Dirty Inspirations

Welcome to Expedition Bhutan!

Quite a few years back while doing some initial research on Bhutan I became intrigued with this tiny nation’s intangible benchmark for success—Gross National Happiness (GNH). With Bhutan long residing on my ‘must experience’ list, my intrigue turned to mild obsession as I began a several year process of sorting out how I could intricately and thoroughly explore this land. Most people I’ve chatted with about Expedition Bhutan have never even heard of this place let alone that it is located on the eastern end of the Himalayan mountain range next to its famous neighbor, Nepal. But for a few of us gripped with exploring GNH in a stunning location, Bhutan’s mystical persona packs a Texas sized punch.

My initial plan was to cross the country solo on foot followed by the ‘escort’ and crew mandatory per Bhutan’s tourist regulations. But I found out quickly that to experience The Dragon Kingdom thoroughly while creating a quality film of the experience, I would need to develop a team.

Coming from individual sports into adventure racing I realized that some of our greatest moments sprout when we finally get that we are never really in “it” alone. That by easily accepting our interdependence we can gain the latitude to step up our individual game—exponentially. And we can then focus on supporting the greatness of the team collective. So in this light and with the good fortune of knowing some super bright and really tough people, I’m psyched to say I’ve ‘hired well’. These guys play big. Lucky me (and lucky you).

Meet the Team!

• Greg Thomas and I met 20 years back through excessive training hours while doing triathlon before we both jumped head first into the sport of adventure racing. He has been a brother ever since. No matter what kind or how much time has passed, Greg is always present in his quiet, intelligent, successful, caring manner. Powerful yet unassuming. Incredibly tough and equally sensitive Greg is game for any adventure thrown down and always engages meticulously for the betterment of the team.
• In addition to days on end of backpacking, running, swimming and climbing together Tony Lillios and I have closed down our share of restaurants and coffee shops during intensely curious conversation. Over the years as I’ve quietly (or not so quietly) supported Tony’s expansion of his physical game, he’s always responded by exceeding all expectations. While thriving in creating something big from nothing, Tony is as playful and enthusiastic as he is humbly brilliant. And I never stop learning about him and about myself through our interactions.
• My background with David Ferris includes a long list of physical endeavors; peak bagging around the world, backpacking, running, and adventure racing. But what I covet even more about David is that he is thorough, engaging and a refreshingly open thinker. Though he is highly adaptable, talented, easy going, and a stellar conversationalist and tent mate when stuck in a tiny space at altitude in a blizzard, I am more so intrigued by David’s uncanny ability to stare off into space for extended periods of time.

Besides being interesting and curious as well as having particular skill sets, another gauge for knowing I’ve hired well for a long and tough expedition, is when a teammate is—hesitation-less. After ONE conversation about my expedition idea with each of these men. They signed on. Bingo!

Thanks to James Fitzgerald of Bhutan Ventures, our team will be partnering with the Bhutan Olympic Committee for in-country sponsorship. We’re excited to develop our relationship with these groups.

But the ongoing test of affirming I have formed a stellar team is when each teammate continually asks me to raise the bar for what I (and they) can offer the team and its mission. These guys have asked me the big questions from Day 1: “What is the question this expedition is looking to answer?”, “Blue sky thinking—how would the making of our film play out?”, “What companies can we partner with who will support and mutually embody the persona of Happiness?”.

So by bringing together a few big thinkers plus a quiet and supportive group from the reputed happiest nation on the planet, we are looking to offer YOU a powerful virtual experience; prior to, during, and after our journey. Over the next several months we’ll be planning and sharing our expedition on our website blog and our Facebook page, looking for companies to partner with, interviewing film makers, and solidifying our relationship with the country of Bhutan. All the while pondering and discussing the concept of Gross National Happiness.

We’d love for you to virtually join our team!

What is happiness in your day to day life? What would National Happiness look like in America, in your State or your neighborhood? Is it possible to quantify Happiness? We want to hear from you.

Join our team. Check out our Facebook page and our website. Come along on our journey—lets explore together.

