Australian Triathlete September 2017

AUG/SEP 2017

ISSUE 24.8

LAURA Siddall Don’t Die Wondering

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2013 Ironman World Champion: Frederik Van Lierde

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Cover Story

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CO N T E N T S

08 Laura siddall don’t die wondering The latecomer to triathlon took the plunge and turned full-time professional, giving up a stable corporate career because she didn’t want to die wondering. Find out if it’s paid off and read all about her rise in the sport.

AUG/SEP 2017 Australian Triathlete

ISSUE 24.8

Issue 24.8 AUG/SEP 2017

LAURA Siddall Don’t Die Wondering

FEATURES

TECHTALK

TRAINING TOOLBOX

18 Ironman Cairns Wrap Up

50 Tri Products

62 Sirius Musings

We look at the latest must-have products on the market.

Siri Lindley shares valuable insights about the importance of knowing your WHY.

AT brings you all the action and highlights from the Asia-Pacific Championship.

36 Xena Warrior Princess Jodie Cunnama chats to Caroline Steffen about her rise in triathlon, training under world renowned coach, Brett Sutton, racing in Kona and more.

42 #INSPO: Mel Urie Read about how the Aussie Ultraman superstar entered the record books as the only female ever to complete the Epic 5 event.

LAURA SIDDALL - DON’T DIE WONDERING

48 Pic Of The Month Racing in paradise - be inspired by the breathtaking beauty of Far North Queensland, Cairns.

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Cover: Laura Siddall Photography: Korupt Vision

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54 Tech Talk: Sound Off We compare wrist-based heart rate technology to the old chest strap and look to see if we can kiss the chest strap goodbye.

64 Words With Willy

58 Road Test: AMANZI Swimwear

66 Sexton’s Scribble

The Test Lab road test the latest AMANZI swimwear collection and put it through its paces.

61 Save, Spend, Splurge Whether you’re on a budget or have cash to burn, stay warm this winter and choose from the right winter cycling jacket for you.

Dan Wilson recounts a funny encounter at the beach and the time he was the victim of a good old-fashioned stitch up.

Brendan Sexton talks about the infectious and addictive, secret society of triathlon.

72 Dr Mitch Triathlon’s favourite doc shares his insights on a weighty issue.

80 Holistic Endurance Katee Pedicini explores the question - Am I Ready For Ironman?

Editor’s Note

A PUBLICITY PRESS PUBLICATION PUBLISHER Ross Copeland EDITOR Aimee Johnsen deputy EDITOR Margaret Mielczarek ART DIRECTOR Andy Cumming Photo EDITOR Korupt Vision

Hello T eam AT has just arrived back to the office after heading to Far North Queensland for the Ironman Asia-Pacific Championships in Cairns. It was so great to see Aussie Ironman rising stars, Josh Amberger and Sarah Crowley, nail their respective races and come home with their maiden Ironman victories. We have the full wrap up from the race with Race In Images (page 18), and see if your pic made it to our Age Group Heroes (page 24) or InstaPics pages (page 34).

Speaking of maiden Ironman winner, we couldn’t be happier to have Laura Siddall starring on our cover this month.

As one of the worlds best age group athletes, Laura turned pro only a few short years ago and is definitely holding her own these days in the elite ranks. After a string of nail-biting second place finishes, it all came together at Ironman Australia and the win she so deserved was hers. Check out Jordan Blanco’s chat with Sid’s on page 8.

Tech Talk doesn’t disappoint with The Test Lab road testing some of the latest gear, AMANZI Swimwear and what it has to offer (page 58), Margy Margs gives you her verdict on wrist based heart rate

Advertising manager Aimee Johnsen Production, Administration & subscriptions Gina Copeland

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technology (page 54), and we help you choose your next winter cycling jacket in Save, Spend, Splurge (page 61).

All our regular experts are back in the Training Toolbox. Doctor Mitch talks race weight on page 72, while coaches Julie Tedde (page 84) and Nick Croft (page 86) give you some valuable tips on enhancing your run and swim over winter. Kriss Hendy talks Strength over Speed (page 76) and Katee Pedicini discusses if you are Ironman ready (page 80).

So, grab your favourite recovery drink, brew or vino and enjoy this edition of AT!

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AUSTRALIAN TRIATHLETE Australian Triathlete is published 11 times per season. All material in this issue is copyright © 2017 Publicity Press Pty Ltd. All rights are reserved. No part of the contents of this publication may be reproduced without the prior written consent of the Publisher or Editor. Articles represent the views of their authors and are not necessarily those of the Publisher or Editor.

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NEWS AND Launches

RACE at the Sunrise Beach of Sanur …

Entries are open for the tenth annual Herbalife Bali International Triathlon, which is set to take place on October 15th on the Island of the Gods.

This “Triathlon for the Soul” will again take place at a course steeped in Balinese culture, starting and finishing in Sanur, the largest traditional village in Bali.

Last year, we saw great improvement to course safety and athlete experience to previous years and this year will be no different as the race will take place in the less developed city of Sanur, the largest traditional village in Bali. This allows for full road closures and offers greater traditional Balinese cultural experiences for all.

The triathlon will fill in activities after Sanur Village Festival in August showcasing Bali’s Spirit of Heritage with a variety of cultural and athletic events.

For more details or to enter today, head to balitriathlon.com

Race In Amazing Conditions at Cable Beach The Leading Edge Computers Cable Beach Triathlon showcases it all during the 1.5km swim in Cable Beach tropical waters, followed by a 40km cycle past many resorts and tempting cafes finishing with a 10km run through Sunset Park.

Make no mistake - it will be a competitive and fast race with flat and warm conditions....the bonus is you get to recover in paradise. With professional timing systems and great prizes to be won, we encourage triathletes of all levels to enter. With the headline Olympic distance event, sprint, enticer and kids tri on offer, there is something to suit the whole family!

The scenery of Broome, WA, will make this event one not to forget. Why not make it your annual off-season triathlon?

Swim, cycle and run your way to Broome on Sunday September 17th, 2017.

For more information visit www.broometriclub.com.au

The IRONMAN Oceania Season Pass is back and it’s bigger than ever!

It’s super simple, the more you race, the more you save.

• • • •

Buy a 2 Race Season Pass and get 10% off!

Buy a 3 Race Season Pass and get 15% off!

Buy a 4 Race Season Pass and get 20% off!

Buy a 5 Race Season Pass and get 25% off!

Just a few simple steps to creating your Season Pass; Step One - Decide how many races you want to do in your season and how much you want to save, and then purchase the Season Pass to match.

Step Two - Select which races will make up your Season Pass. You can mix and match from any IRONMAN and IRONMAN 70.3 races in Oceania. Click here to view races.

Step Three - Start Training :)

For more information and to sign up – head to http://ap.ironman.com/organizations/ironman-oceania-season-pass Sign up today and prove #AnythingIsPossible.

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The beauty of the Whitsundays will keep you going when your body’s ready to give up during the Fujifilm Hamilton Island Triathlon. A 750m swim in Catseye Bay is followed by a 20km cycle, and a 5km run through the island’s Marina Village.

Get into gear for race day on Saturday 11 November 2017.

For more information visit hamiltonisland.com.au

Saturday 11 November 2017

GREAT WHITEHAVEN BEACH RUN GREAT WHITEHAVEN BEACH RUN 12 November 2017

6 May 2018

24 June 2018

GREAT WHITEHAVEN BEACH RUN Australian Triathlete |

GREAT WHITEHAVEN BEACH RUN

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Don’t Die Wondering Ironman Australia Champion Laura Siddall t e x t b y J o r d a n B l a n c o | p h o t o g r a p h y b y K OR U P T V I S I ON

W

hen Laura Siddall told her father she was quitting her job at multinational conglomerate Shell in order to stay in Australia, he expressed concern about her decision, including pointing out the pension scheme she would be giving up! Several years later, Siddall was understandably nervous when she told her parents she would be abandoning fulltime employment altogether to pursue a career as a professional triathlete. Thankfully, by that time, Siddall’s parents had come to terms with the fact that triathlon was an important part of their daughter’s

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life. In the intervening years, Siddall had accumulated four amateur World Championship titles across sprint to halfiron distances. “My parents are incredibly supportive,” Siddall acknowledges, “they just want to see me doing things that make me happy.”

Sport has always played a significant role in Siddall family life. Siddall’s father, Robert, narrowly missed out on Olympic selection in 1968 for rowing. Her mother Gill, who turns 71 this year, plays tennis competitively at her local club to this day: “I reckon she plays and trains more than I do,” jokes Siddall. As the youngest of four daughters, Siddall had plenty of

inspiration, and perhaps a touch of sibling rivalry, with her ‘sporty’ older sisters. She dabbled in almost every sport from swimming to hockey as a youth but achieved the most in athletics and netball, representing England and winning the Schools International in 1996, in the 300 metre hurdles.

Siddall narrowed her focus to netball during her time studying engineering at Nottingham University, and achieved a very high level in the sport, captaining the England and Great Britain University teams. While she would have liked to follow in her sister’s footsteps – elder sister, Naomi, played netball for England

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Laura Siddall

at both the World Championships and Commonwealth Games - Siddall realised that she was unlikely to make it to the next level in the sport. “While I was probably the fittest athlete in the England set-up, my game skills weren’t quite up to standard,” she recalls. It was the era of the ‘6ft player’ as England tried to compete with the taller teams of Australia and New Zealand, and Siddall, who stands just 5 feet 7 inches tall, was considered too short. “My sister, Naomi, is 6 feet tall and I swear she stole my height genes,” laughs Siddall, “I’m the smallest in my family and they all love reminding me of this!”

It’s a testament to Siddall’s mental fortitude as well as her sheer athletic talent that she handled the rejection by England Netball so well, choosing to throw herself back into athletics, picking up the 400 metres and 800 metres on the track, rather than bemoan the near miss in netball. After a gap year in the British Army post-graduation from University, she moved to Chester to work as an engineer for Shell, and continued to

Burning ambition: Laura’s relative late start into the world of tri has seen her self-belief turn into success.

run: “I found a really great group of girls to train with and a great coach in Paula Dunn who is now the head coach for British Paralympic Athletics.”

Interestingly, it was the group training dynamic that drew Siddall to triathlon when Shell transferred her to Sydney a couple of years into her corporate career: “I tried to continue with athletics but just didn’t find a group I gelled with in Sydney,”

As a latecomer to triathlon and now aged 33, Siddall realised it was “now or never” since she “didn’t want to look back in 20 years and say ‘what if?’

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recounts Siddall. “Friends from work were doing a 90km charity cycle ride, so I bought a bike the week prior and joined them in my shorts, t-shirt and trainers.”

Siddall enjoyed it so much she took the bait when one of the same friends suggested she try her hand at triathlon. In late 2008, Siddall signed up for an eight-week triathlon beginner’s course with Bondi Fit, led by Spot Anderson, which culminated in a sprint triathlon race.

Riding a hybrid bike with trainers and baggy shorts, Siddall did not make the podium that day but the positive experience was enough to suck her deeper into the sport of triathlon.

Four years, several bike upgrades and plenty of Lycra later, Siddall had a fairytale week in triathlon. In September 2013, she won the overall amateur title at the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championships in Las Vegas, then the following weekend she defended her amateur Olympic

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Laura Siddall distance World Championship title in London. “That’s when I started to think about turning professional,” says Siddall.

“More and more of my head space was taken up by a training session or race and I reached a crossroads. The corporate career would always be there but sport wouldn’t.” As a latecomer to triathlon and now aged 33, Siddall realised it was “now or never” since she “didn’t want to look back in 20 years and say ‘what if?’” In her words: “I didn’t want to die wondering.”

Having decided to make the leap to the professional ranks, Siddall also dove head first into a dramatic lifestyle shift. “Sadly, I just didn’t feel it was right for me to commit fully to the sport professionally in Sydney… I knew I had to make bigger changes.” On the recommendation of well-known Australian triathlon coach Darren Smith, whom she had met a year earlier, she connected with Matt Dixon, founder of purplepatch Fitness. Dixon coached a squad of professional and amateur triathletes virtually, as well as from his home base in San Francisco, California. While Dixon’s professional

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squad was full at the time, Dixon was intrigued enough by Siddall’s story and results to invite her to join the squad in California for a week of training. “I absolutely loved it,” exclaims Siddall. “Being in San Francisco, training with a new group of people and having my eyes opened up to a whole new world of training sessions and methods.”

The time in San Francisco was effectively a weeklong interview with Dixon sizing up Siddall as he immersed her in the squad environment, while providing little to no feedback. Siddall sensed the pressure: “I completely balls’ed up an FTP test,” she remembers, “as I had no idea what I was doing or what cadence to be riding in so I was just spinning away in a panic!” She was also self-conscious about her swimming, as an athlete that had not grown up in a squad-swimming environment and did not consider herself a candidate to be a front pack swimmer.

From Dixon’s perspective, he recalls that he remained silent since he didn’t want to “over-coach” Siddall: “by being quiet and observing, you can learn a lot

about an athlete instead of trying to fix things straight away.” He also wanted to see how she would handle herself under duress and recounts one session in particular where he asked her to complete a series of high effort intervals. “When she finished her last interval,” says Dixon, “I told her to keep going!” While some athletes may have objected or dropped their shoulders, Dixon observed Siddall rise to the challenge, intensifying her effort in a display of grit and demonstrating an ability to retain her composure when challenged. Besides her clear physical attributes, Dixon was also assessing her fit with the purplepatch squad: “it was obvious that Laura was selfless in attitude and highly collaborative, with a personality that fitted into the culture of purplepatch.”

Towards the end of the week, Dixon invited Siddall on a run with him and proceeded to pepper her with questions such as “why should I coach you?” She assumed he was building her up to let her down gently but at the end of the run Dixon agreed to coach her on the condition that she relocated from Sydney to San

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Francisco. Without hesitation, Siddall flew back to Sydney, resigned from her corporate job, sold almost everything she owned and just over a month later found herself living in San Francisco as a member of the purplepatch professional squad.

Fast-forward three years and the recently crowned Ironman Australia Champion has only just become comfortable with that decision to quit her job and focus on triathlon fulltime. “There is no job description for what it means to be a professional triathlete,” she explains, admitting freely that she initially struggled with balance as she transitioned from the corporate world and her social networks in Sydney, to life as a professional athlete on the other side of the Pacific Ocean. “I loved it but now [sport] was all of my life and my new social circle too. There was no balance.”

Siddall also couldn’t escape the financial challenges of her new profession.

Going from a regular paycheck in her bank account to not knowing when she might earn her next dollar created enormous stress for Siddall. “It’s a bigger strain than it may look, as there is a constant niggle in your head about trying to make ends meet… I felt that I should be spending every other minute of the day trying to work out how I was going to make money.”

Even now, she works hard to separate the business side of triathlon from the training and racing so that the stress of the former doesn’t impact her focus on the day to day

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training and getting the best out of herself.

Looking back, many of the life stresses she faced during her first year in the pro ranks arose from her decision to go “all-in” as a professional triathlete. However, Siddall would argue that there wasn’t another option: “I was already in my early 30’s so I didn’t have time to waste!” That ‘all-in commitment’ didn’t prevent her from having serious remorse during the first couple of years, wondering if it had in fact been the right decision. “All these doubts go through your head, including what other people are thinking,” confesses Siddall. “She’s gone pro but she isn’t winning!”

Dixon agrees that it’s been hard for Siddall and probably much tougher than she could have envisioned. “In her first few

results as a professional, she struggled to even sneak in the top 10 of a race and would seldom create consistent performances, relative to her trained potential,” says Dixon. “She faced struggles and disappointments. There would be flashes of promise that were then followed up by a tough event… and that’s just in the sporting part of her life.”

Dixon witnessed firsthand to Siddall’s path to becoming a professional triathlete from a business perspective, trying to attract sponsors and build her brand. She was balancing the pursuit of excellence in her sport with putting food on the table: “it makes the journey a tough one.” However, Dixon also credits Siddall with 100% commitment to the process, noting that she didn’t seek immediate rewards despite fighting to make ends meet, and the setbacks merely pushed her to double down on her evolution as an athlete.

Both Siddall and Dixon are acutely aware that the trajectory from amateur champion to professional champion for Siddall has been far from seamless, encountering plenty of challenges in order to discover her personal recipe for training and racing success. “In 2015, Laura had a

series of races where we both felt she underperformed,” explains Dixon, “but to her credit, she stayed the course, never wavered in the path or journey, and emerged to new levels.” When Dixon talks about Siddall’s journey as an athlete, he credits her with taking ‘ownership’ of the process with a commitment to selfimprovement. If that sounds jargon-y, Dixon is quick to expand: “not many can take the ownership needed to truly work on improving oneself, most simply train hard, but without true commitment to improving themselves.”

Under Dixon’s tutelage, Siddall has gone through an immersive development of all of the critical, artistic elements of swimming, biking and running, learning her craft from the ground up. For example, on

the bike, Siddall has worked very closely with Dixon’s coaching partner, Paul Buick, referred to in the purplepatch circle as the “bike whisperer”, in order to improve all aspects of her cycling. According to Dixon, this investment in her bike skills, rather than simply training hard to increase her power output, is what separates Siddall: “Laura has become a master of terrain management, utilising conditions and developed styles of riding to maximise speed for output, and she has learned to apply those tools to racing.”

Besides crediting Siddall herself, Dixon extends equal praise for her growth to his coaching partner, Buick: “I don’t think Paul’s contribution and influence can be over-stated relative to Laura’s development.” Dixon attributes Siddall’s

Laura Siddall technical and emotional development in large part to Buick’s guidance.

“At purplepatch, we believe in the team and bringing to bear the best resources possible for each athlete,” he says.

As head coach, Dixon is proud that “purplepatch’s athlete-first mindset allowed Paul to bring his unique set of skills to help the athlete.”

Dixon also acknowledges that the training load and process for Siddall is quite distinct from many other purplepatch professional athletes, noting “what we have found works for Laura would not work for most others but the fact that she has had the courage to define her own path is massively

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Laura Siddall

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BIKE COACH: Paul Buick, otherwise referred to as the “bike whisperer”, has worked with Laura on all aspects of her cycling.

important.” The result has been a tremendous growth in confidence and wisdom with respect to what works for her. Rather than merely being coached, Siddall has forged a partnership with Dixon and Buick to maximise her own athletic potential.

The shift in confidence compared to her first two years as a professional becomes clear when you ask Siddall about her current training and racing approach: “I focus on the doing and try not to worry about the end result… if I just absorb myself in the process and being present every day, then the outcome will take care of itself.” This self-confidence was put to the test when she lined up in Port Macquarie in early May as the clear favourite in the women’s race to take the Ironman Australia title. “I stuck with my own race plan and stayed pretty internal,” she says, “given the distractions and chatter leading into the race.”

Siddall has checked the box on two of her season goals so far this year – winning an iron- distance race and qualifying to the Ironman World Championships in Hawaii – but she’s not resting easy.

“After that feeling of winning at Ironman

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Australia, I definitely want to experience that again.” She’s giving herself plenty of chances with a stacked racing schedule all across Europe this summer as part of her ambassador role for the Challenge Family European series. Her schedule includes a return to Challenge Roth, where she placed fourth in 2016, recording a sub 9-hour finish time.

