Articles

Goggles

THE BASICS

Heart  Rate Monitor (HRM)

There are several on the market and all do a fine job. You do not have to buy the most expensive. However, you will want a model that has at least an overall time display. This will keep you from having to wear both a watch and HR monitor when you run.

Heart Rate Ranges

Establish your ranges/zones over the first few weeks of training. First, your resting heart rate. This can be done by taking your pulse before you move in the morning .Do it two or three times a day for a minute each time and take the average. Do this for two or three days during the week to get a baseline.

The heart rate monitor should be used as a means of keeping yourself in check. BE STRICT with yourself and stick to your personal levels. Do not let anyone else influence your training. If you have been training with a partner or are currently looking for one, explain to the individual what your goals are and make sure he/she will go along.

Swimming

Here are some specs about pool swimming, if you are not familiar with distances…

FLIP TURNS – Do not worry about flip turns while you swim unless you feel very confident doing them. Simply take a quick breath on the wall and push off. Flip turns will cause your heart rate to rise. This in turn may negatively affect your aerobic pace. If you do swim with a masters program, you may be forced to do flip turns to keep up with the swimmers in your lane. If this were the case, move to a slower lane with less pressure from the other swimmers.

BREATHING – when swimming freestyle, you should get into the habit of breathing every stroke. The more oxygen you take into the body, the lower your heart rate will remain. However, alternating your breathing or breathing every three strokes, will help you in two ways.
1. It will balance out your freestyle stroke.
2. It will get you used to looking in both directions, which may help during a race when trying to find your mark.
Also practice lifting your head and looking forward when swimming…say once or twice per lap during your main set.

GOGGLES - You will find that goggles tend to fog up. Make a solution of 50% baby no-tear shampoo and 50% water - seriously. Use and clean, empty eye-drop container (or something comparable). Just before swimming, put a drop or two in each lens and smear it around. Be sure your fingers are clean and don't have lotion on them. Rinse the excess out by giving the goggles a couple of dips in the pool or dousing them with clean water from water bottle. When you are swimming, if the water in the goggles bothers your eyes, you didn't rinse well enough. If the goggles fog, you rinsed too well. Definitely try this out in practice way before race day.

Cycling

Again, during your bike rides, concentrate on staying within your established heart rate zone. (Unless you are told differently as we progress). As an average, subtract 5 to 10 beats from your running zone and determine how it feels during the ride. Obviously, the flatter the terrain on which you ride, the easier it will be to monitor your heart. If you live in a hilly or mountainous area, your rate will definitely rise when cycling uphill. If this were the case, shift to higher gears (so you are spinning) and try to keep your ride smooth. Avoid pumping the pedals if possible. The harder you pump, the higher your heart rate will rise. This will not always be as easy as said but you should at least attempt to keep your heart rate as low as possible during the uphill. Also, try to remain in the saddle while riding uphill and only climb out as a last resort.

BIKE TRAINERS - A must for training. It prepares you for one important aspect of triathloning- Mental Toughness. And this will only help. Once you begin riding outdoors, the bike trainer can still play a significant role in your cycling program especially during your quality workouts.

Running

The key to a successful running program is training smart. And the best way to accomplish this is through aerobic training with a heart rate monitor. A successful running program should include a solid warm-up and cool down. When you head out on your run, spend the first segment of time warming up slowly bringing your HR up. After you have completed the bulk of your run spend the segment of time bringing your heart back below your training zone.

RUNNING HINTS - If you can, run on a grass path, or gravel path. The softer the ground, the better the shock absorption for your legs. Concrete is the worst, asphalt is next, tar is very soft (running track) and any type of dirt trail is the best. Actually, running on a golf course is ideal!

THE JOG BRA(S) - The fact that we were born with mammary glands and excess fat and skin called breasts, and any weight bearing pounding motion tends to move them in an up and down motion rather jarringly means we must take extra steps to ward off the minuscule tears that happen EACH step you take. Thus, two (2) jog bras worn on top of the other will be our goal (Your husbands and/or gentleman friends will thank me, trust me). I know this will be a bit snug, but you will get used to it. There should be absolutely NO bouncing when running or biking hard.......