Back at you soon,

Terri Schneider

Each night after a day of running in the woods, romping on the beach, several  excursions in the car or sitting at my feet under my desk, my dog Gryphon would settle onto his blanket next to my bed. As I read, he’d back in for one last pat or scratch then turn a couple of half circles before settling in for some shut eye. Some quiet time would pass before I’d sing him the silly nonsense song I made up a bunch of years back. Toward the end of my tune I’d hear him let out a long, deep soulful sigh just before he wandered off to sleep. It was the kind of sigh that spoke of love and contentment.

The benchmark I sought to keep Gryphon happily invested in his end of day sigh was something like this: If I were a dog I’d want me to be my owner. And as a human I would forever choose Gryphon to be my dog. For almost 14 years I worked to achieve success on both counts.

Besides the wet sandy runs on the beach in the early morning and lots of road trips and camping trips, our best days were the endless miles trotting on trails in the woods. With Gryphon at my left hip we’d move for hours upon hours with the sounds of our breathing and footfall mixed in with the forest noises. I never used a leash as Gryphon wasn’t the kind of dog that felt inclined to run aimlessly in circles or wander off course while I kept a linear trajectory. He was content to settle in by my side so we could experience the effort together. Dogs surpass human running partners in various ways because they don’t gossip, show fear, complain about their lives or whine. And they are always ecstatic to try a new route, stay out for an extra hour or change up speed as desired. I had run much on trails before he came into my life but Gryphon is the one who taught me to connect to the forest as an animal does; joyfully alert and in the moment, aware and at attention to the intricacies of wooded life. He showed me that we can move through and be a thriving living part of the forest at the same time. He taught me the secrets to thinking like an animal.

Gryphon didn’t like big oppressive hugs but he liked to be next to. He liked to sidle. He just wanted to be sure of me. Australian Shepards are shadow dogs. You go to the bathroom they go with you. You cook dinner, they sit in the kitchen and watch your every move. You head upstairs to put on your running clothes and you become acutely aware of a traipsing body at your feet. Once you get used to the incessant mass you notice a sure rhythm in their presence and that a part of your mundane day to day ritual is spiced up with a happy furry twist. Gryphon had enormous roaming freedom in our relationship. He was rarely on a leash and he enjoyed cruising the neighborhood at will. I allowed this because I knew that ultimately he didn’t want to be anywhere else but home.

You see, an Aussie doesn’t just love to live with you they get under your skin. Like a permanent tattoo the dog leaves a bold imprint without you even being aware of it. They don’t speak but they communicate easily if you are open and not too caught up in your own little busy universe. The dog is the only domesticated being that has pure unconditional love. Cats don’t. Almost all humans don’t (though we like to think we do). Dogs do. If you leave to go to the store and return 10 minutes later, the dog celebrates your arrival with full fanfare. They help us realize that we too can feel constant heightened joy. Gryphon was sweet, silently tough, goofy, highly adaptable, intelligent, and loving. He was the kind of dog who would opt for affection over food. It pleased me to recognize that many in my community knew me not for me, but because they recognized and loved the Gryphon by my side.

If you desire to be the one that calls the shots in the human/dog relationship, then you have to not only teach your dog the language necessary to relate to you on this level, but you have to be consistent in your actions. Dogs are pack animals and they thrive in understanding how systems work within the pack. If you offer them that information and then always follow through in playing out your system, then all will be content. I got this early on as did Gryphon. He got it to the degree that much of our interactions could be non verbal. He got it because he was smart and aware. And he got it because more than anything he was intent on our having an easy loving relationship. That was his sole motive. So I could get my point across by making a sound with a particular inflection and he understood what I needed and abided. In the solidity of this dynamic he also got early on that he could trust me with the big stuff.

Aussies devote their time to keeping an eye on you and they take their job very seriously. They can be running or playing or sniffing or napping and each activity will be intermittently interrupted to check in—with eye contact—on your ware about. To the Aussie, you are home base and their responsibility at once. Gryphon took on his job of gathering me up admirably, but due to several situations in which I got his young butt out of precarious pickles, he also handed over a large part of our trusting relationship to me. Gryphon counted on me having his back. And as he aged he allowed more and more that I be the protector. Each day I was deeply moved and honored that this brave creature saw me as being worthy of such important care. Gryphon caused me to desire to be a better human. Lucky me.

For the last several months Gryphon’s nightly sigh was replaced with agitated breathing, panting or incessant restless shuffling as he tried to make sense of his discomfort and stressed lungs. The soulful sigh seemed to elude him and our little end-of-day song and cuddle brought no comfort. He took several turns for the worse but then would fight his way back to basic functioning. He fought to keep his important job of looking out for me, while getting the reality that I was becoming the caretaker. When I’d lie next to him and tell him that I was ok and he needed to move on if that was best, he’d turn his head away not wanting to hear. Despite his massively stressed state he was still worried about—me.

In Gryphons final down turn his rear legs shut down and he stopped eating. It was time. I had always promised myself that the decision to end his life would remain about what was best for him—not me. Reluctantly I stuck to that vow and made the call.

The vet administers anesthesia to send the dog to sleep before putting him down. So as Gryphon lay on his favorite blanket in his favorite spot next to the fireplace and surrounded by love, he fell asleep. And for the first time in months he fully relaxed while letting out that coveted deep soulful sigh as I dropped tears on his soft fur and sang parts of our silly little song in his ear. It was beautiful. Yet I’m certain I’ve never felt this depth of gut wrenching sadness.

But an easy loving relationship that is so purely good and true is to be celebrated as a living memory. The permanent tattoo. So I’ve been taking his toys into Nisene Marks and placing them in all of our favorite spots. I’ll spread his ashes at the beach and in the woods. And as I pass through on a long solo trot I’ll remember him as the teacher, tucked in by my left side. And we’ll always and forever, be sure of each other.

Looking back is always about learning. Though what has come before isn’t who we are, it is what happened to us, and in that there is so much yummy stuff to learn!

So while creating my future for 2011 I looked back to reflect, and thought I’d share my findings. As for what’s up for ’11 – stay tuned – lots of really exciting stuff…

10 Things I (re)Learned in 2010:

• If we’ve really lived as we push 50 years, the body is finicky and more vulnerable, the mind is tougher, and the intuition is underrated. Listen.

• You play a small game in life and your misconceptions of yourself will remain nurtured. Go big every day and you’ll just start to get a glimpse of who you really are. Why not go big?

• Just like our body, our belief in self must be challenged again and again in order to stand solid in its strength. Thank your challengers. They are your best teachers.

• Complacency, indifference, worry, blame and steady self doubt, offer death while breathing. Do you choose life?

• A quiet mind is an extraordinary launching point.

• If we can truly grasp that Mother Nature is so much more spectacular and inspiring than we are, we might stop pissing her off so much.

• I have no interest in nice. What really shakes things up in a powerful manner are; bright curiosity, intelligence, a ton of hard work and respectful forthrightness.

• We never arrive at critically important, impeccable communication. But we are impeccable if never stop working on it.

• Compassion omnipotently precludes a stuck ego.

• My favorite nourishment is still a huge fire-in-the-belly challenge with the perfectly unknown ending for dessert.

I’d love to hear your reflections on 2010! Do share.

After basking in your post-season confidence and doing a bit of playing in the off-season, what the heck are you supposed to do next? There are a myriad of ways to organize your off-season time through recovery, playtime, and building your next season. In looking ahead, you may decide to refine your skill and speed to master shorter distance races or take your racing off-road. You can up the ante in distance, or create a combination of the above.

In the Northern Hemisphere, most endurance racing seasons run from March through October, with a few early- or late-season races sprinkled in. Most athletes in these areas will train for an early-spring start to their season and add races or events throughout the summer. Their most important, or A race, may lie near the middle or end of the season. But whichever way you slice your season, there will generally be challenging, focused periods when you are hitting your build-recovery cycles of training spot-on. These will be the most stressful times of your season and can be considered your midseason regardless of where these weeks actually fall in the year.

Recharge Your Batteries
After your final race in the fall, it is essential to physically and psychologically take a break from the rigors of prolonged, focused training. A consistent high-level workload is positive stress on your system. It gives you a training effect that can aid in top-level performances. But carrying this high level of stress year-round is a mistake and can hurt you in various ways.

