With Coach Troy. As your fitness changes either for good or for bad, so do your training zones and other training metrics. It’s important for the competitive athlete focused on improving their performance to periodically check themselves and their fitness to make sure they’re hitting the right targets. In this short video, coach Troy briefly […]
Benchmark Testing
Training For A Half v.s Full Marathon
Here’s a question from Nike Running: What are the differences between sound marathon training and half-marathon training? One obvious answer is race pace work and the simple fact that to run to your potential over the half-marathon distance you need to run that pace (or faster) every seven to ten days. But the biggest difference, […]
Fartlek Workouts
By Coach Jay, Nike Running: I’ve had some email exchanges recently and this issue has come up: what exactly is a fartlek workout and why is it so hard to execute? Before we go into detail, let me reassure you that fartlek workouts are a must in any serious training program. You teach your body […]
A Place for Hydration
How to carry your drinks on your bike is a popular debate no matter if you are a pro or if, like me, you measure success by whether you finished your iron distance race before your kids’ bedtime.If one perfect product existed that was aerodynamic, inexpensive, easy to refill and didn’t slop sticky sports drink […]
Half Marathon Training
Hello there Coach, I just signed up for a half marathon end of March (10 weeks to go). This race is a trail run and a steady climb gaining about 900 ft in altitude. Do you have any specific training programs or tips to prepare for this race based on it being on trails and […]
Getting Your Legs Ready
Make Sure Your Legs Are Ready by Coach Jay, Nike Sports The first race of the year for most people is shorter than their goal race. For instance, if you’re one of the people who has the Chicago Marathon as your goal race of the year, you might have the 8k (just shy of 5 […]
Video: Hill Climbing Strategy/ Technique
When the road tilts up, how well do you ride? Do you employ a proper hill climbing strategy that helps you, or one that’s inefficient and slows you down? While your power to weight ratio is all-important (losing weight while maintaining or improving output), different hills require varying techniques in order to maximize your performance […]
Taking Days Off
Coach Jay, Nike RunningMy question is: What are the benefits of taking a full day off a week compared to just having one easy day a week? Thanks for the question—definitely one that all runners, from professionals to high school athletes to adult recreational runners, should be thinking about. Before we go into the specifics […]
Lance Armstrong: Exclusive Post Race Interview
Published Sunday, February 12, 2012 By Kevin Mackinnon “I was very surprised, to say the least,” Lance Armstrong said after his incredible runner-up finish at today’s Ironman 70.3 Panama. “It was a completely new experience for me. I didn’t know what to expect. I didn’t know strategically how these races go down, so I tried […]
Recovery Timing for Perfect Intervals
By Jim Rutberg is a Pro Coach for Carmichael Training Systems. Everyone loves interval training (right?), but it’s not just the work you’re doing that counts. The recovery between intervals is important, too. CTS Coach Jim Rutberg explains how it works. So, you’re all ready to go out for your workout. You have a few gels […]
Back in the Saddle
Breaks are healthy.But sometimes breaks become ruts, and we become stuck in them.Even the most dedicated triathlete takes the occasional hiatus from working out. (Hey, Chrissy Wellington is taking a year off from Ironman!)Many are fortunate enough to have winter sports that hold their interest, such as cross-country skiing. The rest of us just haven’t […]
Triathlon for the older athlete
by Davy Kestens: The populations of many nations get grayer, outlets for keeping physically fit have proliferated: softball, tennis, running, even weight lifting are gaining popularity. Now add triathlon to the host of competitive activities for those 60, 70, and even 80 years old. It’s Easier Than You Think A lot of people think of […]
Returning From Injury
Hi Coach, I have been training with Nike+ since August, and two weeks ago I ran my first half marathon. On Tuesday, I went running and got injured. The doctor said that I hadn’t warmed up properly and that had caused a hamstring strain. He prescribed some medication and suggested that I get some rest. […]
It’s OK to Take Time Off From Running!
