MultiSport Canada Triathlon Series

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MSC Triathlon Series Newsletter - February 2010

Gung Hay Fat Choy!

With February there may not be a ton of races but it sure is a busy month. There is Family Day, Valentine's Day, Black History Month, Reading Week for our University students, and of course we wish a Happy New Year to all of our Chinese racers! It officially takes place on February 14th and it is the Year of the Tiger - don't expect any golfer jokes from this writer. Regardless, it is time get out of winter hibernation and start training - especially if the Welland Half Irondistance is on your list of races to do.

Our upcoming race schedule is full of events for everyone, and with lots of cool and exciting features. In this issue we will look at some of those features that make the MultiSport Canada Series unique, our Book of the Month, and of course interesting articles from our coaches and sponsors. Many thanks to all of you who attended the Training for Solidarity event that helped raise over $80,000 for Haiti.

Safe and happy training,

Roger Hospedales
MultiSport Canada Triathlon Series Newsletter Editor & Podcast Producer

Series News

Registration Now Open

Our series is the fastest growing in Canada, so expect more races to be sold out this year. Register today so that you are not disappointed. The Registration page is under the Events tab on the Series website.

We continually have the friendliest group of racers. This makes for a series that has a close knit family-like atmosphere. And if you needed more of a reason to race with us, check out these photos (thanks to Mike Cheliak for the images) which further point to why our events are cool and unique.

Welland

Swim in the calm water of the Welland Recreational Waterway (time trial start for Saturday's races), and and run on the paths alongside that same Waterway. New for this year is the Half Iron Distance. Come and get your PB on this fast course.

Gravenhurst

Where else can you start your race by jumping off the historic Muskoka Steamships? A unique experience for sure. Get your Alcatraz experience with us.

Bracebridge

Your support crew will enjoy the spectator friendly river swim, and you will appreciate the challenging bike and run course.

Toronto Island

Enjoy the ferry over to Toronto Island and soak in the backdrop of the city. The water is crisp, clean and clear too. Bring the family and make it a day visit.

Wasaga

We returned the finish line to Beach Drive in 2009. You will love the amped up atmosphere with more spectators to cheer you into the finish.

Triple Race Challenge Revised

The idea behind the Triple Race Challenge was to add a new challenge and some fun to the series for athletes who like longer distance races. After receiving feedback from a few coaches and athletes, we believe that it may be too difficult for many athletes to race in two Half Iron events that are only six weeks apart, therefore we have decided to change the qualifying races.

Athletes will now need to complete the Welland Half Iron Distance Triathlon, the Cobourg Olympic Distance Triathlon and the Wasaga Beach Olympic Distance Triathlon to qualify for prizes in the Triple Race Challenge. The Bracebridge Half Iron Triathlon will NOT be a qualifying race in the Triple Race Challenge.

Prizes will be awarded for cumulative time for the three (3) races. There will be five (5) prize categories open to ALL athletes, age group or pro.

The first prize category will be for the top three female and male athletes fastest overall total finishing time. Prize money will be awarded to the top three males and females whether age group or pro as follows: 1st place $1,000, 2nd place $500, 3rd place $250

The second prize category will be for Fastest Total Swim Time

The third prize category will be for the Fastest Total Bike Time

The fourth prize category will be for Fastest Total Run Time

The fifth prize category will be for Fastest Total Transition Time

The reason for the five prize categories is that we are trying to make this challenge as inclusive as possible. While you might not be in contention for the fastest overall those with a strong swim, bike, run or transition will also get to be part of the fun.

Full details of the prize breakdown for the fastest swim, bike, run and transition will be announced in the near future.

Volunteer Help for 2010

Events like ours cannot happen without volunteer support and we are already looking for volunteers to help at our 2010 events. Why volunteer? It is fun, you can give back to the sport and your fellow competitiors, and we offer some other great incentives. We offer: donations to support community groups or sports teams that volunteer at our events, High School (and Grade 8 Grads) can earn volunteer hours toward their required 40 hrs, FREE racing for young (high school and university) athletes in exchange for volunteering, entry discounts to racers who help recruit volunteers. Helping us recruit volunteers in your local community does not preclude you racing at your local triathlon. If you think you could recruit 8 - 10+ volunteers for your local triathlon, or would like to volunteer, drop us an email at volunteers@multisportcanada.com and let us know.

Discount Club at Gears

Take advantage of the special prices available to MultiSport Canada customers. It is easy to get your discount. When you go to the store ask for Kevin Wallace or Ira Kargel and they will make sure you get the discount applicable with the product you are buying. There is the current end of the season Tri Bike sale with up to 40% off, along with 15% off accessories, and 10% off all shoes. Discount Club details.

