July 2016 – Keenvibe

Impressions from Hamburg’s ITU triathlon 2016

The ITU world triathlon in Hamburg is over. Last weekend, on the 16th and 17th of July, triathletes from all over the came to Hamburg to swim, bike and run. Given it’s size, the event was extremely well organized. Starting Sunday Morning at 7am, every 8 minutes, 200 triathletes would begin their race.

Sadly, many competitors fell victim to the aftermath of Hamburg’s yearly music festival Schlagermove. Although the triathlon organizers had the roads cleaned in the morning, many athletes were forced to pull over and fix their flat tires halfway through the course due to shards of broken glasses and beer bottles (I’m assuming the athletes didn’t stop to catch rare pokémon).

Last week, I explained how I got myself ready for the Olympic distance. Now, after the event, here are my thoughts:

A big event such as a triathlon is a great motivation to schedule regular training sessions. To further boost motivation, I would love, if there was a way to connect and train together with some of the other triathletes even before the actual event.

My swim training paid off. I went from struggling to complete a 50m lane to comfortably swimming 1.5kms. While I was not among the fastest swimmers, it goes to show how quickly even a total beginner can become reasonably good in a new discipline. Really, there aren’t any good excuses as to why one wouldn’t just try a new type of sports.

There weren’t many athletes breast stroking. I decided for myself that I will make the switch to front crawling. If anyone can recommend a good beginners class for front crawling in Hamburg, let me know. =)

Eat sufficient amounts of carbohydrates at least on the last couple of days leading up to the competition. I only had a salad the night before. As a result, although I had cycled more than 40kms at a personally challenging pace before, I simply lacked the necessary energy during my second lap of cycling on the day of the event. Salad may be a healthy choice, but it’s not going to give you the energy you need for an event like this. Go for pasta, rice and potatoes instead.

Despite occasional training sessions to improve the transitioning from cycling to running, I still struggled with that transition on the day. My take away from this is to simply incorporate more cross discipline transitions into my training.

Overall, I would certainly recommend taking part in an event like this. It’s such a good motivator and it’s so much fun on the day. The atmosphere is great and the ITU triathlon in Hamburg offers such an amazingly beautiful race course.

What experiences did you make at the ITU triathlon? Are you planning on doing a triathlon in the near future? What are your strategies to get ready for a triathlon? Let us know in the comments below.

Training for the ITU world triathlon in Hamburg (olympic distance)

My first and only triathlon so far, the 7 towers triathlon in Lübeck, comprised of 0.5 kms of swimming, 20 kms of cycling and 5 kms of running. Now I somehow got myself into the olympic distance of the ITU triathlon which is about twice the distance (1.5km, 40km, 10km). I hadn’t initially planned on going, but a friend was forced to give up their place due to a sprained ankle and who was I to say no to this opportunity. The ITU will be my second triathlon ever and here is how I got myself ready:

Swimming

Weiswampach_triathlon_2007_men_swimming_start Swimming is by far my weakest point. Prior to training for my first triathlon, I would involuntarily swallow a gallon of water on a 50 m lane in the pool and afterwards take at least a couple of minutes to recuperate before attempting the next 50 m lane. With the help of friends, things did get a lot better since then. Working on my front crawl is something, I’ll have to work on after the ITU, though. As covering the entire distance without running out of breath already seemed challenging to me, I decided to stick to breast stroke for the ITU. Here is what I did:

Once and sometimes twice a week, I swam between 300 and 500 meters of breast stroke in the Stadtpark lake.
Over the last months, I gradually increased my swimming distance to the full 1500 meters.

Already having completed the full distance of 1.5km swimming now gives me the confidence that things will work out on the day.

Cycling

racing-bikes-438851_960_720 I have never been a big cyclist. In fact, I only bought a cheap racing bike a few weeks prior to the 7 towers triathlon. So, rather than focusing on speed, I simply tried to get comfortable with my bike. Where ever I had to go, I would go there by bike. On the weekends, I would try and go a little farther (up to 50km) whilst keeping a somewhat more ambitious pace. I don’t measure speed, but I would push it just a little outside of my comfort zone. For these longer distances, joining other cyclists helped me stay motivated and ensure I wouldn’t start slacking.

