June/July 2017 ISSUE 24.6
A New Dawn Ashleigh gentle No looking back
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2013 Ironman World Champion: Frederik Van Lierde
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Cover Story
10 Ashleigh Gentle no looking back The immensely talented Ashleigh Gentle chats about her start in triathlon, her progress through the ranks, establishing herself as an elite triathlete on the competitive world stage and more.
June/July 2017 Australian Triathlete
ISSUE 24.6
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CO N T E N T S FEATURES
TECHTALK
TRAINING TOOLBOX
22 Rich Roll: The Fork in the Road
38 Tri Products
54 Sirius Musings
We look at the latest, must-have products on the market.
Siri Lindley shares valuable lessons on finding information through adversity.
40 Product Spotlight: pjuractive Skin Protection
60 Sexton’s Scribble
AT’s Margaret Mielczarek talks to vegan, ultra-athlete, Rich Roll about his early sporting success, his downward spiral and how he turned it all around to become one of the world’s fittest men.
28 Destination: Cairns
Issue 24.6
Welcome to tropical paradise. AT’s Margaret Mielczarek gets the low down on the best places to stay, eat and have coffee, and what to do and see around the Ironman.
JUNE/JUly 2017
32 #INSPO: Alex Kozeniauskas
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Ashleigh gentle No looking back
Cover: Ashleigh Gentle Photography: Korupt Vision
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Find out how Alex, the determined, hardworking, successful triathlete manages Type 1 Diabetes while striving to achieve his goals.
Company founder Alexander Giebel talks about the pjuractive brand and tells us what’s special about the pjur product range for sport.
42 Road Test: Specialized Venge ViAS Disc The Test Lab road test the Specialized Venge ViAS Disc and put it through its paces around town.
45 Save, Spend, Splurge Whether you’re on a budget or have cash to burn, choose from the right wind trainer for you.
36 Pic of the Month
50 Behind the Brand: Camino Apparel
Look through the lense and enjoy the breathtaking beauty of the Gold Coast at sunrise.
AT’s Aimee Johnsen chats to Matthew Isbister to get the lowdown on this sporting fashion up and comer.
Brendan Sexton talks about the endless pursuit of knowledge because the real power in triathlon is knowledge.
68 Performance Dr Simon Sostaric provides valuable insight into the physiology of muscle damage and recovery.
72 Faster at 45 Jordan Blanco shares her experience of training and racing Ironman as she gets older.
78 Holistic Endurance Katee Pedicini talks about the difference between slowing down and calming down.
92 Health Kicks Dr Mitch Anderson tackles the controversial topic drugs in sport.
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 Advertising manager Aimee Johnsen
HELLO
Production, Administration & subscriptions Gina Copeland
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Australian Triathlete Magazine
H
aving just got off a plane from the Gold Coast where we witnessed all the action and excitement that the WTS Gold Coast event had to offer, we couldn’t be more excited to feature one of our countries brightest triathlon stars Ashleigh Gentle on our cover. As you probably already know, Ash, as well as Jake Birtwhistle secured automatic selection for our 2018 Commonwealth Games team at that event. I had a moment to myself, thinking of the relief that must have filled both athletes, as they crossed the line as the first Aussies, and can now take a deep breathe that their team selection is secured. This, of course, is in stark contrast to how the Rio selection played out for both - Ash was fortunate enough to be given the third and final spot on our Olympic triathlon team but had to wait until the very end to be nominated. While for Jake, the former under 23 World Champion, he was not as lucky and missed that third spot to a deserving fellow athlete, Ryan Fisher. As professional athletes, and as Ash mentions in her story, the key to being a champion is performing when required - these Aussie stars they did exactly that. The future looks bright, and we cannot wait to follow all our Australian athletes ahead of next year’s Commonwealth Games. In this edition, we also speak to Rich Roll, the American vegan ultra star about life as a plant-based athlete (Page 22). Our latest #INSPO athlete is Alex Kozeniauskas who is carving a path for type 1 diabetic athletes (page 32). We take
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a look at why Cairns should be your next tri destination (page 28). Tech Talk is back and jam-packed this edition. Our Test Lab put the Specialized Venge ViAS through its paces (page 42) and road tested the newest element to the Coros Frontier Smart Helmet – the Walkie Talkie function (page48). We put pjuractive under the Product Spotlight (page 40) and talk compression 101 with 2XU on page 46. We also go Behind The Brand with Izzy from Camino Apparel (page 50) and help you find your next wind trainer with Save, Spend, Splurge (page 45). Our regular experts share their best tips, tricks and advice in this month’s Training Toolbox. From Performance (page 68) to Nutrition (page 86), Strength and Conditioning (page 74) and Coaches Corner (page 82), we have everything you need to be the best athlete you can be! 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. CONTACT US Publicity Press Pty Ltd ABN 31 005 490 068 1 Albert Street, Richmond, VIC 3121 P.O. Box 4331, Richmond East, VIC 3121, Australia Phone: (61) 3 9804 4700 Fax: (61) 3 9804 4711 SUBSCRIPTIONS See the subscription offer in this issue or subscribe online: www.austrimag.com.au CONTRIBUTORS Contributions are welcome. Anyone wishing to submit material should first contact Publicity Press on (03) 9804 4700 or email: aimee@publicitypress.com.au No responsibility is accepted for unsolicited contributions. ADVERTISING For all enquiries or a current rate card setting out rates and conditions, call Aimee Johnsen on 03 9804 4700 / EXT 03 9804 4714 / Mobile 0408 300 139 or email: aimee@publicitypress.com.au In Australia, AUD$9.95 including GST is the recommended price only.
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Australian Triathlete |
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NEWS AND Launches
Race is Paradise 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 and race hard, recover harder in paradise.
For more information visit hamiltonisland.com.au
Velothon Sunshine Coast 13-16 July 2017 Velothon Sunshine Coast is a Gran Fondo style mass participation cycling event in and around the renowned hinterland and coastal roads of the Sunshine Coast. With one and three day cycling options, there’s something to suit everyone. Places for the Sunshine Coast Velothon are limited. Enter now to make sure you don’t miss out.
www.velothonsunshinecoast.com
ATEC Expo is BACK
A
fter a huge year hosting the 2016 ITU Cross Triathlon World Champs, leading off road event company In2Advenaure recently announced Australia’s National Cross Triathlon Series, TreX is back and ready to explode into a new triathlon season with an even bigger, action packed series in 2017/18. Seven not to be missed events across the country, which include: • An ALL NEW event location • New event formats • The revival of the TreX Duathlon • The all new Standard and Sprint course AquaBike.
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This season also sees the introduction of TreX Platinum events, which offers a minimum of $5,000 prize money for the Open Category. TreX Platinum events also hold extra weighting for the much sought after series championships awards, which will include the best four races across the season. Couple this with our usual Dirt Fest MultiSport Weekends and In2Adventure have got one massive year of off road action coming your way!
To see the full schedule and find out more, head to TreXTriathlon.com.au
The ATEC Show – 9-10 September @ Royal Halls of Industries, Sydney . ATEC, Australia’s premier event celebrating the endurance lifestyle is back this September! Thousands of cyclists, runners, swimmers, triathletes and endurance sports enthusiasts come together to engage with leading endurance brands, learn from industry influencers, meet inspiring athletes, and take part in interactive seminars, workshops, competitions and activations!
For more information visit www.atecshow.com.au
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Gold coast, Australia (Race 2)
Men’s Results 1
Mario Mola
ESP
2
Richard Murray
RSA
00:52:39
3
Fernando Alarza
ESP
00:52:44
4
Javier Gomez Noya
ESP
00:52:51
5
Jacob Birtwhistle
AUS
00:53:03
6
Luke Willian
AUS
00:53:08
7
Ryan Sissons
NZL
00:53:08
8
Henri Schoeman
RSA
00:53:11
9
Wian Sullwald
RSA
00:53:11
10 Shachar Sagiv
ISR
00:53:14
00:52:35
WOMen’s Results Andrea Hewitt
NZL
00:58:03
Ashleigh Gentle
AUS
00:58:07
3
Juri Ide
JPN
00:58:12
4
Katie Zaferes
USA
00:58:20
5
Renee Tomlin
USA
00:58:21
6
Charlotte McShane
AUS
00:58:22
7
Kirsten Kasper
USA
00:58:24
8
Ai Ueda
JPN
00:58:31
9
Gillian Sanders
RSA
00:58:37
CZE
00:58:38
10 Vendula Frintova
Gentle IN: Ash Gentle (left) secured automatic qualification for the 2018 Commonwealth Games as the first Australian over the line (in the Top 10) with a second place finish. For Charlotte McShane (right) attention will now move to WTS Hamburg where she has another shot at earning auto selection. After a sixth place at the Gold Coast, the form is there.
© AT
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Tapp is in: After a horror 2016 that saw her forced to withdraw from the Rio Olympics, Paratriathlete Emily Tapp will be flying the flag at the Games next year after nailing the auto qualification.
© AT
Road Runners: South African Richard Murray (above left) took it right to Mario Mola (right) on the run but it was the Spaniard who reigned supreme.
© ITU/Delly Carr
The Champion: Paratriathlon super star Bill Chaffey (left) also earned himself automatic selection for the Games next year.
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© ITU/Delly Carr
Podium Finish: Japanese pocket rocket Juri Ide secured herself a place on the podium with a great run finishing just behind Aussie Ash Gentle.
© ITU/Delly Carr
© AT
ITU WTS Gold Coast
© ITU/Delly Carr
Breakaway: Ryan Fisher (above) made his move on the bike but couldn’t hold his lead on the run finishing 17th overall. New stars: Emma Jeffcoat (left) and Luke Willian (right) made their WTS debuts on the Gold Coast with a stellar races finishing 11th and 6th overall respectively. © ITU/Delly Carr
© ITU/Delly Carr
ShowTime: Wollongong Wizard Tamsyn Moana-Veale was a picture of concentration pre race.
© ITU/Delly Carr
Kiwi Favourite: Andrea Hewitt made it two wins from two starts in this year’s WTS with another strong showing. Comm Games Ready: After missing out on Rio selection, Jake Birtwhistle made sure he secured auto selection for next year’s Commonwealth Games with a ripping race - fifth place overall and a spot on the team.
© AT
© ITU/Delly Carr
Spanish sensations: Mario Mola (above) took line honours over countrymen Fernando Alarza (3rd) and Javier Gomez (4th). Blue Steel: South African Richard Murray took home second place after a great stint Down Under.
