Archive for November, 2009

Although technically not part of freestyle, the push-off from the wall while swimming in a pool is important for all swim strokes. It could be especially beneficial to those of you that race in pool based triathlons/aquathons who can’t tumble turn. Every time you push off the wall , you have an opportunity to improve your streamlined position. A good push off allows you to start each length with a little speed and good body position.

Take a glide off the wall then, then take 6 to 10 kicks (keeping your arms together in a streamlined position) and start stroking. The key is to time it properly. Do not start swimming immediately upon your feet leaving the wall. You should take a glide off the wall and then have a good strong kick before you start to pull. If you start kicking and pulling too soon or too late, you will slow yourself down from the speed that a good streamlined push-off provides.

Is a streamlined push-off in a sense cheating though? Not at all, as there are no walls in open water to push off and if you’re trying to match those who do ‘tumble’ at the end of the pool, you’re going to need all the extra ‘push’ you can get.

It is, in fact, one of the best things you can do to get faster. To become faster you’ll need to feel and know what ‘faster’ is. Due to the propulsion of the legs pushing off the wall and the reduced drag of a streamlined form, it is virtually impossible to swim any faster than the speed of a good push off. Next time you’re in the pool give it a go and notice how much quicker your body feels as it cuts through the dense water.

Don’t think of push-off’s as being a waste of time because of ‘open water’ reasoning. Yes, there are no walls in open water swimming, however if you can’t ‘tumble turn’ and compete in pool based races, a push off will assist in developing a good streamlined body position and should make you swim faster overall.

Happy training!!

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The latest subscription of ‘220 Triathlon’ landed on Saturday morning with great excitement as inside it had a full review of this years IM World Championships from Hawaii. The review of the race battles and various athlete profiles was great, along with the stunning Kona imagery.

However, what really caught my attention in the magazine was the editors choice ‘letter of the month’. To cut a long story short this guy wrote an interesting piece on how the achievements of the GB triathlon medal winners this year have been somewhat overlooked by the British media.

This is something that I’m also very disappointed with and something that needs to change. I’m sure most of the media out there still class triathlon as a ‘minority sport’. Triathlon is one of the fastest growing sports within the UK at present and with more and more regular members of the public taking up the sport I would say it’s growth maybe goes beyond the predictions of the British Triathlon Federation itself. This taken into consideration though, how many of the British media would rather write about triathlon instead of the ‘majority sports’, such as football, rugby and cricket? Get my point?

A recent response on the BBC’s site made comment on how the success of an individual in ‘minority sports’ should not be given the same status in awards ceremonies than people in ‘majority sports’. This comment came from a subscriber to the site and not one of the writers and went onto say that this was because it is much harder to excel in a sport which many people compete in, than it is for something like Ironman. Tell me you’re not shouting out loud at your PC screen at this point!

Yes, lots of people play and compete in the ‘majority sports’, like football, but most will play to a mediocre standard because these type of sports are easier to participate in, unlike the efforts involved in triathlon. Don’t get me wrong, I love football (as well as other sports) and played for the Army at a high standard so I’m not showing disrespect for any other sport here.

Perhaps this subscriber does not understand the commitment that triathlete’s make in order to excel in the sport. To compete at the top in triathlon takes a hell of a lot more than turning up for a mornings training on the football pitch and raking in ten’s of thousands of pounds per week for it. People maybe don’t realise that for most pro triathlete’s it’s more of a lifestyle choice, rather than just a job.

Another fault of the British media is that our sport of triathlon does not get as much live TV exposure as it should. I ended up watching this Octobers Ironman World Championships in Hawaii via a streamed feed from an American channel on the net. Now why couldn’t the UK broadcast this event live rather than airing a pre-recorded version four weeks later? Only recently have more of the ITU world cup events been broadcast live, however in my opinion this is still not enough.

I believe that all sports should be represented whether they are classed as ‘minority sports’ or not, and where true greats such as Chrissie Wellington emerge, they should be rewarded accordingly for their achievements. I wonder if the achievements of Chrissie will again be over-looked when the shortlists are finalised for this years BBC’s sports personality of the year?!?! What does this girl have to do to be recognised and nominated?

Well done to all GB triathletes for your achievements throughout the year, your efforts ‘do not’ go un-noticed by the fans, followers and competitors of triathlon. It’s just a shame the media don’t hold so much regard!

No further questions your honour!!

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Germany’s Michael Raelert and GB’s very own Julie Dibens claimed victory at the Foster Grant Ironman World Championship 70.3 in Clearwater yesterday. Michael Raelert earned the title and broke a course record with an overall time of 3:34:04. Julie Dibens, a top finisher at the event in recent years, held off the field and set a 70.3 course record, crossing the line at 3:59:33.

