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Via Marathon Training

Race number and safety pins:  They are sometimes called a race bib.  The race number not only identifies you in the event to help organizers know who you are, but also to help them know that you are registered for the event.

The race numbers are printed on paper that is durable, weather and rip resistant along with identifying the event and date of event.

You will want to use the safety pins or race belt to attach the race number to your tri suit or shirt.  It is also fun to collect your race numbers, so make sure to hold onto it after you finish the race.

Wristlet:  There are some event organizers who will provide the paper bracelet, which must be worn to any race-related activities, whether it is the race, workshops or even race meetings.  Sometimes the wristlet is required to enter any of the transition areas.

Numbers for bike and helmet:  There are many race organizers who will supply bike race numbers.  The bike number will have an adhesive strip(s) at the top and bottom.

You will wrap the number around your top tube and then remove the paper from the sticker and press the pieces together.  Or the number may come with some plastic ties to be secured to the bike.  There may even be a number to attach to the front of your helmet.

Timing chip:  A timing chip will give you able to help measure your individual race time more accurately than the race clock that will be found at the finish line.

What the timing chip does is records the time you start the race and when you finish along with helping track your transition times so you have a better idea about how long each section of the race took along with time spent transitioning.  At the end of the event you will return the timing chip to the volunteers.

Swim cap:  If the particular event requires a swim cap they will more than likely provide you with one.  The caps that are provided with be color coded for the wave you are in, which is the time you start your swim.

T-shirt:  Many of the events will offer a T-shirt to the participants, which are often given out when you pick up your packet.  It is best if you don’t wear the shirt during the event.  Put it in your bag and wear it during the days that follow your event.

Flyers for more fun:  In the packet provided you will find flyers and registration forms for other triathlons or road races.  Just put them away for now and you can plan what you will do next once you have finished this particular event.

Race instructions:  Many times there will be printed instruction for the event you are participating in.  This may include a course map and any changes to the map that you may have received in the mail prior to the event.

Make sure to review it very carefully and then hold on to them as the information can come in very handy either later on in the day or during the actual event.

Transition info:  The information included here is about the location and how the transition areas are set up, if they are necessary.

The organizers of the event spend a lot of time getting free things to give away to the athletes.  On race day you will receive a bag that will either contain all of the goodies or you will be collecting as you make your way through the check-in area or even at the expo.

Free stuff can be great, but it is best if you don’t use any of it on race day unless it is something you already are using.  Save the nutrition bars and the blister pads for your future training.

If you are lucky enough you will either get a coupon or discount for a massage at one of the local spas.

Good luck!

Terry

Via Marathon Training

You need to make sure you take this into consideration as you put your triathlon training plan together.  The triathlon is a competition against the clock.

A technique like drafting, which is where several riders will cluster close together to reduce the air resistance of the group is not allowed.

This has impacted the design of the triathlon bicycles, especially when it comes to the size of the triathlon bicycle wheels.  The only time that drafting is o.k. is during the Olympic Games and during professional short distance competitions.

I started training for triathlons I was 15 years old and had a big advantage over others because I was going to school on a bike just about every day for about 7 years.

That ended up being about five miles or eight kilometers one way.  Without any other training, I was getting about 50 miles a week.  And since I was using a mountain bike it didn’t really matter to me if it was summer or winter.

I ended up losing this wonderful opportunity when I was providing mandatory military service in Germany along with my first job later.

But if you happen to need to drive several miles to get to work and have the opportunity to shower once you get there and then changing your method to bicycling can help save training time in this particular discipline.

You will be able to collect the necessary miles or kilometers needed for your basic endurance.

Once you are able to get the basic endurance down in your legs you will easily be able to increase the speed by changing the training schedule a little bit and interspersing tempo units and potentially doing some workouts that are at a higher intensity.

Visit the Cycling High Intensity Training article to get more information regarding this topic.

For those who are able to sustain an average cycling speed of 22 – 25 miles per hour, or 35 – 40 kilometers per hour, aerodynamics will become an important factor to consider.

By reducing the air resistance by a some sort of percentage can add up massively after you get to the 25 miles or even 112 miles of cycling.

Good luck!

Terry

Via Marathon Training

Swimmers many times will specialize in particular strokes, much like other athletes will specialize in different positions in other fields.

But swimmers also compete in other competitions as well to make sure they are able to stay competitive in the sport.

