Y-Tri Training

 Attention North Area Family YMCA Members

Are you planning on participating in the Iron Girl or Cazenovia or any other 
triathlons this summer? 
 
We will be offering a 12-week comprehensive triathlon training course for 
beginner and intermediate triathletes culminating in the 12th and 13th week with 
the Aflac Iron Girl Triathlon and the Cazenovia Triathlon. 
 
When:  Begins week of May 17 
       1st Meeting (you choose):  Tuesday, May 18, 11 a.m. following ride/run class 
                                  Tuesday, May 18, 7 p.m. following nutrition seminar 
                                  Wednesday, May 19, 10:45 a.m. 
 
What:  Training includes the following: 
         *12-week comprehensive training program, including swim workouts 
         *One-time private consultation with USAT Certified Triathlon Coach to discuss goals, 

limiters, nutrition, etc. 
         *Email access to USAT Certified Triathlon Coach for plan personalization 
         *Weekly group training opportunities in conjunction with CNY Triathlon Club
         *Membership to CNY Triathlon Club 
         *Discount on YMCA personal training 
         *Free swim/bike training event, July 24 
         *Triathlon seminars 
         *Finisher's shirt 
 
Where:  North Area Family YMCA 
 
Cost:  $150 for entire 12-week program/ $125 if you are a member of CNY Triathlon Club
 
Y-Tri Training is open to YMCA members only.  Please register at the front desk.  

If you have any questions, shoot me an email.

Green Lakes Training Rides

For anyone interested in getting some riding experience, check this out:

Saturday, May 8-June 5
9:30 a.m.
Green Lakes Training Rides

Meet in the beach parking lot at Green Lakes Park and ride the Green Lakes Triathlon Course with a YMCA cycle instructor.  All levels and abilities are welcome.

This is for YMCA members only and is free.  Please bring your bike and a helmet.  You will be asked to sign a waiver at the ride.

If you have any questions, please shoot me an email or leave a comment.

Training Opportunities

Wow!!  I can't believe it's almost May!  Now that the weather is getting better, I hope everyone is getting outside for some training!  I've been out on my bike several times and am loving it!

We have some great training opportunities coming up at the North Area Family YMCA for anyone interested in getting outside and getting fit for whatever race you have coming up.

Beginning Tuesday, May 18, we are going to offering a 9:30 a.m. outdoor ride and run brick every Tuesday and Thursday morning.  I will be leading the ride, and it is for all levels.  We will be working on things like shifting, starting and stopping, using clip-in pedals if you have them, and all sorts of fun stuff like that.  In order to participate in the ride, you must have your own bike (doesn't matter what kind) and a helmet.  You will not be permitted to ride without a helmet.  The bike will be followed by a quick transition and outdoor run.  This is a great opportunity to get your legs used to that bike/run transition that you feel in any triathlon!

I realize that there are many of you who work during the day, so I am also working to get some evening and/or weekend bricks in place as well, both at North and Downtown.

Don't forget about the Transition Seminar this Tuesday, April 27 at 7:00 p.m. at the North Area Family YMCA.  Please bring the following to participate:  helmet, bike shoes, running shoes, socks, race belt (if you have one), hat, and a small towel.

In addition to what we are offering at the North and Downtown YMCA's, there are a lot of training opportunities in the community that are either free or very low cost!

You might want to check out the Women On Wheels rides that Syracuse Bike is offering.  Trish Dugan is leading a no-drop beginners ride on Thursdays.  It is for beginner riders, and is mostly instructional in nature.  In addition, there will be Saturday rides for women who have a bit more experience.  Click here for the schedule, or email Trish Dugan at trish@syracusebicyle.com.


Another training opportunity that has begun is the Tuesday Night Time Trial/Brick Run co-sponsored by the Onondaga Cycling Club and the CNY Triathlon Club.  This is a 10 mile time trial on the bike followed by a 4 mile brick run.  You can come once without being a member of either club, but after that must join to participate.  Click here for information, time and directions for the Tuesday Night Time Trial/Brick Run. 


