THREE on triathletes' looming 2020 offseason question
To train or not to train?
Most people use “exercise” and “training” interchangeably, but there is a difference. Exercise is something your doctor recommends for 30 minutes/day, but training is intentionally working towards a predefined goal or event. Training involves stretching, mentally and physically, beyond one’s comfort zone. 2020 has offered obvious challenges surrounding mass-participation events. Now, fall’s shorter days and cooler weather are on the horizon, and it’s natural to ask, “Should I take an offseason even though I haven’t had any races?” I'll offer guidance, but only you have the answer to your question.
Begin with an honest self-evaluation. Since athletic performance is both mental and physical, evaluate both your mental and physical states. “Am I tired from activity, or am I tired of inactivity? Am I too stressed to take on anything else right now, or am I hungry to work towards a physical goal?” Where’s the opportunity?
Stress and rest are both necessary for growth. Growing as an athlete means becoming more tuned-in to the messages your body is sending. And speaking of being “in tune,” a helpful image as you ponder your decision might be a guitar string. Guitar chords need to be tuned with just the right tension in order to perform. Our bodies the same way. If we are too stressed to assume the work required of a training plan, then we risk overtraining or injury. Conversely, if we commit to a goal or event but fail to do the adequate preparation, then we will play like a guitar string with no tension.
It’s good practice to relax the mind before making any big decisions. Go for a run, spend time in nature, walk the dog, do whatever it takes to take your mind off the question. Just don’t run from the decision altogether. Your ability to move forward with intention, no matter the direction you choose, will lay a foundation upon which you can build. Coincidentally, “intent” shares a root word with the “tension” we discussed when imagining the guitar string. “Tendre” is the Latin word for “stretch.” When we do something with intent, we are “stretching towards” that objective.
It’s natural to feel like you’re being pulled towards both taking an offseason and continuing to train for an event that will have you fit before the holiday season. You’re likely motivated and driven. Those qualities benefit pursuits both in and out of sport. They’re also qualities that can get you into trouble if you fail to give yourself a break once in a while.
Joe Maloy 2016 U.S. Olympic Triathlete, Co-Founder and Editor-at-Large
• BAREFOOT STRIDES Running barefoot isn’t something we recommend as a primary part of your run training, particularly if you’re limited to concrete sidewalks or asphalt. Wear shoes! But, you might unlock a handful of benefits by incorporating barefoot strides (on grass or another safe surface) into your post-run warm down or before a hard run session. As THREE’s Joe Maloy demonstrates in this YouTube video, barefoot strides can help you connect with nature, strengthen smaller muscles in your feet, work on the way your foot hits the ground, and increase your “sixth sense” of movement and body position.
• FIND YOUR “GEARS” When heading out for a run, it’s important to determine ahead of time what you hope to gain from that run session and calibrate your speed accordingly. In fact, if you’re running fast most of the time you could be working harder than you need to and might be doing yourself a disservice. This Lifehacker article from the archives has some pointers about how to Run Smarter, Not Faster. “You need several ‘gears’ in slow, medium, and fast speeds to get the most out of different types of workouts (and perform better in races).” Here are key takeaways from Lifehacker:
Slow running builds your “aerobic base,” and most coaches agree it should be the foundation of your running program, making up most of your weekly miles.
Fast running builds strength and power.
Medium pace runs include tempo and lactate threshold runs, which are a key part of training for experienced runners: they help you train your body to hold an uncomfortable pace for long periods of time.
• THE SCIENCE BEHIND THE NEW ADIDAS RUNNING SHOE You've undoubtedly seen the press around Nike’s Vaporfly running shoe. Ahead of what was supposed to be this year’s Olympics, Nike’s competitors were racing (pun intended) to deliver a shoe that provided a similar speed advantage to runners. Earlier this year, The Wall Street Journal explained the controversy behind the Nike shoe. Now, Wired examines the science behind Adidas’s new world-record running shoe. “Almost every running shoe company is building carbon-fibre plates into its top-end trainers. Adidas has done something different – it's created energy rods.” The Adizero Adios Pro is described as “a performance running shoe that’s designed for long-distance racing and running.”
“Running throughout the shoe are a series of curved carbon-infused rods. These are wedged between two chunks of the company’s energy-returning Lightstrike Pro foam. … The rods run down the length of each bone in the foot and are curved to follow the shape of the foot. These rods have been stiffened to help give the greatest possible energy return when combined with the foam and other parts of the shoe.”
• OLYMPIC SWIMMER CODY MILLER’S MINDSET It’s easy to look at an Olympian and assume that their success in sports translates into confidence out-of-the-pool or off-the-track. Olympic swimmer Cody Miller dispels that myth. In a recent article from Olympic Channel, the gold and bronze medal-winning athlete reveals confidence issues he’s faced and shares how he learned to become mentally resilient. He describes how he found his “zen” ahead of competition, which includes being expressively optimistic.
“Some days I'll wake up, I'll feel like crap, and like I don't really want to swim, and I don't really want to make a video. But on those days if you force yourself to do something and you put on a smile, it makes things easier. Then you see progress. A sense of positivity goes a long way.”
Miller’s sense of positivity is on display on his personal YouTube channel, which has amassed nearly 150,000 subscribers who tune in for swimming drills, nutrition tips, and insights into the life of an elite athlete.
• IRONMAN IN A PANDEMIC Almost every amateur and pro race since March has been canceled — including this year’s Ironman World Championship in Kona. And while elite competition is starting to get back on track, amateur races are still hard to come by. Which is why triathlete and writer Nick Busca traveled to Estonia to compete in the first Ironman race since March, which he chronicled for the New York Times article, In a Pandemic, Getting to the Triathlon Is as Hard as Finishing It.
“Athletes were given individual time slots for tasks like registration and gear check-in. Their identities and check-in times were tracked electronically; health information was taken, too. The standard race briefing was provided via YouTube, and the traditional prerace pasta party was canceled. At aid stations, volunteers wore gloves and face masks; at the finish line, medals normally handed to the competitors were put in bags that athletes had to collect themselves.”
• BEHIND THE SCENES OF SUPER LEAGUE PRO TRIATHLON Indoor triathlons are nothing new, of course, but the Super League Triathlon took indoor racing to a new level in Rotterdam last month, with a hybrid IRL swim in a 50-meter pool and the bike and run legs done on Zwift. DC Rainmaker writes that “unlike a typical Super League Triathlon Series event, there were virtually no spectators, no cheering crowds, and the non-watery parts were done entirely in Zwift.” So how did Super League pull off the event? They organizers used Tacx NEO 2T bike trainers (Tacx is one of the event sponsors) and self-powered Assault AirRunner treadmills. Then came the technology required to connect all of the equipment and track athletes over three stages, especially challenging considering Zwift doesn’t have a triathlon setting. You can read DC Rainmaker’s behind-the-scenes review or watch in this YouTube video:
THREE THINGS TO KNOW
This week our THREE things to know is three places our founding team trained this summer. Joe trained in Arizona, Anthony in California and Matt made the trek to Capitol Reef National Park in Utah where this photo was snapped, taking social distancing to the extreme.
