-By Brian Reynolds, Team Athletic Mentors triathlete

Over the past 16 years of being a runner and triathlete I have learned many life lessons.  I would like to share the 5 key life lessons I’ve learned.

• Overcoming adversity – Throughout our life we will always have to deal with challenges whether they’re big or small.  When training for a marathon or Ironman event there were always challenges to overcome.  There were days when I had to run in snowy 5 deg F weather even though it was freezing and uncomfortable.  I had days when I didn’t feel like training due to fatigue or just not being in the mood but I still did the workout anyways. There were very challenging workouts that made anxious before even doing it.  I had injuries that forced me to limit my training.  However, I made the necessary adjustments to my training to help me stay on track for the racing season.  My determination and passion to achieve my goals help motivate me to overcome this adversity.

• Patience – Sometimes we have to wait a long time before accomplishing our biggest dreams.  For example, my dream was to win a marathon.  In 2011, I entered the Kalamazoo marathon which was my first and I won it!  Some people will say beginners luck; however, I was a runner for 10 years prior to the marathon which made me no beginner.  During those 10 years I’ve accumulated over 15,000 miles and raced distances from the 5k to the half marathon.  I wouldn’t have won the Kalamazoo marathon if I just started running the year before.  I needed those 10 years to improve as a runner to help prepare me for that moment in Kalamazoo.  The tiny improvements I made day to day added up to accomplishing my dream because I gave myself the time to develop. Patience will always payoff in the end.

• Setting SMART goals – Setting goals for the season are very important.  I always try to set challenging BUT attainable goals.  Goals can be a great motivation tool and gives an athlete accountability.  However, setting an unrealistic short term goal will not help you have a better season.  Instead, an unrealistic goal can sabotage a season by causing an athlete to overtrain and/or be disappointed because their goal was not met.  These unrealistic goals are best saved for long term goals because given time and persistence they may be attainable.

When I was training for the 2014 Kalamazoo Marathon my goal was to run a 2:30 which would be a 4 minute PR.  As the season progressed, I was having good workouts so I thought a 2:28 goal was doable.  Later in the season I started to overreach a bit by pushing myself a little too hard in workouts.  I went into the race in a more fatigued state and paced it too fast.  As a result I didn’t have my best race.  Looking back I wish I had a coach to help me set a realistic goal and monitor my progress to make sure I was on track for achieving my goal.

• 

  Brian en route to his Kalamazoo Marathon victory

  Work ethic – This is the #1 attribute that I learned while being a runner and triathlete.  All of my achievements were due to the hard work and dedication I put into my training. The more work I put in training the faster I got.  To help myself stay dedicated during High School Cross Country and Track I started a consecutive running streak which meant I ran at least 1 mile everyday.  My running streak is still strong going to this day.  If it’s one thing that I’ve learned when it comes to running or triathlons an athlete cannot get lucky and have a great race without putting in the work.  The work you put in is a direct result of how well you perform in the races!

• Talent does not determine success – My favorite Steve Prefontaine quote is “Success isn’t how far you got, but the distance you traveled from where you started.”  Steve is known as one of the greatest US distance runners in history.  Even though Steve was a very talented runner his quote suggests that success should be based on a athlete’s growth and improvement.  For instance, an athlete’s success should not be based on their 5k time but rather the improvements they’ve made from where they started.  We shouldn’t try to compare ourselves with others because it really doesn’t matter.  What really matters is how far you’ve come as an athlete and person. Don’t get me wrong I’m guilty of sometimes comparing myself to other ‘fast’ athletes.  These ‘fast’ athletes do give me inspiration and motivation to become better.  However, my measuring stick for success is the progress I’ve made over the past 16 years.

The post Life Lessons from Running and Triathlons appeared first on Team Athletic Mentors.

