Innholdsfortegnelse for February 2016 i Triathlon Plus

THERE’S NOTHING MORE natural and environmentally friendly than cycling, running and swimming in the great outdoors. Or is there? Race organisers are becoming increasingly concerned about the massive carbon footprints we triathletes are leaving when we train and race. “It’s easy to say that we all ride bikes and therefore we are ‘green’,” says Adam Moffat, event director of OSB Events (One Step Beyond). “But triathletes usually arrive at events by car, often not car sharing because you can’t fit enough bikes and passengers into most vehicles.” And that’s before you move on to discarded gel packets and bottles, air miles, path erosion and the impact on the local community. Some companies are now taking steps to make the sport greener. Bruno Lebeda and Carlton Rowlands, founders of Evergreen Endurance…

SECRETS OF SUCCESS GORDON BENSON Age 21 Home Leeds Day job University of Leeds Career GB gold medallist at 2015 Baku European Games; Gold at 2015 Melilla ETU Triathlon European Cup, 2014 ITU World Triathlon Grand Final, Edmonton, 2014 Penza ETU Triathlon U23 and Youth European Championships; won the Peter Holmes Award for Inspirational Performance in International Competition Men’s European Games Team I WAS born, bred and still live in Leeds so I’m lucky that I’ve been able to train with the best in the world without having to move. I played rugby and football at the Grammar School At Leeds (GSAL) but I wasn’t particularly good. At 14, I entered an aquathlon, and afterwards I was invited to join a training session at the Yorkshire Triathlon Academy. One of…

WHEN 29 NOVEMBER 2015 WHERE PENRITH, NEW SOUTH WALES WINNERS DAVID MAINWARING (AUS) 3:48:24 ANNABEL LUXFORD (AUS) 4:08:29 New South Wales athlete David Mainwaring celebrated his first victory at the 70.3 distance while Annabel Luxford broke Caroline Steffen’s winning streak at Ironman 70.3 Western Sydney in Penrith. After only two Ironman distance races, runner-up Jake Montgomery has made it clear he is one to watch for the future. The Australian triathlete only recently made the switch from short course to long distances but has already become a familiar face on the prize podium. In a carbon copy of his day at Ironman 70.3 Mandurah earlier in November Montgomery led until late in the run before being caught by Mainwaring. “I’m happy again with second,” he said after the race. “When…

After you’ve given some thought to your goals, weaknesses and races it’s time to start making your long-term plan. There are lots of ways to divide up your year, and ultimately there’s no right or wrong. Make sure your plan is realistic, includes adequate recovery, and is suited to your personal needs. You can invent your own plan and call the different phases whatever you like. For example, you could have a “focus on being a better swimmer phase” if that’s something you feel you need. Here I will show you the Joe Friel version from his book The Triathlete’s Training Bible. He divides each macro-cycle into six distinct phases. PREP PHASE This period is all about preparing your body and mind to start regular training. It would typically last…

THIS is a big calorie recipe full of goodness and winter warmth. SWEET POTATO The sweet potato gives a good carbohydrate content, important for topping up the carbohydrate stores before or after training. Sweet potato is lower on the index than normal potatoes and will be slowreleasing into your carbohydrate stores throughout the day or night. It is a good source of beta carotene a precursor to vitamin A and a good source of C, B1, B2, B3, B6 and many minerals. It also acts as antioxidant to help recover from oxidative damage that occurs through aerobic training. With the additional fat content it will aid absorption of the vitamin A. Plus, it’s rich in fibre to keep your digestive system working. Watch out for the spices though and don’t…

BRAND NEW BIKES PUT THROUGH THEIR PACES 1 FIRST RIDE Cannondale’s latest CAAD 12 chassis proves metal can still compete with carbon composites, especially when price is an issue. The complete bike weight is half a kilo lighter than similar priced carbon bikes we’ve tested, while the fit and balance is obviously combat rather than cruise-oriented with a healthy stretch to the low bar position. There’s a matching sense of poise and precision, too. 2 FAST RIDE The combination of oversized axle Cannondale SI crank and big volume frame tubes fire you forwards with a sense of power. It doesn’t take many turns of the crank before you notice how smooth the small to big ring shift is as you charge up through the gears. It doesn’t struggle to hold…

