Sometimes it's a little hard to get out of bed for your early morning workouts. Take this morning for example. I was scheduled for an early workout session at VQ, but as I woke up and saw how dark and cold it was outside, and I thought about the full day of work and school ahead of me, all I wanted to do was hit the snooze button and go back to sleep.
After a couple of minutes I dragged myself out of bed, and after eating a quick snack and putting on my workout clothes I headed over to VQ. I was in a pretty groggy mood until I got to VQ, and the all of a sudden I felt better. I don't know what it was, but even though I knew I was in for a super long 18 hour day I was really happy to be there at that moment. It was a great feeling and I was happy to start my day with it.
That feeling of happiness made me realize how lucky I am to be in a position where I'm at today, where I can derive joy and excitement from the activities I do in my life. I know so many struggle with the work life balance and I feel like I've been blessed by finding an extracurricular activity that balances out my professional life pretty well. And for that I am very thankful.
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Monday, November 29, 2010
WTC Brand Crisis
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| Photo by Michael Dawes |
(Reprinted from Six to Nine Scholar)
In the triathlon community, any controversy that arises is eventually discussed heatedly on the forums at Slowtwitch.com, the leading forum for endurance athletes. On the last weekend of October, the forums at Slowtwitch were active with a new scandal revolving around the World Triathlon Corporation (WTC), the owners of the Ironman Triathlon brand. The negative outburst from the community, and the subsequent handling of the event by the WTC reminded me of a framework for managing scandals we learned about in our Marketing courses. I’m not certain if the WTC management used the exact steps we covered at school but the way they responded to the situation certainly fit into the framework provided.
The framework for managing scandals comes from the case “Let the Response Fit the Scandal” by Alice M. Tybout and Michelle Roehm. The case provided a step-by-step guide for companies to craft a proper response to negative events that may cause damage to their brand. The framework provided had four steps:
- Assess the Incident - Is the scandal or negative event pertinent to the central attribute of the company or brand? If the negative event is tangential to the company or brand, is there a chance of a spillover effect damaging the company or brand?
- Acknowledge the Problem - If the company is likely to be impacted by the scandal, it should be swift in publicly acknowledging the problem and outlining steps it is taking to investigate and stop further damage from the scandal.
- Formulate a Strategic Response - Once a company has acknowledged the problem, it must craft a strategic response to the scandal. This includes clarifying false allegations or creating a plan to address and resolve true allegations.
- Implement Response Tactics - Once a strategic response has been prepared, the company must then work on implementing the response and communicating the plan to the consumer in a proper fashion.
With this framework in mind we’ll look at the incident that took place on October 30th at the inaugural Miami Ironman 70.3 race in Miami, FL and the WTC’s response to the triathlon community.
The World Triathlon Corporation (WTC) is a for-profit corporation, owned by Providence Equity Partners, that organizes, promotes and licenses the Ironman Triathlon, Ironman 70.3, and the 5150 series of triathlon races. The WTC is also the owner of numerous "Ironman" related trademarks used both in connection with Ironman race series' and in conjunction with various goods and services. (Wikipedia)
On October 30th the inaugural Rohto Ironman 70.3 Miami race took place in Miami, FL. The event was run by Paramount Productions, a local event management company, which had licensed the Ironman 70.3 name from the WTC. (The WTC charges $150,000 for event naming rights). Unfortunately for race participants, the event was not run properly and left many dissatisfied with the experience. Some of the reported problems at the race included overcrowded transition areas, lack of water at aid station, and a poorly planned race course that had some athletes running over the same bridge eight times. Race participants and spectators quickly flooded popular social media sites like Twitter, Facebook and Slowtwitch with their complaints about the Miami 70.3 race.