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© Korupt Vision
Gentle Ashleigh
text by SRR Media p h o t o g r a p h y b y I T U M e d i a / G e tt y im a g e s / K o ru p t v isi o n
T
he commencement of a new Olympiad is always an exciting time, and as we head towards Tokyo 2020, there is the natural cycle of events that sees the establishment of a new order and the rise of the next group of challengers. With the retirement of several senior female athletes post-Rio, there is a void that is yet to be filled in Australian women’s triathlon. So, season 2017 is one to be watched with curiosity, as athletes regroup, restructure and try to reinvent themselves. One of the logical contenders for the position of Aussie ‘numero uno’ is the immensely talented Ashleigh Gentle, who first came under the scrutiny of the triathlon establishment, as an unknown young kid with a monster run she
developed at Little Ath’s, and All Schools track and cross country. Ashleigh came to triathlon from the unlikely world of representative touch football and netball and credits triathlon pioneer Jenny Alcorn as her inspiration to have a crack at adding swimming and cycling to her superb run leg. “I was running with Brian Chapman, but then I got involved in a running group, organised by Jenny Alcorn and her Surfers Paradise Triathlon Club. It was just a few times a week, and everyone else was swimming and cycling, so I wanted to give it a try too. That is how I started triathlon. I had to pick up the swimming and cycling pretty quickly, but once I did, I fell in love with triathlon completely.” Ashleigh’s progress from rank beginner to the podium of the Junior Worlds was
rapid, culminating in a silver medal in Hamburg in 2007, again in Vancouver in 2008 and finally picking up the World Junior title Budapest in 2010. The youngster from the Gold Coast had the tongues wagging, and her raw talent confirmed that she had the potential to be the next hot property. “I have very fond memories of being a junior because it was a lot of fun. I was fortunate enough to make my first junior worlds team at the youngest possible age, which allowed me race juniors for four years, and to experience travelling and competing overseas very soon after I started the sport.” “My first silver medal in 2007, in Hamburg, is still such an incredible memory. I was so young, so naïve, but I loved triathlon, and I just went out there
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and went hard. I was pretty shocked when I came home with second place, but I was able to get another silver the following year. Then after a rough year in 2009, I was fortunate to become Junior World Champion, which was amazing.” The world of sport is littered with talented junior champions who lose their way for a myriad of reasons and never make it to the big time, but Ashleigh and her support team were always acutely aware of keeping her grounded. Team Gentle realised that talent without the required hard work was a recipe for disaster and could not support an athlete in tackling the enormous challenge of stepping up from junior, then to under 23 and finally to the elite ranks.
“The transition from being a junior to an elite is a massive thing. It isn’t easy or quick, and for me, it has taken time, but I have learned so much through my career.” “As a junior, I was going from being a young prepubescent kid, going through the changes and challenges of adolescence and all that is wrapped up in that. Then when I was in my early twenties, it was very hard work growing up physically and
mentally and going from racing sprint distance to Olympic distance.” “Now at 26, I am out of that period of my life, but there are still plenty of challenges as I try to establish myself as an elite triathlete and keep growing as an athlete who is really competitive on the world stage,” she said. Ashleigh said that part of that growth is developing the skills necessary to deliver
My first silver medal in 2007, in Hamburg, is still such an incredible — Ashleigh Gentle memory.
© ITU Media/Delly Carr
Junior World Champion: Winning the 2010 Budapest World Junior Championships is still one of Gentle’s greatest triathlon memories
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consistent performances, learning how to peak for a specific day and having the ability to handle failure as well as success. “Part of maturing is developing yourself as a whole athlete and being able to get through the hurdles of adolescence and transition and come out the other side.” “There have been some results that I have been really proud of, and there have been other results where it just wasn’t a good day. Unfortunately, those performances have been at the races where I wanted to get the best out of myself.” “I have been consistent in the WTS for a long time now, but now top ten isn’t enough, I need to make sure I am in contention and rivalling people for the podium spots.” “Performing on a specific day is very daunting, but that is what we have to train for. It is all well and good to be consistent, but you don’t get rewarded at the Olympics for consistency. You have to be able to turn up on that particular day and perform. That person is the winner, and deservingly so because they turned up and performed.” “I remember in Budapest, Emma Snowsill hadn’t done anything all season and she turned up and just annihilated everyone. She wasn’t the world champion, but she showed up and showed everyone what she could do.” “That is also why I have so much respect for someone like Gwen Jorgensen. She had one day in mind for years before the event in Rio. For that to culminate in a gold medal, I can’t even imagine the emotion or the happiness she would have experienced.” she said. As a result of two sensational performances in 2016 that saw Ashleigh podium in World Triathlon Series races in Abu Dhabi and Yokohama, she was given
© ITU Media/Janos M.Schmidt
cover story
© Korupt Vision
Australian Triathlete |
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© Korupt Vision
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© ITU Media/Janos M.Schmidt
© Korupt Vision
Ashleigh Gentle
I came home from Rio, and, I really don’t know how to describe the feeling. I didn’t want to think about it - I didn’t want to chat about — Ashleigh Gentle it to anyone. Disapointed: The 2016 Rio Olympis Games did not unfold how Gentle had hoped and she took the time needed to recover.
the final discretionary spot and selected in the Australian team for the Olympic Games in Rio. While Olympic team selection was a definite highlight, at the other end of the spectrum, it also provided her with one of the lowest points in her career. Heading into Rio 2016 Gentle was at the top of her game, and she had every reason to believe that her hard work and career best form would continue into the Olympics. But her 26th place in the biggest race of her career left her bewildered and disappointed.
“I came home from Rio, and, I really don’t know how to describe the feeling. I didn’t want to think about it - I didn’t want to chat about it to anyone, I was pretty happy not to think about Rio. It took me a while to even acknowledge to myself that it was a pretty good achievement to just be there and race.” “I felt like I had disappointed not only myself but everyone who had supported me so much. I struggled to think about it and even now just talking about it I feel the emotion come back because it was such a big thing.”
Ashleigh said the result initially left her flattened and empty, but the test of a real champion is how they respond to adversity. Her response was measured, thoughtful and well considered, and has been the catalyst for major changes in 2017. “My result in Rio left me so deflated, and I never want to feel that way again at a major championship. I knew I had more Australian Triathlete |
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© ITU Media/Janos M.Schmidt
© ITU Media/Janos M.Schmidt
© ITU Media/Delly Carr
Ashleigh Gentle
Sweet Victory: Gentle winning the Noosa Triathlon in 2016 for the third time.
to give and it just didn’t happen, so that has been a key factor motivating me to reassess everything and think about what I need to do to make myself a better athlete.” Gentle has been based on the Gold Coast for 21 years, but her soul searching, her quest for answers and her intense desire for change has taken her further south to Wollongong, the home of coach Jamie Turner and his Wollongong Wizards.
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“My ultimate goal is not only to be a top Australian athlete but to be truly competitive among the rest of the world. After the Rio dust settled and the disappointment subsided I was surprised by how motivated I did felt.” “I realised that if I was to improve and grow to be a more consistent athlete, I needed to change something. Because if I kept on doing what I was doing, I was just going to get the same result.”
“I spoke to Jamie at the end of the year, just wanted to chat to him. I went for a trial in early January and spent three and a half weeks in Wollongong. I was only back home for a week before I felt my decision was made for me. I thought it was what I needed to grow as an athlete, so I went back down, and I have been enjoying it ever since.” Ashleigh said moving to a squad, changing her entire life and daily training environment was an enormous decision. “The trial was important. I just went with the flow and did what they did. I just went with it and thought I had to immerse myself in the program and experience all that they experience in their home environment.”
cover story
© Getty Images
“I had a great time in Wollongong and decision made itself clear to me. I had chatted with a lot of people, including Josh [Amberger] my long-term partner of eight years, before then and I knew I had the support of everyone if I went to Wollongong to train. Knowing that made it easier. It is a big decision, but it is a commitment I have made to invest in myself and my career.” “I am really enjoying it but some of the sessions and the way Jamie trains is really different to what I am used to. I am really embracing it and learning as much as possible.”
My ultimate goal is not only to be a top Australian athlete but to be truly competitive among the rest — Ashleigh Gentle of the world. “I know nothing is going to happen over night. One thing I have learned in triathlon is that it doesn’t come easily or quickly. What I am working towards might not happen straight away, so 2017 is the year to discover and see where I am at and what I can do.”
“I know I have to be patient and I hope along the way I can put some good results together. But what is motivating me is the desire to get the absolute best out of myself in the next four years leading into Tokyo,” Ashleigh said. One of Ashleigh’s short term goals is to book herself an early spot on the Australian Triathlete |
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Australian triathlon team for the Commonwealth Games and avoid the pressure of leaving her inclusion to the discretion of the selectors. “I have learned from experience that discretionary selection is something I would rather avoid if possible,” she declared. “This time last year I had already done Abu Dhabi and also had to keep proving myself all the way through to Yokohama.” The first Aussie home in the top ten at WTS Gold Coast and Hamburg get’s the automatic selection for Commonwealth Games Gold Coast 2018, so Ashleigh is
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fired up and ready to perform to secure a spot to race on home soil in front of her family and friends. “I didn’t get the automatic Olympic selection from Gold Coast in 2016, and I didn’t get the automatic in Rio the year before but fortunately I got two WTS second places, and I think that was the only reason I got picked on the Olympic team. “On the Gold Coast the first Aussie inside the top ten gets the automatic selection, so it is crucial to race well. The next spot is the Hamburg World
Triathlon Series race, and that is exactly the same - the first Aussie in the top ten goes to the Commonwealth Games. If it is someone different in Hamburg that would be two automatic spots taken and the third spot would be discretionary.” “I know which way I would rather get picked in a Championship team and that is through an automatic spot. That is a pretty big motivating factor for me this time around.” The dream of racing in the Commonwealth Games 2018, is hugely significant for Ashleigh because the Gold Coast holds a very special place in her heart.
cover story
© Korupt Vision
“The race on the Gold Coast is really important for many reasons. I was pretty excited even when the Gold Coast was announced as a World Triathlon Series race and an event leading up to the Common-wealth Games. “This year the race doubles as an automatic selection race for the Games and that is something I have been thinking about for a long time and would really love to achieve.” “Home is always home, and it is always really comfortable going back to because family and friends are there. It is really exciting and not just for triathlon but just
Home is always home, and it is always really comfortable going back to because family and friends — Ashleigh Gentle are there. Australian Triathlete |
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© ITU Media/Delly Carr
Ashleigh Gentle
© Korupt Vision
leaving Home: Ashleigh, with supportive partner Josh Amberger enjoyed living on the Gold Coast but Olympic dreaming has seen Gentle move South to Wollongong.
There is nothing more exciting than racing before a home crowd and one that is potentially a Commonwealth Games. — Ashleigh Gentle
to have all the sports there and be able to be on my doorstep it is really something that I have been looking forward to for a long time.” Ashleigh said the importance of racing in your own backyard and the power of the local crowd to inspire a great performance cannot be underestimated. “It is really cool to have all of Australia behind you. Even at the World Cup in Mooloolaba, the support was enormous so it will be huge at the World Series race. I don’t think people realise how important the crowd support and the support of the nation is for us. Even when we are racing in Europe, it is nice to know everyone is behind us. It always means a lot when we put on the green and gold.” “The home crowd really lifts an athlete, so I really hope we get a massive crowd to
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Home Crowd Advantage: Mooloolaba ITU Triathlon World Cup where Gentle says the home support is unbelievable.
the Gold Coast race to help us perform well and really experience the intense atmosphere of a major competition. If the supporters come along and see the how awesome the racing is, how close and intense the competition is, they will really get a taste of what is going to happen in the Commonwealth Games 2018.”