There are many different strokes along with a variety of each of the strokes as well.  This particular lesson will help cover the basic, most well-known and most-used strokes to help give you a general sense of the ones you should consider being proficient in for competing.

You will want to integrate as many of the swimming strokes into the training plan and warm ups as possible.

You are going to become a better and faster triathlon swimmer if you are familiar with these different techniques even if you only use one particular stroke for the race.  It will help make the training schedule more interesting and appealing if you have a larger variety to pick from.

The Butterfly Stroke is one of the most exhausting and even the most difficult one to do.  You will start in the prone position while using the dolphin kick with your feet while the arms have the windmill motion.

During competitions you are not allowed to use both arms in unison or swim underwater, which makes this stroke that much more difficult.

The Breast Stroke will also start in the prone position while involving a frog like kicking that will alternate with an arm movement that is to go from a point in front of the head to a shoulder level.

The arm and feet movements will need to happen simultaneously.  During the competition a swimmer has to keep their head about the water at all time.

The Crawl must start in the prone position and will alternate over arm strokes along with a flutter kick.  The head needs to remain in the water and the face will alternate from one side to the other side.

The Side Stroke will be similar although it involves using a forward underwater stroke while the body is on one side and a scissor kick that is used for propulsion.

The Trudgen, which happens to be named after an English speed swimmer who uses an alternative over arm stroke while using the prone position and then a scissor kick while the head of the swimmer remains to one side.

The Freestyle refers to the ability to use any stroke or position, but can only be used competitively for the fifteen meter race.

The Back Stroke can only be used in competition for the fifteen meter and uses alternating the over the head arm stroke while using a flutter kick from the supine position.

Then the Dog Paddle is one of the easiest of all strokes and many times taught to the first time swimmers as a way to stay afloat as well.

This is done by achieving using arms underwater in a forward motion for a balance and then using a flutter kick to stay afloat.

Note:  When talking about competitions during this article about swimming strokes, I am referring to swim competitions.  But you could easily take these same ideas and put them into your triathlon and trainings and races.

Good luck!

Terry

Via Marathon Training

Likewise, there have been many shoe manufacturers who have followed in making shoes that cater to the trends.  In fact, there seems to be those who are going with the new industry that will form to make the trends happen.

Let’s just face it; most of the hype is more about injury prevention and the run economy than anything else.  Is it true that the forefoot runners will have less running injuries then the heal strikers?

Is it true that forefoot runners have a better run economy than the heel strikers?  It is yes to both, but this does not necessarily mean that you need to go and buy the minimalist of a shoe or the most fashionable barefoot shoe.

If you have poor running form in a regular running shoe you will continue to have bad form with the barefoot/forefoot running shoes out there.  If you are going to make the transition, then fine, but make sure to do it slowly.

Make sure you are focusing on the basics of running before you make the switch because you cause an injury.

When it comes to transition footwear you need should go from a heel strike cushioned shoe, which are most running shoes to a mid-foot strike shoe like a Newtons or Zoot, and then go to the barefoot shoe if you really want to make the change.

The transition will need to be a long and slow process, at least one year for each of the transitions to prevent injury.  Before you make the change in footwear you should make sure that you change the way you run to the proper form.

Below you will find some things that a runner should focus on to get a better running form.  But you need to remember that in order to change your running form you will need to practice a lot, like swimming, a stroke won’t be improved if you don’t practice it.

To see a positive result you need to practice, but not everyone will have perfect form because of the way they are made.

Feet – Your feet should be facing straight ahead while landing directly under your hips.  The initial contact with the ground should be using the mid-foot.

The Cadence most adults should strive for would be a 90 – 95.  The Elite endurance runners will have this cadence.  This is not a natural cadence for most runners and will take practice to get to.  Most runners will have a cadence of 70 – 80.

The transition from a slow to a fast cadence can take one to two years of practice to get.  You will want to use your watch and count the number of times your right foot hits the ground in one minute.  That will be your cadence.

Legs – Your leg action needs to be relaxed and rather quick.  There also needs to be minimal to moderate knee lift.  The focus needs to be on beginning the push to the rear with the foot before your foot even strikes the ground.  The push-off should have your body going forward and not up.

Hips – Your hips need to be square and level and no movement to the side.

