Coach's Blog

March 14, 2023

Best Bike Upgrade for Improved Speed and Endurance

The two most common cycling related questions I receive as a coach are: “How do I get faster on the bike?” and “How can I ride longer and sustain my speed/power?” With deference to the great Eddy Merckx, who said “Ride up grades, don’t buy upgrades” when he was asked about improving as a cyclist, here is my list of upgrades that will help you improve your overall bike speed and endurance as a triathlete.

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March 14, 2023

Open Water vs. Pool Swimming
If you are like most triathletes, swimming is arguably the most challenging part of both training and racing. Most athletes will wake up early and hit the cold water of their local lap pool before the workday starts, and we all know the hardest part of the day is gathering up the courage to jump into a cold pool.
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March 14, 2023

Why Strength Training Matters for Triathletes
Triathletes, in the experience of this coach, often consider strength training as an unnecessary aspect of successful triathlon training. It is often the first workout dropped from the schedule if a triathlete is pressed for time.
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March 14, 2023

FINIS Smart Googles Powered by Ciye
Many triathletes rely on an assortment of pools to get their training done. Sometimes the pools are not set up for pure swimming, so clocks are not optimally placed. I found that these goggles provided me a clock in the heads-up display (HUD) that I could rely on to get my workouts completed.
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March 13, 2023

Athlete & Coach: What We Have Learned This Season
Brian Shiels and I started working together on his goal of completing an Ironman last year. Brian came to this goal with no previous triathlon experience, a lot of experience in rucking and running, a full time job that requires travel, and a supportive family of four. As a coach with a young family and who regularly competes in Sprint, Olympic, and 70.3 distance triathlons, I had a good understanding of what Brian’s training was going to look like; early morning or evening workouts and bigger miles on the weekends
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March 13, 2023

Taking The Guess Work Out of Your Nutrition Plan
If you are reading this article, you’re probably wondering how you can recover better, train more consistently, and race faster. Whether you are a single sport or multi-sport endurance athlete you need to know how to fuel your engine more effectively.
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March 13, 2023

Preparing & Performing Under Pressure
5 mental tools to help you along the way:
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March 13, 2023

IRONMAN & 70.3 Essentials
Getting into the sport of triathlon can seem overwhelming with all the equipment and deciphering which items are needed and which are nice to have. When an athlete approaches me with a goal of completing an Ironman I discuss the following items with them. These items are necessary to have a successful training and racing experience.
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March 13, 2023

Accurate Heart Rate + Power Zones With Blood Lactate Testing

Regardless of the goal, every endurance athlete wants to train more efficiently. Trying to finish an IRONMAN on 8 hours of training a week? Be efficient. Trying to win the Olympics? Be efficient. Trying to maintain a long-term healthy lifestyle? Be efficient. No one wants to do work that doesn’t move the needle forward - that’s why Playtri Blood Lactate Testing is at the core of the Playtri Coaching model. Our unique blood lactate testing protocol and analysis has been developed over 20 years and tested on thousands of athletes for one thing: effectiveness in training and competition.

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