Triathlon bike performance tips

Mary DeLaney, PT
Allen DeLaney, MD
USAT Certified Coaches 

Triathlon cycling is basically time trial cycling, with the exception of that little run at the end. Reasons for a weak bike leg in triathlon are diverse.   What follows is in rough order of importance:

• There is no substitute for seat time on your bike. To improve your speed and endurance, you must ride hills, or do intervals or both. Also, if you are serious, you should do strength workouts for your legs and buttocks.
• Many athletes need to work on flexibility and possibly change their bike position to allow them to spend at least 95% of the average triathlon bike leg in their aero bars. The trend in recent years has been toward more aggressive positions, with progressive lowering of aero bars and arm rests below the seat level. A very aggressive position and the most aerodynamic bike in the world is of no use if you can’t spend a significant portion of your ride in your bars.  Most of the limitation to your bike speed is air resistance and 80%+ of air resistance is due to the rider, not the bike. So stretch out your hamstrings, do your core exercises, and change out your stem if you must, to a 45° riser stem so you can stay in the aero bars.  This is easily worth 3-5 minutes off a 40 km bike leg.
• Get a bike computer with cadence and if you are not already keeping cadence between 90 and 100 RPMS, work on that. Most of us have a natural cycling cadence in the 70s.  Raising your cadence will increase your heart rate, but you will eventually be faster. Also, higher cycling cadences allow a faster first 5 km run off the bike!
• Cycling with a group or friends that are faster than you will help you train harder, and get faster on the race course. Just remember that you will likely be racing in non-drafting races, so spend time in any group ride feeling the wind.  Take your turn pulling.
• Since most of the wind resistance is due to the cyclist, get an aero helmet if you can sustain 18 or more mph. That alone is worth another 30 seconds to a minute over 40 km.
• If you are overweight, lose it. Weight means little until the road turns up. Then even 3-5 pounds can make a difference.  Hill climbing ability is clearly related to weight and your power-to-weight ratio. And you will also run faster.
• Do our favorite speed workout, named by pro Chris “Macca” McCormack.  “Maccas” are guaranteed to improve your speed. Find a track. Take bike, trainer, heart rate monitor, mat, several bottles of fluid, bike and run shoes. Set up the trainer and bike in a convenient corner of the track, such as the 100 meter start. Each set consists of 8 minutes on the bike, leap off, practice your T2, jump into your run shoes, then run 4 laps. A typical workout is one set slow to warm up. Then cycle at 90+% of your max HR and transition to a run as quickly as possible, then run 4 laps at the fastest pace you can sustain well into the 4^th lap. Then repeat. At the end, do another set slow to cool down.Two hard sets will be plenty for most of us to start. Six hard sets will put many flat on their backs by the end. This workout should not be attempted until you have trained consistently for a year. Any sooner than that and your risk of injury is high.  In each micro cycle, we advise this as a once weekly workout once “Build” cycles start 
• Find a clear road or trail close to home with no interruptions for about 8-10 miles. Keep records, and test yourself once every 6 weeks or so over this course. The objective is to cycle at the highest speed (highest heart rate) that you can sustain through the last several miles. The time to cover this course will serve as a marker of your fitness. Even after a year or so of consistent training, most triathletes simply do not know how hard they can ride and still come off and put in a good run.  Expect some heart rate creep over the last several miles. Your Olympic triathlon bike heart rate goal will then be 2-4 BPM less than your average HR over the last 5-6 miles of this repeat time trial course, so reset your HRM at about mile 3 into the ride to get this number.
• Use “over-distance” cycling training. For example, cycle up to 3 hours,30 minutes if you are training for Olympic distance racing. You will also want to do “Bricks” up to about 2 hours 30 minutes on the bike, followed closely by a 30 minute run.

