In Support Of: TTF NEWSLETTER JULY 23, 2017 Swim. Bike. Run. Conquer the city. Swim. Bike. Run. Conquer the city. Register at Register www.torontotriathlonfestival.com
THANKS, COACH: Tips from Jason Hervey of TRI-TRAIN You spin me right round, baby right round I often hear people say: Cycling doesn t worry me because I ride a bike all the time plus if I m tired I ll just coast for a bit. Yes, there is lots of free speed to be had, but with approx. 75% of your race being spent on the bike, it s certainly not something to take for granted. Here are a few tips to help you set up a solid second leg: CLOTHING I always shake my head when I see someone wearing an aero helmet coupled with loose or baggy clothing. The reason we wear form fitting tri-suits or cycling jerseys is to minimize drag, increase your speed and make less work for you! Look fast go fast! COMPONENTS On a similar note, the weight of excess bells, reflectors, carriers, water bottles and food all add up. It obviously becomes race distance dependant, but bring only what you need (are you really going to drink 2L of water in a sprint?). RACKING Leave your bike in the gear you want to start out in. You don t want to hop on only to discover you re grinding it out in the biggest chain ring combo. Next thing you know you re fiddling around and your chain pops off. Double check this before your swim. MOUNTING There s no rule that says you HAVE to start riding 1 foot past the mount line. Run 10 or 15 steps further and find your own unobstructed space to clip in. CADENCE It s all about keeping those legs moving (remember, we re triathletes we still have to run when we re done! If you don t have a cadence sensor, just count periodically over 15 seconds then multiply x4 aim to keep the legs light n loose with a goal of 90-95+ rpm. RELAX Gripping the handle bars like freshly squeezed juice, bouncing in the saddle or swaying side to side does not make you go forward any faster. Breath deeply, relax your shoulders, hands and face they re just along for the ride. PACING Your best bike split is still one that sets you up for a solid run. Yes it s a race and you should be pushing yourself, but stick with your own plan and try to ignore the other competitors. Negative splitting is always a great idea, starting slower and finishing strong. To book a consultation with Jason please visit: http://tritrain.ca or contact Jason at: coachjas@tritrain.ca
Training THOUGHTS FROM THE TORONTO TRIATHLON CLUB Tip 1: Swim - Familiarization with open water & wetsuits By Miranda Tomenson, RMT, MSc, Profession Triathlete, Triathlon Coach, Massage Therapist Practice swimming in Lake Ontario prior to race day! First, rent or buy a wetsuit that fits properly. It should be snug, but not restrict your breathing. Go with a sleeveless wetsuit if you are worried about it feeling too restrictive and aren t worried about the cold water. Second, grab a friend and head out to one of the Toronto beaches you are allowed to swim at (Cherry, Woodbine, Balmy, etc.). Third, put on your wetsuit. Make sure that the wetsuit is pulled up all the way before you get in the water. There should be no air pockets at your back or around your tummy. Fourth, go for a trial swim. Always stay close to shore and stay within your comfort level. If you don t feel comfortable the first time, then practice another few times prior to race day. You can also practice swimming in the wetsuit at a local indoor pool before heading to the beach. Tip 2: Run By Justin Duncan, Run Coach Specificity an athletes training should directly reflect the demands of the particular competition in which they are participating in. General fitness can be attained through aerobic training in the pool and on the bike. However, in order to maximize running fitness and overall performance, time must be spent on run training. Furthermore, training runs and workouts at specific goal paces and distances should be incorporated and utilized. If the athlete wants to complete the run portion at five-minute-per-kilometer pace, workouts and training runs need to be practiced at this specific pace. Keeping training highly specific will better prepare the body physically, the mind mentally, and will help set the athlete up for success. If you are looking for a club to train with, consider the Toronto Triathlon Club, Canada s largest adult triathlon club. Get started here: https://www.torontotriathlonclub.org
TTF AMBASSADOR SPOTLIGHT The TTF caught up with Phys Ed Teacher & TTF ambassador, Petja Running Thor Taivassalo. How did you get into triathlon? Enjoying years of Runner s nipple, I started looking for other activity related injuries or battle wounds to add to my collection. Lucky for me (to the date of this interview) the transition into swim caps and bike shorts has been pain free! (Except of course the first time I took the wrong foot out of my clips on a ride!) It has been a life altering journey so far, full of amazing memories with incredible people. What advice would you give to a first time triathlete racing TTF? My advice would be to take it all in and find comfort in your own pace, your own race. Where does my wisdom come from? The day before TTF 2016, my first triathlon, I was fortunate enough to have a shakeout run with Canadian Olympian Gold medalist and Triathlon legend, Simon Whitfield. And he said the most important thing is to find your space. What are your goals for this year s TTF? My goals for TTF 2017 is to find my stroke! Apparently sinking legs is a thing and I need to figure it out! Upping the distance from the Sprint to the Olympic excites me as long as I can make it out of the water. Once I hit land, its game on! What s your favorite 90s jam? Alright stop, collaborate and listen.. Ice Ice Baby! I have the tour shirt! If there was a movie produced about your race at last year s TTF, who would play you and why? Matthew Mcconaughey, because when I got out of the water everything was Alright, alright, alright! instagram: @mrtdoespe twitter: @mrtdoespe