 

MultiSport Canada Running Series

Secure Your Spot Today!

Registration for the Island Girl Running Series is now OPEN!

Join us for Island Style racing with the Island Girl Toronto 10K, Island Girl Toronto Half Marathon & 5K and Island Girls and Guys Wasaga Beach. Truly unique running events that take you away from the city to the island and beaches - without getting on an airplane.

Register today and get ready to lace up your sandals!

 

The Simcoe Shores is a 240km running team relay that starts in Barrie and travels through Orillia, Midland, Wasaga Beach with a finish in Collingwood. Entry is for teams from 5 to 8 members. This is a four-stage race thattravels from Barrie to Collingwood.

The first event description PDF is now available to download. Register today here.

Please visit www.runmsc.com often for updates from the Island Girl coconut telegraph and for Simcoe Shores news.

Sun-Rype TRi KiDS Triathlon Series

Register Today

With a few sold out events last year, you can expect there to be the same situation for 2010. It is never too early to register. Mark these dates in your calender and click here to register.

Sunday June 13 - Newmarket

Sunday June 27 - Burlington

Sunday July 11 - Oakville

Saturday August 7 - Bracebridge

Saturday September 18 - Milton

Check out our new Website. We look forward to seeing you again this year and a fun filled summer of TRi KiDS events.

Tara Melville and Brad Melville

Series Founders and Directors

Run Well Events

905-582-4633

racedirectors@runwellevents.com

Book of the Month

Cycling Anatomy

By Shannon Sovndal

 

Developed back muscles prevent cycling injuries

The importance of a strong and fit back cannot be overemphasized. The back and spine provide the foundation for almost every activity performed, and cycling is no exception. Unfortunately, back problems are a frequent complaint of cyclists. Because of the bent-over position on a bike, back muscles are constantly engaged. This stress can wreak havoc on the body if it isn’t conditioned and trained to withstand the ongoing effort.

In addition to withstanding the strain of the cyclists’ position, the back must also provide a solid base that enables a cyclist to generate power during their pedal stroke. Back muscles stabilize the spine and pelvis, allowing the legs to generate maximal power.

The best strategy for a healthy back is to proactively condition the body to avoid any problems before they arise. Take time to build strength in the back-this will pay dividends in the long run.

 

Stability Ball Extension

Execution

1. Lie with the lower abdomen draped over a stability ball.
2. Keeping one foot on the floor, arch the back while raising and extending the arm and opposite leg. The elbow and knee should be straight (extended).
3. Slowly lower the arm and leg. Curl the body around the stability ball.
4. Repeat the exercise using your other arm and leg.

 

 

Muscles Involved
Primary: Erector spinae
Secondary: Splenius capitis, gluteus maximus, deltoid

Cycling Focus

The erector spinae muscles must withstand enduring workloads when riding a bike. For the majority of rides, these muscles will maintain a forward leaning posture. If the back becomes sore or fatigued, the erector spinae muscles are usually the culprit. The stability ball extension is particularly effective because it provides full range of motion at maximal extension. This will counter the hours spent with the back arched forward on the bike. Added weights are not needed to make this workout effective. Remember that stretching and moving muscles through their complete range of motion will help get the most out of muscle fibers.

Copyright © 2010  by Human Kinetics Publishers, Inc. Excerpted by permission of Human Kinetics, Champaign, IL. Available to order from Human Kinetics Canada at www.humankinetics.com  or by calling 1-800-465-7301

Regular Price: $24.95 (Canadian dollars)

Special Multisport price = $18.71

Regular Price ebook: $23.95

Special Multisport price = $17.96

Order online today and save 25%!  Use Promo Code X787 when ordering

(offer valid until March 1, 2010  on Canadian orders only; not combinable with any other offers)

Camps, Clinics & Special Events/Announcements

GEARS - 24 Hour Spin

The largest spin class in town! Non-stop music and kickin’ entertainment live on stage, jumbo-sized multi-media screens amidst a peloton of bikes powered by adrenalin. Get your team together for a day and night, that you will never forget.

For the past decade, the 24hr Spin has operated in Mississauga raising millions on behalf of cancer treatment. Marking its 10th anniversary, the event is moving to Toronto's Exhibition Place to coincide with the Toronto Bike Show. When you’re finished walking around the show, come over and RIDE.

