Endurance Athletes Beat the Winter Fitness Doldrums

As the earth continues its rotation around the sun, we are quickly approaching the shortest day of the year, occurring on the winter solstice. For fitness buffs and even endurance athletes, this can result in a bout of the blues that often affects motivation. Don’t despair. Keep in mind some of these tips to work toward fitness goals even when it’s cold and gloomy outside.

Change It Up

If you have been doing the same fitness routine most of the year, try changing it up some. Start your daily run from the opposite direction or take a drive so you can form a completely different route. Take your bike up a mountain. Go cross country skiing. The idea is to give yourself some fresh scenery to look at and possibly use another set of muscles for a brief time period.

Join Forces

It is harder to stay motivated when you work out alone. Try scheduling some fitness sessions with friends or fellow endurance athletes. The extra support and camaraderie may be just what you need to stave off depression. And who knows, you might just learn something new to add to your regular routine.

Review Your Accomplishments

As the year draws to a close, it presents the perfect opportunity to review accomplishments achieved in the prior months. Celebrate your successes and set new goals now that you’ve completed those assigned at the beginning of the year. If you missed some of the targets, resolve to work harder and longer to achieve them in the upcoming year. Remember, you are one step closer to excelling as an endurance athlete and reaching peak performance. As Don Power advised the endurance athlete “clear your mind, focus your energy”.

Remember to keep yourself hydrated and fueled with good nutrients. If you have never tried the Extreme Endurance supplement before, order some today and add it the new year’s fitness regimen. You may just be amazed at the results.

2010 US Triathlon Schedule

The USA Triathlon (USAT) association recently released the schedule for the 2010 National Triathlon and Duathlon Championships. The upcoming events will be held in eight states and six regions to provide an opportunity for all entrants to compete close to home and against some of the best endurance athletes in the country.

This year the Triathlon National Championships enjoyed a record number of participants and USAT hopes that 2010 will be even better. Amateurs are welcome to register although some of the events require that endurance athletes undergo qualification first. Competitions include a winter triathlon, short and long course triathlons, sprint triathlons, short and long course duathlons, as well as an aquathlon.

One of the biggest changes is the move of the Sprint Nationals to Tuscaloosa, Alabama. USAT has taken over this event in conjunction with the age group and elite championships.

The following is the schedule for 2010 USAT National Championship events:

Battle at Soldier Hollow (BASH) Winter Triathlon
Salt Lake City, Utah
January 16, 2010

Collegiate National Championship
Lubbock, Texas
April 17, 2010

National Duathlon Festival
Richmond, Virginia
April 24-25, 2010

Drapers Duathlon
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
July 10-11, 2010

Nautica New York City Traithlon
New York, NY
July 18, 2010

Junior Olympic Festival
San Diego, California
August 14, 2010

See Ducky Tri Aquathlon
San Ramon, California
August 15, 2010

Age Group, U23 and Elite National Championship
Tuscaloosa, Alabama
September 25, 2010

Sprint National Championship
Tuscaloosa, Alabama
September 26, 2010

Halfmax National Championship
Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
October 2, 2010

Powerman Alabama
Birmingham, Alabama
Date TBA

Make plans now to compete in one of these great competitions.

The Difference Between Anaerobic and Aerobic Thresholds

Professional athletes have surely heard the terms of both anaerobic threshold and aerobic threshold. Still, many people use these terms incorrectly or interchangeably. There are definitely key differences between the two terms.

What is Aerobic Threshold Performance?

Anaerobic activity is of an intensity that triggers anaerobic metabolism. This is the type of exercise preferred by body builders and other competitors in order to build muscle mass along with strength, power, and speed for a short duration. The focus is on involving fast twitch muscle fibers that change the composition of body mass. It involves both the high energy use of phosphates, adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and creatine phosphate (CP) as well as the type of energy allowing anaerobic glycolysis to occur. Obviously in athletic competitions that revolve around short bursts of energy, anaerobic metabolism is the goal.

Aerobic threshold performance refers to a level that falls just beneath that of anaerobic. This term is used to refer to the ability of the endurance athlete to conserve energy so that it lasts throughout the duration of competition. This can be done using drug free supplements.  Anaerobic energy is expended when intensity approaches that to invoke anaerobic energy pathways and blood lactates becomes highly concentrated. The heart rate at aerobic threshold is less than that of anaerobic threshold, or roughly 65% of maximum.