By Kaitlyn Patterson, Team Athletic Mentors Cyclist

An off-season has been a foreign concept for me for the past several years. The rollerskis (or real skis) would come out just after Iceman and ski race season would be in full force as soon after. And by the time the last xc ski race was over in March, it was already cycling season. I’m still not sure how I managed to avoid getting totally burnt out pulling this off several consecutive years, but I am very thankful for my string of healthy seasons. But with the move to Ann Arbor and school demands, I can manage being a cyclist but not a skier. And after a fall of balancing the first semester of medical school with mountain bike racing and then the Zwift Academy competition, I was pretty toasted and ready for a break.

I took some time totally off the bike and got in some skiing in December before the big January thaw. I didn’t do anything structured or hard, nor did I want to.  I did have a few things I wanted to accomplish off the bike. My first goal was to put myself back together so I could do real runs. I injured my IT band at the GR Tri in 2015 and haven’t been able to tolerate much running since. It didn’t bother me on the bike so I admittedly put it on the backburner and just didn’t run. It didn’t get worse but also didn’t get better. Some concentrated rehab on my hip flexor flexibility and abductor strength the past few months has been very successful and I’ve been able to build up to 6-8 miles every other day.

It feels great to be running again and pretty nostalgic since I’m back in Ann Arbor.  I’ve been running variations on the same well-traveled routes from my collegiate running career, albeit not quite as

Flashbacks of my previous life

fast or not quite as long. It has definitely helped to fill the void of not being able to ski or ride outside much.

I’ve also spent more committed time in the weight room since strength is definitely my weakness. I am slow twitch through and through. I’ve historically not been a fan of lifting because I haven’t seen it translate to improvements but I also haven’t previously committed enough to see results. This time is more enjoyable and it helps that I have a readily accessible gym and it has helped me get back running already. I think strength training can be a hard thing for a lot of cyclists and multisport athletes to commit to, but it really does translate to being more injury resistant and keeping control and form on the bike.

The remainder of my training time is spent on Zwift. I actually don’t mind the trainer and my cold tolerance for riding outside is pretty wimpy.  The trainer also has the added benefit of allowing me to listen to lectures and material while I ride.

I definitely miss cross country ski racing and the ski community but it has been nice to have some time to not have to be on top of my game all the time.  Sometimes a reset button is necessary and even enjoyable. And by the time spring rolls around, I’m going to be itching to race!

The post Pressing the Reset Button appeared first on Team Athletic Mentors.

By Kaitlyn Patterson, Team Athletic Mentors Cyclist

An off-season has been a foreign concept for me for the past several years. The rollerskis (or real skis) would come out just after Iceman and ski race season would be in full force as soon after. And by the time the last xc ski race was over in March, it was already cycling season. I’m still not sure how I managed to avoid getting totally burnt out pulling this off several consecutive years, but I am very thankful for my string of healthy seasons. But with the move to Ann Arbor and school demands, I can manage being a cyclist but not a skier. And after a fall of balancing the first semester of medical school with mountain bike racing and then the Zwift Academy competition, I was pretty toasted and ready for a break.

I took some time totally off the bike and got in some skiing in December before the big January thaw. I didn’t do anything structured or hard, nor did I want to.  I did have a few things I wanted to accomplish off the bike. My first goal was to put myself back together so I could do real runs. I injured my IT band at the GR Tri in 2015 and haven’t been able to tolerate much running since. It didn’t bother me on the bike so I admittedly put it on the backburner and just didn’t run. It didn’t get worse but also didn’t get better. Some concentrated rehab on my hip flexor flexibility and abductor strength the past few months has been very successful and I’ve been able to build up to 6-8 miles every other day.

It feels great to be running again and pretty nostalgic since I’m back in Ann Arbor.  I’ve been running variations on the same well-traveled routes from my collegiate running career, albeit not quite as

Flashbacks of my previous life

fast or not quite as long. It has definitely helped to fill the void of not being able to ski or ride outside much.

I’ve also spent more committed time in the weight room since strength is definitely my weakness. I am slow twitch through and through. I’ve historically not been a fan of lifting because I haven’t seen it translate to improvements but I also haven’t previously committed enough to see results. This time is more enjoyable and it helps that I have a readily accessible gym and it has helped me get back running already. I think strength training can be a hard thing for a lot of cyclists and multisport athletes to commit to, but it really does translate to being more injury resistant and keeping control and form on the bike.