On November 2nd, the WTC responded to the complaints in a press release (Ironman.com):
WTC recognizes the many problems that athletes experienced in Ironman 70.3 Miami this past weekend. While this event is licensed to Miami-based Paramount Productions and not produced by WTC, we take your dissatisfaction seriously. In an effort to restore full confidence in the quality, safety and overall experience in this event, WTC is doing the following:
1. Effective immediately, WTC is taking over the operational planning, management and execution of this event for 2011. The event will be incorporated into our operations system and produced at the high-quality level you expect from our other races.
2. For all athletes who competed in the race on Saturday, WTC is offering a complimentary race entry into any of the 70.3 races in 2011 listed below, to include next year’s Ironman 70.3 Miami. WTC will contact those competitors on December 1 with registration instructions.
WTC and its family of races appreciates your support and looks forward to seeing you in 2011.
Using the framework presented above, we can break down the incident and review the WTC management’s response to the situation and see how it fits into the guidelines provided.
- Assess the Incident - Although the event was not run by the WTC itself, it had licensed the brand name to Paramount productions and as such it was tied directly (in the mind of their customers) to the scandal. A high level of quality is expected at all Ironman and 70.3 events around the world and the Miami 70.3 race failed to live up to this expectation.
- Acknowledge the Problem - In this day and age of social media, the negative word of mouth can spread almost instantaneously. Even before the race started reports were spreading out about the sloppy conditions at the race. By the end of the weekend many participants had taken to Twitter, Facebook and popular forums such as Slowtwitch to express their dissatisfaction with the race. The WTC had to act quickly to curb the negative feedback from the community.
- Formulate a Strategic Response - The WTC quickly mentioned that the Miami 70.3 race was not put on by its production company, but rather by Paramount Productions. In doing so they attempted to clarify the false allegations that it was a poor WTC-run event. However, they also addressed the true allegations stemming from the race itself for future participants, by immediately taking over the operational planning, management and execution of the event for 2011, assuring a high level of quality that is expected from the Ironman brand.
- Implement Response Tactics - The WTC press release detailed the strategic plan above but went one step further and extended a complimentary race entry to any other WTC 70.3 event. The WTC also indicated that they would contact the competitors on December 1st with registration instructions. In doing so the WTC ensured that their message would be received by all impacted customers. This offering also served as a gesture of goodwill to the community that was then quickly shared through the same social media that was used to spread the scandal.
For the most part the community response has been positive, with many applauding the WTC for its swift response to the Miami 70.3 scandal and its gesture of goodwill towards participants. However, one thing to consider is how this event will weigh on the minds of athletes when they go to sign up for their next Ironman or 70.3 race: are they signing up for a WTC-run event or a WTC-licensed event with an unknown production company?
All this comes on the heels of another scandal generated by the WTC itself. The week prior to this incident, the WTC rolled out a new program called Ironman Access. The program was a premiere service primarily designed to give customers priority access to future race registrations along with other small benefits. The program charged a $1,000 a year for membership. The feedback on this program was overwhelmingly negative, with many decrying the WTC for being overly greedy and out of touch with their customer base. In response to this sharp reaction from the community, the WTC ended the program one day after it started and Ben Fertic, President and CEO of WTC, issued a public apology.
Was the WTC losing touch with the everyday triathlete? Long time members of the triathlon community say the WTC began to lose touch in 2008, when it was purchased by Providence Equity Partners. Since then, the WTC has experienced massive growth that has led to an expansion of WTC-branded races and the exploration of new revenue opportunities that have not always been viewed favorably by the triathlon community. Was the WTC abusing its dominant position as the triathlon market leader?
The WTC and the Ironman brand operate in a near monopoly model in the long-distance triathlon race market. There are a few individual non-WTC races throughout the US, including a small competing Rev3Tri brand, but for the most part when people refer to an Ironman distance race, they are referring to a WTC branded event. (In fact, the term Ironman is itself a genericized trademark, similar to Kleenex). The price to compete in an Ironman event has steadily increased over the last couple of years ($550+), leaving many to harbor ill feelings towards the WTC and its perceived greedy corporate practices. Still, the majority of Ironman races continue to sell out each year, and the WTC has added more Ironman races around the world in an attempt to meet the surging demand for long-distance triathlon races.
