Category Archives: training

Beating The Post-Season Blues

Now that the triathlon season has come to a close, you may find yourself falling into a bit of a funk. You looked forward with great anticipation to the first few Sundays, when you could sleep until noon instead of riding a century before lunch (admittedly, I’m not speaking from experience here). And it was […]

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Gifts of Christmas Future

[Author’s note:  This article was written in 1995 or so, in the days before Garmins, GPS’s, and Computrainer Videos.  Read on and see how the techies at the North Pole were paying attention!]  Now that I’ve unwrapped my last Christmas gift, eaten the last remnant of the pumpkin pie, and stored the unsent Christmas cards […]

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Off-Road, Off-Balance

I was intrigued last summer when I first heard about a mountain-bike triathlon called Aquaterra that was to be held in Maui in November. But when I realized it was being held only one week after Ironman, I dismissed it as a race I would read about, rather than experience.  After Hawaii, however, I grew […]

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Reflections on the Early Days of Triathlon

John Lily from 220 Magazine asked some of us “old timers” to write up some memories of our racing days. Here are some of the memories I shared with him. This also appears on 220 Blogspot, great reading to learn more of the history of the sport. From Karen Smyers:  I have loved reading all […]

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Stream of Consciousness

by Karen Smyers “What do you think about when you are on a long ride or run?” I am sometimes asked.  My standard response, in which I attempt to showcase my serious dedication as an athlete, is something like, “I think about my breathing, monitor my heart rate, visualize riding or running with perfect form […]

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Death of a Thyroid: my diagnosis and treatment for thyroid cancer

By Karen Smyers In September of 1999, I was diagnosed with papillary carcinoma—thyroid cancer.  I want to write up my story so that others can maybe learn from the details and also be reassured that this diagnosis does not mean the end of your athletic dreams. I was grateful that within 24 hours of my […]

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Confessions of a Poppy Seed Addict

by Karen Smyers The IOC recently announced that it is adding marijuana to its banned list of drugs and triathlon’s governing body will follow suit.  (When the IOC says jump, the ITU says “Altius?”)  I find it rather ironic that their reason for adding a non-performance-enhancing drug to the banned list is that athletes must […]

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Stay on the Sunnyside

by Karen Smyers Lately I have been getting a lot of practice at making the best of a situation.  Last summer, I turned a severed hamstring into a good opportunity to go forth and multiply.  I took advantage of the C-section that followed nine months later  by getting back on my bicycle seat much earlier […]

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Going Nowhere Fast

by Karen Smyers This is the time of year that many of us hunker down to wait out the cold and blustery winter.  When it takes longer to get dressed to battle the elements than it does to do the actual workout, I usually nix biking outside.  Some of you may be hardy enough to […]

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Training with Calvin K

by Karen Smyers An essential element of most triathletes’ success and longevity in the sport is their training partners. Your partner in pain can goad you into one more hill repeat like nobody else can.  Think of the number of mornings you would have just hit the snooze alarm if it weren’t for the fact […]

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