“It is always great to hear people shouting your name, and it always helps along the way too. If you are neck and neck with someone and you are the one to get the support the whole way, it truly does lift you. There is nothing more exciting than racing before a home crowd and one that is potentially a Commonwealth Games. It is something I know will be incredible,” Ashleigh said.
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The Fork in the Road From overweight, alcoholic, fast-food king to vegan ultra-athlete. AT’s Margaret Mielczarek chats to Rich Roll about his early sporting success, his downward spiral towards parties, booze and drugs, and how he turned it all around to become one of the world’s fittest men. t e x t b y M a rg a r e t M i e l c z a r e k p h o t o g r a p h y b y J o h n s e g e st a a n d j e f f l i p sk y
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© John Segesta
rich roll
Australian Triathlete: Tell us about your early years in sport. You were a competitive swimmer at university. Tell us about that. Rich Roll: I was a competitive swimmer in both high school and college. I swam for Curl Swim Club in the Washington, DC area growing up, specialising in the 200-meter butterfly. By 18 I was eighth in the US in both the 200-yard and 200-meter butterfly and was recruited by many colleges. Rather than be a big fish in smaller pond at one of the Ivy League schools I was accepted to (Princeton/ Harvard), I opted to be a small fish in the biggest pond by attending Stanford University, where I had the opportunity to train with two of the best 200 meter butterfly swimmers in the world – Pablo Morales and Anthony Mosse. I think it’s fair to say that although the team was the best collegiate program in the country, I was a benchwarmer.
Rich roll breath, experiencing tightness in my chest and fear in my heart that I was on the precipice of experiencing a heart attack. It was a very crystallised moment at a time during which I knew that something was wrong, and yet I was being blessed with the opportunity to do something about it. I was able to recognise the uniqueness of this moment because it so closely resembled the moment I decided to go to rehab – a line in the sand moment that changed my life so dramatically. I was once again being visited by such an opportunity to redirect the trajectory of my life in a more positive way. It was at this moment that I committed myself to finding a specific and dramatic new way of eating, behaving and living that set the stage for everything that has since followed.
Despair: Depressed and unenthusiastic about his life, Rich soon found himself on a crash course towards lifestyle disease.
AT: Your priorities shifted, and you became involved with drugs and alcohol. Who/what introduced you to the party lifestyle? Why do you think you went down that path? Tell us about that. RR: I was a good kid in high school – all I did was study hard and swim. I was first introduced to the party lifestyle during many of my college recruiting trips, and I loved it from the beginning. I was always a quiet, introverted child and adolescent - an awkward loner that had difficulty socialising and making friends. Alcohol changed that – at first for the better. It was like a warm blanket that finally made me feel whole – enough. Suddenly I felt comfortable in my own skin for the very first time. I could talk to girls, crack jokes and make friends, and I loved it. When I got to Stanford, I jumped into socialising. At first, it was just fun. Suddenly I had lots of friends, and I relished it. But slowly, the party lifestyle started to manipulate my priorities. I became more interested in showing up for the kegger rather than executing on my goals and aspirations. What started out as fun over the years began to degrade my quality of
© John Segesta
Two DUIs and a failed marriage took me to a level of desperation and pain — Rich Roll I don’t wish on anybody.
AT: You went through a major lifestyle change – a complete overhaul. What was that experience like? Talk us through what happened and how you got through it. RR: It was hard. It was not overnight or linear. There was an acclimation – any time you attempt to break an old, deeply ingrained habit, the change will be uncomfortable. The key is to embrace that discomfort as integral to the process of overcoming the bad habit and integrating the new habit. So, there was some
life, undermine my character, decimate my potential and destroy all the amazing opportunities I had been given. In the end, I had become an around the clock drinker, alienated from friends and family, untrustworthy, unemployable and utterly alone. Two DUIs and a failed marriage took me to a level of desperation and pain I don’t wish on anybody. AT: The party lifestyle landed you in rehab at 31. Then on the eve of your 40th birthday, you realised things needed to change. Tell us about the epiphany you had on the stairs. RR: By 39 I was a 50-pound overweight couch potato sliding into middle age on a crash course with lifestyle disease depressed and unenthusiastic about my life. It was late one evening after a long day at the office practising law. I began to make my way up a simple flight of stairs when I had to pause – I was winded, out of
freedom: Running towards the opportunity to change his life in a positive way. Australian Triathlete |
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© John Segesta
rich roll AT: Were there any moments when you thought it’s not worth it and that it might be easier going back to old habits? What kept you on track? RR: Never. The benefits have always outweighed any so-called challenges, so I have never considered giving it up. That doesn’t mean there wasn’t an adjustment period – a few weeks of discomfort and cravings as my body acclimated to the new way of eating. But now it is so rote that I honestly don’t even think about it that much. What kept me on track were results – feeling great, sleeping better, enhanced mental acuity, even my skin cleared up. I once again had the drive for self-care and the impulse to exercise – the weight melted off and I was so overjoyed to be physically active once again that only wanted to further explore how I could improve my lifestyle. AT: I imagine it must have been a pretty rough time – socially, physically, and emotionally. Did you find your friendship group completely changed? RR: When I got sober I had to change my peer group completely – that was hard. But changing my diet and lifestyle didn’t require changing my social environment that much. I have come to find that although people may give you a hard time, nobody really cares that much about what you eat – most people are thinking about themselves most of the time.
drastic changes: After a life of partying, booze and drugs Rich decided to find a new way of eating, behaving and living. This set the stage for all the other successes that followed.
discomfort for a few weeks, but then it passed. Those insane cravings dissipated until they were hardly noticeable anymore, free of the electrical charge they once held. I think too many people want to avoid that discomfort – they want it all to be painless. But if you can see past this and understand that if you just see your way through it, you will be free. The first thing I did was a seven-day vegetable juice cleanse – sort of like detox for food, akin to my experience detoxing off alcohol in rehab. After seven days of not eating solid food, I had an extraordinary surge in vitality and energy levels, and this set in motion a search for a way of eating that would allow me to feel this good all the time. I experimented with
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a variety of dietary protocols over the following six months, but nothing seemed to work. The weight didn’t come off, and I was losing hope. In a desperate last-ditch effort to resolve this before giving up, I realised there was one thing I still had not tried – eating 100% plant-based. No animal products whatsoever – no eggs, dairy, cheese or fish. I didn’t think it would work (I didn’t want it to work) but within seven to 10 days of trying this out, I experienced a revelation – the same high levels of energy and vitality I enjoyed on those latter days of the juice cleanse. I was hooked. This began the education around what it meant to adopt what I learned was called a whole food, plant-based diet. I have now lived this way for 10 years and have never looked back.
AT: Food and nutrition is a big part of your life now. I heard an interview recently where you said that your diet, post booze and drugs, was pretty poor. Talk us through what you were eating back then? RR: I was a junk food addict most of my adolescence and adult life (pre-40). These are habits I learned early as a swimmer when calories are king. Training four hours a day throughout high school, I honestly couldn’t get enough food, so I would regularly binge on cheeseburgers, French fries, doughnuts, you name it. But when the swimming career ended, I was stuck with the habits, which were very hard to break. Throw in workaholism and lack of exercise, and it’s a recipe for disaster. AT: Why did you choose to go vegan rather than simply ‘eating clean’ or cutting out ‘processed crap’? RR: I knew that any lifestyle change would have to be specific. What does “eating clean” actually mean? It means nothing. If it’s unspecific, then there are no rules for adherence and accountability. Eating plant-based is actually very simple – no animal products and no processed foods. This removes the decision fatigue and simplifies adherence.
© Jeff Lipsky
Rich roll The initial impetus was personal – I just didn’t want to be fat, and I wanted to enjoy my children at their energy level. Instead, I received so much more. I received the path to conquering insane endurance challenges that comes with the added benefit of preventing and reversing so many diseases like heart disease and diabetes; a significantly reduced carbon footprint; and a lifestyle that spares countless lives of innocent animals that suffer tremendously due to our system of food production. AT: A vegan diet seems like a big jump. What was your family’s reaction like to this? Were they supportive? Is the whole family vegan? RR: My family is very supportive. My wife (who was always healthier than me) embraced it herself and began creating amazing food in our kitchen that we share in our cookbook, The Plantpower Way. Our four kids are also now all on board, in no small part due to Julie’s amazing culinary skills.
a new way: Rich knew he had to do something drastic in order to make a change and he hasn’t looked back since.
AT: What was it like getting back into regular training? Was it all smooth sailing? Or were there moments where you wanted to quit? RR: For me, it was like putting on an old glove that just fits perfectly. I am an athlete. I have always been an athlete. It’s just that I had forgotten that as I entered the professional world, deluded that what I once loved was no longer the purview of a responsible adult. So for me, it was about reconnecting with the one thing that had brought me so much joy as a young person. The training was gruelling, but the hard part wasn’t the workouts, it was restructuring my life in a way that would
free up the bandwidth to actually execute on the training. Financial insecurity and time management were the most challenging hurdles that brought me to my knees on more than one occasion.
© Maclay Heriot
AT: You’ve mentioned in other interviews that Julie, your wife is your rock and had a significant influence on your new lifestyle choices. Tell us about that. Do you think it’s possible to do what you’ve done without the support of a partner/family/friends? RR: Julie has indeed been my rock. She was always keen on me finding a healthier more self-actualised way of living, and she created the foundation and support I needed to help realise it – without her I would have never accomplished the things I have been able to accomplish. Having support is very important. But support can come in a variety of ways. Of course, it helps if your partner is on board, but it’s not required. What is required is a commitment to self – a decision to invest in your own well-being for nobody other than YOU. With that level of willingness, anything is possible. And if support isn’t available at home, it’s available in your community, either in person or virtually. Find likeminded people where you live. Join a running club, or a vegan potluck meet up. Link up with support groups online. If you make an effort to extend yourself, the support is available in so many shapes and forms.
All my nutrition needs are met eating plant-based. The only supplement — Rich Roll I take is B12. Australian Triathlete |
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AT: Fast-forward two years, you’re 42, and you decide to jump into the deep end and sign up for your first Ultraman. Why Ultraman and how was that experience? RR: My life had changed so dramatically as a result of adopting a plant-based diet. In just a few months, I felt I had been reborn. So it left me thinking about my potential – what other areas am I overlooking? What am I truly capable of? I wanted to explore the outer limits of my physical, mental, emotional and spiritual abilities and endurance sports struck me as a perfect way to embrace this process. I was looking into doing an Ironman when I discovered this race called Ultraman – a 320-mile, double Ironman! I couldn’t believe human beings could even do such a thing. Immediately I was hooked on the idea – this would be my challenge. Not just because the physical demands were so extraordinary, but also because the race seemed like such a pure exploration of self. Old school without media or prize money, it is an event more
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about spiritual exploration than athletic prowess – which is exactly what I was interested in. AT: The following year in 2009, you went back and competed in another Ultraman. Talk us through what it’s like to train for, and to race an Ultraman? How on earth do you do that as a vegan? RR: The training was intense. Up to 25 hours per week, it was like a second job. But when you are fully committed, it just becomes an expression of who you are. I hired a coach and did exactly what he said. In general, Mondays were rest days; Tuesdays double run days, Wednesdays usually a swim in the morning and a ride in the afternoon up to four hours. Thursdays a longer run. Fridays I would swim and ride. Saturdays were long rides – up to 8 hours. And Sundays were long runs, building up to a couple 40 and 45-mile runs. Doing it vegan actually made it work. Eating plant-based is a very nutritionally dense, anti-inflammatory regimen. It allows my body to repair itself quickly – to
bounce back day-to-day without the soreness and fatigue I would experience eating a more standard meat and dairy diet. This way you can train harder and longer without undue fatigue, less risk of injury and illness. So, protracted out over the course of a year, I believe I was able to realise performance gains I would not have enjoyed on an alternative nutrition plan. This is why I call eating plant-based my secret weapon.
