TRAINING
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Hi! This is Mari Holden. I’ve been a professional cyclist for the past 16 years and I just retired last year. I’ve had a long endurance-sports career. Before cycling, I raced triathlons in the late 80’s. I switched to cycling in 1992. As a junior triathlete, I was awarded Junior Woman of the Year by Triathlete Magazine. In cycling, my best results came in 2000 when I won an Olympic Silver and World Championship in the Time Trial. Along the way, I won 6 National Championships (road and time trial) and set a national record in the 40K Time Trial. What I have learned about time trialing over the years can help you as you prepare for your next time trial or triathlon.
The following is a five-month Half Ironman training program to ramp up for a Half Ironman Triathlon. Shown below are mileage expectations for the build up period leading up to the race. Doing the mileage described probably won’t be enough to qualify you for Hawaii, but it will provide you with a solid foundation for a great racing experience. This is a general guideline. Depending on your skill sets, you will need to make some adjustments. For instance, if you are aquatically challenged, then you will need to do more yards than I have shown.
Most runners that I’ve worked with through e-coaching and running schools feel that they would run better and feel better if they reduced the amount of fat on their body. While researching for my books Running Until You’re 100 and A Woman’s Guide to Running, I discovered several key tips that have helped runners lose that “last 10 pounds.”
In a prior article, I introduced a notion that training for sports competition at the elite level was the antithesis of a healthy activity. Since many people seem to think that athletes are almost by definition healthy, I thought I might develop that idea a bit further in this follow-up article.
In her new book, Run Your First Marathon,Grete Waitz, nine-time winner of the New York City marathon, points out one of the wonderful draws of the marathon. “No matter who we are,” she writes, “at some point we are all first-time marathoners. All of us share that. That’s the beauty of the race — Olympians and all-comers share the same event.”
I'm don't remember exactly when I joined my first running club, but I have vivid memories of the club itself. It was the Ann Arbor (Michigan) Track Club, and someone I'd met at a race must have persuaded me to attend a track workout.
In training for your race goal, you improved your fitness, your attitude and your energy level. This doesn’t have to go away after the race. By setting new goals and other projects ahead of time, you can maintain your enhanced fitness and move on to other running experiences.
As most know, Scott Tinley was one of the most prolific triathletes of all time, competing in and winning hundreds of triathlons all over the globe. Scott has been suffering through hip problems for a number of years and recently decided to have his hip resurfaced on Thursday, December 13th in Wisconsin. Scott is providing an exclusive diary for Competitor so that our readers can follow his journey to recovery.
Spend a day, a weekend or an entire vacation by trying a new adventure this summer.
I talked to a former highly competitive runner the other day, who lamented the fact he wasn’t fast anymore. He’s in his 50s and still out there doing races, even if he can’t approach the times he once did.