Triathletes can be susceptible to knee injuries for a number of reasons, but very often running is the cause, mainly because of the highimpact nature of the activity. Those triathletes with a background in a sport other than running, or with limited sporting experience can find they lack the conditioning to cope with the specific demands that triathlon running puts on the body. This is because running on tired legs is unavoidable when racing or training for triathlon. In addition, triathletes tend to be highly motivated and are likely to overtrain or under-recover. Therefore fatigue, acute or cumulative, can be a contributing factor to injuries. Also, modern lifestyles that involve a lot of sitting, whether it’s at work or behind the wheel of a car, do not help prepare the…

Each year, we approach the coming season with excitement, and the temptation is to get out there and train harder than we have trained before in search of a new PB. In order to improve our training, we also need to make sure recovery is given a high priority so we can make the all important gains. On top of getting a good night’s sleep – we recommend eight to 10 hours a night to our triathletes – what else can you do to maximise that recovery? 1 HYDRATE AND REHYDRATE Your body’s cells depend on you being property hydrated. Lack of hydration through water and electrolyte intake can have an adverse effect on protein synthesis. Consume at least two litres of water per day, plus extra with electrolytes added…

RACE THIS THE BEST PLACES TO TEST YOURSELF DETAILS What Dragon Duathlon Where From Anglesey to Cardiff Bay When 18 June 2016 TRI TRICK ROAD RASH Minor road rash from a bike tumble is a bit like a paper cut. Not life threatening but eye wateringly painful. Plus with grit and gravel, there’s always the chance of getting an infection. NatraSan First Aid Spray is a great new treatment to fight infections and bacteria and heal wounds. It free of harsh chemicals and sting-triggering alcohol, and is made from hypochlorous acid, a natural substance produced by the body’s immune system. With antibacterial, anti-fungal and anti-viral properties, it is safe to use around your eyes and mouth. The 100ml size (£7 from natrasanuk.com) is perfect for saddle bags. MANY AN Ironman…

Tacx SATORI SMART TURBO TRAINER £259.99 fisheroutdoor.co.uk THE SIMPLE WIRELESS smart data collection and display on a sorted trainer makes this a techno bargain. There’s a bit of DIY to bolt the brake on to the big alloy frame, then you just need to unfold the wide stance U shaped legs and adjust the cam action axle clamp so it centralises the tyre on the metal sleeve of the urethane roller. The Smart part couldn’t be easier either as the brake is battery, not mains operated. Just download the free app, press the pairing button on the brake and it’ll start feeding cadence, power, speed, elapsed time, distance and related max and average data to your phone/tablet by Bluetooth immediately. You can configure the display for various priorities and preferences,…

Adequate flexibility is important for all disciplines of triathlon to allow full range of movement and to optimise muscle function. If muscles are too stiff, this can impact on force, power production and ultimately performance. It can also place undue strain and load across the joints due to increased compressive forces, which increases the risk of over-use type injuries. It is also very important that your body has sufficient flexibility to comfortably achieve correct alignment. Flexibility is only useful if you can control it well and move efficiently with the range of movement available. The key is to achieve balance in the relationships between different muscle groups, as the body works in an orchestrated fashion where timing and interplay are critical. Over-stretching and incorrect stretching techniques can lead to an…

I need to introduce you to a couple of athletes, Jackie and Holly. Their performances? Nothing too special, but what they’ve achieved? Nothing short of extraordinary. Trust me. I’ve known Jackie half of my life, which makes it almost all of hers. I used to teach Jackie, back when the world was young and she was the PE teacher’s pet. Whenever someone was needed to make up the netball team or stay behind and help out with the younger kids’ gymnastics class, hers was always the first hand to go up. That was Jackie, and that still is Jackie. Jackie worked in a local bank and I’d see her there. I knew she was still a fitness freak and attended all the local gym classes, spin and yoga sessions. Jackie…