The remainder of my training time is spent on Zwift. I actually don’t mind the trainer and my cold tolerance for riding outside is pretty wimpy.  The trainer also has the added benefit of allowing me to listen to lectures and material while I ride.

I definitely miss cross country ski racing and the ski community but it has been nice to have some time to not have to be on top of my game all the time.  Sometimes a reset button is necessary and even enjoyable. And by the time spring rolls around, I’m going to be itching to race!

The post Pressing the Reset Button appeared first on Team Athletic Mentors.

–By Raquel Torres, Triathlete

Making the decisión to race

Since I did not participate in many events in 2016, I  was hungry to keep finding race to challenge me. After my last event in Africa in December, I spent some time thinking about my 2017 goals. There is the commitment to make decisions about what races to sign up for, to work for me and for my sponsors.  But this is difficult living in Michigan, where the winter is very cold and long and there are not many events. I did a few half marathons with very good results achieving my goals. This and the other reasons motivated me to look for a new objective early in 2017.

PRO or Age Group category?

I decided to try this whole year as a Pro in the Ironman races, to challenge and to try the Professional category. My coach Mark Olson always says to me “In the Age Group category you would be first.” Although I was scared, the opportunity to register as age group had passed so I signed up as a Pro for the 70.3 in Dubai as it was economically feasible. Even considering the obstacles of the distance, the long trip and going alone, but I felt that it would be worth it as I felt the need to compete.

Training Now for 70.3

In terms of the training, comparing the sprint distance (750 meters swim, 20k draft legal bike and 5k run to a 70.3 Half Ironman (1900 meters swim, 90k bike and 21k run) it’s a big step. I did not have a lot of time, but the desire was larger than that. The first step was to connect with my coach Mark, about the goal and to start to work. We started to work, designed the plan, with the objective to race on 27 January so we had 4 weeks. I was very motivated and focused to work harder than ever with lots of emphasis in the details. My attitude was more positive than ever every day. The hard winter in Michigan was spent with days like Christmas and New Year’s Day training like any other day…

I was running outside most of the time with very low temperatures and during a strong snowstorm I made the mistake to run a very long session on the treadmill. The change of surface brought on a minor injury. I was careful and stopped running until I was able to get an appointment with the doctor about 10 days later, after 10 therapy sessions and about 22 days without running, the doctors ordered x-rays and other tests and told me that with rehab and all things normal I could complete the event. I already had the plane ticket and the hotel was reserved, the event registration was done and the hard work and emotion for the long training was done.

One of the advantages of triathlon is that you have options; there are no excuses not to work. I decided to be more positive than ever even with many obstacles. I was psyched up, focused and at the same time a bit scared for the long flights and to try this new distance with these obstacles, I have to admit that some days I thought I was nuts.

The event was getting closer and I was training harder on the bike, swimming and rehab, weight training and nutrition, the things I could control. Aside from the more than 1001 things as a mother and coach. The day was approaching, my foot still hurt, but with my faith first I concentrated on the details and put aside what was not in my control.

Pack, prepare the trip logistics, leave everything in order at home for my daughter, everything methodically and with great attitude enjoying the process and the adventure. Giving 100% with a good attitude.

Race Lead-Up

I have learned that its good during trips to take with me as much food as possible for at least two days. For this trip, I brought my protein, spinach, basic supplements for my shakes, my bread. Some snacks, dehydrated fruits etc. I found a very good deal on a apartment style hotel where I could cook, as it was more affordable, comfortable and I could maintain my nutrition as close to the same as at home.

Arrival day: Set up the bike; go to the supermarket, attention to nutrition. Some mechanical problems, I was able to find a bike shop, where could I ride, where to swim, where to run? Details…

I had to figure out where to ride legally (its not permitted to ride in certain roads), sometimes I felt bad as I was not resting enough and I started to have invasive thoughts but I kept positive and able to focus on what was under my control.