And last but not least, the CNY Triathlon Club Jamesville Beach Training Series is set to start on  May 12 with a duathlon (run/bike/run).  Membership to CNY Tri is only $25 for the entire season, so well worth it.  Come June, they have a mini-triathlon every Wednesday, and that is great time to get your feet wet, literally, and build some great confidence.  Click here and then click "Activities/Events" and then "Jamesville Beach Series" for information about the Jamesville Beach Wednesday Night Training Series.


As always, if you have any questions, please shoot me an email.


Happy Training!!

What do I need for my 1st triathlon?

It was so good to see so many of you at the gear seminar a couple of weeks ago.  For those of you who weren't able to come, below I have listed the gear you need for your first triathlon.  If you have any questions about any of this stuff, please leave a comment or shoot me an email.

What do I need for my race?

Apparel
Tri shorts - Like bike shorts with a smaller pad that dries quickly.  These are a must!
Top - I use a workout top made from a tech material that has a shelf bra.

Swim
Goggles
Swim Cap (one is usually provided)
Wetsuit (not required)
Ear plugs/nose clip (if needed)

Bike
Bicycle (tri, road, hybrid, mountain)
Helmet
Bike Shoes/Running Shoes
Socks (if needed)
Sunglasses
Water Bottle and Holder
Run
Running Shoes/Socks
Visor/Hat
Race Belt (Not required, but you must wear your race number during the run)

Transitions
Towel
Extra Water Bottle to rinse sand off your feet after the run
Energy Gel
Watch
Sunscreen
Body Glide (to help avoid chafing)
I.D. (you will need this to get your race packet)

Please mark your calendars for the upcoming seminars:
 
Nutrition:  Race Day Fueling, Tuesday, April 20 at 6:00 p.m.
 
Triathlon:  Practicing Transitions, Tuesday, April 27, 7:00 p.m.
 
These are at the North Area Family YMCA and registration is required.  The sessions are free for members and $15 for non-members.

Upcoming YMCA Events

Hi, Ladies!!  I hope your training is going well.  I hope to see many of you tonight at the Sports Nutrition Seminar at the North Area Family YMCA at 6 p.m.  This is free for members and $15 for non-members.  Registration is required, but there are still open spots available. 

Also, next Tuesday at 7 p.m. at North, I will be giving a little seminar for first-time triathletes about gear...Everything you need for your first triathlon.  We will go over everything from bikes to shoes to underwear (no, you don't want to wear underwear)!!  Again, registration is required, and last time I checked there were still several open spots.  This is free for members and $15 for non-members.

If you are looking to get some great training in this Sunday (3/20) and do a  little bit of good at the same time, you might want to check out the North Area YMCA's Bike-A-Thon.  There will be 4 spin classes offered beginning at 8 a.m. and each bike is $15.  If you choose to ride all 4 hours it is $45.  All money raised will go towards Y-Partners, a program that helps subsidize program and membership costs for families and individuals who would be unable to participate otherwise.  I am teaching the 9 a.m. class, which is 3/4 full, and there are still quite a few bikes available at 10 and 11 a.m.  I hope to see you there!!  All money recieved is tax-deductible.

One last thing, many of you have participated before in the Komen Race for the Cure.  This year the race will be held on May 15, and if you are running I encourage you to join the North Area Family YMCA team.  Let's join together in fighting cancer.  If you are interested in joining the team or donating to the team cause, click here.

That's all for now ladies!!  Happy training!

Base Training and Upcoming Events

I know a lot of you are starting to feel anxious about the upcoming race season, and feel like you should be "training."  And this is true, BUT the kind of training you should be doing is building fitness, not necessarily practicing the race every time you workout.  If you have a particular discipline (swim, bike, or run) that you don't feel super confident in, now is the time to focus in on that one.

For example, if you are not a great swimmer YET, you should be going to swim clinics and then practicing swimming one or two more times per week.

If you have never run before, now is a great time to start a run/walk program to begin amping up your run fitness.  You can start with one minute running/two minutes walking, and then very gradually build up your run time.

