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Triathlon

It's Time To Recommit

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It's Time To Recommit

An excellent way to make sure your actions are aligning with your goal is to have a clear understanding of why achieving the goal is important to you. Now it is important to make the distinction between an externally focused and internally focused goal. 

An externally focused goal would be I want to finish in X place in a particular event or I want to lose X number of pounds. These goals are often tied to how others will perceive you rather than your own reason for wanting to achieve them. 

You will have a much greater chance of success if you have an internally focused goal. This means a clear understanding of why achieving the goal is important to your health and well being. Quite simply, this goal will fulfill you, add to your own sense of well being and happiness, and has little to do with how others will feel about you. 

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2016 Rise and Tri Course Map And Description

The First Annual Rise and Tri Triathlon will be on August 21st, 2016. Below are the detailed information and maps for the course.

Here are the directions of the course:

Swim Course

Here is the 50y Pool were the swim will be held: 

There will be 8 lanes of swimmers. With 5-7 swimmers per lane

Try a Tri participants will complete 6 lengths (300y)

Sprint will complete 15 lengths (750y) 

Bike Course

Try a Tri participants will complete 2 laps (11km)

Sprint will complete 4 laps (22km)

Turn by turn directions:

1. Exit transition at Wascana pool

2. Head south on Wascana Dr.

3. Turn left on Quinn Drive

4. Turn Right on Broad Street

5. Turn Right on Lakeshore Drive

6. Follow Lakeshore Drive to Legislative Building

7. Turn Left on Legislative Drive

8. Turn Right on Albert Street (north to college avenue)

9. Turn Right on College

10. follow to Broad street

11. Turn Right on Broad Street (continue to Lakeshore Dr until last lap then complete #12-14)

12. Turn Right on To Quinn Drive.

13. Turn Right on Wascana Drive

14. Follow Through to Finish

Run Course

Try a Tri participants will complete 3 laps (3km)

Sprint will complete 5 laps (5km)

1. Leaving T1 Heading west past the entrance of Wascana pool

2. Once past the pool turn left heading south toward Wascana Lake

3. Link up with the bike/walking path once at the lake taking a right heading west towards Albert Street.

4. Take a right following the path heading northwest towards Albert Street

5. Loop back on the park path heading east toward the Wascana pool.

6. Take right on Wascana drive

7. Continue for next loop or to finish located on Wascana Drive 

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Gear and Transition Set Up for Sprint Distance Triathlon

I put together a short video series below discussing what gear to bring and how to set up a transition with options or different set ups. 

Video#1 List and Description of Gear

Video#2 Road/Mountain Bike Transition Set Up

Video#3 Tri Bike Transition Set Up

Video#4 Warm Up/Post Race Gear

P.S. Haven't registered for the Rise and Tri on August 21st? What are you waiting for? 

Only 36 spots left! Register here to claim your spot before they are gone!

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Triathlon Open Swimming Skills In The Pool

I coach open water swim skills (sighting, drafting, turning, pack swimming, etc) with my athletes every week. Why? Swimming along a straight black line does not prepare you for open water racing. You need to simulate these conditions weekly in race season. This builds your skills and confidences to handle the environment of races. Get some friends together and get a coach to help develop these important and necessary skills.‪#‎maketodaymatter‬ ‪#‎endurancejourneycoaching‬

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Be Ready, Dailed In, Execute...

Be Ready, Dailed In, Execute

In any situation where you are asking your mind and body to perform, you MUST prepare it to do so.

The shorter the race, the more time you need to warm up.

Watch the video below and let me explain why, show you how to manage your warm up, and be mentally prepared to race at your best.

In summary, here is a great warm up strategy:

1. Get to the race early - at least 90mins to allow for proper warm up time
2. Warm up structure (30-40mins) 1. Bike - 5-10 min easy then 3 x 60-90sec at race effort (get a little burn in the legs) with full recovery after each effort. This should be 15 to 20 mins tops. Run 5 min easy then 3 x 30-60 secs at race effort with full recovery between each effort -10-15 mins tops. Get ready for swim. Swim 3-5 mins easy swimming then 3 x 20 strokes hard 20 strokes easy (make sure you are blowing bubbles when head is in the water - no holding breath). Finish this warm up 5 mins before start. If you can't bike prior just extend the running warm up with some dynamic exercises (arm circles forward and back, out to the side and back in 10x each) before your swim.

If in only a running or cycling race just extend the easy riding/running portion of the warm up to ~20min before beginning race efforts.

3. While waiting for the start: Deep breathing (on each exhale) - Believe, You Can, You Will

From the start to the finish line:
Be your best in THIS moment. Then your end result will really matter.

