Jamie's 100 List.

Daily reminders to be the best you can be.
1. never forget those around you, especially immediate family.
2. keep it fresh, change routines, don't allow yourself to fall into the daily rut. muscles & intellect are stimulated by change.
3. visualize yourself completing the task at hand. doing a triathlon, swimming, cycling a tough hill, doing 5 more sit-ups.
4. set short term goals (1-2 months for time duration). write them down. pin it where you will see it every morning.
5. have a long term plan. think about it.
6. don't lose your sense of humour. laugh.
7. so you had a bad day. move on. tomorrow will be better.
8. remove yourself from crowds of people or individuals who are dwelling on negativity or nervous talk. this is a recipe for implosion.
9. you're not super human, you need a minimum of 8 hrs sleep. nap if you're tired.
10. listen. don;t let your ego get too big.
11. there is a fine line between confidence and cockiness. check yourself once in a while.
12. fruit, vegetables, vitamin supplements, & exercise.
13. take the friggin stairs. walk to the mailbox.
14. send someone you love flowers.
15. it's all about good blood circulation.
16. take the time to acknowledge others. tell someone they did well. smile :)
17. read. a book. a magazine. a blog.
18. feeling sluggish, down ? buy yourself a new shirt, or pants, or socks,get a haircut, it's amazing how good it will make you feel.
19. check your breath. brush your teeth.
20. if you're over 40 learn to text.
21. live physically, like you're ten years younger than you are.
22. act your age mentally.
23. don't be afraid to modify.
24. if the book sucks, don't finish it.
25. if you don't know ask. ask someone that you will think have the right answer though.
26. get outside & follow your nose once in a while
27. spend a day w/o your watch, cell phone, blackberry, ipod
28. drink water
29. sing out loud like your crazy
30. talk to the next cashier like you know them
31. write a short letter & mail it to someone who made a difference in your life
32. don't let moderate inconvenient weather disrupt your plans
33. plan & execute a day trip an hour from home
34. exercise your brain, do a crossword
35. read a newspaper from a different city
36. visit your local library
37. purposely let your grass grow 3 weeks
38. do something completely out of your comfort zone
39. call the Prime Minister & leave a message
40. purge & surge
41. pass on knowledge
42. help a neighbour
43. teach a 5 yr old how to do a head stand
44. skip for two minutes w/o stopping
45.

it was a deep sleep...zzzzzz

last night i dreamt that i was crossing the Wyoming Texas State border.

Johnson Beach Dec 13th

Setika my Rotti/Mastif mix has the thickest skin my Vet tells me. I have never seen her get cold. On this day yes she was in swimming. Thank god she is a fantastic swimmer. I'm guessing the water temperature is somewhere between 35 & 40 degrees Fahreinheit.

Sunday's 29 km run (another sunday)

Just another sunday putting in the mileage.

Open Water Swim notes with Dave Scott

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vbPNfwcHaQ&NR=1

Tim Hatch

Congratulations to Tim Hatch who completed Ironman Arizona yesterday in a time of 12 hours 23 minutes. Tim's swim was 1:06 / bike 5:50 and run 5:13. Race review & detail to come. congrats Tim!

Ray Zahab

A must read. The story of Ray Zahab, Ultra Marathoner / Adventure Runner. Born in Carp Ontario this Canadain shares his training & key races like the Yukon Artic Race, crossing the Sahara in the Marathon des Sables 2004, as well as the Badwater Ultra. 135 Miler across Death Valley in California. "Running for My Life" by Ray Zahab was printed in 2007. check your local library as well. Copy available at Barrie Public Library.

Are You Canadian ?

http://www.arcticultra.de/en.php. I'm reading through my Ultra Running magazine last night, when i come upon the Yukon Ultra. There are some crazy shit people out there. Yesterday in a business meeting a Senior VP of a major shopping Centre Company ask me, "Jamie why do you do ultras & triathlons" ? The jest of my answer was it's fun to see how far you can push your own human body. In other words "what are my limits?" I can see myself doing this race one day. Check it out www.articultra.de (i think i have that right). Here's a little about the race right from the website.
The Yukon Arctic Ultra will follow the Yukon Quest trail, the trail of the world's toughest Sled Dog Race.

