There’s an old adage in triathlon that says don’t try any kit for the first time in a race but when I received a brand new Planet X Exocet time trial bike the day before an event, I couldn’t resist.

Not only was this a new bike, it was the first time I’d ridden with a time trial set up. Following a bike fitting session with Andy Sexton of Bike Science, the riding position was radically different to anything I’d ever tried before. The saddle was about 4cm higher than my road bike and so far forward I thought I would fall over the front. The absence of drop handlebars left me feeling dangerously exposed with far too little to hold on to.

My first impression on leaving transition was, “help! I’m a long way off the ground.” I struggled to slip my feet into my shoes and managed to trap my toes between the pedals and the road and removed a good portion of a toe nail. Obviously I should have practised the running mount technique in advance but I’d had no time. I hadn’t expected it to be so different to the road bike.

Date: 15 August 2010

Location: Bedford

Format: Olympic Distance (1.5k swim/41.5k bike/ 10k run). Mini distance also available.

Organiser: Galeforce Events

Website: www.galeforce-events.com

The quiet, unassuming town of Bedford seems an unlikely venue for one of the most competitive events of the season. In contrast to some of the mass participation events such as London or Windsor, Bedford attracts a smaller contingent of athletes (but still significant at around 600 people), but many of those who compete are among the best in the country for their respective age groups.

This year they came because the race doubled as both the National Age Group championships and as part of the National Series. In previous years the race has been a qualifier for World or European Championships.

These athletes expect a slick event over a testing but fair course. They weren’t disappointed.

Race HQ is in a scenic park along the banks of the River Great Ouse, where the swim takes place. The swim presents a couple of unique challenges. Firstly, the river through Bedford is relatively narrow so the swim start was unusually congested as triathletes battled for the best line. On top of that, the organisers only allowed five minutes between waves, which was simply not enough. The fastest swimmers from the later waves tended to hit the mid pack of the preceding wave at the only turning point.

World Class Warm Downs

Triathlete Europe have compiled recovery techniques from a wide field of sports specialists. From premier league football club physiotherapists to ultradistance running champions, this article contains advice from people who have worked and competed in sport for years. The more triathlon-specific of the assembled advice comes from of former Ironman 70.3 World Champion Samantha McGlone, and Professional Cyclist Levi Leipheimer. The article includes recommendations for several recovery drinks and compression clothing products. There is also important guidance on how to look after your body during long flights abroad and a brief explanation of why you might want to take a dip in an ice bath.

Source: http://triathlete-europe.competitor.com/2010/08/27/triathlon-tips-pro-rules-recovery/

Nutrition Tips From Triathlon Ireland.

This in-depth article  from Triathlon Ireland provides any endurance sport fanatic with an ideal skeleton around which to build a nutrition plan. Not only will it teach you the seven “pillars of nutrition” there are clear, concise explanations about different nutrients, their importance and roles within the body. Whats more there are several suggestions for what constitutes a “portion” with real-life foods you are sure to find in your kitchen cupboards, so after reading this you will know not only if you’re eating the right things, but also the right amount of each foodstuff to eat. In addition to all the talk about food, this article also explains some of the effects of inadequate hydration and how to counter these effects. Triathlon Ireland advise athletes to weigh themselves before and after exercise, 1 litre of water weighs precisely one kilogram, so this quick check can help you work out how much you need to drink after a workout to maintain hydration.

Team TFN Holding The Outlaw Triathlon's Finishing Tape (Picture Credits: Dave Tyrell)

Triumphant TFN Tear Up The Outlaw Triathlon.

 

 

 

 

A relay team comprised Helen Gorman, Lucy Gossage and Louise Collins won the Nottingham-based Irondistance race overall in 8:52:15. Two of the three TFN team members are currently preparing for Ironman Hawaii later in the year and were invited by sponsors to participate in the race in a relay format. Paul Hawkins from Manchester was the first individual to finish the race, his first ever win at Irondistance, coming in 9:11:44. James Doust, hailing from New Zealand, completed the course in 9:21:19 to come second whilst third place came from Yorkshireman Tom Williams in 9:24:28. First individual female across the finish line was Joanna Swallow, sister of team GBR’s Jodie Swallow. She led the women out of the swim and maintained this lead to win the women’s race in 10:45.50. Viv Clement from Cardiff was the second individual woman across the line in 11:03.24 and third was York’s Emma Rand in 11:06.03.

Source: www.triathlonmagazine.eu/home/2-news/475-hawkins-and-swallow-claim-outlaw-triathlon-wins

Following her relay team’s Outlaw Triathlon win last weekend, Tzero caught up with Lucy Gossage, an Ironman Triathlete who is currently gearing up for the Ironman Championships in Hawaii later this year.

We had just enough time to get the lowdown on the relay team who won the UK’s alternative to the official Ironman race and Lucy’s take on the race from an experienced competitor’s point of view.

Tzero: When and why did the TFN relay team come into being?

