This document discusses the importance of specificity in training, noting that athletes should focus their workouts on the exact demands of their goal event in order to maximize performance. It provides examples showing how running different paces or biking in races does not provide the same benefits as training specifically for a triathlon or time trial event. The principle of specificity states that athletes must perform the exact movements required for their goal in order to train the relevant muscles and energy systems most efficiently.

1. February 2010
Tri Fusion is on
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and updates on all
things us!
Swimming BoD,
Be Specific, Apolo Ohno, Sponsors,
Tips, Calendar,
pages 5-6 page 8
pages 2-3 page 10
Race Stop
Wetsuits &
Report, X-C Wasting Your
Ironman,
Nat’l Time
page 9
page 4 page 7
Brooks’ Green Silence The shoe is built to be eco-friendly through the use of recycled
materials. On the one hand, kudos to Brooks for its
Written by: Jeroen van Geelen
consideration of the environment. On the other, it is a racing
Date: Mon Feb 01 2010
flat, so, the numbers sold will not be that high (so, here’s to an
found on www.slowtwitch.com eco-friendly Adrenaline!). Nevertheless, it’s a nice gesture
Brooks is making.
This is a racing flat with a semi-mono-tongue construction which
I've always appreciated in a shoe. For triathletes this can mean
a very easy entrance and a tongue that almost instantly falls in
place. The shoe is soft on the inside and very easy to race
without socks (my preference). Only four lace-loops make it
simple and quick with Yanksz! or any other fast lacing system.
The midsole seems a bit soft at first feel and I’m not sure how
responsive it will be. The sample pair I had felt fine when I put
them on. They are extra light at 6.9 oz and should only be worn
by those blessed with good mechanics and a neutral running gait.
There is very little rubber on the outsole, so, don’t expect this
shoe to last a long time. If you are already wearing Brooks’ T6
racer, you can make a fashion statement wearing this shoe. I’m
anxious to note whether we see the Green Silence on Chrissie’s
feet once she recovers from her injuries and again takes to the
This new eco-friendly racing flat is a special looking shoe. And
field of play (and if so, over which race distances).
that’s rare for Brooks, whose red Beast is about as liberally
cosmetic as it gets up and down this company’s tech running
Thumbs up for Brooks making an eco-friendly shoe and now hope
lineup. And the Green Silence is special not only in its
that they continue this trend on their more popular training
appearance.
models.
[1]

2. Quick Swimming Tips
From PowerBar.com by Candy Angle
Swim Technique
Swim technique is a popular word when we think of swimming and just about every swimmer can improve on their
technique in some area. Being around swim groups over the years introduces you to many common drills that are
designed to improve technique. Catch up, one arm, fists, side kick drills, and the list goes on and on. I have seen
swimmers spend hours on drills doing them correctly yet when they return to normal swimming they either look like
they are still doing drills or their form goes back to what it was. Don't get me wrong , drills are very important but the
main issue with swimming is to know why your doing the drills and how to apply them to your swimming. The main aim of
swimming is to move forward through the water, neatly (keeping your body inline from front to back), rolling from side
to side, I like to say "side, forward to side" (meaning the momentum of each arm stroke sends you forward not
laterally as you pass from side to side). Add a strong kick with long legs (no knee bending) should take care of some
major technique issues. Keeping these points in mind should help you to combine your drills and swimming.
Being Streamlined Off the Wall
Pushing off the wall is a good way to see how streamlined you are. It also leads to the position your body is in before
your first arm stroke. Being streamlined means your body slips through the water without wasting energy.
The correct way to push off the wall is ducking under water, then pushing off starting on your side, with arms
stretched out above your head with your hands locked together and your elbows pushing on your ears. In this position
you become long at the front and you cut through the water as you surface to begin your first arm stroke in a
streamlined position.
For those swimmers that push off the wall either with their head up or their arms apart or flat on their stomach or a
combination of these things are teaching themselves how not to be streamlined when they swim. It feels normal for
them this way and they won't be able to have a guide or feeling for when they swim what streamlined feels like.
The more you practice being streamlined the more you will notice when you are not streamlined whilst swimming. A good
swimmer starts the swim off correctly at the wall and then holds this inline sleek body position during swimming.