For further information contact us at: coaches@rehabtoracing.com

Triathlon transition performance tips

Mary DeLaney, PT
Allen DeLaney, MD
USAT Certified Coaches

Transitions are the fourth sport in triathlon. Training for them is often omitted early in a triathlete’s progression from beginner to experienced triathlete. Transition training is also one way to take several minutes off your time almost free. In general order of importance the following will lead you to pro style transitions:

1. IF your T1 is less than 1:30 (wetsuit swim) or less than 1:00 for a non-wetsuit swim and your T2 is less than 45 seconds, then your room for improvement here is marginal. Take these numbers into consideration only in light of the distances involved in T1 and T2. If there are long runs in either place, then your times will be longer.
2. When you exit the water, strip off your cap and goggles while still running out of the water. (Of course, you swam hard until your finger tips touched the bottom 2-3 times before standing up. Right?) Then when your feet hit the ground, keep your eyes ahead on your path to T1 and begin to strip the top off your wet suit down to the waist. Occasionally, there will be volunteer “wetsuit strippers” near the water exit. Observe their procedure briefly, get your arms out of your suit, and take advantage of the service. Usually you must simply lie down and lift your legs into the air. They grab your suit at your waist and bingo, you are free in 5 seconds. Jump to your feet, grab your suit. Remember to say “thanks!” Off to the bike racks.
3. Run to your bike rack, do not walk. If you have tender feet, or if the surface is rough, then you will need semi-disposable shoes or flip-flops that can be pre-positioned near the barriers on either side of the water exit.
4. Prior to the race, you must rehearse your path from water exit to your bike rack several times. Concentrate on this task, count the number of racks and turns to your bike. Take note of any landmarks (a tree or lamp post) that will help you identify your rack.   Memorize the pathway looking forward and backward. 
5. Sometimes you will see others marking their rack with a balloon or ribbon. According to the rules, however, this is taking an action giving one competitor an advantage over other competitors, and is forbidden. Beware if you see this, that an official may remove the landmark before you return and you could be penalized.  It is best to stay honest, and memorize the route to your bike.
6. This is the most important recommendation other than the need to practice transitions before racing. ALWAYS set your transition site up the same way!  As you go to various races, especially very large or important ones like a national championship, you may well find that the space allotted to you seems to get much smaller than in small local races.So, you must develop a very compact method of laying your gear out that takes up no more than about 2 sq ft. A real aid is to have a mat for your gear.  We recommend a piece of outdoor rug runner available at major home improvement stores. This should be about 3-5’ long. It can be tightly rolled, tied with a strap and then carried with your tri bag from your car to transition. Place this pad so it is under your rear bike wheel, and projects into the path between racks about 2 ft behind your bike. The mat should be on the side from which you will mount the bike as you face the rack.Put your run stuff farthest toward the rack, hat on top (bottom side up), shoes opened ready to don on the bottom, number belt, bottle belt or anything you are going to carry on the bottom. Next in order is your helmet upside down, straps to the outside, glasses resting inside the helmet. On the bottom are the bike shoes, powdered, straps loosened, (coffee covers on the cleats if the transition area is muddy.)  Unless you have practiced the maneuver over and over, do not have your shoes clipped into the pedals and plan to get into the shoes while on the bike.  The same advice applies to the bike dismount.
7. As you approach your bike from the swim, fold your wet suit (if it was stripped) stuff goggles and cap inside, and upon reaching your bike, dump the suit toward the rack so that it is directly under the rack and out of the way.  If you still have your wet suit on up to your waist, then grab it with both hands stripping it in one motion all the way down till your hands touch the ground. Stand, grab your bike seat for support, and step quickly on first one pile of wetsuit near one ankle, pull up with the other foot, repeat on the other side. Always lubricate your leg with a non-petroleum lube like Body Glide, to make this easier. PAM and similar products will destroy your wetsuit in as little as a year or so.
