Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Lewiston Duathlon
Friday, March 27, 2009
Couple of Reminders
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Transition Zone Featured Athlete of the Week: Rob Eachon

This weeks athlete Rob Eachon has been one of the main members of OHNOH20 and Transition Zone. We wouldn't be where we are without people like him. So in this case the bio comes straight from Rob. (He is the short one on the right)
I did my first triathlon at the CDA Scenic Challenge in 2000. Thirty days before the race a buddy and I decided to see what triathlons were all about. We thought we were in fairly good shape because we were mountain biking almost every day at Canfield, Caribou, Bernard and Gold Hill. All we had to do, or so we thought was to add in a little swimming and a little running …easy, right? Well, not exactly.
To make a long story short, I finished the race. The bike was OK and the run was OK but I swore I would never do a triathlon again until I got the swim down. In 2005 I broke my promise and did the CDA Triathlon again (slow learner). Again I swore I’d never do another triathlon until I learned the correct way to swim freestyle. THEN along came Shannon, Dee and OH-NO-H20. Due to their intervention I did IMCDA in 2006, 2007 and 2008, IMCanada in 2007 and IMFlorida in 2008. Races this year include IMCDA and IMArizona. The right coaching, instruction and advice made all the difference and made racing fun (even the swim).
That’s why the Transition Zone is such an asset to the multi-sport community. It not only offers a great place to train, but also provides opportunities to learn about and refine “everything triathlon”. Whether it’s your first triathlon or your 20th Ironman, the resources at the TZ can provide the knowledge and skills for a great race and a fun day. So go out and enjoy the race!
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
TO WEEK SIXTEEN – MORE THAN YOU PROBABLY WANT KNOW
FOCUS = UNDERSTANDING “CONCEPT” (NOT TO BE CONFUSED WITH CONCEPTION)
CONCEPT IS DEFINED AS A SCHEME OR PLAN. SOME OF YOU THINK YOUR COACHES LIVE TO PICK ON AND TORMENT YOU. WELL…PARTLY TRUE BUT WE DO HAVE A VERY SPECIFIC PLAN FOR YOUR “AQUATIC GROWTH”…. AND EVEN THOUGH A LITTLE KNOWLEDGE CAN BE DANGEROUS WE ARE GOING TO SHARE SOME OF THE “CONCEPTS” OF THAT PLAN. DURING THE “BUILD PHASE” WE ARE BREAKING YOUR WORKOUTS IN TO SPECIFIC TYPE SESSIONS/ACTIVITIES .
BREAKTHROUGH SESSION – IN CLASS WE ARE DOING A LOT OF SPEED WORK TO GET YOU OUT OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE FOR SHORT PERIODS OF TIME. HOPEFULLY THIS WILL “WAKE UP SOME LAZY MUSCLES/TEACH YOUR BODY TO RETREIVE “FUEL” A LITTLE DIFFERENTLY AND BUILD YOUR CONFIDENCE…IF YOU ARE READING THIS YOU HAVE SURVIVED A COUPLE OF BREAKTHROUGH SESSIONS AND IT DIDN’T KILL YOU ! (YET)
ENDURANCE BUILDING SESSION - THIS SESSION USUALLY CONSISTS OF BLENEDED SETS OF PYRAMIDS/ACCELERATING SETS/NEGATIVE SPLITS AND MAYBE SOME SHORT SPEED WORK. DURING THE “BUILD PHASE” WE ASK YOU (NOT THAT YOU DO IT) TO TAKE LESS REST BETWEEN THE SETS…….OVER A PERIOD OF TIME YOUR ABILITY TO GO FURTHER/FASTER WITH GOOD TECHNIQUE/EFFICIENCY IS WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR.
