Triathlon Virtual Training Team

Introducing a 5-month Group Training Program for a July Sprint or Olympic Distance Triathlon of your choice.

Start Date: 15 Feb 2010
Duration: 5 months, concluding 31 July 2010
Race: Your local triathlon. You'll pick a race, then train alongside other athletes from all over the country. There are over 200 races across the country at the end of July, so find one that suits your schedule.
Details: Daily swim, bike, and run workouts provided and based on your ability. Monthly strength training program to supplement your training also provided. Access to newsletter, video feed, photos, and other online support to prep you for your race day.
Interaction: Coach Cami will be available via the blog and facebook group, where you can post questions about training and racing. Technique, drill, and skills will be addressed and posted online as well.
Cost: $150 for entire program (less than $30/month)
Questions? See details and FAQs at www.teamwildblue.com, or contact Cami at camicoach@yahoo.com.
Grab a friend, set a goal, and sign up!

Where Does the Time Go?

Wow--it has been forever since I've written on here. With my Facebook team page and website, I feel a little over-teched these days and have enjoyed good 'ol fashioned phone calls/meetings with my athletes. Let's catch up a bit, though, shall we?
What a summer! What a season! I wax sentimental this time of year, reflecting on athlete accomplishments. It is by far MUCH more fun to watch my athletes progress than to race myself...and I think a combo of both is just perfect.
So, where to start. Let me list a few highlights:
First Triathlon Finishers: 2
First Marathon Finishers: 4
70.3 Finishers: 6
First Ironman finishers: 3 (two of these were actually ironwomen :))
Open Water: 2-English Channel finisher, 3+ mi swim finisher (no wetsuits, kids!)
Boston Marathon Qualifiers: 2
Biggest Weight Loss: 23lbs
Biggest PR (personal record) improvement: 1 hour, in an Olympic Distance Triathlon
National Tri Qualifier: 1
It has been an absolutely incredible season to be a part of, and I am honored to be a part of my athletes' lives. Next season is already exciting, as a lot of my athletes have HUGE goals for next season. I have several Ironman entrants, half marathons over the winter, a crazy ultradistance team heading for an adventure race in Sweden, US Open, Nationals, and a few vying for Professional and Age Group Elite status.
As for me, I'm enjoying the athletic adventures of a retired pro, and I've taken up rock climbing, mountain biking, and am gearing up for snowboard and snowshoe season. Backing away from intense training has also allowed me to nurture relationships and show appreciation for those who helped me along the way. In short, I feel very blessed. Next year, I hope to resume a few triathlon adventures, including Chelan Man in WA and my first Xterra, a mountain bike based triathlon.
Professionally, I hope to work more with power-based training next season. I'll also be attending the Art and Science of Triathlon Symposium, a conference held every 2 years, and tap into some of the incredible brain share. I also have several exciting events planned--more to come on those.
So enough babbling from my end. May all of you have a wonderful holiday season. Enjoy some much-deserved time off for most of you, and take time to thank those who helped you achieve your goals.

Teaming Up--Innovative Body Solutions

It is my privilege to announce that Innovative Body Solutions, the same folks who provided the resistance stretching essential to swimmer Dara Torres' comeback, has agreed to provide all Wild Blue athletes with a discount on their DVD. Please contact me directly for the coupon code, and visit http://www.innovativebodysolutions.com for additional details on their fantastic work.

What's Cookin'

Hello again, athletes, friends, family…
There is a lot going on here with regard to coaching and training. Wild Blue Racing is alive and kicking, complete with some amazing athletes. I love what I do—I work with people every day who are up to the challenge, pushing themselves and having fun in the process. I cannot express enough how much of a joy it is coaching such an incredible group of people.
I have two major projects at the moment. First, as always, I am coaching my individual athletes for their goals. The goals are widespread, to include (but certainly not limited to): a 4-mile cold water swimmer, several Ironmen (and Ironwomen), a FAST Boston Marathon qualifier, lots of speedy olympic distancers/sprint distance folks, deployed athletes finding “creative” ways to stay in shape while they’re staying safe, a killer time trialer, several New Orleans Half IM folks…the list goes on and on. It is the makings of a fun and exciting season! I also have a Virtual Training Team, a group geared towards doing the Chelan Man in Chelan, WA. It will be great to be with them and to be home in Washington state this summer at a fantastic venue. Additionally, I have other athletes from all over the country joining in on this venture, racing the same weekend at one of the over 220 races to choose from that weekend.
Additionally, thanks to the wealth of technology out there, I officially launched the Wild Blue Racing Facebook group. This is a private group for my athletes to share information, find training partners, ask questions, and start discussions. I’m loading video, photos, and anything my athletes need to help them perform their best. As we progress, I hope it is a forum that everyone will feel welcome, get support, and look to friends for that extra push of encouragement for the big race day. I'm far away from a lot of you, and this group brings us that much closer.
In short, there are a lot of VERY exciting things going on. I hope to be in NYC in April to do some training with my east coast contingent, Texas in May, and I’ll be in WA in July for all my Northwesterners. For now, I’m enjoying the thin, crisp air of the Colorado Rockies. I hope all of you are well, and I wish you the best in your training and racing! - Coach Cami

