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Lactate Threshold and Blood Lactate Testing

Lactate Threshold and Blood Lactate Testing...

Last Friday, I was fill in for one of Krista Schultz's blood lactate tests after her client canceled because he was sick. She needed a test subject and I was curious what my power output at Lactate Threshold (LT) was. What is lactate? First, let's start with pyruvate. Pyruvate is a byproduct of anaerobic glycolysis, which is the breakdown of glycogen (or carbohydrate) for energy by the muscles without requiring...

True Desire is Never Borrowed

True Desire is Never Borrowed...

A few weeks ago, I started "word of the week" with one of my coaching clients, Peter. Peter, like many of my clients, wants to get to Kona and the Ironman World Championship. He wants to take the more difficult path and qualify by finishing near the top of his age group in another 140.5-mile Ironman race. As his triathlon coach, I'm going to help him get there. The idea behind "word...

Setting Marathon Goals: Client Perspective

Setting Marathon Goals: Client Perspective...

This winter in the Baltimore and Washington DC area – as well as much of the U.S. – has been especially tough for training for longer events like marathons and Ironman triathlons, as we’ve had three snow storms since December and temperatures that have stayed around the freezing mark, making riding and running outdoors difficult and sometimes impossible. Throw in a demanding job (think “constant...

Intramuscular Manual Therapy AKA Trigger Point Dry Needling

Intramuscular Manual Therapy AKA Trigger Point Dry...

My body is full of trigger points – tiny little contractions in my muscles that feel like "knots" and are often tender to the touch – especially in my legs. Trigger points develop in a muscle when it is injured or overworked. Trigger points can also cause pain elsewhere. An avid triathlete since 1995, I've logged thousands of training hours training for 26 Ironman-distance triathlons...

Example Analysis of an Ironman Athlete’s Training Schedule

Example Analysis of an Ironman Athlete’s Tra...

One value that a coach provide even an experienced athlete is objective feedback via a consultation. A friend of a friend of mine (let's call him Jim) is training for Ironman Utah (St. George) on May 1st. Jim's concern is that because of the recent weather we've been having in Maryland that he has not had the opportunity to do enough riding outside. He recalled that when he was training for a previous...

Sometimes We Lose Sight of the Big Picture in Triathlon

Sometimes We Lose Sight of the Big Picture in Tria...

Sometimes we lose sight of the "big picture" when it comes to doing well in the sport of triathlon — it's not about upgrading to the latest and greatest equipment as the means to success. I know I've been guilty in the past of upgrading my triathlon bike every year or two so understand that urge. This funny video pokes fun at the "need" to upgrade. Enjoy! Thank you to Dave...

The Basics of Monitoring Heart Rate when Exercising

The Basics of Monitoring Heart Rate when Exercisin...

By Krista A. Schultz, MEd, CSCS, Director of Total Performance, Inc. If your goal is weight loss or improved fitness monitoring your heart rate can help you achieve success. How fast or how hard should I go? I frequently start working with women who have been going too fast or too slow during their workouts to get the most benefit from each session. Furthermore, there are many popular formulas for determining exercise...

Your Best 2010!

Your Best 2010!...

The best way to begin the New Year is with this little ritual. This is the second part of the New Year Ritual from my friend and executive coach Margarita Rozenfeld, founder of YES!Circle and Incite International. This ritual is a fun and powerful exercise that can be applied to any and all aspects of your life. I covered the first part of the exercise, Reflecting Back on 2009, in an earlier blog post. ...

Strength Training for Triathletes: Yes or No?

Strength Training for Triathletes: Yes or No?...

One of my clients asked me about strength training this week: I have been doing these exercises with max weight at about 6-8 reps to build power this off season: Hip Abductors Leg Press Squats Calf raises Knee extension Hamstrings What are your thoughts and suggestions around these leg exercises? Should I not be doing these or is it too much? I responded: Those are good overall leg strength exercises. ...

Reflecting back on 2009

Reflecting back on 2009...

With the end of 2009 and the beginning of a New Year fast approaching, now is the time to reflect on 2009 and start looking ahead to 2010. This reflection ritual below is one I received from my friend and executivecoach Margarita Rozenfeld, founder of YES!Circle and Incite International, who I've worked with on and off over the past few years. This ritual is a powerful exercise that can be applied to...

My Road Back to Kona: On Deck for 2010

My Road Back to Kona: On Deck for 2010...

