I know this is always something that needs to be taken with a thought process that allows you a learning curve that is outside an obvious physical exertion but the relationship between the thought and the action is very conected
Ottago Central Rail Trail
I have been trying for hours to get one of them tricky audio players to come up
but I am going to have to give up for now if you click on the link below
it will take you to an audio of a conversation I had with friends of mine in
New Zealand who did a ride on the Ottago Central Rail
rec_roketrod_24_may_2008_09_33_431.mp3
Cold but worth it
I love New Zealand a Kodak moment at every corner
Beautiful scenery
No Triathlon in Beijing paralympics
When any form of set back arrives In your life you can either take it
as a conspiracy against you and your life is ruined or you can look for
the lesson and opportunity that appears
J.P. Theberge thought the gods were conspiring against him.
Now 11 years after losing his leg in a motorcycle accident, Theberge
can call himself a world champion.
A fourth-place finish in the leg-amputee division at the 2007 Triathlon World Championships in Hamburg, Germany was not good enough for him.
I really get really encouraged by stories such as this If you
read this blog you will see that I believe in how you face adversity
is the true measure of your championship rating, to be able to view
life as a continuing learning opportunity is the place that the majority
of winners come from, to be able to overcome obstacles that were
viewed as stepping stones to the ultimate goal.
This year in Vancouver, British Columbia. on June 7 Theberge tried
again for a world title, It was the third attempt at a world championship
for Theberge, who finished second in 2006 to Austrian Martin Falch in Switzerland.
But suffering an injury and to people who do not have a missing limb this
sounds weird “I just forgot I didn’t have my leg on,” he said,losing his
balance and landing on the bottom of his amputated right limb,
who called the pain it caused “hard to explain to an able-bodied person.”
Theberge admits is his weakest of the three disciplines is swimming,
but this year his swim did let him down Despite a slight hiccup in the transition
from the bike to the run, in which Theberge had trouble changing prostheses
the 36-year-old ran his fastest-ever 10K for a victory.
“I couldn’t believe it at first,” said Theberge, who was met at the finish line
by his wife and 2-year-old daughter. “It was just euphoric. It’s hard to describe.”
After being forced to switch prostheses using his everyday prosthesis,
which is not designed for running, just before the race because of the injury.
“It hurt like hell,”. “I was almost in tears. I said there’s no way I came all the
way down here and I’m not running.”.
“I would have tried anything,” he said. “That made it even more exciting when
I crossed the finish line.”
His time of two hours, 14 minutes was a personal best at the triathlon distance.
A time of 2.14 is a respectable time in anybodies money, remembering that in
transition it is not just the shoe you have to put on, but the leg as well.
I remember speaking to an Australian amputee competitor when I last competed
in the worlds and he had some quite humorous stories about trying to get his arm
into his limb prosthetic because of transition nerves
Theberge been an athlete all his life, but he didn’t start competing in running
events until after the accident.He began his racing career with a half marathon
at Camp Pendleton in 2002.
I did OK. It wasn’t impressive,” he said but that pretty much started it out.”
A year later his first triathlon, and now competes in events all over the country.
Theberge is dedicated to helping other amputees realize that their lives aren’t
over when they lose a limb. He recently completed a counseling certification
in order to provide help to military, as well as civilian, amputees.
“I try to give back as much as I can,” Theberge said. “I wish I could do more.
That’s what motivates me.
“I tell them, ‘Just because you lost your leg, it’s not the end of the world. You can let it defeat you, or you can let it motivate you.
What motivates Theberge are the goals he’s laid out for himself.
The triathlete said he’s determined to run a sub-three-hour marathon,
which is good for any runner.
“This summer at the Paralympics, which takes place in Beijing the week
following the Olympics, triathlon will not be on the agenda, despite the best
efforts of Theberge and others.
But if Theberge has anything to say about it, the triathlon will be an official
event in London in 2012. And it wouldn’t be a stretch to find the then-40-year-old
competing … and maybe even standing atop the award podium.
Carbon Fiber Frame
During my trip To NZ this is the 2nd in the series of videos I took while getting my race bike repaired by the original maker.
Speed training
I listen in on material that Latif Thomas puts out over at
http://www.athletesacceleration.com
I think the material is very good, he debunks a few myths of training lore that I agree need to be challenged. He puts out a course called complete speed training designed to get the mechanics and strength component of an athlete correct so that they can preform better I agree entirely.
The program does not cover Triathlon or multi sport disciplines which is a shame. I have attempted to get a response on how the theory goes with endurance based sports. I have not seen any response from them but I do believe to be able to go fast you have got to train ,to go fast, that means, mechanical efficiency, strength and technique.
The following ten points are from his 10 top Training myths
1. Static stretching prepares you to compete/practice
Static stretching actually reduces power output. Athletes should prepare for practice by doing a dynamic warm up that moves from basic, low intensity movements to faster, more explosive movements as the muscles loosen up. You want to simulate movements that athletes will go through in practice or a game. What happens when you try and stretch a cold rubber band? In a way, you can think about your muscles the same way.
2. Strength training makes females too bulky
This is a popular mindset with many female athletes that we have worked with. Simply look at some elite female athletes like Mia Hamm, Lisa Leslie, etc. These athletes certainly train with weights and no one would accuse them of having manly physiques. Strength training will improve performance and reduce injury if done correctly.
3. You can’t train speed
For some reason it is a popular belief that you are born with a certain amount of ‘speed’ and you can’t improve it. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Most young athletes are so physically weak and mechanically out of tune that significant improvements in speed can be made often just by working on technique and form. Athletes at any age and any level can improve speed when implementing a complete speed training program designed to improve and develop the entire athlete.
