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2012 2X12 Top Team MPI Athlete

The post-activity feedback we receive from athletes is critical in helping us to gauge, assess, and fine-tune training. But sometimes it's just plain fun and funny to read as personalities come shining through. A good sense of humor and playfulness is important for enjoyment and longevity in the sport. With that we bring you the 2x12 top comments from 2012:

3 Bike Power Sessions to Make You Faster!

Posted by Coach Mark

There tends to be continual confusion for many athletes who train for longer endurance events on when, if at all, they should include power training sessions on the bike. My answer? Always! Certainly, we don’t over stress the body when we’re recovering or when we’re taking some well deserved end-of-season down time. And, of course, we may eliminate power sessions in some taper periods prior to key races. But in most cases, including power sessions on the bike weekly is KEY to successful bike legs in races – whether they’re Sprint distance or Ironman distance.

Hy-Vee Recap

Posted by Coach Dustin

This past weekend I had the incredible opportunity to travel to Des Moines, IA to watch the Hy-Vee Elite Cup Triathlon. For those of you who are unfamiliar with this race, it's a race where the best of the best compete for the largest prize purse in Triathlon, a total of 1.1 million dollars. The WTC puts on a series of international Olympic distance races and the top 30 ranked pros (plus a few special invites) qualify for this final race.

PSST: By The Numbers

Posted by Coach Mark

Our goal when we started the Portofino Sunset Tri Series back in 2011 was to offer a Super-Sprint Triathlon that was friendly and inviting to first-time triathletes.  We knew we would attract faster and more seasoned triathletes, but the target was the “new” guy or gal.  With that in mind, we opted NOT to offer prizes for placing but rather random drawings for participants of goodies provided by sponsors.  And we recruited volunteers who were triathletes.  It was a success in 2011 and an even bigger success in 2012.

Olympic Lessons

Posted by Coach Dustin

The closing ceremony for the Olympics was two Sunday evenings ago and I have to say, I was a little disappointed. Every two years, I spend about two weeks watching more television than I have probably watched in the previous entire year and these last two weeks were no exception.

5 Keys to Great Running Form

Posted by Coach Mark as seen at www.bodyhealth.com

Contrary to what most people believe, proper running is technique based and is therefore, for most of us, a learned skill.  Learning proper running technique will not only enable you to run faster for longer with less energy, but may also bring a new found joy to this wonderful activity.  For triathletes, the longer the race, the more impact good running technique has on performance.

Air Force Special Tactics

Posted by Coach John

Recently I was invited to an Air Force Special Ops orientation camp to help potential Special Operation (Spec Ops) candidates improve their swimming skills. The camp was designed to give the applicants a more in-depth understanding of the physical and job-related scope of their future roles. Twenty candidates from around the Southeast attended this 3-day camp in a remote base in Mississippi.

11 Thoughts to Get Your Mind Right to Race

Posted by Coach Mark as seen at http://beyondtransition.com

I’ve written about athletes who train great but fail to produce time and time again in a race.  There are many reasons why this might happen – lack of confidence, not following a plan, feeling as if they don’t deserve to do well, etc.  So how can we increase the chances ofperforming well on race day?  On race day, it’s all in the head.

A New Perspective

Posted by Coach Dustin

This weekend I helped out with CAF's Dodge Paratriathlon Camp that was put on by the Challenged Athlete's Foundation (CAF) and hosted by our TeamMPI coaches Peter Harsch, John Murray and Mark Sortino at the Portofino Resort Island Resort on Pensacola Beach. I'd been looking forward to this camp ever since helping out with the same camp last year because it's an experience like none other. I spent the weekend surrounded by some amazingly inspiring people.

Wellness Doc

Posted by Coach Mark

After seeing my Wellness Doctor today, I am reminded at what a critical part of my overall athletic (and consequently, life) team he has become.  From those who love staying active every day and compete recreationally to those who train seven days a weeks competing competitively, we all share a love of exercise....