The fourth-annual event saw 1,438 athletes, ranging in age from 18 to 79 years old, officially start the 1.2-mile swim, 56-mile bike and 13.1-mile run. After cooler temperatures leading into the weekend, race day was sunny with temperatures in the low 70s F.

Men’s Top 5 Results
1. Michael Raelert, GER 3:34:04
2. Daniel Fontana, ITA 3:36:44
3. Matthew Reed, USA 3:37:40
4. Sylvain Sudrie, FRA 3:38:02
5. Joe Gambles, GBR 3:38:19

Womens Top 5 Results
1. Julie Dibens, GBR 3:59:33
2. Mary Beth Ellis, USA 4:03:49
3. Magali Tisseyre, CAN 4:05:27
4. Caroline Steffen, SUI 4:05:33
5. Laura Bennett, USA 4:07:39

You can get the full low-down on all Clearwater matters right here.

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If you manage your long runs correctly there’s no reason why your long runs can’t help you run better in runs from 10k’s to marathons, essential if you’re racing is Olympic distance or above.

Compared with other training sessions, the long run is pretty straight forward; you put one foot in front of the other and keep going between 65-75% MHR until you’ve covered the appropriate time/distance. Most pro athletes will all say that the single most important workout is the long run.

The concept of the long run really does sound so simple, but why is it that most people don’t do it right?

There are many questions about the long run, such as; why? How long? How fast? How often?

Why do we need a ‘long run’?
Long runs give you endurance, the ability to run further. Yet they can help those who are running 10k’s in Olympic distance events and not just those competing half or full Ironman events.

They strengthen the heart.
They open capillaries, speeding energy to working muscles and flushing away the waste products from tired ones.
They strengthen leg muscles and ligaments.
They help burn fat as fuel.
They help boost confidence, i.e. you know you can cover the distance.
The WILL make you faster!

How long should a ‘long run’ be?
In the running world there are general rules that apply to this that can be easily related to our triathlon training.

Time may be a better gauge than distance – The duration of the long run will vary depending on your age, fitness and the race distance or goal. The run should usually last for at least 45 minutes and can extend up to three hours for those of you preparing for Ironman or those who are real serious athletes.

By all means use your heart rate monitor or GPS watch to monitor you effort and distance, but most top coaches will say that it’s more important about running a length of time than anything else. The goal of a long run is not necessarily to cover a certain distance in a certain time, but to spend quality time on your feet.

Run 1.5 – 2 Hours – That’s the minimum, roughly 10-16 miles, needed to maintain a high endurance level. Increase your long runs by no more than 15 minutes at a time. Build up the length of the run gradually. If your longest run in training at the moment is 30-40 minutes, gradually build up to 1-1.5 hours by adding 5 minutes to your run each week. Doing too much at this stage could increase the risks of injury or illness.

How fast should you run your ‘long run’?
If you want to run the marathon leg of your Ironman in 3:30, which is 8 min per mile pace, you may think that you need to do your long runs at that pace, right?
Not necessarily. Coaches may differ in opinion over this topic but the majority say that it isn’t always logical to run your ‘long run’ at marathon pace and here are a couple of reasons why.

The idea of your ‘long run’ is to condition your body to burn fat, so you’ll be able to run long and fast. If you start running at, or near race pace in training then you’re doing nothing in training your body to burn fat because you’ll be running between 80-90% MHR, which tends to favour the precious muscle glycogen stores (carbohydrates) as the main source of fuel. Once these go then you’ll shortly follow with DNF!

Long training runs again at or near race pace could possibly lead to over-training, illness, or injury. All of which you need to avoid to make your ‘grade A’ race in tip top condition.

Fast long runs miss the point as were trying to build endurance, reducing your resting heart rate and making your heart more efficient.

The ideal pace for your long run’s is at least 1 minute below your race pace (race distance dependant) in order to maintain a relatively low effort of intensity. You should be able to conduct a conversation without discomfort.

There’s no harm walking during your longer runs for a quick break, you heart rate should still be in the favoured fat burning level of intensity and you’ll feel ready to again in no time.

How often should I run a ‘long run’?
Try to avoid running ‘long’ more than once a week. It is, after all, still a hard session. Think about rest or easy days, before or after your long run.
There’s no real reason to say that you must complete a ‘long run’ each week. Take Jeff Galloways (70’s USA 10k Olympian) theory as an alternative to a weekly long run. He recommends a simple formula, roughly one day’s gap per mile of your long run. If you’re running 12-17 miles, you can go two weeks between long runs without loosing endurance, if it’s 18-23 miles, three weeks. This theory only applies if you’re running at least 30 minutes every other day between your ‘long runs’.

There’s no hard and fast as to which day you do your ‘long run’. Most people tend to have more time at the weekends so that’s when they run. Try to find a training partner from your local club who’s about the same ability, that way the isolation will not bore you to death!

For me long runs are all about ‘time on feet’, getting the body used to the regime of one foot in front of the other for a great deal of time. I still record distance and HR figures, but for the longer runs it’s not something I tend to get all excited about.

