PETE AND CORRINNE UPDATE #11
Jarrett Pflieger
The OC International Triathlon is looming, but Pete and Corrinne believe they’re ready. 
This past week brought a minor break in the sweltering heat, but it was still very warm nonetheless. “Overall the week went OK. I felt a little out of whack with the Monday holiday,” Pete said. He participated in the group run on Sunday with the Triathica group. Normally the run goes through Whiting Ranch, but this time it went through the same run course as the OC Tri since we have many athletes getting ready for that race. Pete explained, “It was great to run the actual course and see what I actually have to do on race day. Knowing what to expect by doing the course works wonder for my confidence.”
Along with running the OC Tri run course, the group also swam in Lake Mission Viejo on Wednesday night. “Even though we didn’t get to swim the actual course, we still swam in the same lake where the swim would be. It helped to look around and get comfortable with where everything would take place on the 27th,” explained Corrinne.
Pete was a little concerned about the temperature of the water. “The water temp was fairly warm (84 degrees) and I feel if this warm weather trend continues wetsuits will not be allowed. I will continue to practice without it and if we get to wear them it will be just a added bonus,” Pete explained.
This was Corrinne’s first open water swim since she got her cast off a few weeks ago. She was taking it easy, but swam with good form and confidence. It looks like she will definitely be ready to give it her all in two weeks.
For next week, Pete plans to dial in his efforts on his running. “I said this last week, but this week I need to get serious about shorter distance tempo runs. I’m an ultra runner by trade; so short and intense distances are foreign to me. All the more reason to do them,” said Pete.
Corrinne will continue to train hard and recover from her bike crash. Her arm is nearly 100% so we are all expecting a strong performance in two weeks.
Check back next week to see how Pete and Corrinne are doing in their final week before the big race.
OFF-SEASON BLUES
Jarrett Pflieger
You just finished your last race of the season and set a new personal record for that course. Once your accomplishment sinks in, it’s quickly replaced by a feeling of emptiness. What do you do now that racing season is over? What could you possibly have to look forward to for the rest of the year? The answer… next season.
Now is not the time to take four months off of training. Sure, go ahead and relax for a few weeks after a good season, but you should already be preparing for next year and keeping your current fitness levels from dropping too much. Your goal doesn’t necessarily need to be improving fitness, but your top priority should definitely be maintenance. Why waste all the hard work you did this past year? Stay on your game and come back solid next year. So how do you do this?
Off-season tip #1: Don’t train like a maniac
Chances are, you were training like a maniac during the season and your body needs some active rest. If you were training at your full potential, it will be very difficult for your body to sustain very intense and long training cycles year in and year out.
Now is the time to give you body and mind a rest by taking it easy and trying something different. Maybe spend time with the family or call up some friends and relatives you haven’t spoken with during the last eight months of training. They would probably be excited to hear from you.
Off-season tip #2: Cross-train
If all you do is swim, bike, and run, you will have severely under-developed muscles that are not used during these activities. This can affect performance and lead to injury. Take this off-season to do other things you enjoy to activate forgotten muscles.
Go surfing, hiking, skiing, or play some football, soccer, hockey, etc. Definitely swim, bike, and run occasionally, but keep the intensity lower than maximum and keep it unstructured. Just go by feel, and if you are the type that feels the need to punish yourself every workout, maybe you need to structure off-season workouts to be less intense.
Off-season tip #3: Hit the gym
I can talk until I’m blue in the face about the benefits of resistance training to endurance athletes, but many still refuse to do it, mostly due to time constraints. Now it’s the off-season, your workouts are shorter, and it’s time to hit the weights.
Strength and resistance training is probably the single best thing you can do to increase power and prevent injury. Just start slow if you are new to resistance training, then increases sets, reps, weight, rest duration, etc. as you go. It would be best to find a training plan or get a personal trainer, but just doing it is better than not doing it at all. Just make sure you are using proper technique or you could hurt yourself.
Don’t feel like you need to fling around heavy weights and barbells to train for more power. Resistance bands, stability balls, medicine balls, and many bodyweight exercises can be nearly as beneficial and much less dangerous. All you really need is two to three days a week for 20 – 30 minutes. Try doing circuits with back-to-back workouts sans rest.
Off-season tip #4: Concentrate of form
Now is the time to correct problems you have with your technique. You workouts should be shorter and less intense, so now you can really focus on correcting flaws in your swim stroke, pedaling efficiency, or running form.
What’s the use in logging countless hours using poor form? Your body will just learn the bad technique and it will be harder to correct later. Use this off-season to improve technique in your weaknesses, which will allow you to go faster and use less energy. Have a coach look at your technique and maybe even get some video of yourself so you can see what you are doing wrong.