Many athletes who train hard throughout the year end up injured, burned out, flat, or unmotivated for their first races of the season. Often they’re unwilling to let go of their end-of-season fitness as they are concerned they will not be able to return to the same level of fitness in the future. But in addition to giving your muscles, tendons, joints, and physiology a much-needed break from the rigors of scheduled training, you also need to take a mental break from following a routine.

Taking some downtime from training is healthy in all regards and is also a lesson in trust. If you can trust that your body needs a break, you can trust that you will soon be fired up again and ready to get back into your routine. By the end of the season, you’ve worn your batteries down a bit. You need to recharge your mental and physical capacity for work. Trust in the time needed to recharge, and you’ll come back even stronger than you were at end of last season.

So forget all the worry surrounding your off-season recovery time and go out and play! Allow yourself to let go of definitive structure in your training, and the result will be a fresh, hungry, and rested mind and body.

The length of play or recovery time needed is dependent on the races in which you participated during your season and the training time devoted to those races. The longer the events and your season, the more recovery time might be needed. In general, after a full season of racing several or more events, settle into two to four weeks of playtime. If you really desire to train during this time, do. Go for a short jog or easy spin on the bike. But if the thought of a long ride or jumping in the pool makes you cringe, then don’t.

Play, Play, Play
During off-season recovery time, allow yourself to play in activities that are not a part of your regular training regime. Take the rock climbing class you’ve been eyeing. Get back in your kayak a couple times a week, or dust off your mountain bike and hit the trails. Pull out the snowshoes or take a cross-country ski lesson. Try your first cyclocross race or yoga class.

This is also an excellent time to do some “spring cleaning” in your life—catch up on personal projects, clean out your closet or filing cabinet, read a book, or engage in other hobbies you can’t squeeze in while in full training mode.

Sleep in! Or enjoy those extra few minutes of being awake when you climb into bed to catch up on some reading or time with your spouse, as well as the blissful moments between the sheets each morning to rest your body and mind.
During the second or third week of your recovery, look for the spark to ignite. It’s the first sign to rekindle the fire. You may notice that your energy is coming back or that you have lost energy due to lack of training. You may notice that you are starting to think about racing again next year, or that you have lost interest because you are feeling fat and lazy. These are all signs to get the process flowing again and start looking forward to moving and organizing the events in which you wish to participate.

To get the fire brewing again, you may need a kick start to stir things up again. Sign up for a 10K, 100K fun ride, swim lessons, or that next season Ironman or ultra running race. If recovery doesn’t do it—the act of laying down some cash toward a goal will definitely ignite you.

Tapering before a race is as important as training. It allows you to set yourself up for your best performance by resting your body and your mind and eliminating any cumulative fatigue gathering during the building of your training. The length and amount of your taper will depend on how fit you are coming into your taper and how important the race is to you. If you have a solid base of fitness and have been generally keeping to your training plan, think in terms of a fourteen- to sixteen-day taper. If your training has been haphazard, you will want to continue to integrate short bouts of positive training stress into your program up to nine to eleven days prior to your race.

If you are preparing for an A race, maximize your taper time for optimal rest and recovery–lean toward a twelve- to fifteen-day taper. If your upcoming race is important but more of a fun race or a training race (B or C), then your taper can be shorter, or you can decide to train through the event and eliminate a taper altogether. The longer your event, the longer your taper (up to three weeks from an Ironman). This is under the assumption that if you have done proper longer training for a longer event that you need more time to subdue your cumulative physiological and muscular fatigue from many hours of training.

All taper programs will include a change in total training volume, frequency, and intensity, but remember that it is usually better to do a bit less volume than too much. Don’t get greedy–don’t panic train! Your training adaptation is done at this point and trying to force a higher training effect this close to an event will only hurt your race effort. If you want to train more because you think it will psychologically help you in your event–let go of that thought. It will only make you more tired on race day.

* For a ten- to fourteen-day taper, cut your initial volume by 30 to 50 percent, leaning toward 50 percent in the latter part of your taper.

* On the front end of a two- to three-week taper, maintain frequency of workouts per week while cutting back on the duration of each workout.

