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Jul

The Sporting Life: Motivation

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By Dave Andersen Are you motivated to train? Just like many of you, I start each year feeling motivated. But motivation can be tricky – it comes and goes throughout the year. I develop motivation by setting goals, picking my races, and mapping out my training cycles for the season. I ease into my training routine and get into the daily and weekly rhythm of working-out knowing that each month will provide variety by having its own purpose and specificity toward the big picture. Many months of the year all I do is train, and don’t race. There is a comfort in the daily routine of training. During these periods I realize just how important and nice it is to be fit. I dream about the upcoming season. Motivation is not a problem. Would I be as motivated if I didn’t race? I think so. Let me explain. I love being fit – the desire to live a fit and balanced lifestyle keeps me going. Over the past 35 years I’ve varied my sport (running, cycling, swimming, triathlon, xc-skiing, etc.) to keep it interesting. And just like many of you, I’ve had periods where racing was not the priority; staying fit […]

Jun

The Sporting Life: Mind & Body

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By Dave Andersen How can you improve you ask? You want to run faster and further, you want to beat your cycling competitors up that climb? I’ve been closely involved in running and cycling for over 35 years and I can say the tried and true training methods have basically remained the same this past generation. Sure, a huge amount of scientific data is available on the benefits of training at altitude and on new forms of strength and flexibility training. And with today’s gadgets you can now quantify every aspect of training from mapping your routes, graphing your power, heart rate, Vo2 max and all that. But lest we forget that training for the purpose of racing is not rocket science. Machines can measure things, but what they don’t measure is how much pain you can SUFFER. And that, my friends, in addition to hard training and experience, may be the one of the most important aspects of racing. Training is key! And it’s certainly helpful to get your body fat percentage into the single digits. The most important aspects of endurance training are PATIENCE and CONSISTENCY. These things are not glamorous. They don’t fit in particularly well in today’s society. […]

Apr

The Sporting Life: Intervals, Simplified

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By Dave Andersen As endurance athletes, most of our training centers on moderately paced mileage. That’s good! Easy-to-moderate mileage builds strength and endurance. However, training at only this intensity will not get you super fit, or race fit. For that, you need to push to your limits and do some interval training. Runners must do this sparingly as it can put a lot of extra strain on your muscles, tendons, and ligaments. Cyclists and rowers can be more aggressive since there is no pounding. I’ve competed in running, triathlon and bike racing for over 35 years. Let me make it simple for you. You should do some longer length intervals, some medium, and some short. The shorter they are the more intense they should be. Basically, you go hard for a relatively short time, recover, and then repeat. There are a hundred names and catch phrases for the various types of intervals but they all fall into these general categories (think cycling): 1. Long intervals — After warming up I’ll go hard 2 or 3 times for 10-15 minutes. Actually I have a stretch of road where there is very little traffic or turns. The key is to finish each […]

Mar

The Sporting Life: 7 Training Reminders

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By Dave Andersen There are no secrets to getting fit and, quite honestly, it boils down to consistency, hard work, and rest. Here are some thoughts I keep in the back of my mind as I progress through the season. I hope you find these helpful: Stay Healthy It may seem obvious but if you get injured no other tips or goals matter. Just as in everyone’s life, health is everything. So pay close attention to those twinges and aches. Do what you can (massage, stretch, warm up, rest, sleep, etc.) to avoid getting injured in the first place. It’s better to do too little than too much. Training is about how much you can do and absorb without getting injured. Don’t Worry Only worry about what you can control. Prepare the best you can. If your competition is stronger there is nothing you can do. And don’t fret about the weather, deal with it. Check Your Pride This is a tough one to swallow. Don’t get hung up on group training bragging rights or become a watt-meter or Strava junkie. Do what you gotta do to prepare yourself for race-day…even if it means not going for the KOM on that […]

Mar

Ride Like A Superhero

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By Guest KIT Blogger, Eletrico Have you ever noticed, after sometime off the bike, that when you suit up for a ride it feels slightly foreign? The garish-looking jackets, the thermal tights, it’s a fleeting sensation, a perception distorted by the day to day routine of work clothes, perhaps a tie, a tucked in shirt and patent-leather shoes. “Who dresses like that?” you think. Then you zip up, put the cleats on and go for a ride. Even before the first few pedal strokes you’re already past the micro-awkwardness of donning something akin to a super hero costume, and things more or less fall into place. Speaking of super heroes, have you also noticed that most super power (or comic book) characters always seem to have a sidekick? Asterix has Obelix. Batman has Robin. Zorro has Tonto. Some of them hang out in crews, like the Fantastic Four, The Avengers, or The Galaxy Rangers. I am lucky enough to have Dimitri and Sílvio, who despite lacking any particular noteworthy super powers, carry on as if they just materialized out of comic book pages. I have known both Dimitri and Sílvio for at least 10-plus years. We have raced in the same […]