Training - Page 5

3 Reasons to Train with Purpose

Roger Bannister, the first man to break the four-minute-mile barrier, talked about the purpose for which he ran in his autobiography, “Four Minute Mile.” He wrote that it “should become a striving to achieve more and more, not for purely selfish motives, but because of the recognition of some higher purpose.” Bannister found the purpose for why he ran, and he changed his life and the world around him. You can do the same in triathlon training. If you can find your purpose for competing in triathlons and train with that purpose in mind, you’ll not only be able to determine a motivation and method for your athletic pursuits, you’ll develop the strength and mental fortitude to accomplish them. There…

Inspiration / Training

TriDot

TriDot Check-In with Athlete Rodney Friend

RODNEY FRIEND is an IRONMAN and the founder and president of Merchant Management Group, a full service credit card processing company in Panama City, Florida. A city commissioner who is active on several boards as well as his local church, he is also a founding member of Team Reach, a triathlon group who raise funds and awareness for three non-profit organizations. Married to Jeanette, his wife of 27 years, they have a daughter, Katelyn, who is a senior in high school. How did you get started in triathlon? I didn’t have a big athletic background but I did a lot of athletic things growing up, like a lot of other boys. Basketball was my primary sport. I also competed…

Training / TriDot Check-In

TriDot

3 Reasons to Consider a Triathlon Coach

Triathletes are typically a solitary lot. Self-driven. Self-trained. Self-reliant. They often like to do things alone. The notion of seeking a coach to add value to their triathlon training can take many out of their comfort zones. But triathlon is a rigorous, multi-dimensional, multi-disciplined sport, which requires more than the average demands on an athlete. When you add the uniqueness of each athlete, from body composition, to athletic background, to triathlon experience, the best data and an experienced coach who can assist in the physical and mental demands of the sport will give you the best advantage you can ask for. A coach delivers three key values to your athletic achievement and enjoyment: 1. Securing a triathlon coach reduces…

Coaching / Training

Jared Milam

Why a Proper Triathlon Bike Fit Improves Efficiency

I’ll never forget the sight I saw at my first IRONMAN 70.3 as I rode along the coast of Lake Michigan (yes, I’m talking about Steelhead). However, the spectacle before me had nothing to do with the race venue. It was the proficiency of my competition that had me baffled. As a novice triathlete at the time, I’ll fully admit I knew next to nothing about the intricacies of cycling. Especially on a time trial bike. But even then I had a hunch something was wrong as I whipped by athlete after athlete upright and un-aerodynamically atop my cheap aluminum frame road bike. What were my fellow age group athletes riding? Full carbon fiber time trial machines ranging in brand…

Bike / Training

Jared Milam

What are PhysiFactors and How Do They Impact Triathlon Training?

TriDot’s objective in triathlon training is simple: Get the best results in the least amount of training time – maximize your training return. It’s simple to say, but more complex in execution. Why? The fact is effective triathlon training requires an athlete to balance five key variables: Intensity Duration Frequency Sequence Technique To better understand this truth, consider these five key questions regarding these variables: At what level of intensity should you be training day in and day out? How long should your workout be? How often should you train? In which order should you train (sequence matters—and can produce different results)? What technique should you use in your training? All of these questions greatly affect your overall fitness and…

Physifactors / Training

John Mayfield

When Am I Ready for an IRONMAN?

Triathletes commonly ask how long is required to fully prepare for an IRONMAN race. My answer is simple: Everyone’s unique, so there’s no one answer. But everybody’s plan should ideally include both a developmental phase and race preparation phase. The developmental phase time will vary widely based on several factors including an athlete’s age, body composition, overall fitness, and time within the sport. It focuses on building speed, power, and efficiency to ensure the athlete has adequate fitness and skill in each discipline to take on the rigors of training for and racing in an IRONMAN. In addition to fitness, the athlete will need to achieve certain physiological adaptations in the developmental phase. These can include changes such as body composition, muscular and…

Bike / Run / Swim / Training

Elizabeth James

TriDot Normalizes Weather Changes for Better Triathlon Training

In 2015, I moved from Nebraska to Texas. Like most moves, it brought a tremendous amount of change. At the same time, I was in the midst of training for my first IRONMAN and coming up on some key workouts in race preparation. I was not only moving my belongings, I was also taking months of solid improvements into the intense Texas summers. The heat and humidity were nearly intolerable. But what I found worse than these environmental factors was the mental stress I experienced when I was unable to hit my previous training paces. This change was as intolerable as the temperature. I knew and understood my pace would change in hotter weather, but I didn’t know how much it should. Was I…

Training

Elizabeth James

Is a Post-Workout Stretch Necessary in Triathlon Training?

You’re crunched for time as it is. You wake up well before the sunrise to get your morning workout in and then maybe try to squeeze in another session over your lunch break. With so many responsibilities to balance, just getting in those quality workout sessions is a large task. So do you really need to take more precious time to stretch post-workout? In short, yes. Your post-workout doesn’t need to take 20 minutes, and toe touches may not be necessary, but ensuring a proper cool down that incorporates lowering your heart rate and increasing circulation is important. Stretching is a key component to that cool down routine. While there are conflicting reports about the specific benefits of stretching, most…

Recovery / Stretching / Training / Triathlon

TriDot

What's Your TriDot?

What reaction would you get if you asked a fellow triathlete, "What's Your TriDot?" Today, they'd probably give you an expression similar to the "eyes-wide-open-with-a-straight-line-mouth" Emoji face. But the reality is the TriDot Score can change triathlete conversations about training, performance and potential. Think of it like a golf handicap. If you're a 19 handicap and you're talking to a 2 handicap, you immediately have context for the conversation. The same is true of the TriDot Score. Before you start weeks of triathlon training, wouldn't it be great if you could quantify your overall triathlon fitness with a baseline score? And get a score for each discipline too? What if these scores helped identify which areas offer the biggest training payoff (i.e. better results, more efficient training) and served a role in tracking your progress? You can and…

News / Training

Jeff Booher

TriDot's Bottom Line: Better Results With Less Training

Triathletes are known to be “Type A” personalities. We love taking things to the next level — beyond our expectations and those of others. Bottom line: We’re driven to constantly improve. And that’s exactly what we’re doing at TriDot. THE BIRTH OF TRIDOT Since my first sprint triathlon in 2003, I have been intrigued with not only the sport of triathlon — but also the training science behind it. As I began researching the science, I found training resources to be mostly generic philosophies, unproven theories, vague concepts, one-size-fits-all templates, and personal anecdotes. Many of these conflicted with each other. And any published research I reviewed was too small of a sample size to be conclusive or broadly applied. While I…

Training

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Patents applied for in the U.S. and abroad. TriDot and the TriDot logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Predictive Fitness, Inc. in the US and other countries. Other trademarks include Optimized Triathlon Training, nSight, TrainX, RaceX, Physiogenomix, EnviroNorm, Normalized Training Stress, and Training Stress Profile. Additional Predictive Fitness trademarks can be found at www.predictive.fit/trademark-list.