Camelback Coaching

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Camelback Coaching

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Camelback Coaching is a triathlon coaching company. We offer custom training plans, run technique sessions, underwater swim video analysis and swim instruction.

Sports Training

10/26/2026

Tip of the week -
As we head into the meat of the fall/winter road racing season, give some though to racing an open 5K, 10K or longer. An open run race means running a race that is not part of a triathlon. The value in running an open race is that it gives you a great sense of where your run fitness really is. 5Ks and 10Ks can be used to gauge where your lactate threshold is whereas 1/2 marathons and marathons can show you where you endurance is. If you are a real go getter and looking for some serious stretch goals, try and beat the gold standards at each distance. Over the past 90 years, some unofficial time standards have arisen to aim for as a lifetime best performance. Try and go under 20 min in a 5K and under 40 min in a 10K. Under 1:30 in a 1/2 marathon is a great goal and the gold standard of them all is to try and beat 3 hours in a marathon! Aim high!

10/19/2026

Tip of the week - Pedaling technique

The fall and winter months are a great time to focus on technique in your sports. When it comes to cycling, this means pedaling technique. The goal of a cyclist is to pedal with what the French call "la souplesse". This phrase describes a cyclist who pedals with elegance and is not stiff or disjointed. To pedal with souplesse, focus on pedaling a smooth circle at a quick cadence of 90-95 rpms. Articulate your ankle throughout the stroke so that your heels can drop a bit at the bottom of the stroke. Think "heels down, pedal around". The heel should end up just a couple of cm above your toes at the bottom of the stroke. Your knees should move vertically and even slightly inwards towards the top tube at the top of the stoke Your knees should move up and down like pistons. A good drill to do is to unclip one shoe from your pedal and try pedaling 30 revolution with just one leg. If you can do this smoothly then you will definitely be pedaling with la souplesse when both feet are clipped in!

10/12/2026

Tip of the week - use race course nutrition

In triathlon racing, nutrition is known as the fourth discipline. It is critical to completing a long course triathlon or any event that is more than 3 hours long. In general, you need to drink 20oz of fluid per hour, eat 100-300 cal per hour and ingest at least 400mg of sodium per hour when competing in long course events. Many people get overwhelmed with all the possibilities of what to eat, how to carry it, etc. A simple approach that can make your nutrition logistics on race day much simpler is to use the nutrition that the race will have on course. Find out what sports drink will be served as well as what bars, gels and good will be available and use them in training. You might have to carry some of your own salt tablets but everything else will be on course waiting for you!

10/05/2026

Tip of the week - Use breaststroke as an alternate stroke in triathlon swims.

Breaststroke is an excellent secondary stroke to learn for triathlon. While most of us try to swim freestyle for the entire swim leg, the breaststroke makes an excellent secondary stroke that you can mix in with great effect. Breaststroke allows you to breathe a bit more normally. If you started off too fast and are getting hypoxic, using 5-10 breaststroke strokes can help you get your breathing back under control. Breaststroke also make sighting the course buoys a breeze. In fact, mixing in some breaststroke every 100 yds or so is a great way to get your bearings and make sure you are on track. A simple way to do this is to count 100 right arms of freestyle and then complete 10 breaststroke strokes. Repeat this cycle for the duration of the swim. You will swim straighter then ever!

09/28/2026

Tip of the week - braking in the wet.

As I have mentioned in other tips, it is important to train in all types of weather so that you have experiences that you can use on race day if inclement weather arrives. One of the more obvious adjustments that you have to make on a rainy day involves braking distance. It doesn't take many rides to realize quickly that your brakes do not work as well in the rain as they do on a dry day. This is true for rim brakes as well as disc brakes. Apply your brakes earlier than you would on a dry day. This may ber as much as 50-150 meters earlier than normal. The delayed action of the brakes is a bit unnerving at first but a ride or two in the rain with calibrate your brain and you will be ready on race day to deal with the wet!

09/21/2026

Tip of the week - Just do it!