If you have never cycled before, try to pop into a cycle class one or two times a week.  Even if you are a beginner, the instructor can help you get set up and guide you in a workout that will suit you.

In the sports you feel more comfortable with you should be training nice and easy.  For example, when you run, don't go all out for 20 minutes, but instead run at a pace you can maintain for 30-40 minutes or longer even if it feels slower than you know you can go and if your fitness allows.  Same goes for biking.  In the pool, we can always be working on technique with drills.

What I'm saying is that none of you should be following any sort of strict training protocol right now.  You should be building what triathletes like to call your "base".  This is the fitness which you will draw from in your race, and it's an integral part of any training program.  It's not very exciting, but it is what builds your aerobic engine for the test of endurance to come.  I like to think of it as making deposits in my endurance account.  It's not glamorous to save, but you will be rewarded in the long run (pun intended!!).

Having said that, the North Area YMCA will be offering 12-week training programs for both Green Lakes Triathlon and Irongirl Syracuse.  In addition, we have some upcoming clinics on Sports Nutrition and Triathlon that you can check out.  Here are the dates:

Sports Nutrition:                                                                
March 16, 6 p.m. - "Sports Nutrition Myth-Busting"
April 20, 6 p.m. - "Fueling 101"
May 18, 6 p.m. - "To Supplement or Not."

Triathlon:
March 23, 7 p.m. - "What gear do I need for my first triathlon?"
April 27, 7 p.m. - "Transitions:  Everything you need to know about getting from the swim to the bike to the run."
May 25, 7 p.m. - "Changing a flat tire"

These clinics are free for members and are open for registration.  There is a limited number of spots, so register early to guarantee a spot.  Registration for non-members will open a couple of weeks before each class and will be $15.00.

As always if you have any questions, please shoot me an email.

Happy (base) training!

getREAL Swim Tip

The last post was about working on drills that help with body position.  Well that is all well and good, you say, but what about the arms?? 

Here are a couple of drills that will get you going with the arms in the correct position and doing the correct thing. 

First of all, the shark fin drill or the stun gun drill (I'm not sure why it's called that??)  This drill focuses on keeping body position stable while breathing, and also working on a high elbow in the recovery portion of your stroke (that is that part where your arm is out of the water.)


The next drill is called Practice the Catch.  The "catch" is the part of the stroke where your arm is pulling you through the water.  It's sometimes called the pull.  I do this drill all the time!!  Two important things to remember during this drill are to keep your arms spread apart when they are in front...almost like they are on railroad tracks.  This keeps you from crossing your arm over the center to the other side of your body.  It makes for a more efficient stroke and places much less stress on your shoulder.  The other important thing is to let your arm drop down to the vertical position before you begin to pull back.  Remember what we are practicing is the catch, which is just the very first part of the pull phase of the stroke.



Here is a simple workout that can put these drills into practice.

Warm-up:  100-200 yards easy swim

Main Set:
50 yards shark fin drill, 50 yards swim - repeat 2-3 times
50 yards practice the catch drill, 50 yards swim - repeat 2-3 times

Cool-down:  100 yards easy swim

Total yards:  600 yards - 900 yards

If you have any questions about these drills, please email me or leave a question in the comments!!

Happy training!

getREAL Swim Tip

Hi all you endurance athletes!!  I hope the new year is treating you well.  I've been seeing a lot of you in the pool these days, and hearing lots of talk about swimming struggles.

One of the things I would like to emphasize to all of you is that swimming takes practice.  In order to get better at swimming, you must swim!!  And if swimming is not something that you feel comfortable doing, you should be swimming more than once a week, even if it's just 20 or 30 minutes each time!!

As you jump into the pool, it's good to remember a couple of things.  First of all, swimming requires technique that might not come as easily as, say, running or cycling!  It's not natural and can be very scary, you know, with the whole face in the water thing!!  One thing you should definitely avoid is swimming in a way that is not correct.  The problem with doing that is you will start to ingrain bad swimming habits into your muscles, and then it's really hard to break those habits. 