* During the last week of your taper, cut frequency and duration by 50 percent.

* For a two- to three-week taper, maintain intensity in your workouts while decreasing duration of higher intensity bouts.

* Even in your last week of taper, maintain very short duration intensity bouts (up to 1 minute) while cutting duration and frequency.

Enjoy the extra time you have during your taper! This is an excellent time to look back on all of the positive work you’ve done and spend your extra time getting your mind ready for your race effort.

It is common to have occasional days of moderate to heavy fatigue, but if it lasts for a week or more, you may need to re-evaluate your training process and your lifestyle choices to eliminate the possibilities of overtraining. If left unattended, overtraining can lead to burnout and injury–two predicaments that are much more extensive than overtraining. Looking at the causes and symptoms of overtraining can help you to avoid this situation.

Areas in your training process that can cause overtraining:

* Inadequate (passive and active) recovery within weekly training

* Inadequate decrease in volume and intensity of training within periodized recovery week (third or fourth week) as well as inadequate passive and active recovery within this week

* Too much overall volume of training or too quick of an increase in volume

* Too much intensity of training or too quick of an increase in intensity

* Too many race efforts

* Striving for unrealistic goals in training or racing

* Failure to adjust training process to lifestyle stresses

* Increase of training too quickly coming off some downtime (i.e., off-season or injury)

• A training program that lacks enjoyment and fun

Areas in your lifestyle that can cause stress and result in overtraining:

* Perpetually rushing around

* Lack of routine

* Lack of adequate sleep

* Not enough recovery or relaxation time

* Imbalance in diet including inappropriate carbohydrate, protein, and fat intake; inadequate water intake; inadequate vitamin and mineral intake; excessive alcohol, caffeine, or simple sugar intake

* Poor living or interpersonal conditions including unhealthy surrounding; regular conflict with family, coach, friends; unhappiness in relationships; not enough time alone

* Poor work conditions including regular conflict with co-workers, too much work, unhappy with job or career

* Excessive travel

• Exposure to sick children or co-workers, as well as asthma, allergies, and all illnesses

Psychological symptoms of overtraining:

* Feeling indifferent about your training and life

* Mental lethargy

* Mood disturbances such as irritability

* Poor focus

* Frustration

* Inability to accept that you are overtrained

* Decreased self-esteem and self-confidence

* Change in interaction with others

Physical symptoms of overtraining:

* Altered sleeping patterns

* Excessive craving of water or sugar or significant change in appetite

* Consistent or excessive fatigue

* Consistent muscle soreness

* Increased or persistent illness, injury, infection, swollen lymph glands

* Morning heart rate changes

* Performance change including an inability to work at usual intensity levels during training or racing

* Amenorrhea

* Decreased libido

* Change in body weight

You may glance at these lists and say, “I have some of those symptoms right now!” It is common to experience some of these challenges, especially during build phases of training. You may feel tired one day, crave sugar the next, and lose a bit of sleep a couple days later. It is common for your morning heart rate to increase after strenuous training efforts. You do need to ride an edge of peak training weeks during the crux of your build in order to gain the maximum benefit, but the key to riding that edge is to do it infrequently and for short periods of time. That would mean that for one week or a few days out of a four-week cycle, you may feel considerably on edge.

The key to deciphering whether you are experiencing regular training stresses or overtraining is to note the duration and quantity of your symptoms. If you are experiencing several symptoms over a period of ten days or more, you are most likely overtrained. Back off immediately! Take one or two recovery or rest days before you get to this point and notice if you bounce back. If you ignore the signs and forge ahead with your training, you may put yourself into a deficit that will take many weeks to recover from.

One of the most significant challenges in your training process is knowing when to push and when to back off. Your training log can help you become more in tune with how you are feeling mentally and physically. Look for patterns. Be honest. Listen to your body. Write down your observations. Your body communicates with you in the form of fatigue, hunger, pain, and so on. If you listen, you can keep yourself on the positive side of that training edge and go to your events primed and healthy to race. If not, you may head into the vortex of burnout.

When a running race is set in as spectacular a setting as Nisene Marks State Park in Aptos, the experience outcome for a whole lot of veteran and newbie trail runners is predictable – epic! Even if we took away the challenging single track sections, the tough climbs, steep descents, multiple creek crossings  and all the great good at the finish line – we’d still have a lovely trot through a spectacular redwood forest, on dirt, and that would be… just enough.

Thanks to all participants for making this event memorable and for all of your continued amazing feedback these past couple days! Here’s what a few participants had to say about their experience in the woods this year:

“I have run over 20 races in the last 2 years and this course was, if not my favorite, close to it!!!”

“It was a wonderful balance of single trail, fire roads and rolling hills. The river crossings were fun!”

“The location is hard to beat…”

“I love trails and getting dirty is a passion I am passing on to my daughter who ironically loves water!… I am an individual who feels strongly about nature (mother) and that we all need to tread lightly but tread nonetheless…. My daughter, nearly 4, asked if she could get dirty and run with me one day. This event has inspired me to do just that keep trail fit so we can run together.”

“This is by far the most beautiful and inspirational half I’ve ever done and I’ve done it both years.  It’s like a Fairy Tale run – going deeper and deeper into the forest.  I felt like Snow White.”

“I’m definitely looking forward to next year and plan to drag more ladies with me through the dirt! Truly inspiring day!”

In the end we give credit to all of the incredible volunteers, the pro race announcing of Eric Gilsenan, the precision organization of Penni and Tim at Finish Line Productions, or all of the top notch support from our sponsors, BUT in Dirty races, Mother Nature will always take center stage for a humans excellent experience. She’s just that good.

Continue to Get Dirty and Get Inspired! We’ll see you out on the trails…

In a continued era of ‘mechanization’ of fitness with more strength training gadgets than out of work Americans, I am a huge fan of taking strength work back to the basics. One way to do this is to implement some overall body exercises using plyometrics, push ups, and ab crunches, prior to, during, or after your endurance workout. These can be done…wherever you happen to end up and at no additional gym or personal training costs!

In short, Plyometrics exercises can promote reflex power through a broader range of motion than that which most endurance athletes experience. They help maximize power in the stretching and shortening cycle of a muscle or muscle group. The balance/strength aspect of the movements allows for the development of overall movement efficiency. These exercises also train an athlete to absorb shock better and therefore define and redefine resiliency in the joints and soft tissue.

Here are three basic plyometric exercises to get you started. Below I’ll explain how to you can place these in an overall strength training/running program on the go.

1. Walking Lunges – This would be considered a warm-up to the more dynamic exercises: Step out with your right foot far enough in front of you so that you can go into a 90 degree bend with that leg and still keep the knee over the heel. Lunge down with your left leg only slightly bent behind you, until your left knee almost touches the ground. Lift body up and over the right foot and step out in the same manner with the left foot without pause. Use arms as needed for power and balance while keeping the focus of the exercise in the quad and glutes.
2. Standing Jumps – Stand in place with your arms at your side. Squat down and jump in place while trying to bring your knees up to your chest. As your feet touch the ground after each jump go directly into the next jump. Use your arms as needed for power and balance.  The set is done when all reps are completed repeatedly without pause.
3. Side Shuffle Lunges – Step to the side with your right foot, feet slightly wider than shoulder width, then go into a full squat, arms will naturally want to move to the front of your body. Stand up while shuffling your feet to the right, moving the left foot to where the right foot was and placing the right foot another several feet to the side. Squat again, lift body, shuffle to the side and repeat the motion. A full set is a continuous motion of squatting, lifting, and sliding until the set is complete. Alternate leading legs on each set.

Sample Strength Training on the Run workout:

Run easy for 10 minutes.

End up at a staircase that takes you at least 1 minute to run up.

Do 3 repeats up the stairs.

Then do the following:

1×10 Walking Lunges

1×10 push ups

1×10 Side Shuffle Lunges

30 Ab crunches

Run easy for 20 minutes.

End up at a staircase that takes you at least 1 minute to run up.

Do 3 repeats up the stairs.

Then do the following:

1×10 Walking Lunges

1×10 push ups

1×10 Standing Jumps

30 Ab crunches

Run easy for 20 minutes.

