The Tri Town Times: 7/31/23

The Tri Town Times: 7/31/23

This week: Travis Wood wins Burley Spudman Tri; counterproductive training.
Image: Denis Pyryev at the Burley Spudman on his way to a close 2nd place.

Hi all,

 

Here is your weekly Tri Town Times newsletter:

 

Weekend race report:

- Congrats to all the athletes who raced the Burley Spudman on Saturday. Travis Wood defended his '22 title, with Denis Pyryev (image above) not far behind. Alison McInturff won the women's race. Results here.

- Dutch cyclist Demi Vollering secured victory at the Tour de France Femmes after dominating the critical Stage 6. The reigning champion, Annemiek Van Vleuten (also from the Netherlands), finished in 4th overall.

 

Training thoughts:

"It took me a while to understand that I was training in a counterproductive way by doing long runs at goal race pace (i.e. guided by external load) instead of race intensity (i.e. guided by internal load, based on my current abilities). 

 

When I started not bothering about the depressing pace of my long runs but worked on maintaining my heart rate in the right place for a marathon effort, and doing this repeatedly as I finally wasn’t compromising my health or recovery anymore, I made progress." (quote edited for clarity) - Data scientist Marco Altini, founder of HRV4Training.

 

The quote is pulled from this article that explains the difference between fitness and economy. Many athletes, myself included, often perform well in short events, but that fitness does not always carry through to long(er) races. The article explains the importance of training volume and appropriate pace, two critical components in developing economy of movement. Though economy of movement matters in all race distances, its importance is compounded in longer events.

 

Quote that struck a chord: 

"If you see someone failing to take action, it tells you they don't know the cost of inaction." - Shane Parrish.

 

If you have a moment to spare:

Professional triathlete Matt Sharpe was disqualified from 70.3 Maine for racing with his jersey zipper fully undone. Sharpe had finished in 3rd place. The somewhat confusing and only occasionally enforced Rule 5(i) is an example of a hard-to-enforce rule, with questionable purpose, but real consequences for the athletes when followed to the letter.

 

Note about today's image, elite triathlete Denis Pyryev is flirting with, but not in full violation of the zipper-rule. :-)

 

 

Train smart and have a great week!

 

Antonio Gonzalez

Tri Town Bicycles

 

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