Slow 2 Pro

Welcome back!

Well I am starting to set my sights on races for this coming season. I know for sure that I will be attending the first National Sprint Triathlon Championship at Pacific Grove. I have looked at the course records and I have no doubt that I will break them. I’m not trying to be cocky but rather that I am confident that my determination and training preparation will render all those who oppose null and void :). Depending on my financial situation I will also attend the Age Group Nationals which are being hosted on the opposite side of the country.

Now that Im pumped up Ill speak some honest truth. My training has hit a few plateaus this winter. Im going to let you in on a few things that I have found to work wonders on breaking them. Ill break it down by sport. Please consult a physician before attempting any workouts I am not a training professional

Swimming- I have found that sets of very fast 25yd Butterfly has really done wonders for my power in the pool. I will say that after 10 or even 20 lengths of butterfly I am dying but the next workout after a recovery I find that my freestyle speed is much easier to maintain. Give it a try.

Cycling- Most people say hill sets will really help break any plateau. The problem I see with this is that you end up pushing your mental /strenght barriers as well physical ones. Another option is very easy. Go out and do a ride for fun. Seriously, hop on the bike and just go somewhere. Enjoy the sights and pick a destination that you want to go to. I find that biking to and from a coffee shop or even McDonalds across town does wonders. You remember why you started biking in the first place.

Running- Sadly this is the opposite of my biking advice. I have found, thus far, that only intensive asymetrical training really breaks you through a lull. I have been experimenting with race pace intervals in my 70% HR max runs. Its killer but I’ve found that personally slow runs only make the situation worse. Gotta pay to play.

Good luck to everyone training. Except if you are going to Pacific Grove in September

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With seven weeks to go till the first time trial of the year, a random sinus infection is slowing me down. Nevertheless, training continues. The time trial is a 20k distance which is what you would find in a regulation sprint triathlon. It will be a very quick race with the winners clocking in the 26-27min range. Ill begin preparing the bike and test riding the course soon. 

Considering how early this race is in the year I won’t be tapering too much because I don’t want to lose any training momentum that I’ve gained thus far. With the race being hardly 30 minutes there really isn’t a reason to slow down anyways. Well, besides that I just need to get a new pair of running shoes. My Brooks with probably 500+ miles are dead.

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