FEATURES
Treadmill or Elliptical?
-
Tuesday, 20 January 2015 00:10
By Dan Empfield (slowtwitch.com)
Treadmills are much more popular than elliptical machines for Slowtwitchers, and why wouldn't they be? Triathletes run, bike and swim. When they need to mimic cycling while not cycling they most often choose stationary trainers. Then they want to mimic running they choose treadmills. Makes sense.
Half of all Slowtwitchers either own a treadmill or are planning to get one. Almost no Slowtwitchers intend to buy an elliptical and very few have them now. But there is a case for an elliptical machine, especially if your ambition for run training exceeds your body's capacity to maintain such training without soreness and injury.
If you want to run a lot of miles – the annual 100/100 Challenge is ongoing right now, with north of 500 Slowtwitchers officially taking part – that's a lot of running. It's certain that many or most participants will end up with sore legs if not some niggling pain and injuries. How do you keep up your running, or at least your run fitness, while minimizing the strain that's causing the injury? ...
Withdrawal-Free Hiatus...
-
Monday, 19 January 2015 00:10
By Ben Ewers (benewers.blogspot.com)
Well, I actually had no withdrawal symptoms during my 4 month sabbatical from training and racing. The exercise sabbatical was not so kind to my general energy levels or body composition, but I had much more time to enjoy and experience other aspects of living. In addition, the lack of withdrawal gave me pause, and caused me to contemplate what I get out of triathlons.
This is not my first triathlon sabbatical. I took 13 years off during the years before my retirement. That sabbatical was driven both by physical injuries and work obligations, and was consequently reasonably "practical". This short sabbatical, although I have been nagged by minor injuries, was primarily due to a decline in interest.
While I have had some serious successes in multisport, I never dominated at the national level in the age-group categories like Steve Smith did (60-64, now battling cancer). In my 60's, I have won USAT national championships in Trialthlon and Duathalon, finished 2nd in Aquabike, 3rd at the 70.3 worlds...
Don't Do That!
-
Saturday, 17 January 2015 06:10
By Jim Vance (trainingpeaks.com)
There is a lot that goes with endurance sports training. From the training itself to proper nutrition, good sleep and other aspects, the list of things to be done seems endless. However, there are also things you may be doing that are detrimental to your success. The following 10 items are:
1. Stop Ignoring Recovery
What you eat, how much you sleep, the beers, it all affects you. The intensity you go on easy workouts is also vital. Without recovery, there is no training. The formula for training is Training = Stress + Recovery. If athletes only do the stress part, the adaptations won’t happen, or will soon stop. Yet, we all know ...
2014: The Year in Beer...
-
Saturday, 17 January 2015 00:10
ED. Okay. This is not a triathlon story, but's one that, like triathlon, makes one proud to be a Minnesotan.
By Joe Alton (growlermag.com)
Minnesota has seen significant growth in craft beer over the past 12 months, and all signs point to an equally impressive 2015.
By our count Minnesota currently has more than 75 breweries and brewpubs in operation. We now have more breweries in the state than we have had at any point since Prohibition. In addition to the breweries in operation, I’m also aware of at least another dozen in the planning stages.
This might lead you to believe that craft beer’s continued growth is unsustainable, that there has to be a saturation point on the not-so-distant horizon
I feel it is my duty to tell you that you are, in fact, wrong.
Craft beer continues to impress analysts and investors locally and nationally as it pursues market share from “Big Beer.” Setting historic benchmarks in terms of brewery numbers and volume, craft beer continues to broaden its consumer base and geographic footprint....
"Tickling the Reaper"....
-
Thursday, 15 January 2015 00:10
The following story explains exactly what the body goes through over 140.6 miles of racing. This story originally appeared in the January/February, 2009 edition of Inside Triathlon magazine.
By Matt Fitzgerald
From the outside, swimming, cycling and running appear as movement. But from inside the triathlete’s body, swimming, cycling and running appear as an acceleration of time.
Blood gushes through veins and arteries like traffic through night highways in a time-lapse video. Within muscle cells, glucose and triglyceride molecules are tossed into the fiery furnace of mitochondria at a breakneck pace, as though someone has put a DVD of the process at rest on 4x fast forward. Armies of oxygen radicals punch holes in muscle cell membranes, causing a general deterioration that calls to mind those computer animations that show a person aging 20 years in 10 seconds....
