THREE's keys to improving without training or trying harder
THREE is a lifestyle community for triathletes, by triathletes. In this bi-weekly newsletter, we share training insights, curated articles and videos, new gear and tech. THREE's mission is to help triathletes thrive on and off the course. Will you join us?
Joe Maloy | 2016 U.S. Olympic Triathlete and Co-founder, THREE
• SWIM TOYS TO IMPROVE TECHNIQUE We’ve all heard the phrase “work smarter, not harder” but when it comes to triathlon, THREE’s advice is “think less, play more!” When equipped with the proper tools (think: toys!), this mentality can go a long way toward improving your efficiency and speed. As Joe Maloy demonstrates in this edition’s Triathlon Training by an Olympian, in the pool it’s much easier to change your swim technique by feeling it versus thinking about it or intentionally trying to fix it. Joe shares how a handful of pool toys — swim shorts, paddles, fins, a snorkel and drag parachute — can help swimmers make gains in the water.
• TIME-CRUNCHED CYCLING FITNESS Balancing training with work and family demands is a constant struggle for endurance athletes. The number of available hours in the day can often leave us feeling like we’re shortchanging something. Taking this into account, Road.cc recently published a feature that shows how cyclists can get the most from their limited training time. “Even 30 minutes is enough for a valuable session,” Anna Marie Hughes writes. The key to an impactful-but-short workout? Intensity. Hughes references a 2021 study and quotes a half-dozen coaches who describe best practices for building your fitness when you’re time-crunched.
• STAIR WORKOUTS FOR RUNNERS Could running stairs be the secret to more speed and power on the run? That’s the question Runner’s World asked last month. “Stairs, like hills, up the intensity of a running workout. But the intensity of the stairs’ elevation is often harder than a gradual hill, which increases the load.” RW talked to a USA Track and Field-certified coach who cites research concluding that, “Doing stair workouts consistently eventually leads to an improved VO2max ... because your body learns to use oxygen more efficiently—which means faster paces will feel easier on flat ground.” TL;DR: If you’re looking to pack a punch with your run workout, you might consider looking up — at the stairs! Click here for four workouts that add incline to your running.
• THE PSYCHOLOGY OF RACING VS. PACING There’s a common thought among athletes that you tend to go faster when you’re racing against someone faster than you. And research indicates that’s true, up to a point. But what’s the tipping point and how big of a role do other psychological variables play when it comes to peak performance? Outside Online dug into the complex equation in March’s Sweat Science column by examining a recent study in the European Journal of Sport Science. “Running alone against the clock is very different from trying to beat other runners, but untangling how our minds process the challenge is 'like knitting with spaghetti.'” The takeaways aren’t straightforward, but the research is fascinating.
• FOCUS OR FAIL? From training to racing, triathlon requires several types of mental focus. Although tri is an endurance sport, it would be simplistic to say the sport requires a singular focus on one thing. Triathlete magazine recently published a member-exclusive article on the topic, writing: “Focus is the most misunderstood mental “muscle” in the sports world and this misunderstanding can be a real challenge for triathletes.” (Editor’s note: If you’re a USAT annual member, you have free access to Triathlete magazine’s member articles.) Focus is both internal and external, and Triathlete outlines the value of so-called Prime Focus, as well as the obstacles you’re likely to encounter when trying to achieve this level of focus that can impact performance.
• PURE EUPHORIA There are a myriad of reasons why people get involved in triathlon — everything from achieving an ambitious goal and finding community with a like minded crew, to racing in an exotic location or overcoming a personal challenge. On that side of the spectrum, the short documentary Pure Euphoria: A Journey of Consciousness chronicles the story of Todd Crandell, a former drug addict who used triathlon to push through a period of depression. Crandell is now a 30-time Ironman finisher who has reached his higher purpose by pushing his body, mind and spirit to the limit.
THINK LESS, PLAY MORE
The THREE Letter by Joe Maloy
2016 U.S. Olympic Triathlete, THREE Co-Founder and Editor-at-Large
Sometimes thinking can get us out of trouble, but sometimes thinking can get us into trouble. It’s an interesting thought, isn’t it? When we think less and play more, we give our minds a chance to relax. A relaxed mind allows the body to simply act.
The inspiration for this week’s topic came while I was looking at the baby toys scattered across my living room floor. Instead of thinking, “I should pick these up” (that’s rarely my first thought when I look at them...Sorry, Jenn!), I thought about how our one-year-old daughter, Brooke, explores the world through play. She has toys to teach her numbers, colors, animals, peek-a-boo, and all sorts of other amazing lessons. These are things most of us have known for so long that we’ve forgotten we needed to learn them. Many of us learned these first lessons through play. Connecting to that sense of “play” is a way to accelerate your athletic progression in the same way that playing helps toddlers learn the world.
Let’s use swimming as an example. For many triathletes, swimming is a weakness relative to their bike and run. This makes sense. If we had evolved to be coordinated in the water, then we’d have evolved scales and fins instead of fingers and toes. We didn’t evolve to be the world’s fastest swimmers, that honor belongs to the sailfish. For humans, swimming is movement through a foreign environment.
Here’s where I return to my daughter, Brooke, using her toys to explore this foreign world. She’s constantly learning and figuring things out, exploring colors, shapes, textures, language and numbers. Connecting to a sense of play allows her brain to unconsciously absorb lessons that will someday become automatically accessible. Someday when she’s driving, she won’t have to think about what color the yellow light is, she will just know that color and know what it means in that context. What’s new to her today will someday be knowledge she “just knows” without needing to consciously think about it.
Swimming at the highest level is a great example of thinking that’s become automatic for athletes like Katie Ledecky and Michael Phelps. Listen to what they say about their record setting performances, though, and you’ll see these athletes are not thinking; they’re playing. Here’s an example from an old interview with Katie Ledecky: When asked, “How did you feel about that race?” Ledecky responds, “I felt so relaxed. It felt very easy, and that’s why I was surprised I broke that world record.” Her reaction when she touches the wall is a smile and a shrug.
Swimming, to Ledecky, is like us when we see a yellow light. We process information and make a decision immediately. Consciously putting words to what we see becomes an unnecessary step. Ledecky’s stroke looks smooth and natural because it’s the result of countless thoughts automatically strung together. While none of us is likely to swim as fast as Katie Ledecky, we can aspire to her example by turning off our brain and getting back to playing.
In the same way Brooke uses toys to learn her world, I’m a huge fan of swim “toys” to encourage proper technique and speed in the water. I share some of my favorites in this week's THREE training video, but remember the key to making progress is turning off your brain and learning to trust your body to figure out how to move through the water. As I describe in the video, different training toys will encourage different adaptations, so choose your favorite toy and get to play!
Joe Maloy 2016 U.S. Olympic Triathlete, Co-Founder and Editor-at-Large
THREE THINGS TO KNOW
This edition’s THREE Things to Know focuses on what you need to know about triathlon at the upcoming Olympic Games in Tokyo this summer. Although spectators from overseas will not be allowed this year, the Olympic torch is finally on its way and you’ll want to know about the new triathlon mixed-gender relay event making its debut.
What race are you excited to participate in this year? Reply to this email and let us know. One lucky respondent will receive a THREE water bottle for sharing their excitement. We hope to see you on a starting line soon.
