People get bored very easily. That is a fact that is about as certain as death and taxes. Think about the high school kid who falls asleep during a forty-minute lecture on the Italian Renaissance or the security guard who drifts off during the graveyard shift. When a person experiences something that spans a long period of time and offers no alterations or adjustments , there exists no possible way for a legitimate focus to occur. As a result, body and mind change course, looking to either rest from exhaustion or re-stimulate itself with something else.

Training for triathlon is no different. While following a detailed, structured workout schedule will give you the format to stay consistent, doing the same routine day after day will result in two situations: a serious loss of mental motivation and a seemingly unbreakable physical plateau.

Mentally, when you continually change your patterns, the brain stays sharp, as it constantly has a new goal to reach. You provide the stimulus your brain requires to keep your body moving in a manner that permits progress. For example, using a swim workout based on stroke count one day, always working to lengthen the body’s reach to reduce the number of strokes it takes to cover a given distance, and the next day swimming against the clock, a place where strokes are less important and time rules, provides you with a different set of challenges. Your brain avoids the patternization that generates boredom and fatigue.

Likewise, physically, if you can repeatedly alter your goals, you can keep your body from reaching those plateaus that stunt growth. Confusing the muscles, making them work similar groups in a variety of ways, dodges the monotony of identical workouts. For example, running an endless string of treadmill workouts will never produce the long-range results you need. Instead, get outside and hit the trails or do a track workout. Try plyometrics or Kenpo. Mix in multiple variations that will strengthen the muscles while keeping them fresh and stimulated.

Overall, you will be a happier triathlete if you mix it up. Failing to do so will not only hurt your performance, but also it will take away the pure joy associated with the sport. Keep yourself mentally and physically excited and vary those workouts as much as possible.

Runners are generally serious people with Type-A personalities, the kind that find motivation in the chase of perfection. They normally enjoy structure and relish the chance to evaluate themselves by their wristwatches. Rigid training schedules format their day so as not to allow anything to disrupt their much needed run. Yet, on some rare occasions when the pressures of competition and training become too much, runners can let their guard down, and, in the case of the New York City Underwear Run, their pants too!

Held annually the Friday evening prior to the New York City Triathlon, the Underwear Run contains approximately 500 highly motivated fun seekers who clad themselves only in their skivvies. Bodies of all shapes and sizes adorn little more than a smile and a positive attitude as they bounce, shimmy, and glide through the world’s most famous park. Sports bras and bikini briefs. Boxers and boy shorts. Pink ones and black ones. Lace and elastic. Traditional and downright bizarre. If you wear it under your day clothes or just in the darkest hours late at night, you’ll see it trekking through Central Park in all its glory.

Leave your modesty at the door if you elect to dive into this ocean of flesh and cotton. The 1.7 mile run, which in 2009 broke the world record for total people gathered in one place in their underwear, winds through the tree-lined streets of Central Park, drawing plenty on onlookers and an impressive number of cell phone cameras. With no timing chips, no transitions, no race numbers, no fancy gadgets or gizmos, the run represents the heart of the Big Apple’s approach to life: personal expression to the greatest conceivable degree. Absurdity and fun don’t get any better than this.

So, if you are interested in a run as memorable as any, or if you simply want to figure out exactly what Victoria’s secret actually is, go to http://www.nyctri.com/Central_Park_Underwear_Run.htm for additional information and pictures of last year’s race. You may want to train for this one and eat a few less cookies though. Failing to do so may bring about a whole new definition of indecent exposure. Not to worry, however, as next year’s race is a ways away…on July 14th at 7:30 pm.

With Zappos.com sponsoring this year’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Las Vegas Marathon, many of our employees are preparing to participate in the event. Last week we spoke to some of the people doing the half marathon, so this week we decided to go around and talk to some of the people planning to run the full marathon.

No matter if your a seasoned runner, or just someone wanting to challenge yourself, the Las Vegas full or half marathon is a great way to get out and work on those fitness goals. Here are some of our Zappos employees talking about their training so far.

The training continues, after a few days of healing. The blister issue was explained to me quite well by our in-house expert on running. Chris P. told me, “Dude, you have to stop running until these heal. Seriously.”

I listened to him. (As you may have noticed, if you’ve been following this, I’m not a big fan of..you know….listening to advice, of any kind. But I’m trying Ringo, I’m trying real hard.

So, I took 5 days off from running and just lifted and hit the elliptical about 20 minutes a day. I had a great deal of back issues when I began training, and at the advice of our in-house life coach, Dr. Vik, I visited a chiropractor. He helped me out the most by saying that my posture is real, real bad and that I need to work on the muscles in my back, otherwise the problems would persist. I actually listened to something for a change, and man, it’s working like a charm, yo! And for the first time in my life, I don’t have the posture of someone living in the Cathedral of Notre Dame.

Below is a little video of my cool-down ritual every night. Take a gander, if you please.

My playlist for the last week has been:

• The Black Crowes-Before the Frost
• Chris Thile-How to Build a Woman From the Ground

• My Morning Jacket-Songs: Ohia-EP

Get out there and sign up for the marathon, Zappos!

Unless you are among the elite triathletes in the world, you probably approach the sport with goals and desires that do not revolve around winning. Instead, in all likelihood, you started the sport to challenge yourself, to prove something to yourself, to replace other sports you can no longer compete in, or to simply stay involved in a competitive manner. If so, then we all must admit that we train for different yet similar reasons, and, although we will go about our daily workouts differently, two very distinct commonalities do, and must, exist.

