With summer approaching, one can start training in the evening while daylight is still available. This will provide the opportunity for us tri-athletes to train without a turbo trainer. In fact, just yesterday we met near coastline at 6pm and did a tough interval session which included both speed and hills.
To my surprise I managed to keep up with the group really well and I could also push more if I wanted to but since it was my first time I did not want to risk it. during the speed session I managed to keep an average of 40km/hr speed and am really happy with the result! =D
After a hard interval session with the bike, we ran about 2.4km and I managed to run an average of 4:58 mins per km. Still need to run faster however I my running improved a lot since I started training. I cannot expect to reach the other athletes in a few months....but one day, I will :)
After all the hard training I have been doing...results are definitely showing!
During these last 2 weeks or so, I was experiencing some back knee pain during and after sessions. When I asked my coach he suggested me to use deep heat and that is what I did. However, during last Sunday's cycling session I THINK that I found what is causing the knee pain.
I noticed that when pull me leg up (right leg) during a bike ride the knee tends to point more the the outer part instead of pointing it straight upwards. I guess that is the problem and I have to find a solution for this....and it has to be a fast solution. Therefore, if anybody out there knows what I should do or maybe can provide me some tips, I would really appreciate it. Please feel free to post your suggestions in the comment box below.
In the meantime, I am still training hard since my first race will be in a month's time.
After some months training with Fabio and training against a program set by the coach himself, I was beginning to question myself if my running continued to improve or not. During yesterdays training session, Fabio gave us a 1 mile run for four times with 5 minutes rest in between. I managed to run at a pace of 6 minutes 55 seconds (average) per mile. I could have pushed it further however since I am having some issues with my right knee, I didn't want to push and hurt myself resulting in an injury.
In the meantime, I also noticed that my breathing improved a lot! I can now run with a faster pace without having breathing issues! I am really happy about the result and since the first race will be within 2 months I am really looking forward to be able to benchmark my fitness once again.
Hope that the knee pain I am having after a hard session will not persist. :)
Triathlon, involves swimming, cycling, and running in immediate succession. Triathletes compete for fastest overall course completion time, including timed "transitions" between the individual swim, bike, and run components.
When a triathlete gets out of the water he needs to change the swim suit and wear cycling shorts and shirt, and get on the bike as fast as possible. With a trisuit, there is no need to change clothes. Just get out of the water, get the bike and pedal as hard as you can!
With my first triathlon approaching within a few months, I needed to get one of these trisuits and last week I managed to get an Orca Core Trisuit.
Trisuits are made specifically for triathletes to be able to make a faster time during a Triathlon. The fabric of my Trisuit is made out of a thin material which improves blood flow throughout the body and decreases drag while in water. It also has a shemy in the groin area...thick enough to protect the delicate parts during cycling and thin enough for a triathlete to be able run without problems.
I didn't use it yet however I am really eager to use this trisuit and in fact my first race (charity race) will be held on the 27th May 2012. In the meantime, I am still training hard almost everyday to improve my skills.
At this point I wish to encourage all those people who would like to maybe start a sport to try out the Charity race that will be held on the 27th May 2012. Details below:
Some months have already passed since I have started training for the Triathlon and when you are practising for a competition (any competition) one always tries to get better and better. Although this will be my first try, I am already aware that I will not place first but I not want to finish last either and that is why I am training so hard every day!
In order to improve in your discipline, you need to practice and the more you practice the better you become. However, having better equipment will help you get to the better results.
Last week I bought a new set of pedals. Not because I didn't like the pair I already own, but because I needed to be more efficient during the biking section. With the old pair all you needed was a pair of normal running shoes and the pedals themselves. You place both feet on the pedals and you push down to move the bike forward. But what about pulling up??? You cannot pull the pedal up while cycling!!
That meant that there is room for improvement and that is why I bought a pair of Clipless Pedals!
Old Basic Pedals:
New Pedals (Clipless kit):
The new pair of pedals consist of the pedals themselves and a pair of cleats. One would also require a pair of road cycling shoes.
The cleats would then attach themselves to the shoe like so:
The pedals would then replace your old pair and then one can clip the shoes to the pedals. By doing so one would be able to not only push down to more the bike forward, but also pull up, push forward and pull backwards too. A HUGE ADVANTAGE!
Last weekend I tried them for the first time and the I guarantee anyone that there is ABSOLUTELY NO COMPARISON between the 2 pair of pedals. The difference performance wise is HUGE. In fact, I managed to do my usual bike in 15 minutes less than usual.
Like everything, there are advantages and disadvantages with such pedals. Since the bike itself will be part of your body, you would gain a huge amount of power during your bike ride and one would not need to almost stop pushing when changing gears. As a disadvantage then one has to be more careful than usual. Meaning, if you need to stop the bike, you have to remember to un-clip both feet from the pedals or else you would fall. If you fall down and there are cars passing by one can suffer serious injuries. If there are no cars and you fall down while still clipped to the pedals, you would really look like an idiot.
Check out this video and you'll see what I mean! :P
