When to Hire a Coach

When to Hire a Coach

 

Triathlon has always had a do-it-yourself mentality. In fact, this mentality is part of what attracted me to the sport over two decades ago. In the early years of racing triathlon, I had so much fun trying to figure things out on my own. It took time, energy, and effort as this was before all of the triathlon related material available on youtube and instagram. After serious research and trial and error, I would put together my training plan and make adjustments as I muddled through training. Most of the time it was enjoyable. Sometimes I felt like a mad scientist, testing different things out on myself: a new homemade hydration mix, homemade bars and gels, and different training modalities.

 

After a while, the fun of figuring things out started to wear off for a variety of different reasons (some of which I mention below). If you are serious about triathlon, then hiring a coach can be a significant game changer. A coach can help you achieve your goals faster, maintain motivation for training, and avoid injuries, and improve your overall performance. If you are thinking about hiring a coach, here are some reasons why it might be time to reach out to schedule a phone call.

 

When generic plans don’t work with your schedule. Generic plans are great for generic results and you are far from generic. You are unique! And your weekly schedule likely reflects that as work and life commitments ebb and flow each week throughout the year. Or maybe you have a training schedule planned out, but then an emergency pops up at work, or one of your kids gets sick, or you are traveling and the hotel only has a some random weights and a weird, old exercise bike.

 

When you are coming back from injury or have specific restrictions. Some of the most enjoyable coaching experiences I have had come from working with athletes returning to sport after injury or have dietary or physical restrictions. These athletes tend to be highly motivated and excited to do their best within their limitations. A quality coach will help design a training plan that helps you thrive!

 

When your performance plateaus. This right here is the main reason every time I hired a coach. My training was going well, I was fit and fresh, and then my race day performance was practically the same as before. It is disappointing when your race results don’t reflect all the hard work and effort you have put into your training and preparation. Often times, performance plateaus because we aren’t able to be objective with ourselves. A coach can be objective and can make tweaks to your training to help you get better.

 

When you want to transition confidently to longer events and have limited time. Maybe you’ve completed a few sprint and olympic distance races over the past few years, but now you are thinking about racing a 70.3 or Full Ironman and you also have limited training time. A coach will help you focus your training and make the most of your limited time.

 

When you want to qualify for prestigious events. Going from completing to competing is a big step. Going from competing to qualifying is a big jump. A coach can help you make that step or jump faster than if you are going it alone.

 

The best advice I ever received as an age group triathlete who has qualified for World Championships was, “Hire the best coach you can afford, not the cheapest one you can find.” If triathlon performance is important to you, then it ought to be reflected in your coaching. If you have any questions, please feel free to email me at jim.rowe@playtri.com.

 

Jim Rowe is a Playtri Level 5 Coach and Coach Education Lead, a USAT LI Certified Coach, an NASM Certified Personal Trainer, and an Ironman and 70.3 World Championship Qualifier who works with adult athletes who are chasing PRs, moving up to long course racing, or want to qualify for a world championship. Learn more about Jim at www.playtri.com/jim-rowe.

What to Eat Before, During, and After Training

What to Eat Before, During, and After Training

Race season is in full swing and it is not uncommon for triathletes to struggle with their nutrition before, during, and after training sessions. Hopefully the information below will help you understand how to fuel your training efficiently and effectively.

 

Every body is different. I’ll give you some ideas of sports nutrition products that have worked for many of my athletes, but know that every body is different. And you will have to decide what works best for you through trial and error. For example: I have one athlete who can eat a bowl of oatmeal and then 20 minutes later do a hard run workout. I have another athlete who can’t eat a bowl of oatmeal anytime during the day of a hard run workout and not get an upset stomach. Listen to your body and take notes on training intensity, what you ate/drank before, during, and after, and how you feel, so you learn what your body needs to perform at its best.