With your team registration, you will be assigned a stationary bike. It’s up to you to recruit and schedule team members to keep the pedals turning for 24 hours. You might have 24 people riding an hour each, 6 people doing 4 hours, or for the ultimate challenge, riding the full 24hrs solo!

However you split the time, you’ll be energized and inspired, entertained and challenged. Raise money, have fun and improve a life. All in 24 hours. Sign up today!

Preparing the Trail 2010

Using the Power of Athletics to Drive Environmental Sustainability

Comprised of a community of environmentally active athletes and supporters, Preparing the Trail 2010 is running a national tree planting program to represent a symbol of loyalty to our natural playgrounds. Our goal is to draw attention to key environmental topics, and to raise money for our Canadian Olympic athletes.

How Does It Work? Through our program in 2010, athletes and community supporters will come together to plant thousands of trees across the country, in an active movement to engage the public in a progression towards a physically and environmentally sustainable lifestyle.

The majority of the trees will be planted by volunteer athletes at popular outdoor racing events such as the MultiSport Canada Triathlon Series. The remaining portion of the trees will be planted through schools in an effort to drive the educational value of the program.

Utilizing a combination of GPS and Google map technology, every tree planted is documented and made eligible for the Preparing The Trail 2010 Online Tree Adoption program. Once adopted, the tree is uploaded to a Google map found on the website, allowing the adopter to virtually watch it grow throughout its lifetime.

The trees can be adopted on the Preparing the Trail 2010 website for $10 each, where proceeds are distributed as such: 50% towards Athletic Charities, 25% towards Trees Ontario's 50 Million Tree Initiative and various other environmental programs, and the remaining 25% goes towards getting the next tree in the ground.

This tree planting program serves as a symbol of these racers’ willingness to take a moment from the competition of everyday life, take a breath of fresh air, and take the time to give something back to mother earth. After all, it is our terrain and climate diversity that puts Canada among the greatest outdoor athletic facilities in the world.

Preparing the Trail initiated a pilot of the program with a journey to the beautiful West Coast of Canada this past summer, 2009. Two hundred and twenty five trees were planted between Toronto, ON and Tofino, BC by “The Bonsai Movement Team”, a group of environmentally conscious athletes from Toronto, ON, while competing in the BC Bike Race on behalf of the Preparing the Trail 2010 program.

Preparing the Trail 2010 has since collaborated with other like-minded organizations, including a key partnership with Trees Ontario, a not-for-profit organization committed to the re-greening of Ontario through tree planting efforts on rural lands and in urban areas.

About Preparing the Trail

Our community was created by three passionate and motivated entrepreneurs dedicated to making exercise fun and productive, anywhere, anytime, for anyone, in the most sustainable way possible. Our mission - To execute programs that attract community members to outdoor sporting events and tree planting initiatives by bringing technology, athletics, and the environment together in unique and engaging ways.

For more information please visit www.preparingthetrail2010.com or feel free to contact Mike anytime.

Power at MultiSport Zone

Ryan Power and MultiSport Zone

MuliSport Zone is pleased to announce their first sponsored elite athlete Ryan Power. Twenty one year old Ryan is presently completing his HBA at the University of Western Ontario in History. Upon graduation he has his sights on completing a Masters Degree in Sport History.

Earlier this month, February 2^nd to be exact, Ryan received his Elite Triathlete status and is now able to race as a professional. His key races include the 2010 Kelowna ITU Triathlon Pan American Premium Cup, the St. Croix 70.3 and the Muskoka 70.3. Ryan will be filling his races in between with Multisport Canada events exclusively including Woodstock, Binbrook and Cobourg.

Ryan communicates some of his training philosophy in the following article:

Tips for a Successful “A” Race: Racing Smart and Mental Preparation, by Ryan Power

Triathletes seek to achieve one goal above all else on race day. Personal bests, winning your age group, or getting that coveted spot to World Championships are the perks of the sport and rewards for exceptional performances, but they don’t happen every race and they certainly don’t just happen. The true gauge of success for triathletes is pushing yourself to the limit and putting forth your best performance on any given day. That’s what makes triathlon such a unique and gratifying sport - the intrinsic reward of finishing strong and leaving it all on the course. There are two equally important and seemingly contradictory aspects of achieving that personal success on race day: racing within your physical limits and setting realistic goals given your training, and learning how to really push to that limit through mental training.

Smart and Consistent Training

Great performances have nothing to due with luck or simply having a good race. While there are factors that can certainly influence the outcome of a race in a negative way – a flat tire or poor race day nutrition – good results are always attributed entirely to smart and consistent training. That is the one constant of the always-unpredictable sport of triathlon. We all remember a few key workouts through the year that stay in our mind and give us strength on race day, but no single training session will result in a better race. Each workout is one small piece of the puzzle, and only through consistency will you shape the bigger picture.

