Innholdsfortegnelse for August 2016 i Triathlon Plus

RACE THIS THE BEST PLACES TO TEST YOURSELF DETAILS What The Bison Duathlon Where Dunstable Downs, Bedfordshire When 8 October 2016 THE BISON IS the UK’s newest and apparently toughest duathlon – launched by Tri One in conjunction with the Triathlon Trust (the official charity of British Triathlon) and The National Trust. A crisp fiver from every race entry will go directly to the Trust to inspire future generations to take up the sport. Rav Dighe of Tri One says: “This venue is considered a haven for gliding and kite flying, which tells you how hilly it is. The race HQ and transition area will be at the Gateway Centre, which sits on the highest point in Bedfordshire.” Choose from the Bison (13k run, 30k bike, 13k run) or the…

Let’s face it, finding enough time for triathlon training can be a real struggle. Even when you’re doing a fairly minimal two swims, two rides and two runs per week it still seems like a lot. The prospect of adding an additional strength session or two can seem impossible with a full-time job and a family. So what’s the solution if you’re strapped for time? Should you ditch strength training in favour of the swim, bike and run? Or should you head to the gym in your muscle-vest and ignore the triathlon workouts? In this feature we’ll take a look at the evidence to help you make the right decision. And if you decide to go ahead with strength training we’ll give you some simple suggestions to get you started.…

If you’re getting bored of plodding up and down at your local pool, a quick shopping trip could be all you need. There are all kinds of swim toys on the market and we’ve pick eight of the simplest and best. But before you rush off to your local sports shop with your wallet in hand, it’s worth knowing that some pools don’t allow the use of certain swim toys. For example, hand paddles, fins and snorkels are often banned at local authority leisure centres, where stringent health and safety rules prevail. You can usually use them at gyms, hotels and school pools or in club sessions. Aside from that, swim toys are a great addition to your swim bag. 1 Finis Tempo Trainer Pro theendurancestore.com £31.50 This small yellow…

That great Australian running coach, Percy Cerutty, once laid out what he considered to be the essential points of running a marathon; run a hundred miles in a week, be able to run 10 miles in 50 minutes, comfortably do a training session of three by five miles at speed. Okay, hands up at the back all you triathletes and distance runners out there who regularly do that in training? However there are thousands upon thousands of runners who will go out perhaps three or four times a week and run maybe between five to 10 miles each time, putting in a longer run as marathon destiny approaches and they will finish the marathon and be rightly proud that they have done so. What Cerutty had described was how to…

WHAT TO LOOK FOR Comfort Don’t just look at your reflection in the fitting room – crouch down, bend into an aero position, jog on the spot, perform a swim action. If you feel any restriction, or chafing, it’s not the suit for you Chafe-free zip Look for flaps of material that sit correctly, a garage (protective pocket to cover the zip head) or just good design that prevents the zip from coming into contact with skin. Comfy chamois These vary from fleecy material to technical pads and you’ll only find the one that suits you after trial and error by comparing and trying. Be prepared to invest in different suits for different distances. Ventilation You can’t perform well if you’re suffocating in your suit. Look for fabric that wicks…

TOP TIP Find three or four swimmers roughly the same standard as you. A large, mixed-ability group really doesn’t work for anyone. Be sure to do a warm-up swim and warm down of at least 400m before and afterwards. INTERVALS Alternate race-pace efforts and recovery between buoys so you swim at race pace between the first pair of buoys, and then recover at a steady pace between the next pair. Try not to draft but swim side by side in pairs, swimming three sets of 400m to 750m depending on ability. TIPS: • If there is a short stretch between two buoys, then kick hard to mimic the final part of a swim to get some more blood into your legs before standing up. • Keep the race pace effort…

STAY COOL Wetsuits are designed to be tight and absorb water, so if you’re hot and sweaty you’ll never get one on. If you’re hot find a shady spot and cool down before attempting to put it on. LUBE UP Before you start, put plenty of wetsuit lube around your ankles, shins, wrists and forearms. This helps get it on but more importantly with getting it off fast when the clock is running. Put some lube at the back of your neck to avoid chafing. TIP: Use specialist wetsuit lube as petroleum-based versions will rot your suit IN THE BAG Put a plastic bag over each foot to help slide the wetsuit on. Pull the leg as high as you can, a good few inches above your ankle. Then whip…