YOUR “LONG DAY” SESSION: DURING “BUILD PHASE” YOUR VOLUME/DISTANCE IS STILL INCREASING IN SMALL INCREMENTS. DURING THIS SESSION YOU WILL BE GOING
“LONG AND CALM”. THINK COMPLIANCE AND TECHNIQUE… THINK EFFICIENCY AND ECONOMY. CHECK YOUR EGO ON THIS DAY...MIND YOUR OWN SWIM BUSINESS!
VISUALIZE YOUR RACE PLAN AND PRACTICE IT
A GOOD “CONCEPTUAL” EDUCATION PLAN TEACHES YOU THE “WHYS” OF TRAINING .
FIND A COACH/MENTOR/FRIENDS/TRAINING GROUPS THAT PROMOTE INDEPENDENCE
AND UNDERSTANDING BY SHARING THE “CONCEPTS” OF TRAINING. UNDERSTANDING “CONCEPT” (UNDERLYING PRINCPLES) OF TRAINING CAN DECREASE YOUR CHANCE OF INJURY AND INCREASE YOUR ABILITY TO CUSTOMIZE/MAKE ADJUSTMENTS ACCORDING TO YOUR NEEDS AND ABILITY LEVEL.
WHAT’S UP ?
CDA TRI CLUB SPRING SWAP MEET
9AM-NOON – CANFIELD MIDDLE SCHOOL – CORNER OF 15TH/DALTON
ENTRY IS FREE – SELLERS TABLES ARE $10.00
FREDS’ INDOOR SPRINT TRIATHLON
CONTACT ALEX ENDO – 917-992-4627/FRONT DESK
COME ON OUT AND SUPPORT A GREAT CAUSE!
IMAGINE A WORLD WITHOUT CANCER!
GET ALL THE LATEST OHNO/TRANSITION ZONE INFO AT
TRANSITIONZONE.BLOGSPOT.COM
WEEK SIXTEEN – NEGATIVE SPLIT WEEK
(NOT TALKING ABOUT AN UGLY DIVORCE HERE)
WHAT WE ARE TALKING ABOUT IS DOING SWIM SETS WHERE THE FIRST PART IS SLOWER THAN THE SECOND PART. IT’S PRETTY SIMPLE THIS WEEK…READ ON
AFTER A 10 MINUTE WARM UP OF SKILLS/DRILLS/CHIT CHAT YOU WILL DO:
SET #1 – NEGATIVE 100’S – SPLIT HE 100 YARDS IN TO 50’S
FIRST 50 YARDS ZONE 1-2 / SECOND 50 YARDS ZONE 3-4
*REPEAT THE 100 YARD X (10) – RESTING ONLY 10-20 SECONDS BETWEEN 100’S.
SET #2 – 200 YARD CRUISE SET – ZONE 1-2 – ALL TECHNIQUE- EASY
SET #3`– NEGATIVE 200’S – SPLITTING THE 200 YARDS IN TO 100’S
FIRST 100 ZONE 1-2 / SECOND 100 YARDS ZONE 3-4
*REPEAT THE 200 YARD X (5) – RESTING ONLY 10-20 SECONDS BETWEEN 100’S.
SET #4 - 200 YARD CRUISE SET – ZONE 1-2 – ALL TECHNIQUE- EASY
SET #5 – 300-600 YARDS OF SPEED PLAY – ZONES 1-3 – YOU PICK !
*IF YOU ARE DOING IRONMAN YOU WILL WANT TO ATTEMPT THE 600 YARDS.
DAY #2 ASSIGNMENT – FREE SWIM DAY – FEEL THE LOVE?
TODAY YOU WILL PICK A TIME OR A DISTANCE GOAL AND JUST SWIM.
YOU CAN GO FAST – SLOW – WHATEVER ! THESE DAYS ARE FEW AND FAR BETWEEN SO ENJOY IT! THIS IS OUR ATTEMPT TO PROVIDE A NURTURING EXPERIENCE.
SORRY – JUST CAN’T DO IT ! NOT IN OUR NATURE……….
