Work and travel always cause extra stress and sometimes it seems hard to manage training on top of everything else. I travel two to three days every week for work. It is a challenge, but with good planning it is possible to balance training stress, work stress and family stress to secure my triathlon training.

I turned 45 this year. I completed Ironman World Championships and after a long season of swim/bike/run, I needed a physical and -- more importantly -- a mental break. I find the break comes not from reduced training but more so from not obsessing about the training. In short, doing whatever feels right. I did not do much of a scheduled training load for the first 30 days besides swim and run occasionally with no biking whatsoever.

In the beginning of November I set my sights on a goal to complete a swim for 30 days in a row.

Limiters or “limiting” can be scary words as they reference something we may not be good at. The reality is, if we want to improve, we have to face that fear of what we aren’t good at -- or simply need to improve at -- and find a way to change it. One area I find lacking in most of the athletes new to me or that I continue to work on with developing athletes is what I call “back half race strength.”

One of the best ways to improve at almost anything is to work the weakest link within the set of skills required to be good. For triathlon, we tend to keep things simple and focus on swim, bike and run. That seems easy enough, but before we put the bike away for a couple of months and set off for 50 mile run weeks, are we actually sure what makes up our true limiter?

For a long time, some of my limiters have been sugar cravings and a somewhat unhealthy diet. In reflecting on the reason why I started to do triathlon a few years ago everything was about looking good naked. It seems like it is difficult to stay on a healthy diet for a lot of athletes. I can still remember when my good friend Jonas Colting told me, “Jan you are fat.” It still hurts, but he was right.

Chase Hooley from BTB Sunglasses and the BTB Foundation asked us to help spread the message about testicular cancer.

Read on to learn more about the risks and symptoms for this highly treatable disease.

Guest writer Chris Johnson, PT, returns to Endurance Corner with a new series on common musculoskeletal issues that triathletes face.

To improve performance, triathletes must know thy goats. The bottom line is that once you’ve established a solid fitness base, resorting to increased volume and/or intensity can be a dangerous road when it comes getting faster. Rather, it’s critical to identify and address any musculoskeletal limitations or what I like to refer to as “goats.” While all triathletes have goats, the vast majority of us have not identified nor learned how to properly address them.

This piece will be the first of a three part series centered on the three most common goats that I see among triathletes seeking my services as a physical therapist and triathlon coach. Additionally, I will provide an approach to identify and address each individual goat through video demonstration so you can start tending to them in a safe and effective manner. It is my ultimate goal to help you optimize your training while minimizing your weaknesses.

Jan Hugo Svendsen recently finished second in the inaugural Ultraman UK after putting in some unique focused work throughout the year. Here, he shares an overview of his general approach to training and his build into the event. In keeping with our “What it Takes to Be Fast” theme for the month, remember that Jan is an example of the competition at the pointy end of the field.

It didn’t feel good to get my butt kicked at Oceanside. But despite my 15th place finish in my AG, I was happy because I was emerging from winter healthy, strong and keen. I felt like a raging bull about to be uncaged and I couldn’t wait to do my big IM training. And 12 weeks later I had my best race ever, finishing 2nd in my AG at IM Coeur D’Alene (up from 3rd in 2010).

I did it by following Gordo's oft repeated but rarely followed recommendation. I kept my training physically and mentally sustainable in the winter, to keep my powder dry to train huge and to hit it big in the last few blocks of training leading up to IMCdA, when it counts the most.

Our series on triathlon training around the world rolls on with Endurance Corner team member Luis Duarte's perspective on tri life in Brazil.

Alex Thompson, EC's newest columnist, shares what it's like to work with EC coach Alan Couzens as he develops on the path to becoming an elite athlete.

Male
27 Years Old
Triathlons Completed: 27
Ironman PR: 9:38
Half Ironman PR: 4:24
Years in the Sport: 9
USAT Coach Level I
USAT Certified Race Director

Who do the above stats describe? Who do you picture?

Do you picture someone with an eating disorder?

