In endurance events, the first cause of fatigue is loss of muscle sugar, so athletes do whatever they can to preserve sugar levels. Caffeine causes the body to produce large amounts of adrenalin, which causes fat to be released from fat cells and float in the bloodstream.
This extra fat is taken up by the muscles and used for energy, thus preserving the body’s limited stored supply of muscle sugar. When muscles run our of sugar, the athlete requires more oxygen to do the same job, slows down, fatigues earlier, and has difficulty maintaining his performance.
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Training is specific, so the more you practice your sport, the better you are able to do it. That’s why triathletes who compete and train in three sports are relatively mediocre in each sport when compared to those who only run, cycle or swim. (Sports Biomechanics, Volume 6, Issue 1, 2007).
In this study, elite cyclists produced significantly more effective force on their pedals than triathletes. They had far less wasted side-to-side motion, and they required less oxygen to do the same amount of work.
Repeating the same motion over and over causes your muscles to become more efficient so they can generate more power with less oxygen. For example, when you run, you use your arms to maintain your center of gravity. When your right leg moves forward, so does your left arm; your left leg and right arm move backward.
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TFS is proud to present our monthly Success Story award to individuals who have overcome tremendous obstacles, changed their own lives and/or the lives of others through running, sports or fitness. Past award recipients have included female running pioneer
Kathrine Switzer, former Arkansas Governor and presidential candidate Mike Huckabee, and double amputee runner Oscar Pistorius.
I am proud to announce that TFS’s June 2007 Success Story and my guest on Episode #55 of The Final Sprint Podcast is The Epitome of Courage: Mr. Jim MacLaren.
Jim, a former Yale University All-American football and lacrosse player, was hit by a bus at age 22; an accident that forced doctors to amputate his leg. However, Jim persevered, beat the odds and became a marathon runner, Ironman triathlete world record holder and earned the title: “The Babe Ruth of Amputee Athletes”.
Eight years later, Jim was once again the victim of a tragic accident; hit by a van while competing in a triathlon and left as a quadriplegic after sustaining serious spinal injuries.
Never the one to give up, Jim once again proved that his spirit was strong enough to surmount even the most unthinkable of adversities. Jim has gone on to become a motivational speaker, founder of the “Choose Living Foundation”, and as Oprah said at the 2005 ESPY Awards in presenting him with ESPN’s Arthur Ashe Courage Award, Jim has “given new life to those around the world who need it most”.
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Host: Adam Jacobs
Guest: Jim MacLaren
Producer: Greg Cherniet
Music: Ryan Ahlwardt & Darnell Perkins
File size: 18.5 MB
Length: 27:05
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Are you tired of your current running training schedule or fitness routine? Are you bored? Can’t get motivated?
Maybe it’s time that you just “tri” it and become an “Iron Girl” this summer. Instead of following a monotnous fitness schedule that numbs your mind, ignores certain muscle groups, and leaves you hungering for more, try following a triathlon training program.
Need some convincing? Then consider these benefits: Athletes who train for triathlons are less likely to get injured than one-sport athletes …
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Ironman triathlon champion, overall elite athlete … and vegan? Anyone who still thinks a vegan lifestyle can’t support intense athletic training hasn’t met Brendan Brazier. A professional athlete who consistently places at the top in international Ironman triathlon events, Brazier is a formidable example of the potential for a plant-based diet to yield impressive athletic results.
In his bestselling book, “Thrive: A guide to optimal health & performance through plant-based whole foods”, Brazier goes beyond merely guiding readers through the world of vegan nutrition, and instead offers an entirely new way of seeing food: as the fuel necessary not only for sports, but for overall wellness.
Brazier argues that stress – whether physical or emotional – has a powerful connection to eating, exercise, and attitude. According to him, stress can be beneficial; the right balance of exercise can strengthen the body, clear the mind, and promote natural healing. However, Brazier rightfully points out that the North American lifestyle is a magnet for negative stress: from our unhealthy eating to our sedentary exercise habits, Brazier offers studies that support what so many already know – Americans are overworked and unhealthy, and our bodies and minds are suffering as a result.
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TFS is proud to present our monthly Success Story award to individuals who have overcome tremendous obstacles, changed their own lives and/or the lives of others through running, sports or fitness.
I am proud to announce that TFS’s May 2007 Success Story and my guest on Episode 49 of The Final Sprint Podcast is Scott Rigsby; the first double leg amputee to ever complete an Olympic distance and half IRONMAN triathlon on prosthetics.
Scott now has his sites set on becoming the first double amputee to complete a full IRONMAN triathlon and furthering his passionate efforts to motivate other physically challenged athletes.
