Triathlon Stats

‎253 Place; 14 in Age Group; Swim 14:44.0 (356 place); T1 03:30.0 (326 place); Bike 0:33:57.6 (17.7 mph/320); T2 01:17.4 (77); Run 0:24:47.8 (08:15.9/199); Total Time 1:18:16.7

Transition Tips 101

Transition Tips 101

By Katie Schmaterbeck Athletes spend hours training to shave minutes or seconds off of their swim, bike and run times but practicing transitions can also shave time off of your overall race time. Before your event spend time practicing swim to bike transitions, running up the beach/pool, getting out of your wetsuit and onto your bike and then bike to run transition. While practicing, see what works best for you and make adjustments so that you are well prepared for race day. Here are a few tips to get your transition ready: 1. Get organized: Mentally, walk through what you need for your event and consider the weather and conditions. Line up everything that you need for swim, bike and run transitions on the floor and put them together and pack your bag. 2. Memorize your location- Take a few minutes to walk through transition area and learn where swim, bike and run in/out and finish line are from your bike and also look for landmarks i.e. tree, light post. Consider using a funky towel for your gear to set up so your area is easy to find when you are running into transition. Rack up closest to the bike out if possible, unless bib number placement is on the rack. 3. Put Gear in order- Place everything you will need for the cycling portion on your bike and in cages (helmet, glasses, hydration and fuel). Consider cutting a small slit in packets to make it easier to tear open. For the run, put your running shoes, hat and race belt together. 4. Every second counts! - Run in and out of transition. Sometimes the distances are long so unzip your wetsuit and peel it down, take off your swim cap and goggles while running. Finish getting out of your wetsuit (sit down) and place it in your bag or on your towel. Put on your biking shoes, snap your helmet (must be in place before un-racking your bike), grab your bike from the rack and run out of transition. You must run/walk your bike in transition to the mount line before getting on and dismount at the line before entering transitions area and run/walk to your rack. On the bike to run transition, change your shoes and then grab your hat and race belt and put them on as you run through transition. 5. Practice and more practice forms a habit- This is part of your training! Go through a mock T1 with your wetsuit, cap and goggles and transition to bike, determine the quickest way out of your wetsuit. Then go through a mock T2. What will make your transitions smoother? Have fun and achieve your dreams! Kate Schmaterbeck, races sprints-Ironman & founder of Tri-umph, Inc. specialize in personal & multisport training since 1992. She is a Nationally Certified Athletic Trainer, Certified USA Triathlon, USA Swim Coach & previously coached NCAA swimmers. Kate has a degree in Corporate Fitness with an emphasis in Cardiac Rehabilitation and a minor in Sports Medicine. More information about Tri-umph, visit www.tri-umph.us.

Spring 2011 Training Schedule

Here is my Spring 2011 Training Schedule I am currently following. For the most part I am doing pretty well with it. I sometimes struggle on Tuesdays after getting up so early Mondays and working a full day at the hospital. Tuesday morning run is so hard to do. Otherwise this is a compiled training for a tri and for a marathon - actually a marathon that would beat 4 hours .

* cycling = bike training in our basement or a spinning class
** "bp" = body pump class (weight lifting)
*** "stretching" = pilates/yoga class
**** swim/# = the miles I need to run on that day if I am not swimming

Follow along if you would like or take bits and pieces from it. I learned from Mark but this is the first full schedule that I have organized by myself and for myself so I'm pretty happy. :) Happy training!

A More Comfortable Ride - Tri Training

From IRONGIRL email newsletter...
I've been off my bike for a few months (oh do I enjoy the off season and the holidays) and I dread getting back in the saddle. For the simple reason; it hurts and it takes a while for the ride to get comfortable. Here are a few tips for a more comfortable ride:

a)Seat - your seat is so important to your comfort. They make women specific seats so do a little research to find one. Ask at your local bike store to do a butt fit...sounds crazy and a little embarrassing because they actually measure your butt, but it will identify the perfect size seat for your frame.

b)Bike fit - it really does pay off to have a proper bike fit...not just once but throughout your time on your bike. New shoes - get re fitted, back hurts -get re fitted. This is not set it and forget it, this is a work in progress.

c)Padding - to pad or not to pad! For long rides it is necessary to find a good pair of bike shorts or pants that have a nice pad in them. You might feel like you are wearing a diaper when you are walking around but on the saddle it is all about comfort so you get in a good productive ride!

d)Chamois Cream - to lube or not to lube. I can honestly say I have never had saddle sores or chaffing issues but I do use a chamois cream for the moisture and comfort. There is no one size fits all on chamois cream either, but there is one specifically for women. The ingredients are anti- bacterial so less chance for infection and they have added ingredients for a moisturizing consistency (who wants wax on their girlie parts)....Hoo Ha Ride Glide...for women by women

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