HOW TO TRAIN FOR A TRI

by WINA STURGEON

Racing from one sport to another in a triathlon takes skill and experience. So does trying to keep up speed through three sports. Many triathletes are now hiring specialized coaches to help them learn all the tricks to doing better in a tri.

Jo Garuccio is one such coach. A level 2 coach certified by USA Triathlon, the sport's federation, she has won her age group at the World Triathlon Championships six times and four times at the U. S. Nationals. "I've never been out of the top three in the nationals or Worlds, ever," she says, which is one of the criteria she advises for those looking for a tri coach. "A good coach should have some solid experience as an athlete, and should be certified as a triathlon coach," she says.

But even without coaching, there are tips that can help triathletes to do better. Garuccio explains, "People struggle because they do things like go to an open water swim, when they have never been in open water before. There's a huge difference. You are swimming in one big group, and waves don't exist in a pool. There are no lines on the bottom of a lake, so they need to learn to 'sight,' so that they swim in a straight line."

She also advises swimming in something that you will be comfortable riding your bike in; because "if you stop and try to put bike shorts on while wet, it will take forever." The transition is often the part of where the race is won or lost. She says to carefully check out where your bike is racked in relation to the rest of the bikes. If a mass of other competitors will be in front of you, also scrambling to get on the road, the pack may block you, forcing a long run with your bike before you can hop in the saddle. Be ready for it.

Many age group triathletes don't know how to pedal properly. "Most pedal harder with one leg. They don't have a smooth pedal stroke, and their cadence (speed of pedaling) is slow because they are pushing too big of a gear. Lance Armstrong pedaled at 100 rpm's. If you pedal at too low a cadence, it's like lifting weights the entire bike ride," Garuccio explains.

She also points out how important it is to have a bike that fits, not one that's too big or small, one with a saddle adjusted to the most comfortable angle for your body, warning that running is harder if there is physical strain from an ill-fitting bike. Most good bike shops offer fitting services.

The bike/run transition is often the hardest, because getting into a running groove after a swim and bike ride is difficult. You have to figure out what works for you; like whether to wear socks during the race, especially since you may lose time trying to put them on wet feet after the swim transition. Garuccio advises practicing riding your bike in bike shoes without socks, saying, "If I'm running on pavement, I don't wear socks, because I've won events by 17 seconds, and it takes at least ten seconds to put on socks."

Garuccio, who is currently coaching three Iron Man competitors, says it's a good strategy to practice running after a bike workout. "Running after a bike ride is a lot different than trying to run fresh in a 5K or 10K. Triathletes call a bike/run workout a 'brick,' and you should do one brick workout a week, even if you only run for 20 minutes," she adds.

She also has one caution; "Make sure you know the rules, or it can cost you. The most misunderstood rule is bike blocking. You can only ride on the right side of the course. If you ride on the left, you are considered to be blocking people who want to pass you, and you may be given a penalty.

But the overall thing to remember is that triathlon is a three-sport race, plus a changeup between each, and you must train to be good in every part of the race.