First, we each have a disciplined approach that seeks to get the most from our training. Whether we create a schedule based on what we want or we follow a delineated breakdown borrowed from someone more experienced, each of us has a daily goal designed to get us to the end. The work rate we invest begins as a struggle but will quickly alter into an addiction, once we see and feel the results of our efforts. Thus, we portion off a small piece, although how small varies person to person, of our lives to this sport, and within that time period we push and drive ourselves like we never have before.

Yet, despite our greatest desires to succeed, we all must realize the power of reality, which brings about the second, although slightly contradictory, commonality. Within the discipline rests a guilt that can eat a triathlete up: letting life happen instead of training. Many people experience an overwhelming sense of guilt if they eat wrong or miss a workout. Nothing could be more detrimental to your mental training stability than permitting yourself to feel this guilt. Life will happen, sicknesses will occur, so understand that although you see training as imperative, other parts of life have more value.

In the end, train really hard, but live life too. If you miss a workout, move on and don’t try to compensate. Let your world continue because triathlon is about improving life and self-esteem, not making it more difficult and stressful. Relax and enjoy a sport than can change who you are.

Turn on the television and you will rarely see running. On the odd occasions you do, it is normally a major marathon, and you’ll watch elite runners whisk through the city streets of New York and Boston on their way to finishing in just about two hours. Yet, for the rest of the world that loves running for the silent, self-driven discipline that it is, the glory of the sport happens on the weekends, when countless individuals meet and compete on city roads and in rural parks. But, while these venues are wonderful, you have experienced nothing until you’ve run in the mountains.

In Asheville, North Carolina, in the spectacular Swannanoa Valley, resides a race that will exceed the expectations of any runner, and it will, after finishing, inject each participant with a sense of pride felt little before. The course, set on challenging terrain over a 10k distance, climbs just over 1500 feet in the first few miles; however, that is child’s play compared to what happens thereafter.

Runners will then abruptly work to summit Choctaw Rock, which is a total of 3800 feet, leaving them over 2300 additional feet to traverse after the opening miles. Once they arrive at the top, they will work to navigate a tight ridgeline along their way to the 3900 foot summit of Eden Rock. Afterwards, they complete a rapid downhill to the shore of Lake Eden and the well-earned finish line.

Runners are cautioned to essentially double their normal 10k time, and most come to realize that they can in no way run the entire course, as it is a technical and tactical monster that will confront your every flaw and weakness. The terrain, dominated by heavy roots, rocks, downed trees, and steep inclines, makes the experience a memorable one, and the true physical beauty of the surroundings will capture your eye as you work harder than you ever have in a pair of sneakers .

Although it eclipses just over six miles, the race runs much longer and harder. If you are up for a challenge, head to the mountains and give this one a go.

As time passes and you fall in love with triathlons, you will begin to ponder upgrading your competitive gear. Now that your body is fit and you have stopped merely wanting to finish and have instead replaced that goal with ones more focused on success and time, you will need to take a look at every aspect of your training and competition.

If your actual workout regimen suits your lifestyle and your fitness level has solidified, then you need to examine your gear. Everything from your choice of swimwear to your body positioning on the bike to the type of shoe you use must come under close scrutiny.

In the swim, if you have been competing with either a bulky, non-productive wetsuit or without one at all, you are losing precious seconds. While it is widely held knowledge that you will never win a triathlon during the swim portion, you can certainly lose it. Thus, buy a high quality swim skin or wetsuit that permits you to cut the water and maintain good flexibility. A good wetsuit can take off almost 1:30 over an Olympic triathlon swim.

On the bike, utilizing standard handlebars forces your body into an upright position too often. Seeking to become more aerodynamically inclined, you should upgrade by installing aerobars. Learning to ride properly with aerobars will save you between 3:30 and 4:40 in an Olympic triathlon depending on the type of course you encounter. Upgrade your wheels from standard to aero wheels and you will shave another 1:00 to 1:15 off your time.

Finally, on the run, running in your trainers can actually slow you down. Instead, in order to save almost a minute’s time in an Olympic race, leave your trainers in the transition and wear a pair of racing flats . They take a little getting used to, but they will quicken your step and make you feel mentally faster.

If your wallet will allow you to, and your body says it’s time to, begin your upgrades. You’ll taste more success and fall deeper in love with each race you do.

The Denver area is home to many marathons. One quickly gaining momentum is the Colorado Colfax Marathon. The Colorado Colfax Marathon runs along Denver’s famous Colfax Avenue, starting at Denver City Park, circling through an area just past Wadsworth Avenue in the city of Lakewood, and ending up back at the City Park Pavilion in Denver. The full marathon is about 26 miles long. There’s also the option of running the half marathon. Kids in K – 8th grade also can run in the non-competitive Colorado Kids Marathon Mile.

All Colorado Colfax Marathon races are open to varied levels of expertise. Using the relay team strategy is welcome for those running for fun, for a business, or for a charitable cause. This is where friends or business partners team up and tag each consecutive racer at certain intervals of the race.

Terrain for the Colorado Colfax Marathon races is mostly asphalt, since the whole length of the main race extends down Colfax Avenue. In this race, suitable for beginners, expert training is not required. However, before running any race, of course, a person should always check with their physician, as well as prepare their body for the new physical activity.

Denver’s weather is a bit unpredictable in the Spring, when this event is usually held. Weather could be sunny and mild or it could even be raining or snowing. If you’re coming from out of town to participate in this race, be sure you have running gear suitable for varied weather conditions. Running shoes should have slip-proof technology (in case of rain or snow) with traction that is suitable for flat terrain. They also should be lightweight, so that feet and legs don’t tire easily. A windbreaker also is a good idea, in case it gets breezy.

SOURCES
http://www.coloradocolfaxmarathon.org/