What Does “Strength Training” Mean to You?

The topic for discussion at the Santa Barbara Triathlon Club March meeting, hosted by club prez Aldous Pabon, was myth busting. Aldous brought together a panel of local coaches, Matt Trost, Jason Smith, John Abrami, and nutritionist in training Chris Latham, with yours truly, to try and separate the facts from the fiction from a…

Things I Know, Now

After 25 years in the sport you would think that I knew everything there was about training and racing for triathlons, yet I’m still reading about new ideas, practicing different things to improve my training, and rethinking things I had taken at face value. I thought I start out and jot down a handful of ideas and then…

Is There an Ironman Distance Race in Your Future?

As the summer is winding down the eyes of many people in the world of triathlon become focused on the Ironman World Championship held in Kailua-Kona, on the Big Island of Hawaii every October. There are many other triathlon “world” championship events held around the world, in each of the different triathlon lengths, but Ironman Hawaii…

Are You Psyched for Your Last Race of the Year?

As the end of the triathlon season approaches, with season ending championships on the line in the upcoming weeks, triathletes wear one of four faces. Tired and worn out from a long season of training and racing already, struggling for motivation to finish out the season Pumped and excited that the finish is in sight,…

To Shave or Not To Shave

I’ve had this topic on my to do list for a while, so when I read Jessie Thomas’ article Secrets of the Wind Tunnel in the July issue of Triathlete magazine, I knew the timing was right. To shave or not to shave, that is the question. Now for many of you this is a…

Bilateral Breathing, Why is This Debatable?

I’m not superstitious in any way, but when things happen in threes I start to take notice. A while back I read the first article I had ever seen that responded to an athlete’s question if it was necessary for them to learn to bilateral breathe, and the first response was NO. The author then…

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…

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…

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…