HERE’S THE REAL DEAL – STEP-UPS ! (AFTER YOU WARM UP)
50 YDS / 100 YDS / 50 YARD / 200 YDS / 50 YDS / 300 YDS /50 YDS
(ZONE 1) (ZONE 3-4) (ZONE 1) (ZONE 3-4) (ZONE 1) (ZONE 3-4) (ZONE 1)
DO THIS SET WITH MINIMUM REST IF POSSIBLE
REPEAT THIS SET UP TO (3) TIMES ( 2400 YARDS )
COOL DOWN WITH A NICE 200-600 YARD ALL TECHNIQUE SET.
* COACHES NOTE: AFTER HUNTING SEASON WE ARE HOPING TO HAVE
MORE TIME TO DEVOTE TO OUR SOFTER SIDE. UNTIL THEN…..
TIGHTEN UP THOSE GOGGLE STRAPS
Monday, March 23, 2009
Don't Forget! Tuesday March 24th Lecture: Importance of Lab Testing For the Triathlete

Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Homework Week 15 "Just an E-minder"
FOCUS = EFFICIENCY – ECONOMY – EFFORT
EFFICIENCY = SKILLFULNESS IN AVOIDING WASTED TIME AND EFFORT.
*OHNO SPEAK : NO DRAMA/NO “SIGNATURE” MOVES IN YOUR SWIM PLEASE
EFFORT = A USUALLY EARNEST ATTEMPT
* OHNO SPEAK : DO REAL ZONE WORK – NOT “FAKIE” ZONE WORK (BE HONEST)
ECONOMY = CAREFUL/THRIFTY MANAGEMENT OF RESOURCES.
*OHNO SPEAK: DON’T LET YOUR (BLANK) OVERLOAD YOUR ABILITY. “PACE PACE PACE”
THE “E’s” ARE ENDLESS BUT WE WON’T BORE YOU WITH ANYMORE NOW. BESIDES READING ALL THIS STUFF IS JUST ANOTHER EXCUSE TO HANG ON THE SIDE OF THE POOL AND NOT GET TO WORK……SO OFF YOU GO !
______________________________
DAY # 1 : YOU DID “BREAKTHROUGH WORK” (SPEED) IN CLASS SO TODAY YOU WILL DO A SESSION OF ENDURANCE WORK. YOUR VOLUME WILL CONTINUE TO INCREASE AS WILL THE DEGREE OF EXERTION. REMEMBER YOUR OLD FRIEND THE “BIGGIE” PYRAMID? HE’S BACK!
50 YDS/100YDS/200 YDS/300 YDS/400 YDS/300 YDS/200 YDS/100 YDS/50 YDS
(TAKE ONLY SHORT RESTS BETWEEN SETS – TIME TO PUSH A LITTLE)
*REMEMBER THE UNIVERSAL SIGN FOR DROWNING IS ONE HAND IN THE AIR
GOOD NEWS – YOU DO THIS IN ZONES 1-2 BAD NEWS – IT’S 1700 YARDS LONG
WORSE NEWS – IF YOU ARE DOING IRONMAN/OR LIKE PAIN YOU NEED TO DO IT TWICE !
______________________________
DAY # 2 – THE POST FALLS PRAIRIE PYRAMID
FLAT AND FEELS LIKE YOU’RE SWIMMING AGAINST THE WIND
100 YDS/200 YDS/300 YDS/300 YDS/300 YDS/200 YDS/100 YDS
ZONE 1 ZONE 2 ZONE 3 ZONE 1 ZONE 3 ZONE 2 ZONE 1
*NOTE THAT THIS COULD BE A RACE STRATEGY. DEPENDING ON YOUR ABILITY/BUOY PLACEMENT/ETC
PLEASE TAKE MINIMUM REST BETWEEN SETS – REMEMBER YOU ARE IN “BUILD PHASE” NOW
IRONMAN SWIMMERS OR THE INSANE - REPEAT THIS PYRAMID = TOTAL OF 3000 YARDS
PUT THIS STUFF ON YOUR CALENDER!