Lactic acid production is detrimental to muscle function. One way that Extreme Endurance drug free supplement works as a successful supplement is by decreasing the production of lactic acid up to 15%, giving the endurance athlete the extra strength and stamina needed to complete a race.

Extreme Endurance is a drug free supplement that can be used by any athlete to counteract a low anaerobic or aerobic threshold.

About the Duathlon Competition

durathalon athlete training involves gureling exercise and drug free supplements

Most people are familiar with triathlon sports that most often feature swimming, biking, and running but fewer have heard of duathlon sports competitions. With only two events – running followed by biking – these competitions are usually shorter in both time and distance than the triathlon.

Generally the duathlon starts with a run, followed by a bike race, and ends with another leg of running, but in some events such as the Powerman Benny Vansteelant Memorial in Belguim, there are additional cycles. Distances can vary as well, ranging anywhere from short legs of 5k on up to 150k.
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Many duathlons are mapped across city streets but the more current trend is to schedule these competitions off-road. This adds another element to the event, forcing endurance athletes to account for uneven surfaces on which to run and bike. Add to this changes in elevation and certainly the Powerman Zofingen, with its 150k bike race and a total of 40k running, is one of the most grueling duathlon competitions in the world.

Obviously the athletes who compete in duathlons require no less of a high aerobic threshold performance than those who prefer triathlon races. There are strict rules against drafting, which can provide an unfair advantage during the biking leg. This also helps to prevent accidents which can occur when two athletes race too closely together.

If you have never seen a duathlon before, these are some truly exciting events. Take a look at the upcoming schedule for the remaining races in the Powerman World Series sponsored by Extreme Endurance here to find a competition near you. Who knows, maybe you will be interested in competing during the next season?

Results of the Malaysia World Championship Powerman Duathlon

Following the World Championship Powerman competition in Zofingen, Switzerland, the Powerman duathlon in Malaysia set the stage for world rankings to begin. This event was the start of the 2009/2010 season which finishes once again next year in Zofingen on the 5th of September.

The Malaysia race subjected the athletes to brutal 97 degree heat under a clear blue sky, the hottest race of the year.

The results of the duathlon show Switzerland’s Andy Sutz as the overall winner in the men’s competition. His finishing time of two hours and 45 minutes was a full five minutes less than that of the second place Bryce Viegas of South Africa. Last year’s winner, Jason Spong, also of South Africa, ended third this year. The fourth place finisher was Singapore’s Melvin Wong while fifth went to Erich Felbabel of France.

On the ladies’ side, Radka Vodickova of the Czech Republic was the overall winner with a time of three hours and eight minutes. Vodickova was followed by Sweden’s Camilla Lindholm, the first place finisher of the 2008/2009 Powerman World Series. The third place prize went to Caroline Koll of South Africa racing for Team Bike Boutique.

Following the Malaysia event, Andy Sutz and Radka Vodickova claimed the top position in world rankings.

Extreme Endurance is proud to sponsor such a fantastic competition as the Powerman World Series and provide the athletes with a drug-free supplement proven to increase endurance and performance levels.

An update on the second event in the series, held in Florida earlier this month, is forthcoming along with current world standings.

Highlights of the 2009 Ford Ironman Competition in Arizona

Last month, on November 22nd, the annual Ford Ironman competition was held in Tempe, Arizona in conjunction with the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian community. The beautiful weather brought out a lot of spectators to watch some of the world’s best triathletes compete. A total of 2,500 triathletes were recorded.

At the end of the day, Jordan Rapp was the winner for the men’s triathlete category and Samantha McGlone took home the medal for the women’s competition. Both of these dedicated endurance athletes broke records previously set for the course.

The 2009 Top Ford Ironman Triathlete

After Rapp, who dominated from the beginning of the bike race and maintained his lead throughout, T.J. Tollakson of the U.S., Torsten Abel of Germany, Australian Richie Cunningham, and Paul Ambrose, also of Australia, rounded out the top five competitors of the day. Rapp added this victory to a previous win at Subaru Ironman competition in Canada this year.

As for the women, winner McGlone of Canada didn’t achieve a lead until the marathon was nearly half over. The Ford Ironman competition represents her first victory. American Linsey Corbin, Aussie Kate Major, American Gina Kerr, and British Leanda Cave finished second, third, fourth, and fifth, respectively.

The Ford Ironman triathletes competition is comprised of a 2.4 mile swim, a 112 mile bike ride, and a 26.2 mile run that starts in the city of Tempe and meanders through the magnificent scenery of the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian community. If you missed the event this year, you can view the highlights when coverage airs December 19th on NBC.