Off-season tip #5: Plan your race schedule
What’s the next best thing to racing and training? Planning your racing and training of course!
Do some research on which races you may want to do next year. You can begin to plan your training early to be prepared for those races based on the distance and the terrain of the race. Don’t decide you are going to try your first Ironman a month out from the race; you will not be able to be ready in time.
Hopefully some of these tips were helpful. It is very easy to get complacent and lose fitness over the off-season. Be the person that maintains or even improves before next season even starts. Now go out and have a social life for the next few months, it won’t last long.
OC TRIATHLON COURSE TALK
Ron Saetermoe
We’re glad that the OC International Triathlon is back for a second year now since the race tragically ended in 1993 with Jim MacClaren’s crash that made him a quadriplegic. It truly is one of the great Southern California races.
I first did the race in 1984 as part of a relay team when I was working for Mitsubishi Motors. I’m a pretty good swimmer and the company team needed a swimmer so it all worked out. This was to be my second triathlon, and first as a member of a team. My first was in 1983 in Iowa – who knew!
Anyway, we thought we’d invite anyone out that wanted to sit in on a “course talk” here at Triathica. We’ll go over the course and discuss race strategy. We’ll also hear from Pete and Corrine, the two athletes we’ve had the pleasure to train for the past 10 weeks.
Date: Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Time: 6:30 p.m.
Place: Triathica, 26475 Rancho Parkway South, Lake Forest
For more information please contact Jarrett Pflieger at Jarrett@triathica.com or 949.273.6223.
MENTAL PREPARATION FOR RACING
Ron Saetermoe
I’m no mental health expert but I do know a few things about getting mentally prepared for triathlon racing. Having done over 100 races I’ve learned a few things you might find helpful in your upcoming races.
1. Be physically prepared: The more physically prepared you are the more mentally prepared you’ll be. If you’re going to be doing your first Ironman and the longest you’ve ever ridden your bike is 50 miles, you’re not prepared.
2. Be organized: You’ll find the most comprehensive pre-race checklist at www.triathica.com that I’ve ever seen. Create your own list and check it numerous times before the race. Reduce your stress by being ready.
3. Go to the race site: The more you know about the race and the race site the more confident you’ll be on race day. For this reason, I love doing the same races over again, because I know the race.
4. Sleep: If you don’t get enough sleep you simply can’t be mentally prepared. Granted, it will be hard to sleep the night before a race so get some good sleep two nights before and nap the day before, if possible.
5. Eat right: Your mental health is impacted by what you eat. Put good stuff in and you’ll be sharper mentally.
6. Visualize: Visualize the entire race from where you’re going to seed yourself in the swim to the smile you’ll have at the finish line.
7. Practice: Practice your form in all three events and practice your transitions.
8. Consider contingencies: Rarely does everything fall into place on race day. Try to determine all of the conceivable problems from hydration issues to flats. Determine in advance what you can control and how you’ll deal with it.
While I’m no Dave Scott or Mark Allen, I have done a lot of racing and find that these tips have helped me over the years. I hope they’ll help you too.
Cheers!
FREE GROUP WORKOUTS (Week of September 7th)
All of our group workouts are free to members and non-members, so come on out!
We want everyone to enjoy our group workouts but we should clarify the intent. The intent of the group workouts is to “workout.” Yes, it includes a social element. Yes, your Triathica host is happy to give you tips. But please be aware that everyone there is attempting to get a workout in at his or her own pace. If we all go at the slowest person’s pace many people won’t be getting in a proper workout. We will attempt to pair you up with another athlete so you’re not left alone.
Week of August 31st
Event: Group Swim
Place: Triathica flag at Lake Mission Viejo (MUST RSVP – LIMITED SPACE — $2.00 GATE CHARGE)
Day: Wednesday, September 9th
Time: 5:30 p.m.
Planned Workout: 1 – 3 loops
Event: Group Ride
Place: Triathica HQ
Day: Saturday, September 12th
Time: 7:30 a.m.
Planned Workout: 1 – 2 loops around Santiago Canyon
Event: Group Run
Place: Triathica HQ
Day: Sunday, September 13th
Time: 7:00 a.m.
Planned Workout: 9 miles through Whiting Ranch
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Mission Viejo Lake From the 5 N take Alicia Pkwy North Make a left at Olympiad Turn left to the Lake Mission Viejo |
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Triathica – Triathlon Training Center From the I-5 Freeway: Exit Bake Parkway and head east for about 4 miles Make a left on Rancho Parkway South Turn right at the 3rd driveway 2nd building on your right Triathica is in Suite B on the right side of the building (Automotive Associates’ building) |