End up at a staircase that takes you at least 1 minute to run up.

Do 3 repeats up the stairs.

Then do the following:

1×10 Walking Lunges

1×10 push ups

1×10 Standing Jumps

30 Ab crunches

1×10 Side Shuffle Lunges

Run easy for 10 minutes.

Only do this workout 1x per week. You can do the strength specific work 1-2 additional times per week on non-consecutive days. Start out doing each exercise (except the ab crunches) at 10 reps each set, after a couple weeks increase to 15 reps and then 20.

If done properly, you will get sore your first week! These exercises can be combined with any sport specific training program and over several weeks you will start to notice an increase in strength and resiliency.

For the same reason you don’t bolt out the door in a sprint, for your early Sunday morning run, it’s critical that you slowly allow your body to adapt to the fervor of a triathlon race start! So once you have set up your transition, it’s time to warm up for your race—which can involve getting used to swimming in some cold water. The quantity of warm-up you do depends on your goals for the race, your level of fitness, and the distance of the event.

If your goal is to complete the distance of the race, then you’ll want to warm up enough to feel rested, confident, and mentally prepared going to the start line. This may mean getting in a good stretch, then jumping in to get used to the water and warm up your upper body for swimming.

If you are fit and racing a sprint- or international-distance event, and your goal is to get a personal best in your race, you’ll want to toe the line lubed and ready to rock when the gun goes off. A rule of thumb is the shorter the race, the longer the warm-up. Higher race speeds require you to be fully warm and sweaty with an open vascular system so you can hit your pace right off the line. You want significant blood motion prior to asking your body to move quickly.

A complete warm-up for a fit athlete racing a sprint- or international-distance event might look like this:

*        Start your warm-up with an easy spin on the bike. This may last 10, 20, even 30 minutes if you are very fit and looking for a fast race time. Spin easy for the first third of your warm up, then throw in three to six 30-second jumps in speed–standing out of the saddle to get up to speed, then sitting for the last 15 seconds. Spin easily back to the transition, making sure that you rack your bike in the gear necessary to easily start your ride out of the transition area.

*        Do a light stretch of key tight spots before you head out for your run warm-up.

*        Jog easy for 5, 10, or 15 minutes, throwing in three to six 30-second strides within this run time–building your speed up to race pace or faster within each stride. Finish your run warm-up with some easy jogging back to the transition.

*        When you get back to the transition, you should be sweaty, lungs open, feeling loose, and ready to go.

*        You can either take some more stretching time now, or put on your wetsuit, head to the shoreline, and stretch there before you hop in the water.

*        Get to your wave start with time to hop in the water and do a swim warm up. If the water is cold, give yourself a few more minutes to submerge. Swim easy for a few minutes then do three to six 30-second surges in speed, before an easy couple more minutes of swimming. Hop out of the water and you are ready to rock.

*        If you are racing an event that does not let athletes in the water prior to the swim start, and there is no other swim location in the immediate vicinity in which to warm up, then do a swim warm up on land. Start with some light upper body stretches–triceps, chest, side stretches (see chapter 8). Then starting with the right arm, swing the arm in front away from your body and then behind you in a half circle. Let the arm swim back and forth like a pendulum easy for a minute, then switch to the left arm. Come back to the right arm and swing in full circles forward, then backward a few times, and then switch to the left arm. Swing both arms in the same or opposing directions at the same time. Do some jogging on the beach and a few push-ups. The idea is to get a solid blood flow to the upper body before you ask it to work for you.

Remember, in prepping your mind and body for the stress of an event, your body may react with a flight-or-fight type response. You may get sweaty palms or a nervous stomach, or you may be spending much more time than usual in the port-o-potties prior to the race. Your heart rate will increase, and you may even have an anxious feeling in your chest.

Whether you are racing a sprint- or international-distance race, perform a similar warm-up described above. If you are racing a half-Ironman for a personal best, take the above warm-up and cut all the times and distances in half, or less. For all events, including Ironman distance, stretching, prepping your mind, and doing a swim warm-up are the minimum you should do prior to a race. Anything less will not allow your body and mind to be ready to perform your best.

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.