Torso – The torso needs to be erect or even slightly forward with the chest up. This will allow for plenty of room for the proper breathing action.  The center of your chest really should be over the balls of the feet.

Hands – The hands need to be in a relaxed manner.  You don’t want to waste energy making a fist.

Arms – Arms need to be able to swing freely, but generally in a forwards and backwards motion, but never crossing the body. Elbows need to be at a 90 degree angle with the forearms remaining parallel to the ground.

Shoulders – Your shoulders need to be level and square with the chest pointed forward.  You do not want to round the shoulders or swing them forwards and/or backwards.

Head – The head needs to be upright and your eyes focused forward somewhere on the ground about 45 – 70 feet in front of you.

Good luck!

Terry

Via Marathon Training

Since the marathon boom in the early 1980’s, the accepted paradigm among the middle and long distance coaches has been doing high-mileage training.

Bruce Tulloh believes that cutting back on the miles and really concentrating on the quality of the run will not only be more time-efficient, but will also produce a more superior result for all runners, except for the very elite runners.

No matter what walk of life you are from or in there are trends, even in spite of the claims we make to be open-minded on scientific principles, this also applies to the training theories just like clothes or cars.

Let’s talk about mileage to get started.  Back during the 1950’s, it was perceived that interval training was the only way to be successful.

Then along came Percy Cerutty who coached Herb Elliott.  Herb won the Olympic 1,500m title in a world record time at the early age of 21, while leading most of the way.

For many this was all they needed to switch from what they thought were boring interval training on the track to run up sand hills instead.

Then about the same time came the Lydiard system which was based on running 100 miles a week, which was how the gold medals and world records of Peter Snell and Murray Halberg were successful at.

David Costill, an American physiologist, established the connection of running about 80km a week has a direct impact between mileage per week and the improvement in VO2max, which also has added scientific credibility besides the practical experience.

Since the beginning of the marathon boom during the 1980’s, high mileage has really been the theme for all middle and long distance coaching.  The exceptions are rare, mainly because coaches do not dare go against the trend and also because the professional marathon runners have all day to train, so mileage seems to be the answer.

This really only applies for those who are full-time marathon runners, but does not necessarily applies to those who don’t have the same time to train.

What Costill did not do, because of all the many variables that are involved, was to compare results of the 50km per week of intensive training against those who do 80km of steady running.

The Lore of Running, written by Tim Noakes, is still the bible of the distance coaches sets several basic principles.

One of these principles is to do the minimum amount of training, which is not paradoxical as it may seem.  What he means is:  you should do the minimum amount needed to achieve the goal.  If you don’t reach the goal, you can always do more.

Let’s look at some examples.  Steve Jones has broken the world marathon record in a time of 2.08.05 and later 2.07.13 marathon while only running about 80 miles a week.
European runners haven’t been able to improve much on this time, even though some runners may go to 150 miles a week or more.

When looking at a 5,000 and 10,000m distances when I went and broke the European record for 3 miles, the average mileage I had for the 10 weeks before the race was 28 miles a week, which include warm-ups and races.

Training was hard, but was not one that took much time.  The session were things like 15 x 400m with a 50-second recovery, or 2 x 2,000m fast.

An actual week of training during that summer is shown below:

Mon: warm-up, 2,800m time trial, on grass;
Tues: 6 x 880yd on track, averaging 2mins 10secs;
Wed: 8 x 700m on grass;
Thurs: warm-up, fast strides, 2 x 440yd in 56 and 58 seconds;
Fri: rest;
Sat: warm-up, 2-mile race.
(total miles for the week = 30)

The following three weeks I ran fewer miles while having 10 races, mostly club ones, where I was the leader all the way.

If I am able to run 13 minutes and 12 seconds for 3 miles on a 28 miles a week, while also working full-time, then this is the training is a good one for an athlete trying to break a 30 minute run for 10k and more than adequate for those trying to break the 40 minute mark.

You may say that natural ability has a lot to do with the performances, but all anyone can do is just fulfill the genetic potential.

In my case, I have doubled my mileage during the later years, I really only equaled them, never really improved on them.

A study was published in 2004 that showed a three-day-per-week training program produced a significant gain in aerobic power.

The runners that used this training regime consisted of three carefully structured running workouts every week and results showed a 4.8% improvement in their VO2max.  Then during a follow up trial, 25 runners were put on the three-days-per-week training schedule.

