Square Peg in a Round Hole

I was recently reminded during a conversation that opinions are like noses...everyone has one. The style of shoe you wear, training principles, the height of your bike seat, water, no water, why athletes are getting slower, if biking makes you a faster runner. There is no ONE great shoe, no BEST thing to eat before running, and definitely no BEST way to train. Yes there are rules that guide us when making choices but there are no laws per say, we are not all round pegs.
Often individuals are swayed by what someone they know does or uses or what they see the pros do to guide their initial choice and then suffer the process of trial and error to see what works for them. The trial and error method while time consuming is the most efficient way to see what you like in a shoe, the style of clothes that wick your sweat the best and the gels that have the perfect combination of taste and absorption. The critical thing about you is that once you find that magic bullet it will work; until it doesn?t. The reason there is no ?one? best thing is because you are transient. You change with sleep, stress, injury, age and adaptation to training stresses. So what that means is what worked today might not work tomorrow.
As a coach I have seen athletes get slower with speed work, faster with volume, enjoy training more the less they do, and the complete reverse of all of that. As athletes get stronger they may be able to change the level of control their shoes have, the type of bike they ride or the distance they race. The key to longevity in sport is variability. When things stop working don?t be afraid to try something new. Every day there are new advancements in our understanding of the human body and how it works. I hear they have found a square hole!
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At the races David Conroy participated in the National Capital Kayak with a 4k paddle, 20k bike and 5k run while Devon King raced the Sprint (500/15/4) in 1:15:56 and Adam Doxtator rocked the OAT Short Course (500/15/4) under 15 men placing 4th overall in 51:55.
Kingston hosted the Ktown races with a short course, short course Duathlon and a long course. In the Duathlon (4/30/7.2) were Danny Rose (2:10:36), Sharon Voteary (2:02:28), Jay Moxness (1:48:16), Tom Fleming (1:51:59) and Michelle Pothier (2:03:22). In the short course tri (750/30/7.2) were Ray Stockermans (1:44:48), Breanne Gibson (1:45:31), Joseph Turner (1:51:39), JF Forth (1:48:15), Donna Lott (1:49:06), Cynthia Martineau (2:17:57), Lynn Noonan (2:04:32), Cathy Speedy (2:21:15), Diane Harper (2:05:20), Erik Kolga (1:45:48), Stacey Berdan (1:54:35) and Greg Kerr (2:08:27).
Doing the long course (2/56.2/15) as part of his Ironman prep Kevin Beatty crossed the line in 2:56:01 placing him first in his age group and 5th overall. Kevin was joined by Cuthbert Cheung (4:02:04), Bryan Dunham (4:11:49), Eric Lindenberg (3:45:48), Eric Travis (3:16:36), Jeff Walsh (3:12:58) and Celine Griffen (3:55:47).