Dirty Inspirations

A sprint-distance triathlon or a 10K road race are wonderfully concise distances to race. Why go longer? International-distance events or half marathons are plenty long enough to earn you that post-race stack of pancakes—why up the ante to half-Ironman or marathon—or even more obscure—a trail ultra? There are countless happy athletes who focus their time and money on shorter distance races, and if you are new to a sport, staying short to gain some experience or refine your speed makes sense. As a long-time client and short-course triathlon specialist, Sherri points out, “In a shorter triathlon, you can zip through, have fun without all the excessive wear and tear on life and limb, and still have a great sense of accomplishment.” If going short excites you, then there is no point in upping the ante, especially if you are doing it because everyone else is doing it—not a good enough reason. The key is to choosing any race distance is to hone in on the length that beckons you in an intelligent and methodical manner.

But if the desire to go longer does pull at you, you may be sensing that there just might be more than you can imagine waiting at that finish line. Just as Greg Crouch recognized when faced with climbing in one of the harshest environments on earth, “There remains so much that I do not know.” An ultra-distance triathlete may ponder the same when toeing the line of an Ironman event. If part of what you seek is a knowing of self, then longer distance events may be the perfect medium to nurture that desire for depth.

But don’t dive in without gaining inventory on whether you are ready to dive in! There are many factors to consider when upping your distance ante. Stay tuned for my next blog post and we’ll ponder those together.

Enroute to my Kona PR (9:29) and 4th woman in '92. My fist went up just as I saw my time on the finish clock.

In order to sustain your pace in a triathlon, you first need to know what pace you want to sustain! Track workouts are about learning pace as well as learning to run fast with efficient form. When you start the run of a triathlon, do you know what pace you are running? If not, you should work diligently on this process. Integrate pace into your mind as well as your body and remember what each pace feels like (don’t just rely on your HR monitor!).

This was a benchmark workout for me prior to an Ironman race. When all of my other training was in place and I nailed this workout while feeling completely in control, I gained huge confidence in knowing I was on target to run a strong Ironman marathon—and most often I was correct. The benchmark was not in obtaining speed but in sustaining the overall effort and hitting my pace right on.

*        1.5 mile warm up at 70% of max

*        10 minutes of stretching

*        8 strides (100 yards striding or building speed up to a sprint; 100 yards easy jog)

*        2 x 2 miles: within each 2 mile, alternate between a 400 at a pace 1 minute-per-mile slower than your 10K pace and a 400 at 10K race pace. Recover with 5 minutes of easy walking and repeat. For example, I would run my first 400 at a 7-minute-per-mile pace, the next 400 at a 6-minute-per-mile pace, recover and repeat.

If you are training for a sprint- or an international-distance triathlon, try starting out with 2 x 1mile as your main set executed in the same manner describe above. Over time increase to 3 or 4 x 1 mile. Always end this workout with a 1{en}2 mile cool down at 70 percent of max.

As your fitness increases, challenge yourself by decreasing the pace over time. Learn to love this workout by starting out at a reasonable pace for the faster quarters.

This workout requires you to know your goal paces—rock solid. Know the pace you are able to and desire to run, and train it. Memorize it. Know it in your sleep. Training for pace is about fine-tuning your inner running clock. This skill is invaluable, and this workout helps you dial in that clock.

photo by Steve Goodman

In order to swim in a straight line in open water, you need to sight off of objects in line with the direction you are moving. When you are in the water, your ability to see and your awareness of your surroundings is diminished, so it takes a concerted effort to gain vision. Many swimmers have an imbalance in their swim stroke, which may cause them to veer to one side when they don’t have a black line to reference. Some triathletes swim in circles due to pulling stronger with one side of their body. If you notice this in your open water experience, have a coach assess your swim stroke to work on balancing out your stroke. In addition, learn to sight consistently in open water to keep yourself on track.

Sighting requires you to know what object you are moving toward—a buoy, boat, or something on shore that is in line with your swim direction. Once you know what you are heading toward, you can count—ten or more strokes—and then pop your head up for a peek, or swim one or two head-up strokes to lock eyes on your desired destination. When you see your objective, count another cycle of strokes before you peek again. Some need to sight after just a few strokes in order to keep their line. Practice in open water to determine what works best to keep you going straight.

Once you get your count-and-peek technique down, you’ll execute it without disrupting the timing of your stroke. While swimming in swell or chop, you may need to take your quick peek a couple times in a row before you spot your objective.

If you are swimming in a group or drafting another swimmer, do not assume that your swim companions are going in the correct direction. Continue to sight as you would if you were swimming solo. If the swimmer giving you a really great draft starts to head off in the wrong direction, abort your draft partner and move toward your objective. Sight in this manner with regularity, and you will always swim straight.

I’ll be hosting a 5-Week Open Water Swim Clinic starting on July 24^th. We’ll be covering MANY topics relevant to open water and ocean swimming including sighting. You can get more information on this clinic HERE

If there is one thing that goes in your mouth that could single-handedly balance your total nutrition program while racing, it could be your electrolyte tablets. I’m not talking about the electrolytes in your sports drink or gel packets; these don’t provide the quantity of electrolytes needed to keep you fully in balance in longer events and in extreme conditions. I’m referring to electrolyte tablets that include a combination of sodium and potassium (not salt tablets).

Terri at Western States 100 '04

A while back I was trotting along in a 100K trail race in the Marin Headlands and engaging in a likely ultra running activity—chatting. Yet this particular chatting experience was unique in that I was actually being “outchatted” by a gentleman who worked in a think tank for cancer research in Texas.

He told me about recent breakthroughs with his work, his running, and his predisposition for memorizing certain categories of things in life—like music and wine. I passed the time trying to baffle his photographic memory by throwing down random questions like: “Where is the appellation for the grapes used in David Bruce’s award-winning 1997 Pinot Noir?” Or “Who wrote the theme song for Gilligan’s Island?” Despite my efforts, I couldn’t stump him.

Then all of a sudden he became quiet. I glanced over to notice he was white as a sheet and laboring. The coach in me had been noticing out of the corner of my eye that he had been eating and drinking adequately the last few hours, so I didn’t suspect a calorie or water bonk. I asked him how he was feeling and he confirmed, with a few expletives, my observations.

I swung my fanny pack around and pulled out my running “drug bag.” I grabbed three electrolyte tablets, and as we jogged along I extended my hand, “Here, take these.” Without so much as a grunt, he snatched the tablets and downed them with a swig of water. For a gentleman of such refined intellectual property, he didn’t so much as ask me what I was pushing.

A half hour later, he caught back up to me. “Man, what did you give me back there? I feel great!” After commenting on how I thought it was a bit odd that he unquestionably took unknown tablets from a complete stranger, I offered him further information on the least touted yet one of the most critical ingredients to successful endurance racing—electrolytes.

I’m going to go out on a limb here, as I don’t know of any specific research that will back up a personal observation. As with my Marin Headlands running buddy, I have noticed that taking electrolyte tablets in really long events can be the duct tape that holds the blood sugar-hydration scale at a balance point. There are obviously many variables in keeping this coveted race balance, but I have noticed that if some calories and fluids are present, the electrolytes can help pull them into balance to keep you moving forward adequately.

My Marin running companion went on to beat me in the race while becoming another electrolyte convert. We kept in touch—he to tell me how this slight change in his race fuel plan continued to positively affect other races down the road. And I to reassure him that I was continue to practice electrolyte pushing in my coaching and racing.