you forward (enter water with the thumb first, then twist the hand to pull backward) and pulling back with high elbows (straight arms are weak).  

Flick: At the end of the stroke, flick your hand to flip water back behind you.  Lengthening the stroke so your pull goes all the way back to your thigh is a way to get the full capability of your pull.  A short stroke leaves power potential unused.  

Flea Flick: (or ear hopper) When you return your hand forward, touch your ear before entering the water.  This forces the elbow high and the hand into correct position for entering the water efficiently.  Flat arms create turbulence and drag, so getting your arm into a nice entry position, like a diver entering the water makes for less drag and puts the hand into optimum pull position. 

Fist Swim:  Make a fist and swim free style as normal using your forearm to pull forward.  This forces you to think about how much to bend your elbow to get pull with your arm.  The forearm normally provides pull if you have the correct stroke and increases your power and motive forces beyond what the hand can provide.  Forcing you to swim without the hand makes you more aware of how much the forearm contributes to your pull.  

Top Hat: Using a hand paddle on top of your head, swim without touching the paddel using the water pushing against it to keep it on your head.  With a correct head position, you should be able to swim and breath without losing the paddle.  This corrects your head position, which lifts your legs and improves your power.  

Catch up:  Leave your front arm in place until the stroking arm catches up to it.  This forces you to glide with each stroke.  If you are paying attention, it can help you detect if you are stroking by pushing down rather than back because your head will bounce out of the water as you stroke.  One side may be better than the other.  

Putting all this together takes practice.  There are four steps to learning new things: 

1. unconscious incompetence  (you don't know what you don't know) 

2. conscious incompetence (you know what you don't know)

3. conscious competence  (you know, and are aware of your learning)

4. unconscious competence (you know, but are no longer aware of your ability) 

Think about how you learned to drive.  You start off knowing very little about how to drive well.  You are clumsy, worried and frustrated at times.  As you learn you are now aware but still clumsy.  Stage 3, you are becoming aware of how to drive well, but still aware of your mistakes.  Stage 4, you drive without thinking much about it. 

Now that you all understand what you don't know and have practiced it, you are entering stage 3 of becoming more competent.  Practice is required to create muscle memory so that you can swim well without having to remind yourself how to do it well.  

Race Report: Shelbyville Triathlon

 Race Report: Shelbyville Sprint Tri, March 26, 2023

Team JCC Katie, Eli, me, Julia, Beth and Sandi in front

I signed up for this race at the last minute because I wasn't sure how I felt about performing in front of all my friends and my athletes I'm coaching this month.  I knew I'd be slow and likely not happy with my abilities to run and get up to speed so was concerned I'd just feel too pressured by my desire to perform well and my inability to achieve what I wanted.  However, I finally decided that I wanted a training race ahead of the USAT Triathlon festival in Irving Tx on April 19-23 where I'll be racing in four races.  I'm glad I decided to do this race as it was a good chance to ride outside for the first time in a very long time.  I've been spinning inside a lot but no outdoor riding since last October. 

I cleaned up my Trek Speed Concept yesterday in preparation for the race.  I cleaned the chain and lubricated it, and polished the bike up.  I packed my transition bags.  I decided to use two so I had my bike and run stuff in one and the swim stuff in the other since this was a pool swim.  

The race director emailed that the tri would be reversed due to the weather forecast.  So we would start with a run of 5K, a bike ride of 12 miles and a snake swim in the pool of 400 yards.  

I arrived about 7:24AM ahead of most of the competitors so I had a relaxed time getting myself set up.  I checked in and said hi to a couple of Landshark teammates who were volunteering and hung out in the warm building for a bit.  The temperature was in the 30s this morning and the grass had frost on it.  

I headed down to transition and set up my bike, bike shoes and helmet with a cap to keep my head warm in the chill.  I had my Coeur tri suit on but needed a long sleeve shirt and jacket on top as well as my Team USA long pants, gloves and bamboo socks for the run.  I got my Garmin set up, but it's been quite a while since I used the multi sport function and apparently I didn't get it set up properly because it didn't work.  I also had my Fenix 235 on and it worked but only registered the race time and my HR on the "other" function.  

I took my second bag with my goggles ad swim cap up to the pool and left it with my glasses case just inside the door for the swim leg at the end.  

