Triathlon LAB: Latest News

2013 Triathlon Season Kick Off Party

Fri, 12 Apr 2013 19:44:17 +0000

Join us for Triathlon LAB's rockin' 2013 "Season Kick-Off event"! We're throwing a party for you our customer and we've invited tons of the best Triathlon Manufacturers to join us. Find out about the latest triathlon innovations from product reps and hangout with other local triathletes. This event is open to the public so invite with your friends, meet some new ones and bring questions for our product reps and staff. There will be light snacks, beverages and raffle tickets for everybody! We're also ordering the famous "The Giant Sicilian" 54" x 54" = 2,916 Sq Inch Pizza from Big Mama's and Papa's.

*Win prizes from our vendors: boxes of powerbars, gels, aquasphere goggles, 2XU Compression, Blue Seventy Reaction Wetsuit, Bonk Breakers, FLUID Drink Mix, a brand new ACTIVATE snowboard (By Signal Brand) with Custom graphics as well as 20 cases of ACTIVATE Drinks, Specialized Trivent Tri Shoes ($400 value), Specialized TT helmet ($350 value), Sidi T3 Air Carbon's ($250), Triathon LAB Gift cards + A brand new 2013 FELT Beach Cruiser...and the first 30+ people to arrive get an awesome Goodie Bag! (*While supplies last)

The FELT 'Demo Truck' will be there with various 2013 road & TT bikes for your 'Test Riding' pleasure starting at 12:00p.m.

The following list are just some of the brands that will be present:

-FELT Bicycles
-PowerBar
-Finis
-Blue Seventy
-Cervelo Bicycles
-2XU
-Continental Tires
-Fizik'
-Tower26
-FLUID
-Bonk Breaker (Official Ironman Nutrition)
-Profile Design
-Generic Events
-Quintana Roo Bicycles
-Litespeed Bicycles
-TriFIT Club & Studio's
-POLAR
-Redondo Beach Triathlon
-Luis Garneau
-SRAM
-ZIPP
-Leslie Cohen Law 5K

This list will be growing as we confirm more of our vendors. As usual, parking is available FREE on Pico after 6 pm and in the large parking lot behind our store.

We look forward to seeing you there!

NEWTON NATURAL RUNNING FORM CLINIC

Tue, 04 Dec 2012 16:46:57 +0000

Join us this Saturday Dec. 8th, 10:00a.m. at Triathlon LAB in Redondo Beach for a - NEWTON NATURAL RUNNING FORM CLINIC. Learn techniques that can help you run stronger, more efficiently and with reduced risk of injury.

TOPICS INCLUDE:
Running Injuries, Biomechanics & The Science Behind Newton Running Shoes

TAKE A TEST DRIVE:
Take a test run in Newton Running shoes and experience the benefits of natural running!

*A Newton Running educator will be on hand to discuss the science behind Newton Running shoes and answer all your natural form running questions.

What: FREE Newton Natural Running Form Clinic
Where: Triathlon LAB - 1512 Aviation Blvd. Redondo Beach
When: This Saturday Dec. 8th at 10:00a.m.

All attendees receive a "Special Event - 25% Discount" on 2012 Newton Running shoe purchases starting this Saturday. Please RSVP to this event & let us know if your Joining us. Thank you!

Going Long….Ironman & 70.3

Thu, 20 Dec 2012 17:29:26 +0000

Triathlon LAB

3328 Pico BLvd.

Santa Monica CA 90405

Tuesday, February 12, 2013 from 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM (PST)

RSVP here: http://longcourse-eorg.eventbrite.com/#

Put science on your side for the 2013 season.

Shave pounds off your body and minutes off your times at this free lecture. Learn how to eat and train smart so that you hit 2013 in the best shape of your life. Find out why your training regime is keeping fat on your hips and leaving you lagging behind the pack.

About Coach Gareth Over the past 19 years, Gareth Thomas has earned the reputation of being a world-class endurance coach & athletic consultant. Highly qualified from advanced fitness and coaching skills to holistic therapies, sports psychology and nutrition, Gareth brings a tremendous wealth of knowledge and expertise to his clients. As an Ironman Triathlete and former member of Team Great Britain at the World Long Distance Championships, Gareth has a personal understanding of what it takes to perform. He couples this with a highly technical understanding of the science and practicalities of training. He is regarded as a leading authority on metabolic testing and its application to endurance athletes.

About TRIO TRIO is SoCal’s premier sports science testing and training facility. Designed by world-class endurance coach Gareth Thomas, TRIO is the result of over 19 years of testing and training athletes of all abilities, from all sports.

At the heart of the TRIO facility is a cutting edge, sports science laboratory. Here modalities such as Blood Lactate testing, VO2 assessments and Resting Metabolic tests get you training and fueling your body with precision. In-depth video analysis services help you understand how to refine your biomechanics and techniques to gain speed and stay injury free. Nutrition services help you fuel your body with precision so that you have optimal energy and health while achieving your goal bodyweight.