When I raced at the Ironman World Championship in Kona in 2002, I suffered like a dog. I left with no immediate desire to come back. Just a few weeks prior to the race, I had broken the 9-hour mark in an Ironman for the first time at the inaugural Blue Devil Triathlon in Durham, NC. I put everything I had into that race and it left my physically, mentally and emotionally drained. At the time, Kona...

Client Success at Beach2Battleship Ironman

Client Success at Beach2Battleship Ironman...

As a triathlon coach, it's always rewarding to see my clients succeed in their goals. When I sit down and think about what my client Dan Head accomplished at Beach2Battleship on November 7th, I am truly amazed. Beach2Battleship in Wilmington, NC was Dan's first Ironman triathlon (2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike and 26.2-mile run), and he finished in an amazing time of 10:59. What makes Dan's finish...

Leadership at Mile 23 During an Ironman Run

Leadership at Mile 23 During an Ironman Run...

One of my coaching clients, Peter, shared this story with me about an athlete on the run course of Ironman Arizona last weekend. Like myself, Peter is an advocate of Stephen Covey's 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. I continue to be impressed by Peter's ability to notice these small examples of selfless and self-initiated leadership where ever he goes. Here's Peter's story that I'd like...

A Navy SEAL and the Ironman Triathlon

A Navy SEAL and the Ironman Triathlon...

As a Naval Academy Graduate (Class of '93) and former Navy submarine officer, I have a tremendous amount of respect and admiration for the Navy SEALs. In my mind, they represent the ultimate in endurance fitness as they train for their missions on the SEa, Air and Land (SEAL). On the navyathletes.com website, which promotes the Navy and especially the Navy's Special Warfare/Operations communities,...

Begin with the End in Mind: Create and Face the Vision

Begin with the End in Mind: Create and Face the Vi...

If you don't know where you are going, how will you know when you get there? You won't. Stephen Covey's second habit from The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People is to "begin with the end in mind." A simple but effective mental preparation tool that I began using a few years ago to help me with my own triathlon goals is a Vision Sheet - a one page sheet, which summarizes my vision of what I...

Understanding VO2 Max: What Does It Tell You? (Part 2)

Understanding VO2 Max: What Does It Tell You? (Par...

Universal Sports web producer Jason Devaney recently visited Krista Schultz of Total Performance, Inc. to have his VO2 max tested. He learned he has a VO2 max of 55.3 ml/kg/min, which is well above his age predicted value of 44. So what does that number tell him? (Note: you can read more about Jason's testing experience on Jason's blog). As discussed in my previous article: "Understanding VO2...

Lessons Learned from Kona Rookie Bill Beyer

Lessons Learned from Kona Rookie Bill Beyer...

My client Bill Beyer (be sure to read about the Beyer Project) who competed in the Ironman World Championship on October 11 shared some wise and entertaining insights about racing in the ocean and lava fields at Kona: Pre-race: Bring support [family, friends] for the week. When preparing, leave the AC off in the room at night and open the windows. [David's comment: Best way to acclimatize is to arrive Kona...

The Selfishness of Triathlon…or Not?

The Selfishness of Triathlon…or Not?...

Is triathlon a selfish sport…or not? One of my clients who is training for Ironman Arizona on November emailed me the other day regarding his struggle with the "selfishness" of the sport: I have been struggling lately when I realize that the sport we are involved in can be selfish. I train a lot and hence don't give back as often as I should. I took a group of church kids to the Comcast center yesterday...

Understanding VO2 Max: What Exactly Is It? (Part 1)

Understanding VO2 Max: What Exactly Is It? (Part 1...

What exactly is VO2 max? I'm taking a Graduate level course in Exercise Physiology this fall semester through Eastern Michigan University. We've been reading and discussing VO2 Max so I thought I would share some of what I learned and hopefully clear up some misconceptions about what VO2 max is and isn't. Remember when you learned in elementary school that plants take in carbon dioxide (CO2) and release Oxygen...

Rainmaker Publishing Publishes "50 Great US Triathlons" Book

Rainmaker Publishing Publishes "50 Great US T...

As a contributor and author coordinator for the book, I am excited to announced that Rainmaker Publishing LLC, which published my book Full Time and Sub-Nine: Fitting Iron Distance Training into Everyday Life has just published a new book titled: From Kona to Lake Placid – 50 Great US Triathlons. Each triathlon presented in the book is written about by a unique author who participated in that particular triathlon....

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