MARCH 24TH – (TUES) – 6PM – THE TRANSITION ZONE - CHRIS BAKER – USAT COACH
VO2MAX TESTING/RESTING METABOLIC RATE TESTING/OTHER LABS TESTS
TALKS ABOUT HOW TO USE THE RESULTS IN YOUR TRAINING
MARCH 28TH – (SAT) – THE TRANSITION ZONE WILL BE CLOSED FOR THE WEEKEND.
JOIN THE TZ CREW THAT WEEKEND IN LEWISTON FOR THE SPRING DUATHLON!
SIGN UPS FOR THE NEXT 6-WEEK SESSION START NEXT WEEK !
CDA GYM MEMBER = $72.00 NON-CDA GYM MEMBERS = $85.00
PLEASE MAKE YOUR CHECK OUT TO “THE TRANSITION ZONE”
Saturday, March 14, 2009
YOGA for triathletes

Friday, March 13, 2009
National Training Center (A note from Derek Garcia at the USA triathlon coaching clinic)
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Homework Week 14
(FOCUS: STILL BUILDING – STILL SICK?)
IF YOU ARE SICK YOU ARE RIGHT ON TARGET. LOOK AROUND…BETTER YET LISTEN. COUGH..SNIFFLE..WHEEZE. YOU ARE NOT ALONE! WE ADDED A NICE ARTICLE THIS WEEK FROM JENNI GAERTNER/WENZEL COACHING WITH SOME GREAT TIPS FOR RECOVERY.
FOR THOSE OF YOU THAT ARE STILL HEALTHY AND UPRIGHT YOU WILL CONTINUE TO “BUILD” YOUR SWIM THIS WEEK WITH ENDURANCE SETS/THRESHOLD ENDURANCE SETS AND SOME SPEED THROWN IN TO BEAT THE BOREDOM… SO IF YOUR ANTIBIOTIC LEVELS
ARE THERAPUETIC AND/OR YOU ARE NOT CONTAGIOUS….JUMP IN
DAY 1 – SWIM ASSIGNENT – CENTER BUILD DAY
SET #1 - 50 YARDS X (10) – ZONE 1-2 – ALL TECHNIQUE – (10-20) SECONDS REST
SET #2 – 400 YARDS X (4) – ZONE 1-2-3 – (10-45) SECONDS REST – IF YOU CAN
SET #3 – 50 YARDS X (10) – BLENDED SETS – DRILL UP/SPRINT BACK – SHORT REST
SET #4 - 500 YARD CRUISE SET – ZONE 1 – ALL TECHNIQUE – THINK COMPLIANCE !
SET # 5 – OPTIONAL SET – 50 YARDS X (10) – SPRINT/SHORT RESTS.
COOLDOWN – REMEMBER TO MIX UP YOUR STROKES ON THE COOLDOWN
STRETCH OUT....BREATHE…..RELAX…TALK TO YOUR SWIM MATES…
THINK ABOUT YOUR NEXT TRI-GEAR RELATED PURCHASE AND
HOW YOU ARE GOING TO SNEAK IT INTO THE HOUSE……
*TRI SHOPPING TIP – USE CASH – LEAVES LESS OF A PAPER TRAIL
*WE WOULD ALSO LIKE YOU TO START THINKING ABOUT YOUR RACE STRATEGIES.
STRATEGY : plan, method, or series of maneuvers or stratagems for obtaining a specific goal or result: OTHERWISE WHEN THE GUN GOES OFF AND THE ADRENALIN IS FLOWING....WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO? START PLANNING/PRACTICING NOW !
AVOID THE “BLOW-UP” SCENARIOS” BELOW THROUGH PRACTICE AND VISUALIZATION.
*THIS IS JUST ONE PLAN…YOUR COAHES ARE AVAILABLE TO HELP YOU PLAN YOUR STRATEGY ACCORDING TO YOUR RACE DISTANCE/ABILITY/ANXIETY LEVEL AND PERSONALITY. ALL THESE THINGS PLAY A PART IN YOUR PLANNING.