© Jeff Lipsky
© John Segesta
Rich roll
But the key is willingness – are you ready to change? You have to want it for yourself and I can’t will — Rich Roll that on anyone.
AT: Then in 2010 you succeeded in your EPIC5 quest with fellow ultra athlete Jason Lester. That is an amazing achievement – five iron distance triathlons on five separate islands of Hawaii in under seven days, wow! Most of us can barely get through one Ironman – if we’re lucky. What motivated you to start such a quest and how did you prepare for it? What was the experience like and what got you through? RR: The overarching question that drove my quest in ultra-endurance has always been: “What am I truly capable of?” To fully answer this question, I needed to push myself beyond all perceived limits of what I thought myself capable of. After Ultraman, I knew I could do more, and EPIC5 was so scary - the perfect challenge to either break me or finally answer this question. Preparing for it was different than my Ultraman prep. Because E5 wasn’t a race, we reduced the focus on speed and began focusing on what it feels like to always be moving. So, it was a lot of low and medium exertion running and cycling for extended periods of time. Acclimating to sleep deprivation by training late nights – constant motion. AT: In your opinion, how does your nutrition choices impact your endurance performances? Is there anything you need to be particularly mindful of as a vegan endurance athlete e.g. any vitamin or mineral deficiencies etc.? RR: All my nutrition needs are met eating plant-based. The only supplement I take is B12. I have my blood work taken every three to six months, and I have never had any significant deficiencies resulting from diet – the only thing I have to be mindful about is adrenal fatigue, which is just as much a result of all the things I do outside of training in my professional life that contribute to being over-extended. If anything, eating plant-based benefits this far more than it hinders it.
AT: Given your history and what you went through, and then turning to Ultraman, do you think you’ve swapped one addiction for another - albeit a healthier addiction? RR: It is something I have to be mindful of. Yes, I am a recovering alcoholic. Yes, I am attracted to extremes. I try to channel these impulses into healthy outlets as best I can. Taking a drink was always the easy choice. Choosing to train is hard. And the results have benefitted my life in innumerable ways. I would say that on a daily basis, people might look at my life and perceive it to be out of balance. But in the macro I am very balanced – I vacillate between endeavours to maintain this. And the focus is always on what is most important – family, marriage (my wife and I have been together for 18 years) and kids. AT: I understand you were an entertainment lawyer up until you completely overhauled your life, and now you’re an ultra-endurance athlete, plant-based nutrition and wellness advocate, writer and public speaker. What is your aim/mission - what are you hoping to achieve through the work that you now do? RR: My mission is service. To activate, educate and inspire as many people as I can in the most substantive way possible that catalyses significant, positive, long-term change in others. AT: What is your advice to someone on a similar, destructive path – the same path you were on before you completely changed your lifestyle? RR: I would say to them: “Are you done? Have you had enough?” If the elevator is going down, it’s going to keep going down until it hits bottom. You can either step off or wait until the crash – it’s up to you. Either way – you have the choice. If you don’t want to ever drink again, you don’t have to. If you don’t want to keep eating cheeseburgers, you don’t have to.
But the key is willingness – are you ready to change? You have to want it for yourself and I can’t will that on anyone. Take personal responsibility for your life – it’s your life, and you only get one go. There is nothing more valuable ad rewarding and positively influential that taking stock of yourself and doing the work to unlock that healthier, more fully actualised version of you locked within. And If I can do it, I assure you that you can too – it’s just a function of how badly you want it. Nothing more, nothing less. AT: You’ve achieved a lot since your lifestyle change – you’ve been named one of the fittest men on earth (Men’s Fitness), you’ve written best sellers, you run a popular podcast, you have competed in Ultraman – what’s next for Rich Roll? RR: My desire is to continue doing what I do. I am extremely grateful for this life I have been given, and my path is to give it to others. Whether it’s a book, a podcast, a speech or an event - these are just different methods of communication my message. That said I am excited to be working on a new book and executing on new ways to further spread the message of health and abundance and self-actualisation. © Julie Piatt
success: After conquering his demons, Rich conquered his goals, while inspiring others along the way.
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Cairns
Welcome to Tropical Paradise
t e x t b y M a rg a r e t M i e l c z a r e k p h o t o g r a p h y b y T o urism Q u e e n s l a n d a n d s h utt e rst o c k . c o m
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elcome to paradise. Whether it’s a relaxing holiday or a thrilling adventure - if you want to revel in the great outdoors or get pampered in decadent day spas and tropical resorts - Cairns, in far north Queensland has something for everyone. The tropical city is not only the home of Ironman Asia Pacific Championships but is also the gateway to Australia’s Great Barrier Reef and the Daintree rainforest. It spans mountainous rainforests, gorges and breathtaking beaches.
© Tourism and Events Queensland
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So, throw away your appointment book, swap your power-suits for swimsuits and visit Cairns. With its vibrant tropical culture, the cosmopolitan city comes to life with festivals and events. The infamous Esplanade is lined with fast food
restaurants, cafes, bars and fine dining. There’s no beach in town, but the relaxing Esplanade Lagoon more than makes up for it. But if the beach is what you’re after, the northern beaches are only a short drive away.
What’s the weather like in June? Cairns experiences hot and humid summers, and mild winters. While the weather can be a little volatile at times, even in winter – last year it was sunny and hot in the days leading into the Ironman, followed by a tropical downpour and humid conditions on race day - if you’re in town for the Ironman in June expect cooler conditions. The average winter temperature
© Tourism and Events Queensland/Andrew Watson
© Shutterstock.com
© Martin Valigursky / Shutterstock.com
destination
is 17.5 - 26°C with less rainfall and lower humidity. But, again, be prepared for all weather conditions on race day – especially if you’re coming from the south.
• • • •
1700km from Brisbane 2700km from Sydney 2800km from Darwin 3100km from Melbourne.
Otherwise, you can leave the car at home and come by train – The Sunlander or the Spirit of Queensland from Brisbane – or by coach. Major bus companies operate between the major cities around Australia and Cairns.
Where to Stay Cairns, the tropical tourist playground, offers accommodation for all budgets and tastes. From plush hotels, family-friendly motels to backpacker’s hostels, there is something for everyone. Enjoy the luxury of the Park Regis, the Shangri-La, the Four Seasons and the Hilton or the convenience of Cairns City Motel and Cairns Holiday Lodge – wherever you decide to stay during the Ironman remember to book early, so you
© Korupt Vision
There are many ways to get to Australia’s tropical paradise – by plane, sea, car, bus or train. The quickest way is to fly. Cairns Airport boasts international, domestic and general aviation terminals, and is serviced by major air carriers. If you decide to drive, the distance to Cairns from the major cities is:
© Shutterstock.com
Getting there
don’t miss out! Also, if you want to be close to all the action during Ironman week choose accommodation close to the Esplanade. There’s nothing better than being able to walk (or shuffle) to your accommodation for a much-needed shower, and maybe even a nice cold beer, once you cross that finish line.
Food and Drink When hunger sets in, just walk the boardwalk to find your feed. The Esplanade has something to offer for all taste buds. From Australian, Asian, Greek, Italian, seafood to fast food, cafes, bars and fine dining – there’s something to satisfy even the most ravenous of appetites. If you’re after a caffeine hit, don’t go passed Caffiend, Shop 5 78 Grafton Street,
Cairns, www.caffiend.com.au. This well-run independent coffee shop with a ‘Melbourne feel’, is popular with locals and athletes alike, and is said to boast the best coffee in Cairns. For the coffee lovers, The Chamber Room, 20 Lake Street Suite 43-47 Village Lane, Cairns, is also said to have ‘seriously good coffee’. If you’re hungry and craving a healthier burger or some hot chips for a quick lunch, then Grill’d (77 The Esplanade, Cairns) is your place. It caters for all – they do gluten-free burgers – and the staff are friendly and helpful. Another food option for lunch is Ozmosis Café Kitchen (1/116 Collins Avenue Edge Hill). The locals rate it, and the food is said to be ‘amazing’. Need to carb-up before the race? Don’t worry – Cairns has that all sorted for you
© Tourism and Events Queensland/Andrew Watson
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destination Go island exploring and discover the breathtaking beauty of the reef’s unspoilt islands. Jump on the Fitzroy Fast Cat (www.fitzroyislandcairns.com/fitzroytours/Ferry-Transfers/) and be on Fitzroy Island in 45 minutes. Then make the crossing to Green Island (greenisland.com. au) for snorkelling and diving. If you want to go on an ‘off the grid’ adventure, visit Hinchinbrook Island (www.porthinchinbrook.com.au/ hinchinbrook-island), which is mostly uninhabited and isolated. What better way to relax after the Ironman!
© Adam Bruzzone
© Tourism and Events Queensland
Ironman Asia-Pacific Championship Cairns, 11 June 2017
© Tourism and Events Queensland
as well. Italian restaurant, Little Ricardo’s (191 Sheridan Street) has all your carb needs covered – pizza, pasta and even has gluten-free options available. For something a little more extravagant try Dundee’s Restaurant on the Waterfront (Harbour Lights 1 Marlin Parade, www.dundees.com.au). It’s said to have good food in a great location and offers seafood, vegetarian, gluten-free and vegan options.
Do and See There is plenty to do and see in Cairns – before or after the race. If you’re after something more relaxing, enjoy the beauty of the Cairns Botanic Gardens or relax in the stunning salt-water swimming lagoon, while overlooking the ocean – a bit safer than braving the crocs! To get your
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shopping fix, don’t miss the Saturday Esplanade market for all things clothes, jewellery and more. Discover the rich history of the world’s oldest living culture at the Tjapukai Aboriginal Cultural Park (www.tjapukai. com.au), which is located 15 minutes outside of Cairns. This authentic Australian Indigenous experience includes live music, dance and storytelling. Explore the Great Barrier Reef with the Great Barrier Reef Diving and Snorkelling Cruise (www.tripadvisor.com.au). Prices start from $149 and include a full-day diving and snorkelling tour of the Great Barrier Reef, diving instruction and equipment. To get your heart rate pumping why not take the Hartley’s Crocodile Adventures day trip – although, this one is probably better for after the Ironman. You can watch crocs leap into the air to snap up their food during the Crocodile Attack Show or observe crocs lounge around in the lagoon during the narrated boat tour. If you ever wanted to get up close to a croc, this one is for you! If you want to get extreme after the Ironman try white-water rafting (www. ragingthunder.com.au) on the Tully River and Barron River, or try a half-day of tubing (www.foamingfury.com.au/river-tubing/) on the Mulgrave River. Tandem skydives are also available for adrenaline junkies – what a way to get an aerial view of the Great Barrier Reef! There is also bungy jumping, the Minjin Jungle Swim, quad biking, horse riding and hang gliding at AJ Hackett – the ultimate adventure company (www.ajhackett.com/cairns/).