Set Realistic Goals

Anyone who has been in the sport long enough has been disappointed by expecting too much of themselves, rather than considering their training and setting realistic goals accordingly. The unfortunate truth is you are only going to be as fast as your training has allowed, so try not to fall into the trap of basing your race goals on your ego or your fancy new equipment. If life’s demands have only allowed you to swim twice per week, don’t line up front and centre at the race start and expect to lead out the swim.  However if your cycling training has gone well leading up to the race, don’t be afraid to make a move early and see how fast you really are.

Get Out There and Hurt

So how do you get the most out of your physical preparation over the past weeks and months? The only way to learn how to push yourself to the limit of your physical training is by getting out there and hurting, and training your mind to handle physical pain just as you train your body to increase fitness. Often what separates the pros is a mental ability to tolerate “red zone” efforts, and not being afraid to punish themselves by going there. By far the best mental training comes in early season triathlons and road races. You can get a benchmark of your training progress and physical fitness, and what better way is there to push yourself than to have a little friendly competition?

Practice Racing Before Your ‘A’ Race

If your racing schedule allows, try to fit in two or three local races before your “A” race. Work them into your training without tapering to learn how to race tired and in turn push those mental boundaries. If “training races” are not an option, talk to your coach and try going out hard early in a workout to learn how to get through the session tired. Long intervals at race pace are also a great way to acquaint yourself both physically and mentally with the demands of that key event on the horizon. And don’t underestimate the power of company in training, you may find yourself more willing to challenge yourself and your training buddies in a competitive group atmosphere. Learning how to push your mental limits, and setting sensible priorities and goals with a good coach will set you up for a successful “A” race this season.

You can read more from Ryan on his blog.

Make sure to take advantage of MultiSport Zone's Winter Sale. All winter clothing is now 50% off! Running tights, jackets, base layer tops and bottoms, gloves, mitts, hats, and more.

TRX training continues to grow at MultiSport Zone. Weekly sessions occur on Wednesdays from 5:45pm to 6:15pm, and Fridays from 5:15pm to 5:45pm. 

Our 2010 bike line-up - Argon 18, Felt, Kuota, and Scott. Models from each brand is now on the floor. Come in for a test ride Click on the MultiSport Zone logo to the left for more information.

Healthy Results June Training Camp

 

Registration for HR’s Famous June 4th - 6th Training Camp (8^th year) this year in the Hockley Valley is now open. Everyone is welcome but there are limited spots.

Resister today!

 

Training Articles

Swim Faster Now

Do you find yourself out of breath when you swim? Would you like to swim easier and take more air in when you breathe? If this sounds like you, then we have a solution.

Over the years, we have found that learning the art of proper breathing is often overlooked. When we teach swimmers our methods of how to improve breathing, the feedback is amazing. Swimmers are finding they are less stressed out and as a result they feel more energetic and relaxed when they swim.

Last year we ran a clinic for a group of swimmers that were in the top national rankings in their respective age groups. We did a test with them and asked them to hold their breath underwater. The majority of the group popped their heads up between 40 seconds and one minute. Once the group was done, we taught them a few techniques on efficient breathing and then performed the test a second time. The results were amazing!

The top two swimmers held their breath for almost 3 minutes, with the rest of the group being in the two-minute range. The interesting part this time around was that when they stopped holding their breath and surfaced of the water, not one of the swimmers was gasping for air.

As we moved forward from this test, we applied the new breathing techniques to their swim. The feedback was that they felt like they were taking in much more air when they went to breathe, leaving them feeling more relaxed and able to sustain their speeds better.

At Swim Faster Now we address proper breathing techniques. As well, we address proper swimming technique to allow for smoother, faster and improved swimming ability. We have worked with thousands of triathletes and competitive swimmers from the entry level to number one national rankings and national record holders. Our mission is to teach participants the insight into smooth efficient swimming which translates into more energy and speed. We are the founders of the six steps to faster and smoother front crawl.

Our next clinics are on February 28 and April 4, 2010. The clinics take place at the Swim Academy located in Oakville Ontario, or if you have a group and a pool we can travel to you!! Each of our home clinics run from 9 AM to 12 PM and is limited to a maximum of 10 participants. At each of our clinics we provide you the videotape (of you swimming) and analysis of the steps to faster front crawl.