LAURA Siddall

More than just seeking that winning feeling, when asked about her future goals, Siddall sticks to the ‘process’ script that’s been the secret to her success to date: “I just want to see how far I can push my body and how good I can be as an athlete.” She still feels that she’s learning and developing as an athlete: “there are still huge gaps between my racing and training performance that I want to close… and I believe I can!” After a bumpy path as a professional triathlete, Siddall’s confidence is finally blooming. She can say aloud that she’s seeking to be world-class: “I want to be competing against the best in the world and be competitive. I want to be one of the best in the world!”

FUN FACTS

Current abode

Siddall chases summer. Moving between the northern and southern hemispheres depending on the time of year… and the weather!

‘Sid Talks’

Frequent contributor to the Fitter Radio podcast, sharing her views on the current state of triathlon and generally ‘chewing the fat’ with host Bevan McKinnon

More Than Sport

Passionate ambassador for More Than Sport, a charity founded by former professional triathlete Chris Lieto. Siddall volunteers in the local community at as many of her races as possible

Swimming

Siddall had her school swim team disqualified on two separate occasions for an illegal butterfly stroke – she still doesn’t know what she did wrong!

Gap Year

Prior to university, Siddall spent a gap year in the British Army in the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, based in Germany

Four Girls

Siddall is the youngest of four girls, with sisters Anna, Naomi and Charlotte

Meditation

Siddall regularly uses a meditation app, Headspace, to work on mental focus as well as clearing her mind at the end of each day.

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IRONMAN Asia-Pacific Championship Cairns

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PRO Men’s Results 1

Joshua Amberger

AUS

8:02:17

2

Joe Gambles

AUS

8:04:03

3

Braden Currie

NZL

8:07:46

4

Tim Van Berkel

AUS

8:09:22

5

David Dellow

AUS

8:11:33

6

Michael Fox

AUS

8:11:42

7

Cameron Wurf

AUS

8:11:55

8

Mark Bowstead

NZL

8:16:37

9

Cameron Brown

NZL

8:19:08

UKR

8:21:14

10 Daniil Sapunov

PRO WOMen’s Results 1

Sarah Crowley

AUS

8:58:14

2

Sarah Piampiano

USA

9:08:20

3

Kristin Moeller

DEU

9:14:08 9:20:04

4

Dimity-Lee Duke

AUS

5

Katharina Grohmann

DEU

9:21:16

6

Jessica Mitchell

AUS

9:29:50

7

Tine Holst

DNK

9:31:00

8 Diane Luethi

CHE

9:37:28

9

CAN

9:54:38

USA

9:58:01

Karen Thibodeau

10 Sarah Graves

p h o t o g r a p h y b y K o r upt V isi o n

dominating performances: Sarah Crowley (left, middle) dominated the bike securing a big lead from the start. Josh Amberger (above,left) commanded the fied and put together his maiden Ironman victory.

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Features

Battle of the sarah’s: Sarah Crowley (above) was elated to take out the win at Ironman Cairns in a record breaking time, securing her spot in Kona. After a T1 zipper malfunction, Sarah Piampiano (above, right) faught hard all day but was unable to catch Crowley, finishing in 2nd.

determined: Cameron Brown (above) faught hard all day, finishing the day in 9th.

aussie domination: Josh Amberger (above) took the lead early and held it together to take out the win. Sarah Crowley (left) celebrating being on the top spot of the podium with Kristin Moeller (3rd) & Sarah Piampiano (2nd).

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IRONMAN Asia-Pacific Championship, Cairns

Game on: Swim start - Clayton Fettell (above, left) was the top pick to dominate the swim at the start of the race.

Callum Millward and Cameron Brown (top, rigt) represented NZ with pride.

battle of the greats: Braden Currie (left) had a consistent day and represented NZ on the podium, finishing in 3rd. Defending champ Tim Van Berkel and David Dellow (right) went head-tohead on the run and battled it out for 4th.

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IRONMAN Asia-Pacific Championship, Cairns

Mates vs mates: Winner Josh Amberger (above) celebrating with fellow Aussie, Joe Gambles who crossed the line in 2nd.

wonder women: (Top, right) Tine Holst was an early favourite but had to settle for a 7th place finish. Kristin Moeller (left) had her game face on as she battled through the run to finish in 3rd. After a hard faught day, race favourite Sarah Piampiano (right) celebrated through the finish chute.

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ATEC AUSTRALIA’S TRIATHLON, ENDURANCE & CYCLING SHOW

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Engage with leading endurance brands, learn from industry influencers, meet inspiring athletes, and take part in interactive seminars, workshops, competitions and activations!

Features

Age Group Heroes Ironman Cairns was this year’s Asia-Pacific Championships and what a race it was!

The sunny Queensland city delivered some spectacular performances and impressive times. Here are some of our Age Group Heroes who battled it out in the 2017 Ironman Asia-Pacific Championships, Cairns race.

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Name: PHILL PFENNIG Bib#: 298 Age group: 45-49 Finish time: 09:57:03

Name: TERRANCE BRITT Bib#: 778 Age group: 40-44 Finish time: 10:18:45

Name: KEPHREN IZZARD Bib#: 663 Age group: 35-39 Finish time: 09:30:04

Name: NIGEL BOND Bib#: 158 Age group: 40-44 Finish time: 10:33:24

Name: PAM STEGEMAN Bib#: 1260 Age group: 65-69 Finish time: 14:31:37

Name: PHOEBE FEAR Bib#: 146 Age group: 40-44 Finish time: 10:10:22

Name: DAVE WILLIAMSON Bib#: 245 Age group: 35-39 Finish time: 09:31:42

Name: MAT ROGERS Bib#: 1276 Age group: 40-44 Finish time: 11:42:32

Name: TOM BEECHEY Bib#: 139 Age group: 35-39 Finish time: 09:27:38

| Australian Triathlete

2017 Ironman Asia-Pacific Championships / Age Group Features Heroes

Name: MICHELLE LEASON Bib#: 504 Age group: 25-29 Finish time: 09:50:56

Name: DAMIEN WHITE Bib#: 130 Age group: 35-39 Finish time: 10:25:54

Name: CAROLINE ASHBY Bib#: 880 Age group: 40-44 Finish time: 10:08:27

Name: ANDREW MCDERMOTT Bib#: 398 Age group: 40-44 Finish time: 09:48:43

Name: RYAN RAE Bib#: 674 Age group: 35-39 Finish time: 10:25:07

Name: BEAU WATERS Bib#: 107 Age group: 30-34 Finish time: 11:08:09

Name: CHRISTY COLLIS Bib#: 422 Age group: 45-49 Finish time: 11:51:34

Name: MATTHEW RAE Bib#: 820 Age group: 40-44 Finish time: 09:11:18

Name: PHILL PFENNIG Bib#: 298 Age group: 45-49 Finish time: 09:57:03

Name: BEN MCDERMID Bib#: 858 Age group: 40-44 Finish time: 10:58:56

Name: CRAIG SMITH Bib#: 948 Age group: 45-49 Finish time: 10:30:07

Name: IAN LACK Bib#: 1285 Age group: 45-49 Finish time: 09:35:29

Australian Triathlete |

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2017 Ironman Asia-Pacific Championships / Age Group Heroes

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Name: LEIGH RUDD Bib#: 791 Age group: 40-44 Finish time: 10:43:08

Name: ANDREW CHARLES Bib#: 329 Age group: 50-54 Finish time: 10:55:56

Name: CHARLIE NATHAN Bib#: 219 Age group: 30-34 Finish time: 09:34:01

Name: PETER CARNE Bib#: 180 Age group: 45-49 Finish time: 09:58:05

Name: CHRIS SMITH Bib#: 1274 Age group: 40-44 Finish time: 10:10:52

Name: MEGAN HENDRY Bib#: 205 Age group: 25-29 Finish time: 10:54:07

Name: BILL ROBINSON Bib#: 443 Age group: 55-59 Finish time: 12:01:42

Name: MALCOLM KEMP Bib#: 498 Age group: 25-29 Finish time: 10:21:39

Name: ANDREW COSGRAVE Bib#: 1308 Age group: 50-54 Finish time: 12:52:31

Name: MEGAN HAWKINS Bib#: 367 Age group: 25-29 Finish time: 10:23:49

Name: KELVIN FRANICH Bib#: 182 Age group: 50-54 Finish time: 11:02:11

Name: MATTHEW HAYES Bib#: 287 Age group: 40-44 Finish time: 12:29:08

| Australian Triathlete

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2017 Ironman Asia-Pacific Championships / Age Group Heroes

Name: BLAKE KAPPLER Bib#: 111 Age group: 30-34 Finish time: 09:03:14

Name: MAURICE PIETROBON Bib#: 1224 Age group: 60-64 Finish time: 14:19:45

Name: BRETT ARCHBOLD Bib#: 1300 Age group: 35-39 Finish time: 09:26:08

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Name: SCOTT FARRELL Bib#: 675 Age group: 35-39 Finish time: 09:21:08

Name: KRISTY HALLETT Bib#: 905 Age group: 40-44 Finish time: 10:22:18

Name: STUART HARSLEY Bib#: 316 Age group: 45-49 Finish time: 09:51:30

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Name: BEN CASTLES Bib#: 376 Age group: 30-34 Finish time: 09:20:17

Name: MARK JEFFERY Bib#: 964 Age group: 45-49 Finish time: 10:40:26

Name: LUKE JEFFREY Bib#: 625 Age group: 35-39 Finish time: 09:17:23

Name: HUGH WHITE Bib#: 1197 Age group: 55-59 Finish time: 11:11:50

Name: MATTHEW DAWES Bib#: 688 Age group: 35-39 Finish time: 09:33:24

Name: NATHAN SANDFORD Bib#: 131 Age group: 35-39 Finish time: 09:31:14

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2017 Ironman Asia-Pacific Championships / Age Group Heroes

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Name: ANGELO BONACCI Bib#: 119 Age group: 35-39 Finish time: 09:40:08

Name: PHIL BOWE Bib#: 585 Age group: 30-34 Finish time: 09:42:17

Name: MARK CLEMENTS Bib#: 669 Age group: 35-39 Finish time: 10:03:51

Name: LUKE KAY Bib#: 231 Age group: 35-39 Finish time: 09:31:08

Name: JOHN SIBENALER Bib#: 662 Age group: 35-39 Finish time: 11:36:14

Name: BEN DECREUSE Bib#: 657 Age group: 35-39 Finish time: 09:44:52

Name: IAN EDWARDS Bib#: 265 Age group: 40-44 Finish time: 09:45:06

Name: JOHN FLOOD Bib#: 185 Age group: 50-54 Finish time: 09:47:13

Name: SCOTT KOLTERMANN Bib#: 486 Age group: 25-29 Finish time: 09:40:55

Name: TOM GERSEKOWSKI Bib#: 101 Age group: 18-24 Finish time: 09:35:38

Name: KATE SHRYOCK Bib#: 207 Age group: 25-29 Finish time: 10:17:53

Name: COLIN WRIGHT Bib#: 808 Age group: 40-44 Finish time: 10:46:25

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2017 Ironman Asia-Pacific Championships / Age Group Heroes

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Name: GUY CONSTANT Bib#: 220 Age group: 30-34 Finish time: 09:13:00

Name: SIMON JOHNSON Bib#: 262 Age group: 40-44 Finish time: 10:14:00

Name: RODNEY MARTON Bib#: 1078 Age group: 50-54 Finish time: 09:44:19

Name: ADAM VOHMANN Bib#: 154 Age group: 40-44 Finish time: 09:34:32

Name: NEIL GILBERT Bib#: 454 Age group: 70-74 Finish time: 15:52:42

Name: KELLY SEERY Bib#: 1033 Age group: 45-49 Finish time: 13:18:01

Name: ZACHARY ANSTEE Bib#: 878 Age group: 40-44 Finish time: 11:22:51

Name: FIONA LAWRENCE Bib#: 902 Age group: 40-44 Finish time: 10:48:32

Name: MICHELLE BOND Bib#: 237 Age group: 35-39 Finish time: 10:26:39

Name: MEL BRUNKER Bib#: 152 Age group: 40-44 Finish time: 10:58:54

Name: JANE PARNELL Bib#: 610 Age group: 30-34 Finish time: 13:57:10

Name: CLAIRE LYNCH Bib#: 341 Age group: 55-59 Finish time: 13:08:40

| Australian Triathlete

@linerashby Rego done! so here is my lucky number for anyone that’s wants to track me on Sunday #soasambassador2017 #soas s #soasambassador2017 #soas #ironmancairn

n t @ life.of.siobha @ironmantri Perfec Welcome to Cairns esplanade! the on n weather dow

@kat_marik Cargo has arrived #triathlon #ironman #imcairns #swimbikerun #fitness #workout #strava

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| Australian Triathlete

@trialliance Post swim celebrations - when you love #swimming and love your #orcawetty #IMCairns #piggyback #handsintheair #TA #trainingwithpurpose

@ iron_kezza Ironman packing done! #IMCairns #koolaskezza #trilife #triathlon #ironman #4moresleeps #swimbikerun #vaseline #lifesaver

@emma_miller1111 When you find your teammates on the esplanade... & the Ironman crazy begins...

ronman day plans @ noosatri ay all my race unts Not giving aw at’s on the inside that co wh it’s e us ca be it away! ve Ga h! d’o mmm donuts

@ izzy_there Tapering gives us the perfect opportunity to work on our pre race tan. @cousin_chris79 #imcairns #ironman #camino #triathlete #mantan #yeswearestraight

a @ ndeduhin name photo. #teamtris my Token found ing #inbodyadl #ironman thlon ch ria oa enphoto #t #teamtric #tri365 riathlete #tok #imcairns #t #foundmyname #cairns #584 n #swimbikeru days #im #imcairns2017 oli nh #inbodyo

Features

@boatshed_cairns Nothing better than having Santa & a couple of bananas cheering from the sidelines of ns Ironman Cairns! #eatdrinkboth #boatshedcair #cairns #cairnslife #imcairns

.deduhin @ inbody.sar ah I am of cribe how PROUD Words can not des @ndeduhin You’re a d ban hus g azin am my e you so much superstar and I lov

@ cacapoop Silliest question I’ve heard as I stumble around town today “was it worth it?” worth every ache & pain and much much more!!! #imcairns

@ theendurancecoach Having a quick laugh with one of the amazing volunteers at the end of the bike leg at #IMCairns. What a great job they did yesterday! #imvolunteer

@ kttheveganpt a Pat Dall, you are an Ironman (again). Such So tough day today and we are super proud. many inspiring athletes out there today

@nathanshearer First Ironman. Kona qual. #prick .

d coach @ @bec_bair ge thanks to We did it!!! Hu king it all happen ma r fo s appy #trilife nikkigile #triactiv8 #h #lovethepain nman #mackaypride ro #i #triathlon

@ katieggreenfield Off to the big dance with my big brother - so many people helped me get there!

iathlon @reddogtr !!!! One of the most ds s on Thanks legen ultimately rewarding job g tin t stressful - bu is cheering and co-ordina y da an #ironm uad. the cheer sq

Australian Triathlete |

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© Bahrain Endurance Media

I

n 2009, Caroline Steffen, twenty-time national swimming champion and an ex-Raleigh-Lifeforce professional team rider, joined forces with Brett Sutton. The quest? To become a triathlon superstar.

With such refined pedigree, many coaches would have swept Steffen up before they had seen her run a single step.

Less easy to impress, it was not Steffen’s history in sport that impressed Sutton’s critical eye, but her presence. Sutton watched Steffen race at Ironman Zurich in 2009. It was not the way she led out the swim or destroyed the bike leg, which impressed him - it was her reaction to being passed by seven women after a catastrophic blow up on the run. “It was

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| Australian Triathlete

ENA X Warri or Princess t e x t b y J o d i e Cu n n a m a

the way she suffered.” She finished only eighth that day, but that race could have been the most decisive result in her entire career.

A year later Steffen had already commandeered the alpha female position in the Sutton group. With Chrissie

Wellington gone and a position to fill, Steffen and Sutton had already begun their mission. Accumulating titles from around the world, improving her run, bike and swim, Steffen quickly became one of the most legitimate World Championship title contenders.

© Janos M. Schmidt

“Yes, that was on purpose.”

I am speaking to Steffen on Skype from South Africa. She looks relaxed and natural resting on her bed on a Saturday evening in Australia. She is robust and strong, but her loose, long hair and beach style are far removed from her former more formal attire choices. She now gives off surfer-athletic not gym-chiseled warrior vibes.

I’m a little jarred by Steffen’s honesty, despite now being a friend who I tell secrets and problems too. So unidentifiable is this lady now with the idol who I attempted to know back then. Back then we passed like ships in the night, our voyages personal and direct. We were secluded on a mountain to get fast and focused. Xena took both tasks to the extreme.

“I didn’t see the benefit in making friends; we would have to race each other somewhere eventually, and that means we were rivals.”

Hard-hitting and direct - that is some way to live. Self-esteem drawn only from success, and success only measurable by results. All enjoyment derived from achievement. Friendship put to the side, usurped by the potent persuasion of achievement. Many suffer similar sacrifices in their working life, perhaps even into their personal lives, but to live in that state for the majority of the year, for year upon year? That is something unique.

It was in 2014, a full four years after meeting, that our relationship dynamic finally evolved. It was in the unlikeliest of

Friend or Foe: Caroline Steffen’s standoffishness was not a trait but merely a respect she had for her competition.

times and places - race day on the Queen K. Both away from the camp setup, both suffering like dogs we yo-yoed back and forth between fourth and fifth position for about 10km. We did not exchange a word or a glance. We met for coffee after that race and a wall was removed. Steffen seemed direct and open to me rather than abrupt and standoffish. I presumed she had finally gained some respect for me, which I was now worthy of her time investment. I assumed wrong. She now explains that it was her respect for me (or my potential) that had halted our friendship from the outset. We had both changed - we were both more mature and more experienced in life. Finally, we were both secure enough to lean on the other.

Back then our training life was all consuming. If Steffen’s standpoint seems

© Delly Carr/Bahrain Endurance Media

Sutton dubbed her ‘Xena Warrior Princess’, a name that Steffen still goes by today. The adopted nickname implies formidable strength and confidence, boldness and affluence. With each passing victory, the aura of Steffen morphed into that of her fictional namesake. It was that persona that I associated with Steffen when we trained within the same Sutton squad.

For years Xena’s position, her presence and influence, was one I felt threatened by. Warriors are acclaimed for their heroism and inspiration, but they can also be cold and calculating. There was no warmth between us - no familiarity and little attempt at friendship.

It felt uncomfortable.

Australian Triathlete |

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© Delly Carr

© Delly Carr

caroline steffen

Kona 2012: Although finishing in second place to Winner Leanda Cave, race circumstances soured the result for Caroline Steffen.

Sweet joy of Winning: Steffen takes victory in the inaugural Ironman Melbourne race in 2012.

© Delly Carr

unilateral, my opinions on others in the group were just as partisan. If I had stopped and listened properly, seen Steffen through kind eyes, not through the jealous blur that female hierarchy commonly invokes, I would have learnt more about her as a person, furthermore, about her as a competitor. The design of our scenario actively obscured that.