After 16 weeks of the training 21 of the runners who started the race finished the race while 15 had personal bests and 4 of the remaining 6 ran faster than they had in previous marathons.

A trial like this is not scientific evidence because of the small numbers that were used along with the fact that there was no control group.

Several of these runners were first-timers and we had no information about what the participants were aiming for, whether it was sub-three, sub-four or sub-five hours.

Just about any group of runners will show some sort of improvement if they are part of a monitored program, particularly those who are at the slower end.  Also, the fact they showed an average of 8% reduction of body fat would suggest that they were probably not very fit to beg with.

What was significant was that even with the low mileage they were able to run a full marathon.  Based on each of their abilities, they were given schedules that included one endurance session, one tempo session and one speed session every week.

They were also encouraged to include two days of cross training, like cycling or strength training.

The point being the training is going to be specific to the event.  If you want to run a 31-minute 10k you have to be able to efficiently run at that pace.

You can do things like work on your oxygen uptake and even lactate tolerance by running at faster paces, you can even work on your endurance, mental strength and heat tolerance while running longer distances, but speed endurance is what really counts.

Good luck!

Terry

Via Marathon Training

The Peak mesocycle will typically begin about two to three weeks before the competition.  The length will vary based on each sport, the athlete’s fitness level and the nature of event.

Activities that are orthopedically stressful, like running, will require a longer period of tapering.  Reducing the frequency and duration starting three or more weeks out before the event is not uncommon for runners.

An activity like swimming where there is no hard surface pounding associated with it will do better with a shorter taper period.  Swimmers can usually use between 7 and 14 days for tapering.

Then other activities like rowing or cycling will fall anywhere between the two extremes.  The triathlete will taper each of the activities at different rates.

Your fitness level will determine the length of your taper.  If you have a better fitness level you will have a longer taper than someone whose fitness is poor due to a late start in preparing for the race, as you need as much time as possible to build your fitness level.

So the peak period will be shortened so a longer build period is possible.  You may only taper for 10 days.  The length of the event is will determine the length of training and taper should be.

An example would be that a runner preparing for a marathon might taper for three weeks while only taper for ten days for a 5km race.  The longer the race will usually mean a greater training load and emphasis on a long duration.

The longer workouts will have a great toll on your body than a shorter workout and more time will be needed for the body to recover and rebuild the reserves.
It is during the Peak mesocycle that you will want to reduce the training volume between 20 – 30% every 3 – 4 days.

When the taper length is shorter you will want to reduce at a greater level.  You don’t want to decrease the intensity which includes the heart rate, power, pace and effort of the workout, only shorten the duration.

The frequency of the workouts, which is how often an athlete trains, can also be decreased slightly while tapering, as long as you are still doing at least five or six workouts in a sport during a normal week preceding the Build mesocycle.

A triathlete who is only doing three swims, three runs and three bike rides a week really shouldn’t decrease the frequency of the sessions as the sessions are already pretty marginal.

If the frequency of the training gets low you can experience a loss of economy which is how efficiently you will move.  You don’t want your movements to become sloppy, which is when the muscles forget how to move right.  Swimmers will call this losing their “feel” for the water.

The basic idea of a training structure during the peak period is to be able to simulate the intensity of a portion of the targeted event every 72 – 96 hours until about seven days before the event.

A simulation workout is when you select a segment of the event that will play an important role to the success of the race and practice it exactly how you will gauge the output, the power or pace, and the input, the effort and heart rate, for that particular segment.

An example would be finding a hill that will be similar to the one in the race and do a warm up and simulate the intensity you are planning on using for the race.

It could be that the course of the race is going to be flat and you want to make sure you are maintaining certain intensity in order to reach your goal.

Rehearse the intensity in each of the workout simulations. The intensity may be based upon a heart rate or pace, the power or perceived exertion as compared to the heart rate.

You need to decide what portion of the race is critical and then make the simulation the dress rehearsal as many different ways as possible.

This may need to include dress, mental approach, equipment, refueling or anything else that makes up a part of the race day strategy.  You may even use one or two of the imulation workouts during the peak period as a Cpriority race, which is done as a tune up.

It is important to note that even though intensity of the simulation is critical to your success during the peak period, going beyond the targeted race intensity is not going to be helping you out, it will only be counterproductive.

