Are You Ready for the Swim Start?

The Asia Pacific racing season is drawing near with a host of IRONMAN and IRONMAN 70.3 races to beckon athletes. Coach Andrew Mackay makes sure you're swim ready.

With the first Asia Pacific IRONMAN in Western Australia in early December and a number of IRONMAN 70.3 races over the next few months, there's no time like the present to fine-tune your training program. We tapped Andrew Mackay of Auckland-based Boost Coaching, a former top ranked swimmer, professional triathlete and qualified coach, for some beginner's swim-tips.

Read his checklist below and try his favorite stamina-building swim workout.

Don't Forget Technique

Over the winter months, the focus should have been on making sure you’ve tackled any weaknesses you might have with your swim technique—but don’t panic if you’ve still got work to do. Rather than trying to push the mileage in the pool too soon I would recommend you give yourself one session a week or even a part of your swim session over to technique.

If you haven’t already had a swim coach give your stroke the once over, get that done as soon as possible. Efficiency is the key when it comes to getting the most out of your IRONMAN swim; it’s not always about the time.  Money spent on that swim analysis will be a good return on your investment.

Take a Critical Swim Speed Test

Begin keeping an eye on your swim progress over the coming months by carrying out a Critical Swim Speed test at swimsmooth.com/training. The CSS test will give you a  starting point which will help with motivation over the coming months and hopefully give you a realistic idea of how long your IRONMAN swim might take come race day. Complete the test every three or four weeks but don’t panic if you don’t see big improvements in times, it’s more about efficiency on the big day. 

Hit the Open Water

As all IRONMAN swims take place in open water, get out of the pool and into the ocean or a lake to practice your open-water swimming skills at least once a week as soon as you can. The time you spend in the ocean doesn’t have to be long but it’s good to start practicing in a wetsuit if you’ll need one come race day along with entry and exit practice. If you can find an open-water swim session or a chance to swim with more experienced open-water swimmers, then that’s even better.

If you can’t get out into open water there are numerous drills you can practice in the pool such as dolphin dives, water polo drill, drafting, hypoxic breathing and turning 90 degrees as practice for turning at buoys in a race situation.

Dust Off Your Wetsuit

And talking of wet suits: check it out after a winter of being in storage. Make sure it still fits well and is comfortable and if you need to get a new one buy from someone who knows how to fit it properly—it will make all the difference to your swim.

Here’s a sample pool swim session that will help build your stamina whilst still focusing on your technique.

Pool session - 1-1.5hr - varied pace

Warm up

400m choice of stroke

2 x 50m freestyle pull buoy catch up drill with 10 sec rest

2 x 50m freestyle catch up drill with 10 sec rest

2 x 50m freestyle stroke count with 10 sec rest

4 x 50m freestyle descending stroke count 10 sec rest

Main set

3 x (3 x 200m descending with 20 sec rest, 100m hard with 30 sec rest)

Warm down

200m easy choice.

TOTAL = 3200m

Originally from: http://ap.ironman.com/triathlon-news/articles/2013/08/advice-for-the-novice-...-in-the-swim.aspx#ixzz2g0IKjTMg

How to Get the Best from Your Bike

With the Asia-Pacific racing season drawing near, there's more to cycling than miles on the roads.

If you're at the dawn of your triathlon career, there's a key set of tenets that'll help get the best out of your bike with summer racing on the horizon. Andrew Mackay from Auckland-based Boost Coaching, a former professional, breaks it down for this second installment in his beginner's series. (Don't miss the first: Are You Ready for the Swim Start?)

Get That Bike Fit

Before you even venture out on the road, it’s important to invest in a bike fit. If you buy a new bike, most good bike shops will offer a full fitting. It’s worth its weight in gold to ensure you are comfortable and avoid injury for the many hours you will be on the bike. 

Even if you've had a comprehensive bike fit before, it’s worth getting it checked because things do change. Evaluate how your feel on your bike and don’t be afraid to tweak your set-up as you go.

Build Bike Mileage

Build the number of hours on your long ride gradually. Ideally you want to be riding for at least three hours, building gradually over the coming weeks. For the novice IRONMAN athlete, "time in the saddle" is invaluable; especially if you'll be enduring what could be up to eight hours of riding during your race. Building those miles gradually will be far less daunting than leaving it until race day calls for you to cover that 180km.

Even if the bike course on your planned event is flat, make sure you mix up the terrain in training, including hill reps which help build strength. Sessions can be out on the road or on the wind trainer.

Practice Nutrition While You Train

On race day, getting your nutrition right is vital. As a first-timer it’s important to practice your fueling plan on long rides in particular. The earlier you begin test-driving your nutritional needs, the more time you give yourself to fine tune. If you’re not sure what you should be eating or how much, it’s well worth a visit to a sports nutritionist to get some guidelines.

Run Off the Bike

It's important to run off your bike at least once or twice a week. This doesn’t have to be a long run at the beginning of your training—just 10 to 15 minutes. It will train your legs early on to know what’s expected of them come those long training days and, of course, on race day. As you progress with your program you will find those runs off the bike become longer.