Running

run-700188_960_720 Running has always been my strongest point, so I didn’t feel I had to improve much in that department. One thing I realized in my first triathlon, though, was that I found it incredibly difficult to switch from cycling to running. After my calves almost cramped on the first 200 meters, it probably took me about 2 to 3 slow kilometers until I could finally run at my usual pace. Now to mitigate the effects cycling had on my running, I did two things:

Chain together cycling and running sessions, trying to keep the transition time nice and short.
Incorporate walking lunges with a kettle-bell into my regular running sessions. Now this idea comes from another running friend, but it seemed a promising strategy. After about 50 strides, my legs would feel as though I had just be cycling for many kilometers.

What did I skip?

There are a few things that I haven’t done:

the transition from swimming to cycling. (Instead, I focused on the transition from cycling to running)
A dry run of the full triathlon. (Instead I focused on being able to cover the swimming distance)

Final thoughts

One thing remains to be said: One thing that always kept me going were the people I swam, cycled and ran with. Without them I would not have done half as much preparation. Also they are the one that got me psyched for the whole event in the first place! Whatever you do, make sure you don’t train alone!

Anyway, I feel confident that I will finish the triathlon. What remains to be seen, is how fast or slow it will be? More on this in a weeks time. I wish all the best to the other competitors.

Small group personal training: Why it pays double to share a trainer

Small group personal training is becoming ever more popular. A small group of people, typically fewer than ten share a personal trainer. In contrast to large courses that work like a choreography where everybody performs the same exercises synchronously, the trainer doesn’t work out with the clients. This gives him time to focus on coaching everyone individually.

Each participant in the group will perform his individual set of exercises depending on his skill and fitness level. The personal trainer takes care that all movement patterns and exercises are correct and provides valuable knowledge that will make the training very effective. By splitting the costs of the trainer, the participants gain some advantages of personal training for a fraction of the costs.

Saving costs is only one benefit of small group personal training. Another huge advantage is the social factor of training in a group. Having other participants right beside you will push you a little harder. They can offer support and motivation to get you through the workout. Sharing the experience with others and reaching a common goal is both rewarding and fun.

Why don’t you try it ? Pick a sport (fitness, yoga, climbing, whatever you like), gather a few friends and book a personal trainer for some sessions. It will be a great experience!

Experience an alpine adventure on a Via Ferrata

The iron roads or fixed-rope climbing routes have been around for over a hundred years. Once used to allow fast movement in the mountains, they have emerged into a popular sport and promise alpine fun. The sights and thrills that have been reserved for experienced alpine climbers before, are now accessible to a wider range of people.

In a via ferrata the climber is protected by being secured to a steel cable that is fixed to the wall along the route. There can also be ladders and footholds to cross the most difficult and dangerous paths. These aids allow more and more people to reach breathtaking places and experience an unforgettable adventure. Imagine being 200 meters above the ground in a steep wall with your feet on a small ledge.

Not every via ferrata is the same, there are several difficulty levels. They range from A to E and get progressively more difficult and dangerous. A is easy, fun and doable by the average person. From B onwards you need a level of fitness and when going a C route with kids, think about securing them with an extra rope. From level D onwards you should have some climbing experience because you might encounter longer vertical parts or even overhanging cliffs. You shouldn’t go these without appropriate gear or with kids. E is for experienced climbers only, be sure to carefully plan the route. Please remember that the difficulty levels are just an approximation, in the end you are responsible and need to be aware of your own limitations.

What equipment do you need to walk or climb a via ferrata ? There are via ferrata kits you can buy or often rent from local shops and mountain guides. They consist of a climbing belt that can be secured to the steel rope in the wall. In the worst case, the kit will stop your fall so you can get back to the route and continue. You also need to bring a helmet in case of falling rocks. Gloves are a nice addition to protect your hands. Lower difficulties can be done in your normal hiking gear but the more difficult routes require climbing shoes. As in all alpine adventures pack enough water, food, appropriate clothes and sunscreen. Before you enter a route, be sure to check the mountain guides advice and the weather conditions.

The most important accessory when going on one of the vie ferrate? A climbing partner or group. Not only because it is safer in case of an accident, but mostly because of the fun. Who should take your picture on a particularly steep part of the climb with the amazing sight ? Who to encourage you to go on? That you can do it and just need to put that foot a little bit higher to reach the next step? Who to shout to about the breathtaking view? And who to share the post climb excitement with when you have reached the end of the ropes and look over the drops and climbs you have mastered?

Vie ferrate might be safe enough to go alone but seriously, who would want to when sports are so much more fun together?