Trifuel

Dear Izzy, Max, and Kate

I sat down recently with professional off-road triathlete Craig Evans and his nutrition coach Cliff Duhon of Breakthrough Nutrition. I’ve known Craig for several years, as our paths occasionally cross at the pool or at local races.

Everyone spends the last couple days leading up to their big race scrambling to make sure they have everything they need. From running shoes to nutrition, from sunscreen to reservation details, there are a lot of moving parts that go into making a successful race weekend.

But even the best checklist won’t include the two most important things you’ll need for your race: Patience and Discipline.

The triathlon offseason is a time to let off the gas pedal, allow our body to fully recover and get away from the constant grind of training. We usually have a 4-8 week period after our last race where training volume should be kept low. But it is very important to still train. Structured training is not what we are after. We will leave the periodization cycles for the main periods of the triathlon season. The offseason can be a great time to implement lower volume workouts but can still help you maintain your fitness levels.

You have all read that strength training is a positive element for triathletes to implement. The question is what type of strength work is going to maximize triathlon fitness? From P90x to Crossfit to Yoga and Pilates to “functional” strength, we can get a big confused as to what specific program can best fit the needs of our sport. Let me give you some key principles to look for when deciding on a strength program:

Semantics are important when it comes to hydration to distinguish between two common terms associated with sweating: dehydration and hyponatremia. Differentiating terminology related to over and under consuming fluids and the concern for each is important. Consuming an insufficient amount of water that results in total body water weight loss is a condition called dehydration. Drinking too much water during exercise can cause water intoxification, (exercise associated hyponatremia (EAH)), a condition defined by dangerously low serum sodium levels.