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Archives
10th 2010f August 2010
Posted in: August 2010,Bike,Ironman 101,Race,Run,SpeedTheory Newsletters,Swim
For everyone heading to Penticton for Ironman Canada on August 29th, we’ve made a list of (often forgotten) items that you will need before, during, and after the race.
Please click on the list to download it.
08th 2010f August 2010
Posted in: August 2010,Ironman 101,Meet the Elite
Gearing up for Ironman Canada? Want to make the most of the race this year?
Then come to SpeedTheory next week to hear local pro Kyle Marcotte’s advice and tips on the course, race preparation, and all things IMC.
On Thursday, August 19th from 7:00pm to 8:30pm SpeedTheory will host a presentation and Q&A session by Kyle Marcotte, who is an Ironman Pro and a five-time Ironman Canada podium finisher.
Whether you are an Ironman veteran or newbie, Kyle’s insights and tips will help to ensure that you have the race possible.
Come by the store any time between 7:00pm and 8:30pm on Thursday Aug. 17th to ask anything about racing in a relaxed environment.
SpeedTheory is located at 735A 10th Avenue SW.
See you there!
07th 2010f August 2010
Posted in: August 2010,Bike,General,Race,SpeedTheory Race Team
SpeedTheory is proud to welcome the return of competitive cycling to Calgary’s downtown with the Downtown Speedfest Criterium.
This race promises spectators an awesome evening of entertainment due to the fast, high energy, and explosive format of the looped-race course.
Part of the 2010 Jason Lapierre Memorial Cycle Weekend, the Downtown Speedfest Criterium will take place on the evening of Aug 21, 2010 at 6th Street and 3r Ave. SW (near the Shaw Cable Building).
Organizers expect over 200 riders to participate in one of the five race categories (which range from beginner to professional).
Criterium (also called Crit) racing is one of the most exciting forms of bike racing. Spectators can expect an evening of high intensity racing. With a single lap taking anywhere from 45 to 75 seconds, riders will reach speeds of up to 60km/h during the course of the race. Crashes are not uncommon as riders battle for position into corners and fight to overtake each other in each lap.
Riders pass directly in front of spectators many times throughout the race and the race is easy to follow even for those new familiar to Crit racing. A professional announcer will also update the crowd on what is happening as the race progresses. Organizers anticipate that the event will draw top-level racers from across the province.
Admission to the race is free. This family-friendly event even includes a single lap kids-race at 4:30.
Event schedule:
- 4:30: Kid’s Race, 1 lap
- 5:00: Category 5, 35min + 3 laps
- 5:45: Category 4, 35min + 3 laps
- 6:30: Category 3, 40min + 3 laps
- 7:20: Women A/B, 35min + 3 laps
- 8:10: Category 1 and 2, 50min + 3 laps
The event is a fundraiser for the Jason Lapierre Memorial scholarship fund. The Jason Lapierre Memorial scholarship is open to any undergraduate student in the Faculty of Kinesiology at the University of Calgary, eligible students will be registered triathletes, varsity team distance runners, ski racers, or ski coaches.
For more information on this race or the rest of the 2010 Jason Lapierre Memorial Cycle Weekend, including registration for racers and a course guide, see www.speedtheoryteam.com.
Right click on the poster to download in full size.
20th 2010f June 2010
Posted in: General
The last time I raced Ironman Canada my son was less than a year old, I had a full time professional career and owner of 3 businesses. Six weeks before the race, I decided I just couldn’t do it. But I had already registered and there was NO WAY I was going to quit. I did a 6 week cram program to get myself ready. I didn’t break a personal record, but it was an incredible experience having photos taken with my newly born son at the finish line!12th 2010f June 2010
Posted in: Ironman 101
Ironman 101
June 2010
The Doctrine Training Method – Dr. Trev Williams
When your ‘B’ kills your ‘A’.
Triathlon is undoubtedly a great sport and one that is evolving daily from its fledgling begins not too long ago. There are several aspects to Triathlon that are quite a bit different than most amateur sports we non-pros have access to. One of the biggest differences, and one of the coolest in my opinion, is the access to race, if not along side, in very close proximity to full professionals. It is hard to find a triathlete that has competed for several years that doesn’t have a cool story to tell about crossing paths with their favourite pro at a race they were both competing in. My first experience with this was at the 2001 Edmonton Canadian Championships. I was standing on the rope line about 2 feet from the wave of pro women about to start the race into the water. One of them turns around with goggles in hand and steps in my direction. She politely asked if she could clean her lenses on my shirt. When I realized it was Michellie Jones, I turned into one of those blubbering clowns on TV. Not only did I succeed in making her feel awkward as I tried to rip my shirt off through my body, I am not sure she even got her lenses clean since we bumped arms so much and the race was about to begin. As she was turning around thinking ‘Fool!’, I was staring wide-eyed thinking ‘COOL!’.