Kick Sets
Ways to kick effectively:
Flippers or Fins are used by swimmers who don't kick well. If you were to look at a flipper close up you would see it is
the same shape and size of a foot except the toe area is longer (and webbed). What this suggests is that kick
propulsion comes from the toe area of your foot. In pure kick sets if done properly your toes could feel like they are
being smacked against a hard surface. If you keep in mind the pressure should be felt in the toe area with a fast
slapping motion, and your legs long, avoiding bent knees, all that is left is to practice and build stamina.
Kick sets like 50 kick, 50 swim or 25 kick, 50 swim (done 5-10 times) are excellent ways to combine your kicking and
swimming. By swimming immediately after kicking, the kick becomes automatic and you could even intentionally stop
kicking or bend your knees during the 50 swim to see what that does to your speed.
If you think about it, you’re using a small area (your toes) to push your body through the water, so keep your body as
streamlined as possible when you kick and with that fast slapping motion of your toes,
[2]

3. Swimming (cont’d)
Underwater swim stroke
I would like to point out a few ways to improve underwater technique. By far the biggest problem swimmers face is a
dropped elbow. It can be tricky to figure out how to go from the arm being stretched out in front after the arm enters
the water, to the elbow riding high above the hand after the catch phase. One way to engage the correct muscles at
home is to hold a glass or cup (or anything really) in your hand with your harm stretched out in front of you (just below
horizontal), then twist your arm from the shoulder to empty the glass. The hand should now have the glass upside down
and the elbow and shoulder should be higher than the hand. If you were to pull back on the hand now the elbow should
ride high above the hand and your underarm should open allowing the big muscles of your back to engage. This can also be
done by placing your hand on the back of a chair with the arm stretched out then by stepping forward, raise the elbow
high above your hand with the armpit opening again. If you angle the hand toward your body this mimics the underwater
phase of swimming using the correct muscles as you pull your body past your hand. Using a rubber stretch cord at home
the correct way is another good way of strengthening your swim muscles.
The Importance of Dynamic Flexibility Drills
BY MIKE MEJIA//Correspondent for USA Swimming
Depending on how you go about it, stretching prior to getting in the water might actually make you slower. Numerous
studies have shown that static stretching – the type where you hold a stretch for 20-30 seconds at time – actually
decreases peak force and explosive power during subsequent athletic activity. A much more effective way of warming up
is engaging in dynamic flexibility drills, where you progressively move a muscle through its full range of motion. Give it a
try. The next time you’re getting ready to swim, opt for simple drills like leg swings, arm circles and even jumping jacks
and take pass on the static stretching.
Arm Recovery
What does the arm do during the recovery phase of swimming? When teaching swimming I always tell my Athletes to
have a high shoulder and high elbow. Keeping the shoulder and elbow high also help to facilitate good body position in the
water by keeping you on your side. When either the shoulder or elbow drops during arm recovery, it causes you to be flat
on your stomach. The finger tip drag is a good drill to teach keeping the shoulder and elbow high in the water. When
doing this drill be relaxed and drag your fingers right along the top of the water. The drill can be done during normal
swimming or as a one arm focus.
[3]

4. Race Report: Risk vs. Reward, The race was a 12k cross country race which I knew would be
U.S. National Cross Country Championship long and tough. As I looked at the race course that I would be
by Josh Hadway competing on I realized something. The race was divided into
six very short laps, and with the competition I was racing, and
not knowing where my fitness was there was a good chance (in
my mind) of getting lapped. That thought of failure was looming
over my shoulder. But I decided it did not matter. Failure is
part of the game, and if you always avoid it (never take risks)
you will never experience great results.
My plan for the race was to try something new. I decided to
start my race slow and build from my starting pace. I knew this
would be hard for me since I love to get sucked up in the pack
and run fast from the start. After the gun went off I had to
tell myself to let everyone go. I just kept a smooth, relaxed
stride and watched as the lead pack slowly pulled away. About
700 meters into the race I turned around and noticed that
there were only about 10 athletes behind me! This was
something new for me. I could see the back end of the race! At
that point I wanted to put in a monster surge and run my way
Where there is risk, also lies reward. The higher the risk, the back up to the pack, but I knew that would not be a part of my
higher the chance of reward. As athletes we take a risk every plan. As I passed the first mile, the race volunteer yelled 5:40!
