Low Back Pain

If you’re hanging out with a group of “older” triathletes and you ask if anyone has ever had a problem with their back or currently suffers from low back pain, you’re likely to hear more than a few positive responses. Historically, low back pain has been associated with getting old, as people become weaker, less…

How Much Fluid do You Need on the Bike?

This is one of the more common questions of people racing triathlons, beginners and experienced triathletes alike, how much should you drink during the bike ride? And to be clear and keep it simple, I’m keeping the conversation to “fluid”, which includes water or water plus electrolytes. Adding calories to the picture complicates things, which…

Taking Time Off

Everyone should have a life outside training for and racing triathlons, yet at times it feels that we exist only to do just that. We sleep, eat, train, and rest, over and over, throwing in some work, house chores, significant other face time when we can. We need to remember that triathlon is best addressed…

When to Ride Hard During a Race

This is a repost from the SB Tri Club Coach’s Corner blog, April 2013, in case it looks familiar to anyone… I just re-read parts of Joe Friel’s latest book, Power Meter Training, which got me thinking. As athletes gear up for the next set of early season races, I wanted to present some data…

Relax and Go Faster

Propelling ourselves through water and over land requires our muscles to contract and relax, again and again and again. Without specific training our ability to do this is limited to our own natural ability, which can last minutes or days, depending on the intensity of the exercise. This is why we go out and train…

Let the Triathlon Season Begin!

The first weekend in May for me has always been the true start of the triathlon season. Yes I know that many races have already been run all over the country (and down in the southern hemisphere), but you’ll have to excuse me for being a little west coast centric, having lived here for 35+…

Is Your Equipment Ready To Go Racing?

As the season is unfolding in front of us, some people already having put in one or two races, if you haven’t done your first race of the year, now’s the time to think about checking out your equipment. I posted an Equipment Checklist awhile back, so if you’re not sure what you should be…

Trying Out a New Theme

As much as I liked the colors and contrast of the old theme I was using on this blog, I like the look of this one better for one reason, the ability to have more than just one topic with it’s complete story visible. Before you’d have to actively search through the blog for other…

Starting Off With Clipless Pedals

When I came up with the idea to write about using clipless pedals on our bikes, I thought my audience would be people that hadn’t ever used them and were nervous about moving up to something that ties your feet to your pedals. Well these many months later, watching and observing lots of cyclists in…

Why I Swim With a Masters Group

I’ve said it before and it was said last night by local coach Matt Trost at the SB Tri Club monthly meeting, if you want to become a faster swimmer you need to swim with the faster swimmers. I believe that in most cases this means swimming with a Masters Swim group. Improving your swim…