Having such close access to full professionals is exciting. Especially when you get to talk to them occasionally, read about their training, and even ask about it on forums. But all this excitement sometimes comes at a cost. And that cost is that we love to mimic our heroes in every way, and, unfortunately, that includes training. It is hard not to look at a pro’s training and think that it would be smart to just do the same thing but just less. It is even harder to get inside their heads and assess what is going on upstairs. The mental game is where most new and old triathletes make a critical flaw, and it is the concept of a ‘training race’, or a ‘B’ race.
For sure it is important to enter some races with a goal to work on select components of your overall race, such as: fast transitions, fast turnover on the run, bike pacing, etc. However, for most amateur athletes, this results in a ticket to coast through the remaining portions of the race and not take the competition seriously. Even if it is a ‘D’ race, you are training hard through it, and you are using commuter wheels, it is a huge mistake to not compete when competing. Pros, who race A LOT more than us, can turn the head off and on much easier than an amateur. Most of them, and as our sport continues to grow this become more and more representative, are professionals in there genetics, ability, motivation, training, racing, and equally importantly, their mental state racing. You are not a professional, do not mentally ‘take yourself out of competition’ before you even register for your ‘A’ race.
When the gun goes off, it is optimal to have found your proper balance of enthusiasm and stress to tweak the most out of your body on the day. The moment you are on a start line and you state, out loud or to yourself, this is a training day, you are most likely killing your ‘A’ race. You are entering a competition with an excuse, or a free ticket to not hurt as much as possible, and this is a mistake. The gun going off should elicit a physical response in you. Excitement, instinct, and stress, should all combine to tease everything out of your body it has on the day. Every time a gun goes off and in the back of your head you have an excuse lined up (I am training through this, I am on training wheels, I am hung over, my wife is in labour) you are killing your true potential for your ‘A’ race.
The way to approach a ‘B’ race is to race like hell, no excuses, but focus on doing the assigned tasks (like bike pacing, or fast transitions) extra well. These increased skills are no good to you outside of a true race environment anyway. What good is working on effective transitions if you aren’t coming off the bike frothing at the mouth and hunting someone down? What will end up happening is you become good at being quick at half-ass transitions in a half-ass race environment. What a waste of time. In fact it is worse than a waste of time, since now you are getting to like the feeling of racing with excuses, since it doesn’t hurt as much. Racing with excuses is like an addiction and you will see many of your fellow competitors around you are addicts. The key is to be addicted to the pure pleasure in seeing the depths of performance you can exorcise out of your body on ANY race day.
The moment an excuse pops up in your head on the start line of a ‘B’ race, for example, ‘I am training through this’, the last thing you want to think is: ‘It is OK if I don’t perform well, I am tired and sore and everyone on this line is probably peaking’. What you want to think is: ‘I feel sorry for these dudes. I am going to beat them and my quads are killing from my workout yesterday! Bring it on!! Leave nothing behind!’
Believe me, if there was ever a ‘secret’ to good performances, along with training consistency, the answer lays in your head. Leaving T1 last year at the Calgary 70.3, my left adductor completely seized, causing me to unclip and let my leg dangle hoping it would clear up. My game plan changed sure enough and here is how. It went from ‘Hunt Hunt Hunt’ (my mantra all the time on the bike) to ‘Hunt Hunt Hunt with one leg’. Nothing more, nothing less. No feeling sorry for myself, and no excuses.
The gun had already gone off and I was RACING!
It’s a lifestyle, not a workout,
Trev Williams
02nd 2010f May 2010
Posted in: General,Personal Best Volume 5
Gearing up for Calgary Ironman 70.3
By Lisa Mensink- Professional Triathlete & Olympian
May 2010: Race Prep Tips & Tricks
The days are longer, the temperatures warmer and the roads clear for riding; it’s time to switch gears and think about racing! I had a head start on most North American racers by going south to Australia for some warm weather training and early season racing. So, this month I’ll share with you a few of my tips & tricks to getting race-ready in May and fully prepared for the Calgary Ironman 70.3 in August!
Plan your season: Try planning your season so you can maximize your performances at your high priority races. Make sure you look at the big picture to get the most out of yourself at these races (a coach can assist with this!). Try to match your training program to your selected races and your goals for those races (your training leading up to a race varies depending on the priority of the race-high, med or low).
Testing, 1,2,3…: Now is a great time to try out new nutrition plans & products. If you had issues last season with nutrition & hydration, try to resolve them before this season’s racing starts. A long run or ride is a great time to try that new flavour of electrolyte drink out!
Be prepared: As with nutrition, being prepared before race season is key to having a successful race day. Pull out all your race gear now and test out those race wheels, aero helmet, wetsuit & race shoes in advance. Assess if you need any new equipment and acquire it now. This will limit the pre-race surprises and race day blisters & chaffing!
Dust off the cobwebs: find a low key local race to enter (sprint tri, 10k/21k run race, local bike race, etc). If you haven’t raced since last season, this will help your body remember what racing is all about and get your head back into the game. No matter how hard you train, a race always get you to push yourself that one level harder.
These are some of the things that I do to help me get prepared for my upcoming races. This is what you’ve put in all those long hours of training for; be ready, be prepared & have fun out there. Let the racing begin!
Gear up for the Calgary 70.3 Ironman !!
Lisa
01st 2010f May 2010
Posted in: General,Personal Best Volume 5,Personal Best Volume 8
Camping Sites Available at Ghost Lake for Race Weekend
We have limited spots available for campers at the campground at race start (southside of the highway) at Ghost Lake for race weekend. There are RV sites (with electricity) and tent sites (with no electricity). Bookings must be made for Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights (all 3 nights inclusive) – no exceptions, even if you can only stay for a single night as we have had to book the entire campsite for all three nights. The cost is $60 + GST for the 3 nights for RV’s and $45 + GST for the 3 nights for tent camping. You must book using the PayPal link below.
For more information about the facilities please visit:
Information about Ghost Lake Camping
Any questions? Contact Ironmancalgary@gmail.com
11th 2010f April 2010
Posted in: Discipline,Personal Best Volume 4
If you create a well laid out plan toward your season goals and stick to it, you will give yourself the best chance of success.
While triathlon is recreation for most, there’s an underlying desire in everyone, to keep improving. With the race season fast approaching, you may be looking at race options that sound inviting or fun. There are also various training groups and workouts to choose from. Reasons for selecting events are many and varied, so here we look at planning your whole season with a view to succeeding in your most important races of the year.
Season Planning.
‘A’ Races – One of the first steps in planning the perfect race season is to select your highest priority races. It’s important not to lose focus on your highest priority races, along the way. Limit your ‘A’ races to 2 or 3 per season. If Ironman Canada is one, then just one other may be appropriate. If your ‘A’ races are shorter distances, you could afford to peak your training more often. Your overall training program should be structured toward your ‘A’ Races.
‘B’ Races – Step 2 is to pick events that serve as specific preparation for your ‘A’ race. If possible, choose ‘B’ races that don’t interrupt your ‘A’ race schedule. One that is held at the end of a planned ‘recovery’ week would be perfect.
You may need to reconfigure your planned training slightly, so that your preparation race can be a positive experience. ‘B’ races provide the opportunity to practice pacing and nutrition strategies, equipment and set-up. ‘B’ races that mimic the course profile and weather conditions of your ‘A’ race are preferred.
‘C’ Races – A local sprint tri or fun run may serve as a high quality workout, be short term motivation or included in your season just for fun. Considered as “train-through” events, no real emphasis is placed on peaking and tapering for ‘C’ races.
Competition is practice for competition - Log as much information about your B and C races as possible. This will help identify areas for improvement, which can be applied to ‘A’ race preparation and execution.
Typical Training Week. – Coaches place high importance on structuring a training week that fits conveniently around an athlete’s other commitments, while addressing weaknesses and providing adequate recovery between workouts. You should create a regular training routine that is repeatable most weeks. Think consistency!
Are we training or racing here? Serious consideration should also be given to group workouts, with respect to your own goals. As much fun as fast-paced group training is, it may not be specific to your ‘A’ race and leave you too tired for your next planned workout to be effective.
Quality over quantity – Ensure that you’re rested and motivated to execute high quality workouts specific to your ‘A’ Races. Being consistent with quality training beats focusing on big hours, every time.
Pace yourself – Recognize where your highest training load weeks are and be prepared for them. Limit outside commitments during ‘Peak’ weeks. Regular ’Triathlon Free’ days and easy weeks will allow time to absorb your training and keep you motivated all season long.
Your program. Once you’ve selected your races and planned your training, have confidence that sticking to your program is the right thing for you.
Endurance Planner is a computer program for Triathlon Season Planning and Training Program Management. It also includes training programs for Sprint, Olympic, Half (70.3) and Full Ironman-distance, with a comprehensive library of workouts and an integrated training log. And as a special promotion for Ironman Calgary athletes, you get the indoor bike training program add-on at no extra cost! Just enter this special promotion code: 01082010
“Most athletes just need a training program designed for their level and occasional advice along the way. EndurancePlanner provides proven programs and advice via the coach-tips section of the web forum. This system provides the fundamental components of an online triathlon coaching service and is a great tool for managing your own training”. Kevin Cutjar
Kevin Cutjar has been a full-time triathlon coach with Impact MultiSport for the last 12 years. As a competitor, he has competed in hundreds of endurance events, including 32 Ironman, several with top 10 and sub 9 hour finishes. He has coached athletes to hundreds of goal achieving finishes in all race distances. Remaining as head Coach for Team Impact, Kevin also designs workouts, training programs and offers coach support for EndurancePlanner.com, a company providing planning software and training program for triathletes. Based in Penticton, BC. Kevin can be reached at coachkev@enduranceplanner.com – Call 250 276 7457. Also visit www.enduranceplanner.com
27th 2010f March 2010
Posted in: Personal Best Volume 4,Run
Gearing Up for Calgary Ironman 70.3
By Lisa Mensink-Professional Triathlete & Olympian
April 2010: Tips & Tricks Running Faster!