The marathon finishes just off the Takhini River. The 100 mile racers will go from Whitehorse to Braeburn. The 300 mile racers will keep on going all the way to There they will leave the river to turn around and go back to Pelly Crossing on the farm road. The 430 mile athletes will not return to Pelly Crossing. Instead they will continue on the Quest trail to Dawson City. Please note: the 430 mile race will be held every two years and will next take place again in 2009.

The trail will be marked. However, if there is fresh snow or a lot of wind it will be difficult to find the trail. If you want to enhance your ability to understand your orientation, we recommend you use a GPS. You will find necessary co-ordinates and more information on the race course in the “Trail Description”.

The Perils of Living in Canada

My mother-in-law frequently gets Marathon events & Triathlon events mistaken. When she learned i was doing the 26.2 Mile Marathon in Hamilton, On. she asked, "won't the water be cold?"
Canada is an amazing place to live. Open spaces, fresh water lakes to swim, but November to March makes it difficult for triathletes. Swimming is definitely restricted to the 25 m dry skin chlorine pools.Running is manageable but not always fun. Cycling with our beautiful cherished tri-bikes becomes almost non-existent. Three options, one take a spinning class, two purchase a trainer or saddle up on your Mountain bike & go out riding in plus 2 celcius. This coming winter season i'm going to make a commitment to do more Mountain biking through the frigid temperatures.

PB @ Hamilton Marathon 42.2

Stiff as hell today, but it was worth it. Time 3 hrs 09 mins & 58 secs.
This was the 2nd year for Hamilton. Ron Leigh actually was the one that convince me to do the race. Why do Hamilton 2009. This is why. It's fast! Most the race is down hill. It's a Boston qualifier. Running down the closed off Red Hill Valley Express Way is a blast. The medal is unique & one that you will want to add to your collection. Ok, so they didn't have the most creative minds design the t-shirts. The race starts on the mountain, you run the rural routes before coming down the mountain and running out towards the Liftbridge and then running the waterfront trails along Lake Ontario and finishing up in Confederation Park. See you there in 2009.

New Nexico

In the Sierra County, between Kingston and Hillsboro, New Mexico on January 18, 2009, 70 some Ultramaniacs will race the Ghost Town 38.5 Miler (about 63km). Keith Lascelles will be joining me on this elevated terrain. Keith & I were taking in the photos from last years race & noted almost all the participants were wearing enough clothing for a biting cold day in November (that's north of the 49th parallel or Tim Horton Line). What the fudge? What gives? Isn't this New Mexico. I'm thinking t-shirt & shorts. Hot sun, maybe I'll even come back to Barrie with a nice tan. Then the lighthouse went off, the mountain terrain & elevation ranges the temperature dips. Dips plenty. The official website is www.journeyheretothere.com

Barrie Performs Well @ RFTT 50K

Yesterday's race in Cambridge, On. Run for the Toad was another successful event for Barrie. Roger Ison finished with a time of 5 hrs 31 mins, while Keith Lascelles & Brendan Kavanaugh finished with times of 4 hrs 54 mins. Mr. Kevin O'Neil who was humming Motorhead tunes in his head as he ran finished 10th overall with a time of 4 hrs 24 mins. Sylvie P. finished with a great time of 5 hrs 50 mins. Congrats to all. I'm hoping Brendan ran the entire race with his helmet-cam on. Brendan you did remember to take it right ? Keith said he was bringing extra reflective duct tape.

Runners, Trouble Sleeping ?

Thanks to the Journal of Sports Medicine, Norwegian Doctor Hans Smeltz, discovered that inhaling toxic fumes for extended periods of time during a normal night's sleep could prevent runners from achieving their full maximum output decreasing lung capacity by as much as 23%. A parallel study of a group of men & women under the same study but with the window ajar a quarter inch found the decrease of lung capacity still was effectively the same.