3 Days before race:  I was to run 15 at race pace and my foot was really hurting so I thought My God would I be able to complete the race? I felt horrible, tired, lethargic and with lots of pain. But I focused in God and to keep a positive attitude and my nutrition.

 Race day!

Swim: I started slow, a small group formed, I had an easy pace and it was a really easy swim, some waves. I was able to keep the same pace throughout the swim race.

Bike: On the bike was my plan to keep up with hydration and nutrition, which I was able to do well. I had worked on the watts with coach mark to keep them at ab average of 210 watts and I was able to hold that pace without problems. I was breaking the race in micro-moments, thinking about the now and here.

Run: The initial plan was to keep a pace of 4:20 min/km keeping up with hydration I was concerned to have pain in my foot and it bothered me for the first 5 km only, someone ran in front of me and I fell down but quickly got up and kept running. I cut myself a bit and the first aid people came right away to assist me and I told them I was ok. I had my pace and at 10 km I remembered that I had forgotten to wear my socks! Right then, I had some blisters but I just said “Raquel, excuses are thousands do the best you can!”

I admit that I cried with happiness when I crossed that finish line. Just because I was able to complete it, as only God and I know how many obstacles we had to endure. The satisfaction to know that I did my best is priceless. I was able to complete in 4:32 finishing 16^th overall in the Pro category. It is an honor for me to represent my flag at the highest level of international triathlons in the long distance. I believe that we all should challenge ourselves in any area we want to grow, and if we have the passion it’s a lot more fun to challenge ourselves, always having fun and with a positive mind.

The post Dubai IRONMAN 70.3 2017 appeared first on Team Athletic Mentors.

–By Alex Vanias, Nordic Skier and Cyclist

I moved to Ann Arbor around the beginning of August. It isn’t the most optimal place to be a cross country skier, but I’m making it work. It took me about a month to find some convenient roads and trails to roller ski, but unfortunately after the time change in the fall I would get kicked out of said parks at sunset. Apparently downstaters are scared of the dark… Ok, I’ll go play with the cars. So much safer! It took me a few more weeks in November to find new roads with minimal traffic. I ended up finding some great suburbs with minimal traffic and nice pavement. The only annoying part about suburbs is that between 5-8pm after work, everywhere I go smells like dinner and it absolutely kills me when I’m starving a couple hours into a workout.

A quick side story; When I was searching for roller ski training spots, I came across the short track speed skating club in Ann Arbor and absolutely needed to try it out! I actually competed in a short track race in Midland before ski season. In the image below, I’m the guy in fluorescent green. I’m actually very bad at short track. It is very much a technique sport, and my VO2 helped me very minimally. It may or may not have made my skate skiing more efficient, though!

I knew ski training would be a struggle, so in October I was lucky to find a used Ski Erg. This device has transformed my training and is currently saving my season. It allows me to work my weakness even when the trails are bare, and the roads are icy. It also allows me to train with power. I have done a couple 20min power tests so far with lots of improvement. The picture below is worth a thousand words.

In December we got dumped on with snow and all the local trails were groomed and amazing. The Michigan Cup racing kicked off and I won a couple of the season openers. It was great to get that early season lung burn over with! That great snow only lasted 2-3 weeks before a series of unfortunate warmups.

Where did all the snow go?

Classic boot with full carbon sole offers superb control of the skis while remaining lightweight!

I was on the fence about going up to SISU Ski Fest the first weekend in January, but not having been on great snow in a couple weeks lead me to sign up for the race a few days before it started. The forecast for the race was a frigid -5F to 0F. It’s tough to go from 50F training all the way down to that, but I have awesome cold skis so I couldn’t turn it down. The drive to Ironwood is about 10hrs in one directions, and of course there were blizzards to drive through. On the way up I stopped my Northbound Outfitters for some wax and Fischer’s new Speedmax Classic boots (These boots are really worth the upgrade!).