I used to run all my runs at the same pace. Basically I would head out at lunchtime and hit the Calgary pathway system. I had a few different routes to choose from but limited time, I had to be back at the office and showered by 1pm sharp. So I would pick a route for that day and time myself, hopefully going faster than I had the previous week. There was no long runs, no intervals, no ‘VO2max’ work, really nothing but running hard for the 40-55 minutes I had free at lunch. I was able to run a decent 10km time but it was basically the same pace I ran all my runs at and I struggled to see any improvement. So here are few tips & tricks that have taken me from a solid 40 minute 10km runner to a 34 minute runner:
Ø Join a group/get a coach; Having someone to run with is a good thing. If you find someone who is around the same speed and is motivated to run, you’ll both be running faster in the end! Finding a coach is also another way to push yourself, suddenly you have someone else to be accountable to and report back to. Plus they will give you workouts you probably would never dream up on your own.
Ø Listen to the beat; Learn your heartrate zones & use them! I’m not the most technologically savvy athlete out there but once I learnt to use my heartrate training zones (a good coach can help you with this!) and how to use them, I saw a big improvement in my run fitness. I recommend the Timex Race Trainer for a HR monitor.
Ø Run long & slow; Running slow can make you fast! Once you’ve mastered the HR zones above, try running slow and at a low heartrate! Think of these runs as strength builders, hold perfect form throughout. Try not to focus on the old guys passing you on the path, stick to the plan on this run, make this your longest (time wise) run of the week.
Ø Off to the races! Enter a few races. Now that you’ll have a run partner/coach and be running faster than ever, you’ll want to test yourself from time to time. Check the local running community websites for the calendar of races throughout the year. See how fast you can go!
There you have it, a few things that I used along the way to find some speed and run faster and farther than I ever have. Make sure you incorporate all your stretching and injury prevention exercises into your running routine as well. See you on the pathways!
Train hard & smart!
Lisa
28th 2010f February 2010
Posted in: General,Ironman 101,Personal Best Volume 3
Gearing Up for Calgary Ironman 70.3
By Lisa Mensink-Professional Triathlete & Olympian
Ahh….March & the mid-winter doldrums. This is the time of year where everyone gets a little antsy to get outside, without a thermal layer, or just off the trainer if you’ve been cycling inside. We are stuck with winter for at least a few more weeks–so it’s best to make the most of it. Use this time to get the body into tip-top shape before race season approaches. Here’s some Tips & Tricks that I use in the winter to make sure I’m ready to go once the weather turns and the races start getting closer.
Core & Strength:
Now that the New Year’s Resolutioners have long cleared the gyms, it’s a perfect time for you to hit the gym and work on your core and strength. Keep the routine new and fresh so you’ll be excited to go to the gym. Something simple things like alternating which leg you start a bike sprint or run interval on helps balance your muscles out. Yoga/Pilates classes are also a fun thing to try, sometimes a refreshing change from constant aerobic workouts.
Stretching & Recovery:
Keep on top of those tight muscles. When your muscles are recovered and ready to go, you’ll have a better workout. Use the tools; the foam roller is your friend! Make sure you incorporate stretching time into your daily routine, you’ll notice the difference. Hot & cold contrast baths are a great way to finish off a strong week of training. If it’s possible, fill a large tub with warm water and one with icy cold water (Calgary tap water in the winter is usually cold enough) and alternate every 3′ between each bath. Repeat 4 times and you’ll feel great the next day!
Massage & Athletic Therapy:
Treat your body like a well oiled machine. Massages not only aid in recovery and flush toxins from the muscles but also can be good relaxation/escape time. While a good Athletic Therapist can keep any little ‘annoyances’ that pop in check and help you focus on keeping everything well balanced. Check your employer’s extended health plan, if you have one, your plan may cover more than one of these.
These are just a few things I like to do in the winter to keep me focused and injury free. Now is a good time to get these things incorporated into your routine. It is much harder to add these elements into your routine once the weather is nice and all the weekends and evenings are full. Remember you will get the more out of yourself when you are recovered, stretched, and mentally ready! Chin up-the days are getting longer, the air is slightly warmer, soon winter will be a distant memory-be ready & strong for spring!
Keep up the good training!
Lisa