For more information on our clinics or our private one-on-one sessions, please call 1-888-380-SWIM (7946) or visit us at www.swimfasternow.com. Remember... learn the insight and skills now and swim faster right away!!

Bike Fit

By Ian MacLean

There’s more to bike fit than simply putting a rider into a text book or generally accepted “consensus” position of joint angles on top of a frame. Even if rider comfort is taken into account, this set of joint angle parameters (hip, knee, elbow, shoulder) is only the most rudimentary of starts fitting bike to rider and rider to bike. Simply placing a rider in the correct angles atop a frame is not looking at the whole picture. Sure, it may feel comfortable, but is it optimal for power output, efficiency and handling?

In this article I want to focus on the power and efficiency side of things, and the biomechanics of pedaling that go hand in hand with them.

As upright, bipedal locomotive creatures, we have a great deal of power production capability in our lower limbs. The trick with cycling (which isn’t exactly evolutionarily ingrained in our brains) is applying that power correctly through the cycling range of motion and proper bike fit can have a huge impact on our ability to do so.

One of the biggest impediments I’ve been seeing to proper cycling biomechanics is impinged range of motion within the hip joint at top dead centre of the pedal stroke. This is the flexion point of the hip joints range, and having reduced hip flexion can cause a chain reaction of fit and biomechanical issues.

At the beginning of that chain is how the knee tracks through the pedal stroke. Since beginning to utilize the Retul 3D motion capture system for my fits over a year ago, I’ve enjoyed the ability to see how the knee travels laterally through the pedal stroke in real time and make adjustments to fit and position in order to improve and correct improper knee travel.

When the knee tracks too far inside or outside the central plane (parallel to the top tube) a whole host of issues can arise. From a biomechanical standpoint, it can cause IT band issues, or place too much lateral stress on the knee itself with the possibility of developing patella/femoral issues. It can also cause issues within the hip joint itself as the femur head will be moving in two planes (vertical through the pedal stroke, and horizontal as the knee moves side to side) which can cause strain to the ligaments and tendons within the joint. If any or all of those issues occurs, an overuse injury is likely to pop up and time off the bike will be necessary if corrective action isn’t taken.

From an efficiency standpoint, when the knee travels inside or outside of that central plane, it has an affect on the rider’s ability to recruit the proper muscles, especially the glutes. If your knee travels too far away from the top tube causing an external rotation within the hip joint, the glutes are almost completely taken out of activation through the pedal stroke. This means the quads and hamstrings have to pick up the slack and activate through a greater range of the pedal stroke than they should. This in turn means less power available to be applied, and it also means that the smaller muscles of the quads and hamstrings will fatigue sooner leading to a loss of endurance and performance.

As for fit, impinged hip flexion is going to mean a potential sacrifice in optimal hip angle. Keep in mind that hip flexion occurs at top dead centre, which is also the closed or acute angle of the hip, one of the major fit parameters that should be looked at during a bike fitting. Impinged hip flexion causing improper knee tracking is going to mean a more open than optimal hip angle at top dead centre in order to allow the hip joint to move through it’s full range without affecting knee travel. Now, on a road bike this isn’t always that big a deal, as a roadie position tends to be more upright and open anyway. But even still, it can have an effect on the cyclist’s ability to get into the drops comfortably, and can also have a negative effect on power production and efficiency. For time trials and triathlon however, the consequences of improper hip flexion and knee travel are compounded by aerodynamics. In the race against the clock, one needs to be as aerodynamic (low) as possible while creating the maximal amount of power available.

Reduced hip flexion is going to cause one of two things to happen. The cyclist will have to be positioned with a more open hip angle at top dead centre to allow the hip and knee to travel correctly, thus compromising aerodynamics. Or, the cyclist will stay low, but risk sacrificing power in the short term, and risk an overuse injury cropping up somewhere along the hip/knee chain in the long term. Neither of those options is ideal, so the best solution for all cyclists is to improve hip flexion and increase range of motion through that joint.

Now having said all that, how does one go about fixing it? I’d love to say that a proper bike fit will fix all your problems and make you a perfect cyclist, but alas it is not that simple.

What a proper, thorough and holistic approach to bike fit will do though is uncover the biomechanical issues that may have gone unnoticed until an injury reared its ugly head. Changes to position will improve things in the near term, and sometimes that is all it takes. More often than not however, “homework” will be required on the cyclist’s part through a combination of stretching, strengthening, massage and other therapy to loosen up and improve hip flexion for the long term health of the joints involved, and to access all the power that is available within the involved muscle groups.