By Jason We hate to rest when we know we need to. Our family thinks we’re a little crazy for running so much. Our friends have zero desire to run a marathon. But we crave the feel good hormones we get from our daily run like an addict craves the next high. Right now I’m reading Iron War: […]
Get the most out of your pool time
Here’s a few quick tips to help get the most from your pool time this winter. Bring a workout: Having a workout printed out on a piece of paper (in a baggie to keep it dry) helps insure you’ll get the planned workout done. Simply going to the pool with the intention of swimming doesn’t […]
Three Lessons From the 2012 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials
First, with the temperature in the 30s at the start of the race, most of the runners started with gloves, hats, or arm warmers on. Hats, gloves, and arm warmers allow athletes who are wearing shorts and singlets to run comfortably throughout the marathon as the temperature rises. When running a fall marathon with an […]
50-Plus Injury Prevention
By Jennifer Ward Barber Keeping aches and pains at bay is of chief importance to our age group The universal joke in the cycling world is that there are two types of cyclists: those who have crashed and those who are going to crash. I have my own variation on that for the triathlon world. […]
Quad and Hip Fatigue
Hi Coach, Question: The past two marathons have given me the same problem. Quads/hips become so fatigued that I can barely move. The really confusing thing is that this tiredness comes early on—I’ll start to notice the fatigue as early as mile 10. When I’ve run half marathons at a much faster pace, I haven’t […]
Spring Marathon & Tempo vs. Threshold Training
Coach Jay, Thanks for sharing your time, knowledge and resources. I have 2 questions: I am about to embark on a build up for a spring marathon.I understand that 80-90% of my mileage should be easy miles focusing on “time on feet,” and aerobic capacity. However, should I be throwing in a faster paced run […]
Burning Away That Winter Weight
Early in the year, every year, all manner of people are looking to lose some weight. Maybe you had a little too much fun at holiday parties, or maybe there was enough snow and cold weather to keep you off your bike. Whatever the cause, a few pounds are nothing to lose sleep over. As […]
Making Winter Work
by Alice Hohl Winter training means different things to different people. For some, it is a time to completely shift gears, spend time in different sports, and wait until spring to return to triathlon, renewed and refreshed. For others, winter’s race-free weeks provide the luxury of honing in on the weak sport and beating that […]
Taking a Day Off Before a Race
I’ve heard that taking a day off the day before a race is bad for you. I thought about taking off the day before my last race this year for some extra energy. My coach wants me to do a short run. Which do you think is better? Thanks for the question. This is pretty straight […]
Peaking – Don’t Worry About It
All runners want to run their best at the most important races on their schedule. In high school cross-country, this could be the league meet for some teams, the state qualifying meet for other teams, or the state meet itself. Regardless, most runners have heard the term “peaking” and want to “hit their peak” at […]
Am I Being Over-Trained?
Hi Coach Jay, Over the past three days I have been unsure about my coach’s training. So two days ago our team had a 2.8 mile race. The day after i was very sore and had to run nine miles which was our “recovery” run. Then today we had to run a hill workout. Still […]
A Little Bit of Visualization Goes a Long Way
I’m a big fan of runners visualizing their races the week of important races. Why? Because it helps you prepare for the task that lies of ahead of you, and if you do it correctly it can help you stay calm in the chaos of the race (especially cross-country races, where you have to run […]
How to Try to Adjust a Stride to Avoid Injury
Jay, I love your instructional videos. I am an XC coach and my girls’ team uses your Myrtl hip routine religiously. My question is that one of my runners over strides and it causes her to heel striker leading to shin issues. What’s the simplest method to adjust her stride so we can avoid the […]
Plan your long run, but don’t be afraid to alter it
A mistake many novice runners training for their first marathon make is that they don’t properly prepare and plan their long run. During their long runs, many marathoners will be running for over two hours, so liquids and possibly gel supplements need to be planned in advance. Plus, what you eat before a long run […]
Weightlifting for Running
Dear Coach Jay, Should I weight lift to work my upper body and be more toned? If so what workouts? Or are the general strength work outs enough? Hi Cesar, Thanks for the question – I think the first thing you have to answer is “what is my goal with lifting?” If by toned you […]
Strides on a treadmill
First off, we use the term “stride” to mean a short build to faster than race pace for approximately 15-20 seconds with a walking rest of about 1 minute. It’s not a max effort sprint (but not too far off either). Strides are primarily done after a run, to trigger some fast twitch muscles and […]
What gears should I use?
Despite using an 11/23 rear cassette with 39/53 front chain rings for many years, our favorite gearing for racing and training has shifted to an 11/26 rear cassette and 39/53 front chain rings. This set up allows you to keep a higher cadence on hills and prevent that excessive leg burn that can be so detrimental […]
Is racing yourself into shape an effective strategy?
The quick and dirty answer for triathletes is – NO. Racing yourself into shape sounds easy enough, but as triathletes it’s a very hard thing to accomplish. Cyclists can race themselves into shape very effectively, simply by racing multi-day races, racing both days of the weekend – week after week, or by doing weekday evening […]
How long should your off-season be?
By Heather and Trevor Wurtele: I’m willing to bet that one of the biggest differences between an athlete that sees improvement every year, and one that struggles to hit new goals the following season, is the length of time they take for the off-season. And by off-season, we mean not doing any triathlon training at all. […]