Bighorn, Wyoming 100 miles

In August's edition of Ultra-Running, Charlie Crissman relays satirically why not to run this race. "Believe me, shuffling for miles through expansive fields of wildflowers is not the way you want to be spending the summer solstice weekend. Those flowers can really muck up the trim on your new trail shoes".

Utah to Idaho ; The Bear 100

You've just finished your morning fall jog of 8km. Someone presents the idea of running 100 miles ? Hey wait a minute that's longer than my commute to work! Imagine ? Doing 100 miles through the terrain where Napolean Dynamite was filmed. Where the minimum elevation is 4860 feet and the highest is 9043 feet. It's called the Bear 100. I believe the race is today or tomorrow. www.bear100.com
What size of t-shirt would you like ? Medium or Large?

Run for the Toad

www.runforthetoad.com
Oct.4th. It's almost here. Look at the strong contingent from Barrie WoooOOO!
A real Ultra near our home town. Run for the Todd is a 50km held in Cambridge, On. This year will be the 7th year. By the way, Kevin, you;re right, the new Motorhead cd "Motorizer" is top notch.

Organization PLUS +

OMG! Hats off to the Organizers & Volunteers of 70.3 Muskoka. By far, and i mean by far the most organized, thought out, and executed with precision timing. I have done many halfs and one full ironman and i can proudly say Muskoka has them all beat. I have heard via friends that Lake Placid is run well. Nevertheless, as a weekend athlete and business man during he week i was impressed. I always look at these events with two sets of eyes, as an athletes and as a spectator (usually through my wife's eyes). Muskoka thought of everything. They had a plan & stuck to it flawlessly. I would like to especially thank the volunteers in the shuttle bus operation. Ladies & Guys on a scale of 10 you get a 10. For reasons i will not get into i arrived later than i should have. The Pros race started at 8am, my waive was second last, going off at 8:33am. I have now just parked my truck at the very last spot at the end of the Huntsville airport runway at 7:45am. You with me here? The shuttle buses are running smoothly and now carrying spectators to the transition area. One of the parking lot attentants sees me, realizes i'm an athlete tells me to get aboard school bus "A" that has about 12 spectators on it(so it's about 80% empty) and instructs the driver as soon as this athlete gets in "TAKE off". I made it to the race. I'll be back to Muskoka next year, Great Job guys.

Patton & Harrison visit Wisconsin

Shawn Patton & Mark Harrison visited Ironman Wisconsin last weekend September 6th & 7th. Here is what they have to say:
Ironman in the cheese state...moooooooooooooooo...Madison, Wisconsin Ironman is certainly a race to add to your to-do list.

The only flat part of this race is the swim...the bike is a challenging course with alot of rolling hills with not much recovery and if your also lucky enough to get a head wind that day it will certainly make things more challenging..the bike starts on the convention center parkade with a brief down hill on the parkade helix consisting of three loops to street level...just hope there is not alot of people going down at the same time.(parking is free by the way)..haha

the bike route is looped as well however u need to travel 14 miles out of madison before u start the loop.the 14 miles u travel will have your heart rate up and your legs nice and warm before the fun starts....reminds of the long course route in muskoka.

Spectators are actually bused from Madison to the town of Verona which is where the bike begins.

The run is a looped course with some hills and a few out and backs.another added challenge after a hilly bike course.there alot people on course that would certainly help you pull you through it.

It's one of the hardest courses out there and one of the nicest as well....one for the should do list. 

Madison also has some great hydration & aid stations in the downtown area.      

No Swimming Triking Gators Secret Practice

Ok, so it's not Kempenfelt Bay. But I like the shot. However does remind me of the time saw a sign "No Swimming ; Beavers" St. Johns, NFLD.

Training ; taking a note from Simon

Over the next 6 months I will be sharing perhaps some novel & out of the ordinary training regimes for swim, bike & run. The importance of keeping training fresh is vital to succeeding & improving one's results. As Simon whitfield recently acknowledge in Triathlete Magazine, he is always searching for new & improved ways to enter into his daily training schedule. If you have come across something you would like to share please send me an email at ijamie63@rogers.com and i will gladly add to this blog for Barrie & surrounding Athletes.