In 2006 the WTC extended its brand into the middle-distance triathlon race market with the introduction of the Ironman 70.3 brand. The 70.3 brand refers to half Ironman races (the 70.3 being the total distance in miles covered as opposed to the 140.6 in a full Ironman). The WTC has been rapidly growing this brand through the introduction of new middle-distance races and acquisitions of competing middle-distance races.
Recently the WTC announced that they would extend their brand even further down the triathlon ladder into the Olympic distance race with the introduction of the 5150 brand (5150 being the total distance in kilometers of a standard Olympic distance race). For the rollout of this brand the WTC has primarily acquired existing races and re-branded them under the 5150 banner. The short-distance triathlon race market is much more fragmented and has more independent players than the middle and long distance market. It remains to be seen if the 5150 brand will have as much success as the Ironman 70.3 brand.
Although the World Triathlon Corporation has earned some goodwill with its handling of the Miami 70.3 scandal, it still has work to do to restore its brand image and earn back the brand loyalty it had from years past. Consumer sentiment is at an all-time low towards the WTC and many believe the brand is being spread too thin across the triathlon market, and that the WTC is abusing its position in the market and simply trying to satisfy its investors rather than its consumers. As the WTC continues to step into new distances it encounters more competitors: Rev3Tri, TriRock, Life Time Fitness and even the ITU (International Triathlon Union). Can the World Triathlon Corporation continue its aggressive expansion plan and how will consumers react to its new events in 2011 and beyond?
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Video with Robbie Ventura: Functional Training
In this video (reposted from the CycleOps website), VQ's very own Robbie Ventura talks about functional training for endurance athletes. What is it, and why should you do it?We like to make all of our athletes in Vision Quest stronger, and we want to make them more athletic, resilient, as well as more durable and injury free.
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Strength-Endurance Training
The strength training phase of my off-season plan is in full swing now, with intense SE (strength-endurance) work on the bike trainer and functional training making up the bulk of my workouts. My legs are still twitching from a heavy SE interval work training session we did at VQ tonight.
SE work has been described to me as weight training for your legs on the bike. It’s basically high power/low cadence combinations that put a heavy load on your leg muscles and help build up your strength for the coming season. Alan Couzen from Endurance Corner goes into much greater detail in his articles about torque and strength training:
SE work has been described to me as weight training for your legs on the bike. It’s basically high power/low cadence combinations that put a heavy load on your leg muscles and help build up your strength for the coming season. Alan Couzen from Endurance Corner goes into much greater detail in his articles about torque and strength training:
When it comes down to ‘nuts and bolts’ in order for a cyclist to produce more power he must either increase his cadence (revolutions per minute) or increase the force that he is imparting on the pedals (his torque). While cardiovascular capacity clearly plays a role in the cyclists ability to remain ‘aerobic’ while producing the requisite force, it does not change the fact that there is a minimal force that is required in order to produce competitive race powers and consequent speeds.Last year I really didn’t like SE work. It’s slow laboring work that’s really boring and monotonous. It’s probably my least favorite phase of the year. This year is no different but I think now that I’m more in tune with my body and power I have a deeper respect for SE work and recognize the value that comes from it. So even though I don’t like it I’m going to suck it up and grind my way through this SE phase, knowing that I’m going to come out stronger on the other end.
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Benefits of indoor cycling training
As the winter months hit here in the Midwest I'm sure many people are starting to log a lot of time on their indoor trainers. I personally enjoy the trainer for its time effectiveness but I know a lot of people actively dislike spending time biking indoors. Well, just in time for the off-season is this timely article from Training Peaks on the benefits of indoor cycling training.
- Time efficiency - As someone who lives in the city this is a big one for me. I love the great outdoors but sometimes I just have to knock out a workout and move on to the next thing on my list.
