Tips from Triathlon Legend

Sometimes in life you are fortunate to be in the right place at the right time.  Our small little area of Northwest Arkansas has some outstanding talent in the triathlon and running world.  One of those very talented athlete and coach is Alan Ley. Never heard of Alan? Check out this link.  Alan’s passion for the sport and for coaching kids has been such an asset to our community.

I wanted to share this weeks tips from Alan:

Swim Tip –

Swimming is all about reducing drag (hydrodynamics).  Keep your head and neck relaxed. You head should turn with your body as you rotate through the water. The water should break in the middle of your forehead or slightly higher.  The higher your head the lower your feet will go creating more drag.

Bike Tip –

Mountain biking requires more upper body strength than you realize. Always guiding, slipping and balancing you and the bike. Constantly remind yourself to relax your shoulders and neck. I find many riders with constant tension in the shoulder and neck area causing early fatigue and wasting energy. Relax and flow with the trail. Use your body and weight shifts to guide the bike. Don’t muscle it.

Run Tip –

Run tall, run proud and pretend your head is being pulled up by a string. Roll your shoulders back to open up the chest. When your shoulders fall forward it limits your breathing. Loose shoulders rolled back, loose fingers and a slight smile.  I guarantee this will make running easier.

***We hope to interview Alan soon on the amazing community bike program he has started.