Try to repeat these once or a twice a week • FRONT PLANK Raise yourself onto your elbows, keeping them beneath your shoulders. Hold yourself straight and tight, engaging your abdominals to hold you steady. Hold for 60 seconds. • SIDE PLANK Turn on your side, resting on your elbow and forearm. Raise your hips to keep a straight line between your head and feet. Keep your core engaged and squeeze your abs to maintain your balance. Hold for 60 seconds each side. • SCISSORS This will train your lower core as well as simulate the front crawl kick. Lie on your back, with your lower back pressed into the ground and raise your legs. Then, flutter your feet from your hips in a freestyle kick motion. Maintain for 30…

Triathlon is much more than swim, bike, run. Whether you are focusing on a super sprint, a standard or an Iron distance there are no quick fixes to meeting your potential. Of course, it helps greatly if you can run a sub-35 minute 10k or swim a 19 minute 1,500m before you take up the sport, but talent in one discipline (or even all three) does not necessarily make a successful triathlete. In the years that I’ve been coaching, I’ve been lucky enough to work with some very talented triathletes. What working with these athletes has taught me is it’s not those with the most talent who tend to make it to the top. You can interpret ‘top’ as any level you like, but the principles are the same at…

Many athletes come to triathlon as accomplished runners or cyclists, but many are relatively new to swimming. A lack of swimming over the years brings with it two potential sources of injury: • A sudden increase in training volume • Technique flaws Many thousands of repetitions are performed during a swim session. Take the example of an athlete who swims 20 strokes per 25m, 2.5k a session, three times each week: That’s 72,000 strokes over three months! It doesn’t take long to compound a flaw and increase the risk of injury. At Manchester Triathlon Club we subscribe to the Swim Smooth directive and from the culmination of thousands of hours of video analysis and coaching, it identifies five common stroke flaws that can lead to injury: 1) Crossing over the…

YOU DID IT THE BEST PLACES TO TEST YOURSELF DETAILS What Eastbourne Triathlon When Sunday 12 June Where Eastbourne, East Sussex Fancy it? The Eastbourne Triathlon is provisionally booked for the first weekend in June 2017. See eastbournetriathlon.com for confirmation THE RACE AT A GLANCE Starters 197 Finishers 151 Weather A real ‘mixed bag’. Glorious sun gave way to overcast, but warm, skies, then downpours. Air max 13 degrees; Water max 15 degrees Sea conditions Calm with some slight ‘chop’ from the wind and a challenging current on the first 100m (until the first buoy) Distance Sprint Plus 600m swim, 25k bike, 5k run. Goodies Event T-shirt, commemorative mug and goody bag, containing designer sunglasses and 32Gi Sports gel. Free athlete massage, music and finish line photos. Distinguishing features A…

I had that common affliction recently: that moment when you suddenly realise your throat is sore, the onset of sneezing begins, and suddenly you feel your training programme is in jeopardy. Before you know it, a whole week of training has been missed and it can feel like the end of the world. However, for the first time in as long as I can remember, I was quite relaxed about this. My coach enforced this laissez-faire attitude with: “There’s nothing you can do about it. Just rest and get some work done.” Sure, for us day-jobbers it’s actually quite a relief to have something else to occupy you when you’re laid off from training. I can’t imagine how tough it would be as a professional athlete, unable to train and…

What is it? When we run or do any exercise that involves impact loading, a force is passed back up through our body called ground reaction. All of the tissues within our bodies such as muscles, ligaments, tendons and bones react to firstly absorb this force but also to generate energy to push our body forwards for the next step. If there is a mismatch in the way our tissues absorb this force (for example through weakness or injury), the load is focused to the other structures. If this force exceeds what that structure is capable of absorbing then injury occurs. Stress fractures are the result of too much force being put through a bone, causing that bone to swell and eventually potentially crack. How to identify it Stress fractures…

