>Ten Questions With…James Lawrence, Triathlete & Philanthropist
You may have heard of James – in 2010, he endeavored to raise money for the Give a dam program through his blog and his seemingly monumental effort to compete in more than twenty Ironman 70.3 races. I always said that I couldn’t decide if I was recovering from a previous race or tapering for the next. During the stretch where I raced 8 times in 7 weeks I didn’t do much training. I took a risk and quit working my sales job due to the travel, racing and preparation demands of the project. JL: Immediate travel after a race and leaving quickly for the next race made it hard to recover. I actually did my PR for the year in Michigan on the Saturday of the double weekend of racing. Fly into Michigan, check in, build bike, sleep poorly, race 70.3 miles in PR fashion, leave race immediately with fear of missing my flight, break bike down, fly to Calgary Canada landing at 11 pm, drive out to T1 area, build bike, sleep for 4 hours and race 70.3 again. Another very cool and unexpected moment was qualifying for the World Championships in Boise after racing in Hawaii the weekend before and arriving home to my bike being destroyed by the airlines. TM: You’ve announced that in 2012 you plan on competing in more than 20 full Ironman races as part of your effort. JL: I am working hard right in order to prepare for the daunting task of doing 24 plus Iron distance races in 2012.
MAF Method Triathlon Training
After 17 weeks of base training, and great progress in building my aerobic base, I decided to re-incorporate interval-based, anaerobic training into my training program to build towards my first races of the season. From what I understand about the MAF method, most of your performance gains will come from building your aerobic base through base training. I made the decision when planning my season, that in order to peak for my two goal races, the GB Age-Group Qualifiers, I would need 8-12 weeks of training that included anaerobic training. Much longer than 8-12 weeks and you would see more benefit in training you aerobic system with base training. This is strikingly different to a lot of training programs that include lung-busting anaerobic training sessions throughout the season. Having a shorter period of time where you’re training anaerobically, you reduce the likelihood of becoming ill or getting injured, allowing you stay more consistent in training. Consistency is the single biggest lesson I have learned whilst training with the MAF method. Races are a great indicator of what level your fitness is, and they are a great training tool – no other training can prepare you for your goal race quite like racing can. Just because you start incorporating anaerobic training, it should not become the bulk of your training. A majority of your training should be at or below your MAF heart-rate.
Team Sheeper Triathlon
Team Sheeper Triathlon is for athletes interested in a challenging and positive group training program. Every year the team seeks to push both the organization and every team member out of their comfort zone so that we all discover capabilities that we didn’t know we had. In recent years, the team has numbered over 100 members who do a lot more than triathlon. Moving forward, you will always be known as a member of the iconic and industry leading Team Sheeper Triathlon Team. Team FeeTeam Sheeper membership also requires an annual $60 team fee. Newcomer informationIf you are new to Team Sheeper and don’t know how to start, simply get in touch with team manager, Mike Osmond. Jessica Smith is the REAL DEAL! Jess began her athletic career by competing as an age group swimmer and continuing on as a collegiate rower at SMU. She joined Team Sheeper triathlon team a number of years ago and began actively competing in numerous triathlons. Team Sheeper sponsors believe in the mission of the team and provide discounts or supply merchandise to our members. Every year, Team Sheeper presents a Triathlete of the Year award to two exceptional individuals on the team. His contribution of passion and pure joy of triathlon to the Team Sheeper culture has no match. The Team Sheeper Athlete of the Month award is handed out to a member of the team on a monthly basis, 7 or 8 times a year.
FastForward Sports Blog
FastForward Sports provides year-round training for running, triathlon, fitness and fun! Aspiring and perspiring athletes of all levels gather for weekly group workouts and are welcomed to a non-intimidating and professional environment. Small pace groups are formed with others of similar ability, and led by a FastForward Coach who is hand-picked and specifically trained to work most effectively with that level of athlete. We promote the philosophy that there are ‘Times of year for Training and Times of year for Playing’, whereby the athlete does not need to aspire to a high level of focus and commitment year-round, but rather chooses 10 to 16 week periods with defined goals and a holistic plan for success. Originally created just for running, FastForward programs now include triathlon, snowshoeing, Nordic skiing, trail/ ultra running, and more adventures are in the works. Training schedules are expertly crafted by leaders in the field with ample feedback from F4 athletes and coaches. Workouts are challenging, fun and rewarding, but are also designed to fit into busy lives and may be enjoyed with dozens of others at an F4 workout, or on your own as needed. A customized online schedule/ journal tool is the ‘hub’ for athletes and coaches, allowing access to training information from any computer. More to come Get more info about FastForward Sports and register for our next program.
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