Congrats to Ted Read & friends !

Congratulations are in order for some local Barrie Triathletes. First we have Ted Read who finally got to race his Ottawa Ironman. Ted finished with a great time of 13 hrs & 16 mins at the Canadian Iron 226 held in Ottawa. Some may remember a nasty bike spill prior to the event last year kept Ted from competing. Ted congrats!!
Also congrats to Mischelle Stevens 1 hr 55 min, Calvin Chu 1 hr 53 min and Mark Harrison 1 hr 32 min for their great race times at the Guelph Lake II this past weekend. Good job everyone cheers!

www.ironmanmuskoka.com

Hi folks, if you haven't already and you're racing Sep.14th in Huntsville, there is some excellent information on the web site for 70.3 Muskoka, In particular watch the video. The swim exit as my friend Shawn points out is most interesting.

First Half Iron at Bracebridge a Success

I made a casual observation about the current in the Muskoka River. Something like, "look you can actually see the water moving down stream a bit". My pre-race swim was great. I felt good & was aware of the current directly in front of us. Then I heard one of the Race Directors telling another racer that the current was stronger further up and to make sure you conserve energy for the top end. Oh boy, that's all i need. Anyways, live to win. My worst swim ever. I truly enjoyed the day and the race. the bike course was hilly and many found it to be harder than they had expected. I'm hoping the Race Directors leave the race just the way it is as it could become known as one of the hardest Half Ironmans around. Great job everyone!

Our Local Barrie Triathlon

Congratulations to Mark Harrison, Shawn Patton, Brent Boden for an excellent performance at yesterday Barrie Triathlon. Times were very impressive. Mark won overall with a time of 1 hr. doing the 700m swim, 20km bike & 5km run. However more impressive and the boys from the Running Room would agree with me is Shawn Patton's time for the 5km run in under 19 minutes. It must have been that bare-foot training. Shawn, your earned it. Mark that one down.

Ultra Marathon Racing / Jays Peak, Vermont

Toughest Race I have done to date! Tougher than doing a full Ironman. 53 KM or 33 Miles of Man versus Nature! I completed the Jays Peak Ultra Marathon in 7 hours & 36 minutes 89th place, (a very respectable time). This race attracts only the serious runner so you can imagine the strength of the field. The course is a combination of Mountain climbing, forest trails, river running, rock climbing, swamp navigation, culvert cruising, rope zipping, and quad killing descents. 400 Nutbars started the race 200 were pulled off the course because they did not meet the race directors cut off time of 5 hrs at mile 19. The first 10 miles is straight up Jay's Peak the tallest peak (4,000 feet) of the Green Mountains in North Vermont. From there Mud becomes your friend. Somewhere around 45 km mark, my legs did not want to bend. I am a 70.3 Triatlete, but i think i have found a new passion. The "Ultras" as my friends Kevin & Keith refer to them. Asphalt & flats will seem like childs play now. visit the website www.ultimatexc.com

Training Tip 36 from Shawn P

Tim Hatch & I had the pristine pleasure of training with Shawn P yesterday. When by pure accident Shawn let one of his most highly classified training tips slip. This exercise is great for building mighty calf muscles just like Shawn's. Here it is. First go to Orr Lake. Second, bring a pair of flip flops. Three walk around the bottom of Orr Lake. Make sure each foot step is solid so you can sink as deep as possible into the soft muddy bottom. Here's the important part, make sure you feel the sunction effect of the flip flop as you lift the foot from the surface. You should feel the tightness in the calf. For the beginner a few minutes is plent. Shawn we discovered will walk for hours in Orr Lake. Thanks Shawn for letting it slip. You're a good man.