One thing is certain, when it comes to the EVZero range they’re not for shy retiring riders. But, the ‘out there’ look doesn’t disappoint when it comes to performance on the road. Oakley claims they cut glare, maximise contrast and visibility and are comfortable enough to wear all day. Well, there’s no argument from us. The clarity and glare reduction was superb on sunny days with no light leakage around the periphery of the lenses. However when things turned cloudy, they made things look a bit gloomy, although clarity of vision was still good, with road detail easily spotable. The wrap-around design blocked out dust and wind efficiently and the lightweight frames fitted well alongside our bike helmet and were so comfortable we forgot we were wearing them. Plus as…

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. JULY SATURDAY 23 & SUNDAY 24 JULY CASTLE HOWARD TRI Distance: Standard North York Moors castletriathlonseries.co.uk SUNDAY 31 JULY OWLER TRIATHLON Distance: various Julie Rose Stadium, Ashford, Kent, TN24 9QX trispiritevents.com AUGUST SATURDAY 6 AUGUST THE ANGLIAN TRIATHLON Distance: various Cromer, Norfolk, NR27 9AU theanglian.co.uk SAT 6…

Bikes on test RIDLEY HELIUM SL20 £3,599.99 BMC’S TEAM MACHINE SLR02 £3,399 CANYON ULTIMATE CF SLX £3,599 Tech talk Cable routing Internal cable routing presents a tidy and potentially maintenancefree approach that shields cables from road muck, while external routing makes it easier for the home mechanic to maintain and adjust their bike. Groupset The family of components from which the essential moving parts (chainset, derailleurs, brakes) are taken. The big three manufacturers are Shimano, Campagnolo and SRAM. Chainset Historically, most road bikes have featured a ‘standard’ 53/39 chainset, but a 52/36 ‘midcompact’ or 50/34 ‘compact’ set-up is fast becoming the norm. The smaller the numbers, the easier the gear is to turn. Cassette The block of gears fitted at the rear wheel hub. In this case, the lower the…

It’s easy to lose motivation when you’re battling the monotony of lane swimming, but putting in the time is the only way you’ll really improve your stroke. However, swimming with no focus will soon see you hitting a disheartening plateau, which is why we’ve filled this section with drills to boost your speed, plus exercises to improve your technique, which will, in turn, help you to swim faster for longer. There’s also some handy hints on breathing. You may think it’s pretty obvious but a few expert hints and exercises could make a difference to your race.…

Given that breathing is a natural, instinctual function, you’d expect it to be one of the easier parts of swimming strongly. However, breathing while swimming can be many triathlete’s Achilles’ heel. Whether you are gasping for air, getting mouthfuls of water with each breath or simply struggling to find a natural rhythm, most triathletes have an area in which they can improve. We’ve collated the top five problems, along with solutions to help you gain control over this fundamental part of swimming. 1 Shoulder-dominated roll Problem: Your breathing efficiency is largely dictated by your body position in the water. Many triathletes turn their head independently of their body, which stretches the neck muscles and gives a sub-optimal mouth position relative to the water, using the shoulders as the catalyst. Solution:…

It is amazing the number of triathletes who arrive at the water’s edge completely under prepared for their first swim in open water. Nobody knows how they are going to react to entering the water for the first time so it’s always a good idea to attend a managed and coached session, usually run by a local triathlon club. TRAINING It is essential you train for open water in the pool. It is about using drills to give you the confidence to deal with the new environment. Learn about sighting and how its action affects your swim stroke, using a triathlon club session to swim without lane ropes and swimming across the diagonals of the pool. GETTING IN Here is a step-by-step guide to help you ease your way into…

For any triathlete choosing the right pair of goggles is important and it can be an absolute minefield: get it wrong and you might be in pain, have reduced vision or simply be victim to constant leakage. However, get it right and you’ll hardly notice them at all. Here’s our quick-fire guide to choosing the right type for you, so you can get down to the business of swimming a PB. OPEN WATER Open-water goggles have to contend with the most challenging conditions. You can experience bright sunlight and glare, cold temperatures, limited underwater visibility plus the need to sight buoys or landmarks. This means polarised or photochromatic lenses are desirable to filter out sunlight and glare, while anti-fog coatings and a wide field of vision are essential to maintain…