Achieving Optimal Power Through Your Bike Fit

Mon, 06 Aug 2012 04:09:25 +0000

This article was written by Michael Lovegren, M.S., FMS, CPBT, Biomechanist for the CycleOps Power training section of their website. You may see all 5 tips by clicking here.

*****

Bike Fitting in cycling seems to be one of the most debated subjects surrounding our sport for the past several years. While some seem to believe the bike fit should just be about the bike. The truth is it’s not! It’s important to look at the bike and the body as one. The fact that every person is different, from body shape and flexibility to power output and race discipline, makes this equation even more involved. While everyone’s fit will vary, there are a few principals that will benefit athletes of all levels.

#1 Cleat Position

Cleat placement is one of the most important parts of bike fitting. If the cleat is not properly aligned then the rest of the bike fit will be incorrect. Every watt of power you produce is transferred to the bike through your feet and on to the pedals. If the position of the cleat is not directly underneath the ball of the foot you can end up developing some serious foot problems. We will cover more about the cleat and power in the next series.

#2 Saddle position

When looking at saddle position there are two factors that need to be addressed the fore and aft position, which refers to the location of the nose of the saddle behind a vertical line drawn to the center of the crank axle. The other factor is the angle of the saddle nose either pointing up, down, or neutral. In respect to the angle of the saddle it should be in neutral position (0 degrees). If your saddle is in a negative angle or tilted downwards your hips will slide forward which can lead to knee pain. Just the opposite having a positive tilt or tilted upwards has shown to cause the cyclist to be inclined and tilt his/her pelvis backwards which results in lumbar pain and can lead to numbness in the groin area.

Pacing & Fueling for a Successful Day at the Races

Mon, 06 Aug 2012 01:50:14 +0000

Here’s a follow-up to Mike’s training adventures….

My big race for the year at Vineman 70.3 is in the books and I thought it would be a good time to reflect on what made it a successful race for me. Most everyone that toes the starting line at a big race has put in countless hours of preparation and training, almost everyone is fit. So why do some people cross the finish line going strong and feeling the adrenaline rush after hours in the heat while others seem to fade into ‘race-day oblivion’ somewhere along the way and struggle to just keep going? The answer to this lies in race-day plans for both pacing and fueling.

Many athletes train hard but feel disappointed with their race performance. They often talk about being on-pace for a certain time goal but then something happens and they miss it. The reality is that they were never really on pace for that goal time, they were on pace to blow-up. Your pace is dictated by dividing up your finishing time, not your time based on effort on the front half of a race. Ignoring the basic science behind pacing and fueling will lead to great starts and lackluster finishes.

If you’ve read my previous blog postings, you know that I’m an advocate of blood-lactate/Vo2 Max testing at the TRIO Lab early in the training process. This is essential to establish proper training zones for your chosen effort monitor, be it heart-rate, power, or pace. These training zones are also immensely important in establishing race pacing, especially in long course racing. Perceived rate of exertion, as I’ve written before, is a poor measure of effort especially over a long course race or training session. To make it simple, your effort on the swim & bike portions of a 70.3 race must allow you to run a solid half-marathon off the bike. This sounds simple, but the temptation to go harder on the bike, especially if it’s your strength is often the demise of athletes. Establish the exact parameters of effort for the bike based on your training zones before the race and stick to the plan. For me, in a 70.3 race, this means keeping my Polar heart rate monitor registered between 143-156 BPM on the bike and 159-165 BPM for most of the run. If I do that I will maximize my fitness, if I don’t I will suffer more than necessary & blow-up. Those are still hard efforts at or above lactate threshold for most of the race.

The same goes with race day nutrition. First of all, eat breakfast, a real breakfast with carbs, protein and fat. Most of us need between 200-400 calories per hour during hard racing. During long training rides, I gobble up Bonk Breaker Bars because they provide me with some protein and fat, which stimulates the fat-burning metabolic system. (Yes, eating fat encourages the body to use stored fat as energy. Don’t argue this one with me or I’ll have Coach Gareth open up a can of sports-science-whup-ass on you.) However, during races, I prefer Gu Roctane gels with water due to the quicker rate of absorption and mucho caffeine. Typically on the bike I like to have a bottle of plain water and a bottle of FLUID Performance sports drink. I bring gels on the run and use the aid stations. People obsess about their hydration, just drink when you are thirsty and you’ll be fine. During hot races, or for super-salty sweaters, supplementing w/ some Salt Stick tabs during training/racing is a good idea too. Keep it simple, just get the calories in and keep going. I also keep some ibuprofen with me in case things start hurting.

In the end, everyone that is pushing on race day will suffer on the course. Most everyone will cramp or get pain in some muscle/ligament/joint during the day. If your pacing and nutrition are dialed in, you can power through the normal aches and pains to find yourself at the finish line feeling proud and ready to drink some beer with loved ones. If you pace poorly or neglect the calories, you will be in the hurt box.

All products mentioned in this article are available at www.TriathlonLab.com

For coaching/performance testing look into www.coachgareth.com

You can follow me and my random thoughts on Twitter @MrTeachTri

August 1, 2012