After a long and probably needed holiday rest from training, the difficulty getting back into it remains the same. Once we get into training it's almost addictive. How do we get back into the groove?
There is no easy solution. Sometimes, you just have to go out there and get it done. Soon enough you will fall back into the habit of training.
Sometimes the trick is to simply start getting active again. I find that after the holidays playing a bit of pick-up hockey will get the adrenaline flowing and help get me motivated to train hard once again.
The Swim Smooth guys have a few easy suggestions of how to get back into swimming after a break. I found it quite helpful, you can check it out here: http://www.swimsmooth.com/
This blog follows the great Canadian triathletes, such as Paula Findlay, Kirsten Sweetland, and Simon Whitfield. It will also include some personal anecdotes about how my own training and season is going.
Monday, January 28, 2013
Monday, August 1, 2011
First Practice in a Few Days
I sometimes get annoyed when other people complain about their sports related injuries. I tell them to toughen up at keep at it!
But that may not always be the best approach. I've had a nagging abdominal/hip problem for the past month. It was mostly associated with running, but it even hurt to walk or sit up straight. I took 4 days off from training and feel much better now.
My first practice back today was 3 km swimming on my own. It felt great. I was working on a set where I start off by sprinting 50 meters and then settle into a pace for 50 meters. It's to work on my weakness, which has been to get away with the leaders or at least someone on the swim.
My next race is the Verdun Triathlon in two weeks! Hopefully I can get in some good training before then. I also have a 5km running race in St-Anne this weekend. It's part of the Circuit Endurance in Montreal.
Talk to you soon,
Patrick
But that may not always be the best approach. I've had a nagging abdominal/hip problem for the past month. It was mostly associated with running, but it even hurt to walk or sit up straight. I took 4 days off from training and feel much better now.
My first practice back today was 3 km swimming on my own. It felt great. I was working on a set where I start off by sprinting 50 meters and then settle into a pace for 50 meters. It's to work on my weakness, which has been to get away with the leaders or at least someone on the swim.
My next race is the Verdun Triathlon in two weeks! Hopefully I can get in some good training before then. I also have a 5km running race in St-Anne this weekend. It's part of the Circuit Endurance in Montreal.
Talk to you soon,
Patrick
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Canadian Ryan Cochrane Wins a Second SIlver in Shanghai
Ryan Cochrane won a silver medal in the men's 1500 meter freestyle race in Shanghai today. He finished 10 seconds behind a world record breaking time by China's Sun Yang.
It's Cochrane's second medal at the World Swimming Championships. Earlier this week Ryan won silver in the 800 meter freestyle event.
He's swimming well but saving the best for the London olympics 2012 where he hopes to be swimming for a world record.
It's Cochrane's second medal at the World Swimming Championships. Earlier this week Ryan won silver in the 800 meter freestyle event.
He's swimming well but saving the best for the London olympics 2012 where he hopes to be swimming for a world record.
Thursday, July 7, 2011
An Interview with Chris McCormack before his first ITU Triathlon in almost 10 years
Chris McCormack raced in Kitzbuhel in the men's olympic triathlon. He pulled out of the race during the bike after having a poor swim.
Watch this video to hear what Chris had to say before the race:
http://www.triathlon.org/multimedia/video/a_pre-race_chat_with_chris_mccormack_in_kitzbuehel/
He has had a very interesting career! He also raced in Drummondville Quebec :)
Patrick
Watch this video to hear what Chris had to say before the race:
http://www.triathlon.org/multimedia/video/a_pre-race_chat_with_chris_mccormack_in_kitzbuehel/
He has had a very interesting career! He also raced in Drummondville Quebec :)
Patrick
Monday, June 20, 2011
Drummondville: Men's Elite Triathlon 2011
I had a good first race at the elite level. I was lucky to come out of the water with two guys after a pretty slow swim, but I had a good bike and run. I managed to pass a couple guys on the bike and then a couple more on the run to finish 32nd out of 40.
Chris McCormack embarks on a long road to the London Olympics
Chris McCormack did not finish his comeback race in Kitzbuhel. The two-time Hawaii Ironman winner, popularly known as Macca, wants to make the Australian olympic team for the 2012 games in London.
Macca's task is enormous. In 1997 he was the world triathlon champion at the Olympic distance, which consists of a 1500 meter swim, a 40 kilometer bike and a 10 kilometer run. However, he moved on to become very sucessful at the longer distance ironman race (4000 m swim, 180 km bike, and 42 km run).
The type of speeds done at the olympic distance are incredibly fast relative to the longer ironman distances. Macca admitted before the race that he was not going to be the fastest man in the field and would have to train hard to comeback to the shorter distances. Triathletes have gotten slightly faster since he won the championship in 1997.
The swim was difficult for McCormack. He was 30 secs back at the halfway mark of the swim and had lost his goggles. He had a few guys around him most of the swim, but came out of the water 1 min 19 s back of the leaders, all alone.
Chris McCormack caught up to 3 athletes on the bike and pulled them along trying to catch the pack. However, there was a pack of 50 men in front of him.
After struggling through most of the bike, Chris dropped out of the race. It's not clear why he stopped. He did not get in a bike crash, but it's not clear whether he was having mechanical difficulties on the bike or chose to pull himself off the course. He was nearly 5 minutes behind the leaders when he stopped. He was riding with a couple other cyclists but missing the main pack clearly hurt his chances to win the race.
Brown Lee who won the race is like a Formula one race car and Chris McCormack is the energizer bunny. Macca just keeps going and going. But, It's two completely different energy systems competing.
I am interested to see whether Chris McCormack will be racing in other Olympic distance races this summer. Knowing how tough Macca's character is, I can only imagine that he will be back.
Macca's task is enormous. In 1997 he was the world triathlon champion at the Olympic distance, which consists of a 1500 meter swim, a 40 kilometer bike and a 10 kilometer run. However, he moved on to become very sucessful at the longer distance ironman race (4000 m swim, 180 km bike, and 42 km run).
The type of speeds done at the olympic distance are incredibly fast relative to the longer ironman distances. Macca admitted before the race that he was not going to be the fastest man in the field and would have to train hard to comeback to the shorter distances. Triathletes have gotten slightly faster since he won the championship in 1997.
The swim was difficult for McCormack. He was 30 secs back at the halfway mark of the swim and had lost his goggles. He had a few guys around him most of the swim, but came out of the water 1 min 19 s back of the leaders, all alone.
Chris McCormack caught up to 3 athletes on the bike and pulled them along trying to catch the pack. However, there was a pack of 50 men in front of him.
After struggling through most of the bike, Chris dropped out of the race. It's not clear why he stopped. He did not get in a bike crash, but it's not clear whether he was having mechanical difficulties on the bike or chose to pull himself off the course. He was nearly 5 minutes behind the leaders when he stopped. He was riding with a couple other cyclists but missing the main pack clearly hurt his chances to win the race.
Brown Lee who won the race is like a Formula one race car and Chris McCormack is the energizer bunny. Macca just keeps going and going. But, It's two completely different energy systems competing.
I am interested to see whether Chris McCormack will be racing in other Olympic distance races this summer. Knowing how tough Macca's character is, I can only imagine that he will be back.
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
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