is it ok to ditch your long ride / run ??
Coach Julie and Coach Alison recently explored the necessity of the long ride and long ride in the triathlete’s typical training week in two Triathlete Magazine articles. As in: do you actually need to do them? The TL;DR version is: yes, mostly you do, but there are times when it’s okay to swap them out for shorter training sessions with higher quality.
Coach Julie provides a great explanation of all the different ways that triathletes of every level benefit from executing those long days in the saddle, along with a link to workout substitutes for those weekends when the long hours just don’t fit into your weekend schedule. Read her full article here.
Coach Alison explores whether accomplished ultrarunner Camille Herron’s statement that “long runs are overrated” applies to triathletes and provides a link to workout options for time-constrained weekends and injury management. Read her full article here.
what to read / watch / listen to:
Coach Darbie:
Read: Triathlon Can Change Your Life. It Can’t Fix It.
Listen to: The Rich Roll Podcast: Chelsea Sodaro’s Biggest Victory Isn’t Kona – It’s Her Well-Being
athlete win of the month:
Coach Kristin: Lachlan Mcgrath
Lachlan Mcgrath has been committed to playing the long game since starting with coaching in December. It would’ve been easy to look ahead to 70.3 Santa Cruz in September and think “I’ve got plenty of time!” but he jumped right in, knowing that long term consistency is what ultimately will determine his success. He’s a natural at thinking big picture, not getting bogged down with an occasional missed workout here or there because the overall consistency is what truly matters. No question Lachlan will be ready for some tune up triathlons in early summer!
what makes us better:
Coach Alison: Why the #$%! Do We Swear? For Pain Relief
As the inventor of the f-bomb rating scale for bike interval workouts, this decade-old article in Scientific American is one that I quote with regularity. For starters, it’s in Scientific American so you know it’s actual science. Also, it makes me feel a lot better about the words that fall out of my mouth when the training session or later race miles send me over to the dark side. Because swearing actually does trigger something in the brain that makes us less sensitive to pain. So next time your workout gets tough, go ahead and let ‘er rip – you’ll feel better.
did you know?
Coach Shana: Riding Tubeless
For bike wheels that are set up using tubeless technology rather than inner tubes, there are additional maintenance considerations to keep them operating properly.
- If you are not riding the bike frequently, occasionally spin the wheels to redistribute the internal sealant as a way to prevent it from congealing inside the tire.
- Know what sealant was used to set up your tires. That way when you (or a mechanic) check and top up the sealant every so often, the same product can be used for best results. Never mix different sealants.
- Every 12-18 months, it’s recommended to remove the tire for inspection and to clean out any sealant and globs. Set the wheels up again with a full dose of fresh sealant.
random musings:
Coach Julie: Why is Zone 3, also known as "Tempo" or "Moderate" also called the Grey Zone
So, why do we call it the “grey zone”? It’s because Zone 3 finds itself in a challenging middle ground. Here, the intensity is enough to cause fatigue but not targeted enough to yield substantial improvements in either your aerobic or anaerobic capacities. It’s vigorous, yes, but it lacks the specificity needed for peak performance gains. The risk? Spending too much time here could lead to a plateau in your performance, affecting recovery and the efficiency of your high-intensity or endurance-focused workouts.
The key to avoiding the grey zone trap is to understand its role in your training regime. Rather than getting stuck at this “comfortably hard” intensity, aim for a well-rounded training plan. Incorporate both low-intensity, endurance-building sessions and high-intensity workouts to ensure you’re not just working hard but also working smart. Easy is Easy, much easier than the grey zone and Hard is Hard, much harder, but you can only hit the hard if you go east.
meet a teammate:
Teammate: Lachlan Mcgrath, coached by Coach Kristin, resides in Bozeman, MT with 2 of his mates that he graduated college with
- Favorite race: My favorite race that I’ve done is probably the Cole Classic, which is a 2km ocean swim in Sydney, Australia
- Walk-out song: Beautiful Day, U2
- 3 Words that family/friends would use to describe you: Crazy, adventurous and probably a little stupid
- Worst style choice you’ve ever made: Apparently wearing flip flops with a jacket isn’t fashionable for a fancy dinner
- If you could have an unlimited supply of 1 thing for the rest of your life, what would it be? An unlimited supply of coffee ice cream would be hard to pass by