Happy Training!!

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Now you might think of ‘hard core’ endurance athletes as being solid to the core. But I bet there are very few that actually are, ‘solid to the core’. Some of you may include abdominal/core type exercises into your dry land training, however how effective these are at developing your core is another debate. As multi-sport athletes have you ever thought of incorporating Pilates into your training to enhance your core stability?…. Thought not!!

Once the word Pilates is mentioned, people tend to envisage of group of women lying about on spongy mats not looking like they’re doing much. Well think again, as a growing number of athletes across the widest range of sports now use Pilates for everything from injury prevention to developing core strength, flexibility, suppleness, co-ordination and longer, stronger muscles. More and more sports coaches now employ structural fitness exercises based on Pilates principles.

What is Pilates?
Pilates is a body conditioning technique designed to create inner strength and flexibility without building muscles. It concentrates on strengthening the core postural muscles, namely the transversus abdominus and internal obliques (corset muscles) and multifudus (muscles of the lower back). By learning to keep these muscles stabilised while executing slow, controlled, flowing movements, tight over strained muscles will learn to relax and lengthen and weak muscles will be strengthened. In short, Pilates concentrates on strengthening the core postural muscles to achieve stability in the trunk.

Pilates has been around for many years and was originally developed by a German man called Joseph Pilates. He opened his first Pilates studio in America in 1926 and since then the form of exercise has been taught throughout the world (albeit in slightly different forms) by many, but the one thing that remains consistant are the same principles of developing inner strength and flexibility without bulk. It may take a while to get the hang of Pilates and, at first, may seem like you are doing very little, however the long term gains of Pilates in general, not just in sport, are immense.

What are the benefits of Pilates?
The ability to stabilise the core, while at the same time being able to move the limbs effortlessly, not only reduces the risk of injury (especially to the spine and supporting muscles) but improves posture.

The direct benefits of Pilates for multi-sport athletes can potentially be vast. In swimming a leaner, longer and stronger core will enable you to hold your streamline body position in the water without dropping the legs for a greater length of time. A stronger core on the bike will ensure that you get maximum power transfer to the pedals and that you are able to hold your body position without tiring. On the run, a strong core will able you to maintain your run posture with ease instead of reducing form and placing greater stresses on the body

Most of all, Pilates lengthens and stretches the muscles of the body whilst strengthening them. Lengthening and stretching our muscles is something I’ve gone on about before and is sadly lacking from most of our training plans. However it still remains one the most important elements of training if you are serious about achieving your results, as it greatly reduces the risk of injury form tight or injured muscles.

Injuries do of course happen. After a sidelining injury, gentle and careful Pilates exercises remobilise the body, easing the damaged muscles, tendons and joints back into activity. The rebalancing effects of Pilates can also help to prevent the distortions caused when you try to compensate for the part of the body that has been out of use.

Correctly executed Pilates exercises not only aid in injury rehabilitation but are themselves so controlled and low impact that they are extremely safe. What’s more, the awareness of your body that they develop enables you to avoid the same injuries or problems recurring in the future.

Remember though that Pilates is non-cardiovascular and non-fat burning exercise so we still need to engage in all the other elements of multi-sport training that enable us to achieve. If you don’t believe me that Pilates can make a difference, try it, and as Joseph Pilates once said “In ten sessions you will feel the difference, in 20 you will see the difference, and in 30 you will have a whole new body.”

Happy Training!!

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Courtesy of Carey at boundless-energy.com, this total body exercise is an excellent way of promoting functional exercise with very little equipment. The exercise targets total body, taking in most of the major muscle groups in the body.

Start off with 15 reps, each rep should take about 1 second from start to finish . 15 reps equates to 1 complete ‘set’. Look to complete 3 sets and only increase the number of exercise reps once the exercise has become very easy. Please ensure that you maintain good form during the squat phase, keeping the knees parallel to the ground and feet shoulder width apart. Also try not to hyper-extend the lower back when your arms are fully extended above your head. If you feel the resistance is to great forcing you to hyper-extend, take a step forward to reduce the resistance on the training band. If you are unable to get to a gym then please make sure that your surroundings are sufficiently adequate so you can perform the exercise safely.

Make sure that you have completed a sufficient warm-up prior to starting the exercise and that you stretch the worked muscle groups upon exercise completion.

Please understand that exercise and physical activity, including the use of equipment is potentially hazardous. Participation in physical activity may result in injury and that you choose voluntarily to take part in these activities, including using any free weights, resistance or cardio equipment. Please be fully aware of the dangers involved. Be taking part in such exercises you therefore declare yourself to be physically sound and suffering from no condition, impairment, disease, infirmity, or illness that would prevent you from participating in physical activities, or exercise, and that you must therefore assume and accept any and all risk of injury and damage.

Happy Training!!

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