Years ago, Nike ran an advertising campaign called Just do it! The idea, was that it did not matter if you had the right equipment or a specific background in a sport. It didn't matter what gender you were or what the weather was like or what outfit you had on. Just get out there and do it! I couldn't agree more. Many of us come up with reason after reason why this is not the year for us to attempt an Ironman or run a marathon. Too little time for training, too many responsibilities. I'll just wait until things calm down a bit. The problem with this line of thinking is that things never really calm down! The next thing you know is that time has moved on and you are left with regret. I once heard old age defined as "when regrets replace dreams". If you aspire to do something big then find a way. There are a million ways to get something done. Figure it out and Just do it!

09/14/2026

Tip of the week - How much sodium?

In endurance racing, maintaining electrolyte levels is critical to performance. Electrolytes are the motor oil that keeps our engine running smoothly. When electrolytes run low, everything else starts to function poorly. Our digestive system, muscular contractions and even our hand eye coordination get worse as electrolyte levels get low. The most important electrolyte is sodium. Potassium, Magnesium and Chloride also play a role but none are as important as sodium. But how much sodium do you need and how do you take it? An endurance athlete needs at least 400mg of sodium per hour in an event lasting more than 2 hours. This number can even go as high as 2,500mg of sodium per hour in people with high sweat rates. So, start with making sure you hit 400mg per hour and double it if you experience muscle cramping in races or long workouts. Take into account how much sodium you are getting from what you are drinking and what you are eating. A great way to make sure you get the sodium you need is to take in salt capsules every hour. A Salt Stick capsule contains 215 mg of sodium. Taking two per hour would do the trick. A good way to carry them is in an old school rubber coin holder. Squeeze the opening and stick your tongue in and one of the capsules will stick to your tongue - voila!

09/07/2026

Tip of the week - How to utilize run/walk ratios to get through a tough race.

In long distance triathlons or ultra runs we often come to a point in the race where all seems lost. We have no energy, may be sick and each step seems to require herculean effort. This point in a race is a great time to put run/walk ratios to use! When the wheels come off in a race, we often just start walking for an undetermined amount of time. We'll just walk a bit and see if we start to feel better or we might say we'll just walk through the aid station but then that becomes the next tree of the next road sign, etc. We basically keep moving the target and just keep walking. A more disciplined approach is to use your watch and create a run/walk ratio that you can wrap your head around and stick to. A good one is to run 2 min and then walk 1 minute. You can get your head around running for 2 min! If you did this for the entire marathon, you would end up running 66% of the run! Keep the ratios short so that you can mentally deal with the running and stick to the ratio like a dog. Do not deviate. Just become a robot and you will get to the finish before you know it. Better to have 3 wheels still working than have all four fall off!

08/31/2026

Tip of the week - How to run with your bike in transitions.

Getting through transitions quickly is key when racing triathlons. The best way to improve your transition times is to run fast with your bike. A lot of time can be gained if you are able to run quickly with your bike to the bike mount line or back to your transition area after dismounting your bike. The fastest and easiest way to run with your bike is to position yourself to the side and towards the rear of the bike and placing your hand on the saddle so that you can push the bike as you run. This technique keeps your ankles clear of the crank arms or any other portion of the bike and allows an upright position that is good for running. Steer the bike by simply leaning the the bike one way or the other. It is easy to steer the faster you are running. Give it a try in the driveway and then use this technique in your next race!

08/24/2026

Tip of the week - How to ease into the swim

A Lot of trouble can happen in the start of a triathlon swim. Many middle of the pack swimmers hear the gun go off and immediately start sprinting as though the swim was a 50m free! By starting too fast you cause two major issues. The first one is that you are likely way above threshold pace and will eventually become hypoxic and suddenly feel like your wetsuit is too small and that you cannot get enough air. A full blown panic attack can soon set in. This is why most DNFs in the swim occur in the first 400m. The second thing that happens is that you can end up swimming with the truly good swimmers. These athletes are confident and fast and will have no problem swimming over you as you tire. The end result is that you will suffer a lot of contact. The easy fix to these problems is to count to 30 before you start swimming! This gives your wave time to spread out a bit and will get you in the mindset that nothing is going to be decided in the first 50m. You can then ease into your swim and swim your race!

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Fountain Hills, AZ

Telephone

+16023614159

Website

http://www.camelbackcoaching.com/

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