8. Put your sunglasses on, helmet on, BUCKLE UP. Then scuff one barefoot at a time on the pad to remove most dirt and grass, pull on one shoe, then the other, tightening straps as you go. Lift your bike off the rack, head up!  Always look when you intend to go, then RUN for the bike exit (which you have rehearsed 2-3 times, right?)
9. Run to the bike exit.  As you advance in experience, you may want to pre-attach your bike shoes to the cleats, string a rubber band from each to the back axle to keep the shoes of the ground, then simply run barefoot to the bike mounting line, leap onto your bike, put your feet on top of your shoes, then pedal away to a less crowded part of the road, and get into one shoe at a time while still riding. This process requires a lot of practice, and very advanced bike handling skills. It is a lot harder than it looks. Until you have practiced this maneuver at least 50 times by yourself, put your bike shoes on at the rack and run your bike to the bike mounting line. Always run at least 5-10 yd past the bike mount line and to the side of the road to mount your bike.
10. Upon returning and sighting the bike dismount line for T2, you should spin up your cadence, and loosen up your legs.   Then either uncleat on one side, swing your preferred leg over the back of the seat and coast to a stop standing on the other pedal. With practice, you can now literally take the step forward, uncleating the remaining shoe and transition in 1-2 steps into a run back to your bike rack position guiding your bike with a hand upon the stem. (Again, you have rehearsed this path also 2-3 time pre-race, right?)  Or, you can simply stop, uncleat both shoes and get off the bike.  Then run to your rack.
11. Upon reaching your rack position, rack your bike. Then remove one bike shoe, and the other, toss them toward the wet suit, and remove your helmet placing it under the bike. Pull on your shoes. This assumes you’ve invested in lace locks (see tip 13), or some other easy lace system, so you don’t have to tie your shoes.
    Grab your number/bottle belt and hat as you stand to run toward the exit, keep your head up, and always look where you intend to go. Sprint to the run exit, while putting on your belt and hat (if your number belt wasn’t already on for the bike).
12. Make eye contact with staff and volunteers at the run exit, and call out your number to anyone with a quizzical look on their face. Be sure to run over the mat if you are wearing a chip.  Thank the volunteers!
13. Get elastic laces but avoid getting them too tight. Tying your shoes takes about twice as long as pulling them on with elastic laces. Always powder your shoes with talcum powder as it makes them easier to slide on if you are not wearing socks.
14. Toughen up your feet. With practice, and time, most triathletes can at least race Olympic, and many ½ IM distances with no socks and no blisters. We lose our socks when the snow melts, always train without socks, and are compulsive about shoe lube with Glide and talcum powder. Paint any spot that ever got sore on your feet with tincture of iodine nightly to toughen them up. Successfully transitioning to no socks will save 15-45 sec in T1.
15. Practice transitions! You can do this in your drive way, or in an empty parking lot with friends. Time, take video, and critique each other. It can be a lot of fun! 
16. If the air temperature is above about 65°F, don’t waste time toweling off, you will warm up within 10 minutes of starting to bike. Below 65°, many smaller competitors will become hypothermic without, at least, arm warmers or a long sleeved top. Tops require drying off, as otherwise pull-over types are almost impossible to put on.
17. If the swim is in salt water, take an old water bottle full of fresh water to transition in your pre-race kit. You will want to pour this over you as a first step upon reaching your bike in T1. The salt from an ocean swim will dramatically increase chaffing as it dries. The 5 second pour of fresh water is well worth the time. Check things out pre-race. This problem is well recognized, and many salt water swim races will have a fresh water spray wash near the swim exit.