In the interview Scott talks about the tragic accident that led to the amputation of both of his legs, how he is lucky to be alive, and his courageous battle to regain a competitive and active lifestyle.
Download the podcast to hear Scott discuss these topics, as well as, the unique challenges faced by amputees in endurance and multi-sport events, his opinion on Oscar Pistorius (who appeared on the front page of the NY Times on 3/15/07), the Achilles Track Club, and much more!
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[PLAY] (To Download: Right click and select “save as”)[RSS] Add The Final Sprint Podcast RSS feed to your RSS reader to have the show delivered to you
Host: Adam Jacobs
Guest: Scott Rigsby
Producer: Greg Cherniet
Music: Ryan Ahlwardt & Darnell Perkins
File size: 19.9 MB
Length: 00:29:07
Check out every episode of TFS’s Podcast in iTunes!
Interested in featuring The Final Sprint Podcast on your site, blog or My Space page? Click here to learn how!
For many athletes, getting up at the crack of dawn for a daily jog can seem like a daunting task under even the most mundane of circumstances. Now imagine contemplating a six-mile run, three days after a double mastectomy. Seem impossible?
Not for Dr. Ruth Heidrich, who, after being diagnosed with breast cancer at 45, transformed her life with a vegan diet and an intensive training regimen. In A Race for Life, Heidrich combines her own incredible story with frightening facts about the current health crisis threatening North American culture, and wise advice for everyone from the novice exerciser to the seasoned athlete.
Read the rest of this entry at our partner site: HerActiveLife.com
As the number of amateur runners interested and emerging in multi-sport events, such as triathlons and even IRONMAN events, continues to increase; The Final Sprint and I have begun receiving a large number of questions from our readers about training for these events, the transition from being a runner, as well as inquiries about professional triathletes.
With that in mind I decided to contact and was delighted to be joined on Episode 44 of The Final Sprint Podcast by Luc Morin; one of Canada’s most dominate triathletes over the last decade and an experienced coach of athletes around the world.
In the interview Luc talks about going from a professional soccer player in Europe to an elite long-distance triathlete, battling back from the injuries he sustained after being hit by a car in 2004, the greatest moments thus far in his career and racing goals for the future.
Download the podcast to hear Luc discuss these topics, as well as, his experience as a coach and consultant for ePerformance (and other companies, such as PowerBar), finding time to both work and train, the transition from athlete to coach, his role models as a young athlete, advice for runners looking to make the transition to multi-sport events (and vice versa), and much more!
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[PLAY] (To Download: Right click and select “save as”)
[RSS] Add The Final Sprint Podcast RSS feed to your RSS reader to have the show delivered to youHost: Adam Jacobs
Guest: Luc Morin
Producer: Greg Cherniet
Music: Ryan Ahlwardt & Darnell Perkins
File size: 11.5 MB
Length: 00:16:49
Check out every episode of TFS’s Podcast in iTunes!
Interested in featuring The Final Sprint Podcast on your site, blog or My Space page? Click here to learn how!
Triathletes are injured only about one third as often as marathon runners even though they do far more work in their program of swimming, cycling and running. Training intelligently for three sports is less likely to injure you than training very hard for one. Training is limited by damage to skeletal muscles.
Every time you exercise, your muscles develop small tears with bleeding. It takes at least 48 hours for muscles to heal from exercise. Each sport stresses a particular group of muscles most. Marathon runners who train every day stress the same muscles and often do not allow adequate time to recover from the previous day’s workout, so they are at increased risk for injury.
Top triathletes train in different sports on consecutive days. Running stresses the lower leg muscles most, cycling stresses the upper leg muscles most and swimming stresses the arms and shoulders most. Triathletes usually set up a workout schedule that includes two sports on one day and one on the next.
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The U.S. Multi-Sport Directory, now in it’s fourth edition, is an excellent resource for passionate athletes looking to stay fit and have some extra fun on their next road trip or vacation.
The popular publication, co-authored by triathletes Warren Knoll and Hubie Krawczyk, offers 260 pages of event listings and other helpful information for endurance athletes. It is color-coded and organized by region (ex. - Pacific, Northeast, International, etc.); listing the pertinent information for a majority of the year’s triathlons, duathlons, marathons, ultra marathons, adventure races and cycling events.
The authors have also compiled listings of running camps, coaches, clinics, new products and even some tips for race directors. Future editions would benefit from the inclusion of additional race information (course descriptions, amenities, etc.), such as the the details offered about running routes in Fun on Foot in America’s Cities.
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