Women Who Run is a book that celebrates women’s running. Shanti Sosienski is a runner herself and was obviously inspired to bring these stories onto the page for everyone to enjoy. Her running grew from the difficult experience of narrowly escaping the Tsunami in Thailand in 2004. It was a challenge and an awakening as she returned to Thailand to help those affected by the disaster. For her, and for many women she writes about, running became therapy. The days of struggling and exhilaration helped to work through the challenges of life and find new paths and possibilities.

The women interviewed for the book run at all different levels. They’re not the famous names you read about in the magazines; these women have new and important stories to tell. Women like Bobbi Gibb, who was the first woman to unofficially run the Boston Marathon in 1966. Watching the race with her Dad inspired her to train for it, not realizing that women weren’t allowed. She ran it anyway, breaking ground for millions of women in years to come. Ultrarunners like Diane Van Deren, who ran 260 miles of the Iditarod, after undergoing brain surgery to cure her of epilepsy. And Pam Reed, two-time winner of the 135 mile Badwater, who completed a 300 mile run in under 80 hours. Lori Shannon, a size 16, couldn’t find running clothes that fit to train for a marathon. So she opened a running store called “See Jane Run” so that any woman could find apparel and other women to train with to meet their personal goals. Teachers, journalists, cancer survivors; they all have unique reasons for running. Running is part of who they are.

I saw a little bit of myself in each story. And it helped to recognize some of my own motivations for lacing up the shoes and heading out at 5 am. These women made me realize why I run, and inspired me to be that little bit stronger each time.

photo credit: Simon Barratt

Earlier this week I wrote about the mental states that can contribute to an injury. Using some of the strategies to cope with stress can lower your risk of getting hurt. But in triathlon, or any endurance sport, being injured is a part of being an athlete. There are attitudes and strategies that can really help you to cope with the stress of an injury and plan how to get back on form. Treat rehabilitation like you treat your training to get yourself on the road to recovery fast.

Gather support from your team

Being injured can be a very stressful time as plans for competitions are pushed back or cancelled altogether. Triathlon is probably a part of your identity, and having a void in your life can be a big change. Athletes who create a team for recovery and get moral and physical support are more likely to recover quickly and fully.

Your team should be made up of people who care for you, understand your concerns, and accept you. Your friends and family are a big help with encouragement and even physical support if your mobility is limited. If you have a coach, they can offer moral support and a modified training plan while you are recovering. Teammates are very important for friendship and having someone will listen and understand what you’re going through. Trainers and physiotherapists have a good understanding of your physical progress and will help support you and push you when you need it. Gather the people around you that you feel will best help to support your recovery.

Athletes who create a team for recovery and get moral and physical support are more likely to recover quickly and fully.

Your recovery team needs to be informed and educated about the injury and the plan for rehabilitating it. If you can communicate with them well and let them know how you’re doing, they’ll be there to listen and to help you along.

Learn as much as you can about your injury

The more you know about your body and your injury, the better you’ll be able to cope with it. Start with the anatomy of the region. Look up the muscle, ligament or bone that’s involved and see what it looks like and how it relates to surrounding structures. Learn about the nature of the injury, how it happens, options for treatment, and strategies for rehabilitation. A key point is to try to find if you have risk factors for your injury. For example, shin splints can be caused by overpronation, or turning in of the ankle. Risk factors like muscular weakness and form faults can be improved during your recovery. The more you know, the better you can plan your recovery and prevent the injury from happening again.

Learn about the nature of the injury, how it happens, options for treatment, and strategies for rehabilitation.

When you’re consulting doctors and physiotherapists, ask lots of questions to be sure you understand the problem and the treatment options. Don’t be afraid to take notes or to get a second opinion from another practitioner. Often the combined perspectives of these experts can be worked into an optimal treatment plan. You’re also entitled to copies of your medical records and imaging studies if you’d like to read them or show them to another doctor.

Plan aerobic activity as soon as possible

Depending on your injury, you’ll need to know if and what kind of aerobic training you can get back to. The sooner you can start, the better. You may be able to swim or use a hand bike to maintain some cardiovascular fitness and still allow your injury to heal. Your doctor and physiotherapist can work out a plan to get you back in action as soon as possible.

Do the things you never had time for during recovery

If you’re facing a significant layoff, it might be a good time to focus on parts of your life that you’ve postponed or neglected for your sport. There might be time to go back to school, pick up a hobby, or travel. Athletes often feel lost without the focus and time commitment to sport and a substitute activity is a great filler. It can help you keep positive and feel like you are accomplishing things outside of competition.