Brett, not one for inaccuracy, had named Caroline ‘Xena Warrior Princess’ not just ‘Xena’ - she was a ‘warrior’ in racing but a ‘princess’ in life. Not the pretentious, diva-type princess but the kind sort. A Disney Princess saturated with character - quirky, disobedient, endearing, and slightly rebellious. She, of course, takes no shit. She can be bold and direct and sometimes even contrary, but she is also sensitive and emotional and vulnerable. Vulnerable does not go with warrior.

When Beyonce performs she channels her alter ego, ‘Sasha Fierce’. Steffen wasn’t able to just conjure Xena, her second self, on race day or in difficult training moments – she lived as her. For months, seasons and years Steffen had to be a strong, tough soldier. Did Xena really succeed in suppressing Steffen’s personality for three whole years?

“That was the deal. I had to be Xena when I hit camp.”

“But you were on camp for the majority of the year?”

“Yes.” “Wasn’t it difficult to sustain any personal relationships when you weren’t being completely your whole self?”

“Yes, Caroline didn’t come out then.

I was never Caroline on camp.”

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| Australian Triathlete

“You have to be all in, and I am not.

I am different now.”

© Delly Carr

It isn’t with resentment or disappointment that Steffen talks of her restraint from the Big Island - it is with clarity and truth.

© Bahrain Endurance Media © Bahrain Endurance Media

We judge an athlete’s success on race results. What we often fail to see is the indefinable sacrifice, the penance that champions pay to pursue their goal. The golden years for ‘Xena Warrior Princess’ were 2009 to 2012. Results came fast and furiously. Steffen finished in the top five in Kona for five consecutive years - her best two years in 2010 and 2012, where she finished second to Mirinda Carfrae and Leanda Cave, respectively. She won her two ITU Long Distance World Titles, Challenge Roth and won Ironman Frankfurt twice in the Sutton years as well.

There have been prestigious wins since but not as frequently. Though results are far from sparse, there is a mellowing in Steffen’s intensity, especially when it comes to the iron distance and the pursuit of the Ironman World Championship title.

In 2016 Caroline did not attempt qualification for the Ironman World Championships. Initially stated as a “break from the distance”, now she is not so sure anymore if it makes sense for her to return to Kona, convinced she cannot win there. I think she’s wrong, but that makes no difference. If I have learnt anything from a lengthy athletic career, if I know anything about elite performance, I know that while people may judge a champion on results, or on tactics, or decisions they made, they will never be able to fully appreciate the complexity of an individual’s perception of reality.

Taking the tape: Steffen is no stranger to breaking the tape and winning races around the globe. Ironman 70.3 Cairns (top) and Ironman 70.3 Asia Pacific Championships in the Philippines.

Is it because of the intense disappointment she suffered in 2012?

That was the year that all three leaders were handed drafting penalties in a bizarre sequence of events - the mixing of back-marker male pros, the inconsistency of draft policing and the resultant equalising (yet not entirely fair) measure of the conveying of time penalties for Mary-Beth Ellis, Leanda Cave and Caroline Steffen. Few people will ever feel the sorrow of having the Ironman World Championship title so close and yet so far away.

“Yes, probably. I just felt a real injustice had been done. I’m not taking anything away from the winner, but that was my best chance, and it feels like it was taken away by that referee in a wrong decision.”

The golden years for ‘Xena Warrior Princess’ were 2009 to 2012.

Results came fast and furiously.

— Jodie Cunnama

We can analyse athletic performance, scrutinise an athletes decisions and make judgements on their results, but it is often done without the privilege of truth. Each day’s experiences - good, bad and ugly - mould a person’s journey in sport. There is so much history - so much success stacked behind the Sutton/Steffen relationship one wonders, maybe for selfish reasons (there is no-one bar myself I would rather see win Kona than Steffen), if those days could be resurrected.

“I have a life here now - I wouldn’t change it for the world. I’d love to go back to those days in Leysin with the same people, the same setup. But times have changed - people have changed. I have definitely changed.”

Again, it is neither defiance or stubbornness that would stop her returning to Brett Sutton, the man who got Steffen closest to winning than any other - it is a nod to maturation and growth. She is right. We would be friends, not rivals now. There would be many babies, families besides - we would all be happy and feel loved and settled. But this is camp not the ‘Sound of Music’. In any

Australian Triathlete |

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case, I am sure there may be some objection to the hijacking of the current phenomenal setup of Sutton’s current Champions in St. Moritz.

“Was/is it difficult to watch Daniela Ryf take over the alpha female role with Sutton?”

“Yes, very.”

“You are very similar athletes.”

“Yes exactly. Different in upbringing and such, but yes, he is replicating me and my training with her. It is very hard.”

“Is she the best athlete you have encountered?”

“Yes, but only because I don’t immediately see the difference with her. Chrissie was outwardly brilliant, Rinny you could beat if you could get enough time on her to defend her killer run. With Daniela it puzzles me - she doesn’t seem that different to me and yet she wins.”

Indeed the parallels between Steffen and Ryf are so apparent that Steffen routinely gets mistaken for Ryf. They have similar strengths in the swim and the bike, both emerging with eventual talent in the run too. They weigh about the same, are of about the same height, both officially Swiss yet both versed in the more relaxed ways of, the wider world.

Switzerland has played its role in shaping three of the most legendary, consistent female athletes in our sport.

Caroline Steffen, Nicola Spirig and Daniela Ryf. All stoically Swiss German. Now residing in Port Macquarie NSW, I quiz Caroline on her choice to relocate and

Alpha Women: Two fierce competitors and country-women Ryf (left) and Steffen (right).

begin a new life in Australia - to fight for residency, to leave her family. Both of her homelands so beautiful and picturesque but so very, very different in culture.

“They are so different - like opposite cultures.”

“Yet both the Swiss and Australian’s are so direct. Is that what you see?”

“Yes, that is the same.”

No wonder Caroline fits in Down-under.

And no wonder I like her. She is as direct as she is honest but as far from straightforward as can be.

Steffen has a lot of friends in the sport now - not just associates that respect her athletic prowess but real friends who like her as a person and want to spend time with her. She is happier in life, more liberated now having met her partner, Pete Murray, the voice of Ironman Asia-Pacific, early last year and having been able to open up to him and show him the contrasts between her public and private persona easily and freely. Steffen has spread her wings over the last few years.

Never one to fear change in her life, she is now also not afraid of embracing her true self, be it a ‘Xena’ or a ‘Caroline’ day.

Bracing to fly and soar in whichever direction she pleases in life and sport, the sport of triathlon should continue to salute this lady warrior.

Bravo ‘Xena Warrior Princess’.

© AT

© Delly Carr/Bahrain Endurance Media

© Delly Carr

caroline steffen

Home in oz: Caroline is well suited to live Down Under.

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Mel Urie – Simply Epic Aussie Mel Urie recently entered the record books as the only female ever, to complete the greatest of triathlon challenges – the EPIC 5 event. A whopping five Ironman events, over five days, on five Hawaiian Islands. The Melbourne age group star has a thing for long, ultra and epic triathlon distances, and is without doubt what epitomises #INSPO!

t e x t b y M a r g a r e t Mi e l c z a r e k

Background

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What sparked your interest in triathlon?

I saw my friend do a triathlon back in 2005, at the end of the season - I decided I wanted to give it a go!

What was your progression in triathlon like? How did you get into the longer distance?

I raced my first Ironman 70.3 on the Gold Coast, in 2008. I clearly remember when I crossed the finish line, the first words out of my mouth were – “That was so much fun. When can I do it again?”

I rang my coach the next day and asked if I could do Ironman 70.3 Shepparton, which was six weeks later. I had already signed up for Geelong half leading into Ironman Australia in 2009. I found out about Ultraman in 2010 after reading a book by Rich Roll, ‘Finding Ultra’, and set my sights on that for 2014, in Canada. I realised that I didn’t have enough years of

Photo: © Colin F Cross

Who is Mel Urie? Describe you – who you are, your passions, what you do for work, and your life before endurance sport like Ironman, Ultra Ironman and the Epic 5 Challenge.

I am a mental health nurse and work in the Western Suburbs of Melbourne. I am very passionate about my friends, family and triathlon. I try not to allow triathlon to take over my whole life but sometimes it really does! Prior to triathlon, I was swimming and riding a bit, but more for fun and fitness than anything. I got into triathlon to get fit and lose weight after I finished studying and started working full-time.

Growing up, were you always active or sporty? Is your family into sport?

I grew up swimming. My mum was a swim teacher so she made sure my brother and I were in the water a lot as kids. But I wouldn’t call myself sporty as a kid. I played netball and basketball socially during primary and high school. We had a three kilometre cross-country fun run in high school and I did it in year 12, with a friend as a three-legged race. That’s about how serious I took sport and PE [Physical Education]. My brother, dad and I did the Great Victorian Bike Ride together in 1998.

I enjoyed riding but again, nothing serious.

Describe your first foray into triathlon.

Could you have imagined then, that you would go on to do Ironman and Ultraman?

I had never run, so I did a couple of fun runs over the winter and then tried my hand at a couple of mini-distance triathlons (200m swim, 10km bike and 2km run) or something similar in distance.

I really enjoyed the races, so I continued and the following season stepped it up to sprint and an Olympic distance race. I remember finding out about Ironman in 2008 and thought, “I want to do that!” I hadn’t heard of Ironman and Ultraman prior to this time.

#INSPO was ankle deep in water. It was insane!

But I loved it. I had a few dark patches as everyone does, but most of the time I had a massive smile on my face and just set about enjoying the day. The finish line was like nothing else. My friend who got me into triathlon was there and I could hear her voice above everyone else’s, cheering me on down the carpet - very cool.

I never thought I would be a one-anddone athlete. I always knew I would keep going at the long course as it suited me more. I really enjoy pushing the limits and seeing how far I can go. I also love travelling, so I figured it was a good way to see parts of the world that I might not necessarily go to and do a race at the same time.

Photo: © Colin F Cross

training behind me to be able to get through the training for Ultraman without breaking down, hence why I waited for four years before attempting the distance.

Going the Distance You’ve completed six iron-distance events (Ironman Australia, Ironman New Zealand, Challenge Wanaka, Ironman Melbourne, Challenge Roth and Ironman Cairns). Talk us through your first long course experience. Was it everything you thought it would be? What made you keep coming back for more?

My first Ironman was in Port Macquaire.

For those who were there, they will remember the mud, and that transition

Of the iron distance events you’ve competed in, what is your favourite race and why?

My favourite race was Challenge Wanaka.

The course is spectacular. When I did it, the bike course was still one lap.

The winds were insane - 50km/hour in the morning and then got worse during the day. But I love windy, hilly courses.

Again, it pushes you harder and further than you think you can go, and I find enjoyment in the moment when you have to put your head down and keep pushing.

I say that’s where my race starts! The run is equally as beautiful along the lake. I went back the following year to do the half, while my husband did the full distance, which is unusual as I don’t generally repeat races. But I just couldn’t stay away!

I understand your prep leading into Ultraman Canada wasn’t ideal – you were doored in December 2013 and broke a vertebra in your back. And then in May 2014, four weeks out from Ironman Cairns (which was to be your lead-in race into Ultraman Canada) you fell off you bike and broke your arm.

Talk us through that.

When the doctor told me that I had broken my back, my first thought was, “What about Ultraman Canada?” By that time, it was a three-year dream that I was not prepared to give up on. I rang my coach the next day and talked it though with him. He assured me we had enough time to get to the race in good shape, as we still had nine months to get ready - I put my 100% trust in him to get me there. My initial training was more rehab than actual training to get me back to a point where I could swim without back spasms, ride on the road on my bars and actually run.

Some people might look at that and think, “Well that must be a sign, I’m not doing Cairns or Canada.” But not you.

What kept you going? Did you have any doubts?

When I broke my arm, my coach banned me from riding outside until Ultraman.

Most people would think completing an Ironman is hard enough. So, why Ultraman? What do you get from doing ultra iron-distance events?

I feel that Ironman is an amazing race and achievement but I was looking for something else to push me. I felt that Ultraman was a distance that intimidated me. I like to use my gut instincts to live my life and if a race scares me, I get drawn to it and want to do it.

Talk us through your prep for an Ultraman.

How does it differ to Ironman prep?

Ultraman prep is different in terms of being able to back up big days, day-afterday. Usual Ironman prep is a long ride one day and a long run the next. Whereas for Ultraman, it’s long ride one day, a long ride and run off the bike the next day, and then another run the third day before going back to work. The total hours aren’t a lot more but I notice the fatigue you feel is more than Ironman training because of backing up day-after-day more than you would with Ironman.

Ultraman Canada: Mel overcame some big challenges to be able to compete in this race.

He also said to me that if I couldn’t get through Ironman Cairns, I couldn’t do Ultraman. He knew how stubborn I am so I got my plaster off after four weeks and went and raced Ironman.

It never occurred to me that I should not do Ultraman. It was more that I was being thrown curve balls that I needed to figure out how to manage, to keep going.

Once I set my mind on a goal, I do whatever I can to achieve that dream.

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Epic 5 You went on to complete Ultraman Canada and then two years later completed Ultraman Australia. And now you’ve just completed the Epic 5 Challenge – five Ironman events, in five days, on five Islands of Hawaii. That is amazing!

What made you decide to do the Epic 5?

Two years ago, I was talking to a friend about Epic 5. He told me that if I did Epic 5, he would do Ultraman. That planted the seed. I also kept coming back to the fact that the race scared me, so I knew that it was one I had to do. I had already planned Ultraman Australia in 2016, so I set my sights on 2017, for Epic 5.

Ultra endurance events tend to be quite male dominant. Why do you think that is? Have you found any issues training for, and competing in ultras as a female?

From a physiological, psychological and social perspective.

I didn’t have any issues training for the race as a female. I don’t know what it’s like for the guys but I don’t feel like it’s an issue to put myself first to get my training done. I don’t have any kids so I feel that this helps me be more flexible with my time as well.

My husband is very supportive - he was able to support me and not make me feel guilty for the long training hours I was doing.

I heard once that a guy needs to be 20% confident they will get through, to sign up to an event whereas women need to be 80% confident. I have no idea where these numbers came from but I really feel that it is true. I feel that I wouldn’t sign up for a race of this distance without having a significant level of confidence that I would get through it.

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teamwork makes the dream work: Mel’s amazing crew consisted of her husband Michael and friends, Ben and Catherine.

Talk us through your prep for the Epic 5 Challenge? How do you prepare physically and also mentally for an event like that? How do you deal with the fatigue and how do you stay motivated?

Physical prep for Epic 5 was like nothing else I’ve done. It’s more intense and fatiguing than the Ultraman races I’ve trained for. I spent pretty much every weekend doing back-to-back seven to eight hour training days, and added another big day in there too if there was a public holiday. I did three consecutive weekends of racing – two trail marathons and an Ironman 70.3. All of the races were then followed up with a big day of training the next day. The focus was on learning how to back up multiple days of training, as thisis what I would be doing in the race.

I also paid a lot of attention to my mental strategies. I had strategies for dealing with heat, fatigue and when things went wrong; how to stay calm and in control. I had a lot of time training to develop these strategies to make sure I

had the best possible chance of getting through the event. I actually didn’t have any issues with motivation. I can honestly say that I was happy and enjoying the race 99% of the time. I had a couple of moments on day three but as you can see from the photos, I had a massive smile on my face and just enjoyed the celebration of all of the work I had done leading up to that point!

Fatigue really caught up with me on the last day in Kona. I had only had an hours sleep between Maui and Kona, plus the fatigue from the previous four days of Ironman events caught up with me. I had made a plan with my crew to have naps if I needed, so I stopped on the bike as I was hallucinating, weaving and seeing spots in my vision. [I stopped for] 15minutes and then was back on the bike feeling great. I then napped before the run, and again on the run! The last day was all about finishing it off and not about time, as we didn’t have to catch transport the next day. I slept whenever I could, on the plane, in the car and in a bed where I could.

Photo: © Colin F Cross

You were the only female to complete the Epic 5 Challenge and one of only two Aussies. Huge congrats! How did it make you feel knowing you were the only female going in?

Going into the race, I didn’t put much thought into being the only female. I sign up for races for me, not for anyone else and if I’m the only female, that’s fine. It doesn’t worry me. But when I turned up to the swim start on the first day, one of the staff came up to me with moist eyes saying that they had been waiting for women to start turning up to the race and how amazing it is that I was there. It hit me at that moment that I needed to pay more attention to this, and that I had more responsibility than I realised to women out there. The other really amazing experience was when an elderly couple turned up to transition in Maui, specifically to see me. The woman was so excited to see me she was tripping over her own words trying to get them out.

That warmed my heart and I knew, at that point that I was in a pretty special position - one that I needed to take seriously.

#INSPO I read on your blog that when you first arrived in Kona for the event your bike didn’t make it initially… That would have been stressful.

My bike was a massive stress! I flew out three weeks early to Kona to train and my bike didn’t make it with me. I tried to deal with it best as I could but I had a couple of melt downs when the airline told me that they had found my bike (twice) and then back-tracked on this and denied saying this to me - I did not cope well with that!

Thankfully, I was able to get a rental bike from Bike Works in Kona, so that I could still train. But I was very happy to be reunited with my bike when it turned up a week later.

I understand that the late Craig Percival coached you until he tragically passed away in December 2016. That must have had a big impact on you and must have been a very hard time. How did you maintain focus and continue to train during a time like that? Were there any moments where you thought – “I can’t continue doing this?”

Craig’s death was a sudden shock. All of his athletes that I was in contact with were completely lost and didn’t know what to do. I took a week or so off training to give myself some time to grieve and get my head around what was going on. I didn’t have a moment of thinking that I can’t continue doing this because I know that Craig would have been really angry at me if I gave up. We all knew that we had to keep going. I had to find someone to help with that.

So you were faced with the decision of finding a new coach. What was that process like and how did you find the new coaching relationship?

I knew that I couldn’t take too much time out from training so I sat down and thought if I could have a pick of any coach, who would I want? I believe that there is not too many coaches out there who understand Ultra-distance racing so I was very particular in who I wanted. I contacted Kate [Bevilaqua, Ultraman World Champion], she was my top pick. I was very happy when she agreed to take me on. I knew that she had been very successful at Ultraman distance racing so I thought that she would be perfect to know what Epic 5 is all about and to get me to the start line in one piece!

Kate provided a lot more feedback than I am used to, which took a bit of time to adjust to. I was used to occasional emojis from Craig and about the same from my previous coach, but Kate would write a few lines back to me after most of my training sessions. I felt that it took a little bit of time for Kate to understand my

bluntness in my feedback as she kept telling me not to be so hard on myself - I was just being honest about how I was feeling. I feel that we worked really well together. She was very encouraging and supportive, even saying that she was amazed at how I was able to do everything and felt I was the mentally toughest person that she knew. I found that very surprising but I took the compliment.

Talk us through the Epic 5 Challenge and how the event unfolded for you.

Epic 5 is next level. I have said to a few people that it makes Ultraman look easy.

And Ultraman certainly isn’t easy! The travel eats into rest/recovery time and combined with fatigue, it really gets to you by days three and four.

Day 1 in Kauai was great. It’s a small island with one main road. The swim was easy - we had paddlers next to us for each swim, to guide us along. I saw a turtle near the start so I knew it was going to be a good day. The bike was a one way course with a small turn around and a little way back to transition for the run near the airport. They have the run off the main road but also near the airport so everyone can get the flight to the next island. This was the only day that there was transport at night instead of in the next morning. It was very well organised, but I’m glad I was racing and not organising it!