Keep Your Bike in Good Condition

As you begin to build up the miles on your bike, make sure you look after it. Check your brakes and cables regularly and don’t try cutting corners by riding on worn tires which can be dangerous. Check all your bike equipment regularly and if you are riding in the dark, make sure you have a light and safety clothing so that other road users can see you. Safety out on the road is of paramount importance.

As a first-timer, don't venture out on the bike after dark. If your training has been compromised, then stick to the wind trainer and get the most from your sessions by understanding your heart-rate zones. 

Threshold Wind-Trainer Test

Before you start this session make sure your heart-rate monitor is working properly and that you hit the lap button as you progress through the test.

15 min easy riding

3 x 1 min fast pedaling 100 rpm, 1 min rest

5 mins easy riding

5 mins maximum effort

10 mins easy

20 mins time trial at 100% effort

10 mins easy warm down.

Originally from: http://ap.ironman.com/triathlon-news/articles/2013/09/get-the-best-from-your-bike.aspx#ixzz2g0F7bmE2

Alimentos que ayudan a prevenir lesiones?

“Un músculo mal hidratado tiene más riesgo de lesión, contracturas y calambre”

Una alimentación adecuada puede influir en el desarrollo óseo y muscular, por ejemplo, el colágeno es sumamente importante en relación con las articulaciones. Y es que los cientos de músculos del cuerpo humano son muy exigentes y es necesario nutrirlos de forma adecuada para prevenir cualquier tipo de lesión.

El consumo de hierro es importante, sobre todo si se realiza mucho deporte. El contenido en calcio de los alimentos resulta vital para el desarrollo óseo. La leche, el ajo, los pescados, las lentejas… todos son algunos ejemplos de alimentos que pueden ayudarte a prevenir lesiones. A continuación, te dejamos algunos más:

Hortalizas

Los ajos, cebollas, puerros, etc., además de ricos, aportan azufre a las articulaciones, una sustancia imprescindible para la formación de los componentes que dan forma al colágeno.

Mariscos

Son beneficiosos para prevenir lesiones musculares. Si bien algunos seguramente no sean muy habituales, te recomendamos incluirlos en la dieta: calamar, sepia, pepino de mar, pulpo, etc.

Este tipo de alimentos poseen una estructura cartilaginosa que también te ayudará a reponer el cartílago dañado y a restaurar el tejido articular.

Pescados

Los pescados ricos en Omega-3 son bien conocidos por sus efectos protectores para el corazón y la circulación. Además de aumentar la regeneración muscular y acelerar la síntesis del colágeno, contienen vitamina D, fósforo y magnesio.

Los pescados más ricos en Omega-3 son las sardinas, el salmón, el atún, la caballa y los arenques.

Gelatina

La gelatina contiene muy pocas calorías y es muy rica en aminoácidos, que actúan en la síntesis del colágeno cartilaginoso. Además, reduce el dolor articular producido por las cargas de entrenamiento.

Vino

Siempre que se beba con moderación, el alto contenido en polifenoles y taninos del vino no sólo protegen el corazón, sino que también actúan mejorando el sostén articular, tienen efectos antiinflamatorios y colaboran en la estabilización de las fibras del colágeno.

Vitamina C

Hay frutas tropicales que contienen enzimas proteolíticas y vitamina C (piña, papaya, etc.) que ayudan a disminuir la inflamación muscular, ya que digieren las proteínas de los tejidos dañados y estimulan la reparación de nuevo tejido muscular.

La vitamina C es un potente antioxidante que resulta imprescindible para la producción y mantenimiento del colágeno, también estímula cicatrización de las heridas y reduce el tiempo de recuperación tras una lesión. Otros ejemplos de alimentos ricos en vitamina C son el kiwi, las frambuesas, los pimientos, y verduras como el repollo (facilitan la contracción y relajación muscular).

Especias

Añadir especias en combinación con los alimentos que consumes en tu día a día puede ser una buena idea si quieres reducir lesiones. Por ejemplo, el clavo y el azafrán tienen un efecto analgésico que influye en las articulaciones doloridas, y el jengibre reduce la inflamación.

Agua

Un buen nivel e hidratación corporal es clave para prevenir lesiones, beber adecuadamente tanto durante el ejercicio físico como en inactividad es una garantía para prevenirlas.

El cartílago está compuesto en un 60-80% de agua y de ella depende que sea capaz de soportar presiones y cargas de entrenamiento. Para no correr riesgos, es importante beber entre 2 y 3 litros diarios y reponer los líquidos perdidos durante el entrenamiento.

Proteínas

Las legumbres, los frutos secos y las carnes magras contienen aminoácidos que ayudan a la construcción muscular, y además, acortan el tiempo de reparación de una posible lesión.

Estos alimentos (ternera, almejas, mejillones, conejo, etc.) también contienen zinc, un mineral que te ayudará a reparar tejido muscular, ya que estimula la síntesis del colágeno.

Cobre

El cobre favorece la elasticidad de los tejidos musculares. Los alimentos ricos en cobre unen las fibras de colágeno de tus músculos y aumentan la resistencia a la tracción de las articulaciones.

Unos buenos ejemplos de alimentos ricos en cobre son las nueces, los hongos, los tomates y la levadura de cerveza.