TRAINING AT ALTITUDE

Many of us have heard of the benefits of training at altitude. Dr Michael Subudhi, whom we recently heard lecture at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs (left), has done extensive research on athletes who train at altitude. Is it beneficial or can it be detrimental to our training? Here are some answers.

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CHEERS, Kerri
More questions? Contact Coach Kerri at kerri@kmotionsports.com

IS TRIATHLON THE SPORT FOR ME?

Q: I run okay but I'm not really sure about the bike or the swim and wonder if this is the right sport for me?
A: The ability to do well at triathlon -- or anything else in life, for that matter -- begins not in your arms or your legs or your heart. It begins in your head. People will tell you to "stop thinking negative thoughts." That's bad advice because it's nearly impossible. You can't shut your brain down. It's working even when you're asleep. Instead, you have to see those negative vibes coming and stop them before they become full thoughts. You do that by blocking them with positive thinking and affirmation. And you have to repeat those affirmations over and over again. Bobby McGee, who has coached Olympians, gives a great talk on sports psychology in which he says that a positive affirmation has to be repeated 1,000 times before it takes hold, so don't think that you can kill off negative thinking by nipping it in the bud once or twice. You have to keep hammering at it. And -- this is an essential part of mental training -- stop talking to yourself in the second person. If you say "Come on, you can do it," or "You can't quit now" you separate yourself from the message. You allow youself to have a self-defeating argument in your head. ("You can do it" ... "No, I can't" ... "Yes, you can" ...) You give yourself an out, so that when you quit the little voice that won the debate can say, "I told you so." Put all of your thoughts, particularly during a race, into the first-person, present tense, and make sure those thoughts are positive. "I am feeling strong," "I am moving smoothly," "I'm going to work through the stitch in my side," "I'm already 1,000 yards into the swim." Self-doubt is self-defeating, in sport as in life.
More questions? Contact Coach Ashley at ashley@kmotionsports.com

HOW MANY LENGTHS TO A MILE?

Q: How many lengths of the pool equals a mile?
A: A mile is 1,760 yards. If you're swimming in a 25 yard pool, you'll need to swim 70 lengths to equal a mile. But a swimming mile is 1,650 yards, or 66 lengths, which is equivalent to the 1500-meter distance in Olympic distance triathlons.

More questions? Contact Coach Jenn at jenn@kmotionsports.com

SHOULD I USE A PULL BUOY?

Q: Am I cheating if I use a pull-buoy all of the time?
A: Certain training equipment is recommended for swimmers: fins, a pull buoy, a kick board and sometimes, swim paddles. All of these "toys" are supplements to your workout. None of these should be relied upon for your full workout. Pull buoys are excellent tools for helping your body achieve a more streamlined position. Many men have difficulty keeping their hips up due to low buoyancy. And quite often, one reason swimmers have trouble keeping their hips up is that their head position is too high. You can mechanically control your body position by dropping your head/chest position and raising your hips without the use of the buoy. The buoy will help you get the idea of what proper position feels like. Adjust your head and chest position down. This should lift your hips up toward the surface. Get the feel with the pull buoy, then mimic this position without the buoy.
More quesitons? Contact Coach Jenn at Jenn@kmotionsports.com

DO I NEED PHYSICAL THERAPY?

Q: I tend to be one of those people who waits for aches and pains to go away, while my training partner heads to see her physical therapist or chiropractor when she’s hurting. How do I know when to go and when not to?
A: For starters, learn to recognize the difference between pain and soreness. Muscles get sore after a workout because you’ve torn them down and, so long as you haven’t overdone it, they will rebuild themselves bigger and stronger. If the soreness is mild, it’s fine to continue exercising that week so long as you warm up with some dynamic stretching. Sore muscles are part of the process, but painful tendons are not. If your tendons, which fasten muscle to bone, get inflamed it’s time to back off exercise. If the pain is sharp and doesn’t go away after 12 to 48 hours of ice, it’s time to call your therapist. If the pain limits your range of motion, and is accompanied by numbness or swelling, get it checked out.

WHY AM I BORED IN THE POOL?

Q: Swimming is so boring. How can I make my practices more fun?
A: My friend, when you learn to do interval training, you'll most likely find swimming more fun and more effective. My best advice is to attend a swim clinic, or join a masters' program to learn to add some vavoom to your swim workouts! The most effective training involves training your base pace at smaller distances, then applying your speed to longer swims. But, most base-building work will involved doing repeats of shorter distances like 100s, 200s, and 300s.
More questions? Contact Coach Jenn at jenn@kmotionsports.com

WHAT HR MONITOR SHOULD I BUY?

Q: I’d like to buy a heart rate monitor but I’m not sure what to look for or how much to spend.
A: Approach buying a heart rate monitor with the same way you might buy a car or computer. Don’t pay for a lot of expensive options you’ll never use, but acquaint yourself with what’s out there before you take the plunge. A basic heart rate monitor displays how many times your heart beats each minute, is simple to operate and the least expensive. The next step is a monitor that has a stop watch and tells you how much time you spent in or out of your targeted heart rate zones, as well as the time it takes your heart to recover. Most of these models will let you program in timing for interval training. A third type of monitor is downloadable, so you can track the progress of your training program and share data with your coach. The most sophisticated models also contain a GPS unit that calculates distance, and the download provides a graphic display of your heart rate step-by-step throughout the workout. Polar, Timex and Garmin are the leaders in the field.