Group Training & Racing = Fast and Fun

Canyonlands 1/2 Marathon Crew pre-race. Moab, UT

Training and racing with a group from time to time is is a great way to mix things up.  Last weekend, a group I coach and run with headed for Moab, UT for the Moab 1/2 Marathon.  The trip reminded me once again how much fun can be had when you get a group of people together for some exercise.

Post race hike Arches National Park Moab, UT

Incase you have never had the opportunity to workout with a group, here are a just a few benefits of group training:

• Training partners
• Someone to push you and go into the hurt locker with
• Someone to just cruise when you need it
• Socializing during workout
• Coaching
• Someone to draft in the pool, lake or ocean
• Accountability knowing you are meeting a friend for a workout
• Potential cool photo opportunities
• Someone to draft on the bike when you're dragging ass or rotate through on a paceline
• Post work social activities... need I say more
• Carpooling to workout and/or race which leads too...'
• Roadtrips!
• Therapy... usually cheaper than retail therapy
• Laughter, think about it, when is the last group workout you did and there was no laughing?

As you plan out your training in the coming days and weeks, think about ways that you may be able to add a group workout into your schedule.

Lace um up and have a great week,

Coach Eric

Northern Colorado Triathlon Club (NoCo Tri) has launched!!!

There are many small groups of endurance athletes working out in Northern Colorado, and even more people working out by themselves. What if these groups could be brought together for training, racing, educational and social activities?

Two local coaches, Jon Mason & Eric Neilsen had a vision of a triathlon club that would unify the endurance athletes of Northern Colorado.  They also wanted to make a difference in the community they live in.  After some further discussion it was decided to move forward and start taking the necessary steps to forming the club.   Knowing they would need the support of other like-minded individuals in the community, a meeting was held in mid-December to see who might want to be involved in the leadership as the club was being formed.  Fifteen people showed up for the first meeting and from that group they filled roughly 2/3 of the officer and committee chair positions that would lead the club in 2014.  

Next up was planning for the first meeting and filling the remaining leadership positions.  Jon and Eric along with the club officers Brent Phinney, Michelle Alexander, Jennifer Schneider and Diane Schultz worked on the agenda and logistics for the kick-off party to be held on January 15th.  They had a great turnout for the event with 85-90 people showing up.  The evening consisted of socializing, seeing old friends, and meeting new friends along with hearing about the nuts and bolts of why the club was being formed.   The turnout of people for the first meeting exceeded expectations and is a good sign that the people of Northern Colorado are interested in making this happen.

People join clubs for many reasons: social, training groups, education, racing.  We envision the NoCo Tri Club serving all these needs and more as interest continues to build in 2014.   

For more info on the Northern Colorado Triathlon Club please visit www.nocotri.com or check out the Facebook page www.facebook.com/nocotri

Make it a great week of training where ever you're at and take a few minutes to check out your local triathlon club.

Coach Eric

Swimming reference set for Ironman Training

Swim Start Ironman World Championship view from Kona Inn on Ali'i Drive

March is here and if you are preparing for an early season Ironman, this is a great 3500yard/meter

workout you can insert into your training plan.  Also, good for swimmers preparing for open water swims and/or the time crunched athlete.  Continues reinforcing the need to build into swims making early pacing critical to maximizing your performance.  

The workout
1 x 500 Free Warm
2 x 400 Faster pace per 100 than 500 this should be easy since 500 was warm up
3 x 300 Faster pace per 100 than 400's
4 x 200 Faster pace per 100 than 300's
5 x 100 Cool down
Total 3500

Intervals
500 on :30 sec rest
400's 300's and 200's on your normal base example 1:30/100M
so 400's on 6:00, 300's on 4:30, 200's on 3:00
100's on :10 sec rest mix strokes as you like

You could repeat this set every 3-4 weeks to measure your improvement as the season progresses and it works well before a bike session as the first part of a swim/bike brick.

Make it a great week of training and please email me at eric@coachericneilsen with topics you are interested in learning more about.

Coach Eric