- Safety - It's scary how common it is to hear a horror story about someone getting hit on their bikes while they’re out on the road. I know you can’t live your life in fear but it’s reassuring to know you don’t have to worry about cars while on your trainer.
- Focus - You can really dial in your workout on the trainer. You don’t have to worry about traffic lights, stop signs, or wind and you can specify the intensity with pinpoint accuracy at every point of the ride.
- Effectiveness - This one goes hand in hand with time efficiency and focus. You can really dial in your workout in a short period of time for maximum efficiency.
- Social - Well, I know some people who ride solo in their pain caves at home so this last item doesn't really apply to them. Others, like me, train with a group and this last one is pretty nice. I see no need to suffer the long winter months by yourself if you can help it. It just makes the workouts go faster and it lets you push yourself harder as you see everyone else around you pushing just as hard.
- Time efficiency - As someone who lives in the city this is a big one for me. I love the great outdoors but sometimes I just have to knock out a workout and move on to the next thing on my list.
- Safety - It's scary how common it is to hear a horror story about someone getting hit on their bikes while they’re out on the road. I know you can’t live your life in fear but it’s reassuring to know you don’t have to worry about cars while on your trainer.
- Focus - You can really dial in your workout on the trainer. You don’t have to worry about traffic lights, stop signs, or wind and you can specify the intensity with pinpoint accuracy at every point of the ride.
- Effectiveness - This one goes hand in hand with time efficiency and focus. You can really dial in your workout in a short period of time for maximum efficiency.
- Social - Well, I know some people who ride solo in their pain caves at home so this last item doesn't really apply to them. Others, like me, train with a group and this last one is pretty nice. I see no need to suffer the long winter months by yourself if you can help it. It just makes the workouts go faster and it lets you push yourself harder as you see everyone else around you pushing just as hard.
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Wrapping up your race season
Last month I read an article called “How to Wrap Up Your Racing Season” on Active.com, and I thought it would be a fun exercise to run through their process of reflecting on this season and planning for the next. I know I’m a little late on this, considering that my race season ended over a month ago, but I figure better late than never.
1. What were the best parts of this season? Try to list at least three items. The items might include your favorite race experience, speed improvements in events or training, staying healthy, consistent training, traveling to new events, finding new training partners or purchasing new equipment.
The best parts of my season were bumping up my FTP number, shaving 4 minutes off of my mile swim time, and the first two thirds of my Chicago Triathlon race.
2. Get specific on the highlights. For the items you listed in step 1, try to state them in a way that someone else could easily identify what you're talking about. For example, if you wrote "Had a Great Race at the Round the City Crit", expand that statement to say what made the race great. Did you place high in the field? Did you help a teammate do well? Get on the podium? If you wrote "Had a fantastic century ride", describe what elements made it fantastic?
- Bump in my FTP number - After an almost year long plateau on my FTP number I finally saw an improvement in the spring. It wasn't a huge jump (only 5%) but it was still a big moment for me.
- Shaving 4 minute off of my mile swim time – After taking almost 9 months off of swimming last off-season I had pretty much written off my swim for the year. But through personal training sessions I managed to improve my form and I shaved ~11% off of my swim time!
- Chicago Triathlon – My improved swim and bike fitness came through in spades during my last race of the season, putting me on track for a monster PR. Unfortunately the intense heat fizzled me out on the run, but I was still happy with the huge improvement in my two ‘weaker’ legs.
3. Why did the specifics in step 2 trip your trigger? These elements may be covered in step 2; but if they are not, get specific about why these highlights were important to you. Perhaps you made it on the podium for the first time and this has been a three-year goal? Perhaps helping teammates in races made you feel good about giving fitness to help someone else? Maybe you rode a century with someone that really struggled, but you helped them through it. It is important to identify why results, behaviors or situations are enjoyable to you.