 

Consult the Athlete’s Plate. The Athlete’s Plate was developed by US Olympic Committee Sports Dietitians and University of Colorado Colorado Springs Sport Nutrition Graduate Program. It is a helpful tool to guide your daily nutrition intake based on your training that day. Three separate plates for three different types of training intensity: Easy, Moderate, and Hard. Note the similarities and differences in the type and ratio of protein, carbohydrates, and fats for each day. I give this to all my athletes and it’s a huge benefit!

 

What you eat before, during, and after impacts your training. Neglect any of these at your own risk. Under fuel before and your training session won’t go as well as you’d like. Under fuel during your training session and you’ll struggle toward the end. Under fuel after and your recovery will be subpar and you’ll go into your next training session with tired legs.

 

What to eat before your training. Eat somewhere between 15 minutes to 3 hours before your workout. Just woke up and heading out for a swim, ride, or run that’s about 60 minutes long? Drink 16 oz of water and take a gel like this one or this one. Have a longer workout? Eat a full meal, mostly carbohydrates with a little bit of fat and protein 2-3 hours before you head out. Think along the lines of a banana, bagel with some peanut butter and honey, and a low fat/protein granola bar.

 

What to eat during your training. Less than 60 minutes? Probably nothing, but take a gel along just in case. Longer than 60 minutes? Consume approximately 30-60 grams of carbs per hour for a run and 60-90 grams of carbs per hour for a ride. Stick to gels on the run. If you are training for a full Ironman, then incorporate some solids like this one from Maurten. Training for a marathon swim? Same as the run: 30-60 grams of carbs per hour and stick to gels.

 

What to eat after your training. Use the hand method! For most post-training meals, consume 3 hand sized portions of carbs and 1 hand sized portion of lean protein. Was your training session harder or longer than normal, consume 4 hand sized portions of carbs and 1 hand sized portion of lean protein.

 

KISS: Keep It Simple and Systematic. Planning your nutrition can seem overwhelming but it needn’t be. For daily nutrition, start with the lean proteins, veggies, and carbs you like. Try different ways of preparing them and branch out when you feel ready. For training and racing, find what works best for you and stick with it. Whenever you try something new, document it and learn from it.

 

Nutrition shouldn't be an afterthought when it comes to your training, nor should your training be an excuse to eat whatever you want. You are what you eat and your training will reflect that. If you have any questions, please feel free to email me at jim.rowe@playtri.com.

 

Jim Rowe is a Playtri Level 5 Coach and Coach Education Lead, a USAT LI Certified Coach, an NASM Certified Personal Trainer, and an Ironman and 70.3 World Championship Qualifier who works with adult athletes who are chasing PRs, moving up to long course racing, or want to qualify for a world championship. Learn more about Jim at www.playtri.com/jim-rowe.

Mid-season gear check

Mid-season gear check

There’s no denying that the triathlon season is LONG here in Texas. Races start in mid March and run through early November. With such a long season, it is important to make sure your gear is in top notch shape as the season progresses. Here are my tips for checking to make sure all your gear is in tip top shape as we approach the second half of the season.

 

Check your wetsuit for wear and tear. Water temps in North Texas in June are usually in the 80s, so it’s probably been a long while since you wore your wetsuit. But you likely will be pulling that wetsuit out of the closet for those late season races. Inspect your wetsuit for cuts and if you see any cuts that are less than a couple centimeters in length, you can repair at home by yourself with Neoprene Contact Cement. For any cuts larger than a few centimeters, you may need to get your wetsuit professionally repaired or buy a new one.

 

Look over your swim gear and replace anything that’s broken. Lots of pool time, means chlorine damage to your swimsuit, swim cap, goggles, snorkel, etc. If you are seeing mildew spots or damaged rubber, it’s time to get some new gear.

 

Bring your bike in for a mid-season tune up. Long hard hours of training and racing have already gone into your bike this year. Before the beginning of the season, before your big “A” race of the year, and at the halfway mark, it is a good idea to get a tune up. Although we offer maintenance options at Ironman races, it’s better to get it done before you travel. Before your “A” races, get a Race Ready tune-up and before the season and at the mid-season mark, get platinum care for your bike.