time we compete. I was reminded of this as I sat at home OK, I now need to pick it up! This pace was no where near my
watching the winter Olympic games. Watching the women’s planned race pace. The next two laps I just worked on moving
mogul competition I watched as a young Canadian athlete through the crowd. Slowly picking people off, and gaining
standing at the top of her run, in front of her home-crowd had positions. I would be lying if I said the race was not tough.
a choice. She could ski it "safe" and probably walk away with a Running on grass, and for sections marshy, muddy grass. My
silver or bronze medal, or she could go after the course with legs quickly become fatigued. It is a very different feeling
everything she had in hopes of capturing the gold, in doing so from running on the road. The last two laps I found myself
risk walking away with nothing. The first half of her run, hanging onto athletes that were slowly going by me, trying to
flawless! Her hopes of gold came down to the last jump, and as stick with their pace. I had no idea what to expect for a
her skis left the snow, perfection rested on this one moment. finishing time, and as I came to the finish I saw 39:08.
With her nation watching, failure suddenly struck. She smacked
the ground hard and was thrown like a rag doll down the moguls. It was at this moment that I was very happy that I did not let
the fear of the race keep me from competing. In all reality my
As athletes this is our risk, our fear. One word, failure. Not fears of being lapped were only something I had created in my
just failure, but failing for everyone to see. In school when you head.
fail a test you often tuck it quickly into your binder so that no
one else can see it. But in sports and athletics there is no place I had averaged 5:14's for a 12k (Bloomsday distance), placed
to hide. You are testing yourself in front of your family, 48th at the US National cross country championships, and set a
friends, home-town, and for some even their nation or the new PR for the 12k distance. I think the thing that was most
world. If you fail everyone will know. I don't think nerves come amazing about this race was having it in my home-town. I have
because we are afraid of the task we are about to complete, or never been in a race quite like this one. There was no point on
the distance of the race. Those butterflies in your stomach, the course where I didn't feel like I had someone cheering for
that knot in your throat, the anxiety before the gun goes off? me. I am super thankful for everyone that cheered or yelled my
We feel these thoughts for the most part because we fear name out there, and I really do appreciate your support.
failure, and not reaching our goals. I never really get nervous
performing in practice. But performing the same activity in For now my training focus will change a little. I feel like I have
front of others, I find sometimes that my nerves are on edge. lots of fitness still to gain in my running before this summer’s
Nevertheless, if you want big rewards you have to take great triathlon season, but it is time to get focused on my bike. I will
risks, and not be afraid of what others think. Last weekend I keep doing what I am doing for my run training, but now I will
decided to race in the USA Cross Country national gradually add more and more cycling to the weekly schedule.
championships. The reason I decided to run? I guess I could not The 2010 triathlon season will be here before we know it and
pass up the opportunity to race against Olympic athletes such there is no time to waste :).
as Dathan Ritzenhein, in my home-town.
[4]

5. Specificity of Training
from Joe Friel’s blog
I consider specificity the most important principle of training. And I tie specificity in with
periodization to create training plans for the athletes I coach. So what is it? Basically, the
specificity principle says that if you want to become good at something you need to do that
thing. Sounds pretty simple, huh?
According to the specificity principle to ultimately become good at bicycle racing you should
ride a bike – not run. That seems fairly obvious, but it’s remarkable how many cyclists, when
short of time, will resort to a run workout. That may be OK early in the base period. But in the
build period (3-11 weeks before the A race) there is very limited value.
So how about this one… If your goal is to run a 7-minute pace you need to do a lot of 7-minute-paced running. Not 8
minutes and not 6 minutes. There is this thing called “economy” which relates to the principle of specificity. If you
spend a lot of time running 6 or 8-minute pace you will not be as economical at 7 minutes as you could have been
otherwise. Economy has to do with how much energy you use (or waste) at a given pace.
One issue I deal with a lot has to do with triathletes and bike races… Many multisport athletes believe that bike road
racing is good training for triathlon. It’s not. Bike races are, indeed, aerobic events, as are triathlons. But that’s where
the similarity ends. The outcomes of bike races are determined by two-minute episodes when all hell breaks loose.
They are anything but steady state aerobic. Bike racing has a huge anaerobic component that is critical to success. No
one in his/her right mind races a triathlon that way.
Triathlons are steady and anaerobic intensity is avoided. A bike race done by a triathlete is largely a wasted workout
day. It’s even worse than that, because the recovery after one of these delays when the next, truly specific triathlon
workout can be done.