IGNORE most of the above IF you are doing an IM distance race. You will want to change into dry bike clothes, and possibly change again to run-specific clothes prior to the marathon. You will need to wear socks to run the marathon.  You may want to put dry socks in your “Special Needs Bag.”

For further information contact us at: coaches@rehabtoracing.com

Triathlon run performance tips

Mary DeLaney, PT
Allen DeLaney, MD
USAT Certified Coaches

Economical running – Correct technique can maximize the economy of running by eliminating unnecessary movement, wasted motion and energy. To put it simply, runners want all their energy to produce straight ahead movement, as opposed to side-to-side, or up-and-down motion. Do you run with a long stride, or heel-strike? This means your foot and lower leg must stop and re-accelerate with each stride, thus wasting energy. For more information, click here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2OE1OPzBc04&feature=related

Injury prevention – When we walk one foot is always on the ground, and our forward foot hits the surface with a force equal to half our body weight. When running, this force is much greater, as there is a non-contact phase when both feet are off the ground. During running, the foot strikes the surface with a force of 2 to 4 times our body weight.  A combination of correct running technique and appropriate running equipment can help to reduce these landing forces by up to 50% therefore improving both your technique and your speed.

 Cadence (speed of leg turnover)

Science and experience over years with elite endurance runners shows that a run cadence of 90–92 is best. This is an unnatural cadence for most of us and we must practice to achieve it. We are most comfortable at a cadence of 70-80. Use of a metronome can be a great aid to improving your cadence. Transitioning from a slow to a faster cadence may take as much as a year or two of practice.   An audible metronome to use as a training aid is the Seiko DM50.  If you don’t have a metronome, use your watch and count how many times your right foot hits the ground in one minute.  That is your cadence.

Footwear

You can run in any good running shoe that is comfortable.  However, as you transition to a mid-foot gait, you may find yourself wondering why most of the running shoes have huge heel cushions. Up until recently it has been impossible to find shoes that are made for mid-foot runners.  These runners need the cushioning under the mid-foot, not the heel.  Now there are shoes that are made specifically for mid-foot runners.  Newton, Zoot and K Swiss offer such shoes. You should replace your running shoes after 250-300 miles or 4 months of regular use.

R2R’s Running Pearls of Wisdom

Risk and Safety in Running

There are many elements of risk in going outdoors to run. But, there are more risks in staying on the couch.  There have been several surveys over the last 30 years focused on causes of running injuries. Research shows that over 1/3 of all runners are injured each year, and that injury keeps them from running for at least one month.

Running and Injury Risk

• The surface you run on can influence your risk of injury. Very rough and uneven surfaces increase risk. So a relatively even surface is an important element. The hardness of the surface you run on contributes to impact forces. A concrete or paved surface can increase impact forces with each step by 10-20% compared with a dirt or gravel surface. If you chose to run on trails, gravel and or dirt-roads, then you should also do balance and core stability exercises regularly to reduce your risk of a fall or ankle sprain.
  • Don’t Break The 10% Rule Unless You Want to Get Hurt:  As the year over year change in your volume of exercise exceeds 10%, your risk of injury rises significantly.
  • Blisters: Many triathletes train and race without socks, so extra care must be taken to prevent blisters. Paint any hot spot or area that has ever blistered with tincture of Iodine nightly, if you are not allergic to iodine. Lubricate your shoes with a shake of talcum powder or a lubricant like Body Glide.
  • Plan on taking a break from running:  Running every day or even every week takes a toll on your body. Take off at least one day per week from all triathlon training. Each year you should plan an extended period of rest.  Read our article on this critical “fourth season” at:
    http://www.rehabtoracing.com/Repair_and_Recovery_4th_Season.php

For more information please contact us at:  coaches@rehabtoracing.com

Triathlon swim performance tips

Mary DeLaney, PT
Allen DeLaney, MD
USAT Certified Coaches

As you enter T1, it is obvious that things aren’t going well in this race. Or, at least they are going slowly for you since the bike racks are nearly empty. You are probably reading this because your swim time did not compare well to your peers. What follows are a set of basic considerations. You should sort through them, be honest with yourself, and realize that with consistent application and practice, you can make major improvements in your open water swim times in less than a year.