ARE YOU EXPERIENCING ANY OF THE FOLLOWING?
ARE YOU BECOMING THE “I” IN TRI? ME – ME – ME – I – I – I – MY – MY – MY?
EXPERIENCING DREAMS OF FAILURE ? I. E. CAN’T FIND THE FINISH LINE/LOST OF COURSE?
MISSING A WORKOUT TAKES ON 911 PORPORTIONS?
TRYING TO FIGURE OUT A WAY TO WITHDRAW FROM THE RACE WITH DIGNITY?
WONDERING IF “HGH” WILL REALLY SHOW UP ON A DRUG TEST?
THINKING THAT “ FILL IN A PRODUCT” IS THE ANSWER TO YOUR TRI-PRAYERS?
ARE YOU CONSIDERING NAMING YOUR NEW BABY ZIPP –AERO – CERVELO OR POLAR?
IF YOU HAVE THESE THOUGHTS…LEARN TO LAUGH AT YOURSELF OR GET A GOOD
DIVORCE ATTORNEY-THERAPY GROUP OR “PICK YOUR DRUG OF CHOICE”. THIS STUFF CAN DRIVE YOU AND YOUR FAMILY INSANE! REMEMBER THIS IS SUPPOSE TO BE A HOBBY!
SO—“HOBBY ON” AND GET TO WORK
DAY #2 – SWIM ASSIGNMENT – LONGER/CALMER SETS
(YOU SHOULD FEEL LIKE YOU ARE SWIMMING TO CHINA IN SMALL INCREMENTS)
WARM UP X (10) MINUTES WITH SKILLS AND DRILLS/CRUISE SWIM ONLY
SET #1 – (YOUR ONLY SET) – THE GOOD NEWS=SLOWER SETS - BAD NEWS=BORING
TODAY YOU ARE GOING TO DO PLAIN OLD ENDURANCE SETS. ZONE 1-2 ONLY.
THE NEW THING IS THAT THE SETS ARE GOING TO GO LONGER.
500 YARDS X (4) TO (7) SETS..ZONE 1-2 ONLY/TECHNIQUE
RESTING ONLY 10-60 SECONDS BETWEEN SETS (IF POSSIBLE)
TODAY YOU WILL GO BACK TO COMPLIANCE WORK (TECHNIQUE). REMEMBER
THE ORDER OF “SWIM GROWTH”. THINK ABOUT IT IN THREE SECTIONS.
TECHNIQUE FIRST – THE DAYS OF “MUSCLE SWIMMING” ARE FADING FAST AND BEING REPLACED WITH THE SCHOOL OF “EFFICIENCY AND ECONOMY”. TECHNIQUE IS IMPORTANT BUT MUST BE COMPLIMENTED WITH ENDURANCE AND SPEED WORK TO BECOME ALL YOU CAN BE.
ENDURANCE – ONCE YOU ARE RELATIVELY COMPETENT/COMPLIANT WITH TECHNIQUE IT IS TIME TO BUILD ENDURANCE. THIS CAN OCCUR BY PRACTICING IN A DEFINED/ORDERLY MANNER USING A COMBINATION OF ENDURANCE SETS/THRESHOLD ENDURANCE SETS/ OVERLOAD SETS AND SKILLS AND DRILLS SESSIONS. NEXT WE ADD SPEED…..