The weather for SISU was looking straight forward all week- frigid cold. I planned on using my coldest, softest ski with TB1x grind no matter what. My TG1-1 grind on a stiff ski just happened to be testing the same as my TB1x at the start area. I knew using the TG1-1 was a liability, especially since it was starting to snow, but 10min before the race start I grabbed the risky ski hoping that the snow was packed and the snow would stop. The forecast didn’t call for snow until the afternoon so it was worth a shot.

ski testing at -5F

All was going fantastic and I was calm and relaxed following in the draft while I watched Matt Liebsch start opening a gap. I thought “no problem, I’ll let him do some work and then bridge up to him.” I finally got around and opened up a gap on the hills. I felt great- possibly better than last year. Then the snow started getting deep, up to 2-3” in spots. My skis suddenly felt terrible. I know everybody’s skis slowed waaay down, and I’m sure others made a mistake picking skis as well, it’s just that some skis are less slow than others in this situation.  Turns out the skis I planned on using all week would have been the way to go. Lesson learned.

Matt got out of sight, and Joel bridged up and eventually dropped me. I couldn’t drink because my face was frozen. I was on the struggle bus, big time! I was actually doing V1 technique on the flats. V1 is a  technique usually reserved for going uphill but that’s how slow the conditions became. In the last few kilometers I saw Cory coming up behind me. At this point the wind and snow was so bad I couldn’t see the trail in front of me. My eyeballs were so cold and I would try to ski short distances with my eyes closed to warm them up. My left eyelid wasn’t even closing all the way! In the end, I held off Cory for 3rd place. It was a good, tough race. That’s what I drove 20hrs for. There is so much to learn with ski racing which is why you don’t see many young guys at the top of races. Experience and equipment tends to trump everything in difficult snow conditions.

Limiting my losses at SISU

Unfortunately the weather is still not cooperating in Ann Arbor to do much on-snow skiing so I’ll have to continue my mix of using the Ski Erg, riding the trainer and running. Training for ski season this year has made me feel more like a fitness enthusiast than a skier!   I’m looking forward to getting some more racing in and my next big test is the Noquemanon Ski Marathon in Marquette the last weekend in January!

The post Making It Work appeared first on Team Athletic Mentors.

TRIATHLON 101 PART A - Great for beginner triathletes!

January 21, 2017  at 9 am

For athletes new to the sport or considering getting into triathlon. We will discuss equipment, training and racing tips, nutrition, transitions and USA Triathlon rules.

SWIM – TECHNIQUE & TRAINING

January 21, 2017 at 10:30 am

Open to all levels, but geared toward athletes looking to step beyond beginner. We will cover swim stroke technique discussions and training recommendations.

TRIATHLON 101 PART B

February 11, 2017 at 9 am

Open to all levels, but geared toward athletes who would like to learn how to train more efficiently and productively.  Topics include how to train with heart rate zones, proper taper for your event, improving your metabolic efficiency, strength training and much more.  This is a must attend for any triathlete with a goal to improve their performance this year.

NUTRITION FOR TRI

February 11, 2017 at 10:30 am

Learn a nutrition strategy that will reduce your risk of bonking or GI distress during your event.  Appropriate for all levels but key to success for longer distance triathletes. This strategy will not only improve performance but also general health.

The post Free Athletic Mentors Triathlon Clinics! appeared first on Team Athletic Mentors.

–By Elaine Sheikh, Team Athletic Mentors Triathlete

I’ve talked to a lot of people lately about their triathlon training.  And let’s face it, it isn’t super easy for people who have “real jobs,” families, and other commitments in their lives to get in the necessary training for three disciplines while balancing rest and recovery, as well as healthy fueling.  The word I hear thrown around constantly is “balance.”  How do we find a healthy balance of career, family, and sport?