After the course talk at the pool, we all filed out to the race start.  I knew I'd struggle with this run. I knew the course from doing it two years ago so I was aware that there were several hills, some gravel areas with uneven terrain and that my HR is still spiking on my runs these days.  I started out with a good run, but the first hill stopped me and from behind I heard Les, one of my athletes I'm training.  She said we could stick together.  I decided that was a good plan so we did a walk and run based mostly on our HR.  I figured the run would be close to 45 mins and it was 50 minutes by the race results.  The day wasbeautiful but chilly so this was a pleasant time.  I also got a chance to learn more about Les and I'm very glad of this opportunity.  She is an amazing person and I'm grateful for this chance to learn more about her.  

We got to transition, the last two across the run finish line.  I said good bye to her and ran to my bike and got my helmet, gloves and shoes on and headed out.  It was still very chilly out.  I still had my jacket, long sleeve shirt and long pants on and I was happy to have them.  The route for this race is a two loop route.  There is a slight hill and a lumpy bridge at first,then a couple of hills to the first turn onto 55.  This is a busy road and there was a serious head wind. I was very glad I had put on a cap under the helmet and closed up the air vent on the helmet as well.  The second turn was mostly flat with a good wind in yaw to the third turn where the wind was at my back.  This has a lovely downhill that I used to the fullest extent possible...I'm not sure how fast I was going since my garmin never did work properly, but I'm betting it as 20+ MPH on that little area.  Then another turn and a fairly steep short hill to another turn and a curve to the last turn with a nice downhill past the transition for the second loop.  One the second loop I did better on the gearing and I think it was a bit faster than the first pass.  I did manage to pass about 5 people on the bike so I wasn't completely last anymore.  I said hey to Lora and the volunteer landsharks on the passes and thanked all the volunteers on the bike course, twice.  I got into transition as many were leaving the swim.  Quite a few bikes were already gone so it felt like the race was about over as I racked my bike.  I stripped down to my Coeur Onsie and put on my running shoes and headed up to the pool...which is up a steep hill so I was only able to walk up to the pool.  I met a few friends leaving the pool on the way up who encouraged me and said the pool was warmed up for me.  :) 

Chip on the arm!

I got to the pool deck, got my swim cap and goggles and headed to the pool start.  I saw several of my athletes from the JCC training program who cheered me on.  I switched my chip from my ankle to my arm so I didn' have to haul my ass out at the end with no stairs to get to the tracker.  This is because I tend to cramp when I exit the pool by climbing at the edge, AND two years ago I slipped while doing this an broke several ribs.  The water was pretty warm, almost toow warm and I felt a bit claustrophobic because of it, but I managed to control that feeling and had a pretty good pace. I really wanted to just hang on the side a the turns and get some air but I decided I could get this swim done and went for it.  I had a few good turns under the lines and a few where I hit the lane lines but mostly it was trouble free until I passed a back stroker on the last length and took a mouthful of water as I was trying to breathe.  I managed to keep going and resolved that without stopping.  I finished the race in 1:53.  

Race Results: 

First Place AG 65+

Run 50:14  Transition #1  1:25  Bike 48:27  Transition #2 4:11  Swim 9:16

First Place Female AG 65+...I was the only person in this age group but it was a lovely way to end this morning!  

I did make it to my spin class today and did 45 minutes with Sandi as an active recovery for this race.  

I was very proud of all the racers from my JCC class as well.  Katie, Beth, Eli, Les, and Julia all raced today.  Such a proud coach!  Eli got first place in his age group also. Katie was 5th and Julia was 4th. Beth was 5th and Les was 4th   Sandi was there cheering for us all.  Such an inspiring day.  

Surpassing limits and why it's important to push yourself.

 Scientific evidence of physiological changes due to sports and athletic training

Here is an article that outlines all the positive things that can happen when you are doing regular exercise and when you are training for endurance sports.  

Here's what the US government has found from scientific evidence of how much exercise is required: 

Adults should do at least 150 minutes (2 hours and 30 minutes) to 300 minutes (5 hours) a week of moderate intensity, or 75 minutes (1 hour and 15 minutes) to 150 minutes (2 hours and 30 minutes) a week of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity.