I struggled a bit on the run in terms of knowing how to pace it. I was very aware of not pushing too hard but I didn’t know how hard to push as I knew I had to keep going for another four days after it.

Thankfully, I woke up the next morning after about four hours sleep, and my body felt like I had done a big training day the day before. This is a very familiar feeling to me, so it gave me confidence that I was going to be fine. I was going to get through it. I never thought – “Will I make this?” I only thought - “How am I going to do this?” That’s another mental strategy. I don’t ever consider DNF [Did Not Finish]. It doesn’t even come into my mind anymore.

Day 2 was Ohau. I found this island very stressful as we started and finished in Honolulu, which is very busy with cars and people. Getting out of town was hard with lots of turns, and the roads didn’t always have much of a shoulder and the cars weren’t as friendly as in Kauai. My paddler was lovely but I had to point out to her that her job was to sight for me, as well as take me on the right line, after I ran into the third buoy in a row! The run was strange. The roads aren’t closed so you have to obey all of the road rules, including stopping at pedestrian crossings on the

run. The roads were too busy to just make a run for it - that did my head in. My right knee started hurting, which was annoying.

But I felt like it wasn’t too serious as it was a dull ache not a sharp pain, so I ran through it.

Day 3 in Molokai, the swim was in a pool as there isn’t anywhere safe to swim apparently. Most of us wore wetsuits, which helped with body position and speed, but I overheated in my long-sleeved wetsuit. This day was hard for me. It was a lot hotter than the previous two days and, mentally, I just struggled. My crew went to the shops after the swim and didn’t catch up with me for an hour. By that time, I was out of all drinks and food, and I was getting upset that they had left me for that long. I figured that they had a decent reason for it as they wouldn’t have done that normally, so I didn’t yell at them. I was just felt thankful that they were there to stock me up again. The costal road was beautiful but narrow, so we had to be on guard, especially around corners. But it wasn’t anywhere near as bad as Honolulu, which was a nice change. The run was tough. My hamstrings decided to seize up and not allow me to run. I had my knee checked out by the sports doctor who was on staff and she diagnosed Bursitis. She said that I wouldn’t be doing any damage by running on it and just to manage with anti-inflammatories. I was okay with that and managed it.

Since I didn’t have time for my usual recovery - stretching and rolling out - as this would eat into sleep time, it all caught up with me on day three, and I had to walk most of the marathon. Thankfully, my amazing crew walked alongside me, talking about random stuff to keep me distracted while I got through the distance.

I managed to get two hours sleep in a bed in Molokai, which was great!

Day 4 started with a ferry ride to Maui, so I was able to get another hour of sleep and then I did some stretching and rolling out. I was stressed that I wouldn’t be able to run again, so I tried to help my legs as much as I could, to get through the next two days.

I had a couple of friends from Kona meet us in Maui, and I swam with one of them in Maui and in Kona. It was great to have more support and for my crew to have a bit more rest than they had been having. The swim was rough but again, when I saw two turtles, I decided that it was going to be a good day and kept that mental attitude for the rest of the day. The bike was hilly but beautiful. It would be an amazing island to go back to and look Australian Triathlete |

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#INSPO What kept you going over the five days?

How did you stay motivated doing an Ironman day after day?

As I said before, I don’t allow myself to think about quitting. I set my focus on day five. Everything was about day five. I ate and drank fluids for day five. I conserved earlier on, all for day five. I knew that Kate had got me to a point, physically, where I would be able to get through the event - it was now up to me to put all of that hard work to practice. I broke the event down into small chunks, there was no way that I would have been able to take it all on, in one go. It’s too overwhelming to see it as five Ironman events. Instead I had to swim, bike and run each day, and I broke it down within that each day as well. solutions: Mel had her runners cut to relieve the pain of blisters.

around. We had one lap with a few turns, so it was easy for my crew to help navigate me as we went along - the athletes aren’t expected to remember each course on each island. I finished the bike in the dark but I didn’t care. Mentally, I was in a much better place than the previous day and I was able to run - it was very exciting! I was “running” very slowly, but my walking pace was a lot slower so I shuffled along while one of my crew walked. We face-timed a good friend back home for over an hour, which was awesome. My crew were running out of things to say to me by this point, so it was great to have a fresh person to chat to as I went along, and help take my mind of my ever growing blisters and pain that my feet were causing me.

Day 5 was party day. All 10 of us had made it to Kona, which was incredible and we were all excited to get it done. I swam with my friend again, so I just had to sight off him instead of looking forward, which was very helpful as the water was rough again, like in Maui.

The swim and bike were over the same course as the Ironman World Champ’s course. When I got onto the bike, my little toes were causing me agony. Every pedal stroke was painful, so I stopped and asked my crew to try and get more out of my blisters but they couldn’t. I took some pain killers and hoped that my feet would go numb so I didn’t have to put up with the pain. The bike was windy - as every other island but this course did not disappoint with the wind! Since we had a late start in Kona (11am), I finished the bike in the dark again. I had a friend ride from the turn back onto the Queen K with me (this is allowed due to safety for

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athletes with fatigue), which was great.

I had napped during the bike leg and I wanted another sleep but she kept me going, and distracted from wanting to fall asleep.

My husband cut holes in the sides of my running shoes to relieve my little toes.

It was amazing! I just wish we had done that earlier. I ran/walked a fair bit of the first lap of the run, then walked a lot of the second lap as far as I can remember.

By the end we had a little group of six walking along, chatting. I told one of the staff that I would be like Forrest Gump by the end of the run. The finish was amazing. I highly doubt there were any dry eyes around.

I was very emotional at finishing, feeling Craig’s presence along with me during the day and the overall achievement of completing Epic 5 - something that I would have never thought I would have been able to do seven years ago, when I first heard about it. But now I’d made it a reality - incredible!

That is so awesome! Did you have any expectations going in? Did you have any time goals?

I had read and heard a decent amount about the race beforehand, so it didn’t surprise me on how hard it was. It certainly exceeded my expectations on how much fun it was though!

My own time goal was sub 15 hours on the first day to make the flight. In the back of my mind I thought if I could go under 17 hours, that would be cool but I honestly didn’t care. I made sure I tucked my ego away before the race and made completion my only goal. I didn’t care if I was last, I just wanted to finish the event.

Who made up your support crew? How important is it to have a good support crew going into, and during an event like the Epic 5?

Your crew make or break your race.

They can be the difference between finishing the race and a DNF. Without them, I would not have been able to do this event as they made sure I had nutrition the whole way through, broke down and re-built my bike each day, as well as packed up everything to transport it to each island each day. It’s a massive job that I wouldn’t have been able to do myself. My crew was made up of my husband Michael, and my friends Ben and Catherine.

What’s next?

What’s your advice to other athletes who have epic goals they want to achieve?

I would say, try and make your environment as easy as possible to achieve your goals. I would not allow myself to lie in bed when my alarm went off in the morning. It didn’t matter what time it was. I would say to myself, “Don’t think, just do.” I would have my clothes laid out for me so I could get dressed and head out the door straight away. I can’t recall the amount of times I was a few kilometres down the road, waking up and realising that I was out running! Also, as Craig would say to us: “Find your why.” Why are you doing this?

Use that as motivation when you want to stop or not train.

What’s next for you? Any plans on the Ultraman calendar yet?

What’s next? Sleep! I don’t know how long it’s going to take, for my body to recover from this event, so I haven’t planned anything until I feel physically ready to start training again. Then, I feel I’ll be able to start planning my next adventure!

10 SEPTEMBER 2017

The Best of Everything Race the 2016 IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship course!

www.ironman/70.3sunshinecoast.com

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IMAGE OF THE

MONTH photo: Korupt vision Cairns in all its beauty.

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Australian Triathlete |

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tech talk Tri Products

finis Tempo Trainer Pro Develop consistency and avoid lulls with a personal pace coach, the Tempo Trainer Pro. The small, waterproof device easily secures under a swimmer’s cap and transmits an audible tempo beep. Athletes use the beep to train smarter and discover their perfect pace. Now with the option to replace the battery, the Tempo Trainer Pro will last multiple lifetimes. The advanced unit also has a new Sync button and a new mode in strokes/strides per minute for increased functionality. The Tempo Trainer Pro includes a clip for dry land exercise.

RRP: $69.90 www.aquashop.com.au

stages StagesDash Stages® Cycling recently announced Stages Dash and Stages Link, to complement the Stages Power meter and complete their training ecosystem. Stages Dash is a power-training-optimised GPS head unit that seamlessly integrates with Stages Link, a new cloud-based training and analytic system that includes custom-tailored coaching and education for cyclists of any ability.

Stages Dash is now available for pre-order from authorised Stages retailers with an RRP of AU$589 and Stages Link for AU$29 per month or AU$290 annual subscription.

Specialized Deflect Gloves When it’s chilly and windy, it’s hard to do much better than Specialized’s Deflect gloves. They include a wind-resistant soft shell upper that’s paired with a suede palm in order to provide protection from the elements and a firm, comfortable feel at the bars.

RRP: $589.00 www.fesports.com.au

RRP: $69.95 www.specialized.com/au

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funkita Get Fit Crop Top in NIGHT FIRE Your go-to crop top for all things sporty. It’s comfy, it’s adjustable and its full coverage gives you the support you need so you can just focus on your work out.

Features -- Moisture wicking fabric -- Internal shelf bra with removable padding -- Two way stretch so you have freedom to move -- Adjustable straps -- Reflective logo for night runs RRP: $49.95 www.funkita.com funkita Full Speed Full Length Tight In Night Fire A full length tight with feature panels and a smooth, flattering fit that sculpts to your body. Move with comfort and compression in style so you feel your best throughout training.

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Tap 2 Tag tap2tag active ‘tap2tag active’ is a revolutionary electronic identification and medical information technology that is carried or worn by athletes around the world.

The Tap2Tag medical alert wristband uses NFC technology to allow paramedics and other health professionals get access to your medical information quickly and efficiently. It can also be used with any device that has access to the Internet, anywhere in the world. It’s durable, colourful and downright lovely. www.tap2tag.me

Xtenex Elastic Shoelace Xtenex Laces are the best elastic laces in the world and an essential amongst professional athletes; from golfers to distance runners to triathletes. Including 2017 Ironman Cairns Champion Josh Amberger, who wore Xtenex through his Cairns race all the way to victory!

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Specialized Therminal 2.0 Arm Warmers The warmers have an articulated design that conforms to the arm and its various positions and movements while cycling. And to ensure that they stay set where you want them, Specialized have included fold-over cuffs with a light silicone print to gently hold them in place. The warmers have reflective elements for greater visibility and of course is made with Therminal fabric, which is a brushed fleece fabric to keep you warm, whilst insulating and managing moisture build up.

RRP: $49.95 www.specialized.com/au

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tech talk Tri Products

Cannibal WOMEN’S CANDY STRIPE JERSEY -- Air-Dot form Italy - New improved fabric -- A fully sublimated design -- Weight 125gms -- 3 Back Pockets for supplements/phone -- Full Zipper for Full Air Flow Control -- Race Fit -- NEW Grip Elastic on back -- Sizing - XSmall – XXLarge -- Wear the Difference -- Made in Australia Since 89 RRP: $129.95 www.cannibal.com.au

Cannibal X-FACTOR ELITE SLEEVED TRI SUIT -- Elite Sleeved Tri Suit -- Ultimate Aero fit -- New material sleeves/back -- Mesh insert/pockets -- Italian Lycra -- New 4 way stretch Tri pad -- Banded leg no Silicone -- 35cm front zip for air flow $275.00 www.cannibal.com.au

Vorgee Missile Goggles The Missile Eclipse combats glare and enhances underwater clarity and definition.

-- Missile DNA -- Slim line soft silicone eye seals -- Double Metallic Mirror lenses -- 4 Interchangeable nose bridges -- UVA & UVB protection -- Anti-fog coating for enhanced visual clarity -- Silicone competition straps RRP: $39.99

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MAAP x Bellroy Phone Wallet Bellroy and MAAP have teamed up to reimagine the All-Conditions Phone Pocket. For cyclists who are as serious about the design and performance of their gear as they are the ride itself – protect your phone, cash, keys and cards from everything the ride throws at you.

Features YKK AquaGuard Zip The molded zip offers smooth water resistance and the longer pull cord makes it easy to get to your things mid-ride – even with cold hands.

Signature MAAP Details MAAP’s design flavor has been included here, too. An all-over dot emboss and bright blue pull cord add distinct flair. Microfiber Lining. Stash your phone, cash, keys and cards in the pocket and protect your phone screen with a soft microfiber lining.

All-Conditions Leather Bellroy’s All-Conditions leather provides protection against bumps and grit, rain and sweat. Slip the pocket in your jersey and hit the road. www.MAAp.CC

Biknd Helium V4 Bike Case THE HELIUM V4 BIKE CASE uses a combination of light, flexible materials and strategically positioned rigid reinforcements, allowing it to offer excellent protection at a surprisingly low weight of only 9 kg (19.8 lbs). Not only is our bags easy on your shoulders, it also makes it easy to respect the strict baggage weight restrictions imposed by many airlines.

RRP $949.96 www.echelonsports.com.au

Bexters Soda Crystals Used for over 50 years, Australians have been amazed by the benefits of Soda Crystals. Recommended by many physiotherapists, chiropractors and athletes, Bexters Soda Crystals help to reduce swelling and relieve tired, aching muscles.

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2XU Insulation Jacket Mark II The 2XU Insulation Jacket Mark II is a semi fitted vest with duck down filling (80% down, 20% feather). With fleece lined pockets and collar for comfort, internal media pocket and outlet and a detachable hood with lockable zip for secure fastening.

Available for women in black, while for the men you can choose from Navy Reflective/ Silver, Duffle Reflective Camo/Silver or Black.

RRP: $280.00 www.2xu.com/au

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tech talk sound off

Can we kiss the chest strap goodbye?

Products used:

Garmin Fenix 5S (wrist-based heart rate) and Garmin Forerunner 920XT (strap heart rate) t e x t b y M a r g a r e t Mi e l c z a r e k p h o t o g r a p h y b y S h utt e r st o c k . c o m

I

n the last edition (Volume 24.7), I wrote a Tech Talk Road Test feature reviewing the latest offerings in multisport watch technology – the Suunto Spartan Sport Wrist HR and the Garmin Fenix 5S. Having access to the newest technology my favourite feature of these watches was the wrist-based heart rate.

I quickly fell in love with it. It’s no secret that chest strap heart rate monitors can

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be annoying, and that’s putting it mildly.

So, as you can imagine, I was beyond excited to do away with the old, smelly, sweaty strap because now I had access to wrist-based heart rate technology.

In fact, I was that excited about this new technology that I told anyone that would listen about it. Anyone that feigned even the slightest interest: “Margs, that’s a cool new watch,” was soon privy to my spiel about the new technology that I got to

play with and test. But not everyone that I encountered was as enthusiastic about this as I was, and soon questions around the accuracy of wrist-based heart rate technology started to surface.

Intrigued by this I decided to look into the accuracy of wrist heart rate technology and to compare wrist heart rate with the old strap heart rate monitor. I got my Garmin Forerunner 920XT out, dug the strap back out from the back of my training draw, changed its battery and started my not super scientific, n=1 study to see how chest strap heart rate monitors compare to the wrist-based heart rate technology of the Garmin Fenix 5S. I do have to add here that I’m not a coach or an expert in this area – this is purely what I’ve discovered and the questions I have attempted to explore.

First up, why bother measuring and monitoring heart rate?

If you’ve been around triathlon for a while, and you work with a coach, you’ll know that coaches often prescribe training sessions based on particular heart rate zones. This is typically written as T1 to T5 in your program, where T1 is the recovery zone (60-70% of your max heart rate), while T5 is referred to as lactate tolerance or maximum intensity (95-100% of your max heart rate). Hitting these particular heart rate targets or zones in training is important if you want to get the most out of your training. Also, in an iron distance event, coaches may suggest sticking to a particular heart rate zone say on the bike (this is typically T2 or T3 – the aerobic zones) to ensure better performance during the marathon. So, measuring and monitoring your heart rate can be very useful, and for those that don’t have access to a power meter, heart rate is a more accurate metric (compared to just relying on Rate of Perceived Exertion or RPE) to measure effort.

How does wrist-based heart rate work compare to strap heart rate?

The way wrist-based heart rate technology works is as follows: underneath the watch are green optical sensors, which, when placed on your skin, detect your heart rate. When placed on your wrist the optical sensors turn on and shine green, and this green low-intensity light shines through your skin. The optical sensor is then able to determine your heart rate based on the changing light refracted by the blood flowing through your veins. What’s more, the optical sensors shine green as it is said green sensors better detect heart rate across a broader range of skin tones - interesting.

On the other hand, chest strap heart rate monitors detect the electrical activity that is transmitted through the heart muscle to make it contract. In other words, strap heart rate measure the small electrical impulses given off by your heart as the muscle contracts.

Both methods of measuring heart rate (wrist and strap) require a good connection with your skin to get the most accurate reading. With wrist-based heart rate monitors you need to make sure the watch is on firmly (maybe even on a little tighter compared to what you might be used to) and above the wrist bone, while with the chest strap you need to make sure you have the fit right for a more accurate reading.

Green optical sensors: When the watch is placed on your wrist, the optical sensors shine green, and this green low-intensity light shines through your skin and is then able to determine your heart rate.

Can we do away with the strap?

Don’t be too hasty. While kissing the strap goodbye would be amazing – I mean, see ya later chaffing and scars – the accuracy of wrist-based heart rate is still up for debate. While wrist-based heart rate technology is improving (for example the Fenix 5S uses Garmin’s signature Elevate™ optical wrist-based HR technology), it has been said that the accuracy of wrist-based heart rate is still uncertain, while the accuracy of chest strap heart rate monitors has been confirmed through various studies over the years. A study testing various wrist-based heart rate monitors, published in JAMA Cardiology (the Journal of the American Medical Association), found that wrist-based heart was variable – best at rest, with accuracy falling with increasing exercise intensity. In fact, the authors of the study recommend ‘using a strap heart rate when accurate heart measurement was important’. Well, that’s disappointing (*sigh*) – chest strap, I need you back.

My n=1 study With all of the above in mind and having access to both the Fenix 5S (wrist-based heart rate) and the Forerunner 920XT (chest strap), I decided to play – to compare wrist-based heart rate with the chest strap during various workouts and training sessions.

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tech talk sound off

Attempt 1 – ride to work My first attempt at comparing the two devices was during a ride to work (think: low intensity, very much aerobic – I’m not one of those commuters that feels the need to ‘race’ on my way to work). What I found, when I got to work and compared the data, was that the chest strap completely wigged-out at one point, affecting my overall data.

Looking at the Garmin website, they do state that high-voltage power lines can interrupt chest strap technology so maybe this is what happened here? My regular commute to work has tramlines, which possibly interfered with the chest strap. Interesting.

Attempt 1 - Heart Rate (HR) Readings: Avg. HR – Fenix 5S

Avg. HR – Forerunner 920XT

Max. HR – Fenix 5S

Max. HR – Forerunner 920XT

129

163

163

210 – what the? *

*Note: Looking back at my TrainPeaks diary, my maximum heart rate (as calculated using an FTP test completed leading into Ironman Cairns last year, 2016) was 166 on the bike, so the 210 max HR above is definitely wrong – I would be vomiting at that heart rate.