There are three elements to improved swim times in the open water swims:

1. You need to swim regularly. For maximal improvement, swim 3 times per week. Peer pressure is an excellent motivator for consistency, and there is simply no substitute for joining a Masters swim group. These groups are widely distributed over the country, and occasionally there is a YMCA group in your community to add another option. Swim practices usually last from 45 min to 90 min, and there may be multiple optional times available per week. Consistent swim practice year round will develop the shoulder girdle musculature and circulation to allow you to swim faster!
2. The second element of improved open water swimming is swim form and shoulder girdle strength. Invest in a series of swim lessons from a professional with open water swim experience. These lessons will serve you best if you have them spread over a period of time such as once a month for 4 months.
3. The third element of improved open water swimming is simple. Practice in open water, AND if your race is wet suit legal, always wear a wetsuit.

In no particular order here are a number of important points about open water swim skills:

• Wetsuits designed for open water swim racing are expensive. Generally speaking, the more expensive the wetsuit, the better and more flexible the exotic neoprene foam is that make up important parts like the shoulders and arms. You generally get what you pay for.
• Women (and maybe some of you guys) cut your fingernails really short for open water racing. A: You can do some serious damage to the other 100 of your new friends in the same 100 sq ft of space as the race starts with those long nails, and B: When your long fingernail cuts through your new $600 wet suit as you are pulling it on the first time, that nail job won’t be so cool! Wet suits can be repaired with wet suit cement available universally through SCUBA diving shops.
• There are no lane lines on the bottom of most lakes and certainly not in the ocean. Ditto for lane dividers. Thus it is essential that you practice navigation while swimming in open water. This is most commonly called “sighting”. The best way to do this is not intuitive. It is to first lift your head straight up until just your eyes are out of the water, sight your landmark, then turn to the side, take a breath, and continue. Plan to sight every 4-6 strokes, but more often if conditions warrant.
• Learn to breathe comfortably on both sides. This is best achieved in swim practice in the pool by simply swimming even lengths breathing to the left, odd lengths to the right. Breathing to one side only creates two potential serious issues. First, IF you only breathe to the right and the swim course makes only left turns around the buoys, navigation will be difficult at best. And, IF you only breathe to the right and the prevailing wind is from that direction creating a 6” wind chop, you may inhale several gallons of water before reaching the first turn. SO, learn to breathe on both sides.
• Wetsuits designed for open water swimming competition are supposed to fit fairly tightly around your chest and base of your neck. It takes a while to get used to that sensation when you first start wearing them. So plan on at least several open water practice sessions prior to your race to get used to the wetsuit. Be a little careful about swimming hard in the pool to get used to the wet suit, as most commercial pool operations now keep their pools warm enough that heat injury inside your wetsuit becomes a possibility in the pool. Wearing a wetsuit in water warmer than 78º F is not a good idea.
• Wetsuits are allowed in races with water temperatures of up to 76ºF. Wear a wetsuit when it is allowed, as you will swim 3-7% faster than without one!
• The race announcer may say that you may wear a wetsuit in a particular race, but if you do, you are not eligible for any awards. Unless you are rationally racing for the podium, wear the suit. Remember that you are probably reading this article since you swam slower than your peers.
• IF the water is below about 65ºF please read the article on this subject from our web site: http://www.rehabtoracing.com/Cold_water_swimming.php. Many New England races, Pacific Northwest races, and Pacific Ocean races regularly are quite a bit colder than 65º.

For further information contact us at: coaches@rehabtoracing.com

4 Race-day tips for the Nautica NYC Triathlon

The upcoming Olympic-distance triathlon in New York City will be remarkable.  This 10-year anniversary race convenes across a magnificient urban cityscape beginning in the Hudson river and concluding in Grand Central Park.  It is hard to imagine the complexity of organizing such an event, kudos to Korff Enterprises for pulling off such a spectacular race each year.  Yet even given their extraordinary efforts to make this a great race for the athletes,  this race is still technically challenging.  Your brain has to be turned “on” during the race, particularly during setup and transitions or you could mess up big time and blow your race performance.