Mental skills can help you heal

Recovering from an injury involves gaining strength and flexibility back into the damaged tissues. To accomplish this, you’ll need to apply the same mental strength and willingness to learn new skills as you do during training. Attitude is everything. Set your goals starting with where you are at baseline, and identify clear steps for where you want to get to in the future. Test your progress regularly and compare it to your goals. You’ll be able to track your improvement and identify things that are not getting you back to the top of your game. This is not the time to compare what you can do now to what you could accomplish before the injury. Regardless of whether you could run 10 miles in the pre-season, going from walking a quarter mile to a half mile in a week is significant progress.

Test your progress regularly and compare it to your goals.

Both pain and anxiety about the injury can be helped by techniques like relaxation and thinking positively. You’ll probably wonder if and when you’ll return to racing, and whether you’ll perform at the same level as before. The injury is likely to be painful with minimal activity for a period of time. If you can control your breathing and release muscle tension, the pain can seem less intense. Develop a positive mantra that focuses on your will to get better and belief that your body will heal. Mental and physical relaxation will allow the body and mind to rest.

Get back to competition gradually

Once you’ve gotten the all-clear from the medical personnel, it’s time to set small goals toward competition. Start with getting your physical abilities back up to speed with exercises and drills in the sports you haven’t been able to perform. This will help to get the flexibility and strength back that you lost during recovery. Once you are comfortable, add in more technical skills and increase the intensity of your efforts. Be careful here, it’s the time when the chance of re-injury is greatest. When the intensity of training matches that of competition, you’re ready to get back to racing with confidence that you are ready.

Your approach to dealing with injury is just as meticulous and critical as that of your training. Take it step by step, with a positive attitude and practical outlook to get back to racing fast.

photo credit: Mariano Kamp

I train with a group of about 30 triathletes. In chatting with all of them during training sessions in the last year, I can think of about 5 who haven’t talked about an injury that is affecting their training and racing. Endurance sports are hard on the body and injuries are common. Although the physical act of training is what causes the injury, the chances of someone being injured are also affected by their mind.

Life and competition stresses increase the risk of injury

Many studies have shown that recent life stresses such as family issues, loss of a family member, or loss of a job are more common in athletes who experience injury. Even minor daily hassles like being in a new area, having trouble getting to practice, or any annoyance that disrupts your normal routine can increase the chance of injury.

Performance anxiety is another form of mental stress that can affect the likelihood of injury. People respond to competitive situations either with anticipation and joy, or with fear and unpleasant expectations. Think about how you felt before and during your last race. Were you looking forward to it or dreading it? Athletes in the negative group may also have more chance of injury.

Life stress and performance anxiety can increase your chance of injury.

Possible reasons for the greater risk of injury in negative emotional states include more muscle tension, a narrowed visual field (less awareness of what is going on around you), and being more likely to be distracted. All of these reactions can cause poor decision making or extra force on the body. The result could be a twisted ankle or a crash on the bike.

Improve your stress level and adjust your training to avoid injury

Something that does reduce the chance of injury or severity of injury is the strength of the athlete’s social support system and coping skills. Everyone is prone to times of life stress, and it’s important to learn how to deal with them in a positive way. Stress management is key to being able to balance your life problems and help you to rebalance and prevent injury during training. Stress management techniques include talking to your family and friends, relaxation, meditation, yoga, and others. Find one that’s right for you and practice it in times of stress.

Everyone is prone to times of life stress, and it’s important to learn how to deal with them in a positive way.

If you are stressed, it only makes sense to adjust your training. Do a longer recovery run instead of hard intervals on the track that carry a higher risk of injury. A session on the bike trainer is lower risk than riding on the streets on a rainy day. Learn to recognize when you might be at risk for injury and tone down your activities.

We tend to think of the physical aspects of training that can lead to injury, but the mental aspects are just as important. Part of your journey as a triathlete is to learn how the mind and body affect each other and use it to your advantage. Don’t put yourself on the injured list this year, train by adjusting to how you feel.

photo credit: ? Unlimited

We all spend hours doing “routine” workouts at the gym and going on long runs. If they don’t require a lot of technical skill or changes in intensity, it can be hard to stop looking at the clock every 5 minutes. One way I like to pass the time is to listen to triathlon podcasts. What better way to get your workout in, and get inspired, educated and motivated about your sport at the same time? Listening to podcasts makes longer workouts an even better chance to catch up on all the news.