Ironman Cairns (the Ironman Asia-Pacific Championship) has, over it’s six-year history, become known as the ‘Ironman in paradise’. Boasting one of the most spectacular bike courses in the world, competitors ride along the Captain Cook Highway, through the World Heritage listed rainforest, hugging the coastline from Cairns to Port Douglas. Athletes then run along the striking Cairns boardwalk, finishing the race in the heart of the city. This is ‘must-do’ race on the Ironman circuit. This year, Ironman Cairns has 75 qualifying slots to the 2017 Ironman World Championship in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii.
© Korupt Vision
© Korupt Vision
© Korupt Vision
Race in paradise: Ironman Cairns is a must-do race on the Ironman circuit.
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 18 June 2017
12 November 2017
6 May 2018
GREAT WHITEHAVEN BEACH RUN Australian Triathlete |
GREAT WHITEHAVEN BEACH RUN
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Alex Kozeniauskas Type1
Athletic
t e x t b y M a rg a r e t M i e l c z a r e k
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lex Kozeniauskas is not your typical endurance athlete. The determined, hardworking and successful triathlete has Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus (T1DM) and has the extra challenge of managing the chronic condition while striving to achieve his goals. But he hasn’t let this stop him. He has seen some big success in the sport despite his challenges, and continues to inspire those around him and other, type 1 diabetic athletes, to achieve their dreams.
On his start in triathlon It was suggested that I try a triathlon at the dinner table one night - it was my
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sugars, which remain in the blood stream, then cause serious health complications. Diabetes has a significant impact on my daily life, including on my training and racing. I must keep my blood sugar levels as close to the normal range as possible by dosing insulin, something that is very complicated and difficult to keep stable. I have to regularly test my blood sugar levels and give myself insulin. I face daily challenges, including potential hypoglycemic (low blood sugar) events that can be fatal. I always have to plan ahead, and carry my diabetes supplies and food with me – it can be challenging trying to fit the strict nature of diabetes around the spontaneous nature of life.
On the type 1 diabetes diagnosis background in swimming, my love of cycling and my general fitness that made it seem like triathlon would be a good fit for me. My first triathlon was in early 2011, a Gatorade Series sprint race in St Kilda [Melbourne]. The swim was cancelled due to wet weather - the event was changed to a run/ride/run. With my total lack of experience, it was an absolute killer!
What is type 1 diabetes? Type 1 diabetes differs from type 2 in that it is an autoimmune condition, which affects the body’s ability to produce insulin (which is what allows your body to process sugar to create energy). Without insulin, the body literally starves and the
I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in 1996, when I was 12-years-old. Initially, it was very scary as my family, and I didn’t know a thing about the condition. I was a young swimmer at the time, just starting in the sport - racing at state level and looking to qualify for nationals. I was scared that I wouldn’t be able to continue swimming. Other people also didn’t know much about diabetes at the time, so it was challenging to understand how this disease would fit into my world (school, friends, swimming, etc.). My new life also now included regular finger-prick testing, daily injections and carrying jellybeans around with me in case of a hypo (low blood sugar). With the support of my
#INSPO
parents, coaches and school teacher at the time, thankfully the diagnosis did not end up impacting me very much, and I was able to continue swimming for many years and I was also able to play other sports and attend all school camps. I also became everyone’s best friend as I always had plenty of good food and drink, including lollies!
On a typical training day and how he manages his diabetes when in training I don’t have a coach at the moment - in the past I have trained under a local coach and also remotely using training peaks. I work very closely with a sports physio and also a strength and conditioning coach. I need to plan my training in advance every day so that I can adjust my insulin and also eat at the right times so that my blood sugar levels are at a safe level for training. I do my main sessions in the morning before work and breakfast when I have only small amounts of insulin in my system. Having more insulin will cause me to hypo and have to stop training. I’m also more sensitive to insulin in the afternoon, which makes afternoon training sessions more difficult. I need to adjust my insulin settings and food for every session depending on the time of day, activity and session intensity - swim/bike/run/strength, Z1-Z5 and duration of each session.
On training for, and racing, his first Ironman – Ironman Melbourne in 2015
A typical training day might look like:
• 8pm (previous night) plan for morning session and set insulin levels to be right for the next morning (hope that they remain stable overnight) • 5am wake and check blood sugar levels, make adjustments (food/insulin/session) • Complete session and then head to work, I will check my blood sugar levels every 20mins during this time • 8am breakfast, which will vary depending on blood sugar levels e.g. less carbohydrate if levels are too high • Work through day, check blood sugar levels every hour, small low carb snacks and then eat a good lunch • About 2hrs before an afternoon session I need to adjust my insulin again so that it is at the correct level for the afternoon session. This setting is different
depending on the session and how my blood sugar levels are tracking that day • My afternoon snacks will vary depending on where my blood sugar levels are and what session I am doing • 5pm complete afternoon session, I check my blood sugar levels every 15 minutes during this session • 7pm dinner, which will vary depending on how my blood sugar levels have tracked during and post afternoon session
The biggest challenge training for, and leading into Ironman Melbourne was keeping my diabetes stable so that I could train, recover and fuel my body. Type 1 diabetes is constantly (daily) changing, and even when you plan something, it often doesn’t work out, which makes it really difficult and depressing when trying to train. As you get fitter, you need to adjust your diabetes management. Taper can be particularly challenging as the big change in training routine can really throw your diabetes management out. Recovery is also a real challenge with type 1 diabetes as the blood sugar level rises and falls significantly impact this - poor quality sleep, meal timing, carbohydrate intake and increased inflammatory responses are all part of type 1 diabetes management. These challenges played on my mind all of the time as I was constantly thinking about my diabetes and then what I “should” be doing. This obviously has an impact on your mental state and your general wellbeing. Australian Triathlete |
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My challenges leading into Ironman Melbourne: Diabetes
safe blood sugar levels, avoid hypo’s
Physical
complete quality sessions, get recovery in, be able to repeat this daily
Mental
diabetes stress, training stress, mental wellbeing
I had a fantastic race both physically and diabetes wise. The run was really tough physically and mentally. Finishing in under 9hrs30mins was one of the biggest achievements of my life. The major challenge for the race (and every race) is keeping blood sugar levels within a safe range while also pushing myself physically, eating enough carbs and balancing insulin (so not to have a hypo) and staying hydrated (dehydration has a big impact on blood sugar levels). Like any triathlete, I have to plan every part of my race, including a diabetes plan, which includes - insulin levels, blood sugar testing, fuelling (carb and low carb options) and hydration. Nerves and adrenaline impact blood sugar levels, and it’s impossible to know what these will do. Trying to stay calm is very important. Things I need to carry with me at all times while training and racing include: an insulin pump, blood testing kit and food it’s important to have good pockets to fit all of this in!
The consequences of getting things wrong are serious: Low blood sugar levels (hypo) Stop training Stop racing Loss of awareness which can cause an accident Severe hypo can result in unconsciousness, coma and death
High blood sugar levels Stop training Stop racing Insulin dose to bring levels down slow without hypo risk High blood sugar levels contribute to long-term complications and produce ketones, which can be very serious if left untreated
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On what he has learnt from his experience managing T1DM while training and racing competitively Following a plan and process is very important for diabetes management and also training/racing in general. It’s important to be consistent, as consistency leads to the best performances and also allows you to review and make changes as needed. It’s also important to have fun and enjoy training/racing – a good mental wellbeing, results in better performances and better diabetes control. I also try to acknowledge all of my achievements, no matter how small.
On who makes up ‘Team Alex’? My team includes my wife, family and training partner. I have a close-knit support team who has seen and experienced all of my challenges and successes. They are my biggest supporters. My wife supports me 100% - she’s great at putting things into perspective, helping me acknowledge my achievements and managing daily diabetes and mental challenges. My training partner has helped me keep training and racing fun and enjoyable. It is fantastic to train and race together. My family are there for the good and the bad, they have come to see me race at just about every triathlon I have raced - I think they just like an excuse to go away for the weekend! Without my wife and my family, I wouldn’t have been able to achieve any of the things, which I have.
#INSPO On raising awareness around type 1 diabetes and endurance sport through his website, Type1Athletic Type1Athletic (www.type1athletic.com.au) aims to promote a healthy and active lifestyle for people with type 1 diabetes and to show that having this condition doesn’t have to stop you from achieving great things. I started the blog because I was searching for real world information on exercising with type 1 diabetes and I couldn’t find anything that I could relate to. I was experiencing and overcoming many challenges, and I believed that the things that I was learning could be helpful to other diabetics. Exercising with type 1 diabetes is a real challenge - to accomplish this effectively and safely is a real achievement. Ironically, exercise has real and significant benefits for type 1 diabetics - it’s very import to be healthy as part of your diabetes management. I am currently working with a foundation in the US, Diabetes Sports Project (www.diabetessportsproject.com or on Twitter @DSP) to build Type1Athletic up as a resource and through this I’m hoping to connect type 1 diabetics in Australia. I would love to have a team of Type1Athletic athletes training and racing together, building on each other’s experiences and promoting type 1 diabetes in the community.
annually through this event (www.ride.jdrf. org.au). This year, 2017, is my first year of involvement and I am also assisting on the organising committee. In addition to this event, I am riding from Melbourne to Adelaide the week prior to the event to further inspire type 1 diabetics and also to motive people to donate. This additional ride has been fully supported by JDRF and has grown to include 14 other riders (two who are type 1 diabetic) who will also participate in two community events during the ride (for more information, visit - www. type1athletic.com.au/jdrf-one-ride-2017/).
On his message to other athletes living with chronic conditions such as diabetes Absolutely anything is achievable and because of extra challenges we face achieving your goals is even sweeter. I honestly believe that we can be better athletes because of the extra elements we need to go through to get to race day we can be stronger, and we can perform better than we may have otherwise been able to.
www.type1athletic.com.au @type1athletic
On supporting the JDRF and participating in the JDRF One Ride 2017 event I also use many resources for my diabetes education, and I seek out the best people from all over the world endocrinologist, sports doctors, diabetes educators, nutritionist, other, type 1 athletes and specialists.