A good example would be  that a marathon runner who has a goal of running a 7 minute pace in Zone 3 should do a simulation that is only this intensity, not a 6 minute pace in Zone 5.

If you will do a race simulation every 72 – 96 hours during the peak period, what should you be doing the 2 – 3 days between the workouts?  You are going to be doing short, easy, recovery workouts or taking a day to rest.

The idea behind this is to make sure that you are fully ready and recovered to go at it again during the next simulation.

Good luck!

Terry

Via Marathon Training

Form is a very vague concept that athletes use in some sports to describe when they may be ready to compete.  The word comes from the eighteenth century when horse racing provided sheets or “forms” to provide those who were betting on horses to show what the past performances of each of the horses.

Andrew Cogan, Ph.D., exercise scientist, will define form as the combination of fitness and freshness in a timely manner.  Fitness is how well the body’s many systems seem to be functioning at a given point in time.

The endurance athlete who is fit will have optimized the cardiovascular, metabolic, muscular and nervous systems along with respiratory.

A fresh athlete is the one who is well rested for the competition.  It is possible to be fit yet not be fresh because of heavy training and not getting the proper rest before an event.

You may be tired.  It is also possible to not be fit while being fresh.  This could be that you have been taking it easy too long and are not trained properly.

Being able to bring fitness and freshness together at the same time is what many call “peaking” and is what is said to be the underlying purpose of training for any type of competition in the days and weeks before a race.

In order to increase freshness as the time of the competition gets closer you will not do as much training; your workload will be reducing by duration and frequency.  You will do easier, recovery type workouts or days off during the week.

Because of this your will be more fresh.  But in order to maintain the fitness you have worked hard on over the previous weeks and months of training you will need to do a few key workouts at the race intensity, while the training between them will be easy between the intense training.

Making sure the intensity of the workouts is right is why you will monitor your heart rate, so that you know you are peaking like you should be.

How Peaking Works

Sports scientists don’t actually understand fully the physiology of how tapering the training and increasing the amount rest in the days and weeks before a race results in an increased fitness.

But what they do know is that there are several changes to the body because of this reduced training.  The ones that are most notable are the increase in strength and power.

Some of the others include the reduced blood acidity, increased blood volume, increased carbohydrate storage in the muscles, greater red blood cell concentration for oxygen transport along with a sharper mental skill.

Tapering the training before the important competitions has been a widely practiced thing by many top athletes, there are many who are afraid that the cutting back on the training will cause loss of fitness.

They are definitely wrong.  There have been numerous research studies that have been shown to support the reduced training.

Several using athletes in many different sports have found that when reducing the training by more than half of what they did normally for the two three weeks before the competition really hasn’t seen a loss in fitness or performance.

There have been others who have been able to show improvement in the performance when they tapering was done a certain way.

There was a classic study that was conducted at the University of Illinois of a group of runners and cyclists who cut back on training by reducing their frequency and duration of workouts while keeping the intensities the same improved their aerobic capacities, which is an important measure in fitness and significantly in the endurance performance.

Those who would reduce the intensity but the frequency and duration stayed the same lost fitness.  You need to remember to not decrease the intensity of the training as the important races approach.

You need to make special note here of the ingredients and mix of them for a successful tapering according to this and similar other research studies.

This means to reduce the weekly volume so you can have freshness and emphasis on intensity which works on fitness.
The key for tapering is keeping the workout intensity which will work on the heart rate, power, and pace effort at high levels while giving your body more rest.

The tapering of the duration and frequency will occur during the final two periods before the competition or race, the Peak and race mesocycles.

Tune in next week for part 2 of this article…

Terry

Via Marathon Training

During the general base phase, which was the subject of the last article, you were to focus on periodically counting steps to improve the stride rate, utilize the active breathing to control the heart rate (HR), and then practice the proper lean to use gravity to up your run speed.

If you have really been practicing these exercises in each of the runs you should be able to see an improvement in the run speed.  Once you have spent 3-6 weeks working on the general base building phase you will need to take it up a notch.

The running speed is very simple…stride rate x stride length.  The best way to go about improving your run speed, the only way, is to make sure you increase how often you contact the ground or to increase the stride rate.

This reason is simple.  It doesn’t matter who you are, you can quickly reach the potential in terms of stride length, but the stride rate has no limitation.