(A brief aside… I know many triathletes may be upset about what I just said. I’m sure I will get comments about pros
who do this and how successful they are. But I think they’d be better if they stayed focused on triathlon. Some will
comment on the “fun” factor of doing bike races. I have no problem with that. I used to do that myself and coach
athletes who also participate in both sports. Everyone needs to decide what it is they want from sport. In other
words, what is “fun” for you? You can be a generalist who is pretty good at a lot of different things, or you can be a
specialist who is very good at one thing. I have no qualms about either. Either can be "fun." The purpose of this post,
however, is to describe how to be very good at one sport. Now back to specificity.)
Here’s an even less obvious example… If training for a criterium, you need to spend a lot of time in the drops or hooks
of your handlebars – not on the brake hoods or tops. Why? Because crit. racing demands you be in that position almost
all of the race and pedaling economy is different when in the drops versus being on the hoods. Slightly different
muscles are used.
You’re probably getting the idea now, but here’s a final one, similar to the above, that is often overlooked by road
cyclists… If you want to race well in time trials you need to train on a TT bike. Again, different muscles are used in an
extreme aero position than when on a road bike, even in the drops.
In the build period I have riders do muscular endurance intervals on their TT bike weekly.
This specificity principle is applied to periodization by ensuring that your weekly key workouts become increasingly like
your next A race, the closer in time you get to that race. So let’s examine “key” workouts.
[5]

6. Specificity (cont’d)
A key workout is one that I have called a “breakthrough” workout in my Training
Bible books. It’s a workout intended to push the limits of your fitness. I’ve
recently started defining them with a “Training Stress Score” (TSS). I
determine very early in the season what the approximate TSS of the A race will
be. Then I design workouts based on that stress.
Essentially, a key workout is a hard session. Serious athletes typically do two to
four of these in a week during the build period. If you want to race faster,
determining the details of these workouts, when to do them relative to each
other, and the rate at which they become increasingly like the A race is what
serious training is all about. Missing a key workout is bad, but you can recover
from it fairly easily. Missing a bunch of them is disastrous to performance.
The bottom line is that these key workouts must be specific to the demands of
the A race for which you are training. Specificity isn’t so critical for the non-key workouts in your week. But some is still
required. How much is difficult to say. But I’d recommend that a cyclist do them on a bike. That’s probably beneficial, but
hard to measure.
It’s a little trickier for triathletes. They probably need to do each of the three sports at least three times a week. That
means three key workouts and six “others” every week. Very competitive triathletes do far more than that. In fact, some
would probably progress better if they cut back on some of the “filler” workouts.
You can make some exceptions to the specificity principle when it comes to recovery workouts. Triathletes are probably
better off recovering on a bike or in the pool rather than by doing an easy run. If you’re going to develop an overuse
injury it’s most likely in running. Saving the legs for the key runs is generally a good idea. I still want the triathletes I
coach to run at least three times a week. So one of those “other” runs may be to improve skills or as a short run after a
key bike ride to prepare the body for the “unusual” stress of running after riding.
***********************************************************************************************************
Try one or both of these bike workouts for specific training:
Cardio Builder Stack Speed Builder Stack
- 15 minute warm-up w/ 3 x 30 sec. accelerations - 15 minute warm-up w/ 3 x 30 sec. accelerations
- 3 x 10 minute time trials (105%) of threshold power - 3 x accelerations ladders as:
or as hard as you can maintain for the duration at 5 sec. hard/5 sec. easy
cadence of 90-100 rpm w/ 15 sec. sprint finish 10 sec. hard/10 sec. easy
- 3 minute easy spin recovery between efforts 20 sec. hard/20 sec. easy
- 8 x 20 sec. all out - cadence 90-100/10 sec. rec. 30 sec. hard/30 sec. easy
- 10 minute cool-down accelerate as fast as you can in a hard gear at a
high cadence of 120-140
Total time: 64 minutes - 3 minute rec. between sets
- 3 x stomp sets as:
10 x 10 sec. seated sprints/20 sec. recovery
- 3 minute rec. between sets
- 10 minute cool-down
Total time: 64 minutes
[6]

7. Why You’re Wasting Your Time Data from animals provides some insight Some people will also argue that hard
Doing Only Long, Slow Aerobic into this issue. In a study exercise doesn’t increase capillary
Workouts published in the Journal of Applied density in the same was as long slow
by Ben Greenfield, President Physiology in 1982, researches Dudley, distance workouts, which means that
Human Wellness Solutions Abraham and Terjung observed that the body wouldn’t actually be able to
peak oxidative capacity of muscle fibers feed sugar and oxygen to muscles quite
In many of the programs that I write occurred when training sessions were as well if somebody were doing “interval”
out for my clients who are pursuing fat performed at 94% of VO2 max style training, instead of low
loss, I include a weekly or bi-weekly long intensity, which is far more difficult intensity, steady-state aerobic training.