Again, the improvement I saw in my two ‘weaker’ legs made these accomplishments really important to me. The run is definitely my strongest weapon, and I tend to rank pretty high in the field when it comes to the run, but normally my bike is only average and my swim is really poor relative to the field. This year my bike went from average to good, and my swim went from poor to average, and overall my performance has gone from MOP to slightly behind the FOP, so I’m getting there.
4. What were the greatest disappointments of your season? You may not have any disappointments or you may have a few. Go ahead and list them.
I didn't have a complete triathlon race I was happy with this year.
5. Get specific on disappointments. Similar to highlights, do your best to identify the specifics of a disappointing situation. If you didn't train consistently and that was disappointing, define inconsistent. For example, "I'm disappointed that I rode only two days per week for 12 of 16 weeks. There were two weeks I didn't ride at all."
I just can’t seem to bring it together on race day and put together a complete performance I’m happy with. I know I’m capable of a much better Olympic PR than I have today, but things never seem to line up right on race day. I’m not sure if its nerves, bad luck or lack of preparation, but it just doesn't go down the way I envision it going down.
6. If you could have changed anything about this season, what would that be? Improve nutrition? Include more interval training? Get more structured about training? Less structured? Improve nutrition?
Given my erratic schedule with school and work I was pretty happy with my training during the season. What I wish I could have changed was improving the consistency of my training during the last off-season, especially with the swim and the bike.
7. Get specific on improvements. If you want to improve nutrition, what does that mean? An example of a nutrition improvement would be to eat two whole fruits per day, at least five days per week. Notice that the improvement or goal allows for some imperfection. Be careful about aiming for improvements that are all or nothing, requiring you to be perfect.
I didn't swim for 9 months last off-season! That’s simply inexcusable. I still managed to shave off 4 minutes from my swim time this year, but imagine how much better I could have gotten if I had actually put in some pool time before summer got here. As for the bike, I wish I would have put in more solid base hours during the off-season.
8. What do you want to accomplish next season? List three to six things you want to accomplish next season. What are your goals? Perhaps you want to include strength training in your workout plan. Maybe you want to complete your first week-long event. Want to try racing? Perhaps you want to stay healthy next year--avoiding illness or injury.
My goals for the next season are the same as the ones for this season. I can’t do long distance right now, so I want to work on my speed and power on the short course. I’m closer to being in the FOP this year and next year I want to solidify my position there. That means getting faster on the swim, bike and run.
9. Get specific on goals. Goals can be related to a training plan, workout details, race results, lifestyle changes or stress management, to name a few. When you write down your goals, be sure you can measure success. How will you know if you've reduced stress? What will that look like? Can you see it? Feel it? In the stress example, you may need to add a descriptor. For example, "Reduce stress by attending yoga once or twice each week."
There’s still a lot of room for improvement in my swim time, and this off-season I’m taking swim clinics and continuing my private lessons to work on my technique. My goal here is to shave off another 4 minutes (12%) by next season.
On the bike I’m shooting for a 3.5 W/kg power rating. I have to improve my wattage by 15% in order to get there. That’s a bit of a daunting challenge but I’m going to take it 5% at a time and chip away at it. Slowly but surely I’ll get there.
On the run I feel like I’m reaching a point of diminishing returns but I’m stubborn and really want to crack the 19 minute mark on a 5k soon. I’m going to put this as an incidental goal for next year, if I hit it, great, but if not that’s OK too. The focus is on the swim and the bike and as long as I can keep improving there I’ll be happy.
…
How would you fill out this checklist?
1. What were the best parts of this season? Try to list at least three items. The items might include your favorite race experience, speed improvements in events or training, staying healthy, consistent training, traveling to new events, finding new training partners or purchasing new equipment.
The best parts of my season were bumping up my FTP number, shaving 4 minutes off of my mile swim time, and the first two thirds of my Chicago Triathlon race.