 

How many miles are on your run shoes? Generally, we want to replace our run shoes approximately every 300-500 miles. However, carbon plated shoes need to be replaced more often. If your shoes are nearing that mark or they are showing significant wear on the bottom or feel like you are running on bricks, then you need to get new shoes pronto.

 

Stock up on perishables. Bike tubes, Co2 cartridges, gels, hydration mixes, socks, tri kit, bike shorts… all of these get used up or need to be replaced. Mid-season is an excellent time to buy replacements.

 

Reflect on the first half of the season and plan for the second half. Very rarely do we have perfect seasons as age group triathletes. Family illnesses, work commitments, travel, and life in general impact our training and racing in a variety of different ways. At the midway point of the season, it is incredibly helpful to look back to see what went well and what needs to be improved. If you are working with a Playtri coach, then the midseason check in can be done with your coach. If you aren’t and want to set up a coaching consult to talk things through with one of our excellent coaches, is a great option.

I hope you found this article helpful! Click on these links to learn more about our coaching programs, or email me at jim.rowe@playtri.com if you have any questions. Happy training and racing this year!

 

Jim Rowe is a Playtri Level 5 Coach and Coach Education Lead, a USAT LI Certified Coach, an NASM Certified Personal Trainer, and an Ironman and 70.3 World Championship Qualifier who works with adult athletes who are chasing PRs, moving up to long course racing, or want to qualify for a world championship. Learn more about Jim at www.playtri.com/jim-rowe.

What your taper should look like

What your taper should look like

 

In sports parlance, a taper refers to a period of reduced training load that you undertake prior to an important competition. And the purpose of this period of reduced training load is to decrease the accumulated physical and mental fatigue of training before race day without losing the training adaptations you hope to use on race day.

 

As a triathlete for over two decades and a coach for the last six years, I can tell you that getting the taper period right is both incredibly important and very difficult for age group athletes. Not only do we need to factor in the accumulated training fatigue but we also need to factor in our other life commitments and how those affect our ability to be ready to perform on race day.

 

In addition, it is also important to remember that every body is different. Just as each athlete has a different preference for nutrition and hydration products, so too does each athlete’s taper takes a different approach. Generic taper strategies will get you generic results. The goal is for you to be fit and fresh on race day. Too much training and you will be fit and fatigued. Too little training and you will be somewhat detrained.

 

As athletes of mine approach their “A” races for the year, here are a few things that I consider:

 

Do zones need to be updated? If an athlete is looking to qualify or race for the podium and it has been over 4 months since we did performance testing, then it might be time to retest. A few tests that I find helpful with high performance athletes are: blood lactate testing for the bike and run, Vo2 Calorie expenditure testing for the bike, and Advanced Sweat Testing. If an athlete is looking to complete the race, then it still might be appropriate to retest especially if the athlete last tested over 4 months ago, is newer to the sport/distance, and has seen major body composition changes.

 

Do we adjust intensity, volume, or frequency? This depends on the race distance, the race outcome desired, and how the training block has gone. Generally for long course racing, I like the taper period to be 3-5 weeks starting immediately after the last Key Workout Weekend. The first week of the taper is focused on a decrease in intensity and volume, the second through fourth weeks see a decrease in volume and intensity (but include some brief high end efforts on the bike and run), and race week is about freshening up (same frequency, but low intensity and volume).  And generally for short course racing, I like the taper period to be 2-3 days to 2 weeks with the focus primarily on decreasing volume but keeping intensity. For both long and short course racing, I like to increase swim volume and race day skill practice.

 

Can we increase recovery modalities? As training volume decreases and to promote recovery, can the athlete adjust their daily nutrition and hydration to match the decreased training load? Can the athlete get a massage or two? Can the athlete increase their overall sleep time and commit to good sleep hygiene practices? If traveling across time zones for the race, can the athlete start to shift their sleep time toward the race time zone?