Our series on triathlon training around the world continues with a look at tri life in Moscow.

A dramatic change from yesterday's look at triathlon in the heat of Dubai, Jan Hugo Svendsen shares a little about triathlon life up north in Norway.

We continue our series on triathlon training around the world with EC athlete David Chambers' look at Dubai.

We continue our series on Endurance Corner team members living in areas away from the traditional triathlon hotbeds. Today, Alasdair Hall tells us about the island of Jersey, located in the English Channel.

Not everyone lives in the triathlon hotspots around the world such as Boulder, San Diego or Noosa. In a series beginning today and running through next week, some Endurance Corner team members who live far removed from those tri lifestyle areas share their experiences training without a solid multisport infrastructure in their communities.

Dave Jewell wraps up his series on running shoe production with this final installment looking at the sample, testing and production phases.

Congratulations, the hard work has paid off, you've climbed through the field and now you're finishing 30 minutes behind the Kona qualifiers in your age group. Where do you go from here?

The general definition of an audit is an evaluation of a person, organization, system, process, enterprise, project or product.

Whether in business, relationship, sport or life in general, having the magnifying glass glaring at our activities over a given period of time reveals how we are measuring up to that activities’ rules, expectations, goals or direction. It’s the “check” to the “checks and balances” of life and yet it never receives too warm a welcome when it strolls down off the horizon overnight and greets us one morning... scheduled or not.

This is the continuation of the second stage of the Dave Jewell's series on running shoe production: design and sample development.

This is the second stage of the Dave Jewell's series on running shoe production. In this edition, Dave covers the six months after the initial concept is developed. Similar to the first stage, we'll break this next section into two parts, beginning today with design.

This is a continuation of the Dave Jewell's series on running shoe production. In this edition, Dave covers creating a totally new product.

Totally new projects can be the most exciting, interesting and definitely most challenging shoes to create. This is where you create a shoe from nothing. If you think about Zoot, this is where we were five years ago. No shoes at all.

Your running shoe can be your best friend or it can be your worst enemy. You will remember the shoes that you ran your first track meet in or the ones you raced in your first ironman. You’ll remember the shoes you used in your best race and you’ll remember your favorite shoe of all time that you slipped on for all those long Sunday runs. You’ll also remember the shoe and the brand that disappointed you the most.

But did you ever stop to think just how those shoes were made?

Triathlon performance largely depends on the ability of an athlete to maintain a straight and balanced position over the course of three disciplines. On the swim, we strive for a streamlined stroke. On the bike we try to establish and maintain an aerodynamic and powerful position. On the run we aim for an upright posture. The unfortunate reality for most triathletes, however, is that we have not earned professional status and therefore need to work.

In the case of most jobs, an inordinate amount of time is spent sitting, which often leads to a bent forward and slouched position. In time, we become a postural wreck and lose our sense of balance.

Dave Latourette, longtime multisport athlete and coach, shares his journey back from injury and shares advice for recovering from surgery.

Winter is almost over for many Northern Hemisphere athletes, but for some of us, there’s still a little while until warmer temperatures come along. Marco Koschier lives and trains in Moscow, Russia, a region known for its rough winters. Here, he shares some advice for running in the cold.

Winter is an interesting season for endurance athletes. At no point in the year is there a greater variation in motivational energy.

Some of us have trouble getting out the door, while others are chomping at the bit fuelled by visions of a breakthrough season. The most driven among us may even be facing symptoms of burnout! When motivation drops and we seek to adjust our approach, one common piece of advice is to “keep it fun.”

In 2010, Curt Chesney won his age group at IM Hawaii and 70.3 Worlds in Clearwater. Here, he explains how he prepared himself to manage the heat of Kona to come out on top.

As endurance athletes, most of us have been injured at some point in time. I’m no stranger to injuries and over the years have learned a lot about my body and what it takes to get to the start line healthy. Here, I discuss my experience with shoulder surgery from diagnosis to recovery and share four lessons that I learned.