Podcasts are timely, fresh audio magazines created by amateurs and professionals alike, all with a common love of the sport of triathlon. Whether you want to listen to someone go through the training process, an analysis of the latest sport science, or an interview with a world-class athlete, you’ll find it in the variety of triathlon podcasts available. iTunes is the grand-central for subscribing to podcasts – just go to the store and type in “triathlon”. Here are some of my favorites with comments from their creators.

Tri Talk

Tri Talk is hosted by David Warden, a coach at the prestigious TrainingBible Coaching group. David has an infectious enthusiasm for probing into the science of sport, to come up with the bottom line on what research into training means to you. He has great topic podcasts including lactic acid, compression gear, and swimming. His expert analysis is always at the top of my podcast playlist. After a short hiatus, David is back with fresh content available at iTunes, where he’s the top-ranked triathlon podcast. Check out the forums on tri-talk.com for more great content.

For over 65 episodes, Tri Talk has opened each podcast with the statement ‘our goal is to help you swim, bike, and run faster, to meet your personal triathlon goals’. That statement has been the driving force behind each episode. Granted, sometimes the podcast drifts into the lighter side of triathlon, or even with experimental analysis (often with disastrous results), but any fan of the show knows that almost all the information provided supports that opening statement. Research-backed information to shave a few seconds off here and there to help triathletes swim, bike and run faster. My personal motives for continuing the podcast are based on a deep-rooted need to tell people what to do. I wish I had a more altruistic motive, but the reality is that before I started the podcast, I had hoarded a wealth of information from journals, texts, and articles. I just had to share that information, and the podcast was a perfect fit. I hope that my motives (however shallow) will both inspire and inform athletes to meet their personal triathlon goals.

iTunes
Website

Endurance Planet

Kevin Patrick is the host of Endurance Planet, a unique daily triathlon and multisport podcast. With a background in professional radio, Kevin brings a unique perspective to training though interviewing amateurs and elite athletes in the world of running and triathlons. An ultra-runner himself, he enjoys bringing out the thoughts and experiences of those who participate in every type of endurance sport. I particularly like the “Beginner Triathlete of the Month” feature, highlighting an amateur athlete loved by their peers on BeginnerTriathlete.com.

Endurance Planet serves a number of purposes: 1.) It fills the information gap for endurance sports that the local news and ESPN leave open…endurance athletes are generally addicted to their sport and want to stay up to date with it. 2.) It allows us all to share information and insights with each other. Their are so many things you can learn from each other regarding the physical, mental, and even spiritual side of endurance sports. 3.) (And perhaps most importantly) Endurance Planet believes in good storytelling. This is what sets us apart. We try to do incorporate good story telling in our audio books, our race “war stories”, and even works of fiction. The people that love to hear about Shackleton’s Endurance expedition, or Jon Krakauer’s experience on Mount Everest tend to be the same people that enjoy taking a “Breakaway Friday” story on a long run with them.

Endurance Planet is a business. But it’s a business that grows out of my passion…not the other way around.

There’s an old adage that suffering leads to endurance…endurance builds character…and character brings hope. If you’ve suffered through some tough training you know what the adage means. The next time you suffer you remember that you’ve been through it before and that gives you hope. It’s much more than physical fitness.

iTunes
Website
Twitter

Zen and The Art of Triathlon

Texafornia (aka Brett) creates this weekly podcast that covers practical triathlon training tips, gear reviews, his own training and racing, and how it all can be approached from the zen perspective. He records during runs and bikes (impressive in itself) and includes friends and family as commentators. This is a very personal show that makes you feel like you are meeting your workout buddy for a ride.

Zen and the Art of Triathlon is a podcast about many things. We cover sprints to Ironmans, training, racing, food, gear, dealing with family, and of course, Zen. As the original and longest-running triathlon podcast, listeners immediately sense the community built around the show and often contribute content in the form of music, voicemails, and much more.

No two episodes are alike, but the show’s host will often take the recorder along with him while training. You can listen in and learn about the Zen approach to simplicity while being chased by dogs down the street. The crazy cast of characters and triathlon buddies that appear on the shows over the years keeps evolving as the host keeps training for longer and longer distances.