Time Trial in St. John's

Imagine climbing for 3km up a grade similar to Scenic Caves Rd. in collingwood? That's what cycling is like in St. John's NFLD. I had the pleasure of meeting the Gang from Canary Cycle and Team Instramar while i was in St. John's last week. After getting to know one another & they understanding my purpose of climbing / training i was invited to come out to one of Team Instramar's Time Trials. a full blizt time trial of just 3km. Not too bad eh? Except it is up hill all the way. Think Dundonald St. in Barrie. About that steepness but for 3km. It was certainly steeper than Mapleton. After logging about 120 km from my day long ride i met with Team Instramar at 6pm at the bottom of the hill. I asked to be placed with the slower riders. So from slowest to fastest i was the 4th of 15 riders. we would leave at 30 second intervals. as i waited my turn the first rider female about 18 took off. Holy shit i thought to myself, she's the slowest??? Finally it was my turn, i just didn't want to embarass myself. I took off at a steady pace as i knew i was going to need a lot of energy for the latter part of the climb. Most of the Team Instramar riders were younger than me. Obviously being brought up in St. John's by default you become amazingly good at climbing hills. The young lad that left 30 seconds behind me pass me at the 1.5 km point. My ego took a hit. However, i did gain ground back later on.
I finished with a time of 12 minutes & 44 seconds. Not too bad i thought. Until i started scrutnizing the other times. On second thought,..i'll just keep a low profile.
The Coach of Team Instramar told me the record for this TT is 8 minutes & 30 secs. One of their strongest cyclists having an off night completed the climb that night in 9 minutes & 40 seconds. (more to come)

www.mapmyride.com

Wow, for those who haven't seen this website ; check it out. It is especially useful if you are travelling to some place new for the weekend & and want a cyclists opinion on the best & most scenic routes.

Canada's Pro Cylcing Team finishes 7th at Tour de Georgia

Canada's number one Pro cycling Team has just finished 7th overall at the Tour de Georgia. Better yet Andrew Pinfold of the "Symmetrics Cycling Team" finished third overall in the individuals standings. Andrew was born iin Woodbridge, On and lives in Vancouver. Great job guys!

Nike Booties $20

Last night went out for my first ride on my new set of wheels. What a rush. Felt lightning fast. However, i must share with you a small little investment. thanks to my friend Jeremy at the new Trek Cycle shop downtown, i purchased for $19.99 what i will refer to as pull over socks. They kept my feet warm and did the trick. Ok, so they're not exactly booties. Thanks Jeremy, love the Easton EATT 90's. Wow.

Annual General Meeting Sat March 29th

Interested in Triathlons? Live in Barrie or surrounding area? Make note the annual meeting is just around the corner Saturday March 29th. Meet Mark Harrison in person.
The Kempenfelt Tri Club Meeting starts @ 10am and will be held at the Holly Rec Centre on Mapleton (south end Barrie). Meeting is room # 2. Bring a friend.

36.1 km/hr = 200 Watts of Power

I've always wanted to know what my power to weight ratio is. Obviously, most of us do not have $700 to buy the device, so i wanted to know if there was a crude method of calculating by hand. In my investigation i found an informative German website www.kreuzotter.de/english. You fill in the appropriate boxes with bike, your height your weight and many various attributes that you can make asumptions on. Based on my physical attributes, i'm 5'-10" 173 lbs. to produce 400 Watts of power i need to maintain a speed of just 47.1 km/hr. Oh, is that all? Ok, let's bring it down a bit. To produce 300 Watts of power, i need to maintain a speed of 42.3 km/hr. At this point is when i said, "sheeeeit". One more time, to produce 200 Watts, i need to maintain an average speed of 36.1 km/hr. I welcome comments is you have found other methods of calculating watts?

Shawn P. Secrets

Yesterday, i had the privilege of training with Shawn P.
Normally, Shawn P. trains in isolation, to keep the latest training techniques top secret such as the "Sand Shark Start 401" done repeatedly over & over again in the Allandale Pool monday mornings. I caught up with Shawn P., "One thing, Shawn P., gives us one thing, to focus on. Shawn P took a deep breath & reluctantly, blurted out, "Hills". Do hill repeats. It not only builds the hamstrings & quads but it builds your spirit. Wow, I said. Shawn P. can you give us more. Shawn P., checked over his left shouldar and lowered his deep voice, "Ok, most runners & triathletes do hills, but the fatal mistake they make is they wear socks." Socks? Yes, they wear the incorrect socks. Shawn P, i'm not following you? What i like to do is fill my socks with pumpkin seeds. This way when i attack the hill there is that slippage action, making it harder. Shawn P. do you use wet or dry pumpkin seeds? Wet is better, but dry will do.