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Attempt 2 – easy ride home from run training, no tramlines Due to the potential interference of the tramlines and therefore possibly inaccurate results, I decided to compare the heart rate methods during another aerobic ride – my easy ride home after run training. This is a different route compared to the usual route I take to work and doesn’t have tramlines. So, I was hoping to see some better results.

The results were better and more comparable, which is what I have seen in the readings I have done – other people who have compared wrist-based heart rate with chest strap have also found comparable results during easy, aerobic workouts.

Attempt 2 - Heart Rate (HR) Readings: Avg. HR – Fenix 5S

Avg. HR – Forerunner 920XT

Max. HR – Fenix 5S

Max. HR – Forerunner 920XT

122

123

155

154

To sum up While easier sessions show similar heart rate readings between the wrist-based heart rate and the chest strap, I found that harder sessions or training at intensity is where there was a significant difference between the two heart rate methods. So, does this mean that if you’re using a watch for general activity, wrist-based heart rate is a fine option, but if you’re looking at doing more intense training, following prescribed heart rate zones and you’re after more reliable data then it’s better to stick to the trusty strap?

So, what should I use – wrist-based heart rate or chest strap?

Well, this isn’t a straightforward answer.

Other things to consider include the following: • At the end of the day, heart rate is only a number.

So, perhaps, whatever device you choose to use, use that one device rather than chopping and changing; to help with continuity. And remember that, particularly at intensity, wrist-based heart rate may show inaccurate readings – you might not be hitting targets that you could be hitting.

Attempt 3 – run training, intervals/speed I have read that while wrist-based heart is relatively comparable with chest strap during easy sessions, it is during intensity that the wrist-based heart rate diminishes. Again, curious to see what readings I would get, I decided to test this out during an interval run session I did at training.

During my run session, the Fenix 5S (wrist-based heart rate) was about 10bpm lower than the Forerunner 920XT (chest strap). So, given that chest strap accuracy is known, if you are training to heart rate and using wrist-based heart rate, then your run could be off due to the potential inaccuracy of wrist-based heart rate.

It has been said that one of the main reasons for the potentially inaccurate readings with the wrist-based heart rate monitor during harder intensity training is the possibility of the watch moving up and down your wrist, rather than staying in the one spot during harder workouts.

Attempt 3 - Heart Rate (HR) Readings: Avg. HR – Fenix 5S

Avg. HR – Forerunner 920XT

Max. HR – Fenix 5S

Max. HR – Forerunner 920XT

127

134

165

175

Attempt 4 – long aerobic, ride, easy to moderate pace (Beach Road, no tramlines) Again, it would seem that the heart rate readings obtained using wrist-based heart rate and the chest strap are similar during easier sessions. During my long, easy to moderate paced ride on the weekend both devices should the same results.

Attempt 4 - Heart Rate (HR) Readings: Avg. HR – Fenix 5S

Avg. HR – Forerunner 920XT

Max. HR – Fenix 5S

Max. HR – Forerunner 920XT

127

127

160

159

• Know what might affect your heart rate readings, especially if you think your monitor may have wigged out (see my ‘Attempt 1’). Know your expected maximum heart rate (through an FTP test – speak to your coach about this) to then know what you should expect to see.

• Realise that there are factors that affect heart rates irrespective of what device you use, such as the temperature, fatigue and hydration status. So, get to know your body, speak to your coach and in a race (and also perhaps in training) use a combination of heart rate and RPE (perceived exertion).

• Talk to your coach before you spend your cash on the latest technology. Your coach should be up to speed with the latest reviews and literature on what is most accurate. I spoke to two well-known tri coaches while researching this piece and both agreed that wrist-based heart rate isn’t as accurate as chest strap at this stage and in training and racing it’s best to use a combination of heart rate and RPE to monitor exertion and to help set the pace.

As for me - while wrist-based heart rate is an exciting concept, for now, I think I’ll stick to my chest strap (take me back chest strap!).

Resources: DC Rainmaker, ‘Heart rate sensor accuracy.’ https://www.dcrainmaker.com/2017/03/garmin-fenix5-5s-5x-review. html#heart-rate-sensor-accuracy Accessed 10/5/17 Garmin – http://www.garmin.com Accessed 10/5/17 Levitch, Colin. ‘Wrist-based heart rate monitors vs. chest heart rate straps.’ http://www.bikeradar.com/au/gear/article/how-accurate-iswrist-based-heart-rate-vs-hr-strap-48458/ Accessed 10/5/2017 Wang, R., Blackburn, G., Desai, M., et al. ‘Accuracy of Wrist-Worn Heart Rate Monitors’, JAMA Cardiol. 2017;2(1):104-106. doi:10.1001/ jamacardio.2016.3340 http://jamanetwork.com/journals/ jamacardiology/article-abstract/2566167 Accessed 10/5/2017

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tech talk Road Test

Product Tested: Amanzi Swimwear

Bone Apetit jammers

Looking for a bit more edge

H

ere in Australia we are very lucky to have some great swimwear companies. Names like Speedo and Funky Trunks are basically household names amongst swimmers and triathletes. There are, however, quite a number of other brands out there making a large range of technical swimwear. One such brand is Amanzi. Their name alone is quite cool.

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Meaning water in Zulu, their whole ethos is around creating chlorine resistant, highly durable, stylish and very unique looking training swimwear. There is no doubt the designs are unique looking. In fact, they are pretty out there, which should be right up the average triathletes ally as triathletes do like to stand out. They are also very affordable, so you could easily grab a couple of pairs.

Amanzi isn’t actually a new company.

They have been around since the 2000s and were born from a frustration of not being able to find any fun, colourful training swimwear - most swimwear of the time being either black, blue, green or red.

One of the things that attracted us to reviewing Amanzi is the amount of support they have shown triathletes from, not only Australia but around the globe. Some of their more high profile triathletes include XTERRA champ Jacqui Slack, as well as ITU specialists Vendula Frintova, Gillian Sanders, Zsofia Kovacs, Kaitlin Donner, Amelie Kretz and Laura Lindemann.

The range for women is quite expansive.

They have a huge selection of one-piece

Reviewed by: The Test Lab Craig McKenzie and Patrick Legge are The Test Lab. Two guys with an obsession for trialling all things related to swimming, riding and running and telling anyone who will listen what they think. Having 20 years each in the sport, they’ve seen the good, the bad and the ugly, but always loved the innovation triathlon brings to the world stage. Craig raced as a professional triathlete, winning 4 National Duathlon titles, and has worked as an exercise physiologist, osteopath and coach, while Pat has built a career running a personal training, massage and coaching business, working with State, Australian and World Champions, including Australian Olympic and Commonwealth squads whilst competing himself.

@thetestlab

daintree one piece

swimsuits, sports bikinis and also several designs of knee length suits, which you don’t see with many other brands. We like the options because it gives the best of all worlds. While most women will choose the one piece, the sports bikini is pretty cool too. It gives the chance to get the stomach a little colour in the summer months and also allows athletes with longer torso’s, who struggle with the length of a one piece, to use a performance suit to train in. Then there is the knee length suit, which, at least down in the southern states, is great for the winter training months.

The range for men is a little simpler.

You can choose from a variety of

Apocalypse jammers

The very first thing we noticed is they got peoples attention, especially — The Test Lab with the under 30’s.

Jammers. Most have some pretty outrageous designs on them, although there is also a plain black version for the more subdued amongst us.

Now it’s one thing to have all these options and claims of durability etc., but how do they perform over a period of time? Well, that’s what we decided to find out.

We gave the female one piece and male Jammers to our testers, Nadelle, Kent and myself [Pat Legge], to train in for the lead up to the Ironman 70.3 Hawaii race in June. Nadelle used the really cool looking Daintree one piece, Kent the bright green Bone Apetit Jammers and myself the out there, ‘creepy hands’, Apocalypse Jammers. We Australian Triathlete |

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@corky93

Aurora sports bikini

The new Amanzi 2017 collection

midnight eclipse kneelength

Stellar one piece used them in both chlorine and salt water pools, and in open water swims.

The very first thing we noticed is they got peoples attention, especially with the under 30’s - the vibrant colours and patterns were a big hit. All of us felt they were very comfortable and none of the suits caught water at all. When it came to the women’s one-piece, the thing Nadelle always looks for is whether the suit ‘rides up’ during a session. She finds this to be both annoying and distracting. When it comes to Amanzi they pass her number one test. To this date they still don’t ‘ride up’ and have maintained their shape and firmness. Nadelle has noticed a little stretch in the suits length, but for her this has been good, as she tends to be one of those athletes with a long, lean torso. We would assume the stretch in this case is due to her body length more than anything else. Overall, she loved the fit of the suit she tested and the fact that over repeated use in a variety of locations, the suit performed perfectly. She was also a massive fan of the Daintree design.

When it comes to the Jammers it’s pretty simple really. You put them on, tie them up and swim. Over the time we have used them the shape hasn’t changed and they feel like a comfortable second skin -

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you can’t ask for anything else. There has been no fade and absolutely no stretch in the time both Kent and myself have tested them.

One word of warning though, they are made from a soft sublimated material and are meant for training-in only. Don’t go playing in the wave pool with your kids while wearing them. I made that mistake and scraped up the material on the front of the shorts pretty badly. Complete user error on my part as I was crawling around on the rough edges of the wave pool with my 18 month old after finishing off a swim set, but worth knowing anyway. Kent on the other hand used his correctly and there has been no change in their appearance since he has been using them.

The final piece in the puzzle for Amanzi is their price point. Prices for the men’s Jammers range between $45 for plain black up to $60 for the print versions.

Women’s one-piece swimsuits are $80 with girls coming in at $60, while the women’s sport bikinis come in at approximately $80 and the girls at $60.

Last of all are the very affordable knee length women’s suits at $85.

Overall, Amanzi hasn’t let us down and it’s always nice to support the brands that look after our fellow triathletes. And when

you consider that they are constantly coming out with new patterns and designs, you’ll always be able to stand out in these suits.

@amanziswim

5 prize packs to give away The great team at Amanzi have five prize packs to give away to a handful of lucky AT readers. The prize packs will each contain a combination of swimsuits and caps.

To enter, simply head to www.amanziswimwear.com/ austrimag This is a prize not to be missed, so go on get entering!!

tech talk save/spend/splurge MEN Save

Product: Winter cycling jackets

WOMEN $50.00

$89.99

Sugoi Men’s rpm cycling jacket Those patches of rainy weather you’ve been riding through aren’t a bother anymore when you have the Sugoi Men’s RPM Cycling Jacket protecting you. The jacket’s HydroShield fabric repels a direct assault from raindrops, while the full-taped seams and waterproof zipper also prevents raindrops from sneaking in. www.rebelsport.com.au

Spend

$144.95

GIANT Proshield rain jacket -- ProTextura™ fabric on the front and back -- Ultra-lightweigh Packable design is easily carried in jersey pocket -- High collar for added protection -- Full-length locking zipper with draft flap -- Reflective details enhance safety in low light or foggy conditions -- Zipper garage -- Race fit www.giant-bicycles.com.au

Splurge $449.95 Specialized Deflect™ REFLECT HYBRID JACKET Men’s and Women’s Deflect™ is a stretch woven fabric that’s wind-resistant, water-resistant, and highly breathable. It’s also been given a 3M® reflective laminate that will increase your visibility to motorists in low-light conditions. The jacket also has removable sleeves that convert the jacket to a vest, increasing the versatility of its usage in varying conditions. www.specialized.com/au

New balance Women’s lite packable jacket Wind and water resistant with a hood that stows away into the collar.

Perforations across the back make the New Balance Women’s Lite Packable Jacket breathable while reflective detailing improves visibility if you’re out in low light levels. A dropped hem and shaped cuffs make for a flattering fit and when you don’t need it on, it folds right up into the zipped chest pocket! www.rebelsport.com.au

$144.95 LIV Delphin Rain Jacket -- Liv Club fit -- ProTextura™ fabric on the front and back -- Ultra-lightweigh Packable design is easily carried in jersey pocket -- High collar for added protection -- Full-length locking zipper with draft flap -- Reflective details enhance safety in low light or foggy conditions www.liv-cycling.com.au

fondo Softshell jacket Fondo’s range has been developed for female cyclists with comfort, high performance and style in mind. Made in Italy.

A warm winter jacket that keeps the wind out and the heat in.

Key features -- Windproof breathable fabric -- Full length hidden zipper -- Two roomy back pockets -- A third ‘hidden’ pocket with a zipper for your coins or keys...or both -- Reflective dots (inspired by Confetti) to assist with visibility in low light -- High collar for added warmth -- Made for women by women. www.fondo.com.au

$315.00

Australian Triathlete |

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Sirius

M US I N GS Š Siri Lindley

Know your

W hy t e x t a n d i m a g e s su p p l i e d b y S i r i l i n d l e y

D

o you ever find yourself forgetting why you set your alarm for 4:30am to wake up and get your training done?

Forgetting why you drag yourself to the pool to swim endless laps? Why you go through the monotonous ritual of getting yourself ready for a ride? Putting on all the gear, filling up the water bottles, pumping up the tires, lubing up the chain, grabbing your cycling helmet, gloves and gels, fixing something that is loose, and finally getting out the door 20 minutes later?

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Do you ever wonder as you are running why you are doing that instead of watching your favourite show on TV? If you have, better yet, if you are in that place right now, keep reading.

What is at the core of any great passion - the meaning behind it? The sense of excitement it gives you. The sense of purpose it fills you with. The great satisfaction you feel when you take one step closer towards achieving that goal you have set for yourself. The excitement is undeniable. You could talk about it all

day. You want to share with anyone who will listen, how that last hard session made you feel. The adventure you had.

What you learned. What you did great.

What made you suffer. How you got through it, and how that filled you with an amazing sense of joy and pride.

When I say meaning, I mean the purpose behind this goal you have set for yourself. The WHY behind your desire to train, and race in this sport of triathlon. Are you taking on this sport as a replacement for some bad habit that had held you back

Siri Lindley A world champion athlete herself and now one of the most revered triathlon coaches in the world, Siri enables athletes to become the champions and the people they were born to be. With an ability to see things in people they cannot see in themselves, Siri is driven by a unrivalled passion for triathlon and the people within. http://siri-lindley.com

Siri Lindley in your life? A drug addiction? An alcohol problem? Anxiety issues? The sport is your way of putting all that energy that once went into drinking, drugging, or worrying, into something beneficial to your mind, body and soul.

Are you using triathlon as a vehicle through which to find yourself? To find out what you are really made of, to find the confidence to step forward and up, in other areas of life where you were lacking the self-esteem to do so.

Are you doing triathlon to form friendships, or relationships that are based on a mutual passion for this great sport?

Triathlon is a social outlet, a place to build connections and thrive socially.

Or, did you take up the sport to improve your health? To lose weight, or drop your blood pressure, or to just know that you are participating in a sport that will improve your overall health, not just physical health, but mental and emotional health as well.

Perhaps you grew up watching the sport on TV, or hearing about it through your parents and dreamed of being one of the best in the world. It is a dream to master this amazing sport that includes three disciplines that will challenge you in every way.

© Siri Lindley

Whatever your reason for participating in this amazing sport, it is so important to always stay connected to that reason - to know your WHY and remember your WHY every single day.

The key is this: once we begin the journey we must be clear about our mission.

1. Know your outcome.

What is it that you are looking to achieve?

What are you looking to get out of this sport? Is it good health? Is it freedom from a past addiction? Is it to master the sport and become one of the greats? Or is it to discover your potential and tap into that potential, allowing you to be all that you can be in life, with a newfound sense of self and self-confidence.

2. Know your meaning - the WHY behind your participation in this sport.

3. Assess where you are now, and where you want to be.

4. Figure out what it will take to get from here to there.

5. TAKE MASSIVE ACTION! As in everything in life, there will be obstacles along the way. The key is not to give up or let it get you down. Keep persisting.

Always be connected to your WHY. Find alternative ways of getting to where you want to go. Be willing to be flexible. It is often after many ‘fails’ that we achieve our biggest successes. Why? Because we don’t fail, we LEARN. Each time we learn something more about ourselves, about what needs to be done to get where we want to go, or about what doesn’t work, so we are free to try other ways.

Never give up. Never let yourself get defeated. Just be creative and stay on your path!

As long as you are always connected to that deep meaning behind the WHY of your participation, you will never lack the desire to keep working hard towards achieving the outcome you dream of.

Remember these simple steps. Don’t lose contact with your deep passion, your deep WHY. This is what fuels every single session, every single moment training. This is what makes even the mundane chore of getting yourself and your bike ready to go out for a ride, exciting - if you let it.

Gratitude is something that I have found always spices up everything in life.

It can take a run where you are exhausted and make it a near bliss experience. Think about your beating heart. It is the most beautiful and powerful gift. We didn’t have to pay for it, we didn’t have to work for it, we didn’t have to beg for it.

We received this as a gift upon birth. It keeps us thriving, alive and functioning in the most miraculous ways. The simplest thing to make us all feel grateful is to put our hands on our hearts, feel the power in the hearts beat, and celebrate being alive.

Take that with you on your run and look around you. The sky and all its beauty and variety. Clouds, striking blue, rain, rainbows, birds and expansive views.

Notice the dogs running along. The walk they are on and the greatest thing that could ever happen in their minds. So simple. Simple joy.

We can experience the same if we allow ourselves to live as often as possible in our hearts. To celebrate life, and the opportunities that we have, to thrive, to shine and to grow.

Wishing you all happy training and great fulfilment on your journey.

Siri ☺ Australian Triathlete |

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with Willy Dan Wilson © Shutterstock.com

The SEA

“A

re you sure it wasn’t a dolphin?” one of the lifeguards asked.

I looked at her with what I imagined to be a withering stare.

Marine biologist, I was not, however, I had a reasonable degree of confidence that I am optically enabled enough to tell the difference between a shark (which I had just seen), and a dolphin (which I had not). I’ve seen Jaws. I wanted action! I wanted beaches shut down, fists shaken in fury at the ocean, and demands for firepower and bigger boats. Instead, all I got was a grizzled elderly lifeguard assuring me they’d “take out the ducky and have a squiz”.

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I had been doing a solo open water swim out the back of Coolangatta, and being young and immortal, the thought of malevolent marine life had never crossed my mind. After swimming for the best part of an hour, I’d started to head back to shore, and was about 100m from land in around head height water, when a shark casually swam directly beneath me, heading back out to sea. I don’t know how close he had gotten to shore, where swimmers bounced like dumplings in soup. It was about as big as I was, swimming as lazily as one could imagine, yet oozed menace like a doughnut oozes jam. The session, up until that point, had been largely aerobic. That changed in an

instant. Although, the only (possibly incorrect and irrational) thought I had, was that sharks were attracted to splashing, so for the first time in my life, I shut down the kick completely, and muscled back to dry land as quickly as possible.

I’ve had previous encounters with both whales and dolphins, and pride myself on being able to make the distinction between these and sharks, as much as one might pride themselves on being able to make the distinction between a mermaid, and say a Mack truck. My dolphin encounter came not too far from Coolangatta, where I was in the middle of another open water session, this time in Cudgen Creek near the mouth of the river.

Exhibit A

Exhibit B

dolphin

Shark

Exhibit C

I’d been perplexed for five minutes while I tried to find the part of my goggles that had started to emit a high-pitched squeak every time I put my head underwater.