FTP or ‘Functional Threshold Power’ is defined as the maximum power that you could sustain for an all-out one-hour time trial. Doing an ‘ FTP test’ allows you to set training zones to work towards for future training sessions, as well as guide your effort during a race. HOW DO I DO A TEST? Do either an eight or a 20 minute all-out effort and take either 90 per cent or 95 per cent of the average power, respectively as your FTP. It’s often recommended that FTP tests are performed after every six weeks of consistent training, but my advice is that this is not always necessary. If you are noticing a lower heart rate for a given power output during an interval, then you know it is time to…

THE BENEFITS OF RUNNING IN THE FAT-BURNING ZONE There has been a lot of recent debate about diets; which will best help you lose body fat while maintaining muscle mass. However, diet is only one part of the equation and you need to spend time in the fat-burning training zone (also known as zone 2/endurance zone/light zone) to maximise results. KEY BENEFITS: • Training in the fat-burning zone helps you become more efficient at utilising fat as a fuel for exercise. • Fat-burning can help you get leaner, especially when you train in a ‘fasted-state’. • It is suggested burning fat is less toxic to the body compared to burning glycogen, because burning glycogen creates reactive oxygen species that can cause inflammation and muscle soreness. • Training in the fat-burning…

AFTER MONTHS of speculation and wonder, the day of reckoning finally dawned. Outside Leeds Civic Hall, the most famous faces in triathlon gazed down on us from giant posters. Inside the opulent building, six empty stools had been arranged before a dramatic backdrop of Copacabana Beach. In a few moments they’d be filled with our Olympic hopefuls. But, with all eyes focused on the sixth seat, there was just one question on everyone’s lips. Who had made the final slot on the men’s team? Would it be Gordon Benson or Tom Bishop hopefully steering the Brownlee brothers to glory on the Brazilian podium? One by one, each athlete was introduced – and came forward to receive their formal selection notice from the British Olympic Association to join Team GB in…

ON A ROLL SECRETS OF SUCCESS INDIA LEE Age 28 Home Winchester Occupation GB Triathlete Career highlights Gold at ETU Elite Triathlon European Championships and Cagliari ITU Triathlon World Cup 2016; competing at the Rio test event 2015; twice winner of Blenheim Palace Triathlon 2016 and 2015. Winner at Hever Castle Triathlon 2014 THIS YEAR IS going so well that it’s hard to believe I only took up triathlon three years ago. With a sports scholarship to high school, I swam and ran pretty seriously until the age of 14 when I focused solely on running. Later, a two year scholarship to race and study for a Masters in Sports Science at Iowa State University was one of the best things ever. But I returned at 23 quite tired and…

WHAT IRONMAN 70.3 STAFFORDSHIRE WHEN 12 JUNE WHERE SHUGBOROUGH, STAFFS Pocket rocket Lucy Gossage fought under par run fitness and a nasty bike crash to retain her title at a dramatic Ironman 70.3 Staffordshire. Afterwards the champ retweeted a dramatic photo of her hunched over her bike, head down, battling through the rain with the caption: “This sums up how miserable my ride was on Sunday.” The defending champion was almost six minutes behind as she exited Chasewater, with Lucy Charles once again leading the swimmers. Although Gossage was expected to take the lead early on the bike that role fell to fellow Brit Kimberley Morrison with Gossage suffering a crash that left her entering T2 more than two minutes behind. It was only with 10km to go in the…

Four years on from 2012 Vicky Holland is a very different athlete to the domestique who played a supporting role to Helen Jenkins. Today, the Commonwealth champion and regular World Series race champion reveals her Rio medal dreams, housesharing with one of her biggest rivals and the recurring race-nightmare that affects all triathletes. It’s midnight New Year’s Eve 2016 – what would you most like to be looking back on and celebrating? Ah, without a doubt – Rio…. Having a successful race there and hopefully bringing back a medal. Do you mind which colour medal? Obviously I want the gold but if I come away with a medal I’d be pretty chuffed! How different does it feel going into these Olympics compared to London? Very different. I went to London…