Peterborough 21.1

The Trent River was fresh & thundering, just like the representation from the Kempenfelt Tri Club. "Excuse me where you boys from?", asked a curious tall participate. "Kempenfelt", Tim eggs on. "Kempenfelt, is that in Quebec?" " Why yes, about 4 km from the Labrador border".
For Mark Harrison, Monsiour Hatch and yours truly, it was a glorious day. Sun, wind, temperature & scenery were, well,....perfect.

Let Levi Ride

Is it fair that Astana be singled out? I don't think so. The Tour de France 2008 will not be the same without Uncle Leipheimer. Join the Fight. I did. visit www.letleviride.com

Levi is in Sixth Place

Note to self: going to California next year at this time to watch the Tour de California. Uncle Leipheimer is in 6th place. Go Levi, you can DO IT! If Lemmy Kilmister were a cyclists he be riding for the new Rock Racing Team. You have to check out their threads. I think the word "golden" sums it up nicely. Tyler Hamilton is on the team that is sponsored by Rock & Republic of LA and the prestine Cadillac. Just Cadillac, not Cadillac Fairview.
For those of you who never been to this part of the country, you must add it to your Life "to do" list.

check out Tour de California ; great site

http://www.amgentourofcalifornia.com/

Annual Meeting March 16th

March 16th Annual Meeting at Coach M's Habitat. Also check out
http://womenonwheels.bicycling.com/

WARNING ; you better love pain.

two words ; one place. Jay's Peak. July 26th 2008, 30 Miles of torture in Vermont. Hopefully thick mud, jagged steep mountain pitches and the nearly instinct Vermont Mountain Toothless Monkey are your friends. see www.ultimatexc.com stories to come.

Tim H. Training Tip of the Week

the following is fabuluous for the quads, core, lats & biceps. on your bike, attempt to ride thru as many school yards as possible, without stopping or dismounting, ride underneath a "chin-up bar". carefully releasing hands from your aerobars and using a underhand hold, grab the bar while simultaneously squeezing your bike between your thighs. make sure hands are about 26 inches apart and your palms are facing you. for advance athletes try one hand. without swinging the bike between your legs pull up making eye contact for the first three pull-ups the remainder of the pull ups should be done with the eyes closed. try 12 to 18. release hands from bar, and you will find that you will naturally fall right back into the standard tri position on your bike. ps make sure you are in the small chain ring. for advance athletes try large chain ring.

fashionable

as i'm drinking my second cup of coffee, it occurs to me that there is a growing trend for triathletes to put ink to skin. perhaps body markings instigated this 2008 movement. i look around,realizing many of my friends are getting tattoos. the most common at any ironman event is the "m-dot", which is like being an offensive lineman with barbwire around your bicep.if you have a tattoo, email me a picture and with your permission i'll post it. email to ijamie63@rogers.com

TriKing Gator Stretching

In order to do this stretch effectively ; don't bounce.

Sleep ; Never underestimate the POWER of..

SLEEP. How many hours on average are you getting ? Do you yawn during the day?
There can be only two reasons ; (a) you got boring friends or (b) you not getting enough friggin shut eye.