Home Stretch for LV Half Marathon

Congratulations on the hard work you've put in for this race! The hay is in the barn, so to speak. Congrats to Lisa F., who completed the Seattle Half Marathon last week. Seven of us are joining up in Vegas, and good weather coupled with a flat course should mean a great race day! A few final notes:
1. TODAY is the last day to register online. Go to the race website for all information regarding registration, course maps, expo, etc. You CAN register at the expo.
2. We are doing a group run on Saturday at 9am. We'll meet in the Luxor lobby and head out for an easy 20:00.
3. Dress in layers. There will be a bag dropoff on race morning, but you may want to wear something you can remove en route. You can take off what you're wearing, but you can't put on what you don't have :).
4. The award for longest travel goes to....Chilly. If he makes it to this race from Hong Kong, I owe him a beer or two. Hope you make it, my friend.
Feel free to post any questions/comments (is anyone reading this? :)). See you in a few days!

Eat and Run?

I received a great question in the comments section regarding whether or not to refuel during a half marathon. I posted the answer to this question in the recent newsletter that I recently sent out to you. If for some reason you did not receive it, please let me know! Along with the nutrition article, there are other important tidbits, such as the importance of layering, injury prevention, and two Featured Athletes. Check it out! And again, if you have any questions, please ask. We're only a month away from the race!!!

Check the Comments Section/Post on Most Recent Entry...

Runners,
I LOVE that you are all using the blog to field such great questions. Thank you! If you do post a question, please post the question on the most recent post so I can find it. If it is a personal, quick question, I'll answer it in the comments section. If it's a larger question which would be better in its own post, then I'll just devote an entire post to it.
If you have a private question that you don't wish to share with the group, PLEASE feel free to email me. The blog saves me time by answering a few similar questions at one time, but if it's something that you really need and you'd rather not share with the group, by all means email me.
Thanks!
-Coach Cami

Strength Training Pictures

Below are pictures of many of your strength training exercises for the month. Thanks to my expert demonstrators, who graciously agreed to be models at the crack of dawn this morning in Central Park. Please let me know if you have any questions.

Also, I'm still getting emails w/questions about the program. If you have questions, please use the blog to ask them. Just click on "comments" for the most recent post, and ask your question. This enables the group to benefit from the answer, and it allows me to answer the same question only once on the blog. You can also use the blog to get to know each other if you wish--creating conversations about local races and any other info you wish to discuss.

Crunch: Come up just until you feel tension.
Opposite Elbow to Knee (repeat w/same elbow to knee)

Chin to Ceiling

Superman Pose

Plank: pull in belly button towards back (away from your belt), and keep your back flat.

Rotating Plank: Bring knee to outside of opposite elbow, keeping your back straight and abs engaged.

Lateral Squats Start Position

Lateral Squat Second Position. Return to center and repeat w/opposite leg for one repetition

Have a great training week!
Coach Cami

5x, 3x, Optional: what do these mean?

More great questions from the group. Though I've described this on Page 2 of the program, let me go into further detail...
5x means "5 times," or 5 repetitions. So, if the workout says " 5x:30 build spread throughout run" or "5x:30 build," it means that somewhere in that run, I'd like you to do 5 repetitions of :30 increases in speed. You get faster throughout the :30, so that at the end you're at about 80% of as fast as you can go. The key is to do this GRADUALLY throughout the 30 seconds. It doesn't matter where in the run you do these (not in the first or last 5 minutes), as long as you are fully recovered between them.
For the 5x1:00 fast, you're doing five repetitions of 1:00 at a pace that you can't talk at, with 1:00 (1 minute) in between each. Do this in the middle of the run.
The purpose of these changes in tempo is to keep you from "settling in" on the run. Often times, most of us get complacent in our pace somewhere along the way. All these do is get a little speedwork without being too taxing, and at the same time increasing your run cadence.
Hope this helps!
Cami

Training Cycles: BT1--What does it mean?

Great question in the comment section: what does BT1 BT2 BT3 mean?
BT refers to "base transition," which is the cycle of training that we're in. Every aspect of the training has an objective, categorized by major "cycles" of training. These cycles, ideally, are put together for an entire year, but they can also be used for a block of training with a specific objective. For this block Base Transition refers to the time of laying the foundation for training, doing a little bit of speed or hill work, but only in short bursts to get the legs to turn over. The rest of the time serves to build up your foundation. You need to build up a solid foundation of endurance for your joints, ligaments, and muscles to withstand the additional mileage required for a half marathon.
There is a time and a reason for everything! :)
-Cami

Off and Running!

Let the training begin!
If you have registered for the team, you should have received your schedule for September's training. If for some reason you did not receive it, please let me know.
Training is broken into two groups: Blue (beginner) and Silver (intermediate). My assessment of your group placement was based on your fitness level/experience as highlighted on your questionnaire. If you did not return your questionnaire, I placed you in the blue group.
If you have not yet turned in your liability waiver, you aren't authorized to begin the program. Please send it either by scanning or snail mailing it as soon as possible. Thank you!!!
This week's blog posts will address the structure of the program, first by posting descriptions/demos of the strength training that accompanies this program. The strength training can be done at home, without equipment, so it should be easy and convenient for all.
Feel free to post here w/questions and comments and to "meet" each other!
-Coach Cami