Mental Training Technique to Incorporate in your Racing

Have you incorporated mental training skills into your training and racing? We all hear professional athletes talk about how important it becomes to their overall performances!

Remember some of the the toughest mental athletes, Mark Allen, Dave Scott at the Hawaii Ironman years ago, of course Michael Jordan, Lance Armstrong with all the Tour de France wins, and there are so many more.

The question is what specific mental performance training skills can you learn and use with your endurance racing. Personally, I use a bunch of different things and one I would like to pass on to you that you might want to use during your race.

I call it my “rope technique”. Other’s call it the magnet concept. It’s a very simple concept that has worked for me for years. The technique can be implemented when you are at a crucial part of your specific race - for example: the last 5-6 miles in a marathon, key part of a cycling race to maintain pace with the “pack” on a major climb, the middle sections of the run in a triathlon, etc., focus on a competitor that is in front of you that you can see up the road and imagine they have a rope around their wast and their energy is pulling you along.

The other thought is to think of them with a magnet on their back and you are “sticking” to them. It might sound crazy if you have not practiced this basic mental training technique, but it works! Just focus on the competitor and create a mental vision of them pulling you along.

If you tell yourself that they are doing all the work and use their energy to keep you maintaining their pace. Practice it regularly and you will see the results, especially late into a race when you are pushing the pace. Of course you can call it and create a picture of anything to have the same benefits of using a competitors energy to pull you along and the next thing you know you will be passing them!

Have fun and don’t forget to add mental performance training techniques into your overall training program. If interested in specific mental performance coaching, please free free to email me at wayne.kurtz@racetwitch.com.

Racetwitch Meetup kicked off in New York City

Last night in NYC we kicked off the first Racetwitch Meetup. Many friends around the country have asked me, are you having one near my home. Well the answer is yes and we are currently selecting the best locations with passionate endurance athletes.

In addition to meeting new endurance friends and learning about their backgrounds we listened to Jennifer Steinman discuss her adventures of filming the Racing The Planet 4 Desert Running Series. It sounded like plenty of life changing experiences for Jennifer and the athletes. These races sound brutal but of course sparked an interest from some of us attending last night, yes that would be me of course!

Carrying all supplies including water, etc. each day through the hot desserts sounds extremely difficult for sure.

We learned about Alejandra Reagan's CityTri racing series in NJ and NY areas. Definitely check out the series of triathlons/duathlons at www.citytri.com and their fall Duathlon is coming up November 7th.

Also, great info on training camps in the Hudson Valley from Ed at Open Sky Training, www.openskytraining.com

It was great to get things moving with the RaceTwitch Meetup and looking forward to growth in NYC and other cities year you.

Personally a big thanks to RaceTwitch Pro Team Member, Laura Demeo for all the help in coordinating everything and of course our guest speaker Jennifer Steinman. I can't wait to see the final product (movie or DVD) from Jennifer and we will get the word out to all of the RaceTwitch tribe, stay tuned.

Would you be interested in a Racetwitch Meetup near you? Please email me at Wayne.Kurtz@racetwitch.com

Mark you calendars - next NYC RaceTwitch Meetup - December 8th - Stay tuned for the location in the city!!

Winter Training Is Coming - 10 Endurance Workouts to Consider

For many of us the summer racing season is coming to an end and the peak races are over or within the next few months. Every year I look to add something different or and old training discipline to keep things interesting and fun during the sometimes long winters in Pittsburgh, PA. In 25 years, I have used many different workouts inside and out to add not only variety but also to improve different weaknesses. Here are a few to consider to add to your off-season or winter training program. Yes, I know there are plenty of you who focus on winter racing so your prime race season is coming up!

10 Activities to add some Variety:

1.  Consider a video course for overall body strength, P90X, Insansity (great one - personally I love these workouts) or Wheel of Yoga for Cyclists, http://www.moryoga.com/dvd-release.html. 
2.  Snowshoeing and participating in a race, (hill climb or longer race). 
3. Mountain biking in the mud and snow for a long fat burning ride. 
4. Speed Skating - even if you don’t have the higher end performance skates, just rent hockey skates and do a session after a bike or run. This is tough on the quads and lungs when combining with another workout!
5. Winter mountain hiking/climbing.
6. Cross Country skiing and either do a long trail: for example the Catamount Trail in Vermont or sign up for a race.
7. Trail running in the snow - add some screws to the bottom of the shoe for additional traction.
8. Long Workouts to build mental strength: 100 mile indoor bike ride or a 3 hour treadmill run (yes they can be brutal/boring but add in a specific interval set or a combination workout to keep it interesting). 
9. Cyclo-Cross bike race - these are a lot of fun and absolutely exhausting.
10. Long distance indoor swim.

These are just a few to consider for the upcoming off-season for many of us. What are you going to do this winter? Find a race on http://www.racetwitch.com Send over your workouts or races to consider!

The Old Great Fitness Tool

Yes, there are so many training tools from years ago. Remember the Nordic Track cross country ski machine, how about the Abdominal wheel, of course there are many others. One that I continue to use regularly every week of the year is the jump rope.

Jumping rope and learning the various techniques improves so many area's that have cross over benefits for endurance based sports. Yes, even for ultra distance events! Jumping rope improves overall body strength and of course speed/turnover. If you travel on business, it's great to throw in the luggage. It's a great tool to use for warming up or combining with other workouts.

For example, add to hill repeats (running) and at the bottom of the hill after your recovery grab the rope for 2 minutes of quick jumping and then climb the hill (repeat several sets). Do this workout weekly and you will notice strength improvements in the calves along with an increase of your turnover when climbing the hill. Not easy, but huge benefits!