So when should one get a complete bike fit assessment done? I get this question a lot, especially at this time of year. It goes along the lines of “I’m just on the trainer now, so I can just wait till I’m outdoors again before I get my fit done, right?” My answer to that is a very emphatic NO, and here’s why.

Let’s assume that the average cyclist pedals at an average cadence of 90rpm. That’s 90 pedal revolutions per minute, which equals 5400 pedal revolutions in an hour. Now, outdoors, nobody pedals for the entire time they are riding, there are stops, breaks and periods of coasting. If there is drafting involved, the amount of pedaling under pressure is reduced even more. On the trainer however, we tend not to stop, and will spend that entire hour pedaling under pressure non stop. Let’s assume that outdoor riding reduces actual pedaling time by 10% or six minutes. That’s 540 pedal revolutions that you aren’t making outside that you will be making indoors. On it’s own, that doesn’t sound like much, but when you extend that out to a ten hour training week, that’s extra 5400 pedal revolutions being made. That’s a full extra hour of riding under pressure, and it’s those 5400 extra revolutions that could be the difference between a healthy cyclist and an injured one.

So my answer is always the sooner the better, and if there are any questions or concerns regarding the fit, get them addressed before the training is ramped up. The other reason for getting in for a fit is pain. If there is already pain in either the hip or knee joint, or anywhere else on the body, the fit needs to be assessed to determine the reason why and take corrective action before it gets too far gone.

Let’s face it, cycling is a tough sport and it can hurt. But, that pain should be isolated to the muscles involved and it should be temporary. If the pain is in the joints, or lasts beyond the time in the saddle and into the next ride, something is wrong. A proper, complete and holistic bike fit can figure out what that something is and get the cyclist on the road to correction and healing.

Ian MacLean owns and operates IMFIT.ca.

He combines years of experience with professional certifications in CANFITPRO personal training, NCCP certified fitness coaching, V02 Metabolic Assessment testing, F.I.S.T. certification on accurate bike fit. Ian MacLean and IMFIT.ca has helped hundreds of ordinary people achieve extraordinary results, and surpass their individual fitness goals.

 

Is it Mind over Body or Mind Helping Body?

By Richard Pady

With the Olympics starting up this week I found myself thinking about the challenges our Canadian athletes will face in the coming days. Can you imagine the pressure they must feel? Emotional control is a skill needed as you preparing for competition and is just as important as your weekly volume and heart rate data. My swim coach in London told our team every morning at 5:15am “your attitude towards training will dictate how you will race.” He never said anything about the performance in that workout, he said attitude.  I didn’t totally understand at the time how true that statement was especially in an endurance sport like triathlon. The good news is that you can work to improving your attitude or mental approach to training and racing. Focusing on emotional control can and will lead to improved performance. And while it can’t transform us all into world class triathletes, it can make us go quicker and increase the enjoyment while doing so. 

So what do you do?

Task 1: “learning to recognize your emotional profile associated with success.”

We all have experienced intense emotions before important events in our lives. Some can channel these feelings to enhance the experience; some can regulate these feelings and reduce anxiety, while others become debilitated by anxiety. We also know that we rarely experience one emotion on its own but rather groups of different emotions together.

So keeping this in mind see which type of athlete you match:

Athlete 1 (feels excited and calm) has an emotional profile typified by feeling vigorous, lively and alert, and in control. This athlete has regulated negative and unpleasant emotions. It is a profile often associated with supreme self-confidence and the perception that all challenges can be attained. Most true athletic heroes are this type of athlete.

Athlete 2 (feels anxious and excited) shows a different emotional profile associated with success. In contrast to athlete 1, athlete 2 has a profile depicted by feeling vigorous, tense and angry. Athlete 2 will use feelings of tension and anger to aid motivation. For athlete 2, feeling tense can be like a warning signal – ‘I am about to try to achieve an important goal, and unless I work really hard, I will not achieve my goal’. You might have seen a few athletes like this if you watch the Superbowl on Sunday. 

Athlete 3 (feels anxious and negative) is a different story. This athlete feels anxious, angry, downhearted and depressed. These emotions are likely to interfere with performance. Feeling tense might make you want to try harder but when it is combined with feeling depressed, it can make you feel like giving up. Almost all of us have been this ATHLETE or PERSON at sometime in our life and the key is working to handle your emotions differently.

