More Tips from the Pros

Last week I wrote about the cycling tips that Heather Golnick’s shares in the Rev 3 Tri bike course preview.

Carole Sharpless, pro triathlete, coach, and leader of Team Trakkers 2009, sent me this email which has even more great tips! Yay for tips!

Your blog is really awesome. Thanks so much for all the time and detail you have put into it promoting the Rev3 event. It is an awesome resource!

I loved your take on HG’s tips. 🙂 It’s true, I tell my athletes all the time to “spin in your easy ring for the last mile leading to T2.” Remember for YOUR racing, pushing the bigger gears perhaps enables more power, but it also builds lactate in the legs – this is why people run poorly off the bike. (Or 1 reason why.) Smart and efficient triathlon racing is learning to manage the bigger gears with the smaller, how much your legs can handle of which gears — finding that fine line between pushing enough and to your boundary, but not exceeding it. This is what training is for. The runs off the bike teach you the most. Hard to tell just by cycling what was enough/too much.

Here’s another tip, especially for the hilly races (like Rev3 and the Duke 1/2 you’re doing). Remember you want to take in your calories and hydration when your HR is the lowest, so your body can digest the easiest. Meaning, eat and drink on flats and downhills. I always marvel at folks who, when on a hill, sit up and reach down for a water bottle. The is the WORST time to do that. I think folks do it because they’re going the slowest when on an incline, but it’s funny to me how often I see this. It’s natural and makes sense, but not the ideal approach. So, eat and drink on flats and downhills (safely) when HR is lowest. You may already know this; if not, a little extra tip. 🙂

(If you didn’t know this, note how often you see this happen with people now that I’ve brought it to your attention.)

Cheers ~
C.
http://www.carole-sharpless.com