I clued on enough to check my surroundings and discovered it was a pair of dolphins responsible for the squeaking.

They had gone for a cruise upstream and were checking me out from a respectable distance, no doubt marvelling at the inefficiencies of my freestyle. My whale encounter came many years ago when as a young, esky-lidder I was body-boarding off Moreton Island when the frantic waving of those onshore had me convinced of a great white lurking. Once I had soiled myself and hustled back safely on dry land did I find out that I’d had a humpback whale only meters from where I was waiting in the line-up.

However, probably the most remarkable story of marine life during my triathlon career was highlighted by its distinct absence. We were down in coastal Northern NSW, for a training camp one year, and our house comprised of a) those who liked to fish (everyone bar me), and b) those who liked to play the guitar and heckle those who fish (me). We’d had a hot tip that one of the best fishing spots on the coast was at a beach a short drive from where we were staying. We ducked down there on our first recovery day, the lads set up their rods, and I set about heckling them and butchering Metallica riffs. After 15 minutes, we suspected something was up. There was not a bite to be had, despite there being tackle everywhere. Sadly, the tackle was not exclusively of the fishing variety. Within five minutes, we’d seen three people walk past, and two bike riders – all stark naked.

Five minutes later, a pair of naked swimmers jumped into the surf, while the

Exhibit D

Whale

Nudist

Sometimes, the scariest creatures at the beach don’t necessarily have — Dan Wilson sharp teeth and fins… lads determinedly fished on. More time passed, and at this point, a friendly (yet to our minds, underdressed) local came up and enquired as to where we were from, if we were enjoying the area, and how the fishing had been progressing. The boys responded admirably, albeit becoming suddenly fixated with something in the sky, while I held an intense focus on my chords.

Upon his eventual departure, a quick house meeting was held, with the

conclusion that we were going to get the hell out of there, ASAP. It was a quiet trip home. Upon debriefing, it became clear we’d been the victims of a good oldfashioned stich-up. The ‘hot tip’ about the fishing spot, had come from our massage therapist, who knew little about fishing, but enough about the location of one of the country’s most notorious nudist beaches.

Sometimes, the scariest creatures at the beach don’t necessarily have sharp teeth and fins…

About Dan Biomechanically denied his dream of becoming an NBA superstar, Dan Wilson has been racing the ITU circuit for over seven years representing Australia at Junior, U/23 and Elite level. His results have ranged from winning a World Cup to finishing only with the aid of glow sticks. When not “at work” training three times a day, he incompetently plays the guitar, competently sips short blacks, and fervently studies the underground metal scene.

Website: www.danwilson.com.au Twitter: @dan_wilson_

Australian Triathlete |

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SEXTON’S Scribble...

The Secret Society

I

’have written numerous times about my adoration for the inclusive, accepting and encouraging collective temperament of the triathlon community. Our sport’s positively infectious attitude towards enjoyment and individual improvement was the common denominator contributing to my own original dabble in, and eventual commitment to, triathlon as a full-time profession. Joining a triathlon group, and in turn, the wider tri-consciousness is kind of like being accepted into a secret fraternity you didn’t previously realise existed. All of a sudden you are interacting with people you would normally not have contact with, accessing a network of individuals and groups across the country and world sharing tips and tricks to nail your first ever event or achieve that once far-flung race PB. The information and experience sharing opens your eyes to a far more complex world that is invisible on the surface to the non-triathlete civilians.

Of course, the general public does see plenty. They see the elative finish photos, the change in the triathlete’s improved quality of life and the sunrise training session posts, with the equally creative hash-tagged inspirational quotes. They are aware that newbies, and veterans of triathlon, alike have committed themselves to the sport to some degree and are reaping the multitude of benefits from their inclusion in this seemingly

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innocent society. But this fraternity shelters some starkly terrifying secrets that are only revealed once the fluffy illusion of sun, fun and partying have sucked the naïve trend seeker insofar that there is no turning back.

As I type, I can imagine every triathlete pulling a baffled face not dissimilar to the face you might pull when after accidentally grabbing the coffee order at the local cafe, and taking a big gulp of a syrup flavoured, over frothed, sugar packed caffeinated beverage rather than the [insert preferred respectable coffee here] that you were expecting. The reason you have no idea what secrets I’m referring to is thanks to the brainwashing effect of the echo chamber that has become daily standard.

So, let me take you back. Back to your first week as a triathlete. It’s likely you didn’t see yourself as “one of them” at that point. You were a perfectly sane individual who just happened to spend an hour or two with triathletes to see what it was that they actually did. Then a month goes by. You’ve been in the pool with them a few times, a couple of jogs around the local park – maybe even hit the road on your flat bar 8-speed amongst a swathe of bright coloured lycra, beeping watches and two-wheeled spacecraft. You have possibly experienced either sunburn (except for the skin coloured T-shirt that is now permanently imprinted on your

Brendan Sexton body), or frostbitten fingers; a saddle sore you are considering hitting up for rent, delayed onset muscle soreness that forces you to walk down stairs backwards and a lingering scent of chlorine that starts to feel like a horrible curse has been laid upon you, and you have not a single photo posing in front of a culturally conscious street art mural to post. Now, think back to your first actual triathlon. You may need to focus really hard here as much of this experience is likely to have been suppressed for reasons of continuity of sanity. Do the expressions “Why?” “Oww!” “Never again!” or “that filth encrusted drain looks like the perfect place to curl up and sob” recall any flashbacks that stab devilishly at your soul? Maybe. But we’re conditioned over time to accept these feelings as standard © Getty images for Ironman

Brendan Sexton As a youngster, Brendan’s life ambition was to be the fifth Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle. That didn’t quite pan out. But triathlon did. A decade on, he’s still at it. www.brendansexton.com.au @kung_fu_sexton

and hide them from the wider public. We are specialists at covering up the complete malevolence of our torturous pastime and displaying a wholesome, mentally stable and fun façade.

Here are a few examples of our deceptive pit traps of doom carefully obscured by branches of the supposed glorious #trilife that may have conveniently slipped from your awareness: • The insatiable hunger: we’re happy to lap up the compliments directed at newly developed bulges and protuberances of muscle, and we will blush and roll eyes when the terms “tanned” and “toned” are thrown around. Funnily, we will never retort these gushes with the fact that the previous night’s meal included a loaf of bread, a serving of vegetables that would have left a hole in the earth similar to that of a “life-on-earth-ending” meteor, a

juvenile wilder beast, and enough chocolate ice cream to make Augustus Gloop squeamish. That feeling at the end of a mammoth long ride where EVERY food you can think of happens to be the exact food you are craving. Not to mention the grocery bill!

• The complete obliteration of anything resembling a social life: we are always with other people - sweating more than chatting. We go places – and admire them from the saddle, occasionally actually pull over for a photo. We’re up as the sun rises – looking at the bottom of the pool. We relax while having a protein recovery drink and watching our favourite live show on Netflix, in bed. There are early morning starts, long session weekends and holidays travelling to qualifying events or on training camps. I’m not saying we don’t love what we do, or shouldn’t. But we

certainly don’t advertise that new triathletes may one day be hard pressed to make a choice between chilling out at a mate’s barbeque or literally sitting in a bathtub of water and ice in order to make it through tomorrow’s fartlek run.

• An unexplained diminished sense of fashion: whether in a pre-triathlon life, you thought of yourself as a cosmopolitan fashionista or just an average Joe, who knew what they liked but self-admittedly “was just happy being comfy”, your standards were far removed to what they are today. Head-to-toe Lycra, helmets vaguely resembling the extraterrestrial antagonist from well known, sci-fi franchises and Velcro strapped sun visors (…in the supermarket? Why do we need sun protection as well as a cool head while selecting fresh produce?). And the colours. How does any well-balanced, non-triathlon civilian not fall under the impression we are trying to send a message of help through an intricate colour coded system? I can only imagine the outsiders would see it as a call for help – the looks I get in my get up at the local brew shop certainly aren’t reflective of them reading a “join us” signal.

As a member of this triathlon fraternity, I completely admit to misleading the majority when it comes to the sport being all glamour, carefree and lifestyle enlightening. It really does have its tougher aspects and at times can make us question our choice to immerse ourselves so wholeheartedly. But we still do all of this at our own free will, and as far as we are concerned, we are glamorous, carefree and enlightened (maybe the TT helmet is the key). It could be said that by experiencing the pitfalls I’ve described along with the dozens of other challenges we face as triathletes we actually do live the #trilife we are selling to the masses.

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What’s on your recovery menu?

(Part 2)

Compex (compexstore.com)

t e x t b y D r S i m o n S o st a r i c p h o t o g r a p h y b y C o m p e x a n d F i r e f ly

As a prelude to this month’s editorial, basic principles and application of emerging wearable devices was discussed in the May edition. The recovery challenge for athletes, is largely focussed on managing sustainable training loads and injury prevention.

Neuromuscular electrical stimulation therapy:

I

n a variety of forms, neuromuscular electrical stimulation therapy (NEST) has been around for decades. In an orthopaedic setting, NEST is useful during periods of limb immobilisation, such as accelerating quadriceps strength post- knee surgery (Gatewood et al, 2016). The application of NEST is quite simple: placing adhesive pads on or around the affected area and delivering a tolerable alternating electrical current, which stimulates muscle in order to mitigate pain and loss of muscle function.

Here we take a look at two commercially available NEST devices, Compex and Firefly, which are marketed to athletes. Firstly, we explore some scientific evidence, and secondly, highlight practical relevance to triathletes seeking to bolster their recovery.

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A comprehensive review by Gondin and colleagues (2011), compiled key findings of research (up to 2010) investigating effects of electrical stimulation on post exercise recovery and performance in healthy individuals. Whilst each study was differing in design and protocol, a common theme emerged, which included an increase in maximal isometric strength following NEST. However gains in functional application (jumping, sprinting ability etc) were less clear unless NEST was also combined with a concurrent intervention, such as power or strength training.

A study by Gondin and colleagues (2005) investigated NEST effects on neural drive and muscle architecture.

Twenty healthy males were divided into

Training TOOLBOX Performance

NEST: Neuromuscular electrical stimulation therapy stimulates muscle in order to mitigate pain and loss of muscle function.

experimental (NEST = EXP) and control (CON) groups. Both groups underwent baseline, week 4, and week 8 measures of knee extensor maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) and electromyography (EMG = muscle electrical activity). The EXP group underwent 32 x 18min training sessions over 8 weeks, which included 40 isometric contractions during each session, with concurrent electrical stimulation (75Hz, 400 µs) via Compex portable device. After 8 weeks, key findings included a significant increase in MVC (27%); muscle activation (6%), quadriceps muscle cross sectional area (6%). The practical application from this study is consistent with previous research in this field; that electrical stimulation in the presence of voluntary isometric contractions, may benefit injury rehabilitation programs prior to, and during limb immobilisation.

A second study, by Billot and colleagues (2010) then went a step further, and explored NEST effects on performance parameters that have practical application on the sports field; in this case, strength, sprinting, jumping and kicking capacities of soccer players.

Twenty male soccer players were allocated to EXP and CON groups, and completed baseline, week 3, and week 5 tests for strength, speed, power and ball speed. The EXP group underwent 3 x 12min NEST sessions per week for 5 weeks

on knee extensors, including soccer training 5hrs per week. Whilst CON group completed only the same soccer training as EXP. NEST was delivered at 100Hz, 400 µs, via Compex portable device. After 5 weeks of NEST training, eccentric (22%), isometric (27%), and concentric (14-24%) torques and ball speed with and without run-up (5% and 9% respectively) had significantly improved. However, there was no improvement in sprint or power (jumping) performance. This study demonstrates that knee extensor muscle strength improved after only 3 weeks of NEST, which may compliment soccer specific tasks such as kicking. Sprinting and jumping involve complex interactions between multiple muscle groups, which may explain why there was no improvement found during these activities, given NEST was applied to only knee extensor muscles.

A third study by Warren and colleagues (2011), focussed their attention on blood lactate (BLA) and pitching speed responses to NEST. Seven male baseball players underwent a series of pitching 3 innings, and 3 different recovery methods (passive, active, NEST) over three days.

Passive recovery meant no intervention for 6min; active recovery included light physical activity for 6min; NEST administered for 6min, at 9Hz, 250 µs, via Compex Sports Unit. Significantly lower BLA was found with NEST compared to active and passive recovery. NEST and passive recovery induced higher average pitching speed than active recovery, however NEST was no more effective than passive recovery.

The authors took the slant of increased BLA as a precursor to fatigue and performance inhabitation.

Technically, this is not correct, as it is now well established that BLA is reflective of metabolic demand and adaptation, and is indeed an important source of fuel during intense exercise. In this study,

lower BLA following NEST had no bearing on pitching performance compared to passive recovery. The mechanism for reduced BLA following NEST is equivocal, though likely due to increased blood flow, with subsequent re-distribution of lactate to inactive and previously active tissue.

Fire fly (elitesportrecovery.com.au) Unlike the Compex device, the Firefly device is attached to skin across the peroneal nerve, behind the knee. Previous research by Tucker and colleagues (2010) demonstrated that peroneal nerve stimulation increases blood flow in the large femoral vein by up to 50-70% achieved when walking. Two studies in particular have recently investigated the effects of the Firefly device on muscle damage and soreness after exercise.

Ferguson and colleague (2014) compared the effects of NEST with compression garments and passive recovery (CON) on muscle strength, damage and soreness following endurance running. Twenty one healthy males completed a 90min shuttle running test on 3 separate occasions (each separated by 4 weeks), followed 1hr later by one of the 3 treatment. NEST was induced by Firefly (both legs for 12hrs, 1Hz,

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Training TOOLBOX Performance increased blood flow. The Firefly device may also elicit an effect on lymph flow, due to the specific low frequency of electrical signal, which typically results acceleration of muscle debris clearance.

Chronic application of NEST, even though safe, is not recommended due to the probable loss of sensitivity to the treatment over time, and possible interference with muscle architecture adaptation and resilience to fatigue and damage.

Next edition we will focus attention to Part 3 of wearable recovery; including pneumatic compression and heart rate variability.

References: Gatewood CT, et al (Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc, 2016). The efficacy of post‑operative devices following knee arthroscopic surgery: a systematic review.

Gondin J, et al (Eur J Appl Physiol, 2011). Is highfrequency neuromuscular electrical stimulation a suitable tool for muscle performance improvement in both healthy humans and athletes?

Billot M, et al (J Strength & Cond Research, 2010).

Effects of an electrostimulation training program on strength, jumping & kicking capacities in soccer players.

Gondin J, et al (Med Sci Sp & Ex, 2005).

Electromyostimulation training effects on neural drive and muscle architecture Warren C, et al (J Strength & Cond Research, 2011).

Effect of three different between-inning recovery methods on baseball pitching performance.

Tucker A, et al (Int J Angiol, 2010). Augmentation of venous, arterial, and microvascular blood supply in the leg by isometric neuromuscular stimulation via peroneal nerve.

70-560 µs); compression induced by graded compression socks (both legs for 12hrs, 40mmHg at the ankle, 20mmHg at calf). Passive recovery did not require any intervention. Perceived soreness increased for all groups after exercise, however less so in NEST compared to compression and CON after 24hr, and lower than CON after 48hr. There was no difference between treatments for isometric knee extensor strength. There was no difference between treatments for markers of muscle damage (CK, LDH), or inflammatory markers (IL-6, CRP). The authors recognised one limitation in the study included previous protective effects of muscle damage following the initial run test.

A second study by Taylor and colleagues (2015) investigated NEST effects on muscle power, speed, and muscle damage following intense training.

Twenty eight male rugby and football players completed maximal speed training (6m x 50m; 5min recovery) on 2 separate occasions (each separated by 7 days), followed by NEST or CON. NEST was induced by Firefly (both legs for 8hrs, 1Hz, 140 µs); CON recovery did not require any intervention. Perceived soreness increased

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for all groups after exercise, however less so in NEST compared to CON after 24hr.

Leg power decreased in both groups, however recovered more in the NEST groups after 24hr. Muscle damage marker CK increased in both groups, but was lower (better recovery) in NEST after 24hr. There was no difference between treatments for blood lactate, saliva testosterone and cortisol. The authors recognised that numerous recovery characteristics were apparent following NEST, but athletes should not expect to be fully recovered after 24hrs.

Considerations & take home message for triathletes NEST certainly has its place in recovery following significant injury. There are also circumstances following heavy training and competition where NEST may be beneficial; however, not at the expense of fundamental recovery methods, including active movement, nutrition, sleep, etc.

Both Compex and Firefly are easy to apply for time poor athletes, traveling, or have restricted access to other recovery modalities. When effective, the primary mechanism appears to be related to

Ferguson R, et al (Eur J Appl Physiol, 2014).

Neuromuscular electrical stimulation via the peroneal nerve is superior to graduated compression socks in reducing perceived muscle soreness following intense intermittent endurance exercise Taylor T, et al (J Sc Sport Med, 2014). The impact of neuromuscular electrical stimulation on recovery after intensive, muscle damaging, maximal speed training in professional team sports players.

Dr Simon Sostaric PhD.,BAppSc.,AEP.,AES Exercise Physiologist / Sport Scientist Dr Simon Sostaric is a distinguished exercise physiologist, sports scientist, researcher and author.

Simon holds a physiology doctorate (Victoria University, Melbourne, Australia), in electrolyte regulation and skeletal muscle fatigue.

He is the founder and director of Melbourne Sports & Allied Health Clinic (www.msahc.com.au), with 25 years’ experience in professional sport, clinical practice and academia.

For more information, Twitter: @DrSimonSostaric Facebook: @melbournesports andalliedhealthclinic

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Weight Training

pain as a reason for overweight or obese status.

The other two-thirds of athletes I see are serious about sport. Shoulders sore from swimming, ITB related knee pain, back stiffness, achilles tendonopathy and race-nutrition failure. Oh and man-flu!

t e x t b y D r Mit c h A n d e r s o n I l l us t r a t i o n b y s h utt e r st o c k . c o m

I

spend an unexpectedly inordinate amount of my professional life discussing weight and how to lose it. And to be honest, I really enjoy this part of my practice. It’s a mix of motivation, teaching and finger pointing.

Ok, creative licence on the finger pointing…I don’t do much of that, unless an athlete is really asking for it!

As a guesstimate, roughly one third of my practice is treating foot and ankle

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injuries in non-athletes. Or more accurately, less than serious athletes.

These are caused in the great majority by compounding formative injuries in mainstream sports (football, netball) with middle age spread. So, an untreated sprained ankle leads to instability, which with the passage of time (and weight gain) accumulates to joint injury. The patient then discusses the inability to exercise due to

injuries: Carrying too much weight?

Training TOOLBOX health kicks

Nonetheless this group is still plagued by the confluence of weight gain, accumulated injuries and gravity. This impacts their ability to stay on the training track and perform well on race day. But how light should we be? And for what purpose?

The Science Fact 1.

An average Australian accumulates one gram of fat per day from the age of 30 to 60-years-of-age. That’s one kilogram every three years, by 10. Yes, math says a 10 kilogram weight gain.

Fact 2.

Next, let’s account for ground reaction force (GRF). It’s Newtons third law, which states that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. Without digressing too much, walking on flat terrain sees 1-2 x gravity and running 2-4 x gravity. Jogging is at the highest end of GRF, whereas running quickly sees a reduction from that peak.