Barrie Road Runners

www.barrieroadrunners.blogspot.com

Swim Secrets from coach M

Swim: Speed Shortcuts
The key to a good swim falls into two basic categories: technique and preparation.
As one of three disciplines, the need for a good swim section is obvious. It doesn’t only put you in contention with the main competitors, it also makes you feel like you’re competing – rather than just taking part – in the event. It’s no secret that, for most triathletes, swimming presents the greatest challenge in the quest for speed and efficiency, and if you’re one of the many who are continually frustrated by under-performing in the swim leg, you need to read on.
Swimming need not be your Achilles heel – it’s simply a matter of understanding a couple of main principals. These principals can be broken down into two key areas and dealing with them can lead to visible improvements in your swim:
Key area 1 Understand how you approach your swimming. This allows you to make a huge saving on the energy you exert.
Key area 2 Understand the important points of preparation. This enables you to get the best return from your training time.
Key area 1
Your swim technique can be broken down into elements. Working on each of these will see your swim times plummet.
1 Effort
It’s not about how much force or effort you apply to your stroke, but more about containing and controlling your movements to make them smooth and fluid. Think of 80% effort to yield 100% speed, and remember: it’s likely that 100% effort yields only 80% speed.
2 Rhythm and timing
Distance swimmers who consistently perform well appear to be almost metronome-like in their movements. Emulate them by trying to develop a smooth, relaxed rhythm to your stroke. Avoid jerky movements; don’t snatch the stroke, ease yourself into each one, and control the stroke timing by adopting a regular breathing pattern. Breathing bilaterally (to either side) will help you keep an even rhythm.
3 Balance
Avoid any unnecessary movements; imagine you’re sliding through the water and remember that there is a slight body rotation (approximately 45º) to both your left and right sides while performing the stroke. Your head position affects your body position considerably. Try to keep your head quite low in the water – most triathletes hold their heads too high. Use your legs gently to help maintain balance.
4 Feel for the water
This all-important aspect is greatly overlooked or misunderstood by most triathletes. Feel for the water is a term used by coaches when a swimmer is moving well with little effort. This is a combination of effective use of the leading hand and arm at the front of the stroke, providing a good hold on the water, and the backhand completing the stronger push phase. Just as the push phase is completed, the leading hand begins a relatively slow pull, accelerating proportionately toward the back of the stroke. Avoid rushing the front-end of the stroke. It’s important to maintain a high elbow during the underwater pull phase of the stroke as this helps to you keep good mechanical leverage in the arms.
5 Streamlining
By remaining in a streamlined position throughout your stroke cycle, you’re able to reduce your frontal resistance considerably. Think of your body posture as elongated. If you imagine yourself standing on your tip-toes while swimming, you won’t be far wrong. By maintaining a streamlined position, you’ll find that you’re swimming at least a second faster per length (25m) for the same effort. If that doesn’t seem much, then think of it as a minute faster over 1,500m.
Key area 2
How to improve your preparation. Knowing what to expect and being confident you can deal with it are crucial to a good performance. This area looks at how you can ensure you’ll be ready for anything.
6 Warming up properly
It seems such a trivial issue but building a good warm-up into your sessions will ensure your better placed to make the most of the main thrust of your training. An example of a good warm-up, which can be adjusted up or down in volume to suit, might be:
Warm-up (600m)
150m front crawl then 50m back crawl.
100m front crawl then 100m back crawl.
50m front crawl then 150m back crawl.
Build set (300m)
50m front crawl (build to a fast finish), 20secs recovery.
2 x 100m drill (single-arm/catch-up), 20secs recovery.
50m front crawl with a fast first 15m, 20secs recovery.
7 Pace control
Use the pace clock or time yourself regularly on repeat swims. This gives you a clear perspective on how well you’re performing and allows you to adjust your effort to control your speed. You’ll learn to balance your effort against efficiency, given that you’re getting regular feedback on your times.
8 Race-pace preparation
If you’re preparing for a particular race, whether a sprint event or an Ironman, try breaking the distance down into sections and aim to perform them at your intended race pace during training.
Here’s an example of a race pace set working toward a 400m sprint triathlon:
Main set (800m plus recovery swim)
2 x 50m sprint with 20secs recovery.
1 x 100m at target race pace with 20secs recovery.
1 x 200m at target race pace with 20secs recovery.
Note: repeat this set twice (add times from each set and compare). Also, after the first set, add in a recovery swim before starting the second set.
9 Stroke efficiency
An efficient stroke is one where you get an excellent return in both distance travelled and speed gained. To check for good stroke efficiency you need to count the number of strokes you take per length against the speed you swim the length in. As a rule of thumb, base your calculations on one stroke per second. So, if you’re swimming 25m in 30 strokes and 30 secs, to swim with more efficiency you’d need to reduce the number of strokes along with the time taken. The optimum for most age-group triathletes would be around 20 strokes and 20secs. A great stroke efficiency set worth trying is 8 x 50m repeats, adding your time to the number of strokes taken for each 50m swim. Reduce the total score for each 50m on numbers 1-4 and start again on numbers 5-8.
10 Warming down properly
Swimming easy at the end of training really does help put your swimming technique back together, especially after a harder set. Easy swimming also plays a very important part in active recovery and, if done correctly, will help to remove the toxic waste products that have built up in your muscles and leave you feeling stiff and sore after.
An example of a recovery swim at the end of an intense training session is:
3 x 100m front crawl easy, with 20secs at a heart rate approx 50/60 beats below max (bbm).
6 x 50m front crawl easy, with fast strokes at the start of every 50m. Have 20secs recovery.
3 x 100m front crawl easy, with 20secs recovery.
Note: 30secs after completing the recovery swim, check your heart rate (via heart rate monitor or placing two fingers on your wrist and counting pulse for 6secs, then multiplying by 10), and if it’s above 100bpm, add another easy swim to bring it down. British Swimming are currently using a similar protocol and it’s proving to be very effective as a recovery set.
In summary
All these points give you an overview to both your technical approach and also your preparation for training. Don’t underestimate the value of keeping swimming simple. Making things complicated leads to confusion and frustration.
Try to keep things as basic as possible and learn to relax in the water. Tension and chaotic strokes lead to early fatigue and limitations to technique. Relaxed, rangy movements not only produce faster swim times but will also drastically reduce your energy expenditure. Enjoy your pool time. [the above is a contribution by Mischelle Stevens)