 

Can the athlete remained focused? As the taper period progresses, it means less time training and increased recovery time. Sometimes, I have seen athletes go into race day with extra fatigue because they used the decreased training time to increase their home project or family/friends time. I’ve seen athletes show up to race day with a sore backs and blisters on their hands from house projects or deteriorations in body composition from increased eating and alcohol consumption. Save the house projects and alcohol consumption for after the race!

 

Can the athlete play the mental game? As training load decreases, the mental “what if” game can start to take over. When this happens, it is important to trust the process that you and your coach have agreed upon and to get good at practicing mindfulness and visualization. Take at least 10 minutes each day (that would be used for training regularly) and work on calming down the part of you mind that freaks out. And begin visualizing race day practices: what you will eat and drink for breakfast, do a mental walk through of T1 & T2, mentally practice solving problems like broken goggles, a flat tire, or dropped nutrition.

 

Keep in mind that the taper period is specific for each individual athlete. Work with your coach to set up a good taper plan while also listening to what your body needs to be race ready!

 

Click on these links to learn more about our coaching programs, or email me at jim.rowe@playtri.com if you have any questions.

 

Jim Rowe is a Playtri Level 5 Coach and Coach Education Lead, a USAT LI Certified Coach, an NASM Certified Personal Trainer, and an Ironman and 70.3 World Championship Qualifier who works with adult athletes who are chasing PRs, moving up to long course racing, or want to qualify for a world championship. Learn more about Jim at www.playtri.com/jim-rowe.

Swim Training Focus for Time Crunched Triathletes

Swim Training Focus for Time Crunched Triathletes

 

For a time crunched age group triathlete, the swim is the most difficult of three disciplines to make progress on. Unless you have a lap pool in your backyard, getting swim workouts in can be incredibly difficult. The amount of time invested into getting a 60 minute swim in can be nearly 2 hours total as you factor in travel, showering, changing into work clothes, etc.

 

The age group athletes who make the biggest improvements on the swim are usually getting in the pool 4-5 times a week. And if you can only swim once or twice a week, it can be demoralizing to not see much progress. However, here are a few tips that can help you make the most of your limited swim time.

 

Focus on Form. Form = fast. The fastest, most confident swimmers all are able to hold good form as they fatigue in a race. As you focus on form, remember to start with balancing your body in the water, getting good hip rotation, reaching through your armpits, and relaxing your arm through the recovery phase. If your form starts to fail, pause for a bit at the wall and then get back after it. Quality is always better than quantity.

 

Swim lessons. This goes with the focus on form. If your time is limited, then it is important to make the most of your limited time. Working with a coach who can point out flaws in your form and help you fix those flaws is well worth the money. We provide swim lessons utilizing the Endless Pool in our Dallas store, and it is my favorite place to give swim lessons because I can quickly help an athlete make a form adjustment unlike in open water or a lap pool.

 

Use a snorkel… a lot. Again, this goes with the focus on form. (You might be noticing a theme here.) A snorkel, like this one, eliminates the need to turn your head to breathe and thus allows you to focus entirely on improving your swim form. I ask my athletes to use their snorkel during all warm-ups, kick sets, drill work, and sometimes on longer intervals.

 

Practice open water swim skills. Fast pool times don’t make necessarily make fast open water times. Open water swimming is more about skill than about pool fitness. Practice your sighting, drafting & group swimming (if you can), focus on improving your rhythm and effort while maintaining good form.

 

Incorporate Strength Training. You may not be able to get to the pool more than 2x week, but you can incorporate swim specific strength work in about 15 minutes every few days. Use stretch cords like these with a bench or yoga ball to work on engaging your lats through the catch & pull. And incorporate planks, including side planks with rotation, to develop a strong long body that maintains taut in the water as your rotate along the axis of your spine.

 

Even if your swim time is limited, you will still be able to make gains in the water. It may take a little longer, but progress will come! Happy training!

 

Jim Rowe is a Playtri Level 5 Coach and Coach Education Lead, a USAT LI Certified Coach, an NASM Certified Personal Trainer, and an Ironman and 70.3 World Championship Qualifier who works with adult athletes who are chasing PRs, moving up to long course racing, or want to qualify for a world championship. Learn more about Jim at www.playtri.com/jim-rowe.