On what motivates him to continue in the sport I don’t believe that I have achieved the best that I can - the perfect race. I’m motivated by getting my training and racing right – physically, mentally and medically. I just love training and racing the physical and mental benefits, the buzz of racing. I have learnt how I need to train and manage my diabetes for the longterm, staying focused and managing injuries. I think the secret to longevity in this sport is consistency - follow your program and don’t over-do it, rest is very, very underrated. I believe that the best performances come from a holistic approach - training, strength, recovery, mental wellbeing, nutrition, equipment - all aspects need to be worked on with a similar focus to see results.
JDRF stands for Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, directly supports research, development and clinical trials to accelerate life-changing breakthroughs to treat and cure diabetes. Their work has directly made a significant difference to the quality of my life, and your support will further their fantastic work to find a cure. They have contributed over $2billion globally, to research, development and clinical trials. My personal experience aligns perfectly with JDRF’s fantastic work, and I am very happy to be involved in any way I can to promote type 1 diabetes, provide education and share my experiences. The JDRF One Ride is a major fundraising event focused on individuals fundraising to participate in a cycling event and gala dinner in the Barossa Valley, SA. There are up to 300 participants and close to $1M is raised
Fun facts • One thing you can’t live without… a plan (diabetes) and daily exercise • If not triathlon… cycling • When not training… time with my wife and family (I know I owe them for their support of this timeconsuming passion of mine!) • A guilty pleasure… ice cream and chocolate (ironic for a type 1 diabetic to have a sweet tooth) • Bucket list race… Whistler Ironman [Ironman Canada] • Athlete you admire… My best mate and training buddy Matt, for his pure enjoyment of the sport and for being so happy after every single race, which he completes he always put things into perspective for me.
Australian Triathlete |
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IMAGE OF THE
MONTH photo: Korupt vision Captivated by the breathtaking beauty of the Gold Coast at sunrise - the home of the 2018 Commonwealth Games.
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Australian Triathlete |
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tech talk Tri Products
Brooks Neuro 2 Built to go fast any day, this performance-enhancing shoe delivers speed by pairing our best-in-class fit and biomechanics technology with instantaneous energy return. The forefoot Propulsion Pods and BioMoGo DNA encapsulated into blown rubber, provide adaptive cushioning and rapidly return energy. The Gearing Mechanism allows the heel and forefoot to move independently for a powerful push-off and the Dynamic Hammock System wraps underfoot for improved foot alignment. Make the most of ever effort, every mile, and every run. RRP: $239.95 www.brooksrunning.com.au
Supacaz Glow in the dark Supacaz Tape Glow in the dark Supacaz Tape Can bar tape really glow? Oh yeah it glows and the special felt finish on this cork tape will keep your hands happy as well. Great for being seen whether you’re concerned for safety or just want to turn heads. RRP: $49.95 www.echelonsports.com.au
BONT Riot TR The world’s first carbon composite heat moldable entry-level triathlon shoe. The Riot TR combines Bont’s pro series technical features including our power transfer platform and anatomical shaping with competition grade materials to create the most technically advanced entry level triathlon shoe. Other features include: -- Microfiber Upper -- Ventilation -- Carbon Composite Construction -- Heat Moulding RRP: $149.95 www.echelonsports.com.au www.bontcycling.com 2XU Power Recovery Compression Tights Proper recovery is essential to every training regime to help prevent overuse injuries. 2XU’s Power Recovery Compression Tights feature graduated stamping technology and over-foot compression for increased venous return, helping you return to your peak in the fastest possible time. Available in Black/Nero and Black/Green. RRP: $200.00 www.2xu.com.au
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Retention System Last Design Anatomical Heel Cup Medial Longitudinal Arch Support Lateral Forefoot Support Anatomical Forefoot Shape
STAY TUNED FOR OUR SUUNTO ROAD TEST FEATURE IN NEXT MONTHS MAG!
SUUNTO Spartan Sport Wrist HR Suunto Spartan Sport Wrist HR is an advanced multisport GPS watch sporting wrist heart rate measurement, color touch screen, 100m water resistance and up to 12h of battery life in training mode. Spartan Sport comes with 80 pre-set sport modes and rich sport specific metrics. Follow your progress and train smarter with community training insights available in Suunto Movescount. All Spartan Sport watches are hand-made in Finland. RRP: $699.99 www.suunto.com
LATEST OFFERINGS IN WRIST HR TECHNOLOGY GARMIN Forerunner® 935 Premium GPS Running/Triathlon Watch with Wrist-based Heart Rate¹ -- Offers advanced running and multisport features in a comfortable watch you can wear all day, and it only weighs 49 grams -- Provides elevation changes with a built-in barometer; altimeter and electronic compass help you keep your bearings -- Evaluates your training status to indicate if you’re undertraining or overdoing it and offers additional performance monitoring features -- Provides advanced dynamics² for running, cycling and swimming, including ground contact time balance, stride length and more -- Battery life: up to 2 weeks in watch mode, up to 24 hours in GPS mode or up to 50 hours in UltraTrac™ mode -- Available in black A tri-bundle option – which includes a black watch face with force yellow strap, HRM-Tri, HRM-Swim, Quick Release Kit and additional strap in black – is available for RRP AU$849. Compatible with optional Garmin QuickFit™ bands in leather, silicone or metal. The Running Dynamics Pod has a RRP AU$109. Quick Release Kit or replacement bands (black or yellow) will be RRP AU$45ea. RRP: $699.00 www.garmin.com.au
Swissstop Catalyst Disc Rotor 140/160mm 6 bolt Swissstop Catalyst Disc Rotor. Engineered to set a new standard. Powerful braking and high durability, available in four sizes for applications including road, cyclocross, cross country and downhill. Accepted by the UCI for road competition the perimeter edge of the catalyst brake rotor does not contain any 90 degree edges. Wear out indicators small divots on the surface show when it is time to replace the rotor. RRP $85.95 www.swissstop.ch www.echelonsports.com.au
2XU XVENT Jacket Focus your run training on your time and technique, knowing your apparel’s got you covered. 2XU’s XVENT jacket is fully loaded with tech; moisture wicking, quick drying, active cooling and with custom-designed jacquard panels for maximum ventilation. The perfect layer for all-weather running. RRP: $160.00 www.2XU.com.au
Australian Triathlete |
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tech talk Product Spotlight
Product: pjuractive Skin protecton
pjuractive – skin protection for the toughest demands
Company founder Alexander Giebel talks about the pjuractive brand and tells us what’s special about the pjur product range for sport
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ince 1995, the pjur group has been synonymous with highquality health and body care products, which are marketed in more than 50 countries around the world. Since 2015, the pjur group has also been targeting athletes. Two products have already been successfully launched under the brand name “pjuractive”, both of which have the same goal: to provide protection for athletes skin, which is subject to particular strain. We spoke to company founder Alexander Giebel about pjuractive and what makes these products so special. Australian Triathlete: Why the name “pjuractive”? What does this tell the user about the products? Alexander Giebel: Since 1995, pjur has been synonymous with quality and purity. All of our products are made in Germany, and we only use ingredients of the highest possible quality. In this respect, the name pjur is derived from the English word “pure”. These values have always been the maxims that we stand for and that we embody, and this also extends to our new pjuractive products. The addition of “active” signifies our support for all active people who like to exercise.
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AT: 2skin was the first product to be marketed by pjuractive and is already being used by a number of well-known athletes, such as the world-class triathlete and double Ironman World Champion, Jan Frodeno. Why do athletes love pjuractive 2skin so much? Alexander Giebel: Our product, pjuractive 2skin, is an innovative gel, which provides protection against chafing and blisters. Athletes often repeat the same
movement again and again, during which skin-on-skin or skin-on-clothing friction occurs, resulting in chafing and blistering. Until now only products offering limited assistance have been available, and these have not been adapted to the various requirements of the many different types of sport. Our product, 2skin, is different. Thanks to special film-forming ingredients, it creates an invisible protective layer offering lubrication and protection, which is breathable, resistant and ultra long lasting. It is also resistant to water and sweat, making it the ideal product even for the most challenging land and water-based sports. It’s no wonder that world class athletes like Jan Frodeno love our product so much. AT: All of the pjur group’s products are developed in-house. What made you decide to develop this particular type of sports gel? Alexander Giebel: We use high-quality silicones in many of our products. As silicone is larger than the pores of the skin, the skin does not absorb it, meaning it remains on the surface of the skin and forms a protective film. These are the ideal prerequisites for a product, which is intended to protect the skin of athletes,
don’t you think? Our success bears this out. Since the product’s launch in March 2015, by August 2015, 2skin had already been awarded gold in the category of injury prevention and received two silver awards for “Best Innovation” by the English magazine’s ‘Men’s Running Magazine’ and ‘Women’s Running Magazine’. Recently, pjuractive 2skin has received additional accolades. Each year, the ISPO AWARD honours outstanding product innovations in the sports industry. 2skin was recognised as the winner in the “Performance” category. We’re proud that 2skin is doing so well. AT: What type of athletes is 2skin suitable for? Alexander Giebel: pjuractive 2skin is suitable for anyone who wants to protect their skin against chafing and blisters. Of course, this often occurs with high strain or prolonged strain. That’s why we work particularly closely with triathletes, marathon and trail runners, cyclists and swimmers. Chafing can also occur when hiking or riding or to anyone who is making an extended or unaccustomed effort – 2skin helps in all circumstances.
World Champion Protection: Don’t let blisters and chafing stop you at your next race.
AT: 2skin is not the only product in the pjuractive range. In the last year, you also launched another product, the BODY AFTER SHAVE Spray? What does this product help with? Alexander Giebel: Not only do many athletes frequently suffer from chafing, but they also often shave on a daily basis, and this is usually just before a competition. The consequence is razor burn, skin irritation and inflammation. Many products that are supposed to provide protection contain alcohol and perfume, which usually exacerbate skin irritations instead of soothing them. That’s why our BODY AFTER SHAVE Spray is free from alcohol and perfume. It doesn’t sting when applied and cares for the skin thanks to the addition of aloe vera and provitamin B5. This product is already enjoying great popularity amongst athletes.
AT: Where can athletes buy these two pjuractive products? Alexander Giebel: Both of these pjuractive products can be purchased at au.pjuractive.com/shop/. We are also currently in the process of setting up an Australian distribution network, and we are delighted to receive enquiries via sales@pjuractive.com. No athlete should be stopped by blisters and chafing! With pjuractive that won’t happen!