2. Get specific on the highlights. For the items you listed in step 1, try to state them in a way that someone else could easily identify what you're talking about. For example, if you wrote "Had a Great Race at the Round the City Crit", expand that statement to say what made the race great. Did you place high in the field? Did you help a teammate do well? Get on the podium? If you wrote "Had a fantastic century ride", describe what elements made it fantastic?
- Bump in my FTP number - After an almost year long plateau on my FTP number I finally saw an improvement in the spring. It wasn't a huge jump (only 5%) but it was still a big moment for me.
- Shaving 4 minute off of my mile swim time – After taking almost 9 months off of swimming last off-season I had pretty much written off my swim for the year. But through personal training sessions I managed to improve my form and I shaved ~11% off of my swim time!
- Chicago Triathlon – My improved swim and bike fitness came through in spades during my last race of the season, putting me on track for a monster PR. Unfortunately the intense heat fizzled me out on the run, but I was still happy with the huge improvement in my two ‘weaker’ legs.
3. Why did the specifics in step 2 trip your trigger? These elements may be covered in step 2; but if they are not, get specific about why these highlights were important to you. Perhaps you made it on the podium for the first time and this has been a three-year goal? Perhaps helping teammates in races made you feel good about giving fitness to help someone else? Maybe you rode a century with someone that really struggled, but you helped them through it. It is important to identify why results, behaviors or situations are enjoyable to you.
Again, the improvement I saw in my two ‘weaker’ legs made these accomplishments really important to me. The run is definitely my strongest weapon, and I tend to rank pretty high in the field when it comes to the run, but normally my bike is only average and my swim is really poor relative to the field. This year my bike went from average to good, and my swim went from poor to average, and overall my performance has gone from MOP to slightly behind the FOP, so I’m getting there.
4. What were the greatest disappointments of your season? You may not have any disappointments or you may have a few. Go ahead and list them.
I didn't have a complete triathlon race I was happy with this year.
5. Get specific on disappointments. Similar to highlights, do your best to identify the specifics of a disappointing situation. If you didn't train consistently and that was disappointing, define inconsistent. For example, "I'm disappointed that I rode only two days per week for 12 of 16 weeks. There were two weeks I didn't ride at all."
I just can’t seem to bring it together on race day and put together a complete performance I’m happy with. I know I’m capable of a much better Olympic PR than I have today, but things never seem to line up right on race day. I’m not sure if its nerves, bad luck or lack of preparation, but it just doesn't go down the way I envision it going down.
6. If you could have changed anything about this season, what would that be? Improve nutrition? Include more interval training? Get more structured about training? Less structured? Improve nutrition?
Given my erratic schedule with school and work I was pretty happy with my training during the season. What I wish I could have changed was improving the consistency of my training during the last off-season, especially with the swim and the bike.
7. Get specific on improvements. If you want to improve nutrition, what does that mean? An example of a nutrition improvement would be to eat two whole fruits per day, at least five days per week. Notice that the improvement or goal allows for some imperfection. Be careful about aiming for improvements that are all or nothing, requiring you to be perfect.
I didn't swim for 9 months last off-season! That’s simply inexcusable. I still managed to shave off 4 minutes from my swim time this year, but imagine how much better I could have gotten if I had actually put in some pool time before summer got here. As for the bike, I wish I would have put in more solid base hours during the off-season.
8. What do you want to accomplish next season? List three to six things you want to accomplish next season. What are your goals? Perhaps you want to include strength training in your workout plan. Maybe you want to complete your first week-long event. Want to try racing? Perhaps you want to stay healthy next year--avoiding illness or injury.
My goals for the next season are the same as the ones for this season. I can’t do long distance right now, so I want to work on my speed and power on the short course. I’m closer to being in the FOP this year and next year I want to solidify my position there. That means getting faster on the swim, bike and run.
9. Get specific on goals. Goals can be related to a training plan, workout details, race results, lifestyle changes or stress management, to name a few. When you write down your goals, be sure you can measure success. How will you know if you've reduced stress? What will that look like? Can you see it? Feel it? In the stress example, you may need to add a descriptor. For example, "Reduce stress by attending yoga once or twice each week."