Race Day Nutrition for Long Course Racing

Race Day Nutrition for Long Course Racing

 

Nutrition can make or break your race day. Although I am neither a dietitian nor do I masquerade as one on social media, I have learned over the years that certain recommendations can be useful and beneficial for most endurance athletes. Of course, if you have exceptional circumstances such as health related issues or dietary constraints, then I highly encourage you to connect with a registered dietitian who has experience working with athletes and sports nutrition to help you plan your nutrition & hydration strategy.

 

Nutrition in triathlon is much like camping; the more extreme your camping or racing is, the more preparation you need to put into it. For most age group triathletes, nutrition for a sprint distance is like RV camping; you can go into the race without much of a plan at all. While 70.3 or Ironman races are like wilderness camping in the desert or frozen tundra; your lack of planning will come back and bite you in really uncomfortable ways.

 

Unfortunately, I often see triathletes over-preparing for short course racing and under-preparing for long course racing. Before I get into some general recommendations for long course, please hear this: Use your training sessions to prepare for race day! You can’t wing it during training and expect things to go well on race day. You need to train your gut as well as your body to perform to the best of your ability on race day.

 

Generally speaking your body functions on a mix of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. Our main fuel source for necessary bodily functions (like brain activity) and physical activity comes from carbohydrates and we have approximately 90-120 minutes of carb fuel in our bodies at any given time. Thus, it is important to plan your race day nutrition around carbohydrate consumption. (You can teach your body to utilize bodily fat for fuel, but that’s a topic for a different day and you still will want to take on some carbohydrates on race day.)

 

Here are general recommendations for nutrition for women racing 70.3 and Ironman:

•   Pre-swim for both 70.3 & 140.6: 1 gel with water 10-15 minutes before race start

•   70.3 Bike: 70-100 grams of carbs per hour

•   70.3 Run: 40-70 grams of carbs per hour

•   Ironman Bike: 70-120 grams of carbs per hour

•   Ironman Run: 50-90 grams of carbs per hour

 

And here they are for the men:

•   Pre-swim for both 70.3 & 140.6: 1-2 gels with water 10-15 minutes before race start

•   70.3 Bike: 90-120 grams of carbs per hour

•   70.3 Run: 60-90 grams of carbs per hour

•   Ironman Bike: 90-120 grams of carbs per hour

•   Ironman Run: 70-100 grams of carbs per hour

 

Variations in intensity, heat, humidity, and altitude will bring those numbers up or down. It is good to start dialing in your nutrition at the lower end of the calorie range and adjust upward as you get closer to your race. Training your gut is just as important as training your body. Depending on how fast you will be going in a 70.3, you likely can go entirely with gels for nutrition. However, I encourage all my Ironman athletes to mix in some solid nutrition like Maurten solids with their gel of choice for the bike and then switch entirely to gels for the last hour of the bike.

 

Again, these are just general nutritional guidelines. Although we at Playtri believe these general guidelines work for the vast majority of triathletes it certainly doesn’t hurt to work with a coach to help you plan your nutrition and hydration. And if you want a more specific nutrition and hydration plan, consider our performance testing options at Playtri Dallas (www.playtri.com/testing). A calorie expenditure test for the bike and run will help you know how many calories you expend at different heart rates, a sweat test will help you know how to hydrate to replace lost electrolytes, and a resting metabolic rate test will help provide you with a baseline for your daily nutrition planning.

Whichever way you go—experimenting with these recommendations, working with a coach, and/or getting performance testing—remember to get started now! Use your training to practice your nutrition & hydration strategy so that race day is an enjoyable, challenging experience.

 

Jim Rowe is a Playtri Level 5 Coach and Coach Education Lead, a USAT LI Certified Coach, an NASM Certified Personal Trainer, and an Ironman and 70.3 World Championship Qualifier who works with adult athletes who are chasing PRs, moving up to long course racing, or want to qualify for a world championship. Learn more about Jim at www.playtri.com/jim-rowe.