slow fat burning session. This than the “long slow fat burning” zone.
is chance for an individual to train their But data suggests this isn’t true either.
body how to oxidize and utilize To really get you fit FOR ENDURANCE A study in the Journal of Physiology in
fat efficiently during exercise, and is a OR FOR FAT BURNING, try the 1977 showed that high intensity
good opportunity to still burn following workout, which was suggested training, around 80% VO2 max,
calories and burn fat, without breaking by Stephen McGregor at the 2010 increases capillary density to a greater
down the body in the same way as a USAT Art & Science of Triathlon extent than low intensity training.
hard session would. Coaching Symposium and is based on a In this study, participants did the hard
1998 study in the Journal of Applied efforts 40 minutes per day, 4x/week
After all, if you go hard all the time, Physiology, which noted that 30 second for 8 weeks.
every day, you’re just going to get efforts led to incredibly significant
hurt or burn yourself out. But some increases in power output, peak power Another study in the Journal of
people, and especially longer distance and VO2 (VO2 is your maximum oxygen Physiology in 2004 found that high
endurance athletes such as consumption during exercise, and the intensity training increased capillary
triathletes, get stuck in a rut, “gold standard” measurement of density by 20%! Both studies suggest
performing a long slow fat burning performance potential in something like that high intensity exercise is
session for nearly every workout - triathlon). significantly effective at increasing
completely avoiding intensity or just not both capillary density and capillary
doing intense workouts or intervals You’d probably expect the increases in growth factor release (growth factor
because it takes them outside their power and VO2 mentioned above, but being another highly important fitness
comfort zone. the interesting part is that the study training response).
also found significant increases in
There are even trainers, athletes and the oxidative process of mitochondrial Obviously, some of these studies are old
coaches who would argue that long slow enzymes, which basically means that and some of them were done on
distance training is the ultimate way to the body’s cells became more highly animals, but the take away message is
get fit, since it turns the body equipped for efficiency during aerobic this:
into an aerobic machine and allows for activity - the type of activity you need
superior development of the during a triathlon, or for burning > Don’t let anyone convince you that long,
“slow-twitch” muscle fibers, which take fat. slow aerobic training is the best way to
a longer time to fatigue and get fit, even for something like a
primarily utilize fat as a fuel. • 30 second all out “sprints” triathlon. Sure, it should certainly be
• Start @ 4 x 30 sec all out w/2-4 min ONE component, but high intensity
But this really isn’t true. As a matter of rest (3 x week) interval training will get you more bang
fact, you’re wasting your time • Increase to 10 x 30 sec all out w/2.5 for your buck, especially if you’re
and getting sub-par results if all you’re min (3 x week) pressed for time.
doing are long, slow aerobic • Do for 7 weeks (6.5-15 min/week)
workouts. I¹d love to hear your comments. Do you
agree? Disagree? I’m especially
It’s a myth that LSD is the best way to interested if any of you are going to
train. And this holds true for begin incorporating the “7 weeks of 30
everyone from the 50 year old woman second intervals” workout suggested
trying to shed a few pounds of fat to above. Maybe you can even get together
the triathlete attempting to qualify for some of your Tri-Fusion teammates for
the Ironman World Championships in an interval session!
Kona.
[7]

8. I’m a Runner I was there for a little over a week and there was no ice so
by Nancy Averett there wasn't any skating. The only other option I had besides
from www.runnersworld.com dry-land training was to run. I ran quite a bit. I hated it, hated
every minute of it. I was at my lowest point physically and
mentally. One day, in the middle of a rainy, cold run, I stopped
The speed skater, Apolo Ohno, tells how running helped him go and asked myself how much I wanted to be a speed skater. If
from being nicknamed "Chunky" at the Olympic Training Center I was going to fulfill my dream, I knew that I needed to finish
to winning two Olympic gold medals. my run, no matter how many blisters I had or how bad I felt.