Zen Tri has very high listener recommendations and has been nominated for several awards. With a huge back catalog of episodes that goes back several years, listen to just one and you might get hooked on the Zen approach to the triathlon lifestyle.

iTunes
Website
Twitter

Kelownagurl Tris

Kelownagurl (aka Barb) is a first year age-group athlete who is podcasting to motivate others to try something new and discover their inner athlete. This podcast is particularly good for people just starting out in the sport. For those of you who haven’t heard of it, the name comes from Kelowna, a city in British Columbia, Canada. Barb talks about her own life and training, and answers questions from listeners who want to know more about the sport.

Once a couch potato, now a first year age grouper triathlete, Kelownagurl talks about her goals, her training, and her life in general in hope of providing encouragement and inspiration to other “average” people who have always dreamed of doing something they never thought possible. Her motto is “It’s never too late to be what you might have been” ~ George Elliot

iTunes
Website
Twitter

iMultisport Radio

This is a new podcast produced by the team at Industrial Multisports based in the UK. So far they have a variety of topics covered such as training with power meters, nutritional supplements, and athlete interviews.

iMultisport Radio is the podcast from Industrial Multisport, a coaching and sports marketing start-up. The person behind the podcast is Ravi Dighe, a U.S./British age grouper triathlete. He’s been racing and training for triathlons since 1982 (!) and is still going strong having just completed his first ultra-marathon and racing amongst other things at IM Switzerland this year.
The philosophy behind iMultisport Radio is to share training, nutritional and motivational advice for normal age groupers. We interview professional triathletes, coaches and manufacturers for sports solutions. Going forward, we’re also going to talk about health issues, specific races, our Second Life presence (SL Triathlon) and other topics.

iTunes
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Twitter

Stay Tuned Triathlon Report

The creator of the Stay Tuned Triathlon Report is TriBoomer (aka Brian). He covers all types of news from sprint triathlons all the way through to ironman, gear and gadgets, coaching tips, etc. This weekly report gives you the latest from the sporting world. One of his features is the COAT (confessions of a triathlete) where everyone gets a say.
iTunes
Website
Twitter

Simply Stu

Simply Stu focuses on interviewing pro triathletes for his podcast. Recent episodes include Chris McCormack, Chrissie Wellington, and Craig Alexander. Get the inside scoop on how the pros race, train, and think. He also has a recent feature on his website called Worldwide Triathlon that encourages families to participate during particular dates. “Uniting the world, one triathlete at a time”; how cool is that?
iTunes
Website
Twitter

JBST

Joe Beer is the host of this triathlon and multisport podcast. Based in the UK, Joe takes a practical approach to multisport training and covers all aspects of nutrition, racing and training. His podcasts are thorough and entertaining, and there is a fresh episode about once a month. He has good interviews with pros and top age-groupers to keep you inspired about training and racing.
iTunes
Website

The Age Grouper

Jeff and Eric are two friends with a love for multisport from the amateur’s perspective. The in-season is in, and the off-season is off. I love that they have a friendly rivalry going with their training and race results. Every podcast starts with “We’re Back!” with a mid-west accent (I can say that, I’m Canadian). These guys have great advice and are fun and enthusiastic about the sport.
iTunes
Website

Get Your Geek On

Tri-Geek Kahuna and Iron Wil host this intermittent, but entertaining podcast that talks about their trials and tribulations in training and racing. One segment I particularly like is Iron Wil’s reading of some of her work. It’s thought provoking, honest and very well-written. They also run a scholarship program that uses donations from podcast listeners to fund the entry fee for someone entering their first triathlon.
iTunes
Website

I’m sure there are many triathlon and multisport podcasts out there that I haven’t discovered. If you have a favorite, leave a comment so others can discover them too.

photo credit: darkmatter

In the 2008 Triathlon Ironman World Championchips, Chris McCormack was heavily favored to repeat his victory from 2007. After years of trial and error and a long-awaited success, he felt that he had the formula right to win on the day in Kona. He came out of the water in a good position, was in the leading group on the bike, and was ready to start the real race. Suddenly, a shifter cable snapped leaving him unable to get out of the small chainring. Technical assitance tried to adjust the derailleur, and stripped the screw. Waiting for the second van and replacing the wire would take 30 minutes. Realizing he couldn’t make up the deficit, Macca called it a day.

Suddenly, a shifter cable snapped leaving him unable to get out of the small chainring.

Months of training go into getting ready for your races during the triathlon season. You plan, prepare, and practice every part of your race from the transitions to how to fuel yourself on the bike. Despite all this effort, sometimes your race just doesn’t go well and your results aren’t what you expected. The first reaction is to feel like a failure, or that you have no talent for the sport. Now is the time to fight your natural feelings of disappointment, and see what you can learn from the experience.