Task 2: Assessing Your Emotional Profile

You should assess your emotional profile before a number of different performances; before competition or a training session. After the workout or competing, you should rate whether you performed to expectation or under-performed. Performance should be rated in relation to your own expectations and your own goals (not dream goals). You will need around five successful and five unsuccessful performances before you can gather trends (what normal reaction do you have doing a performance). Obviously, this is not always possible to do as you might be having a run of good form where most sessions/races are successful. One way to get started is to think back to some of your recent performances and rate how you felt before a few where you performed well (in relation to your own expectations) and a few where you performed poorly (again in relation to your own expectations).

Task 3: Visualizing Success

One strategy for developing emotional control is to use imagery, not day dreaming. Imagery is effective because it can be used to replay situations. The emotions experienced during those situations can be changed from dysfunctional to functional. Imagery is a good way to do this as the situation can be replayed and aspects of it can be changed. A good way of starting to learn imagery is to find a quiet place on your own. Sit down in a chair and make yourself comfortable, close your eyes, breathe deeply and evenly until you feel calm and relaxed. Picture yourself standing in your competitive/training environment and look around you taking care to notice as many details as possible. What can you hear? What does your competitive/training environment smell like?  How are you feeling? This all should only take 30 secs. Can you see yourself being successful? What does that feel like? Make sure the feeling will match what it will really feel like because even if you are having a good workout or competition but you were not ready to have to hurt your mind will go to a negative place. Be REAL in your imagery. No one is watching.

Task 4: Use Self-Talk

Controlling emotions during an event/session is also about controlling that inner voice in your head. When you are feeling tired, this inner voice can be very negative. It can question what you are doing, and try to ‘talk’ you out of keeping going. Positive self-talk is needed when feeling tired. For example, consider the negative self statement, “My legs are done. I will have to stop.”

We need to change both parts of this self-statement. Rather than saying ‘my legs are done.” we need to change this to, “My legs are feeling tired, so I will concentrate on my technique to make me more efficient.”  A good way of using self-talk is to try to anticipate difficult moments in competition or in training (start of the swim / beginning of the run). Develop self-talk scripts to change negative scenarios to positive ones.

In conclusion

Let’s draw together the main points outlined here. What should we know and expect before an event or hard workout? We should expect to feel fatigue and develop strategies to cope with this. We should also expect to feel anxious before but should try to interpret these feelings as excitement; sport performance is by its very nature uncertain and even the most confident athletes still have a degree of anticipation regarding how things will turn out. In the same way you train your body to cope with the demands of training, you should also train your mind to think positively about the experience. Finally, prepare thoroughly for the specific demands of the event or workout. Starting to think about this now in February will help yield greater success come summer time. Happy Training!

 

Richard Pady is the Head Coach of Healthy Results Training, the creator of Indoorrider.com, and the Founder of Race 4 Kids.

rpady@healthyresults.ca

Ask the Coach

Our coaching panel of Nigel Gray and Richard Pady will eagerly answer your questions each month, please keep sending your questions to hosspro@hotmail.com.

Question: "I am thinking about signing up for the Welland or Bracebridge Half Iron, however, I've only done sprints and a few Olympic distance races. My swim is decent, and my bike and run are middle of the pack or slightly better. What do you suggest I do to prepare to race at this distance?”

Nigel Gray's response:

When stepping up to the Half Iron distance your first goal needs to be to build the endurance so that you can complete the event. You need to start by focusing on building up your swim, bike and run volume so that you are able to handle the distances. In the last 6 weeks before the event you should have built up to the point that you can complete (separately, not all on one day!) without being exhausted a 2-3km swim, 90 -110km bike ride and a half marathon run. If you are able to do these in training separately, come race day you will be able to handle the Half Iron distance.

Once you are comfortable with the distances you can worry more about speed, so if you are able to handle a 2-3km swim, 90-110km bike ride and run a half marathon then you can start to focus on building more speed into your plan and working at higher intensities.

One of the big changes as you go from a sprint to Half Iron race is the importance of nutrition. A sprint race can be done on just water, while for a half you will need much more fuel (more fluids, more carbs and electrolytes start to play a role as well), so it’s important to practice this during training and set up a nutrition plan that will be a key aspect of your race plan and make a huge difference in your performance on race day.

Nigel Gray is Head Coach of NRG Performance Training, with over 12 years of coaching experience from beginners to Elite athletes www.nrgpt.com

 

Athlete Profile & Special Interest Story

Faces of the MultiSport Canada Triathlon Series

Patti Smith

 

Last year, Hamilton's Patti Smith did her first triathlon at Toronto Island and she was hooked.

The former lifeguard has an inspirational story of how triathlon has changed her life. Money that used to be spent on her former 2 packs a day smoking habit is now being used for triathlon equipment, she has shed some unwanted pounds, and she is motivated to keep improving.

