By: Dan Arnett – Head Coach of Endurance Concepts

I would like to discuss a phenomena commonly referred to as post race blues. You have just completed you’re ‘A’ race a couple of days ago and think you should be excited and on cloud 9. But instead, you are moody and irritable. Why is that?

There are several reasons that have been attributed to this and I will briefly touch on some of them. Essentially, you have set your sites on this particular race for a long time now. Your body was primed for it, you went out there and gave it your all and now it’s over. Regardless of how you did, your mind knows the task is complete. So your body thinks it’s time to rest. It’s trying to rebuild itself and you are trying to hold onto that peak fitness because you liked that feeling. But you can’t hold-on to peak fitness for very long, that is just the nature of the body. Mentally, you don’t have a goal on the horizon anymore and feel like you’re lost. It’s best to focus on your recovery from the effort and the lessons learned from the race instead of “What do I do now?” Training is about cumulative effort and the race you just completed is all part of that. Let your body recover and focus on that. Focusing on recovery allows the mind to have an immediate goal to concentrate on. The lessons learned from the race will be flushed out soon enough. Don’t dwell on how you could have done this better or that better.

Discuss with your coach how to progress from here. Together, the coach and athlete will be able to gather the information from the race and use it to the athlete’s advantage. Every race has great lessons to be learned, which are not all time related. You might also experience some weight gain a couple of days after your race. Don’t let this get you down. Remember that you just pushed your body as hard as it could go. You damaged your muscles and now they must repair themselves in order to get stronger. The body will retain water around those muscles in order to help facilitate recovery and flush out any toxins that remain. Allow yourself a couple of days to do the things that you prevented yourself from doing before the race. Relax and enjoy the fact that you pushed yourself; all within reason of course. With the guidance of your coach, you will slowly get back to full speed ahead training and set your sights on the next goal. But don’t get frustrated that you feel down a bit. It’s expected and totally natural. But like anything, if it gets to an extreme, let your coach know and seek assistance from a professional.

- Coach Dan

Every athlete would like to see performance gains without spending hour upon hour grinding it out on the road.  While the adage of “you don’t get something for nothing” will always hold true, it is possible to become a faster athlete with no additional work.  The following ways will gain you time for minimal effort.  Efficiency is the name of the game.  These tips will make you more efficient, thus gaining you the free speed you need right away.

I have prioritized my list according to the best bang for your buck.  Our sport is not cheap and budget is always a concern.  So scrape together your pennies and let’s get faster…Now!

1. Bike Fit
   Cost: $100 – $300

   This is the most overlooked way to gain free speed.  If you cannot maintain an aerodynamic position for the duration of your race, then you are losing both speed and power.  Most people feel uncomfortable in the aero position and the most likely reason for this is that they are not properly fitted to their bike.

   You might have received a quick fit when you purchased your bike, but generally this is inadequate for the time you are about to spend in the saddle.  If you did not spend close to an hour with a fitter, I would recommend doing so.  Not only will you be more comfortable on your bike, which translates into more saddle time, but more aerodynamic and powerful as well.  A good fitter will balance aerodynamics, power and comfort to blend them into a specific fit for you based on your physical limitations.

2. Aero Helmet
   Cost: $150 – $250

   The most controversial piece of equipment in regards to fashion has to be the aero helmet.  Many people dismiss it because they don’t want to look weird.  Let’s look at this objectively.  As triathletes we are wearing spandex, spilling gel on ourselves, all the while swimming, biking and running only to get to the same spot we started; but are worried about how a helmet looks?

   An aero helmet will give you approximately the same time advantage as an aero front wheel for a fraction of the cost.  Also, contrary to popular belief they are not hot and they do not always have to be exactly horizontal to be effective.  Just like any other helmet, make sure the one you pick fits your head and is comfortable.

3. AeroDrink and Bento Box
   Cost: $75

   This may seem like an odd one to make the list, but here is my reasoning. Few would argue that the longer you can remain in the aero position, the more efficient you are.  Since nutrition and hydration are essential during a race, it is beneficial to do them while in the aero position.  An aero drink allows you to hydrate with minimal departure from your optimal aero positioning.  Also, a bento box places your nutrition directly in front of you, which will also maximize your time in the aero position.

   Since your hydration and nutrition are within sight the entire time, you will find it easier to remember to eat and drink.  So that, as well, should improve your finish time.

So for a minimal cost, you can get the most out of your bike leg.  While nothing replaces hard work, these are some inexpensive tips to help you gain some free speed in your next race.  Happy Trails.

Think of the last time you raced a hilly course.  After you worked the uphill and crested did you keep pushing down the other side or let gravity ‘help’ you to recover?  For most people the latter is the choice they make.   Almost everyone’s heart rate and rated perceived effort drops on the downhill.  A lot of time is lost when one does this.  Gravity wants to help you go down the hill just as much as it limits your pace going up it.  Using gravity on the back side of the hill will allow you to keep a constant effort and separate yourself from your competition.

You adjust your stride length and body position when you are climbing, so why not when you descend?  Each time your foot hits the ground, you are applying the brakes.  Due to physics, it requires more energy to stop a mass going downhill.  So to keep your pace constant or relax going downhill actually provides more stress on your joints and muscles.  Keeping your effort constant on the downhill will increase your pace with little cost on your body.  Don’t just increase your stride and be out of control, but rather shift your hips underneath you and let those huge quad muscles absorb some of the work.  It will allow you to be under control descending and you’ll create separation from those that are taking the downhill as a rest period.  Now you don’t have to raise your heart rate back up from a low point, which requires more effort.

So next time you push that hill with another runner on your hip, crest and keep pushing.  This will cause you to increase your pace and give you an overall faster time.  It will also separate you from the person that worked the hill with you and now decided to rest on the downhill.  Stay in control and keep your heart rate in your race zone, regardless of terrain.  Practice this during training and you’ll be able to utilize it during a race to your advantage.