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Training

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Where the Europeans get ready new

To escape the wet and cold Northern European spring, many European athletes head to the island of Mallorca to get ready for the upcoming season. German pro triathlete Uwe Widmann recently came back from such a training camp and he reports for Slowtwitch.

Stalling in the water

The albatross around the neck of the 1:20 Ironman swimmer, or 35-minute 1.5k swimmer, is stalling in the water. Does this describe you? Here are two tests to unearth this problem, and the solutions if you're one of the afflicted.

Top masters swim coaches tell it

Slowtwitch asked four top national-caliber swim coaches to answer this question: What are the four common problems adult swimmers face, and what are the remedies? First up: Tim Sheeper.

Measuring Power and Using the Data

In the third of our trilogy on the physics of moving the bike, Rick Ashburn delves into training with power, including the use of power measuring devices.

Kicking

All swimming coaches have their own opinions on how one should kick; the significance of kicking as part of a workout; and what kicking means to the swim stroke overall.

How to Kill—Your 10k PR

I believe just about every reasonably fit male the age of 45 has the theoretical physiological capacity to run his age for a 10k, that is, a 10k in 45 minutes.

Propulsion in the water

You’ve probably heard the phrases "feel for the water" or "catch," and if you’ve watched the top swimmers you’ve probably noticed that their bodies seem to glide over the water. Well, they are doing just that.

Sheila Taormina's Swim Tips

Of the three, swimming is the most dangerous to lose focus in another sense—technique is everything!

Interval Training the Hitchcock way

After a base of solid distance running has been established, a runner can add interval training to complete the elements needed for optimal racing fitness.

Running long for improved performance

It is true that runners well below their maximum training load can increase any aspect of their training––including doing more slow and steady running––and see improved racing results.

Run injury free

Take care of yourself, and don't get pushed around by anybody who sells you anything that goes on your feet.

Technical aspects of running

Perhaps (I thought as I ran) it would be good to write about the technical side of running.

Open water miscellany

I got a letter yesterday from Clifton May, a Slowtwitch reader. He listed three problems, all of which seem to be common to new triathletes.

It's the principle that matters

Every once in awhile there will be a good running coach who will have some success. This will seem like the way to do things, until the next System is discovered.

Open water tactics

While most of the articles featured in Swim Center are penned by extremely accomplished swimmers, it's almost counterproductive to have a swimmer like that write about tactics. How would they know? They don't need tactics. They have talent.

Masters: the best way to get faster

If I had to choose, I'd say becoming a member of a masters swim team is even more important than being part of a tri club.

The Basics of Ocean Swimming

New triathletes—or triathletes new to the ocean—are quite often scared to death of negotiating waves during an open-ocean swim. Wouldn’t you like to be able to go through the waves without giving them a second thought?

Care and Feeding of your wetsuit

The issue of proper wetsuit care -- notwithstanding the fluidic medium in which a wetsuit is used-- is rather concrete, and not subject to the changing tides of theory.

Getting the darn thing on and off

How on earth do you put this wetsuit on and take it off?!

Has swimming got you over a barrel?

One of the most misunderstood elements in swimming is the "high elbow."

The case for swimming

The primary reason triathletes ought to pay a lot more attention to the swim is that it's free speed.

Open water etiquette

Triathletes both allow and suffer some fairly egregious behavior in their races, especially that part of the race taking place in the water.

Picklehead

Ipso facto, if you want to become a champion swimmer (or sinner, for that matter), practice, practice, practice.

Open water as art

The science of swimming will make you fast in the pool. It’s the art of swimming that makes you fast in the open water.

The muscles used in freestyle

In running you cannot think about the muscles like you can in swimming—in fact it is just the opposite.

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