We would like to thank; Alexander Giebel for answering our questions, and we are sure that pjuractive products will also support you in achieving your sporting goals. Try it out! Australian Triathlete |
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tech talk Road Test
Product Tested: Specialized Venge ViAS Disc
Specialized Venge ViAS Disc
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ver the past few weeks, we’ve been putting the new Specialized Venge ViAS Disc through its paces around town, in the hills and along the long flat, quiet rural roads of Victoria. This is the first road disc bike that we have had to test, and we’re just as curious as many of the people we ride with, as to why there is now such a hard push by bike manufacturers with their disc versions for the road. The reality is that disc brakes are much better in terms of stopping power than rim brakes, but do we really need them on our road and even time trial bikes? Interestingly, most of the push was started a while ago when disc brakes were
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getting the tick of approval from the UCI (pro cycling’s governing body). Over the summer, and throughout the start of the new bike season, there has been a much less welcoming tone in bike racing circles with respect to disc brakes, coming from the riders and teams questioning their safety. This safety question relates to the open rotor blades potential to cut if they come into contact with a rider in a crash. As a result, the UCI are looking into some requests from the riders to make them safer, including rounded edge rotors, safety guards and that all riders in the peloton should use them, so everyone has equal stopping potential. Now the bike manufacturers will
have to wait to see whether they will be allowed to be used in the pro racing. The implication for us is that those race organisers under the UCI, such as the ITU (International Triathlon Union - triathlon’s governing body) and therefore all of the events run under Triathlon Australia’s banner should be restricted from using bikes with disc brakes until that rule is changed. This means your local bike and triathlon race organiser may not allow you to race a triathlon if you have these brakes fitted, although the restriction may only apply to races that allow drafting. It should be noted that the WTC (World Triathlon Corporation) and Challenge events, such as iron distance events and their shorter like, are not governed under this banner. This all sounds like doom and gloom for the bike companies, but the reality is there seems to be little evidence to suggest that the injuries incurred from bike
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 crashes involving disc bikes have actually been caused by the rotors. We don’t see the use of these bikes being restricted once the UCI have investigated the matter fully and therefore can envision no issues with their use for everyone from the road and tri markets. It should also be noted that Specialized do have a rim brake version of this exact bike, so if you are concerned about the potential for exclusion from participation based on brake mechanism for either bike racing or triathlon, you have nothing at all to worry about. The rim brake version is said to ride exactly the same, albeit for the reduced stopping power provided by the disc brakes. The Venge ViAS (originally only a rim brake version) when first introduced was clearly designed to be the fastest road bike ever made. The marketing coming from the company spoke of around three to four percent time savings from the frame alone over its other road bikes, namely the lighter Tarmac. Likewise, the disc brake version was built to be just as fast if not more aerodynamic than its rimmed counterpart and was actually designed around the braking system. Given the UCI’s current feelings on the matter, you may think Specialized have jumped the gun, but the benefits to the bike’s aerodynamics can be made even greater when the design of the wheels can also be improved, as there is no brake track to deal with. The ViAS disc is spec’ed really nicely with our favourite value for money group set - Shimano’s Ultegra Di2 11 speed but with Specialized own carbon crank; the brilliant disc specific Roval 64 CL wheels; Specialized’s sleek yet still comfy Power saddle; and the jewel in its crown, the super aero front end, with the -17 degree ViAS stem and Aerofly 25mm rise bar. The real beauty of the bar and stem can be noted with the distinct lack of any cabling - there is nothing to see! Everything is routed through the bar and stem, then hidden all the way to the outlet holes for brakes and derailleurs. The result of having a -17-degree stem (most stems are -8 degrees) means the hoods would likely be too low for many racers so the Aerofly bars get you back up to what a standard stem angle would give. A ‘flat’ bar is also
putting the ViAS through its paces: The ViAS disc is spec’ed nicely with disc specific Roval 64 CL wheels and the super aero front end, with the -17 degree ViAS stem and Aerofly 25mm rise bar.
available to those who want to get even lower, which in our opinion is a better look and probably preferred for us. Adding to the stylish bike Specialized has also included their Venge ViAS stem specific aerobar for TT and tri. These are specific to the bike due to the ViAS specific mount for 85mm and longer stems. The FACT carbon bars are very lightweight and comfortable option for you to reduce your aero profile. The one piece is really nicely designed to keep the similar look to the rest of the bike, letting you to either run a fully-fledged road rocket or the Shiv rivalling time trial/triathlon machine. The adjustability of the bar isn’t great with only fore and aft movement, but for us it worked beautifully. Obviously, if you’re thinking of racing in draft legal events, such as elite sprint races or the newly advertised age group draft legal sprints titles at the next World Championships for triathlon and duathlon, you’ll need the ITU version of the bar which is a little shorter to ensure it remains in line with or behind the brakes hoods.
Our test bike from our friends at Specialized was their 54cm test rig, which was a little small for one of us lengthwise but necessary for the stack height to be low enough given the test bikes generally run with one to two centimetres of spacers. If we were building this up from scratch for ourselves we would ideally have gone with the 56cm frame with zero spacers and the flat bars, but this was still a very doable option. Configuring the fit was a pretty easy task as we could only really adjust the saddle position and its height. One downside to this set up was that the jewel in the crown, the ViAS stem and bars, is unfortunately not easily adjusted and by that we mean that you need to be a mechanic or just make sure you’re dialled in when you first get set up. This is due to all that cabling and wiring going through the stem. You can’t simply swap out the stem or remove spacers as you would with an externally cabled ride. Like anything that has big advantages over the commonly seen alternatives, we only see this as an issue if you would need to Australian Triathlete |
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tech talk Road Test
change your position greatly from a road set up to triathlon or TT. The feel of the bike in road mode is brilliant from pedal stroke one. It’s stiff through the bottom bracket and front end, which is further bolstered by the rock solid Roval 64 wheels. Teamed with 25mm tyres the ride is comfortable over all road surfaces. We found the brake hoods of the Ultegra shifters a bit fatter than we’ve used previously due to the beefed up design for the discs. After a ride we forgot about the difference but have heard latter versions of the Dura-Ace hoods will be a bit leaner. Climbing on the bike feels very smooth with power transfer being directed into going straight ahead. The bike isn’t as light as some other road bikes, such as Specialized’s Tarmac but this wasn’t built to be a pure climbing bike. Going downhill, on the other hand, this bike is a weapon given its aerodynamic properties and greater ability to brake. Pouring rain can’t dampen this bike’s stopping power, and this is what makes disc brakes for road bikes nearly a necessity. On the flats and gentle rollers the bike comes into its element. At this point I can start to understand why the guys at Specialized equate this to their tried and true triathlon bike the Shiv Tri. Take the front end off and replace it with integrated base bars and an extension system, and we’d agree with their claims. At this point the TT/tri bars are begging to be used to get you into that position where the wind sees as little of you a possible. The bars as
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we mentioned earlier are a perfect match to the bike. The whole idea of these bars is to turn an amazing road bike into a great TT bike, but this can only be done if you can firstly get into the ideal time trial position. For most people that may mean coming further forward on the seat towards the bottom bracket and having a lower front end, when compared to their road set up. If your road and TT set-ups are similar then you will find this the only bike you’ll ever need on the hardtop. One major benefits of a cockpit with bar-end shifters is having your gear levers at your fingertips, literally, but this isn’t an option for users of mechanical gearing. There are options on the bars to mount remote sprint shifters for users of electronic gear, such as the Di2 options offer. So, as far as triathlon is concerned, where does the Venge ViAS disc fit in? As we briefly mentioned before both the
Product Tested: Specialized Venge ViAS Disc
World Sprint Championships in triathlon and duathlon are now draft legal for age groupers. This means if you wish to compete in these events you will need a road bike with tri bars that do not extend past your hoods. However, at this stage you also cannot use disc breaks. So, in reality you would probably be prevented from using this disc brake bike in any qualifying event you may compete in as well, but the rim brake option would be perfectly suited to the task. Having done many efforts from five up to 30km while we had the Venge, we would say it is really well suited to sprint and Olympic distance races. Although, if you were to look for one bike that you could use across all distances then the Venge ViAS would be as close to the best option as you could find. As the distances get longer, however, we would think that a dedicated TT or tri bike would be a better option. Even with the best aerodynamics going around, if you can’t get into your best position then you won’t be as fast over 90 to 180km. The thing is, while Ironman may be the ‘pinnacle’ of our sport, the majority of athletes in triathlon compete in sprint and Olympic distances and will probably never step up to the half and full distance events. So, who wouldn’t want to have a versatile, powerful, aerodynamic, nimble and seriously fast rig to do their racing on? The only thing to consider if you’re looking for an all round, do-it-all race bike is whether to go with the disc or rim brake Venge ViAS. This is seriously the best road bike we’ve ridden and if we could only have one bike, there is no better choice than the Specialized Venge ViAS.
tech talk save/spend/splurge Save
$232.99
TACX Blue Twist Folding Magnetic Trainer -- Tacx Blue Twist Folding Magnetic Trainer - T2675 -- Software PC/laptop -- Operation Switch on brake -- Resistance unit Magnetic -- Braking positions 7 -- Descent simulation -- Max brake power (10 sec.) 700 Watt -- Sprint power (1 min.) 600 Watt -- Mass inertia 8 kg 1 -- Suitable for all bikes www.probikekit.com.au
Spend $399.95 jetblack Z1-Pro Fluid Trainer with SQR Fit System + App The JetBlack Z1 PRO Fluid is a high quality, fluid resistance bicycle trainer. Fluid resistance trainers provide a more ‘road-like’ feel than magnetic trainers and this feel is increased by a higher weight flywheel. The JetBlack Z1 PRO Fluid has one of the heaviest flywheels on the market and has the longest run down time in its class. The JetBlack Z1 PRO Fluid is an award winning trainer and like all JetBlack trainers, comes with a lifetime warranty. www.cyclesgalleria.com.au
Splurge
Product: Wind Trainer
$1099.99
Kinetic Rock and Roll Fluid 2.0 Trainer Kinetic Rock & Roll Fluid 2.0 is an indoor trainer that provides the most realistic indoor ride available. The Rock & Roll trainer is unique in the way it pivots from side to side with you. Just as the bike leans from side to side when you’re out on the road, Kurt Kinetic Rock & Roll allows it to do the same in an indoor training environment. www.99bikes.com.au
elite Novo Force Turbo Trainer -- New magnetic resistance unit, very compact -- 5 resistance levels adjustable by a practical selector on the handlebar -- Novo frame: integration of steel and technological plastic materials -- Maximum stability at high speeds or at maximum effort guaranteed by the absorbing structure of the frame -- Lifting of the bicycle is limited to the minimum -- Fast fixing system: the bicycle can be clamped and released with a single quick operation www.cassons.com.au www.probikekit.com.au
$251.99
Wahoo Kickr Snap Power trainer The Wahoo KICKR SNAP brings a realistic ride experience indoors and into a wheel-on smart trainer. The SNAP’s legendary flywheel features technology that creates the same resistance experienced in outdoor climbs and descents. Plus, no other indoor bike trainer has more software training options, including Zwift and Trainer Road. BONUS! When you register your KICKR SNAP in the Wahoo Fitness app, you’ll receive these awesome offers from our partners -- 60 Days FREE of Strava Premium for new Strava members! -- 30 Days FREE of TrainerRoad for new and existing TrainerRoad users! www.cyclesgalleria.com.au
$749.00
Elite Drivo Smart Trainer Perfection has finally become a reality. The Drivo hometrainer measures power output with extreme accuracy. The Drivo’s precision is unprecedented making it unique among hometrainers. -- PEDALING ANALYSIS -- QUIET -- INTERACTIVE AND COMPATIBLE -- OPTIMIZE TRAINING DATA ACCURACY -- SLOPE SIMULATION -- STABLE AND EASY TO USE -- IDEAL FOR ANY BIKE www.cassons.com.au www.bikebug.com
$1899.99
Australian Triathlete |
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tech talk 2XU Compression
Compression 101
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t’s a must-have for every athlete, but what exactly is compression and why do the world’s leading triathletes swear by it for training, performance and recovery? The benefits stack up.