By Nancy Averett That was the turning point for me.
Image by Tom Bear
What is your running routine now?
From the March 2010 issue of Runner's World I run almost every day and love it. My regimen depends on
what I'm trying to do with my skating. Right now I'm doing
Two-time Olympic Gold Medalist, Short-Track Speed more interval training, more high-intensity and less volume.
Skating, 27, Salt Lake City, Utah This means a lot of hill sprints. But last summer I was running
anywhere from 50 minutes to two hours at a time. Running is
When did you first start running and did you like it? crucial for me. I need to stay light and lean for my sport. I
I first started using running for cross-training when I was 14 tend to build bulk and muscle easily, and running seems to
while training at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Lake make sure I stay kind of stringy, if that makes sense.
Placid, New York.
I was a terrible runner. I hated running out of all the off-ice Do you run with other people or on your own?
training. I was probably the worst runner on the team. I usually run on my own. A lot of times some of my best ideas
Eventually, I realized it was something that I could use to help happen when I'm running. That's when I do my best thinking.
my skating and that changed everything. The next summer, I About three weeks ago, I was struggling with an equipment
really concentrated on increasing my running, pumping up the issue and I couldn't figure out what I needed to change. Then,
volume, and I became one of the top runners on the team. 70 minutes into my run, it came to me, and the next day I felt
like a different person on the ice. I wouldn't have come to the
I read that when you were first training in Lake Placid and you same conclusion in the sauna or on the bike. I don't know what
went out on runs with the team that you often snuck away to it is about running that does that—everything seems to flow so
eat pizza. Can you share that story? easily. It's almost a spiritual thing for me.
(Laughs) We would leave the training center in Lake Placid and
I would always be running next to a friend of mine. Neither of
us was a very good runner. We would lag toward the back of
the pack. The team would always run a loop around the lake and
come back. On the way out, we would pass a pizza place and my
friend and I would just hang in the back and duck in there and
eat some pizza, and then when the team came back that way,
we would jump in near the back of the pack My coach told me
that he never knew we were doing that until years later.
I heard that at the end of that year, the coach measured each
member of the team's body-fat index and that you had the
highest.
Oh, no doubt. You know my nickname back then was "Chunky."
A few years later—after you failed to make the 1998 Olympic
team—your dad dropped you off at a cottage in the wilderness
in Washington state to spend a week by yourself because he
wanted you to really think about whether you could dedicate
yourself fully to skating. You ran a lot during that week and
even had an epiphany about skating while on a run. Can you talk
about that?
[8]

9. Ironman is Wetsuit Legal
Written by: Dan Empfield
found on www.slowtwitch.com
Date: Tue Feb 09 2010
After a flurry of hand-ringing posts on the Slowtwitch reader forum in response to new rules posted on the Oceanside 70.3 website,
Ironman has dropped its prohibition of wetsuits and swimskins that appeared overnight on the Ironman California portal.
Wetsuits that exceed 5mm in thickness will be legal at Ironman events that are wetsuit-legal, as will so-called fastskins or swimskins at
all Ironman events.
Ironman's Steve Meckfessel stressed that there is no ban in place on either style of garment, and, no date when any such ban is
currently contemplated. Any rule changes will depend on the discussions on rule dispensations between Ironman and USA Triathlon.
Recently, the Ironman California website had updated its rules to contain these two new swim-specific directives:
Swim Course Rules and Instructions
7. Wetsuits must be 5mm thick or less.
8. Swimwear must be 100% textile material, which is defined as materials consisting of natural and/or synthetic, individual and non-
consolidated yarns used to constitute a fabric by weaving, knitting, and/or braiding. Simply put, this would generally refer to suits
made only from nylon or Lycra that do not have any rubberized material such as polyurethane or neoprene. Swimwear may not cover the
neck, extend past the shoulder, nor extend past the knees. Swimwear may contain a zipper. A race kit may be worn underneath
swimwear.
Concerns were several. Most obvious were dozens or hundreds of competitors registered at wetsuit-legal Ironman events that had
invested six-hundred dollars or more in De Soto's Water Rover, a wetsuit that featured panels exceeding the 5mm max rule thickness.
On the subject of swimskins, according to two manufacturers who spoke to Slowtwitch, the intent of Ironman in its rule (8) above, was
to parallel FINA's rules on such racing apparel. But this new Ironman rule seemed to mirror FINA's rules on pool swimming, not the
World swimming governing body's more relaxed rules on open-water swimming. Further, FINA's rules contain a sunset period, typical
whenever a governing body in any sport intends to ban a previously legal class of equipment.
