2010 Race Schedule With a High Dose of Fennel

The transition period! What do we triathletes do during this time? It's tough. It's this weird mental thing. If you're like me, the less I focus on training (planning, keeping track in my training log, focusing on heart rate), the more I think about it. Last season I would wake up - trust me, this will happen to you - and seeing the snowflakes would eliciit a good extra 30 mins of sleep and one less workout in the morning. I paid for this big time when I started doing the doggie paddle during an Olympic race in the summertime.

Now, however, I'm up before my alarm and the smell of chlorine entices me to leave early and pack a quick almond butter and jelly for breakfast. By the way, did you know that the peanut is not a nut and is actually a legume? The truth, I sware - check out http://www.thepaleodiet.com/. It's the diet prescribed by Joe Friel and Professor Loren Cordain. Fruit - Nuts - Vegetables - Lean Meat - Seafood. I will blog more about this diet later and what is is like shifting from a grain-focused diet to one that leans away from grains. A quick note though - this diet leads to discovering a motley crew of delicious vegetables! My new discovery, fennel, is making my tri bike jealous and that's saying something.

Isn't she a beauty?

Back to the task at hand.

Before delving into my Annual Training Plan (ATP), the toughest part is figuring out what races will take priority during the 2010 season. You need to consider the distance of the race, the race's clout or significance in the triathlon season, and the date of the race. With all these variables you need to be picky and choosy with your races. Below is an idea of the races I'm looking at for the 2010 season:

Quick Tip: If money is an issue, sign up for the race early. This could save you sometimes over 20% of the total fee charged closer to race day.

2010 Triathlon Season Prospect

• Harryman – May 22nd 85$ if registered by Dec 31st
• Tri in the Buff – July 3rd 2010 – 70$ if registered by April 14th
• NYC Triathlon – July 18th, 2010 – 185$!!!! – YIKES!
• Pat Griskus Triathlon – Sat June 19th – registration info in December
• Qualifier for USAT National Amateur Championship
• Wilkes Barre Triathlon- Aug 1st - date not set up yet, possible date Aug 1
• Qualifier for USAT National Amateur Championship
• USAT Am Nats – Sept 25
• USAT Club Nats -date?

Popular Local Races

• Pawling Sprint – June 5th – sells out by Dec - $70
• Wilcox Park, Dutchess County - May 3rd – NEW $70

Setting up an Annual Training Plan (ATP): Thoughts During Transition

I'll post more on this at a later time, but at the moment let me summarize.

I've been spending a lot of time looking up races for the 2010 season. Last season, even though I had planned out only two "A" priority races - a good thing to do for peak focus - I raced too much: 6 races. That number isn't too high, but the proximity of the races with my novice background led to a minor (thankfully) achilles injury towards the end of the season.

This season I want to focus more on fewer, but more important, races. Mainly, my focus is on qualifying for USAT Age Group Nationals in Tuscaloosa, AL. As of right now, the Pat Griskus Triathlon in CT and the Wilkes Barres Triathlon are both qualifiers on my list. The New York City Triathlon - albeit way overpriced - is also on the list. NYC, even though I would like it to be, will have to take the backburner as a "B" priority because it is too close (less than 8 weeks and more than two weeks) to the Griskus "A" priority race. Go to http://www.trainingbible.com/ and use the free ATP for triathletes download to set up your plan. I will upload my plan as soon as I am done. In the meantime, continue to enjoy the transition period. I won't allow for 10 kilos and potato chips to take over, but a good oatmeal stout and apple pie is welcomed.

Self Coaching - Ch. 1 - Book Reviews

Self coaching is difficult - plain and simple- but it's more than possible. A good book is a great place to start. Yes, I know, coming from an English teacher, that's expected, but it's true. Below are several that I've found helpful. Friel's book is a must have for any triathete.

• Joe Friels The Triathlete's Training Bible
• Brad Kearns' Breakthrough Triathlon Training: How to Balance Your Busy Life, Avoid Burnout and Achieve Triathlon Peak Performance
• Joe Friel and Godron Byrn Going Long: Training for Triathlon's Ultimate Challenge (Ultrafit Multisport Training Series)
• Joe Friel's Your First Triathlon
• Jayne Williams' Slow Fat Triathlete
• Matt Fitzgerald's Triathlete Magazine's Essential Week-by-Week Training Guide

Any of these books offer an exorbitant amount of information relating to triathlon. There's a wealth of knowledge out there when it comes to triathlon. All of which will help your times: nutrition, weekly hours, annual hours, periodization, intensity training, heart rates and the list goes on. I highly suggest picking up Friel's Training Bible. Other books, like Fitzgerald's week-by-week guide are more hands on and might help you out for your first race, but you won't know the how or why behind your do. The "how" and "why" are so important to self coaching. In fact, that's what self coaching truly is. Taking in the knowledge behind what you're doing (the science) and then using that to organize your training (the practice) is how you peak in a healthy and most efficient way.