Combine jumping rope with bike intervals as well and build over time to several minutes. I highly recommend adding to your routine and the more you jump consistently the better you will become on technique and speed.

If you want a quality jump rope, check out Buddy Lee Jump Ropes. He is amazing and makes a great jump rope. If possible, I recommend jumping on a cushioned mat and start out slow and build over time.

Add jump roping to your weekly training routine and experience the significant strength and speed benefits.

Have fun, it works!

Endurance Racing in Comfort - Top 7 Idea's

An ongoing question we all face during racing in long distance endurance events is the compromise of lightweight shoes, bikes, etc. vs. maybe a bit more weight and less aerodynamics but more comfort. Of course in shorter events comfort becomes less of an issue (to some degree!) and it's all about speed via no socks while running in a triathlon, no change of clothes in the transition area, etc.

As the race becomes significantly longer, comfort becomes more of issue for many of us. Being comfortable can counter balance some of the intense fatigue that occurs in ultra distance events. Here are few items to consider for your next ultra distance events:

1. If your competing in an Ultra Distance Triathlon (Double, Triple, Quintuple, DECA Ironmans) the key is to stay on the bike and aerodynamics especially races over the Double Ironman distance become less of a factor. Many athletes use lightweight road bike geometry frames with aero bars and aero rims. The key is to STAY on the bike for as long as possible.

2. If your racing in a long distance trail running race consider using just a larger somewhat heavier shoe to protect those toes during the later stages of the race when many athletes are suffering with feet problems.

3. Consider using a two piece wetsuit while competing in an ultra distance open water swim or ultra distance triathlon. The advantage of the two piece suit is that if chafing occurs or overheating it's very easy to take off the top and keep the bottoms on and still have significant buoyancy from the legs which tend to sink!

4. Absolutely a must in long distance running, triathlons, adventure racing events - make sure there are no seam problems in shorts, pants, shirts that will cause ongoing chafing.

5. Carry small container of Glide, Bag Balm, or other anti-friction creme in cycling shirt pocket, or running pack during very long races.

6. For a race that entails a very long bike section or bike race (300 + miles) consider using a fuel pack attached to top tube as it's very difficult after 20 hours or so to reach back to the pocket in your cycling jersey - I know this one well!

7. Fix the feet early before the "hot spots" become serious problems.

Of course there are plenty others, let me know your thoughts or idea's on what works for you in the ultra distance events to remain as comfortable as possible.

Handheld Running Water Bottle Product Review

Recently I received the CAMELBAK QUICK GRIP® W/PODIUM® CHILL JACKET running water bottle at a recent race in the free "goodie" bag and found it to be of exceptional quality. Personally, I have run with a handheld water bottle for years and have tested many models with all of them functional but not many specific differentiators. Over the years, many of the manufacturers have continued to improve the holders by adding small compartments on the holder to allow room for gels, small energy bar, electrolytes, keys, etc. Also, there are several that promise non-slip from sweaty hands (in my opinion they don't work) and have used new types of materials to absorb sweat.

One continuous problem with handheld water bottles occurs during hot weather and the liquid gets very warm relatively quickly because of the body heat of the hand holding the bottle, no matter how much ice you add to the bottle. This is where the CAMELBAK QUICK GRIP® W/PODIUM® CHILL JACKET stands apart from the various models. Originally my thought was would it actually work in hot conditions for extended long runs. To my surprise, the bottle keeps liquids cold for extended periods of time. Recently, I used the bottle for a hot 100 mile run and the water remained cold from aid station to aid station in hot, humid conditions. In my opinion it's the best in the marketplace if you like to have cold liquids when running. The only item that could be improved is the size of the pouch to hold a gel. It's difficult to store even one gel and get it zippered when you have your hand in the holder.

Capacity and Weight:

Pack body: 70D diamond Ripstop and air mesh.
Hydration Capacity: 21 oz Podium™ Chill Jacket™ Bottle.
Dimensions: 7"H x 4"W x 3"D.
Weight: Full Bottle: 1.42 lbs.

This Camelbak product is definitely a winner in my opinion, check it out!

The 10% Factor for your Endurance Training

We have all hear the statement, "give an extra 10%" in all aspects of life. For example, if your in sales, make the extra 10% over the standard with sales calls, give a little more than 10% to charity, reduce calories by an extra 10%, etc. You get the point. The question is what's the impact of adding 10% to your workouts and the potential for improvement on race day.

The mental aspects of embedding the 10% rule into the daily workouts can provide significant advantages when the race gets difficult through the many "up's and down's". Some examples I like to use are the following:

1. Interval sets in any discipline. If the goal was to do 10, then focus mentally and push for one more or 10%
2. Strength training - add 10% more in terms of sets or reps
3. Hill repeats, add 10% more to the total
4. Add 10% of total time to every ride or run.
5. Visualization Training for race day - practice an an additional 10% every day in terms of time.

There are many other's to consider while working out. The improvements mentally by following the 10% addition rule can definitely have impact on race performance. Of course it's difficult to use the 10% rule to every workout, but think of incorporating into several workouts each week. No, it's not going to guarantee that when you are at mile 80 in a 100 mile run or mile 18 in the Ironman run that you can just turn it on and fly to the finish, but it can be an influencer to getting through the rough patches as the subconscious mind has been trained to go through tough spots in training.

Check out RaceTwitch.com for a new race for your schedule!



Also, we have just started RaceTwitch Club and a Meetup occuring Oct. 13th in NYC. Even if you can't make it, sign on for future updates and meeting locations!