LG: TFN is an amazing triathlon club in Nottingham of which Helen, Lou and I are all members. We were invited to take part in the Outlaw as a relay team by the event sponsors, Total Fitness Nottingham, Bloc and CompresSport and obviously jumped at the chance! Both Lou and I are training for Hawaii so couldn’t really do the whole thing by ourselves. Instead we had a win-win situation – we all got some quality training in as well as having a really fun day and being part of Nottingham’s first ever Ironman! It’s great to have the opportunity to race with your friends rather than against them and being part of a team really makes you want to give 100%. Though none of us had tapered and we were all viewing it as a training day, I think when it came down to our bit, we all gave us much as we could – and that’s how Lou’s ‘jogging’ the marathon turned into a 2hr49 run. Just think what she could do if she was properly rested! One of the best bits of the day was seeing lots of TFN friends finish their first Ironman – it certainly made me realise what an amazing achievement it is to finish one!

What goes up...

Date: 8 August 2010

Location: Hawes/Semerwater, North Yorkshire

Format: Equivalent to a Middle Distance (1800m lake swim, 42 mile hilly bike, 12 mile fell run)

Organiser: Kudu Bikes Triathlon Club

Website: http://www.kbtc.co.uk/

Wensleydale triathlon is a small sized event held around the market town of Hawes in the Yorkshire Dales. Given its low key nature and bucolic surroundings, you could be led into thinking that the race might consist of a gentle day out in the countryside. However, the race has a well deserved reputation for being one of the toughest in the country: the bike route has numerous 25% climbs and rapid descents, and the run consists of getting to the top of Yorkshire’s 3^rd highest hill! Anyone competing is bound to require plenty of Yorkshire Grit (or their regional equivalent…) just to get round.

Sheep or triathletes?

James Gill, who finished 12^th in the sub 2hr30 wave, sent us this report on the London Triathlon.

Date: Sunday 8^th August 2010

Format: Olympic distance:1500m Swim / 40km Cycle / 10km Run

Organiser: Challenger World

Website: www.thelondontriathlon.co.uk

The spectacle of the London Triathlon never fails to excite. This was the 7^th time I have raced there, 5 times previously as an elite, last year as the swimmer for the Bangkok Lady Boys relay team and this year for the first time as an age grouper. Having been through medical school since last doing the Olympic course I was looking forward to returning to the London Triathlon with its revamped route. Would the run still be as “fast” as the old course?

I think the one thing that strikes me each year above anything else at the London Triathlon is the number of bikes in transition. Nowhere else in the world is there such a gathering of triathletes competing in one place. This attracts just about every major triathlon retailer to the expo. My friends at Total Fitness were there, as were Speedo who had brought and endless pool for so their new TriathELITE wetsuits could be tried on the spot. I enquired if the pool had a jacuzzi setting for after my race……. they agreed to look into it for next year!!

Image: Brett Hochfeld

Challenger World claim the London Triathlon to be the world’s largest and there’s no doubt it attracts thousands of competitors and spectators. This August the crowds seemed better managed than in previous years. Parking was available for all competitors at the venue compared to the gravel strewn wasteland a 20 minute walk away that was on offer last year, although still irritatingly expensive at £15. The tailbacks to approach the ExCel centre were also considerably shorter than usual. We don’t know however whether this was due to improved planning or simply luck.

The most notable change though was the reconfigured layout of the transition and expo areas and the new four-lap run route. The fresh combination seemed to work a lot better than the old setup, enabled faster transitions and reduced congestion approaching the swim start. The swim route was also reversed in direction making it easier for spectators to watch competitors battling out the mass start. We liked that the market buoys were bright yellow this year instead of dark blue as they have been on other occasions.

An Ironman Machine.

The cogs and wheels of a bike are plain to see, but the components of human muscle are much less clear. A little background biology and some time invested in bike set up can help you towards faster, more comfortable cycling. There are consequences of the speed at which you pedal and the gears you use that can affect your race day performance. Your position on the bike can also improve your training and racing, whilst gadgets like tri-bars can see your splits shrink.

How Do Muscles Work And Why Does It Matter To A Triathlete?

A detailed knowledge of sports physiology may not seem like the fastest way to a new PB, but if you understand how your body works, you are in a better position to fine-tune it through training effectively than someone who is blindly powering through junk miles. We’ll start with the body tissues that get you up in the morning; muscles.

Build your base with bricks!

Brick sessions are excellent for practising transitions and an effective way to build your fitness up specifically for triathlon. This article, written by Lance Armstrong’s coach Chris Carmichael, will guide you through brick sessions suitable for laying the foundation for your fitness next season, how to build up to racing and also what Chris calls ’specialisation’ sessions. The specialisation section will be most useful to triathletes in the short term, perhaps use it to pep up your mid-season routine with some race preparation work-outs. The foundation sessions are probably best saved until you’ve had a rest after this season’s racing! This article is comprehensive enough to cover triathlons from sprint distance up to Ironman, and brick sessions themselves are applicable throughout the sport.

Source: ironman.com/training/21#axzz0upWCFo9j

What is your wattage? and why does it matter?

If you want to change the way you train on the bike for the better, check out Christopher Krautz’s introduction to using wattage as a guide. Wattage is an ideal way to gauge your effort and performance because it is independent of many factors such as the bike you are on, the tyres it has and the terrain. Not only does Krautz explain why feedback in the form of Watts is better than more traditional heart rate based training or simply guesstimating the workload you have given yourself, but he also goes into the nuts and bolts of how a power meter works.