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By Janda, August 12, 2010 10:00 am

I’ve been training for and competing in triathlons since 1995. Ever since catching the tri “bug” at age 19, it’s been my dream to host a triathlon of our own here in my home town of Gloucester, Massachusetts. That dream came to fruition last year and once again this past Sunday, as my city and I celebrated the 2nd annual Gloucester Fisherman Triathlon. It was a ton of hard work to pull the race off, but we did it, and enjoyed a spectacular turn out and some tremendous performances by the best pro/elite field to grace the New England sprint triathlon scene this year.

Helping to create and direct a triathlon is one of the most challenging endeavors I have ever faced. Logistically, you must cover all the bases and think of ways to avert all the things that could go wrong before over 800 athletes swim, bike and run throughout the streets of a fairly busy city such as Gloucester.

Being a long time athlete myself, my first and foremost concern for the event revolves around safely as the thought of a fellow athlete being injured on our course is something that makes me lose sleep at night. The myriad of emotions that you face leading up to, and following race day leaves you nothing short of exhausted. I often wondered why race directors complained of being sick post race, and now I know (I’m currently dealing with a nasty cold!).

The GFT serves as a fundraiser for the non-profit group I belong to: The Gloucester Fisherman Athletic Association. The GFAA consists of a group of volunteers who pool their collective resources to create events and fund raising drives that raise much needed funds here in Gloucester. These funds are used to offset the athletic “user fees” that our school system must impose upon its student-athletes due to budgetary cuts. The funds are also used to maintain and enhance the athletic fields & facilities that our student-athletes play and compete upon.

As a proud graduate of Gloucester High School and someone who benefited tremendously from my experiences as an athlete, I feel that it my obligation to help out the next generation of GHS athletes and saw the creation of the Gloucester Fisherman Triathlon as a chance to do just that.

It was once again a dream come true as I watched hundreds of athletes pour into Gloucester last weekend. Many of them showed up on Saturday to pre-register for the race, and I had the opportunity to lead a training clinic for many of the first timers in attendance who would soon embark on their first triathlon the next morning! I must admit that, due to the combination of fatigue and stress that I had to endure for the weeks leading into this race, I was nearly overtaken with emotion when I first greeted the group and began my talk. Although it may sound a bit corny, I felt incredibly proud of the fact that these people would soon call the GFT their FIRST EVER triathlon. I was also very grateful for their participation as they were directly helping the GFAA in their fund raising efforts by competing in the race.

Michelle and I were up bright (it was actually pitch black at 4:30 a.m.) and early Sunday morning and on the go all day; helping out on the course, running supplies around, directing athletes as they headed out and in on the bike, handing out awards… if you think that competing in a triathlon is hard, try organizing one!

We had some legendary names on hand and the Women’s race was won by none other than the 1995 Hawaii Ironman World Champion, Karen Smyers. Seeing Karen rip through the streets of downtown Gloucester was almost too good to be true. What made it even better was that she was joined by so many other great athletes like former U23 national champ Ethan Brown and about 100 of my friends and acquaintances from around town.

Check out the Gloucester Daily Times’ online edition for a story on the race and all of the great photography and video content that the good people at Good Morning Gloucester provided as well.

Well, that’s a wrap for the 2010 rendition of this year’s GFT. I’m looking forward to next year already!

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By Landice, August 11, 2010 10:57 am

Janda Ricci-Munn helped coordinate what is being called the most competitive sprint event in the Northeast, the Gloucester Fisherman Triathlon.

Congratulations to Janda for such a successful event, and to all the runners, the race even saw a new course record by John Babcock!

See full race results here.

Good Morning Gloucester was on the scene for the race. Check out their video recap, including interviews with triathletes and their fans!

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By Landice, July 19, 2010 10:00 am

Check out this video from the Carlsbad Triathlon, put together by URideTV.
A new course record was set by Professional Triathlete Lewis Elliot!

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By Landice, July 16, 2010 9:49 am

One of the most overlooked muscle areas of a runner is the backside. Okay, well, maybe it’s not “overlooked.” Maybe “paid attention to.” Nope, that’s not quite right either. Hmm… I got it! One of the most under worked muscle groups of runners are the glutes (gluteus maximus, gluteus medius, and gluteus minimus). Yep, the derriere, the bum, the hind quarters, the tush. Weak buttocks have been the culprit in ending more running seasons than possibly any other running-related injury.