During the speed/strength base phase you will need to build on the exercises introduced in the general base phase and incorporating the run speed/technique drills that follow.

1  Continue counting and leaning: It is important to check your stride during every run and do it at least three times by counting your steps for 30 seconds.

You will count your stride one time during the early part of the run, one time somewhere in the middle of the run and near the end of the run.  When you check your stride rate you need to make sure you are consciously lean more to practice using the gravity to up the stride rate.

2  Alactic sets:  These are burst that are short and last no more than about 15 seconds… although 7 – 8 is really the best.  If you will remember you were introduced the last article, but now you will need to make sure that you are regularly incorporating them into your run training.

Make sure you are focusing on moving your legs as quickly as possible and keep your stride rate up after each one… just shorten the stride length.  Follow each of the repetition with 5 – 10 active breathes to make sure your HR is under control.

You need to remember that you are still building up your aerobic base.  You also need to make sure that you give yourself 2 – 3 minutes between each repetition.

3  Short speed: These are short yet fast runs that are to build your run speed and leg strength.  You will want to do this once a week by starting with 10 x 20 seconds during week 1, 10 x 30 seconds in week 2 and 10 x 40 seconds during week 3.

You want to make sure you are focus on moving your legs quickly along with counting your steps.  You want to remember that your goal is 180 steps/minute or more.  Also give yourself 2 – 3 minutes between each repetition to recover.

4  Single leg kick-butt drill: When you are running you will want to snap your right heel up to your butt and then run three steps and snap your left heel up to your butt.  You will want to repeat this 5 – 10 times for each heel and do 5 – 10 repetitions during each run.

This will not only strengthen your hamstrings, but will help increase your stride rate while improving your running form.  You should be able to notice a proper mid-foot strike, especially if you have usually been a heel strike.

5  Get lean: There has been recent research of the recreational runners have found that body-fat percentage is a predictor of the race time than the training volume.  If you haven’t already done so, you will want to seriously look at your eating to improve performance.

Make sure you aren’t starving yourself.  What needs to be done is reduce the exogenous carbohydrates, such as pizza and pasta along with making sure to balance your meals which means the carbs, fats and proteins in each one.

Each runner is different, so it is important to make sure you find out what works for you and your body.

By incorporating speed and technique work into the run training early and often you will be able to get the most out of the time you have to get ready.

It is important to make sure you progress slowly and that you stretch to minimize any risk of injuries.

Good luck!

Terry

Via Marathon Training

The old adage “begin with the end in mind” will definitely apply to triathlon training and races.  You can always walk the run portion as a last resort, since it is a long portion of the race, but it can make for a long day.

A better strategy to consider would be to be ready to run the running leg to get you to the finish line just a little bit faster.

Besides, it is a lot more fun to pass others who may have sped past you on the bike leg of the race.
Here are a few tips to get you started:

1  Pace yourself: The swim and bike leg portion of the race will set up the run portion.  The main goal is to pace you right during the first two legs.  This may mean you will back off from a full force pace by 10 – 20%, but will help you be able to do a better job for the final portion, which is the run.

2  Practice transitions:  The only way to really learn how to have the right bike pace for going into a solid run is to practice going from one to the other and doing it over and over.  Doing the dress rehearsal will bring confidence, but also allows your body to adapt to physiological changes needed to effectively transition from the riding portion to the running portion.

3  Go negative: You should also practice running faster during the second half of the run on a regular basis, i.e. a negative split.  By using the first half of a training or transition run you can focus on your form and turnover.  Then you can pick it up a bit during the second half.

Make sure to practice this early and often during your training and you will find that you can pick off the competitors one by one as you head towards the finish line.

The Hardest Part of your Race

Pushing hard isn’t what the hardest part of the race is … it is backing off that will be the toughest thing to do.  With that being said, the running leg is the only part of the race where you can leave it all on the course.

During the first 60 – 70% of the run you need to make sure you focus on energy management along with pace.  Once you either get to the 8 mile point of a 70.3 or the 16 mile point in the marathon, then it is the time to see what you really have left.

Whether you are feeling capable of increasing the pace or simply keeping from slowing down, make sure to reserve energy for the last 30 – 40 % of the race.

This combined with the adrenaline rush that will come with finishing, this can provide the extra kick needed to finish the triathlon with the needed confidence and optimal speed.

Good Luck!

Terry

Via Marathon Training