An experience mathlete can calculate that an average middle aged man (80kg) will experience up to 320kg of GRF whilst running. Given that 5kg of this is accumulated fat (6% of body weight)- so 20kg of excess/unecessary GRF per foot fall. Over an hour run (60minutes) with an expected 80 foot falls (40L/40R) that accumulates to a horrifying 48,000kg of excess GRF for each of your left and right ankle/hip/knee joints.

Fact 3.

The average human expends 2000 calories of energy per day. This doesn’t vary much, except when you take into account heavy exercise, like triathlon training. This means athletes need to eat more calories to maintain effort during exercise or recover from their training.

Without recovery, performance will not improve. Training makes you hungry.

Your weight is a function of what you eat, not what you do — Dr Mitch Anderson (by enlarge).

Athletes eat calories to match their energy expenditure, and then some. See Fact 1 and 4. So, even though weight = energy in + energy out, it ends up being skewed by hunger and satiety.

Fact 4.

Hunger/satiety is controlled centrally by the hypothalamus - a critical part of your brain that is also responsible for metabolism, thirst, body temperature, fatigue, sleep and circadian rhythms.

Please note, the hypothalamus and

recovery from fatigue are intimately linked. This portion of brain relies on a host of feedback mechanisms to do it’s job (largely hormonal- including Grehlin and Leptin). Grehlin is released from your gut when it is full (i.e. on stretch), and Leptin from fat cells (when they are full of fat). Simply put when your gut and fat cells are full, the hypothalamus is signalled that you don’t need to eat anymore. Except modern man is plagued by miscommunication- thus the accumulation of 10kg over 30 years.

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Venn Diagram 1

2

WEIGHT LOSS

Exercise

diet

How we think it is.

WEIGHT LOSS

Exercise

diet

How it really is.

Your choice: You are what you eat.

Philosophy Weight is an emotional issue for women and men. But as athletes we need to make decisions about exercise as dispassionately as possible. Think about what your body composition is and match your activity levels, and thus race expectations to that reality. Training for your size will reduce the risk of injury and keep you happily training and racing (See Fact 2, previous page).

Run a little (or a lot less), walk and do plenty of swim/biking.

Your weight is a function of what you eat, not what you do (by enlarge).

Examine Venn diagrams above.

People as a general rule (athletes included) have been programmed to think that if you want to lose weight (spend energy> eat energy), you just need to get out and exercise more. Thus Venn 1, where there is intersection between exercise and diet. And this would be true if we didn’t have Fact 4.

The reality is that weight is really only related to what you eat. Exercise is for mental health, stimulating the brain and body with endorphins plus enjoying the social aspects. It keeps us both sane and healthy. It is a leisure activity with the fringe benefit of keeping your body and mind healthy. Not a bludgeoning tool for making your body the weight and shape you want it to be. It has to be F-U-N! Food choices are responsible for your calorie intake and your resultant weight. It is also responsible for your ability to recover, replace glycogen and damaged muscle proteins. This doesn’t have to be fun. It should from time to time be enjoyable, but food is largely for function.

Take for instance a gel: function>fun, but it helps with exercise so we tolerate the taste/consistency. Salad is function>fun, just like a gel. It clears the bowel, fills you up and provides nutrition. Donut is just fun. Not function. It’s like going to the movies - doesn’t happen every day, it’s a treat.

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Practical Advice Training for racing is difficult. It involves many sacrifices- time, money and energy.

In addition, losing weight is a brutal affair: it takes time and energy to cope with hunger. Trying to mix the two is a recipe for disaster. Emotional show-downs happen when these two issues collide. I have had more than my share of personal clashes due to a coalition of hunger, thirst and tiredness. It’s a dead set axis of evil!

So, try and divide the emotional from the factual. You are the athlete you weigh at the moment, so shoot for exercise that suits. If you are a healthy weight and uninjured, then carry on! If not, try to lose

weight slowly - not binge dieting, so you avoid the weight gain of an average Australian. Or even maintain your current weight and enjoy exercise that suits your physique. Your body needs to last 100 years, not 100 triathlons.

References Plain language: https://theconversation.com/chemical-messengershow-hormones-make-us-feel-hungry-and-full35545#comment_796346 https://coachgordo.wordpress.com/2016/12/14/ damage-limitation-strategies-nutrition/ Science reading: http://www.nejm.org/doi/pdf/10.1056/NEJMoa1105816

mitch@shinbonemedical.com @DrMitcha

@Drmitcha

113 IRONMAN FINISHES...

All your triathlon questions answered: Sports Medicine, Physiotherapy, Exercise Science, Massage, Rehabilitation, Coaching & Nutrition.

Image: Delly Carr www.sportshoot.com.au

www.shinbonemedical.com 2/96 Macaulay Rd North Melbourne Vic 3051 Appointments: Julie 9-5 Tues-Fri: 0393295454

Dr Mitchell Anderson M.B.B.S., B.Physio. (hons), B.Sci. (hons), Dip. Surg. Anat.

Jason Shortis B. Ex. Sci., Grad. Dip. Ex. Phys., Level 2 Tri coach, Level 2 Strength & Conditioning Charlie Bottero (Masseur) Australian Triathlete |

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Strength = Speed t e x t b y k r iss h e n d y

All athletes want to go faster. From sprinters to ultra-marathon runners, our sporting performances and achievements are largely quantified by how fast we have been and how fast we want to go. And whether we like it or not, professional and age group racing is getting faster all the time.

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With the ongoing advancements in technology and research, equipment and clothing, companies are constantly finding new ways to go faster. However, while there are obvious benefits gained through better kit and faster ‘set-ups’, a large percentage of athletes are missing one of the most crucial dictators of speed – strength.

How does strength training make you go faster?

In short, the stronger you are, the less energy and effort you will need to move your body. Very much like how aerobic training improves the efficiency of our lungs and heart, the same can be applied to strength training and the improved efficiency of our working muscles.

© Korupt Vision

If you want to be fast, you first need to be strong

Training TOOLBOX

Good Form If you’ve ever stood on the sidelines and watched an endurance event, particularly a triathlon or half marathon race, you will have watched the deterioration of people’s form towards the latter stages of the race and with this the slowing down in pace.

Strength training: Tim Van Berkel in action at the gym - where the real work gets done.

More force produced

The ability to withstand these ‘form changes’ when fatigued comes through creating a balanced, strong and stable body. By improving your structural strength (the strength around your joints) and any imbalances from side-to-side, you will be able to hold a better form for a longer duration and therefore, maintain a faster pace throughout.

Training Tip: Single, side strength exercises are essential to even out any imbalances. This will translate across to race day performances by maintaining a strong, balanced body especially when fatigued.

Cadence or turnover is a hot topic within the endurance community, with strokes per minutes, revolutions per minute and strides per minute being key areas of measurement in training. But a great turnover won’t do anything if there is no force behind it. A stronger muscle is able to exert more force and, therefore, someone with an optimal cadence coupled with great force will travel much faster and further over the ground compared to an athlete who just has a quick cadence. But remember, to be able to apply this force, we first must have the foundations of strength to develop it.

“Strength is the foundation for everything.”

© Getty Images

You may have heard the term ‘running economy’. Well, ‘movement economy’ whether it is during running, cycling or swimming, describes the optimal way in which we can move while avoiding any unnecessary body movement and reducing the effects of fatigue.

It is easy to think that if we want to run, ride or swim faster in a race we just need to run, ride and swim faster in training.

This theory is a simple one, yet one that is very hard (if not impossible) to execute alone. We know that getter faster isn’t achieved overnight - it takes time and patience to see the results of the hard work that you put in.

If we look at sprinters and how they train, we’d see a lot of time spent in the gym, working on creating maximal force and power. Strength training done correctly, can also improve the speed of an endurance athlete through a number of factors (as follows).

© Shutterstock.com

© Janos M.Schmidt/ ITU Media

© Kriss Hendy

strength and conditioning

CAPTION: Without strength, world-class athletes wouldn’t be able to endure the speed that they maintain over long-course.

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GET IT RIGHT: Forget bodybuilding exercises, the strength needed by an endurance athlete is often more evident on the inside.

bodies through specific training of the muscle tissue through functional, full body movements. This is a much more time and energy efficient way to gain power.

Training Tip: The ‘power’ exercises you may have seen across the media often show the plyometric style of strength training such box jumps. This is great under the watchful eye of a trained professional, and on the condition that

© Shutterstock.com

Commonly we hear coaches saying that these improvements in force/power can be achieved through your ‘sport specific’ training. However, this is often at the expense of a lot more time, mileage and with the risk of overtraining. Doing “strength” sessions while on the bike, running or in the pool will have its benefits, but it won’t create the same results as strength training. To create power and speed, we must look to developing our

BOX JUMPS: Make sure you are ready before progressing onto more challenging exercises.

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you already have a solid base level of strength. Developing the essential foundations of strength through bilateral and single side movements where your feet remain on the ground is fundamental before moving on to these more explosive movements.

Strengthening not ‘Bulking’ The old school belief was that strength training would make endurance athletes bulky, and in turn, this extra mass would make them slow. However, we now know that it’s quite the opposite.

These misconceptions came about because when talking about strength training, people would automatically think of bodybuilders. If you train like a bodybuilder, yes, of course, you will bulk up. But we need to remember the goals of a bodybuilder and an endurance athlete are very different. Training to get ‘big’ is very different from training to build stability, resilience and structural strength.

Research has proven that strength training improves times in endurance performance (cycling and running) without increasing body mass because endurance exercise blunts the process of muscle hypertrophy.

Š Shutterstock.com

Training TOOLBOX strength and conditioning

Š Shutterstock.com

We also know that resistance training will burn fat in a much more effective and efficient way than doing hours and hours of cardio. Endurance training is actually catabolic, which means it breaks down our muscle, not ideal when we want all the muscle we can get to perform. Therefore, by strength training, we can safely and effectively achieve a leaner, lighter athlete who is also strong and resilient.

Training Tip: The above only applies if your training is on point and specific to your needs. Make sure that your focus is on developing strength and stability rather than aesthetics.

Kriss Hendy

Strength & Performance Coach Seeing the need for better athlete education and understanding with regards to Strength & Conditioning for the Endurance Athlete. Kriss works with a variety of athletes from Age Groupers to Professionals, developing programs that support and heighten their endurance performance. Kriss is based in Byron Bay with his wife (Professional Triathlete) Polly Hendy.

He has both a local & International client base that use his Online Strength Training Packages.

For further details or to contact Kriss: www.khstrengthandperformance.com Twitter: khendy3 Instagram: @kriss_hendy

STRENGTH TRAIN WITH CONFIDENCE AND CONVENIENCE

-

StrengthForEnduranceKIT strengthforendurance.com

No time? No equipment? No problem!

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Am I ready for Ironman? text by katee pedicini p h o t o g r a p h y b y 2 0 1 6 G e tt y I m a g e s

P

erhaps a better question to ask would be: “Do I have the right foundations for Ironman success?”

The element I love about the sport of triathlon, in particular, Ironman, is that any shape, size, gender or ability can have a go on an equal playing field. Spectating or watching an Ironman is all it takes to catch the bug - planting a seed of when and where your next or first Ironman will be.

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The essence of our sport will continue to attract a wide array of individuals from varied backgrounds and abilities who are motivated by very different things. They might be driven by Kona qualification, merely crossing the line, making others proud, making themselves proud, or completing a PB or a particular time. With all the hype and excitement that comes with an Ironman event, there can also be a “dark side” for some athletes. The niggles,

fatigue, grumpiness, strained relationships, injury, bike or mechanical issues, impaired work performance, mood disturbances and other health concerns, and more. With these elements in mind, considering tackling an Ironman should not be taken lightly. There is also a large financial investment to consider. With so many things to juggle, before you think about doing an Ironman. I want to take you through the key foundations of endurance training - training that puts you in the best position to take on an Ironman, minimising the chance of injury, burnout, hormone imbalance and mood disturbances, while ensuring you have an enjoyable and rewarding (albeit tough!) Ironman experience.

Before a baby can learn to walk, they need to lay the foundations of movement.

First, they learn to lift their neck and use their spine and then they learn to roll over from front to back, and back to front. Then they learn to crawl, stand and walk. For my

Training TOOLBOX Holistic Endurance

1

Do you have a clear and concise nutrition plan that will enable you to recover from large training volume or intensity; manage inflammation; maintain hormonal health; develop and maintain immunity; assimilate sports nutrition and maintain weight or achieve race weight goals? I’m referring to a day-to-day nutrition plan in the early phases of your training for Ironman – these are the months will lay the foundations for optimal health.

If not: Who do you need to help with the above elements?

And what do you need from them?

Jot down some notes and options available to you, then take action!

I recommend seeking out a sports nutritionist that can provide individualised advice, based on individual needs, physiology and metabolism.

2

Do you have a plan to ensure you have optimal mobility, functional movement and physical function to prevent injury and enhance performance?

Yes: GREAT! What action steps do you need to put in place to ensure you maintain consistency with this? Jot them down.

No: Time to build a team! You will want to consider consulting with a Strength Coach, Myotherapist, Sports Physiotherapist, Osteopath or Chiropractor.

I recommend starting with a Functional Movement Screen (FMS) or assessment. This process will help identify current imbalances that may put you at heightened risk of niggles in the future. After your assessment, a Strength Coach or Exercise Physiologist can write an individualised program targeting activation, mobility and strength.

[See resources]

recommendations below to work, I need you to harness your inner baby, embrace the baby steps, literally - because, minute as they may seem, they have the largest effect on Ironman success.

Let me explain.

A consistent athlete will be a successful athlete. Obviously, success is defined differently for each individual. Illness and injury are the number one factors to derail © Pablo BlazquezTo Dominguez/Getty Images consistency. minimise your risk of illness and injury you need to lay solid foundations, no matter how small, insignificant or boring they may seem. With this in mind, I’ve come up with eight key questions to ask yourself when considering embarking on an Ironman Journey.

© Shutterstock.com

3

Do you have a tailored training plan that is suited to your current ability; personal lifestyle needs and is specific to ensure success?

Yes:

Fabulous! What action steps do you need to put in place to make the most out of this training plan or coaching relationship? Jot them down.

No: I would highly recommend investing in personal guidance through coaching and programming. Yes, I’m a coach, so I’m biased.

But even as a coach I seek the assistance of a mentor to support my training. We all need an expert who can be objective throughout an Ironman journey. It’s also a great learning tool. When seeking out training or coaching support, jot down a list of needs and wants so you can match these with potential coaching options that you find.

It’s worth doing your research and due diligence to get the right coach or plan for you straight from the start and not two months before your race!

Mobility: It’s time to build a team of mobility specialists to prevent injury.

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4

Do you have a solid aerobic base?

There are many ways to define or measure this, so I’ll provide you with some essential characteristics that indicate a solid aerobic base: • Ability to ride for two to three hours, predominately in Zone 2 heart rate without crashing or bonking.

• Ability to run for 75-90minutes, predominately in Zone 2 heart rate without crashing or bonking - ideally in the absence of exogenous fuel, indicating a sufficient level of fat adaptation.

• Low level of aerobic decoupling (< 5%) when analysing long ride or run heart rate data (see resources).

• You can control your heart rate up and over inclines without having to slow your pace dramatically.

• Your sleep is not affected by training.

• Inflammation is low, and recovery is high.

• You can miss a few days training without feeling “unfit.”

5

Do you have the support of others?

Ironman might be a solo sport, but it takes a village to get you across the finish line. In the final weeks, you will be tired, grumpy, short on time and fatigued. It’s important to have a discussion with the significant people in your life at the start of your Ironman journey. Communicate WHY this is important to you and how they can support you. It might be through doing extra things around the house, kid-sitting

duties, cooking meals, or just a good hug when you’re tired and grumpy.

If the people close to you aren’t overly supportive, then you need to seek out people who are. You cannot do this alone. Whether it’s a coach, training buddies or other professionals - hey, maybe even a chef!

6

Are your hormones happy?

Guys, this includes you.

Unfortunately, Ironman training isn’t what the body is designed to do in its natural state, which is why Ironman is such an achievement. With the training comes physiological effects, some of which are very positive but others which can be detrimental to your health. There are some crucial aspects of your health to consider when taking on an Ironman. I recommend consulting with an Integrative Practitioner (see resources) and conducting pathology tests as a baseline, to gain an understanding of your current health status - with the knowledge that Ironman training could exacerbate any current imbalances if not managed correctly. Some factors and tests to discuss with your practitioner are: • • • • • • • •

Teamwork: Having people who can support and assist you is important in becoming an Ironman.

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General and cardiac health: Blood lipids Homocysteine Liver function Blood sugar (Hba1c) Thyroid and HPA-axis function Inflammation Sex hormones

Even without consulting a practitioner you can make yourself aware of how your body is feeling and general symptoms to get a better idea of your inner health.

Areas of your life to pay attention too:

Training TOOLBOX Holistic Endurance • • • • • •

Sleep quality and duration Ability to recover from training General fatigue levels Libido Mood and mindset or outlook on life Females: Menstrual cycle health - is it regular? Do you suffer PMS? • Females: Peri and post menopause - are symptoms affecting your training and results?

• Inflammation and niggles

7

Are you willing to make sacrifices?

This is a big one because Ironman will require sacrifices (or choices), either by you or those around you, which is why point five is so important. If your drive, purpose and your WHY are clear, then making these choices will be a no-brainer.

But it’s still important to acknowledge the areas you may need to adjust in your life, such as: • Finances • Social life • Romantic life • Nutrition habits • Sleep • Work hours/balance.

8

Do you know your WHY? There will be challenges along your Ironman journey, so it’s important to be able to tap into a deep level of motivation and fire in your belly during these times. I find that if athletes’ motivation for Ironman sits on a surface level, they struggle to get consistency and push through when the going gets tough. Your WHY needs to mean something to you; it needs to elicit a high level of emotion and motivate you intrinsically. Beating your best mate is not a WHY. Do you know your WHY? Write it down, explore it, and remember it.

Now that you’ve read through these eight questions write down your key actions steps required to address each one. I hope this process then enables you to enter your first or next Ironman with confidence and clarity of the path ahead.

Despite the sacrifices, fatigue, time and commitment required for Ironman, I can wholeheartedly tell you it’s worth it.

Running down that finish shoot hearing the words “YOU ARE AN IRONMAN” is a moment that will stay with you forever.

Resources: www.trainingpeaks.com/blog/aerobic-endurance-anddecoupling/ www.functionalmovementsystems.com.au www.acnem.org.au

KATEE PEDICINI Katee is a self confessed “Hormone Nerd” with a background in Exercise Science and a passion for Triathlon. She combines her knowledge or physiology, functional anatomy, and testing protocols from her Bachelor of Exercise Science with research from fields of hormonal balance, female reproduction systems and triathlon related studies specific to females to coach and guide endurance athletes, which ultimately led her to penning her book: “Healing The Grumpy Athlete” - Embrace your Hormones and Achieve your Athletic Potential.

For more information, www.holisticendurance.com.au

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Run your way through winter text by Julie Tedde p h o t o g r a p h y b y S h utt e r st o c k . c o m

S

o winter is on its way, which means less day light hours and colder temperatures for many states. It is also the time of the year that the cross country or trail run season takes off along with many big fun runs around Australia - Gold Coast marathon Festival, City to Surf and Run Melbourne, to name a few.