Combining vigorous and moderate-intensity workouts means your body is induced to make adjustments and become stronger, more flexible or faster, depending on the exercises you are doing.  Using muscle confusion is one way to encourage the body to adapt, which means changing up workout routines often.  (See an earlier blog about muscle confusion.) 

How do we know how much exertion?  

Heart Rate is one measure that is a lagging indicator of your effort.  The HR measurement can take a few seconds to read the actual heart rate, and the heart can take a few seconds to respond to demands for oxygen so this indicator may show that your HR is rising even after you have stopped sprinting for example.  However, it is a great measure to use for racing and for knowing your upper limit by using the Maximum Heart Rate.  If you don't know your Max HR, you can calculate it for an estimate or check your HR after and all out effort.  Many athletes have Max HRs well above the predicted age based formulas.  

For example, I'm 66 this year.  My Tanaka calculated Max HR would be 208 - .75 X AGE or for me would be 208-.75X66 = 158.5.  Another calculated Fox Max HR formula is 220 - age or 220-66 = 154.  

So a range of Mx HR for me would be between 154-159.  My actual Max HR is 188.  Even after cancer and everything that I endured last year, my max HR is very high for my age.  

If I just exercised using the calculated Max HR, my zones would be too low, and I'd never improve my conditioning.  

Another way to check exertion levels if you don't have a HR monitor is Perceived Exertion.  

You can check your perceived exertion in real-time and know if you are achieving your maximum limits.  

As you might guess, there are several ways to measure this, and this article shows you the variety of scales that are in use.  

Conclusion

Pushing past your limits must be planned and done regularly with periods of rest and recovery.  Activities like FTP testing, racing, and sprints are ways to help you achieve your goals to improve your athleticism and push your limitations further out.  These activities often result in small improvements that add up over time, so patient and perseverance is necessary.  Skipping one workout in a week isn't harmful to achieving your goals, but skipping weeks or many days can stall your progress and actually begin to decay.  Three days of inactivity and your body starts to lose muscle tone.  

FTP test! (Functional Threshhold of Power)

 FTP testing; what is it and why do it? 

Anytime you are trying to improve something, you'll want a measurement to see how you are doing.  The FTP test in Cycling serves to give you and estimate of how well you can endure race conditions using a stress test of sorts.  

Here is Joe Friel's definition from Training Peaks: 

The FTP (Functional Threshold Power) is defined as the highest power a rider can maintain in a quasi-steady state without fatiguing. Or more simply, it’s an estimation of the workload a cyclist can sustain for an hour without a drastic increase in metabolite wastes (build-up of lactic acid).

HOW do I do an FTP Test? 

You can do an FTP test on your own.  Your coach will likely want you to do one about every 6 weeks to see how you are progressing with the training.  A race will give you an idea of how well you have progressed too, but if you needed an adjustment to your training, it's too late by that time.  So we use FTP testing to check progress and readiness for racing.  Here's how to do it: 

The procedure is actually very easy: a starting warm-up followed by a 20-minute best effort, where you have to ride as hard as you can. Finally, you'll have to multiply the average power registered during these 20 minutes by 0,95: the result is your Functional Threshhold.  

How do I know if I'm doing well?  

We often measure FTP in average Watts, but we can also check using a ratio of watts to your body weight.  Avg Watts can range from 100-600 watts depending on your age and fitness.  However the ratio that indicates race readiness should be between 1.5-2.5 Watts/kg of weight.  To find your KG weight divide your pound weight by 2.2.   A target of 2w/kg is a good one for completing an ironman course.  Higher FTP indicates you can hold a faster pace for longer periods of time, essentially. 

An amateur cyclist will have an FTP of between 1.5 and 2.5 watts/kg, whilst more experienced cyclists could be around 3.0 – 4.5 per/kg. Bicycling.com says that new riders with some fitness level will be approximately 2.0. For comparison's sake, it then points out that the world's top cyclists have an FTP of around 7.0

How accurate is an FTP test? 

As an estimate of how you are improving relative to past measures, it's pretty good.  As a predictor of how well you will do, it's not as good. 

Many coaches and athletes define functional threshold power (FTP) as 95 percent of the average power from a 20-minute, steady-state, all-out time trial. While this may provide an accurate FTP for about 50 to 60 percent of the population, it doesn't hold true for a large number of athletes.

