Welcome to SubOpt Tri! The journey of a thousand steps... begins with a blog!

Welcome to SubOpt Tri! Those of you who have read my blog before would notice that I have cheated and recycled my old posts here. Yes and no. I decided that I want to spend more time writing about my tri adventures, and my old blog was never aimed at that. So I've given my blog a makeover and a new name. As of today, we are SubOpt Tri! And don't ask me who "we" is, I don't know!

So where did the name come from.... Chrissie Wellington has used the word "suboptimal" a few times in her Twitter (@chrissiesmiles) posts. Coming from someone as dominant as she is in her sport, I find it quite ironic. But it made me think, how life can't be perfect, and often, we are stuck in "suboptimal" circumstances. As of today, I have a swollen foot, the weather is crap and I have been sleeping badly. Hardly optimal circumstances for an aspiring triathlete!

But it could be worse, and I am certainly not complaining. After all, 2010 was a fantastic year of opportunities. Settling into my Danish life, bagging a bronze medal at the European Champs duathlon, racing in Hawaii for my 30th birthday and qualifying for the World Champs Ironman 70.3, racing in the long distance Danish Champs and coming 2nd, and finally smashing my previous best time by 20 minutes in the World Champs Ironman 70.3.

So my quest for 2011..... I signed up for my first full Ironman (Challenge Roth). With the help of my coach, I hope 2011 will bring more speed, and less suboptimal performance! Ok, so I might have to rename my blog if that happens, suggestions welcome... ;)

Solution to hours on an indoor trainer - Twitter! (and other forms of mind manipulation)

I have been asked a few times, how I motivate myself to spend hours on an indoor trainer. The amusing (and quite serious) answer is... Twitter! Ok not quite, but I have found a way to mount my laptop within reach of my tribars....

I follow various triathlon superstars on Twitter, and I keep myself entertained reading linked posts, etc on the Internet whilst cycling. I followed the live telecast of IM Arizona. I haunt triathlon magazine websites for the latest news in training and racing. Yes yes, all a bit geeky. :)

Worth noting that actual browsing is limited when faced with interval efforts. Reading with minimal scrolling works, but nothing mouse-clicking intensive! Which brings me to my next point....

At this point in time, my training sessions are not particularly long, but they are intensity focussed. In other words, I spend most of my bike sessions doing intervals. You need to know your heart rate zones, here is a guide if you do not: http://www.ultracycling.com/training/heart_rate_training_zones.html If you don't know your LT, 220 minus your age is a good start.

Aim for longer intervals in zone 3 (e.g. 3x 20 mins or 2x 30 mins) and shorter intervals in zone 3 building into zone 4 (e.g. 3x 15 mins). Include a warm up (~20 mins) and some strength work (low cadence ~50rpm in zone 3) and you get about 1.5 hours of a workout. :) Top it off with a 30-40 minute run, and you have a 2 hour+ quality workout.

Don't forget a towel to mop up the sweat..... ;)