What factors could you control?

In an interview on Simply Stu podcast, Chris detailed his day including the unfortunate mechanical failure. His preparation was perfect, he was executing well, and was ready to race. He was successful in doing everything he needed to do to get to the race and perform. This is a real success when it comes to training and racing. Your mind will be relaxed and positive when you can plan well and rise to the challenges that you face on the day. Even if your placing is not what you expected, your results can be positive.

Your mind will be relaxed and positive when you can plan well and rise to the challenges that you face on the day.

If there was something that you could have controlled, but didn’t, treat it as a learning experience. It could be something like putting plastic wrap over your aero bottle so you don’t end up covered in sticky sports drink, or learning that if you go that hard on the bike you’ll be walking during the run. Every race gives you a new set of conditions and experiences that will make you a better athlete next time.

What race conditions were out of your control?

There are plenty of situations during a race that you can’t control. Choppy water can make the swim slow, a flat tire can add minutes to your bike split, and hot weather can affect how you cope with the run. The key here is to analyze the race and separate these factors out. They’ll happen to you regularly, and more often when you have lots of races during a season. If you recognize the effect that these conditions have on your performance you’ll realize you did well after all. These can be some of the most frustrating issues to deal with because you have no say; you can’t control them. Take a deep breath, set them aside, and start planning for the next race. Dwelling on things that you can’t control is a waste of mental focus and energy. Be positive and get back to training.

Go back to your training log

Training is a fine balance of stress and recovery that can result in fatigue and injury if you tip the scales. Tapering before a race, the types of workouts in the last period, and your nutrition just before race day can all have a big impact on how you feel physically. If your race was poor because you were low on energy, go back to your training log and see what could have been a factor. This record can really help you fine-tune your training and race preparation through trial and error.

In Chris McCormack’s case, the mechanical failure that was out of his control caused him to lose a chance at defending his World Championchip title. I admire his attitude of refocusing after the disappointment and starting to plan the next year’s training and racing the same week. If you have a bad race, you’ll spend some time being disappointed and possibly angry at yourself or the circumstances. Triathlon is all about discovering more about your mind and body. Step back and emphasize the positives, let go of the things you can’t control, and learn from your experiences. There’s always the next race to look forward to.

photo credit: Melissa Maples

Athlete, as a word, makes me think of fast runners, amazing tennis players, and triathletes whose split times are hard to imagine. I never counted myself in that group, even though I was active in sports like skiing, running and riding horses for twenty years. Somehow “female athlete” seemed like someone serious about sport, competetive, and successful on a large scale.

Athlete - A person possessing the natural or acquired traits, such as strength, agility, and endurance, that are necessary for physical exercise or sports, especially those performed in competitive contexts.

Women everywhere are becoming more conscious of their inner competitors by participating in sports like running and triathlon. What small town doesn’t have a 10k race or sprint tri at least once a year? But where do you cross the line from recreational runner to athlete? There’s an athlete in everyone, and it’s a matter of attitude to count yourself in that lofty group.

Dedicate yourself to your sport

Athletes have a mental focus on their sport that is above the recreational level. It’s not as much about the amount of time you have to spend training, it’s about the focus and intensity of your efforts week in and week out. Triathlon is a very time-consuming sport. Some people train 10 hours a week and others can only carve 5 out of their busy family lives and careers. But anyone who brings fresh resolve, creative time-management, and 100% effort to every session can consider themselves an athlete.

Know your strengths

Some women are fast runners and blast by you on the trail. There are the lucky ones who have natural ability in the water and swim past you leaving a wake. The three sports of triathlon give you a chance to have a strength, since you’re very likely to be better in one sport than the others. At your level, whatever it may be compared to your age group,  you have a strength. Figure out what it is, and insert into “My strength is the ______.” Celebrate that you can swim forever without getting tired or climb a hill like a mountain goat. Your strength might be a skill such as the perfect hand entry into the water. A female athlete has strengths that she knows and treasures. Say it confidently and say it often.

Test yourself

The word “athlete” is tied closely to competition. If you have been training and getting to know your strengths  in your sport, you’ll probably start to wonder how you might do in a race. A 5 k race at the local park is just as good a venue to test yourself against the clock and against other runners as a track and field meet. Athletes set goals and work towards them, always reaching higher. Plan some races into your schedule to celebrate the hard work you’ve done and affirm your strengths.