So even if your FTP is low at any given time, you may still be able to do well on a race despite this measure since many things affect your power output measures.  Your mood and nutrition, sleep or lack of sleep, stress, can all affect your FTP measure on test day so if you don't do well, don't despair.  You may just kill it next time when conditions are perfect.  :) 

What is YOUR FTP Coach Terri? 

When I was training for an ironman, my highest FTP was 161 translating to 1.98W/kg.  During off season before cancer, my FTP was often around 130.  Now, it's between 100 and 130 depending on how I feel.  That would translate to 1.8 W/kg now since I have lost weight.  So not a lot of loss per kg of weight but clearly my power levels are down.  

How to Find Any Coach ...and in particular; me! Coach Terri

 How to Find a Coach

On this page I show you where to find me and my coaching bio pages in various locations.  I'm also connected to two training apps; Tridot and Training Peaks.  Both have affordable monthly pricing from $15 - $250/month, depending on the level of coaching you require.  

All the pages listed below, with my coaching bios, can be used to find any coach, not just me.  

So if you are seeking coaching help, and I suggest that anyone hoping to race should at least have a few coaching sessions to be safe and ready.  

My hourly rate is $50 for an evaluation of posture or swim position, nutrition or sweat rate consultation, racing strategy analysis, or other coaching you may need.  Training plans are $200 using either Training Peaks or excel.  If you want coaching through the apps, instructions are below to sign up on either Tridot or Training peaks.  

What is Tridot? 

I've become a coach for the Tridot System.  Below is my link if you'd like to sign up for Tridot.  You can begin free and decide if you like it before you subscribe.  Subscriptions begin at $15/month.  If you're interested in having my advice as a coach, you can choose the higher-level subscriptions.  

New athletes can register by starting a Test Drive using this unique link.

Chicago Triathlon wave start

https://app.tridot.com/onboard/sign-up/TerriFriel

You can check out this system here https://tridot.com/

In a nutshell, Tridot is an application that uses AI to take your personal data and develop a training program for your racing plans.  It will connect with Garmin and other fitness trackers to send you workouts on a daily basis, customize your training based on your output and keep you involved with your training by giving you scores on each workout.  The Tri Dot name comes from the three ratings in dots on your profile, indicating your fitness level in Swim, Bike, and Run.  On a scale of 0-100 you know where you stand in the community of triathletes.  For example, a swim number of 70 means you are in the 70th percentile of athletes and, therefore faster than 70% of the athletes they have analyzed in your age group.  The same speed in an older athlete could be more like 80 because of the declines due to age.  

This is a great way to set your expectations.  

Along with Tridot, you can access RaceX, which allows you to input your races and delivers a prediction and some guidance on how to race your best race based on your input and data from the Tridot program.  

If you want a customized training program, tridot is the most dynamic system available.  

Tridot also sponsors Pool School.  Check it out here. 

Training Peaks

I also use Training Peaks, which is less dynamic with your data but allows for data from other sports to be used.  Training peaks works with Garmin and other fitness trackers.  You and your coach can communicate on this app.  Races can be identified,

Leon's Triathlon 

and you can set goals for your races on this app. 

If you'd like to use an existing Training peaks account with me as your coach, this is the link to use

https://home.trainingpeaks.com/attachtocoach?sharedKey=F63YTDY7QRSQQ

or find me at https://www.trainingpeaks.com/coach/friel

You can find out more about Training Peaks here  https://www.trainingpeaks.com/

Training Peaks was first developed by Joe Friel (no relation we can find, maybe back in ancient times as Friels are small in number) who is a athletics researcher and developer of training metrics for determining Intensity, fatigue, stress, and ability with a variety of measures.  Tridot uses these metrics but in a slightly different way.  Training peaks has a very large library of videos and support for both athletes and coaches.  

Ironman Louisville 2019

Where you can learn more about me

You can find me on the Louisville Landshark Coaches page

The USAT Coaches page 

The Training Peaks Coach Page

Dryland Exercises for Swimmers

 Why do Dryland Exercises?  