4. Training slow makes you fast
I don’t think coaches directly think this way, but their training implies otherwise. This is especially true in sports that involve a higher aerobic element such as soccer, field hockey, lacrosse, etc. I see kids out running mileage and doing long slow intervals of several minutes of continuous running. And this will get them in shape. But in games I see kids jogging, jogging and then sprinting at full speed for 20-30 yards, run, jog, sprint for 20-30 yards. If you want kids to improve their acceleration and top speed so they can get to the ball faster or get back on defense, then you have to train by running at full speed in practice.
5. You can train hard every day
The workout itself is only a piece of the training puzzle. It is the time between intense workouts, the recovery, where athletes make their improvements. And generally it takes 36-48 hours to recover from high intensity training. If athletes are doing too much, too often they become over trained. Coaches can expect to see an increase in injuries, kids complaining that they are sore more often, decreased performance, higher levels of fatigue earlier in games. It’s always better to under train an athlete than over train. Err on the side of caution to get maximal results.
6. Strength training will stunt a young athlete’s growth
This is another myth held over from a different time. On a daily basis, kids as young as 7 years old are playing organized sports year round, tackling, getting tackled, sliding, falling etc.. These loads on the body can have a much greater physical impact than a well designed strength training program. Though we don’t usually begin training with weights with pre pubescent athletes, they can benefit from body weight exercises such as push ups, lunges, sit ups, etc. This will increase muscular efficiency, speed up recovery, improve coordination and overall speed.
7. The harder the workout, the better the result
Some athletes (and coaches) have this mentality that if a workout doesn’t reduce them to complete exhaustion and/or make them vomit, that it wasn’t an effective workout. I can tell you that those who have this mentality probably see a lot of injuries and frustrating performances. The purpose of a workout is to stimulate an adaptation by the body. If the body is forced to do too much work in a given time period, it will break down. The skill in coaching is to stimulate the adaptation in the body, without reaching a point of diminishing returns.
8. Interval training is the same as speed training
Running repeat 100s, 200s, etc will not improve top speeds. Even running repeat 40s with short recovery will not improve acceleration and top speeds. Speed work is defined at 2-8 seconds of maximal intensity running with full recovery. That means at least 2 minutes of light dynamic movement between each effort. This goes against the experience of some coaches, but simply put, is the only way to improve speed. An athlete must be able to focus on proper form and maintain intensity in order to get faster. If they do not recover properly from each interval, they will not be able to replicate proper mechanics with consistency and they can not improve.
9. Flexibility won’t help you get faster
Both coaches and athletes spend so much time on the skills of their sport, speed training and conditioning that they often forget a fundamental component of success: flexibility. After practice or a game, the muscles are warm and loose. Now is the time to work on increasing flexibility. So many athletes suffer injuries or compete below their capacity because poor flexibility inhibits their range of motion and speed. We see this often in the hips and hip flexors where athletes’ stride length appears conspicuously short. Most often we see this in male athletes who will lift weights, train hard and then skip out on their cool down and flexibility work.
10. Lift your knees
I hear so many parents and coaches yelling to their kids when they want them to run faster or when they are beginning to fatigue, “Lift your knees, Get your knees up”. This is one of the most backwards cues we can give to athletes. The way to run faster is to apply more force to the ground. Every action has an equal and opposite reaction, so the more force you apply to the ground, the more the ground will give back. So when we cue athletes to lift their knees we’re doing two things incorrectly. One, we’re telling them to use their hip flexors to lift instead of their glutes and hamstrings to drive down. Just think about the size of your hip flexor versus the size of the glutes and hamstrings. Now which muscles do you think can create more force and therefore more speed?
Second, we’re cueing them to do learn a movement that is in opposition to what generates speed. If an athlete learns at age 7, to lift their knees when they need a burst of speed, that improper cue will be hardwired into their brain. To unlearn that as a teen and try to do the opposite and drive down, that athlete will have a difficult time coordinating an entirely new way of running and will potentially have to take a step or two backwards. That’s why it is critical to learn proper form early and get an advantage over those who still aren’t getting the best instruction. So cue athletes to step over the opposite knee and drive the foot down into the ground, with the foot landing underneath the hip.
Getting Graeme Pearson to spit Venom
Had a great time at Christchurch for the 1/2 Marathon the natives seemed relieved that New Zealand athletes took top spots this time around.
I will file a report of the race a little later but for me the big news is that I finally got to meet the enigma that is Graeme Pearson. Graeme designed and built the Venom frame I use.
I have mentioned The Machine in my post
http://www.watzzupsport.com/2006/06/22/i-make-this-machine-look-goodi-make-this-machine-look-good/
Over the years the bike has seen all sorts of use and has never let me down but I wanted to change the cables which led to the local bike shop throwing their hands up in the air as the seemingly simple job got complicated because of the nature of the frame.
I tracked down Graeme in Rotoura in the North Island of New Zealand. As I was in NZ for the 1/2 it was an easy decision to head up and conduct some business in the area and drop the frame off.
I was in for a treat as Graeme took the time to go through some principles he has in his design and building philosophies.
He took time out to have a quick chat about the new Venom frame that is being released, also about his own personal machine he rides.
I took a quick video which I broke into 3 parts the first one about my frame I handed to him
I will post the others over the next week. As the world Triathlon Championships have been run and won, come on Aussie come on, is a cry that has a different tone than the domination days that we had as a Nation.
Good on all those who took part well done in difficult conditions
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Sometimes when you really do want to get started
BUT
the Motivation is not there try the power of positive therapy to change the way you think CLICK ON THE PICTURE ABOVE
see where it takes you
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