Your Coach,

Patrick

P.S. I will be holding my 4th Triathlon Performance Series webinar in on Sunday, June 26th @ 7pm CST specifically on the topic of Training and Racing Recovery. The purpose of this webinar is simple, cut out the noise and give you a simple strategy to develop a training and racing recovery plan to optimize your health and performance. This webinar is done live and you can ask questions during the presentation to get the information you want. By registering for this 60 min webinar you will get access to all 4 webinars in the series (1. Race Preparation 2.Nutrition 3. Prioritizing Training, and 4. Recovery). Over 5 hours of education to help you perform your best! These are all recorded so you access to the webinars, summary handouts, and action steps forever.

Register now!

https://app.webinarjam.net/register/27486/a71ef3e581

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It's the present moment that matters

So I just arrived back home after spending the weekend with a team of 10 Endurance Journey athletes racing at Victoria 70.3. 

Really proud of this group who embraced the challenges of the course and were engaged in giving their best effort every step along the journey to the finish line.

Let me tell you, standing at the finish line you could sure tell those athletes that were focused on the end result during the race rather than being immersed in the process of being their best throughout the day. For those people who did not a…

Let me tell you, standing at the finish line you could sure tell those athletes that were focused on the end result during the race rather than being immersed in the process of being their best throughout the day. 

For those people who did not achieve the result they wanted it was all about justifying it. "I had a crappy swim, I was tired, I had a problem with my bike, I couldn't run the pace I wanted"...

Part of me wanted to go up to these people and ask "So how did you stay focused in that moment on what you needed to be the best you could be?"

I would bet they would not have an answer because they had checked out. Their ideal result appeared to be no longer in reach. Race over. 

Putting together a great performance is about being the best you can be in this moment rather than trying to be the best.

It is a subtle statement with great meaning.

Being the best in the moment will always allow you to get the most out of every race regardless of the circumstances. 

I have learned through 15 years of coaching and competing that the best results always happen when you have no expectations of a specific result, you know you have the ability to race well, so you just let it happen, and trust that you have the knowledge and experience that will allow things to work out.

This mindset takes the pressure away from trying to force a result. It not about the end outcome, its about being immersed in the present experience. The focus is on the process of being the best you can be in the moment.

This is what you can control. When you adopt this mindset rather than trying to achieve the perfect outcome (whatever "perfect" is?!) you give yourself the best chance of performing at your best. 

Time and time again, I have seen poor races happen when athletes try to control the results and force good things to happen. Trying to control the results causes anxiety, stress, and tension. So let go of what you can't control (results) and focus on the little things (the present process) that will help you perform well.

So whether in sport or life, next time you are preparing for or are in a challenging situation, be your best in the moment rather than trying to be the best.

Get after it!

Your Coach,

Patrick

P.S. Big News - In the next few days I will be opening up registration for the Endurance Journey 6 week triathlon clinic and Rise and Tri Triathlon on August 21st. This is a great opportunity to prepare for and race a super sprint or spring triathlon. Stay tuned for the details...

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Nutrition and a Can of Worms

I know this post is timely since you are probably just eating or have finished your supper. 

I had a very energetic discussion with another coach today and we were discussing the important components of healthy eating to support performance. 

I have always believed nutrition for health and nutrition for performance are very similar. Nutrition for performance just has to be quickly accessed and digested easily. 

Unfortunately, for most, the topic of nutrition is a can of worms. This is a figure of speech of course relating to the idea that the word nutrition can be defined a hundred different ways by a 100 people. 

What are the right things to eat?

How much should you eat?

When is the best time to eat?

And the list of questions goes on and on. 

Now let me propose a different way of looking at understanding your own nutritional needs. 

It begins with asking yourself one question:

Are you aware of how you eat?

In other words:

How fast do you eat? Are you distracted when eating?

Think about it, or do you even think about anything when you are eating?

Maybe you are busy having a conversation, reading your phone, a book, ipad, watch TV, etc

In my opinion there is one thing the leads to over eating or eating too much of something that does not support your health. 

Lack of awareness when eating. 

So I challenge you to take more time when you eat and remove the distraction when eating. You will soon notice:

1. You will be much more aware of whether or not you are eating what you need vs what you want. 

2. After you are finished eating slowly you will pay attention to how what you ate made you feel. 

Paleo, South Beach, 5:2, the list of suggestions on how you should eat goes on and on. However, these approaches fail to teach you to listen to your body. 

When you become more aware of what you are eating and how it makes you feel you will be able to develop a nutrition strategy that works for your health and performance. 

Tomorrow I will talk about how to simplify your nutrition for performance. 

Get after it!

Your Coach,

Patrick

P.S. I will be holding my second webinar in a few days specifically on the topic of nutrition for health and performance. My purpose of these webinars is simple, cut out the noise and give you a simple strategy to develop a nutrition plan that supports your health and performance. This webinar is done live and you can ask questions during the presentation to get the information you want. This will also give you access to all 4 webinars in the series (1. Race Preparation 2.Nutrition 3. Prioritizing Training, and 4. Recovery). These are all recorded so you access to the webinars and summary handouts forever!

Click this link to register now!

http://app.webinarjam.net/register/27486/a71ef3e581

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