The other concern, voiced by two executives at USAT, is whether Ironman had followed its own stated policy—and USAT's
requirement—to apply for and be granted a dispensation from USAT's rules. USA Triathlon has no rule prohibiting wetsuit thickness or
against the use of swimskins in swim events, so, for Ironman to ban such apparel should require a dispensation.
Ironman has not yet submitted any of its rule dispensation requests for 2010 to USAT, but, Meckfessel maintains that most or all
dispensation topics have been discussed for months, going back to the Clearwater event in November, and Ironman and USAT have a
verbal understanding on many or most of the rule variances. The submission of this list of dispensations to USAT by Ironman is
imminent.
Might this prohibition on these two garment classes return? Perhaps, depending on what dispensations have been requested of USAT.
In any case, neither class of garment will be prohibited until, at the earliest, September 1 of 2010, the commencement of Ironman's
qualifying season, according to Meckfessel.
Asked if January 1, 2011 is another, potential, and logical, date of implementation, Meckfessel agreed.
The decision to allow both wetsuits and swimskins gives Ironman an opportunity to fine tune the crafting of these new rules, assuming
such dispensations are granted. Is a 5mm wetsuit one that has any panel exceeding 5mm? Or rubber coverage that, on average, does
not exceed 5mm? What about 5mm seams? Or rubber that is 5mm nominally but, during the bun-slicing process at a rubber
manufacturer, has panels that vary from 4.8 to 5.5mm?
The swimskin rule is likewise still unclear. It appears that FINA is disallowing polyurethane or SCS or other swimskin-type material
from both pool and open water events, but is not enacting the coverage prohibitions in the Ironman rule (8) above.
[9]

10. The Board of Directors, Sponsors
and The Calendar of Upcoming Events...
Board of Directors We would like to extend a
• Steve Anderson - Membership Director generous thank you to our
• Tiffany Byrd - Uniform Director truly amazing sponsors!
• Trish Cudney - Social Director
• Greg Gallagher - Event Director
• Natalie Gallagher - Newsletter Director
• Ben Greenfield - Website Director
• Mark Hodgson - Mentor Director
• Jim Powers - Vice President
• Tim Swanson - Treasurer
• Jessi Thompson - Secretary
• Roger Thompson - President
• Kathy Worden & Jen Polello - Kids Club
Co-Directors
Feb.-March Calendar Races/Runs: Upcoming Events:
• Mar. 6th: Snake River Canyon • Kids’ Swim Clinic: Sunday, February
Half Marathon @ Pullman, WA 21st @ 8:00 am @ YMCA on
Training Opportunities: Newport Hwy. Kids ages
• OZ (Northside) Masters swimming: • Mar. 6th: Leprechaun Scurry 3 4-12, all swimming abilities,
Tues> @ 6-7:30 pm, Fri. @ 4-5:30 pm mile run @ Lake City High School $5/per child! Find the
& Sun. @ 8-9:30 am. Come join the @ CDA, ID registration form @ www.tri-
fun! fusion.com
• Mar. 14th: St. Paddy’s 5 miler @
SCC @ Spokane, WA @ 10 am • Fitness Fanatics Night: Tri Fusion
• Throughout the winter => check the Members Only shop @ FF on
Tri Forum @ Training for indoor
trainer/outdoor group rides, and/or • Tri Fusion Kids’ Tri: Tentatively on Wednesday, February 24th @
June 20th, 2010. TBA! 6 pm. Enjoy snacks,
runs.
discounts, wine drinking and
• Whitworth Masters Swim: on Mon- • Tri Fusion hosted swim for Snake socializing with your
Wed-Fri @ 8:30- pm and Sat. @
10 River’s sprint triathlon: teammates!
5:30- am. Contact
7 Swim at the north side
KevinWang@spokanewaves.org YMCA on April 16th Next Membership Meeting:
• Swim Clinics at Masters Swim Oz from 5-8 pm. 200
North on Sunday, Feb. 21 & 28 @ participant limit, so sign • March date TBA @ 6:30 p.m.: General
up early! membership meeting at the north side
8-9:30 am. Please RSVP on the Tri
Twigs.
Fusion Forum.
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