The end of triathlon season. The worst part of the year for a triathlete. The time when the air starts to get crisp, darkness sets in before supper time, and the wind becomes frigid. The time when the lakes begin to freeze over, the trails are covered in leaves, and snow begins to dust the highways. The beginnings of the off season. The end of structured, multi daily workouts and the start of way too much free time. Every triathlete knows the struggle of not having a gruelling workout to look forward to during the day.
This was by far the most organized and well put on race I’ve ever been to. I can’t seem to recall a part of the day where I was frustrated with the timing, the limitations, or any real gripe against the schedule.
I spent the first week of May with my team at a training camp in St. George, Utah. After not being able to make my club’s annual training camp for the past two years thanks to conflicts with school, I was pretty excited to attend this one.
Racing at the Toronto Triathlon Festival in 2016 was one of my greatest races and played an important part in making my decision to continue to try improving in triathlon and eventually pursuing an International Competition Card.
It seems like a crazy thing for a personal trainer to say, but hiring a coach does not always work. Don’t get me wrong! I believe full-heartedly in personal training and coaching! But the truth is that there are countless individuals out there who believe that the solution to all their fitness woes is to hire a personal trainer. To their dismay, and despite the efforts of the trainer, they fall short of their goals.
If I had to pick one race that stands out as my big “eye opening” race that brought me into Elite triathlon, I don’t think I could. It was more of a combination of minor events that paved the pathway to where I am now. I could go on for pages about each race teaching me something new but I’m going to break it down into 3 key races.
The task: answer two questions given to you by Coach Kyle.
Answering questions with basic, superficial, regurgitated run of the mill responses is easy. Delving deeper into oneself, truly breaking down a question and massaging out the knots is hard. But it results in a truer answer, one that comes directly from your inner being. Here goes.
With the popularity of Age Group World Championships in various formats and distances, there are many new and challenging options for age groupers to aim towards.
I've competed and coached at many Age Group World Championships over the passed several years, and there are always a number of things that bring me back to these amazing events.
Here are 4 reasons to shoot for a spot on your national Age Group team:
Races are going to be challenging at some point or another. Whether it’s getting through the long ride or getting into a rhythm in the swim leg, it can be challenging to keep a high effort for a long time, without losing focus and losing speed.
Some races will be better than others. That’s just the nature of racing at your personal limit, sometimes things won’t workout. Even just feeling an unexpected difficulty part way through a race can cause make you lose focus, having a negative effect on the remainder of the race.
You are going to face many ups and downs. Your life path is going to have rocky footing, unpredictable weather and random mudslides. You're going to fall down but you're going to get back up. You’re going to fall down again, and continue to get back up. It is going to become a constant cycle of ups and downs. Treasure the ups. Soak in every detail of all of the good times and commit them to your memory. Remember these moments during the down times, knowing even better times are ahead.
The new year is a special time in Japan, filled with rituals and beliefs about what will bring good luck and longevity, people welcome another year eating long noodles and rice cakes (mochi). During this time, there is another feeling in the air; it is not obvious to the unsearching eye, but is powerful, widespread, and seemingly indiscriminate.
Triathlon is an inspiring sport. But sometimes, it can seem nearly impossible to break through the negativity and low-points to stay motivated. The only thing more dangerous than a hard-working, talented triathlete is one who has the motivation to move mountains.
Here are 5 quotes to keep you going when you're struggling in your pain cave, sweating in the hurt locker, and devastated with despair:
