Other cycling and triathlon clubs

Tom mentioned that the cycling club does "social" rides usually on Sundays that "varies in intensity, but the ride only goes as fast as the slowest speed desired (which may be desired by the slowest or fastest person there, it doesn't matter). Maple View is a regular destination of this ride." Find out more here.

Also, looks like someone from the Nicholas school is starting another triathlon training club as a club sports thing. They have their own uniforms even. Get on their mailing list through majordomo with "subscribe triathlon" in the subject of the email.

More biking tips -- from Tom

If I can give you any advice after today, it would be:

You guys can find any information you need on how to improve any aspect of
your riding - between your friends and the tremendous amount of
information out there on triathlons, there probably won't be any gaps at
all.

But you should set some real (I mean, like, numerical) goals, or even
fabricate incentives, to get you to actually train. It's terribly easy to
ride a bike for 13 miles. It's very hard to ride 13 miles in 30 minutes,
and pretty hard to do it in 40, but you can totally do it if you train.

It's easy. Find some course on which you'll regularly time yourself -
maybe a 7 mile stretch somewhere. If it takes you 24 minutes now, can you
take 30 seconds off each of the next 5 times you ride it? With a
computer, you can keep track of your average speed and go from there.
With a heart rate monitor, you can do the same.

Having something like that really helps me - otherwise I just go ride and
it's fun, but I don't get any faster. There's much less motivation to
work toward anything if there isn't anything to work toward . . . So set
some goals, experiment with position, and ride a lot. This will surely
make you faster on the bike.

Biking positions -- from Tom

Thanks, Tom for bringing the trainer and taking all the photos and videos of us on our bikes! Below is more info from Tom on what to do about our cycling positions:

Here are links to some more information on position - this is a good site
in my opinion, especially because it doesn't have a single "ideal"
position it pushes on everyone. It also shows you a nice variety of
people and positions you can examine when you consider what might be your
own optimal position for triathlon, speed, aerodynamics, comfort, etc.

www.bikesportmichigan.com/features/exisitingfit.shtml

www.bikesportmichigan.com/bikes/karma.shtml

Biking -- This Sat, 10:30 am with Tom

Tom is starting us off with our first ever cycling training session. Come with your bike, water, helmet, etc, and be prepared to hit the road!

Cycling
Sat, Feb 24
10:30 am
Outside Tyler's Taproom
American Tobacco Campus

Be on time, or you may be left in the dust! At least let us know you'll be there by leaving a comment.

btw, Thanks, Arielle for leading a great first run session last Saturday.

Next training session: Running, Sat, 10:30am

This Saturday, 2/17, 10:30 AM
Wilson Gym, Track (above the basketball court, take stairs to the right of the basketball court, near the tv, couch area)

This will feature Arielle as leader, and we'll be running!

And thanks to Talia for successfully leading us through weights this past Sunday.

If you're coming, please leave a comment so we can get a head count.

Weight Training Session with Talia!

Follow up our awesome first swim with some weight training. Talia has graciously agreed to lead us.

Sunday, Feb 11
11 am
Wilson Gym (weight room)

Pool etiquette & general info -- by Sara

Etiquette:

• If the lane is empty, don’t worry about what part of the lane you’re swimming in.
  
• If there’s already 1 swimmer in the lane, ask if you can split the lane. Essentially, you will stay on one half of the lane both up and back and the other swimmer will do the same.
  
• With 3 or more people in a lane, you will be circling which means you will go up on the right and down on the left, just like driving.
  
• In choosing a lane, I generally try to gauge the speeds of the other swimmers and try to fit myself in a lane where I’m about the same speed. If you’re circling, it can be frustrating if you’re either faster/slower than the other swimmers.
  
• Always make sure a swimmer knows you’re entering because it’s amazing how much tunnel vision you have when you’re in the middle of a workout.

General info:

• The Wilson pool is 25 yards (half an Olympic which is 50 meters).

• Location of backstroke flags can vary. Generally about 5 yards.

Wilson pool hours:

• Monday to Friday midday: 10:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.
• Monday to Thursday evening: 7:00 p.m.-11:00 p.m.
• Friday evening: 7:00 p.m.-9:30 p.m.
• Saturday & Sunday: noon-5:00 p.m.

East Campus pool

• Monday-Friday early morning: 7:30 am-9:30 am
• Monday-Friday midday: 12:00 PM-2:00 PM
• Monday-Friday evening: 5:00 PM-9:00 PM
• Saturday: 2:00 PM-6:00 PM
• Sunday: 4:00 PM-9:00 PM

Tips from Sara and Jack's Swim Clinic #1, 2/7/07

Pre-Swim Stretches
Arms

• Windmills
• Right hand to left hand

Legs

• Touch toes
• Indian position
• Stretch quads with right hand holding left leg & vice versa

Others?

Freestyle technique & form
Arm work & stroke

• Place arm in water
• Pull through and rotate shoulders

Kicking

• Legs should be somewhat stiff and not floppy
• Don’t want too much splash

Head position

• Head should be tilted down normally and looking at lane stripe

Breathing

• I recommend every 3rd stroke
• Should turn head slightly to side & back and breathe in pocket formed by shoulder and neck

Warm-up

• Do an easy few laps

Technique Drills
Kicking:

• Use kick board. You can work on your freestyle kick both on your stomach or on your back. Work in sets of 50s.

Arms:

• Use the swim buoy
• “Arm catch up”

Example Sprints, intervals & endurance drills
Sprint:

• Initially, work in sets of (6)50s with 30 second rests in between. Sprint every other set.

Intervals:

• Do (5)50s with each 50 on the ? second (The actual time will vary on your own ability.)

Ladders:

• Do (5)50s but reduce the amount of time in between that you rest

Endurance:

• Build up to swimming 100, 200, 300 as you train. Remember, the triathlon is 800 yards. (I think)

Cool down

• Do an easy free swim of a few laps

Ways to improve your bike time -- by Tom

Things which cost mostly time:

1. Get used to riding in the drops, on your aero bars, in a tucked position. This matters very little if you average under ~16mph, and matters a lot for speeds faster than this. It takes practice to be able to both hold a good aero position and keep your output high.

2. Get used to turning a relatively high cadence. People who come to biking after being runners often pedal too slowly to be efficient (like, 60-75rpm). Pedaling faster (90+rpm) lets you take hills and challenges with your lungs instead of your legs.

3. If you have clipless pedals, use them. Get used to pedaling in fast circles.

Things which cost mostly money:

1. Get a road bike. Get high-pressure tires. Adjust your handlebar position for a good balance between aerodynamics and power (that is, maybe move it down a little, but not so far that you can't put out power).

2. Get aero bars. These are great if you train to use them - they can easily make the difference between ~18 and ~20mph for a given amount of work if you can keep the "work" constant in the new position - and are a waste of cash if you don't.

3. Get clipless pedals.

Things which don't cost anything!:

1. Wear tight clothing. Your aero position is totally wasted if you wear a drag chute. Use safety pins to take up a jersey. Take a jersey to an alterationist and get it fitted. Buy a sleeveless top that's pretty much skin-tight. Bike in your swimsuit.

2. Take accessories off your bike to reduce weight.

3. Pump your tires up to their max recommended psi.

What to bring swimming

Swimsuit (sporty rather than skimpy, or at least let us laugh at any wardrobe malfunctions)
Towel
Goggles
Ponytail holder or swim cap
Flip flops
Lock (for lockers)

Our first meeting: SWIM

Sara and Jack will host our first swimming training session.

Wilson Gym
Meet in pool near the benches
Wed, Feb 7
7:15pm

Be changed and ready to hop into the pool!

How the club will work

We plan on meeting about once a week for ~1 hour for a group training session. Each session will focus on a particular sport (swimming, biking, running, or weight training) and will be run by a "guest trainer". These guest trainers sometimes will be invited (i.e. our friends who are good at a particular sport) or will be other club members (i.e. you!).

Because of constraints due to daylight, pool times, etc., the weekly meetings will not be regular, so please check the website regularly for the schedule! Mostly, meetings will take place in the evenings or weekends.

Welcome to tri-buddies!

Hello everyone,

It's a new year and with it starts our triathlon training! Sara, Alex, and I are setting up a low-key, non-professional training club (emphasis on nonprofessional). You are cordially invited (read: pressured, even harassed! =) ) to join us in improving our swimming, biking, and running.

How the club will work:
Starting in February, we'll meet once a week for ~1 hr to receive some 'training' by an invited 'speaker'. Each week a different sport (swimming, biking, running, or weight training) will be highlighted. The goal of these meetings is to receive some instruction and improve our skills at the sports. The speakers will also suggest workouts to do prior to the next meeting.

The goal:
Complete the Triangle Triathlon on Sunday, July 8, 2007. That is a 750 m swim, 15 mi bike, and 5 K run. This distance is totally doable for all of us -- even the slowest of us will likely finish in around 2 hours. Now, if you're not sure you want to commit to the full triathlon training, no worries -- you're still welcome (and encouraged) to come workout with us. Come improve your crawl stroke! Who doesn't want to climb hills better on their bike?! The broader goal is to improve our
skills at these sports and to maintain a good level of fitness, so even if you are unsure about competing in the triathlon itself, please come and participate in some or -- even better -- all of our training.

Prereqs:
We want to encourage all our friends to participate, and we want to emphasize the beginner-ness of this enterprise. We do, however, want us to start from the same fitness level. Here's what we'd like to be able to already do when we start training together in February:

Swim: Be able to swim 10 full laps (back and forth) in 30-45 minutes; it doesn't have to be continuous, you can stop and rest as needed.

Bike: Be able to bike 10 mi outside (think American Tobacco Trail down and back) or for 15 minutes continuously on a machine.

Run: Be able to run continuously for 5 minutes.

So start training! If you need help getting started talk to one of us, or visit www.beginnertriathlete.com. They have lots of Couch-to-Sport training plans and lots of inspiration.

We'll be in touch closer to February. And please forward and recruit any interested friends!

Best wishes!
--Erica