So, here are four tips for optimizing your race-execution at the the Nautica NYC Triathlon, from someone who has raced this and lived to tell the tale, to help your day be smooth[er] and fast[er].  Let us know what you think!

1. Listen to the pre-race briefing(s) and plan for THIS race.  Definitely make time during your packet pickup to attend a briefing.  These are packed with information and are usually entertaining.  Even if you’ve done this race before, I pretty much guarantee there will be SOMETHING different about the race this year.  Knowing what this is can be the difference between a good and a bad day.
   
   The transition areas (that’s right…this race is so big, there are two different areas – red & yellow – so pay attention to which one you are assigned) are not only large, but typically require your full attention to make sure you get into/out of them successfully.  Again, the briefings have good information on this, such as low-bike gear for the ascent out of T1, etc.  Back this briefing up with a walkthrough of the transition area when you drop off your bike on Saturday.  Walk from the swim exit to T1 (often quite a hike) to guage the distance and find visual landmarks to easily spot your bike.  Then walk from your rack to the exit ramp onto the West Side Freeway.  Pay attention to when the elevation changes (sharply) and plan your bike gearing for that change.  Pay attention to where you will turnoff point when retrning from your ride to get back to your transition area (red or yellow) and remember to think about that as you finish your ride on race day.  You really don’t want to end up at the wrong transition area and have to hike over to the other one with your bike so you can pick up your running gear.
   
   The race starts EARLY because the transition areas close early Sunday morning.  Regardless of when your swim wave starts, your transition setup needs to wrap-up before the area closes.  Some of your fellow competitors will grumble about getting up so early, but hey…you are a triathlete, this comes with the territory.  Plenty of time for extra sleep after the race, right?  My buddies have a rule of thumb…get plenty of sleep the night before the night before.  So load up with sleep on Friday, to offset any sleeplessness on Saturday evening due to pre-race nerves and the pre-dawn commute to the transition area.

2. Plan your swim path to leverage or avoid the current.  Our points of entry/exit on the Hudson are affected by the tides.  Last year we were blessed with a nearly 4-knot current WITH the swimmers:  everyone happily set a Personal Record (PR) for the swim.  Other years have seen a slight current against the swimmers.  Pay attention to how this plays out on race day and plan accordingly.  Currents are typically strongest towards the middle of the channel and weakest nearest the sea-wall.  So, if you have a current going with you, take the path furthest from the sea-wall, and stay close to the sea-wall if the current is against.  Of course if EVERYONE did this, you’re in for some crowding, so use your judgement.  However, EVERYONE isn’t reading the 4 tips on this blog, so YOU should have an advantage.
3. Lock down the accessories on your bike.  Surprising as it may seem, the bike course has a fair number of potholes, bumps, and cracks which can wreck havoc on your bike setup.  We see a fair number of sad cyclists with flats on the side, so come equipped to change your own instead of waiting for support or ending your race.  Also, make sure your gear is very secure on your bike.  On my last race at NYC, I lost a arm-pad for my aerobars and my hydration bottle LAUNCHED out of the bottle cage and nearly caused me to wipe out on my own debris.  This happened to lots of other people out on the course, so pay attention not to hit someone elses flotsam.  Doing so will help avoid injury or a DNF.
4. Central Park is NOT flat.  Locals certainly know this, but it frequently comes as a surprise to out-of-towners.  They emerge from the cheering crowds on 72nd street, strike the hills on Central Park’s north side, and wonder what hit them.  Plan for this during your training leading up to the race.  Attack the hills steadily and then use the downhill on the other side to recover any lost speed.  You’ll have fun passing others who thought this was a flat course and weren’t mentally prepared.

Hope these tips help you have a great race.  Good luck on race day, and maybe we’ll see each other out on the course!

Paul Kavitz