FAST FOOD TO FIX YOUR BODY I LOVE curries, especially this one, which is vegetarian and has the bonus that you can add any vegetables you like to it, such as pumpkin or sweet potato, to boost its complex carbohydrate content. Tofu is a soybean curd, which is an excellent source of grade 1 protein, particularly if you have a vegetarian diet, and has a high biological value. To make tofu, soymilk is coagulated which leads to the separation of the curds from the whey. The resulting curds are then pressed and compacted into the gelatinous white blocks. Tofu contains all of the essential amino acids for growth and repair after training. Tofu is low in fat, has no cholesterol, is gluten free and is full of iron, calcium, magnesium,…

BRAND NEW BIKES PUT THROUGH THEIR PACES “The shallower front wheel, beautifully balanced handling and aerodynamics keep it confident on descents” 1 FIRST RIDE Designed with the expertise of Olympic gold medallist Chris Boardman, it’s a strikingly clean aero design with integrated front brake buried in the fork, hidden rear brake and blended seatpost. The battery for the electric shifting is mounted inside the seatpost, the cable for the front brake runs inside the fork. There’s no compromise on comfort, confident handling or braking performance. 2 FAST RIDE There’s no brutal rigidity to the power delivery but it’s no flyweight either. The Dura Ace crank in the BB30 bottom bracket shell certainly doesn’t squander power. The close ratio 11-25 tooth rear cassette keeps electric gear shifts almost imperceptible. You’ll suddenly…

Open-water training is imperative before any triathlon and there’s no excuse not to get down to your nearest lake and put in some decent training hours. Many lakes offer swim sessions or coached sessions. We always recommend coached sessions, but if you’d like to go it alone make sure the lake has a life guard on hand. Take some friends and practise some of our recommended open-water drills to make the most of your time. Plus it’s a great way to check your wetsuit fits you and your goggles work in the glare of the sunlight rather than just in the pool.…

Tracking your physical activity has become popular in recent years with hardware you can take with you becoming increasingly hardwired into our everyday lives. As testament to this, we’ve performed a test of the latest wearable technology that can help you track your swimming goals. But what exactly can be recorded, and how can these metrics help you in your training? GPS GPS is the go-to tool for triathletes looking to record their bike and run sessions because it not only records where you’ve been, but uses the GPS satellites to verify your speed so no there are more calibration issues. The same benefit can be found with open water swimming, as some watches are able to accurately track how far you’ve swum in conditions without accurate markers, in scenarios…

1 Sharrah Pool, River Dart, Dartmoor Sharrah Pool is the largest and best pool on this wild and wonderful river stretch in the forested Dart Valley nature reserve. It’s also the birth place of Charles Kingsley, author of The Water Babies, so no better place to return to your natural state. You might also explore Bellpool Island just downstream, and upstream are the Mel Pools, a range of smaller pools, including a few good chutes if you have an inner tube. *Descend to river from Holne and bear L along a good path for 40 mins to find this long narrow pool. 40 mins, 50.5301, -3.8396 2 Outney, River Waveney, Suffolk The River Waveney was the favourite river of Roger Deakin, forefather of the wild swimming movement. I love the…

ABOUT THE CLUB Manchester Triathlon club (Man Tri) is the largest club in the north west with 500 members. The club was set up in 1988 by John Moore, a cyclist who wanted to get on the national squad. The first Chairman of the club, Rob Arnold, is still an active member. Weekly, they offer 11 swim sessions, a Wattbike session, two spin sessions, two track sessions, three strength and conditioning sessions as well as a Sunday ride. They cater for all abilities, with three categories of training session: development, intermediate and advanced. Top performers for the club include Alex Lawton (2015 British age-group champion, racing with TORQ Triathlon Team), Alex Foster (2015 British age-group champion, racing with ChampionSystem/VCUK Race Team), Stewart Moore (2015 ETU Aquathlon Silver Medallist), Alice Sharpe…