SPEED – SINCE THERE IS A BIG “MUSCLE MEMORY” COMPONENT TO SWIM AND PERIODIZATION
TRAINING WE LIKE TO ADD SPEED AFTER YOU HAVE REACHED TECHNIQUE COMPLIANCE
AND MET YOUR ENDURANCE MARKERS. BY ADDING SPEED SETS AT THE APPROPRIATE
TIMES/LENGTHS YOU WILL MAKE SOME VERY NICE GAINS. ADD SPEED TO EARLY
AND YOU MAY BECOME FRUSTRATED AND ACTUALLY GO BACKWARDS IN YOUR ABILITY
AND ATTITUDE.Friday, March 6, 2009
Transition Zone Featured Athlete of the Week: Eric Peterson

Eric’s last triathlon was the CdA Triathlon in 2008. He is pretty new to triathlons, but has done many running races. Some for charity runs and a few marathons. He has done one major bike event the Chafe 150, a one day 150 mile bike ride. He finished 16th overall despite a bike malfunction that caused him to drop his chain 8 times. 4 years ago he was 40 pounds over weight and says he had, “let myself go.” He had high cholesterol etc. and that is what motivated him to get back into shape. He was on the 1984 US Team for Slalom Kayaking at 18 years old. Eric was ranked 6th in the USA and 12th in the world then. At the Europa Cup Race in Bourg St. Maurice, France, Eric drowned and was revived. He has worked hard to gain his confidence back in the water.
Eric’s first marathon was the CdA Marathon back in 06 where he finished in 4:45. His PR is 4:06 and this year he is shooting for 3:45 at CdA, as it will be his 6th marathon. He is racing for the Kootenai Humane Society this year, and is sponsored by DeSoto and Infinit.
If you would like to be the Transition Zone Featured Athlete of the Week email Derek Garcia with a race pic and short bio @ dgarcia@ohnoh20.com
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
WEEK #13 – DON’T PUSH YOUR LUCK WEEK
(FOCUS = REMAINING HEALTHY)
OVER THE NEXT 6-8 WEEKS WE WILL BE INCREASING YOUR VOLUME AND ADDING INTENSITY. THIS IS A TIME WHEN THE ENDORPHINS BEGIN TO REALLY FLY AND ANXIETY OVER MISSED TRAINING SESSIONS INCREASES. YOU ARE WALKING A FINE LINE BETWEEN HEALTHY GROWTH AND INJURY…. BE CAREFUL - FOLLOW YOUR TRAINING PLANS/LISTEN TO YOUR BODY AND REMEMBER THIS IS A HOBBY
FATIGUE + RECOVERY = FITNESS
DAY # 1 – ASSIGNMENT = AFTER A 10 MINUTE WARM UP - ZONE 1
SET #1 : ACCELERATING 100’S – ZONE 1-4 – MAINTAIN TECHNIQUE
100 YDS SLOW/100 YDS FAST/100 YDS FASTER/ 100 YDS FASTER/100 YDS FASTEST
*MINIMUM REST BETWEEN 100’S/ FOCUS ON REACH/PULL AS SPEED INCREASES
SET #2 : RECOVERY SET – 300 YARDS – ZONE 1-2 – ALL TECHNIQUE
*REPEAT THIS SEQUENCE UP TO 4 TIMES/UP TO 3200 YDS
REMEMBER TO WORK WITHIN YOUR ABILITY. YOU HAVE WEEKS OF WORK AHEAD !
WE DO NOT EXPECT EVERYONE TO COMPLETE THE ENTIRE ASSIGNMENT.
DAY #2 – ASSIGNMENT = SPEED PLAY DAY – ZONES 1-4
TODAY IT IS ALL UP TO YOU... NO WHISTLE BLOWING....
NO PEER PRESSURE…FOR 1-HOUR YOU WILL PICK YOUR SWIM SPEEDS.
MIX IT UP..HAVE SOME FUN..SWIM REALLY HARD..THEN SWIM SLOW.
GET THE HEART RATE UP…TRY TO SWIM WITHOUT A BREAK!
JUST FOR TODAY – THROW CAUTION TO THE WIND…
SWIM FOR THE JOY OF AQUATIC MOTION !
*JUST FOR TODAY WE DO NOT WANT YOU TO THINK ABOUT TECHNIQUE
“FREE YOUR MIND AND THE REST WILL FOLLOW”