1. The exercises  "wake up" the muscles you should use in your swim.  
2. Cross Training is a great way to increase your body strength and tone.  By pushing yourself to complete these dryland sets along with a swim in between, you were calling on many more muscles and creating an unusual situation that your body had to adapt to.  This is called "muscle confusion"  The body adapts pretty well to repeated activities and becomes more efficient, so less improvement is achieved.  By doing unusual activities, you notify your body that it needs to re-adapt to these new demands.  This stimulates more muscle growth.  
3. Teach you which muscles to use through muscle memory. I can talk all night about which muscles to use, but it may not become a habit until you "feel" it yourself. These dryland exercises help you feel the correct muscles and use them better.  

What's the difference between just bodyweight strength training and Dryland exercises? 

We usually do dryland exercises in between swim sets.  For the above reasons, you are trying to notify the body which muscles to use and become a stronger swimmer.  While you can do all these as strength training, it really has a faster impact on your muscle memory and activates the correct muscles if you swim in between sets.  

Here are some other dryland exercises you can do: 

The best dryland training for swimmers includes exercises that strengthen and stretch the muscles used in swimming, particularly the core, arms, and legs. Always warm up your muscles before beginning a workout and stretch thoroughly to prevent injury. Try some of the following dryland exercises in your next workout.

• Burpees
• Jump Lunges
• Planks
• Donkey Kicks
• Leg Lifts
• Pushups
• Pullups
• Squats
• Jump Rope
• Medicine Ball
• Flutter Kicks

Always be aware that pool decks are slippery and make sure you have a safe way to do these on the deck.  Choose exercises that work with the space and conditions on your deck.  

Try adding a few of these to your next workout! 

Improving your Cycling

 Most of us think that cycling is really easy.  We've been riding our bikes since we were kids.  However, some issues crop up if you've never really thought about how to ride your bike better.  

Seven cycling mistakes 

1. One leg is stronger and we have a stroke imbalance.  

Single leg Drills  

Here's how to do single leg drills in a video 

Exercises to help stroke balance

Using both legs makes sense right?  If you're only using one leg, you're tiring that leg out and when you get off to run, you have already over used one leg.  Evening out your pedal stroke can help a great deal to improve your run, but also your power on the bike...and the result is faster speed with less energy. 

2. Not getting proper fit for your bike and your body

A bike is an adjustable machine.  The adjustments are there for a reason.  When you have a bike that is fit to your body, you'll find that you ride more comfortably and with less fatigue.  You can approximately fit the bike yourself, but a professional bike fit ($100-300) can make a significant difference in your ability to climb and run off the bike. 

Where can I get a professional fit in Louisville? 

Schellers 

Barry S Coaching

Cycle Smiths

3. Mashing down with your quads, not using your glutes effectively

Hear how NOT to pedal here 

Here's an explanation of how to better use your muscles  SPIN not MASH

Mashing is using your quads and hamstrings more than your glutes.  While you can get away with this for pretty good distances, if you ever want to do an endurance race over 25 miles, you'll be glad you've learned to pedal more efficiently.  

4. Need for improved bike skills 

Here's how to improve your bike skills 

Bike Handling Drills 

Lack of bike skills is an important issue.  You are often called upon to turn fast, pick up a water bottle, navigate between riders or pedestrians, or brake on a downhill.  These skills, when done wrong, create hazardous situations for you and those around you. Practicing bike handling skills is essential for your safety.  At least 2-3 riders crash at a particular spot in the Chicago triathlon Oly yearly due to poor judgment and handling skills. Often the most hazardous places are turning at the bottom of a hill. Often riders don't anticipate the speed they will gain on a turn and lose traction and control.  

5. Lack of training for race conditions

Indoor bike training sets 

Outdoor bike training sets

The logic of many novice racers is "If I ride 100 miles in training, I should be able to do it in a race, right?"  

Well kinda.  A lot more is demanded of you in a race.  You must know how to manage your nutrition while riding long distances and not lose speed.  Non-race training often includes rest stops.  Also, see above for bike handling. These skills are important.  

Training rides that include some sets that push your body in intervals, much like HIIT, will help you in a race when the hills, winds, pressure and dehydration all affect you at once.  Your body is a very pliable machine that responds to pressure by building more muscle, acuity, blood volume and oxygen efficiency.  That's why most IM training programs are 16 weeks or longer.  It takes time for the body to build these things and repeated pressure improves your body's response to prepare for the race.  Put some bike sets in your training and live to appreciate your efforts! 