Have your USAT Membership Card yet?

For $39 US (that's $39 Canadian)you can get a one year membership. Apply on line to www.usatmembership.com

Where's Tim? it's 8:30, He said he would be here ; he wouldn't let us down for the Womens' Relay, would he?

Outdoor Adventure Show

special section for Ironman Geeks & Running Geeks, check out www.outdooradventureshow.ca at the International Centre Feb.22-24th.

Injinji

more than just a sock. it's for the long distance runners or ironman and irongirls : check out www.injinji.com the individual toe mirco performance sock. if anyone has a pair please comment below . available at Velotique at 1592 Queen St. Toronto

Best time to Run on Bayfield Street

Under normal conditions only a baffoon would run down the middle of Bayfield Street. For those of you from out of town, Bayfield Street is like the QEW between Walkers & Trafalgar on a slow day. Not that i'm recommending you do this, but early this evening between the hours of 6pm and 8pm, Bayfield Street will be at it's lowest volume according to authorities. Superbowl. For my English friends, that's American Football played with helmets for the grand-daddy prize.

Stink'in Trash Talk (how it all started)

it began on a ride to Starbucks (Blue Mountain Resort) last June. Tim H. & i were cycling out when somewhere near Wasaga Beach we spot a group of riders coming our direction. Turns out they were the Orillia gang & Shawn P. was riding not only with them, he appeared to be their Lieutant-Colonel leading his pack. Pleasantries were exchanged. Nice day. How far have you riden? (slight moment to breathe in Wasaga Beach air). Tim H answers 125 K. Without missing a Much Music LOUD beat Shawn P. cackles, "nice girl distance". Well folks, that smarts & that is going to leave a welt. and that's how it all began. Shawn P. Vs. Tim H.
coming soon : Shawn P. gets a tattoo.

Who Are We ?

Lordy Lifton! We Are The TriKing Gators of Barrie. A fierce ferocious herd of competing triathletes pushing the limits to have bragging rights over our brothers & sisters. There you have it. That was easy.

Lunch / Be Back in Five

Lovely. Satruday February 2nd 2008 and we have snow yet again. Yes ladies & gents another indoor training day. Thank god for heated pools. The countdown for Peterborough is just 22 days away. Let's pray it's not a windy day in the Borough de Peter.