I can call myself a female athlete and the thought brings a smile to my face every day. My dedication, confidence in my strengths, and frequent testing of those qualities make me feel like I belong in the group. I may not swim like Amanda Beard or ride a bike like Chrissie Wellington, but I’m here to stay and ready for the next challenge.

photo credit: EUSKALANATO

One of my focus points for the off season was to strengthen my abs. I’ve never been able to do full situps, and attempts to do core exercises were weak and frustrating. After a few months of crunches, twists, planks, and other strenuous exercises, I was doing the exercises better, but not feeling much different otherwise. When I went to a physiotherapist with back pain, I found out why my abs weren’t getting any stronger.

The core muscles

There are several major muscles that form the core, keeping your mid-section stable while you are twisting it with the leg and arm motions of swimming, biking and running. The one that everyone knows and can see (your six-pack) is the rectus abdominis. It’s positioned on the outermost layer of muscles. The deeper layers are angled in different directions. The transverse abdominis attaches from midline out to the ribs and side, and the internal and external obliques lay on top of it at an angle. The obliques actually attach to your pelvis, just where you can feel your hip bones. This is key to knowing if they are working.

The obliques actually attach to your pelvis, just where you can feel your hip bones.

The rectus abdominis dominates

You’ve probably done a million crunches in your life. The default movement is to just flatten your back and pull with your rectus abdominis. It burns, you feel like you are doing some good. But the rectus is only the outermost layer and you could be neglecting the inner layers that stabilize the core. You need to work all of your muscles to get the most benefit of stabilization, both when you are consciously doing the exercises and unconsiously, when you’re performing your sport and they are working in the background.

Activate the internal obliques and transverse abdominis

Ladies, this may come as a surprise (it did to me), but the internal obliques are part of the pelvic floor group. Remember those Kegel exercises? Well they work to activate the deep abdominal muscles too. Try a simple crunch. Keep your back in neutral (not flat against the floor). Before lifting your shoulders, do two things. First, squeeze the Kegels with each forefinger placed just inside your hip bone on each side. If you do it right, you’ll feel the internal oblique tighten and push your finger away. Second, suck your belly button in. Keep breathing and relax the upper abdominal muscles. Now do a crunch. You may find that you shake as you roll up; these are muscles that may never have been truly activated before. With practice it will get better quickly.

Remember those Kegel exercises? Well they work to activate the deep abdominal muscles too.

Be mindful of the deep abdominal muscles

Now that I’ve discovered these deep core muscles, I keep trying to activate them in different situations. They stabilize my back and make me feel planted firmly when doing all sorts of exercises at the gym. They make a big difference when doing lunches, bicep curls, triceps extensions, and other movements. Running with them activated takes a bit of practice. The brief periods when I can keep it up are faster and stronger. I have also noticed that I can keep my pelvis from rocking from side to side when climbing hills on the bike. Swimming is all about core strength and stability so they will definitely help power and efficiency. Keep activating these muscles and they’ll work for you behind the scenes to enhance your performance and prevent injury.

photo credit: millicent_bystander

I was riding with a friend of mine today who is a very successful duathlete. She is an excellent cyclist and runner, and pushes me to be faster every day. The problem is that there are only so many local duathlons in the area. She trains hard for a very short season. Her goal for the fall was to learn how to swim so that she could have more options as a triathlete. She’s been struggling with the swimming skills as well as an injury, and is getting very frustrated at her slow progress.

What challenges do you need to overcome?

Determination is a desire to accomplish a goal or a desirable state. This can be anything from learning how to swim, to being able to perform a running dismount off the bike, or achieving a particular run split. Determination is a good thing – we need to find mental strength to reach that goal, because it usually isn’t easy. The difficulty in accomplishing the goal can be different depending on what you are trying to do. Overcoming fear of the water might be your major hurdle in learning to swim. If it’s a difficult skill, you need to master something that requires balance and feel. Something like a fast run split takes a lot of strength and stamina. But all of these challenges can be met if you are determined enough.

“Determine that the thing can and shall be done, and then we shall find the way.” -Abraham Lincoln

Find a way to meet your goal

Once you know what you are facing, your next task is to form a plan for getting there. It’s great to say “I will meet my goal”, and to find that mental strength that will help you to accomplish it. You also need a plan that will make your dream happen. Break the goal down into smaller segments that you can tackle one at a time. For each smaller step, find exercises, mental or physical, that will develop your strength and skills.

