Expect Epic Results from an Epic Training Experience
Most triathletes are familiar with the idea of a destination race, but what about destination training? Getting away from the hustle and bustle of your daily life for a few days to focus on nothing but your training may be as close to living the life of a professional triathlete as any of us gets! Here are some advantages and considerations should you want to make this a part of your plan. Also included is an opportunity to get away from it all with Zoom Performance this June!

Spring Speed!
Looking to have a break out racing season or trying to figure out the best way to improve your marathon PR? Coach Antonio Vega takes a look at how a 5K or 10K race this spring can translate into faster marathon times down the road. 

Strength Training: Three Reasons to Hit the Gym
Endurance athletes already deal with a full training schedule in addition to their professional, personal, and home lives. When it comes to adding strength training sessions to the mix, many athletes feel their time is better spent with swim/bike/run than in the gym. In this article, Coach Julie takes a look at why strength training is important and how to add it into your program as a benefit, rather than an inconvenience.

Ready to Try a Tri?
Still trying to decide if you're ready to do your first triathlon? Coach Julie talks you through your decision-making process. Is this the year you try a tri?

The Three Best Hip Exercises You've Never Done

If you suffered through this race season nagged by an IT band injury or pain, weak hip and/or core muscles are often to blame. Here, Zoom Performance coach Julie Kirkpatrick, a certified strength and conditioning specialist, takes a look at a new twist on two classic exercises and the best hip exercise you’ve never done. Start working this fall to strengthen and stabilize the hips and decrease injuries for next season. 

Race Prep and Taper Tips

As important as all the swimming, cycling, and running that you've done to prepare for your A race are the taper period and your final race prep workouts. Here, we discuss how to focus your final weeks so they build to a strong race day performance!

Are You Still a Newbie?

Just because you've been doing triathlons for a few years doesn't mean that you've graduated from being labeled a Newbie. Read Coach Matt's Top Ten list to discover if you are still making rookie mistakes.

If you find yourself still breaking some of these rules, you should be sure to attend our Triathlon 101 Clinic!

Break It Down: 5 Running Drills for More Speed
Better running form can have a variety of beneficial effects on your overall training. Improved form can help make you a better, more efficient runner; one who is less likely to suffer from chronic over-use injuries.

Tips for a Successful Transition
As you prepare for a triathlon a million different variables are racing through your mind. Did I train enough? Will I have enough nutrition? Is my bike working properly? But rarely do we examine one of the most important variables, the transition. Often overlooked, this is an essential part of triathlon training. Efficient transitions can help you meet and surpass your performance goals. Prior to racing you may have a time goal that you wish to accomplish. But with a slow transition your aspirations for that goal will be lost. To decrease the time we waste in transition it is imperative that we evaluate a few common mistakes made in the transition zone.

Destination Training

Most triathletes are familiar with the idea of a destination race, but what about destination training?  The destination training “spring season” for 2011 may be wrapping up, but maybe it’s something you will want to consider for early summer 2011, or spring 2012.  Here are some advantages and considerations should you want to make this a part of your plan.

Challenge Your Training Plan, Challenge Your PR
What if I told you that you could get a guaranteed PR in your next road race? Would you think it’s not possible or would you want to know the steps needed to take to get to the finish line faster? If your immediate thought was of doubt in your ability to set a PR in your next race, you are already limiting your training and further improvement in running. If you really want to race faster, you have to challenge your training in order to challenge your racing.

Train Your Weakness
The typical age grouper isn't strong in all 3 disciplines of a triathlon. While many choose to train their strengths to compensate for a weakness in a particular sport, training your weakness will make you a more well-rounded athlete. Coach Tom Mertz helps you discover your weakness and shows you how to make it an asset to you on race day.

Meet the Coach: Abbie Durkee

After falling in love with mountain biking in college, it took falling in love with a racer for Abbie to discover her passion for competitive mountain bike racing.   

Abbie raced in the National Pro MTB field for three seasons before taking a break in 2006 to start a family.  It was this hiatus where she began coaching at Marin Academy, training the 2008 High School Varsity State Champion.

Why Do Endurance Athletes Need Strength Training?

It is an age-old question that every endurance athlete wants to know – “Do I really need to do strength training? I don’t want to build extra muscle and have to carry it around during a race…”Well, the easy answer to this is yes! However, it is also true that...

Meet the Coach: Tom Mertz

Everyone has a story about how they became involved in this addictive sport called triathlon, and I’m no different.  On February 26, 2006, I lost my dad to a battle with brain cancer. Two days later, my wife Sarah and I were blessed with the arrival of our twins, Talan and Tenley. As you can imagine, my emotions covered the spectrum, from grief to joy. The next months were a whirlwind...