Why I do Triathlons Mike Mandel from GEARS CYCLING STUDIO What initially pushed you into getting involved in triathlon? I have always loved the 3 sports as fun activities and occasionally as competition. When I saw them combined for the first time I just knew I would have to do it. Even though I find racing stressful I love it. Moving through the water, going fast on the bike and then suffering on the run. Each sport on its own is great but there is something special about swim, bike, run. Could you describe your personal training regimen? I am very much about the process. I look at each sport individually and train with Swimming, Cycling and Running groups that are focused on each sport specifically. I am also a Toronto Triathlon Club member. The challenge for me is to manage the training stress and to ensure I recover properly. I try to limit hard sessions to once or twice per week and use a lot of critical velocity or sweet spot training to make sure that I am getting the work done without going too deep, too often. I have put sleep and recovery in the forefront often taking a rest day or going easier than planned if intuitively I am feeling like I need to recover. How do you prepare for race day? It depends if it is a goal race or not. If I am training through then I just treat it like another workout. I make sure to eat a solid meal about 3 hours before the start, drink water and of course I love a nice strong coffee. The biggest thing I do is to make sure that in my lead up to race day I have checked everything off the list in terms so that I can just grab my bag, hop on my bike and roll out the door. In your opinion what is the most rewarding part of taking on a triathlon? At the end of the race at the finish festival there is a sense of community because everyone has accomplished the same goal. I love the fact that with three disciplines and transitions, age groups and overall there are so many chances for each athlete to have a superlative performance. So no matter what you do, you have a chance to do something great every time you go out. Where do you find and maintain your inspiration for participating in triathlon? I have both external and internal factors that inspire me. There are many great local pros and age groupers who break through in training and racing all the time. I can get pumped up from seeing a Strava post, or a race photo on Instagram. Great reminders that no matter what is weighing you down there are people pushing through and doing great things
Why Bone Fat Matters WEEKLY FIT NEWS FROM "FURTHERMORE EQUINOX" Every athlete knows that education is a crucial part of performance. Sport and exercise research, insight from top trainers, science, and technology help you to better understand your body so you can craft a healthier lifestyle, workouts, and recovery plan. Burning bone fat via exercise may actually make your bones healthier, according to a new study in the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research. Researchers at the University of North Carolina found that after exercising for six weeks, both obese and lean mice reduced the overall size of fat cells and overall amount of fat in their bone marrow. In fact, the marrow fat of exercising obese mice looked virtually identical to the marrow fat of lean mice. Simultaneously, the exercise groups had thicker, healthier bones. EQX Expert Insight: This study is important because its findings suggest that the fat in bone marrow is actually used locally as fuel during exercise, potentially to help build stronger muscles and bones, says Maya Styner, M.D., assistant professor of Endocrinology and Metabolism at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill. Even though the fat content of bone marrow is difficult to measure in humans, in theory, a lower marrow fat count in a fit person could be a good marker of bone or metabolic health, Styner adds. Outside of warding off problems down the line such as osteoporosis, good bone mass and bone strength can decrease the risk for sports injuries or fractures and can improve healing if an injury does occur, Styner says. Stronger bones will also support stronger muscles and there is a close interaction between muscle and bone in endurance athletes. The Bottom Line: The best types of exercise to burn bone fat and fuel the marrow's ability to build stronger bones are impact sports like running, basketball, or heavy-load strength training, says Matt Berenc, director of education of the Equinox Fitness Training Institute. Though most any movement that stresses your system will help, he adds. The one that won t: Swimming, since you re actually working under less-than-body weight. Read the full article here: https://goo.gl/oahfsf
TTF Ambassador Blog: "When Plans Turn Upside Down" By: Melanie Boatswain-Watson Last summer I completed my first triathlon, the sprint, so when it came time to register for my 2017 event it seemed natural to level up and commit to the olympic. I was eager to push myself in training and test my endurance. However, December turned into January, January turned into February and February turned into March. You see where I m going with this? I take complete ownership of my lack of proper olympic-preparedness (Note: there may be some folks who can easily jump into an olympic tri; however, I don t feel I m one of those people!). The winter got the best of me, work and other commitments held my focus, and I simply got carried away with other athletic endeavours. I know, Excuses, excuses, Melanie. So here I find myself a couple months out from the TTF, and resigning -- or resigning -- to doing the sprint again. I m pretty bummed, and honestly feel as though I ve let myself down. Hopefully I ll take this as a lesson and can better ready myself next year. So while I ll be doing the sprint for the second time, I will be trying out something new. It took me a while to realize this, but did you know that not every single race has to be a race? Heck, NO races have to be a race! This isn t the Capital O Olympics, after all. Melanie, (pictured right) running happily alongside friend Michelle, (pictured left). My focus this time around is to have fun. Of course, I ll do as much as I can training wise with the time that s left, but it ll be interesting to see what a shift in perspective will do for me. If you re feeling overwhelmed, or stressed, or wondering: What did I get myself into? Don t. Let s have fun! Let s celebrate this awesome event, the long-awaited summer, movement, community and our beautiful city. See you smiling on the course!