Buying pedals WHAT TO LOOK FOR Cleat The plastic or metal piece that bolts on to your shoe and clips into the pedal. There are three main designs: Look’s Keo, Shimano’s SPD-SL and Time’s I-Clic. Body The body of the pedal is what engages the front of the cleat and supports it to transfer power from shoe to bike. It houses the axle bearings and the sprung jaw. Binding The spring loaded section at the rear of the pedal that opens under ‘step in’ pressure and then closes to hold the shoe on to the pedal. Twisting the cleat sideways opens the binding and releases the shoe. Bearings Smooth bearings equal a smooth, durable pedal. Designs and budgets vary. Even the best bearings need to be well-sealed to stop rain,…

ABOUT THE CLUB Cardiff Triathletes was formed in 1984, making it one of the oldest clubs in the UK. It currently has about 160 members and caters for a wide variety of abilities, from the complete novice to national champions. Cardiff Triathletes has around a dozen athletes representing Great Britain as age-groupers each year, and with Ironman Wales we have a home Ironman event that many of our members target. TRAINING AREA Cardiff Triathletes train in the Cardiff area, with members coming from all over the city and surrounding area. There are six coached sessions a week. During the summer, we swim in open water at nearby Porthcawl, and we have a great relationship with Cardiff Ajax Cycling Club, who run regular cycling training at the track at Maindy and…

TIME TIP If you’re really pressed for time, perform for 15 minutes immediately after a swim session to ensure you fully work these areas. The holy grail of a strong swim is a strong body. With all the cycling and running training, it’s common for the swimming muscles to be an afterthought. A good balance of strength exercises that focus on your core, back, chest and arms will not only help make you a stronger swimmer, but will also provide a foundation to aid in injury prevention. When performing the following strength exercises on the back of a swim session or separately, it’s important to always maintain proper technique in a slow controlled manner. Poor technique can easily lead to injury. It’s better to do 10 proper push-ups than 50…

January/February With Rio looming large on the horizon, all focus this year was undoubtably going to be on making selection for Team GB for the 2016 Rio Olympics. British Triathlon launched its world class Paratriathlon programme in a blaze of glory, announcing a squad of 12 elite paratriathletes as part of its UK Sport Lottery-funded team. Make no mistake 2015 was promising to be an exciting year in the world of triathlon, but would the next 12 months live up to expectations? March The ITU season kicked off earlier than usual in Abu Dhabi with wins for Spain’s Mario Mola and USA Gwen Jorgensen. Brownlee fans were disappointed that Alistair missed the opening race due to an ankle injury, while Jonny missed out on a podium place after battling his…

WHEN 29 NOVEMBER 2015 WHERE LAGUNA PHUKET, THAILAND WINNERS RUEDI WILD (SUI) WINNERS SIMONE BRAENDLI (SUI) After leading for the entire race, victory looked almost certain for GB’s Jodie Swallow at Challenge Laguna Phuket. Alas, she hadn’t reckoned on a blistering run (in equally blistering conditions) by Swiss rival Simone Braendli who overtook her with just one kilometre to go. Swallow had got off to a brilliant start, exiting the water in the clear lead and “crushing the girls” on the bike, reported one of the race commentators. By the 5km point of the run Swallow had expanded her lead to five minutes, but Braendli was about to effortlessly slip into fifth gear and hunt her down. With just 5km to go, Braendli had narrowed the gap to 2.15 and…