There’s still a lot of room for improvement in my swim time, and this off-season I’m taking swim clinics and continuing my private lessons to work on my technique. My goal here is to shave off another 4 minutes (12%) by next season.
On the bike I’m shooting for a 3.5 W/kg power rating. I have to improve my wattage by 15% in order to get there. That’s a bit of a daunting challenge but I’m going to take it 5% at a time and chip away at it. Slowly but surely I’ll get there.
On the run I feel like I’m reaching a point of diminishing returns but I’m stubborn and really want to crack the 19 minute mark on a 5k soon. I’m going to put this as an incidental goal for next year, if I hit it, great, but if not that’s OK too. The focus is on the swim and the bike and as long as I can keep improving there I’ll be happy.
…
How would you fill out this checklist?
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Holiday eats
The holidays are coming and for many people that means facing the challenge of holiday gorging and overeating. I personally enjoy gorging myself every now and then and I like to partake into some heavy eating during the holidays. Most athletes are in the off-season right now anyways, so why not take some time to indulge with your friends and family? For those of you that are holding a steady off-season training plan it’s also a good opportunity to show off your bottomless-pit eating capabilities.
If you’re looking for some tips on holiday eating, you can check out Pip Taylor’s article over on the Triathlete website titled “Triathlon Nutrition: Enjoy The Off-Season, But Don’t Regret It”.
If you’re looking for some tips on holiday eating, you can check out Pip Taylor’s article over on the Triathlete website titled “Triathlon Nutrition: Enjoy The Off-Season, But Don’t Regret It”.
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Triathlon trends
Looks like the news media has finally discovered what we triathletes have known for years now: the sport of triathlon is growing rapidly and everyday people are embracing it. Triathlons are not just for hardcore Ironmen (and women) anymore, they’re for all individuals who are seeking to live a healthy, active lifestyle.
Two recent articles in major media outlets (CNN & The Wall Street Journal) have recently highlighted this trend. They’ve showcased everyday people, ranging from young professionals to mothers, who have taken up triathlon as a way to stay health and regain some of their youthful athleticism. Chuck Menke, direction of marketing and communications at USA Triathlon, states that over the last five years USAT membership has gone from 50,000 to 135,000 annual members. But why is there such a huge growth in triathlon now?
Menke says "it's a combination of the Olympics -- triathlon made its debut in the 2000 Sydney games -- a growing group of middle-aged competitors looking to reclaim their athleticism, and a desire for fitness-conscious camaraderie.”
I believe that over the years the general population has become more aware of the benefits of exercise as one gets older, and many have turned to some form of sport as their primary form of activity. Running and marathons were the go-to sport for aspiring adult athletes, but this decision has slowly changed over time. For starters, the jarring effects of running have taken a toll on the aging adult athlete, and these individuals have turned to triathlon for the cross-training benefits. Others see triathlon as a new challenge to conquer, a new arena where they can test their weekend warrior skills.
Is the sport of triathlon reaching a tipping point with the masses? Nine months ago I reference articles that hinted that triathlon was the new social status symbol for professionals and that it had potentially replaced the sport of golf for the business class. Will this trend continue?
Two recent articles in major media outlets (CNN & The Wall Street Journal) have recently highlighted this trend. They’ve showcased everyday people, ranging from young professionals to mothers, who have taken up triathlon as a way to stay health and regain some of their youthful athleticism. Chuck Menke, direction of marketing and communications at USA Triathlon, states that over the last five years USAT membership has gone from 50,000 to 135,000 annual members. But why is there such a huge growth in triathlon now?
Menke says "it's a combination of the Olympics -- triathlon made its debut in the 2000 Sydney games -- a growing group of middle-aged competitors looking to reclaim their athleticism, and a desire for fitness-conscious camaraderie.”