Swimming Physics

 Many athletes decide to become triathletes without being able to swim or without good basic skills in swimming.  This often results in athletes arriving at a race having just achieved the ability to swim the distance, limited experience with open water, and a great deal of fear of the swim leg of the race.  

In fact, here's an article about that fear. 

A big part of the problem is undertraining, but another part is the limited availability of good triathlon swim coaches. Many swim coaches are great at coaching for speed in the pool, but open water swimming is much different.  Very few swim coaches can coach athletes for open water trials.  

A good start is to understand some of the physics of swimming.  In the series of drawings below, you can see some of the leading physics effects on swimmers.  

You can see essential good form and body position in the water in A.  The head is level with the water's surface, the legs are not bent, and the elbow is high for a good catch.  Most of the body is in, entering, or leaving the 2-inch slippery layer of the water.  The catch is well below the slippery layer where the water is heavy and unmoving, so the hand and arm push against a heavy layer of water for the motive force.  There is much less drag here.  

In B, the swimmer is looking forward and lifting the head slightly, but the legs, in response, drop a great deal because the center of gravity is at the chest area.  The legs end up in the heavy layer of the water and create a significant level of drag.  The arm is in a good position but has to work twice as hard to pull the body forward because of the drag on the legs. 

In C, the swimmer is kicking with bent knees, and even though the head is in the correct position and the catch is good, the legs are creating a great deal of drag.  The large leg muscles that weigh a lot are pulling the body down in the water, and when this swimmer tries to breathe, they will experience downward movement and end up with a lot of water in their mouth.  

In D, the swimmer raises their head to breathe, and the legs drop in response.  This happens with the swimmer in C; they then have to adapt to get a breath, so they lift their head.  The body is sinking with every breath, and the swimmer is struggling to progress because of the drag and sinking.  

Overcoming these issues requires that the swimmer understand that dropped legs and raised head are critically damaging to forward progress.  When a swimmer tries to go faster with these problems, they work very hard and often end up with disappointing results as they create a lot of turbulence, further slowing them down.  

In the water, speed is often not the result of working harder.  This article addresses that. 

Having said all that, moving from the pool to open water often means that we go slower.  30 sec to more slower than our pool 100 yd pace.  Why?  

1. There are no lines in open water so we often swim in zig zags
2. There are people in our way
3. We experience fear from all the chaos and inability to control our situation
4. We are racing in cold water and the heart rate is elevated, the blood vessels constricted and we feel breathless
5. We are swimming in a wetsuit that is tight and can feel like we can't get enough air
6. Our goggles fog up and we can't see where we are going
7. We have trouble sighting on buoys and sometimes miss the turns
8. Current, waves, jellyfish and other things in open water we don't encounter in the pool
9. The water is full of bacteria and can make us nauseous 

It is particularly important to understand how to keep good body position in the water in open water because many other things will slow us down.  If we are well trained in how to keep good body position, we don't have to think about that along with "how do I get around this bozo?"  

It can feel like we aren't making progress when all we do is focus on head and leg issues at first.  But once those are conquered and you experience the feeling of flying in the water effortlessly, you'll be glad you focused on the basics first and arrive at the swim finish feeling accomplished.  

Weight lifting and Stretching for Triathletes

 Weight Training 

You may have questions about weight training.  Here is an article by the triathlon guru Joe Friel (possible distant relation)  that helps you plan for and adjust the weight training to your body.  And here are a few videos that show you have to do these exercises he suggests correctly.  

Do one of the following: 

Squat form https://youtu.be/byxWus7BwfQ

Lunge form https://youtu.be/hsO1dZjcPj8

Deadlift form https://youtu.be/ChLmR-1UBMI

Leg press form https://youtu.be/4PYXEYqgCqk

Do all of these: 

Leg Curl form https://youtu.be/vl5nUdE9mWM

Catch and Pull  (with bands) https://youtu.be/3RQreNg2BIY

(this is why you're doing this one) https://youtu.be/OpRCTQk5xNo

Plank form https://youtu.be/BQu26ABuVS0

Do the test in the article to determine your Max Rep and follow the suggested # of reps for each phase..  He suggests the # of reps and # of sets.  So for the AA  phase, you should do 15 -20 lifts, rest for 1-1.5 minutes, then do 15-20 lifts, rest for 1-1.5 mins, and a third set of 15-20 lifts.  That's 3 sets of 15-20 reps with RI = 1-1.5mins.  