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So, it is a great opportunity for triathletes to have a break from the usual three-disciplines training routine and have another focus. It will also see one develop their running and enjoy some serious. or not so serious, competition at the same time. Below are some ideas on how to keep the fun in training, while improving your running at the same time.

Train on my own or should I train in a group/squad?

A combination of both is best. When you need to be keeping things easy, running alone is not a problem. You are less tempted to push the pace when the intent of the session is more about recovery or easier training. When it is time to include intervals or technique work, there is much to be gained from running in a group, especially if there is a coach supervising.

Feedback from a coach will help make sure youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re running efficiently as well as making sure you are running the right pace for you. Running with friends can also make you more accountable during the sessions that do require you to be pushing the intensity.

Training TOOLBOX Coaches corner

three top tips for run races

1

Know the course and terrain. There is no point training on a flat road when your focus event is on trails and is very hilly. Find out what the courses elevation map looks like and try to do some of your training sessions over similar type hills.

2

Do not buy a new pair of shoes 1-2 weeks out from your event. So often athletes get excited not long before the event and do not allow enough time for their feet to get used to the new shoe. Do not think that even if you are going to get the same model that it will feel the same as the old ones.

Sometimes manufacturers make changes and all of a sudden your favourite shoe is not such a good fit.

Speed or no speedâ&#x20AC;Ś?

Often I hear people frustrated by their lack of continued improvement after initially making good inroads with their times in training and racing. The most common reason is they just keep doing the same thing week in, week out while continuing to run at that same pace week in week, out and in every run of the week. If you want to get quicker, then you need to stress or load the body in different ways.

Increasing the number of runs or the distance of your runs will initially see improvement. To take that next step and to continue to see improvement, you need to challenge your body with higher intensity efforts or intervals. This is also known as speed work - running shorter distances at faster than race pace efforts or at race pace.

3

Get the pre-run meal right. Practice the type of food that you plan on having on race day.

Whether it is sports drink and a carbohydrate bar or toast with jam or peanut butter or cereal. Testing what suits you and does not give you any stomach issues on race day is critical.

Long runs yes/no and how long?

Long runs or runs that are longer than the race distance, are critical in developing running efficiency, improving ones endurance and, if done over an undulating terrain, will develop ones strength. How long you may ask?

The long run should never be 50% or more longer, than your weekly mileage.

Example â&#x20AC;&#x201C; if you run 25km per week, your long run should sit around 10-12km or if your weekly mileage is 60km your long run should not be much more than 25km.

I like the approach of increasing your long run by around 10-15% each week for three weeks in a row and then dropping it back on the fourth week [see the run example].

Run Example: Week 1

10km

Week 2

12km

Week 3

14km

Week 4

8-10km

julie tedde Julie is Head Coach of TRG Triathlon and Multisport, with 20 years coaching experience working with Junior Development all the way through to Kona Ironman athletes.

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tips & tricks

Get Swim fit to perform at the next level next season t e x t b y n i c k c r o ft | p h o t o g r a p h y b y s h utt e r st o c k . c o m

N

ow we are well into winter, our thoughts are no doubt of warmer weather and racing again soon. The off season is a great time to get stronger and work on weaknesses, refine technique and get more training done with a look at raising the bar for the coming new season.

Many triathletes I know totally neglect their swimming. The fitness, you gain from a proper swim prep will make you a better overall triathlete, not to mention the mental discipline from the process of

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churning out the laps. You are fit for what you train for and having good bike and run strength/fitness will not rescue your weak swim if you are not putting in the work and/or have poor technique.

A strong swimming foundation will provide an edge to those who have previously not given the time in the water some priority. Intense swimming also puts less stress on the joints and leaves you with more energy for the bike and run. I am talking about those who are training for performance-based results. If you just

want to compete and get by to ‘survive the swim’ – do two swims (or less) a week and struggle through parts of the bike and run due to the swim taking its toll.

The massive misconception is that due to the swim being short in comparison to the bike and run and even more so for half and iron distance athletes, that they can skip swimming and ‘bluff’ their way through. The fatigue that comes with this approach adds up and even if you are not the fastest swimmer or best technically.

Having been training in the water and the

Nick Croft Nick Croft is a former professional and Australian Triathlete of the year. A two- time Noosa Triathlon winner and coach for the last 22 years. Nick coaches athletes of all abilities in his home town of Noosa on Queensland’s Sunshine coast and runs Noosa Tri Camps and online coaching through www.mscsport.com.au

fitter you are, will help you have a more relaxed and controlled swim, come out fresher and be able to have a good bike and run.

If you are dropping away in the bike and run and are not putting in the work in the pool, coupled with being a weak swimmer, then you are probably wasting a lot of energy in the swim leg. You may be in denial. We, as triathletes treat the swim as a ‘warm up’ to the rest of the event but to truly have this as so, you need swim fitness. In my own coaching, I aim to use this as motivation to get athletes backsides in the water and in a swim squad or at least swim programming (if coaching via distance) to follow what is realistic for the fitness level and ability. If you’re not a strong swimmer and it is your weak link get in the pool at least three times a week of intense swimming and another easy / relaxed swim as recovery / practice technique using fins and finger paddles.

Not enough time?

There are dry land options to add to the swim training with using the likes of stretch cords, body weight routine incorporating push ups and dips and getting more flexible.

A little circuit with some ab work and core takes about 20 minutes to run through 2-3 times with cords and is a favourite of mine to use two times a week between swim and especially when I travel and cannot access the water as normal.

As triathletes we not training like ‘real swimmers’.

But we can get some really high intensity work done without tearing up the body, as we would in the same sense with an interval run set for example. You can work your engine anaerobically without that same stress on the body as running does. Recovery in the water is great for the body and after a heavy run and bike sessions also. So take this on board and see what a difference being swim fit makes to your overall triathlon result.

Getting into a swim squad, masters or tri squad is a must if one is available to you or if not, seek the advice from one of many online coaches – tri or swim specific that are in the market and start to address the need to start the new season swim fit.

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Keeping The Flame Alive In Winter t e x t b y S a m b e tt e n | p h o t o g r a p h y R e b e c c a O h l w e i n

W

ith winter well and truly here, triathletes more than anyone else feel the struggle of motivating themselves to get up in the darkness and cold of winter and head out the door for training. The hours of daylight decrease making it feel like there are fewer hours in the day to fit in your workouts. Add in

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the fact that there are fewer races on the calendar during the winter months and it is easier than ever to just hit snooze on your alarm clock, and simply just give training a miss. Now, having some time off during the winter months can be a good idea in order to recharge the mental and physical batteries before your training and racing ramps up for the summer. However,

this should not be the determining factor for unplanned sleep inâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s and missed training sessions. Personally, I believe that winter training is hugely beneficial for triathletes for many different reasons.

The feeling of being cold and then having to work out in the pre-dawn darkness is not very inspiring for the majority of athletes. Investing in some proper winter training clothing and accessories will make things a lot more tolerable. Depending on where you live and what the temperature drops down to, a good set of arm warmers, leg warmers, full finger gloves, undershirt, wind vest/jacket will be the best money you can spend. Remember that there is no such thing as inappropriate weather, just inappropriate clothing! Items that also should not be overlooked are front and rear lights for your bike. This is not only to help you see but even more so, for

Training TOOLBOX

motorists on the road to be able to spot you easily. Training in the darkness of early morning or late afternoon will mean that with a good set of bright lights, you will increase your safety on the road.

Winter time can be a great opportunity to start to build up your training base with longer aerobic rides and runs. The colder temperatures can make recovery time and the impact of training less than that of training in the heat of summer. Building a good foundation of training during winter is something that many of the professional triathletes preach as these longer aerobic sessions during winter are the key to building aerobic endurance.

Cooler water temperatures can also be a great opportunity for you to practise your open water swimming in a wetsuit.

In summer, the warmer water temperature makes training in your wetsuit a somewhat unenjoyable task due to it being so hot. However, winter

indoor workouts: Be practical and modify your session if the weather is too severe.

provides you with the perfect environment for longer wetsuit swims and can be very beneficial for those wanting to improve their wetsuit swimming skills.

Now, winter training can be tough, and it is important to balance your training with a mix of indoor and outdoor workouts. It is vital that you are flexible with your workouts so that you can modify the planned session to an indoor workout if the weather gets particularly nasty. A personal example is that if it is a

Remember that there is no such thing as inappropriate weather, just inappropriate clothing! â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Sam Betten

very cold and very rainy morning and I have a three-hour, hilly bike ride planned, I will modify the session to a three-hour indoor ride on my wind-trainer and include some over geared-low cadence strength efforts into this ride.

Approaching the session objectively, the risk of getting sick and/or crashing due to being cold and wet for several hours would affect my ability to get the training done if I were to do this ride outside.

Several coaches preach the mantra of â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;a smart athlete is a successful athleteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;.

Being able to have some level of flexibility in your training while still

Motivation: Winter training can have its benefits, so push through the colder days for bigger gains come race season.

managing to get the session done is important to implement.

Winter training can be a challenge at times but with a good training plan, the right clothing along with flexibility and the right attitude you will be surprised what you can accomplish during the winter months.

Powered by

Sam Betten A professional triathlete from QLD

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Can you learn to eat more mindfully? text by Peter Herzig

C

| p h o t o g r a p h y b y s h utt e r st o c k

ome with us now on a journey through time and space... to the world of mindfulness.

While readers out there may not be familiar with the cult UK comedy series: the Mighty Boosh (if you are scratching your head, that headline is the

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opening title), most of you have probably heard the term ‘mindfulness’. The concept of mindfulness continues to expand into the popular arena and has reportedly been used to provide stress relief, improve concentration, immune function and healthy eating. In this article, I’d like to

define mindfulness, explore its origins, how mindful eating applies to triathlon nutrition and how we can all be a little more mindful.

It may be easier to define what isn’t mindful: being unmindful. Un-mindfulness is what a lot of us do every day - we go through the motions, tick off the training, find the most convenient thing to eat and rush through the day to get everything done. We don’t think about what we are doing in the moment, nor what we are experiencing. We may be thinking about the past, going over our never-ending to-do list or thinking about the future.

Mindfulness teaches us to live right now, in the moment and not to judge ourselves for what we have or haven’t done, will or will not do - rather, to experience the present through our senses.

Training TOOLBOX nutrition

Mindfulness may not only be useful for triathlon nutrition, but also during exercise, and through —Peter Herzig everyday life.

The concept of mindfulness is suggested to have been derived from a form of Buddhist meditation, where a person is aware, attentive and in the present moment (Walsh & Shapiro, 2006). Mindful awareness isn’t confined to meditation or mindfulness practice; it may also occur during yoga, tai chi and

religious contemplation. One of the early pioneers of mindfulness, Jon Kabat-Zinn, describes it as “intentionally focusing on the moment-to-moment experience without judgement”. Jon’s early work used mindfulness meditation techniques in research on hospital patients in an attempt to reduce stress, improve health and wellbeing.

As the concept of mindfulness gained traction, an increasing number of researchers have sought to apply it to a range of situations. Most commonly, mindfulness has been used by psychologists in Mindful Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (MCBT) or Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction (MBSR) to address anxiety, depression and other conditions (Davis & Hayes, 2011). A recent meta-analysis examining meditation programs for stress and well-being found moderate improvements in anxiety, depression and pain (Goyal et al., 2014). Mindfulness has also been used to improve emotion regulation, decrease reactivity to a situation, and assist new neural pathways development, thus supporting behavioural change (Davis & Hayes, 2011). The practice of mindfulness does take time and repetition to master.

More recently, some dietitians have been using mindfulness techniques to foster a healthier relationship with food. In

Mindfulness: Adopting a healthier relationship with food allows us to slow down and even enjoy that occasional chocolate!

so doing, taking the rules and negative thoughts out of eating and appreciating and enjoying food for what it is. I see mindful eating as a two-pronged fork: the first prong is the notion that we should slow down and take the time to enjoy, experience and savour our food. While the second prong is understanding that it is okay if we make different choices, choose something different, skip a snack if we are full and eat two snacks if we are hungry. I know, you have a meal plan, and you need to stick with it to get the results, right?

Meal plans are important, particularly in the short term, to give you an idea of carbohydrate portions, recovery options, fuelling strategies, etc.. Though there is always scope for trialling different foods within that framework and not berating yourself when you happen to have chocolate for afternoon tea instead of the suggested yoghurt. Mindful eating teaches us to slow down and enjoy that chocolate (or yoghurt, or anything we eat).

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Training TOOLBOX nutrition

© Korupt Vision

Photo: © xxxxxxxx

Competition nutrition: Listen to your body and be mindful of cues such as thirst, stomach feel, energy levels and taste.

One suggestion to get into this frame of mind is to sit, quietly before you eat and take five breaths, or 15 or 30 as there is no right or wrong way to do this. Focus on nothing but your breathing - how deep is it, are you making a sound, do you feel any tension in your chest? Other thoughts may pop into your head, and this is normal.

Acknowledge these thoughts, smile, and then discard them before again focussing

Mindful eating: Experience the food you eat with your senses rather than for the sake of it.

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on your breathing. In this way, you are grounding yourself through mindful breathing (usually a starting point for mindful meditation), so you are ready to begin mindful eating. Eat each bite slowly - think about what the food looks like, how it feels when picked up with your hand/ fork/spoon, its smell, taste, texture, the sound it makes when you chew, how it feels in your mouth, going down your oesophagus, then think about how your stomach feels. Mindful eating also teaches us to pay attention to our body’s cues of hunger and satiation. Ask yourself: are you hungry? Have another mouthful, think about the same sensations and ask yourself the same question. Maybe your hunger is satisfied, or maybe it isn’t. If it isn’t, have some more. There is no right or wrong answer as we are experiencing our eating sensations without judgement.

This may not be for everyone, though I do think everyone should try mindfulness, to have a better appreciation of the sensations experienced when eating.

With a view to seeing food more as nourishment rather than a necessity.

Often we overeat or eat mindlessly because of a conditioned behaviour or due

to emotional reasons. For example, every night you sit down in the same chair after you’ve put the kids to sleep to watch your 30 minutes of TV and have your two or three, or four Tim Tams out of habit. If you have often thought: I don’t know why I eat those Tim Tams? Then why not apply mindfulness to this situation. I’m not saying there is anything wrong with Tim Tams; merely this is a fantastic situation to attempt mindful eating. So, sit or stand in a different location (without the screen) and take a minute to centre yourself by focusing on those five breaths. It would be difficult to be mindful while concentrating on the TV. Furthermore, the act of sitting in that same chair may be firing the same neural pathways that suggest Tim Tam consumption. Using the earlier suggestions, eat your first Tim Tam mindfully. Did you enjoy it? Do you still feel hungry? If so, is there something else you would like to experience for your next choice? If we don’t stop to think about what we are doing, we may not be aware if we are even enjoying what we are doing.

The two-pronged fork notion could also be applied to training and competition nutrition. While we know

Training TOOLBOX nutrition that a consistent nutritional intake is important for endurance performance in a triathlon, sometimes we are so focussed on the activity and external factors that we forget to think about our eating and hydration. Thoughts such as: what gear am I in, I hope that swimmer in front doesn’t kick me in the head and gee, that bloke’s tri suit is revealing, crowd our mind.

I have often heard athletes say after an event that they forgot to eat or didn’t have time to eat. Where in reality, they needed to make time to consider the type and timing of their nutrition. One suggestion is every 10-15 minutes (using your watch or Garmin), centre yourself and think about how you are feeling and what you need to do nutritionally to complete this event to the best of your ability. Then have a drink or something to eat if you choose. I know this is technically incorporating judgement, though it is also being mindful of the requirements for a good performance. You can also be mindful of other body cues such as thirst, stomach feel, energy levels, and taste. Do you feel like eating a bar or a gel? Do you feel

thirsty? How is your stomach feeling?

By listening to your body, you may pick up an extra drink because you are feeling thirsty or low on energy or choose to go with a different food option for your next choice.

Incorporating some of these ideas in your racing, training and everyday environment can be quite enlightening.

As the more you can be aware of the sensations you are experiencing in the moment and thinking about what your body wants for best performance, the more time you will have to ensure adequate training and event nutrition.

As suggested earlier, to really experience mindfulness takes time and practice. I would recommend accessing a TED or YouTube talk from any of the researchers mentioned in this article. Mindfulness may not only be useful for triathlon nutrition, but also during exercise, and through everyday life. So, give mindfulness a go when eating your next meal or snack, and experience the sensations and awareness of being present, in the moment. Food for thought?

In this case - thought for food.

References: I would like to thank Ali Patterson (Advanced Sports Dietitian) for her suggestions on finding resources for this article, as well as videos I accessed from Fiona Sutherland (Advanced Sports Dietitian).

Davis, D. M., & Hayes, J. A. (2011). What are the benefits of mindfulness? A practice review of psychotherapyrelated research. Psychotherapy (Chic), 48(2), 198-208. doi: 10.1037/a0022062 Goyal, M., Singh, S., Sibinga, E. M., Gould, N. F., Rowland-Seymour, A., Sharma, R., . . . Haythornthwaite, J. A. (2014). Meditation programs for psychological stress and well-being: a systematic review and meta-analysis. JAMA Intern Med, 174(3), 357-368. doi: 10.1001/jamainternmed.2013.13018 Walsh, R., & Shapiro, S. L. (2006). The meeting of meditative disciplines and Western psychology: a mutually enriching dialogue. Am Psychol, 61(3), 227-239. doi: 10.1037/0003-066x.61.3.227

Peter Herzig Centred Nutrition was founded

by Peter Herzig (APD). Peter is a qualified Dietitian and Accredited Sports Dietitian who also has a degree in Exercise Science. Peter set up Centred Nutrition in Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast to focus on a client centred approach; as there is no one solution in nutrition that will work for everyone.

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Serves

10

Thin k, r s!

Le ftove

Spaghetti

Bolognese Š Shutterstock.com

struggle to keep up time when athletes a is er nt wi d fin ten I of aghetti bolognese, The old favourite, sp e. ak int g ve eir th th wi tra veg easily to you. le for carrying that ex hic ve at gre a be n ca

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gn

Bolo

es e Buopnpetite! a Ingredients: • 2 medium onions, diced • 2 medium carrots, diced • 2 zucchini, diced • 2 red capsicums, diced • 500g Portobello mushrooms, halved then sliced • 20 pitted Kalamata olives, diced • 500mL passata • 2x 400g tin crushed tomato • 2tbs tomato paste • 500g lean mince • ½ tbs dried oregano • 1 big bunch basil, shredded • Pepper • 4 cloves/1tbs garlic • 1tbs olive oil • Parmesan cheese • 1kg pasta (I prefer freezing the bolognese in portions and making the pasta fresh for each meal)

Method: • In a large pot over medium heat, add the olive oil and cook the onion and carrot, adding the garlic after a few minutes • When soft, add the mince, cooking for five minutes, or until browned • Add the zucchini and capsicum, cooking for a few minutes • Add the mushrooms and cook until slightly browned • Add the Passata, crushed tomato, tomato paste, olives, herbs, pepper and stir • Simmer for 20 minutes or longer (add ½ cup water if it reduces too much) • Cook the pasta as per directions and drain • Serve the bolognese over the pasta and top with some finely grated parmesan

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