Subject: Training Clinic with Karen Smyers On Sunday Jan 16th, I attended a triathlon training seminar with 1995 Ironman champion Karen Smyers. It was a fantastic experience, and if any of you get the chance to do so, I wouldn't pass it up. The Granite State Triathlon Club in NH organized the event, and it was attended by only 14 of us, so it was some pretty personal coaching that we got. Karen spent 5 hours with us, going over an hours worth of swimming drills in the pool, then going to the fitness center for a group session on the CompuTrainers. She had brought a car-load of the trainers up with her from Boston and we all got to ride them simultaneously, while she paced us through 90 minutes of different drills and things to practice on the trainer. This was followed by a session of strength training, and then a whole lot of review that rounded everything out. She covered a lot of details about nutrition, what to eat on an everyday basis, as well as tips on feeding yourself during different length events. The best part of the whole day was her anecdotes and stories from personal experiences, which come across as lessons in reality when you are wondering if you will ever make it through your next race. A lot of stuff to think about!
We got to tell her about our own goals for the season (3 of us are doing Lake Placid, and one is doing IM Arizona! ) and she told us about hers as well. Wow, she races a lot! In addition to Lake Placid Ironman, she is doing Escape from Alcatraz, St. Croix triathlon in the bahamas, the Chicago Marathon, and a slew of other events that I've forgotten. Tremendous inspiration!
She also runs a coaching and fitness testing center and I'll give her a plug here. You can check out her web site at: http://www.fastsplits.com/FS04/home.htm
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