Balance is a concept that tends to mystify me.  Sure, in day-to-day life, it is important. However, I firmly believe that greatness is achieved by being temporarily thrown out of balance.  Look at the Iron Cowboy, James Lawrence.  Last year, he completed 50 iron distance triathlons in 50 states in 50 days.  Was he living a life of balance?  Absolutely not.  However, there is no way he could have achieved something so extraordinary while living a balanced life.  Collin O’Brady, a former professional triathlete, just shattered the Explorer’s Grand Slam and also set a new world record for the seven summits.  Was his life balanced during this feat?  Absolutely not.  What am I trying to get at here?  Well, not all of us are in a position where we can take 50-100 days to go do something amazing.  However, what can we do?  Stop shaming ourselves for living a life that is not perfectly balanced.  That might training for an Ironman while working a full time job, being a dedicated parent, etc.  It might be not training enough while throwing 90 hours a week into a professional career to chase another dream.  No matter what your version of greatness is, it may be necessary to eschew balance for a period of time in order to achieve your goals.

So, my encouragement to you is to stop seeking greatness in “balance.””  Instead, try to explore your boundaries.  Get comfortable with being uncomfortable.  Learn how to live temporarily imbalanced lives to seek the greatness you dreamed of, and then rebound from that imbalance.  Greatness is earned, not deserved.

The post Finding Balance appeared first on Team Athletic Mentors.

–By Raquel Torres, Team Athletic Mentors Triathlete

In September I made my second attempt at the 70.3 distance in Georgia at the Augusta 70.3.  In my first half at Racine, the swim was canceled due to weather and they made it into a duathlon. Despite the different race format, I learned from this and spent a few days after the event to focus on several aspects to improve.

Months of many changes in my personal life, I started paying attention to my thoughts, making self-assessments that focused me on cultivating new mental habits in order to achieve a more positive attitude. I focused on what I have control over- working on the details, focusing on the present and most of all enjoying life in general since being happy should be a basic ingredient for any goal.

Triathlon, triathlon training, triathlon racing is a sport with both physical and mental requirements, so it is vital to have a balanced life to see satisfactory results regardless of your competition level.

For this second attempt at the IM 70.3 I didn’t think my head was in the right place, but some angels advised me to do it! I eventually figured let’s try it, I can go with my daughter as we can drive there, I would be with company and it could be an adventure and not be so expensive.

We drove from Michigan to Georgia about 10 hours, we arrived at about 3:45 am to the hotel.  After some rest the next day was the briefing and I swam a little. I remember thinking “Raquel do not place high expectations,” but I honestly I made a mental plan for the race, knowing I had some details to adjust such as using my powermeter, which my Coach Mark Olson had been wanting me to use for months and months. Power is widely used to better manage energy during the bike is a great important part of this distance and it makes the difference in race pacing.

I got my period the night before, I have such good aim!, but I thought “Rachel you have done well and others do succeed” Excuses can be in the thousands, FOCUS! It did not have good nutrition the day before which has been happening to me and I’m working with new ways, as I have heard and read that the fourth discipline of long distance triathlon is the nutrition.

Dinner and lunch the day before the race did not taste good, but I thought it would be ok since I have enough glycogen. But this turned out to be another one of my mistakes.

A bed at about 10:00 PM I slept really well and at 4:00 am the alarm sounded. I took my protein as usual, and a slice of bread. Its my eternal struggle to be able to eat something so early in the morning.

At the transition, I remember to take me some gummies minutes before departure and my stomach began to hurt. I thought it was nerves, but really I was not nervous.
I said to myself,  “Raquel warm up, and forget about the whining.”
I did not get in the water to warm up as I was afraid to get cold and the start was a water start.
Soon enough it was, “on your mark…” “beeeeeee”

• Swim
My strategy was not to go too fast, because I tend to sprint in the water, so I checked myself and stayed at a very comfortable pace. I found two other fast swimmers and I just stayed on their feet even though I could tell that I was going slower than my capacity, but I chose to stay there. It was a very comfortable pace for me and we quickly reached the last buoy and I removed my goggles to see the end. I asked the guard where was the exit was because ​​I did not want to be disqualified even if I lost a few seconds there, I came out 6th out of the water, very fresh.  So far so good ….

