Sunday May 23, 2010

Auburn Triathlon Update

Princes increase by 15-20 bucks after April 15th, so pull the trigger before your sign your tax forms for great savings!

Auburn Triathlon Training Day: Sunday May 2nd!

Join us to preview the three race courses!

8am Rattlesnake Bar Park course talk and supported swim, followed by preview ride on bike course with road markings and maps available.

1pm: Brief run course discussion at Railhead Park, followed by brick workout run on the 7k run course

2pm: delicious athlete lunch at Tsuda's Deli in Old Town Auburn.

Auburn Triathlon Named #2 Most Scenic Race in the World by Triathlete Magazine!

A new feature in the March 2010 edition named the "100 Best Races Around the Globe" broken into ten categories. Click here for complete article.

Become a Facebook Fan

Enjoy regular updates, chat with other race enthusiasts, and check out photo albums from past events! See you there, if you are cool enough to dare...

Other News

Sprint Triathlon: Enjoy a new 1k-30k-7k Sprint Triathlon race course. Easier race day logistics for all, as long course athletes complete 2 loops of the swim course and 3 loops of the run course.

Logistics Video: Please take the time to view this comprehensive overview of all race day logistics, course concerns and incredible scenery. This will give you a nice big picture overview of what will happen race day to keep you focused on going fast!

Sincerely,

Brad Kearns
Auburn Triathlon Race Director

Brad Kearns Training Tips: The Four Rules of Intensity
Anaerobic workouts can be a powerful tool for fitness improvement, but they can also be your worst enemy, leading to burnout, sugar cravings and an inability to efficiently burn body fat. Many endurance athletes exercise excessively at anaerobic heart rates. My Four Rules Of Intensity can help you benefit optimally from intense training and avoid burnout.

Rule #1) Always develop an aerobic base before engaging in anaerobic exercise. For beginning exercisers this may take up to a year of steady aerobic workouts. Experienced athletes find a two-month period at the beginning of the exercise season is sufficient to develop a base. You can measure your aerobic development with Maximum Aerobic Function performance tests to ensure your base building is successful. Take a fixed course such as four laps around a running track, or climbing a certain hill on the bike. Maintain a fixed heart rate of 80% of maximum, and keep track of your times on the course. You should see steady improvement and avoid regression caused by overtraining fatigue.

Rule #2) Only do anaerobic workouts when you feel 100% physically energized and mentally refreshed. Anaerobic workouts are intense, physically stressful efforts. You should never force your body to exercise at high intensity if your spirit is not willing. You will not recover adequately nor will you obtain the desired fitness benefits if you push a tired body through an intense workout.

Diligent exercisers have long been under the mistaken impression that fitness progress is measured by workout difficulty or workout frequency. Your body needs a constant balance of stress and rest. Endurance performance is mainly dependent on developing aerobic efficiency, with anaerobic exercise considered “icing on the cake”.

Rule #3) Never conduct anaerobic workouts for longer than 6 consecutive weeks without a break. Even if you only do one anaerobic workout a week, you are engaged in an "anaerobic training phase". After six weeks of anaerobic workouts, you must take a minimum rest period of three weeks to fully absorb and benefit from this intense training. During this time, drastically reduce your workout frequency and never exceed your maximum aerobic heart rate during any workouts. You can then rebuild your fitness base with a period devoted to aerobic workouts before entering another intensity phase.

Rule #4) Never exceed 10% of weekly workout time at anaerobic heart rates
During your carefully controlled anaerobic training phases, it is essential to minimize the total time you spend at anaerobic heart rates to ensure that you do not exceed 10% of your total workout time for the week. For example, if you do three 40-minute runs per week and two other cross training cardiovascular workouts totaling 90 minutes, this is an accumulated weekly workout time of 210 minutes (3 1/2 hours). Thus, your anaerobic efforts are limited to 21 minutes for the week. This would entail one typical Interval workout.

For the 10% rule, you are counting actual exercise time at anaerobic heart rates. While your Interval workouts may last 40 minutes, typically only 12-20 minutes are conducted anaerobically, with the rest devoted to warmup, cooldown and recovery between anaerobic efforts.

Following these 4 Rules Of Intensity requires a discipline and focus that may feel frustrating and stifling at first. You will sacrifice some of the spontaneity of your workouts and have to constantly temper your competitive instincts. Following these guidelines will diminish the measure of short-term gratification that you experience from pushing your body to an exhilarating, maximum effort on a regular basis. However, the reduction in short term gratification will be more than compensated for by the tremendous benefits you enjoy through a carefully planned training that emphasizes aerobic exercise: increased energy levels, optimum health and continued improvement in your fitness level.

Read more about how to train properly in my book Breakthrough Triathlon Training.