The gluteus maximus is the attention getter—the J. Lo of the group. But of the three gluteal muscles, the gluteus medius is a key muscle to focus on when it comes to running. This muscle (along with the gluteus minimus) helps to externally and internally rotate the thigh. It’s also a hip abductor (helps to pull the thigh away from the body). Okay, now I know what your thinking, “I don’t externally or internally rotate my thigh nor do I abduct my thigh when I run.” Correct. However, the gluteus medius is key in stabilization of the hips/pelvis.

Be sure to click here to see a video explaining how you can work your glutes! Continue reading 'No Butt’s About It!'»

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By Landice, July 15, 2010 10:53 am

Hal Higdon, Runner’s World writer, is infamous for marathon running and coaching. Recently, one of our contributors, Thad McLaurin (Runner Dude), had the opportunity to interview this marathon icon.
Runner Dude and Hal talk getting started, pre-race food, barefoot running, and so much more. Check out the interview on Runner Dude’s blog.

In the video below, Hal Higdon talks marathon with Training Peaks – the “Ultimate Training and Nutrition Software.”

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By Landice, July 13, 2010 10:00 am

The mental aspect of sports is often times not taken seriously enough. I’ve read things like, “Training is 90% physical and 10% mental, but racing is the exact opposite.” I don’t think I’d go that far, but practicing your mental conditioning will certainly help your performance. I recently attended a mental conditioning clinic put on by my good friend Nick Luciano. There were many topics covered and I will discuss them in the next few blogs.

Motivation

The first topic on mental conditioning we’re going to discuss is motivation. Take a minute and think about what motivates you to do your sport. Personally, I am motivated by a lot of things, but what motivates me most is getting the most out of mind/body and maximizing the gifts I have been given. Continue reading 'Mental Conditioning: Part 1'»

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By Landice, July 12, 2010 9:38 am

When you’re just getting started with your training plan, there are a few basics that are essential to your success. Accomplished triathlete, trainer and race director, Janda Ricci-Munn explains 4 tips for basic training.  Read today about Functional Threshold Development.

Functional Threshold Development:  Once your base line endurance is in place, it’s time to push the envelope a bit.  Enter functional threshold training.  Simply put, your functional threshold pace is the speed at which your body can no longer clear lactic acid from the working muscles at the same rate that it being produced.

The higher your pace at “FT” the faster you’ll be able to run for prolonged periods of time.  Tempo runs and tempo interval sets are a great way to improve your FT.  For the novice runner, this involves running at approximately 85% of your maximum heart rate, or roughly your estimated 10k – 15k race pace, for 20 – 40 minutes.  Tempo work can either be carried out through long, steady state efforts such as a 30 minutes of continuous running at low – mid range of tempo heart rate/pace or via shorter, segmented interval sets such as 4 x 6 minutes at mid to high end of tempo pace with a 1 – 2 minute walk or jog between intervals.  As is the case with endurance building sessions, you should focus upon gradually increasing the duration and frequency of your tempo running.  I recommend no more than 2 tempo workouts per week during any part of your training progression.

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By Landice, July 9, 2010 9:48 am

Injuries could be considered every athlete’s worst nightmare. Being suddenly taken out of routine, training, competition, can have both physical and emotional results for an athlete.

In keeping with our theme this week of post-injury return to running and racing, we dug up this video from Runner’s World. This is the first in a series, so be sure you catch them all. If you are in a time of recovery from an injury, we hope you find a little motivation and encouragement here.

Watch the rest of Matt’s story in these videos.

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By Landice, July 8, 2010 10:00 am

by Thad McLaurin (aka: “RunnerDude)

RunnerDude’s Fitness RunnerDude’s Blog
ACSM-cPT, NPTI, RRCA, USA-TF

Injury. Shhh! Don’t say that word too loudly. It’s a word every runner tries to avoid. Sometimes, no matter how careful a runner you are, injury still occurs. Often a bag of frozen peas or an ice pack does the trick, but other times a runner will find himself off his feet for several days, weeks, or even months.

Returning to running can be problematic if a runner’s doesn’t ease back into it. Most runners hate being off their feet for just a few days much less a month or two, or three. Problem is that even though your mind is ready to get back to running your body may not be quite ready even when the doc says it’s okay to run again.

One common mistake runners make returning to running after an injury-layoff is trying to return to the pre-injury level. If you’re off your feet for a week or two, your body won’t really decondition that much, but it’s still a good idea to ease back into running. If you’re away from runnin a month or more, a runner will be wise to use the following ten-week retraining schedule and guidelines for a return to running after a prolonged layoff developed by Doug Lentz, C.S.C.S. Continue reading 'Post-injury return…Slow and Steady!'»