It’s easy to feel like a technological packhorse when you’re trying to collate your training stats. After you’ve strapped on a heart monitor, your chosen smart watch and an iPod, it’s likely you feel quite laden down. But now the Tom Tom Runner 2 Cardio + Music offers a solution to overloaded triathletes. With a wrist strap heart-rate monitor, it is preloaded with music (although you can also add your own playlist up to 3GB), and it connects wirelessly to Bluetooth headphones, which makes the preparation for a run a whole lot simpler. The multi-sport mode makes it perfect for triathletes as it covers all indoor and outdoor training, including biking and swimming. It’s water resistant up to 40m. You can set individual goals focusing on race pace or heart-rate…

Most triathletes know what training they’re doing this week, but not many have an idea of what they’re doing in six months’ time. While this may seem a long way off, it’s important to ensure that every training session you do is part of a grand plan. Without planning ahead, you’re unlikely to find the right blend of intensity, volume, recovery and progression that you need to keep improving. In coaching terms it’s called micro-planning and macro-planning. The micro bit is all about planning the next few days in detail. Most people can manage that to some degree. It’s the macro part that we’re more interested in here, which involves thinking longer term and planning ahead. The beauty of macro-planning is that you can divide your training year into several…

Notes and key The Race List AT THE TIME of going to press, some race details were yet to be confirmed. Before entering a race, or if you can’t find your favourite event here, please contact the organisers for the most up-to-date information. Distances given are: for triathlons, swim/bike/run; for duathlons, run/bike/run; and for aquathlons, swim/run. Swim distances are in metres up to 999, then kilometres. Bike and run distances are in kilometres unless otherwise stated, with ‘M’ denoting distances are in miles JANUARY SUNDAY 10 JANUARY VELOPARK TRENT PARK MINCE PIE’S REVENGE DUATHLON Distance: 2m/10m/1m VeloPark, London, E20 3AB veloparkduathlon.com SATURDAY 16 JANUARY GO TRI – HADLEIGH PARK WINTER Distance: 1k/1k/1k Hadleigh Park, Benfleet, Essex, SS7 PP activeessex.org/events/go-tri— winter-series/ FEBRUARY SATURDAY 6 FEBRUARY VOTWO ETON DORNEY DUATHLON Distance: various…

A BIKE is the biggest outlay you’ll make when first starting out in triathlon. Consequently, it makes sense to buy something that suits your level of experience and which can grow with you as you improve your skills and get faster. We’ve assembled four tri bikes which we consider to be good options for a beginner triathlete . Firstly, and most affordably, Moda’s 2016 Mossa comes in at £1,199 and represents a lot of bike for your money. An aluminium alloy frame is matched with carbon forks and a relatively stretched out and therefore stable riding position. Also in alloy, Forme’s ATT 1.0 is worth a look, with its aerodynamic tubing and decent wheels. If you hanker after carbon, that’s covered, too. Ridley’s new Chronus borrows tube design from the…

Tackling a triathlon with a larger field can be daunting. Use these tips to help you survive the big event: 1 ORGANISATION Make sure you have everything organised the night before. Write two lists: a checklist to help you pack what you need for each discipline as well as other supplies, and a schedule of the day so you know where and when you need to be. Pre-race checklist: • Are my breakfast items sorted? • Are my race drinks and nutrition prepared? • Have I packed my race licence (If applicable)? • Have I printed the race pack and relevant maps? • Do I need sun cream? • Can I prepare my stickers in advance? 2 VISUALISATION In big events the transition zones tend to be much larger, so…

Our coaches at Cardiff Triathletes firmly believe in the benefits of incorporating high-intensity cycling sessions into our training routines to maximise cycling potential. While we’d all rather be out on the road, unfortunately British weather doesn’t allow for that all year round, but there’s still important gains to be made. Wednesday evenings are dedicated to specific sessions that focus on cadence and short power intervals. Our sessions are certainly not dull and working together in groups with music and using videos makes it all the more enjoyable. High-intensity interval training (HIIT) sessions can be completed in shorter periods of time, and you get maximum returns for your effort. This enables you to condense the training and spend more time with family. CARDIFF TRIATHLETES’ SET-UP We are lucky to have Elite…