When I learned to make a running dismount off the bike, my coach started me off just touching my toes while riding. That gave me the feel for the balance of leaning down and shifting the weight to the side. Next was unbuckling the shoe, and doing it back up. Then taking the shoe off and putting it back on. Each step built on the skills of the last, and made what seemed an impossible feat of balance and coordination into a sequence of movements that came with practice. The part I had most trouble with was actually putting my leg over and getting off the bike. I had to dig deep into determination to make that first jump, even though I feared I would unbalance and fall. Now it’s a skill I own.

For each smaller step, find exercises, mental or physical, that will develop your strength and skills.

Don’t let frustration discourage you

If determination is a desire to meet your goal, frustration is being aware that you have not reached it. Frustration is easy to fall in to when things don’t seem to be moving forward. The key is to recognize that it’s not going to help, and that you need to figure out why you are frustrated.

Does your plan need more time invested for you to see results? Sometimes just having a deadline and not making fast enough progress is a trigger for frustration. Think about adjusting your time frame to take some of the pressure off.

Is the plan a good one? You might need some outside advice from a coach, trainer, physiotherapist or other professional to help you refine your plan and make it work. Even plans made by professionals can need adjusting as you work through them and find what does and doesn’t work for you.

Frustration is easy to fall in to when things don’t seem to be moving forward.

There’s a fine line between determination and frustration, and you need to be near it, but not crossing it. Be determined to reach your goals, but find the time and the right plan to accomplish them. What are your goals and frustrations?

photo credit: Chirag D. Shah

The sport of triathlon is a great example of personal development activity because there is so much to learn. Many people come to the sport with skills and experience in swimming, biking or running, but rarely more than one sport and not put all together. We all know there’s a lot to learn when starting out. You learn many things during the first brick workouts and sprint triathlons like how to pull off a transition and how to sight in open water.

But we all have gaps in that knowledge base that may look like cracks in a sidewalk, but are actually big enough to fall into and twist your ankle. With your basic level of knowledge you can get along just fine. The problem is, if you swim, bike and run for long enough, things are going to happen that you need to know how to deal with. Fill those cracks with caulking (or cement, depending on the size) before you get into trouble.

We all started this sport to learn.

A crack in your knowledge

We all started this sport to learn. A big part of it is learning what your body can do, and what strength your mind is capable of. The technical skills are a bit secondary to the big idea of finishing a triathlon or being successful in competition. But these skills, however small, can make a big difference to your enjoyment of triathlon as well as your success. And there is another big reason; safety.

Yesterday I went on a ride with my group and we did some hill repeats that involved a tight U-turn on the bike path for each loop. I never rode a bike with clipless pedals before I started triathlon, so I was a total beginner. Now I am much more confident, but I never got past the rigid mantra of “clip right foot out” when stopping. I used to be paranoid that I wouldn’t remember which one to put down. Plus, it was tough to get out of the pedals at first. Now this is a small thing, but I have trouble getting out of the left clip. It just feels wrong because I always unclip the right. And every now and then I think to myself I should practice with the left foot, then ride on and forget about it again.

So on my last U-turn, this same thought went through my head. Turning left with your right foot unclipped is not safe though you can get away with it. For some reason I decided to double check over my shoulder to see if the path was clear. My balance shifted left, and I went down on my clipped-in side.

I was totally fine with just a few bruises and some embarassment to deal with. But I knew that I could have completely prevented that fall if I had tackled the minor detail that I knew I should be able to do. What if it was a more dangerous situation with cars in the road?

How do you find the cracks?

The first step to filling these gaps in your skills is to recognize that they exist. There are some, like the clipping in, that I know about for myself. I’ve made a mental list of them so that I can think about what to improve in each workout. Writing them down in your training log, or list of goals for the year, is also not a bad idea.

Other gaps are less noticeable, or even invisible to you. Here’s where you have to do a bit of research. Read articles on swimming, biking and running to see what skills other people find critical. Talking with training partners and observing what they do is also a way to get some insight. If you have a coach, ask for input. Someone who watches you carefully will have very good suggestions on what to work on and how. My coach promised me turning drills next week after I fell right in front of him.

The first step to filling these gaps in your skills is to recognize that they exist.

Don’t procrastinate, learn the skills now

The mind is very good at prioritizing your mental attention and physical effort to what is important right now. Things that don’t seem urgent get put to the end of the line, to be worked on “some day”. For a lot of unlearned skills, some day becomes never.

Pick one thing from your list and work on it at least once a week. If it’s a bike skill, leave an extra few minutes at the end of the ride to do turns in a parking lot, or practice your moving dismount. These types of balance skills take some practice to become automatic.

