I'm sick. Should I train?

Being sick - a cold, flu or sore throat - is never planned or welcome in a triathletes life. The general rule is if the symptoms are above the neck you can train through it with low intensity exercise and below the neck (sore throat etc.) complete rest is best.

Sometimes it's just unavoidable luck that you've picked up an infection. You might also interpret the sickness as your body giving you a hint. Often, looking back and being honest with yourself, you'll see that you've weakened your immunity by skipping sleep, over training or eating rubbish.

Not being able to train as planned will drive almost any triathlete mad. To mentally survive consider the much needed rest your muscles are getting. On regular training "rest days" most triathletes are working, doing the groceries and running around after the kids. When you're sick you're in bed, horizontal and your muscles are REALLY recovering.

It's also a chance to surf the web reassess your training, check out race websites and get excited about the season. Just don't rev yourself up so much you try and go back before you're ready. Enjoy the rest and I suggest waiting 12-24 hrs after I feel I COULD train before actually getting out there.

Santa Cruz Bike Rides #3

Short but hilly ride. Good ride on weekdays or weekends. Take note of the route across Scotts Valley drive. It's a little tricky to remember but it avoids traffic signals and turns on the busy main roads of Mt. Hermon Rd. and Scotts Valley Drive.

Santa Cruz Rides #2

This is a great Sunday afternoon ride to get those last miles in for the weekend or, if you turn left at Hagar Ct. in UCSC, you can turn that loop into a great hill interval or strength session.

Santa Cruz Bike Rides #1

Over the next week or so I will be posting my favorite rides over a range of distances starting and finishing in Santa Cruz. Hope they can provide you with some inspiration.
This is a nice middle distance ride. Ideally to be done on a weekend morning so you can get the Soquel section out of the way while there's not much traffic. Once you get through Aptos you can start cranking it up with a nice long climb up to the top of Cox Road. But it's not finished there. Several shorter but steeper climbs await on San Andreas and up from Seacliff Beach. A nice section on the aerobars on the service road that runs parallel Hwy 1 and you've earned the right to cruise through Capitola and sit up and enjoy the surf on the way home.

Planning Your Triathlon Racing Season

At about this time of the year it's time to start thinking about how many, what and when you want to race. You don't need to plan out every race of the entire season. However, as training becomes more race specific, it's a good idea to give your coach an indication on where you're headed in terms of what races you are targeting. And it's a good idea for you to have some specific races and future glories in mind to help pull yourself through those hard training sessions! How often you race is largely up to the individual. Some triathletes like to race lots, some like to focus on one important event. Finances and family factor into the decision making as well.

Simple as A, B, C.
There are a couple of guidelines that can help to construct a successful season and keep you motivated. Rate the importance of your races as "A", "B" or "C". I like to think 1 to 3 "A" races are optimal in a season. In the Northern Hemisphere there tends to be a glut of races around May and June and then again around September. Picking an "A" race for each mini-season can work really well from a training perspective. It allows you a long build up period using targeted preparation races ("B" races), then you can take a mid-season break before building up to the next "A" race. "C" races can be single sport races to keep you motivated in the off-season or triathlons purely for fun during the season.

For more ideas on race season planning click here. One of the most comprehensive U.S. triathlon calendars is www.trifind.com but you can Google triathlon and running calendars for more. Go inspire yourself!

Concentration, Music and Endurance Events

Concentration is one of the most underrated attributes of the endurance athlete. The ability to stay psychologically present in what you are doing and not allowing yourself to mentally "drift off" to often is key to getting the best out of yourself on the day. Which is - unless you're just there to finish - what you've been training for.

Race concentration and focus

This shouldn't be interpreted as putting on a mean looking face the entire race and pushing every ounce of life out of your body, as would a sprinter. That would be no fun as well as exhausting. Some lapses to acknowledge a family member in the crowd or to share a joke with a fellow competitor can provide great mental relief during a long event. But distracting yourself from the task at hand for too long or too often, while it may get you across the finish line, may be undermining the performance you're capable of.

I'm sometimes asked what I "think" of while I'm racing. I can generally occupy myself, even in the longer races, doing pace and time calculations in my head, monitoring my sensations and competitors, trying to conserve energy, taking the straightest line on the course and planning when I'm going to drink and eat.

Which brings us to the question of headphones and music. While research has shown it to be beneficial for endurance in untrained individuals it's less conclusive for the more competitive racers. "When exercisers need to devote their full attention...to their physical limits (“listening to the body” in other words) the use of music should be limited." was a take away from a review of the research.

A strong focus can help accomplish mental tasks such as pushing negative thoughts out of your head, correcting your technique or holding the right pace free from the distractions of your competitors. All these things will help you get to that finish line faster.