Joe Friel's Triathlete's Training Bible

In Friel's book and his blog, he helps you plan and also teaches you the holistic aspects which are so critical to self coaching. If you don't have a degree in exercise science you'll still be able to interpret and understand this book. After reading it, you might actually feel as if you do hold a degree in exercise science. This book covers nutrition, weekly hours, annual hours, periodization, intensity training, heart rate training, exercises, examples for all distances (Sprint, Olympic, Half, Full), how to avoid injury, and most important to self-coaching: how to monitor your training and progress.The book is a bit left-brain and may require a lot of coffee to get through it. But you won't regret this purchase. It just might take the place another holy book in the house.

Brad Kearn's Breakthrough Triathlon Training

This book saved my sanity. It' a great addition to the left-brain numbess that Friel's book may inhibit. It's the fung shei or balance to The Training Bible. The book is full of triathlon legends, examples of what to do and what not to do, and is saturated with eastern philosophy. Kearns does a great job at balancing his successful triathlon background with his new down-to-earth realizations that came after closing in on burnout in his career. Buy this book for the pure motivational factor. Motivation is key to success to in triathlon. Extrinsic motivation (the money or podium) will only get you so far. Finding the meaning behind it all will take you so much farther (and keep you sane in the meantime).

These two books are the bulk of continually-read literature. With the above two books, I find I am able to balance my work schedule, family time, me time, with the demanding load triathlon requires. If 7 hours a week seems like a lot of time to spend to you on training, it's not really. These books will help you fit it in. I'm able to spend about 15 hours a week during peak season and still feel relaxed. It's all about efficiency.

If there is another book you'd like reviewed, shoot me a comment.

Self Coaching - Beyond the Huffy

If you're new to triathlon, you undoubtedly have a lot of questions about the sport: "How do I manage all of this?" is probably the first question that comes to mind. But that's a tough question to answer concisely. You're probably thinking: "Okay, if I really focus for a couple weeks, really do some research and spend hours in Barnes & Noble reading all the triathlon literature, you'll be able to be your own coach. Not many people can afford the several hundred dollars a month for a good coach. If you can, great! If you can't, don't worry, you can still reach your goals. Besides, I'm here to help.


First off, a bit about who I am. I'm a competitive age-grouper with some big goals in mind. Look up my times. My swim is lousy (but getting better), my bike splits are mediocre, and my run is okay (but getting better). It's only my second year in the sport, and my sports background is below average. Neighborhood hockey, football, and soccer took up my afternoons in middle school. Acting took up my high school schedule with some pitter pattering in the gym ( I wanted to impress the girls, but too many chicken wings made for floppy pecs). Acting is intense, but it's no endurance sport.

So, when did triathlon come into my life? At age 20, while studying at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, I met a triathlete. Beforehand, I never heard of the sport. His aura of positivity and "no worries" attitude captivated anyone who knew him. Triathlon seemed to be the cause of this attitude. Meditations and Eastern philosophy was already an interest at the time. Maybe triathlon could fit in to this mentality?

I couldn't afford a new bike and the one I had had ( a Mongoose from Wal Mart) had broken. The pedals cracked off when pedaling to work. That was the last time I shopped at Wal Mart, but that's meant for another blog. First lesson: Ditch the Mongoose or Huffy, buy a used racing bike or use a stationary bike until you can save up for one. This is one area you don't want to skimp on money.

Surfing took up a good part of my time and I started running. My first run was from my house to a popular surf spot. Red-faced, panting, and exhausted I would run to the local surf spot, meditate by watching the ebb and flow of the waves. Thirty minutes later, I would run back home. It must be at least four miles, I thought. MapMyRun taught me otherwise: it was one mile there and one mile back. A whopping two mile run! Yikes! Well, it was a start.

That's all we can ask of ourselves. No matter the background, we all have to start somewhere. Perhaps this site is that starting point for you. Over this 2010 season, this blog will chronicle my planning, training and racing. I'm not an expert. I'm a beginner that's obsesses with research. Whenever a topic comes about, I'll do my best to provide it here with links that can help you. Email, write, or comment if there is any topic you would like help with.