The first event of the indoor season is now over with four more to go.  I have a list of the indoor events I’m aware of at michigantri.  I know of some athletes who look down on the indoor events but there are just as many who look to them as a way to keep the mental edge and a fun way to break up off season training.

Is an indoor tri the same or even close to the normal events we do spring through fall?  Of course not.  However they can be viewed as three back to back reverse time trials with minimal time allotted for transitions.  It is a great way for seasoned athletes to get a feel for where they are at this time of year.  For those new to multisport, the indoor offers a very safe and well monitored swim without the issues of a wave start in open water. Bikes are usually close in terms of being able to adjust to near your sizing and most are at least equally calibrated, with of course some exceptions. The run gives you the opportunity to either race head to head with those in your heat at the clubs which use their tracks for that discipline, or fairly accurate treadmills.

 Couple hints in no particular order: 

-Just like all other events, double check your gear before leaving home and arrive early.

-Always bring your own water/fluid bottle. Most events supply water or sports drink but it never hurts to come prepared.

-Also similar to a normal event, take some time to survey get the route you need to take from pool to bikes, and bikes to track/treadmills.  Again…no different than reviewing a normal transition area and venue. At Muskegon, three different floors in the building are used for that event in late January.

-Some clubs have a bike set up near registration so you can work out your settings before doing it on the fly during the event.  Most events have 5 minute transitions and run like clockwork so each wave starts on time whether you are ready or not. Sometimes if you are there early and wait by the bikes, you can also slip on one to quickly get your settings figured out while the athletes from the next wave are making their way there from the pool.

-It is okay to move quickly, particularly from the pool to the bike.  5 minutes is nothing, especially if you are in the middle of your lane when the swim portion is complete.  Practice what you plan to do for apparel changes, if any, in advance.

-Bring your own small sweat towel for the event and your own for post event showering. Some facilities offer towels and some don’t.

-Bring either a combination lock or keyed lock for the locker room. Some clubs like Bronson Athletic Club have built in keyed locks so you get a key card at the desk and then enter your own combination which you need to remember.  You to bring your own lock top most clubs.

-Most facilities use stationary bikes which are not equipped with clipless pedals so your running shoes are what you will use for the bike and the run.

-Have fun with it.

I can say without too much difficulty that I believe I am affected by Seasonal Affective Disorder.  I exhibit several key symptoms but it can be very manageable.  It is truly a strange feeling.  I remember nearly 20 years back when I first started on the multisport path and became more in tune with eveything around me when I felt something just wasn’t right during the winter months. I noticeably felt something was out of place on the longer darker days.  It continues to this day but the process of keeping it minimalized has become a lot easier through visualization. 

I am solidly in the camp of those who are fortunate enough to be able to use visualization techniques toward positive goals. In this case when the “dark side” starts to creep in around the edges, the process involves a combination of centering, or focused relaxation, and creating a picture that is bright.  My visualizations work best when either somewhat off beat, or abstract.  Sometimes the view I create is just a shade of brightness and I mentally increase and decrease the intensity of the light. That helps remind me that I do have some control over things around me and that I can work against those things that create roadblocks to where I am going. 

I’ve talked with a number of endurance athletes about it and I am surprised how many are reluctant to even admit they are affected by SAD as if it would be an admission of something bad.  I look at it just the opposite.  There will always be roadblocks.  Its how they are approached and managed that makes the difference.

I did a quick post on Slowtwitchtonight labeled “I’m starting to think there’s something wrong with me.”  The reason is that I’m beginning to enjoy running on treadmills.  I hardly ever used one in training and only a few times at indoor tris.  But I’ve been having a nagging knee issue going on and I thought the flex deck on the treadmill might be worth a try to ease the impact.  So far so good.  As in today’s run felt really good.  I swam for about 20 minutes and included a couple throw it against the wall 50’s.  My stand alone 50’s are now in the low 30’s.  If I could only hold that intensity for 15-hundred meters…

 Anyway on the treadmill line for a bit more.  The flex deck seems to be helping a lot.  My perceived exertion in terms of pace per mile while running is pretty much spot on.  I’m hoping to get back in the 20 minute 5K range in time for the indoor tri circuit the next couple months.  Being able to immediately throw on an incline while holding pace is a good mental boost for me. I’m going to play around with the treadmills some more the next few weeks and see how this pans out.  I absolutely love running outside but this time of year in SW Michigan things can get a little wild.  I also like the indoor track at the club where I do most of my training.  But the treadmills are slowly inching up in favor.

I’m about ready to launch the new michigantri.com  site and this blog will show on a separate page there. I’ve never spent much time thinking about web site stuff and only did as little as possible to keep my personal site going and updated.  Now all that is changing and I know I’ll need to put more time into it to keep the new site moving along.

For the last two weeks I have challenged the people taking my indoor cycling class to think a little about the rush of new members at the YMCA.  It has also been the topic of a recent thread at Slowtwitch where I post regularly.  The usual response from lots of people is to grumble about how the new folks are taking over, don’t know what they’re doing, I can’t get to my machines now, the pool is full and all that. Yeah…that may be the case.  But it is still kind of fresh in my mind about what it was like for me stepping foot inside a fitness facility for the first time.  It was a shock in many ways.

Had there not been a couple folks who took an interest in my comfort and progress, I don’t know if I would have been able to get through those first crucial 6 months or so.  My challenge to the class then has been to simply pick someone who is new and offer a little encouragement or a supporting word or two, remembering what it was like for them to go through that process.  The challenge has been met with some scrunched eyebrows, but also more than a few nodding smiles.