Triathlon at Retirement

Strava is a program on the internet where you can upload your exercise if you have a GPS supported fitness tracker. There is a free version and a paid version with more features, but the free version is very useful. If you are regularly active, you will hear a lot about Strava, and I suggest you join. (I am not paid or supported at all by Strava, this is my personal recommendation.) Start with the free version and see if its interesting to you. My Garmin tracker automatically uploads the training to Strava when I am done. For cycling and running, there will be a map of the course covered, data from the tracker like speed and heart rate. What I find most interesting are the "segments". Individuals can map any course, short or long, and all Strava users that pass the segment will have their best time uploaded in a table for other Strava users to see (unless they opt out of this feature).  The segment leaderboards allow you to see how you stack up against other people. There are

It is so great to have a fitness tracker and get objective feedback on the workout, making sure I train on target.  I have a Garmin Forerunner 735X which I am very pleased with. It has enough battery power to run GPS for a whole day which saves me from carrying a smartphone. My Garmin can also measure swim distance. I have noticed that the recorded running distance often appears to be slightly short. I previously used a Fitbit, which also was great. The Garmin records shorter distances in comparison to the Fitbit on the same tracks. This has to do with how distance is measured by the tracker.  The Fitbit used my estimated stride length, which I had calibrated on a measured course. The backside of that was when I got faster and my strides longer, the Fitbit recorded a marginally shorter distance! Garmin use a GPS grid and interpolates distance between points. I think this is where the discrepancy starts, if the track has many curves, the grid has a tendency to straighten the corners. La

It is now time to plan for the 2021 competition season. This is a good idea for both the more serious competitors and the beginners.  I go to the competition and events calendars and search for competitions I like to do. Note that the Ironman events are on a separate website.  I type up all potential events on a spreadsheet with dates and location. From there I choose the key competitions, for example a championship, and this year I may try a half Ironman. These will be the focus, and the other events will serve as preparation. By making a plan, I ensure I get adequate training and rest before major competitions which helps performance on the day. I also plan travel dates and vacations away from home with the competition schedule in mind.  Here in Texas, the season opens already in March and I am signing up to a sprint to get an early start. A few competitions really help in sharpening up routines and speed. I do not want to be flustered on an important competition, best to have a few

Age groups for triathlon competitions are calculated per calendar year. So January 1st, we all are considered one year older. If you will be 65 on December 31, 2021, you will be competing in age group 65-69 the entire 2021. On many competitions, the age is marked on your calf so you can spot your fellow age group competitiors. I always have the same reaction:  No way, he/she is much younger!   I am surprised how old the competitors really are, people in the 40s and 50s, I am guessing being in their 20s and 30s.  I conclude that triathletes age really well. /Gunilla

I do not like swimming in cold water, but I don't dislike it as much as I used to. Cold water is soo...cold. I am from Sweden and lets face it, the water is cold there, even in the summer. You either tolerate the temperature, or you never swim outdoors. When I lived in Houston, Texas, I did not have to deal with that, I swam in pools that would get too hot in the summer. When starting triathlons, I was so relieved to find that the open water temperature on my first race was comfortable. But I soon had to confront lower temperatures. In 2018, I was to swim a Swedish open water event called Vansbrosimningen . I had bought a full cover wet suit and I went to Sweden in early June to start training in a lake. The water temperature was maybe 57f (14C). This is not extremely cold by any means, but it felt icy to me, even with the wetsuit on. My neck almost immediately locked up, everything that came out of the wetsuit ached when water contact was made. I almost panicked, I can't do th

This is the time of year when I can take it easy and train less. I have cut down on my normal exercise load to maybe half, shorter distances, slower pace and more free days. At the end of November, I even took a whole week off! I do this to restore myself both physically and mentally, and I notice some interesting effects. Not only do I have more time for other activities, but I am also inspired to to them! What used to feel like a chore, is now fun.  In the last two weeks I have remodeled part of the garden, I have tried new cooking recipes and I have practiced playing my musical instrument diligently. These are activities I wanted to do for months, but I never seemed to get around to. I thought I was lazy, but I now realize I was tired. I was soo tired most days, I used to fall asleep in my chair watching some mindless TV in the evenings. There was no energy for high concentration projects. After seven days of no training, I did one of my shorter bike rides, and I set a new personal

Recently, I invested in new pair of bike shoes. For winter training, I like to have a roomy pair where I can fit a decent pair of warm socks. I am very pleased with the shoes, so comfortable and stiff sole with carbon. I also bought a pair of cleat covers, which I never had before. They can easily fit into my back pocket while biking and then be slipped onto the cleats if I stop for a break. These covers are so great and they will really reduce the wear on the cleats. /Gunilla