For a lot of unlearned skills, some day becomes never.

It may be speed you are after, like getting your wetsuit off in a hurry in T1. When you are open water swimming, don’t chat to your friends as you casually sit down and peel off your suit. Jog out of the water and get it off while running back to your bike or car.

Be conscious of learning the small stuff too. It may seem unimportant in the immediate future, but it could be vital when you only have a few seconds to react. What skills do you need to work on?

photo credit: funkybug

You’ve heard athletes and artists talking about being in the zone, or flow, of their work. It’s described as being another state of mind where you are completely in synch with the task at hand and the rest of the world doesn’t exist. Actions happen automatically and skills are at their best. Being in the zone is a change in consciousness to where your mind is on autopilot and you can just enjoy the flow. This feeling is unique and wonderful, and is a source of deep motivation for many people to pursue their sport.

The Zone is a place between anxiety and boredom, where your skills equal the tasks at hand. If the situation is above your skill level, you may become anxious about your ability to complete the distance or maintain a certain speed in a race. On the other hand, if the action is too easy, you won’t fel challenged enough for the activity to take up all of your mental capacity. Flow is a perfect balance between challenge and skill. When you’re in the Zone, you’re likely to have some of your best performances. Here are some strategies you can use to put you there.

Match your skills to the task

Your workouts should be tailored to match your abilities whether you are swimming, biking or running. Match your plans for distance, intensity and skills to a level that is challenging but not overwhelming. If you are used to running 5 miles for a tempo run, then planning 6 or 7 miles at an easy pace will challenge you in distance, but you should have the fitness to accomplish it. Spice up long or easy workouts with a few pickups or a technically challenging course like a trail run.

This is particularly important for races. A great race in the Zone can only happen if you’re prepared for the challenge. A hilly triathlon like Wildflower is not going to be enjoyable if you haven’t trained on hills for the bike and the run. Your training needs to prepare you for the correct distance and intensity for you to have a great day.

Match your plans for distance, intensity and skills to a level that is challenging but not overwhelming.

Stay in the present

Flow comes from being in the moment and experiencing that state of oneness with your body and the environment. Don’t let your mind drift away to thinking about how you did in your last race, or worry about what might happen in the next phase. Just be where you are and let that fill your mind.

Focus on something small

It’s very easy to get distracted by everything that is going on during a workout or a race. An easier workout can also lack challenge, so that you have trouble staying present in your mind. To maintain your state of flow, focus on something small like counting cadence or footsteps, your breathing, or your front wheel.

Concentrate on things you can control

When I have a near-collision with another racer, or fight with the wind on the bike, I find it’s easy to focus on that (usually negative) circumstance. Take a deep breath and let those thoughts go. You’ll find more strength and mental calmness concentrating on something you can control, like a smooth stride on the run, or a precise hand entry during the swim. These are things you can do, and do well.

You’ll find more strength and mental calmness concentrating on something you can control, like a smooth stride on the run, or a precise hand entry during the swim.

Make a plan

Every race has its unique surprises and unexpected happenings. You’ll have to deal with these as you go along using the techniques above. What you don’t want is to add chaos to your day by not planning ahead. Make sure you visualize each step of the race several times before the starting gun goes off. The last thing you want is to spend a minute trying to find your bike in T1. Things like having a checklist for gear, and knowing how to change a tube in case of a flat will leave your mind free to make simple decisions when it counts.

Save the analysis for later

The constant conversation with yourself that sounds like “How fast am I going? Boy that’s slow. How am I going to make my goal time at this rate?” is very unproductive. It distracts you from getting into the flow of your workout or race, and these thoughts are often negative. There will be plenty of time later to think about your performance and how you can improve it.

Go with the flow

Sometimes it’s very liberating to forget about the technical details of what you’re doing, and just go on feel. Flow is all about that great feeling when everything seems easy and you are performing your best. Find that feeling and focus on it, keep it with you, and enjoy it.

Flow is all about that great feeling when everything seems easy and you are performing your best.

Have fun

Don’t forget to have fun! That’s the point of participating in a sport like triathlon. Swimming, biking, and running, being outdoors, and having others to bring the best out in you, is why we do it. Remember this at least once during each workout or race.

The feeling of flow, of being in the zone, is its own reward. It’s a huge motivator even if you only get it for a moment. Next time it will be longer, and following these tips can help you enjoy it more often and under difficult conditions. Be sure to write it down in your training log so you can remember and motivate you during the long season.