I believe that over the years the general population has become more aware of the benefits of exercise as one gets older, and many have turned to some form of sport as their primary form of activity. Running and marathons were the go-to sport for aspiring adult athletes, but this decision has slowly changed over time. For starters, the jarring effects of running have taken a toll on the aging adult athlete, and these individuals have turned to triathlon for the cross-training benefits. Others see triathlon as a new challenge to conquer, a new arena where they can test their weekend warrior skills.
Is the sport of triathlon reaching a tipping point with the masses? Nine months ago I reference articles that hinted that triathlon was the new social status symbol for professionals and that it had potentially replaced the sport of golf for the business class. Will this trend continue?
Sunday, November 7, 2010
RunTri data
Not sure if everyone has seen the RunTri website that has Ironman race data analysis and graphs showing some really interesting trends. My favorite bytes of data are the Ironman Wisconsin 2010 charts and the North American Ironman DNF Rates chart.
The Ironman Wisconsin: Correlation Between Bike and Run Splits chart shows just how well the racers paced themselves on the bike and run legs of the race. They basically plotted bike splits against run splits and broke down the racers into four groups: Fast & Balanced, Energy to Burn, Left it on the Bike Course, and Smooth & Steady. You want to be in that first group but I guess most people would settle for the last group too.
The North American Ironman DNF Rates: Finishers and DNF by Race chart shows the DNF (Did Not Finish) rates for the 2010 North American Ironman races. Ironman Wisconsin had a 6% DNF rate, but Louisville and St. George led the way with 16% and 14% respectively. I know Louisville was super hot this year and St. George is supposed to be ridiculously challenging so those DNF rates don't surprise me. I actually have some friends who just signed up for St. George next year. I wonder what they would think of this DNF rate!
The Ironman Wisconsin: Correlation Between Bike and Run Splits chart shows just how well the racers paced themselves on the bike and run legs of the race. They basically plotted bike splits against run splits and broke down the racers into four groups: Fast & Balanced, Energy to Burn, Left it on the Bike Course, and Smooth & Steady. You want to be in that first group but I guess most people would settle for the last group too.
The North American Ironman DNF Rates: Finishers and DNF by Race chart shows the DNF (Did Not Finish) rates for the 2010 North American Ironman races. Ironman Wisconsin had a 6% DNF rate, but Louisville and St. George led the way with 16% and 14% respectively. I know Louisville was super hot this year and St. George is supposed to be ridiculously challenging so those DNF rates don't surprise me. I actually have some friends who just signed up for St. George next year. I wonder what they would think of this DNF rate!
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
So far, so good
I had an awesome trainer session this morning at VQ. I just felt really strong the whole time and was able to push it pretty hard without fading. Hopefully this is a sign of good things to come this off-season. Even as my work/school schedule has picked up this past week or so I've tried to remain consistent with my training, which is something that eluded me all last year. My weekends are still pretty off right now (I'm catching up on all my drinking, ha), but that's OK, those will settle in shortly.
To recap, my October my training consisted of: bike trainer sessions, functional training and even a swim clinic. Not much running so far. The swim clinic is a 6 week clinic that's focused on Triathlon Off-Season Conditioning. The goals of the clinic are:
(1) Improving stroke efficiency for longer freestyle swims
(2) Exposing you to some heart rate zones to help your aerobic development, and
(3) Giving you training sets to start improving your aerobic base for the 2011 triathlon season.
So far, so good!
To recap, my October my training consisted of: bike trainer sessions, functional training and even a swim clinic. Not much running so far. The swim clinic is a 6 week clinic that's focused on Triathlon Off-Season Conditioning. The goals of the clinic are:
(1) Improving stroke efficiency for longer freestyle swims
(2) Exposing you to some heart rate zones to help your aerobic development, and
(3) Giving you training sets to start improving your aerobic base for the 2011 triathlon season.
So far, so good!
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