Do this same set of exercises for  2-3 weeks.  Then move to the next Phase for 2-3 weeks etc. Talk with your coach if you need guidance. 

Stretching and foam rolling

You will find that doing the weights and all the cardio may leave you with DOMS (delayed onset muscle stiffness). One way to combat that is to do active recovery, including lower-impact exercises like walking or yoga.  Another way is to stretch using yoga or just some runner stretches.  Finally you can do foam rolling, which requires that you have some semi-tough round object to roll over or on top of your muscles.  A foam roller works, but some people use rolling pins or softballs or other larger balls.  Whatever you use, be careful not to overextend and take it slow.  Your muscles respond by tightening anytime to stretch..waiting in a position, as we do in yoga, allows the body to begin to accept the stretch and let go. By waiting a few minutes, you'll be able to stretch a bit further.  Always pay attention to your body's signals in stretching.  You can over-stretch and tear a muscle that can end a season.  

Here's an article about why you should stretch every day...but properly!  There are some good stretches described in this article if you don't want to watch the videos. 

Running Stretches  https://youtu.be/ueqzOaPO9NA

Foam rolling for runner follow along https://youtu.be/_y4gu-bwlhA

Cycling Stretches https://youtu.be/FT5FwTA5sn0

Foam rolling for cyclists https://youtu.be/MJfnBaOBOR8

Swim Stretches https://youtu.be/AxgC1vd1Y90

Foam Rolling for swimmers https://youtu.be/duH3yMVktUY

Training Plans

Today I want to share a bit about training plans.  As a certified IM and USAT coach, I've learned how to appropriately get athletes to the start line with training that keeps you accelerating your athletic ability.  

First, how is this done?  Physically, the body needs pressure to grow muscles, capillaries, blood volume, and bone strength.  This requires that you do things that feel difficult for short or long periods.  Knowing when to do short or long sets is part of what a coach will do for you.  In addition, you need to exercise properly to get the benefits fully and avoid injury.  That means proper posture and understanding which muscles to use to attain the best outcomes for any exercise.  Many athletes begin training without the benefit of a coach's analysis of posture or weakness, or imbalance issues.  Over time, repetition and body adaptation can result in minor to major injuries.  We are often encouraged to "tough it out," but this can be when you must re-evaluate your processes to ensure you haven't set yourself up for eventual failures and injuries.  Slowing down to maintain good body positioning isn't fun, but it really does help you get much faster in the future! 

So once you know what good posture means in any activity, your coach can begin pressuring your body to build.  Good training programs normally periodize.  This means that you will experience 2-3 weeks of increasing demands on the body and then get a reduction to allow the body to recover.  This is essential to maintaining progress.  The body needs time without pressure to build new muscle, bone, capillaries, and blood volume.  If you skip this recovery, you keep demanding more from a body that does not have the systems in place to respond.  Often this results in injury, fatigue, loss of motivation to keep training, loss of sleep, or emotional breakdowns.  This is called "overtraining."  

This link provides more detail about periodizing for runners.  This gives you some of the history and how periodizing became standard. 

In addition, each week, at least one rest day allows the body to respond with building activities.  You can skip rest days a few times, but it isn't helpful to your future outcomes.  

    WHAT IF I SKIP A TRAINING SET? SHOULD I ADD IT IN THE NEXT DAY? 

Short answer; NO!  Your training program assumes you will be doing a certain level of intensity and stress each day.   If you miss a day, just keep going forward and trust the program.  Adding yesterday's set to today will double the intensity and begin to wreck the plan.  Dont chastise yourself; let it go.  Keep a positive attitude and forgive yourself if life gets in the way.  If you skip because of a lack of motivation or fatigue, talk to your coach. The program may need revision to reflect your needs better.  Don't overdo it because the program says to...avoid injury and keep your joy and excitement about your training alive.  

Get across the finish line with a smile!