She feels like she has added 10 years to her life, and has aspirations to race at the Ironman in Hawaii one day.

Check out the interview on MultiSport Canada Radio.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Training for Solidarity

By Nick Capra of Running Free

Haiti – Training for Solidarity was an incredibly special day. Over 1200 runners from right across Ontario ran and raised over $80,000.00 for special projects in Haiti. The gang at Running Free and at Runners Den would like to thank all the participants, volunteers, corporate sponsors and media for achieving this impressive milestone. We are still in disbelief on how much was raised for an event that was conceived only a few weeks before it actually happened. We haven’t been more proud to be a part of the running community than we are today. The Runners and Walkers of Ontario will be directly responsible for creating new businesses, new jobs and providing education for countless children in Haiti. We will keep posting updates at runningfree.com on the progress of the trade school being built, as well as the micro credit financing project (www.empowerglobal.org).

To everyone who has contributed to this event in any way, we thank you so much. $80,000.00 will make a huge impact. We will continue to fundraise until all the funds necessary to have these projects run on their own are collected. Our goal is to create projects that do not require continuous funding. These two projects, once fully up and running, will operate on their own. Please continue to donate here. Tax receipts will be given for donations of $20 or more.

 

This is the architect drawing of the trade school that we will begin building in the next few months. The bottom floor is an existing high school and the upper level is where adult Haitians will be trained in various professions or trades.

 

 

 

Buy & Sell

If you have something to sell, send your ad to hosspro@hotmail.com. Provide the following details: Item, Description, Price, and Contact Information. You can also include a picture, but make sure to resize it to 800 x 600 or smaller. Your ad will run for 2 issues and all we ask for in return is a donation to a charitable organization we have established for this feature. A win-win for everyone. We will post a maximum of 5 ads per issue.

Argon 18 Mercury - Aero RPT

Size: Medium (54 cm), Shimano Ultegra components, Profile Design brake levers, stem, and T2+ with base bar wing, Argon 18 saddle, Argon 18 Straight Aero Blade Carbon Fork, and Mavic Aksium Wheelset (not the Zipps in the picture).

Price: $1900

Contact: rpady@healthyresults.ca

 

 

 

2008 Zipp 404 Wheelset

2008 Zipp 404 Wheelset with Vittoria Corsa EVO tires. Practically new, only ridden twice (under 100km total). Will include new-in-box set of FSA Carbon K-Force Skewers. Contact for more pictures.

 

Price: $1850

Contact: tailwind2100@yahoo.ca

 

 

 

If you would like to submit content to the newsletter, please send items to hosspro@hotmail.com

Please Support our Sponsors

We extend our thanks to each and every sponsor. Race entry fees never cover the complete cost of a particular race or series of races and without the sponsors there is no race or race series that would survive without their support. We hope that you all take a moment to check out our Series Sponsors below or visit the sponsors page and see what they do and look at the products they sell. Please thank them for supporting the sports of Triathlon and Duathlon by trying and using their products. If you do visit them please take a moment to thank them for supporting Triathlon, Duathlon and Kids races in Ontario.

Thanks To All Of Our Sponsors

As you all know there would be no race or series without sponsors. We extend our thanks to each and every sponsor and the local bike and running shops in the communities where you race. We hope that you all take a moment to visit the sponsors page and see what they do and look at the products they sell. Please thank them for supporting the sports of triathlon and duathlon by trying and using their products. If you do visit them please take a moment to thank them for supporting triathlon and duathlon.

 

Transition Zone, Volunteer and GT12.9 Series Sponsor

Series Sponsors

Please support all of our sponsors. You can visit their website by clicking on their logo on the left side of the page.

Official Swim Course and Wetusit Sponsor	Official Run Course and Running Shoe Sponsor
Official Watch And Heart Rate Monitor	Official Apparel Sponsor
Official Bike Trainer	Official Nutrition and Hydration Sponsor
Official Bike Support Team	Official Photographer

Silver Level Sponsors

Post-Race Bagels

Local and Retail Sponsors

GTA - Mississauga	Located in London
Toronto	Markham, Barrie, Ajax, Newmarket and Milton
GTA - Scarborough	Located in Orillia
Located in London	Located in London
Oshawa	Located in London
Parry Sound
Gravenhurst Rexall IDA	Gravenhurst
Gravenhurst	Woodstock

Medical Support

Thank you for racing in the MultiSport Canada Triathlon Series!

John Salt and the MultiSport Canada Team