A great way to begin to work on swimming technique is drills.  I usually swim about 3 times a week, and at least two of those swims have a lot of drills, usually between 800-1000 yards.  I'm not saying you need to go to the pool today and swim 1000 yards of drills, I'm just showing you that even though I've been swimming for several years, I am still working on perfecting my technique through drills.

The beauty of swim drills is that they break down the stroke into tiny portions, so you can concentrate on just one part of the stroke without worrying about all the other stuff.  I have two drills for you today that are great for everyone, but especially beginners. Both of these drills focus on balance  and body position in the water.

The first drill is the side kick drill or side balance drill.  Here is a great video that explains how to do it.



Once you begin to feel comfortable swimming several lengths on each side, you can move on to the 6-kick switch, which is still focusing on body position, but starts to bring in the idea of rotating from side to side as you swim.  Here is another video of that one.



Feel free to use fins for each of these drills, as they tend to make them a little easier so you can really focus on the purpose of the drill, which is body position.

A workout I might suggest to incorporate these drills is:

Warm-up:  100-200 yards

Main Set: 
Drill #1 - Side Kick - 25 yards on right side, 25 yards on left side, 50 yards swim - repeat all 2-3 times.
Drill #2 - 6-Kick Switch - 50 yards drill, 50 yards swim - repeat all 2-3 times

Cool- Down:  Swim nice and easy 100-200 yards.

This workout would give you between 600 and 1000 yards total.

If you have any questions please shoot me a comment or an email.  Stay tuned for some more triathlon training news that the North Area Family YMCA is offering in the very near future!!

News for the New Year

Happy 2010!!  Sorry the blog has been so quiet, but, to make up for it I have a lot of triathlon training news for you aspiring triathletes.

Registration is now open for IronGirl Syracuse.  Click here to register.

Registration is now open for the Green Lakes Triathlon, 6/19/09, for Syracuse Greater YMCA members only through 2/1/09.  Click here for more info.

Now that you are all registered, let's talk training!!

There is going to be triathlon-specific training at all three area YMCA branches beginning this week.

Registration is open for Triathlon Swim Clinics, which begin 1/4/09 at North Area Family YMCA, East Area YMCA, and Downtown YMCA.  There are three levels being offered and are free to YMCA members and $95 to non-members.

Here are the times/levels being offered at each branch:

North Area Family YMCA:
Level I - not comfortable in water:  Tuesdays 4:40-5:40 p.m.
Level II - can swim 50+ yards, stroke drills:  Tuesdays 6:40-7:40 p.m. and Wednesdays 7:20-8:20 p.m.
Level III - can swim 200+ yards, endurance drills:  Saturdays 11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.

East Area Family YMCA:
Level I - Wednesdays 8:30-9:30 p.m. 
Level II/III - Mondays 8:30-9:30 p.m.

The above clinics are by registration only and are free to YMCA members and $95 for non-members.

There are also some opportunities that require no registration:

North Area Family YMCA:

Masters Swim:  M/W 8:30-9:30 p.m., Sun. 8:15-9:15 a.m.
Coached Swim:  M/W/F 3-4 p.m.

East Area YMCA:

Masters Swim:  Tue. 11:45 a.m.- 12:45 p.m., Th. 8:30-9:30 p.m., Sun. 8:15-9:30 a.m.
Endurance Swim:  Tu/Th 7:30-8:30 p.m.
Running Hydro (registration required): M 9:15-10:15, Tu/Th 4:15-5:15 p.m.

Downtown YMCA:

Masters Swim:  Th. 4:30-5:30 p.m.
Endurance Swim:  Sat. 7-8 a.m.
Fluid Run:  Tu/Th 7:30-8:30 a.m.

There are also a number of cycle classes that are being offered as a "brick" class either before or after a swim.  For a complete schedule you can pick up the Y Tri Training Schedule at your branch at the front desk.

If you have any questions, please feel free to email me.

Okay, ladies, no excuses!!  It's time to get going!  I know many of you asked for some sort of training schedule.  For a typical sprint triathlon, you would usually do about 12-15 weeks of scheduled training.  In the next few weeks, I will try to get that up for you!!

Happy training!