• Bike
As soon as I got on the bike  my strategy was to stay focused on nutrition, hydration and have a good mental state.  Therefore, I had no plan for watts or speed. I had stomach problems right away since taking the first gel. I said, “Raquel these are the things you have to overcome.” I kept going, but did not want to eat or drink. At first we were 8 riders together one passing the other, again and again, it was for me uncomfortable because they even gave me a yellow card without justification,  as she passed me and then slowed down.
Although I definitely could not feed well the last 20 kms I did recover and my body warmed up a bit.

• Run
When I started I felt super good, light legs, fresh mind and a lot of motivation, the course was beautiful through the city of Augusta. A lot of encouragement, lots of spectators and it was warm, but not stifling. I drank plenty of water at the beginning, of course I did not hydrate well on the bike. So I started getting upset and I felt very weak, I started to slow the rate at 5 kilometers, and by 8 km my legs were heavy, I had no energy and my stomach hurt. I sat one minute, people told me to go, I ran, and stood and said “Raquel finish it, even you have to jog” … and continued … 3 km more, then again walked and then I stopped. “Sniff sniff.” I thought that this was nonsense. I did not come to end an event- I came to do the best I can! Then I saw a water station that was what I wanted and poured myself a Coke and fell to the floor.

In retrospect, I think I can draw many positives of this learning experience, I’m doing a very challenging sport in the physical, spiritual, mental, family, economic aspects and more. Training and racing. I know what are the challenging areas in my life to this sport, and what are the areas where I can make adjustments and changes for better results.
Th distance change to 70.3 shows much room for improvement. Sometimes mistakes can be called excuses, but these “excuses” or negative part of the experiences are potentials for improvement. I think there’s always a new day to start, improve, become a better person, human being and in my case also an athlete.

Always whatever the result: turn the pages to the left, reflect, seek learning, correct and move forward!

“The best way out is always through.”
Robert Frost

The post Making the Leap from Olympic to Half-Ironman appeared first on Team Athletic Mentors.

–By Jeff Nordquist, Team Athletic Mentors Multi-Sport Athlete

Seems like every year we learn lessons from our season of racing, this year was no exception. I had few highlights and plenty of mistakes. Yet, there is always a lesson to be told from every experience, here are some of mine.

1. Under-training for long races. This year’s event was real long, The 2016 Bayshore Marathon, which happened to be my first 26.2 race.  I had a slow start to spring training and decided to train my way through the race, no biggie, I’ve raced like this before. The only issue is covering such a large distance with a body that hasn’t been tested. I finished 10 minutes off my goal and crossed the line in 2:40. The real disappointment was the months to follow, developing a stress reaction in my foot, which brought my triathlon season to a halt.

My advice: Don’t train your way through a marathon.

2. Racing with one brake on a mountain bike.  I had a less than eventful crash this past summer. I lost momentum on a steep hill and fell over, pathetic, I know. The majority of my back brake lever snapped off. After finishing my ride, I quickly believed a rear brake was expendable. Bad choice.  Racing cyclecross a few weeks later, I found myself a bit too fast on a sweeping downhill with no back brake, you can paint the picture from here.

My advice: Don’t undermine your back brake’s significance.

3. Road tires are not meant for grass. I had a great experience with my first crit race. Plenty of prep, I had game plan, and most importantly I felt confident.  The only issue was being on the wrong side of the last turn. Sitting a few lengths behind the leader, the odds were in my favor, until that back tire ahead of me decided to force me closer to the outside edge of the road, before I realize, my 23mm wide tires hit soft grass, and that was quite the maneuver to watch at 28mph. More than likely I had room to stay on pavement, but my reaction was too much costing me a chance at the win.

My advice: Go for the gold, not the grass.

I always reflect on the season and make adjustments based of past experiences, I’m excited to see what 2017 has for me, and hopefully next time around I have fewer mistakes to talk about.

The post 3 Big Lessons I Learned this Season appeared first on Team Athletic Mentors.