Triathlon trends

Dr. P.Z. Pearce has crossed the finish line of the Ironman Triathlon seven times. He’s also the medical director for numerous Ironman competitions around the country.

But the sports medicine expert has seen a trend in triathlons in recent years: Racers participating in the grueling swim-bike-run events are getting faster.

Advanced technology coupled with better training is leading to better times, he says.

Endurance athletes use heart-rate monitors. They analyze their strides and swimming strokes via video. And they can undergo a whole range of medical and biomechanical tests to help them train in the most efficient way.

“People are becoming more and more competitive,” Pearce says. “As an amateur triathlete … the times that people are doing could’ve won it 15 years ago.”

Jessi Thompson of Spokane won a free slot at Ironman Coeur d’Alene last year just seven weeks before the race.

“It’s crazy to start training for Ironman seven weeks before,” says Thompson, a 29-year-old elementary school teacher, adding that most people register for Ironman a whole year in advance.

Thompson had competed in shorter triathlons before but nothing on the scale of Ironman, which entails a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike ride and 26.2-mile run.

So she underwent a lactate threshold test, to determine the maximum pace she could sustain without hitting a wall before the race’s end. The results of the test determined what heart-rate zones she should be in for the competition.

“I finished Ironman and had a fabulous experience,” Thompson says. “I felt very good. I enjoyed it. It was one of the best days I have ever had racing.”

She recently went back for another lactate test, along with a metabolic test, to see if her increased training in the past year will change her numbers.

“If I didn’t have help and coaching, I wouldn’t have a clue,” Thompson says. “There’s a lot of great resources.”

Improved training can also prevent one of the biggest worries of endurance athletes: overtraining syndrome.

“The body needs rest and recovery,” says Ben Greenfield, a Spokane triathlete and personal trainer.

Overtraining leads to a high resting heart rate, insomnia, fatigue and other symptoms, Greenfield says.

“Basically your body just starts to shut down,” he says.

He recommends that all athletes work a recovery day into their training each week.

“Active recovery is the key,” says Greenfield, who opts for a slow, 30-minute jog on his recovery day.

Pearce and Greenfield have formed Champions Sports Medicine, a one-stop sports medicine center that will offer testing, training, sports psychology, massage, chiropractic and other services.

The old Mountain Gear warehouse near Gonzaga University is being remodeled to house the Champions Sports Medicine clinic, which should be open later this spring, Pearce says.

In addition to lactate testing and metabolic testing, the clinic will offer V02 max tests (to measure aerobic capacity), body composition tests, and sweat sodium analysis (to design customized fluid replacement).

Many of the tests costs more than $100, but athletes say it’s worth it if you’re serious about training.

Still, the tests are certainly not the only way to become an efficient competitor in an endurance sport such as the triathlon.

Valerie Johnson, a 54-year-old Liberty Lake woman, competed in her first triathlon last year. She had never competed in an athletic event before.

“I was so scared,” Johnson says as she finished a workout with Greenfield last week at the Liberty Lake Athletic Club. “The lake scared me spitless. I was hoping I would break my leg so I wouldn’t have to do it.”

But she finished that first triathlon in Medical Lake and came in third in her age group.

Now, the mom of 11 (who range in age from 9 to 32) is hooked. And she’ll be signing up for more triathlons this summer.

“It gives you a reason to be working because it’s a lot more fun,” she says.

She first signed up for personal training sessions just to get in better shape, but then Greenfield suggested undertaking a triathlon.

“I always thought a triathlon was crazy,” Johnson says. “Then I just started daydreaming about it, and he put me right to work.”

Twice a week, she meets with Greenfield for a one-on-one session where he puts her through the paces, building her strength and endurance.

Last week, she went three times through a circuit that included light weights, resistance and core exercises, along with running and bicycling.

“Keep it up. Keep it up,” Greenfield told her as she pedaled away. “Come on, 10 seconds. Three, two, push through. Strong finish.”

And then Johnson hustles to the gym to run laps.

“We’re pre-fatiguing her,” the trainer says. “All of a sudden, she’s doing three minitriathlons in one workout.”

Johnson says she spends about an hour a day training, along with skiing several hours during the week each winter.

She hopes to be even faster when she competes this summer.

“I’m getting stronger,” she says. “It’s good to (work with) someone who knows what they’re doing.”