WHAT IS COMPRESSION? The term “compression” is widely misunderstood. Often compression is thought to be any tight-fitting sports gear, which more often than not provides limited benefit beyond looking good at training. True graduated compression has a direct and significant impact on training and performance, and an even greater impact on recovery. To be effective, compression needs to be firm enough to wrap the muscles and hold them in place during activity. This helps prevent muscle movement and micro-tears that can cause soreness and fatigue. When it comes to recovery, graduated compression is key – the graduation helps stimulate blood circulation for faster muscle repair and return to form.
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WHY SHOULD I WEAR COMPRESSION? The main benefits of wearing compression are seen in training, performance and recovery. During physical activity, compression wraps the muscles to reduce damage and fatigue. But the benefits don’t stop there. Post-exercise, graduated compression accelerates muscle repair, reduces soreness and improves recovery.
WHEN SHOULD I WEAR COMPRESSION? Before Exercise Graduated compression actively encourages and increases venous return to the heart and lymph nodes to increase overall circulation, which promotes faster muscle warm-up for optimal flexibility and efficiency.
During Exercise When exercising, muscles and tendons are exposed to vibration, a major cause of muscle fatigue, soreness and damage.
Compression helps align and hold muscles in place to reduce muscle oscillation and limit the risk of muscle strains and tears, allowing greater endurance, power output and performance. Compression applies the appropriate pressure to the skin’s receptors to heighten proprioception for improved reflex movement, body positioning and muscle coordination for greater performance.
Post Exercise Tired, sore, burning muscles – sound familiar? Lactic acid build-up in the muscles and blood after a heavy training session or a big race can lead to serious soreness, sometimes lasting for a number of days. Compression helps increase blood circulation and push de-oxygenated blood back up to the heart and lungs. The removal of blood lactate from increased circulation reduces swelling and soreness, and speeds up muscle repair to restore the body to its peak in the fastest possible time.
THERE’S A LOT OF COMPRESSION ON THE MARKET. HOW DO I KNOW WHICH BRANDS WILL DELIVER ANY BENEFIT? Not all compression is created equal. 2XU is considered the world’s most advanced compression technology, and for good reason. The difference comes down to fabric selection and the engineering of the product itself. 2XU delivers a unique fabric combination that is light, flexible, powerful and durable. 2XU compression is medically engineered to offer true graduated compression — the degree of pressure throughout the garment is carefully designed to deliver physiological benefits via increased blood flow to the heart. Before 2XU sells a product, the fabric is tested at three different locations to ensure it’s delivering the correct amount of power for its athletic purpose. 2XU partners with the world’s leading research institutions – including the AIS in Canberra and RMIT University in Melbourne – to develop cutting-edge products. Dr Shona Halson, Senior Recovery Physiologist at the AIS, says the choice is clear. “At the AIS we support and develop some of the world’s finest athletes. To perform at their best, they need the right equipment to attain sporting success. 2XU leads the way when it comes to compression garments, so we’re assured that our athletes are using the best product available to transform their performance and recovery.”
ARE ANY COMPRESSION BRANDS BETTER GEARED FOR TRIATHLON? Again, 2XU is the stand-out performer. The Aussie brand has a proud heritage in the sport, traced right back to 2005 when Peter “Robbo” Robertson claimed his third World Championship title decked out in 2XU compression.
Co-founded by former professional triathlete and now Director of Product Development Jamie Hunt, 2XU is synonymous with the sport of triathlon. The brand has attracted a raft of the world’s leading triathletes to its range including Daniela Ryf, Anja Beranek, Craig Alexander, Terenzo Bozzone, Cameron Brown and Braden Currie. Founded in triathlon and driven by its heritage in the sport, 2XU is the go-to compression for aspiring and professional triathletes worldwide.
WHEN IT COMES TO COMPRESSION, WHERE’S THE BEST BANG FOR MY BUCK? It’s a classic case of getting what you pay for. 2XU uses a circular knit fabric, not warp knit like other brands. When stress is applied to a product with warp knit construction the fabric doesn’t stretch evenly, meaning you don’t get even
compression. 2XU’s circular knit delivers evenly distributed, 360-degree stretch compression and superior fabric return. The fabric’s ability to retain its strength is critical to durability and longevity. 2XU compression retains its strength up to 2.5 times longer than competitor brands, thanks to the advanced research and testing that goes into every product. Just ask Jamie Hunt. “With testing, we’re guaranteeing the pressure and the power is exactly what it should be. In any one year, we throw away hundreds of thousands of dollars of fabrics that do not meet our parameters,” Hunt says.
OUR TIP: 2XU is the stand-out performer when it comes to compression technology. Learn more about the benefits of compression and check out the world’s leading compression range at 2XU.com. Australian Triathlete |
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tech talk Road Test
Product Tested: COROS HELMET Walkie Talkie
Coros HELMET Walkie Talkie
B
ack in the November 2016 edition, we reviewed the Coros Frontier helmet. A ‘smart’ helmet, of sorts, and one that offered quite a few features - the ability to listen to music without compromising traffic awareness, to receive phone calls, to record your ride and to receive ride directions, were all great features. They did exactly what they said they would and for many people, these features only add to
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the enjoyment of riding and training. Now, at the time we only had the one helmet and no Walkie Talkie unit - so we couldn’t test that feature. Fast forward to April, and we were able to pick up a second helmet and the two Walkie Talkie units. First up, you’ll need to remove the Walkie Talkie unit from its packaging and charge it using the helmet charger. When charged you simply turn on the unit and helmet. Hit the Bluetooth pairing button, hold it down for five seconds, and it will automatically pair to your helmet. It is important not to have multiple helmets close by when pairing, but once it is paired, you won’t have a problem with anyone else’s helmet. Once everyone in your group has paired their helmets you then all need to choose the same FM channel on the Walkie Talkie unit. There are 16 to choose from so you should be able to find one without too much other chatter on it. However, channels five and 11 are for emergency only. You can then chuck the unit in your jersey pocket and use the helmet handlebar control mount to operate the Walkie Talkie. There is a clearly marked button on the handlebar mount, which represents the Walkie
Talkie. You simply press it to talk. You’ll hear a dual tone that means you can now talk. When you are finished talking you simply press the button again to clear the channel. Other members will hear a ‘ding’, and that means they are now free to talk. It would be quite handy if the person who has finished speaking also heard the ‘hang up’ tone, but unfortunately, you don’t. This left us wondering every now and again if we had, in fact, hung up. Luckily though, if you don’t hang up it does automatically hang up after 60 seconds. We spent a weekend riding around some of our favourite locations, from Beach Road to the hills, and in and around Melbourne, testing the new function of the
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 Coros helmet. The reality is we had a bit of fun with it. You can quite easily organise a little attack on a cycling buddy while out training, which is certainly a bit of fun and if one of you get dropped it’s very easy to let your mate or group know. We had thought it could be used when large group rides, like a squad ride, split up and one coach needs to communicate with another coach. However, we found the claim of ‘one-kilometre range’ of clear
communication to be more like 500 metres. Any further than 500 metres and we discovered that the conversation would break up and become unclear. This doesn’t mean the Walkie Talkie option isn’t a good coaching tool, but it might be better used in keeping groups together over small distances or situations where a coach may be located at the front and rear of a ride, such as a beginner group or the like.
While this new function of the Coros helmet is a bit of fun for mates and could certainly be used as a coaching aid, it probably wouldn’t be something you would use anywhere near as much as the other great features available in the Coros helmet. Still, if you have the helmet, why not grab the Walkie Talkie? It is after all only $59.
What COROS Frontier Smart Helmet Can Do Intelligently? Phone Call Reminder and Answering Do you want to have a choice to answer a phone call while you are riding? If the answer is Yes, then COROS Frontier smart helmet would be the one for you. You can easily answer a phone call which might be important to you through smart remote which is mounted to your bike handlebar. Voice Navigation When a group are riding or training together, it would be so much fun and convenient if group members can communicate each other through Walkie Talkie. For a group activity, there are just too many reasons to keep this function available. Walkie Talkie unit is packed and sold separately and will be available for sale soon.
Emergency Alerts: If the cyclists are engaged in any collision and fall off the bike, the sensor embeded in our helmet would be able to detect it. An emergency alert SMS with GPS location would be generated and sent to nominated emergency contact. Data Sync: COROS Intelligent Helmet can collect real time data of your riding, and then sync those data back to your smart phone. You can view and share your riding data through smart phone app. Music and Podcast: Does it make your riding more enjoyable if you can listen to the music, radio and podcast you like at the same time while you are riding? You can also easily manage to pause or skip to the next song or audio file through smart remote mounted on your bike handlebar. Music and Podcast: One day you might want to have a try on a new route which can give you a buzz of that day. Somehow, you might lose your direction somewhere. No worry, through COROS Frontier smart helmet Voice Navigation feature, you can easily find your way out again.
Communicate between the riders through Walkie Talkie: When a group are riding or training together, it would be so much fun and convenient if group members can communicate each other through Walkie Talkie. For a group activity, there are just too many reasons to keep this function available. Walkie Talkie unit is packed and sold separately.
Australian Triathlete |
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tech talk Behind the brand
Brand: Camino Apparel
Camino Apparel Want to stand out, be noticed and turn heads? Then look no further than Camino Apparel. The Australian-based tri and cycling apparel brand takes a multipart approach and is athlete focused - they want their customers to stand out and look fresh. AT’s Aimee Johnsen chats to Matthew Isbister to get the lowdown on this sporting fashion up and comer. We weren’t concerned at all. It’s the same as when you enter a race and have 100 people to compete against. The athlete who trains well and races the smartest performs well. We’ve applied that mindset to our business approach. We create quality, functional, stylish triathlon and cycling apparel with a difference. We have a great design team and the ability to continually release new, modern designs. This allows our customers to always look fresh and stand out from the pack.
The Business When did you get the idea to create Camino Apparel? What was the process from idea to reality? Reece Rackley (co-founder) and I embarked on an overnight 50km hike through the Gold Coast hinterland. We had a lot of time to chat. Throughout the hike, we cut through a tonne of ideas, concepts and business opportunities together. The idea to create a cycling/ triathlon apparel start up really resonated with us, given our competitive backgrounds. What is the philosophy behind Camino Apparel? Camino Apparel is about the journey, path or adventure - personal or professional, competitive or casual. We have a passion for cycling, triathlon and endurance
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events, and for encouraging people to get out amongst it; to find their own daily adventure, and test the limits. We want our customers to follow the journey with us, whether it is through our products, social media or events. We want them to feel part of the ‘Camino Comrades’. The name Camino – tell us about that. The name is Spanish. Translated into English, it means “The Way”. We wanted this brand to be all about creating a feel of adventure or discovery - paving your own path. Camino Apparel is all about cycling and tri gear, were you concerned you were joining an already well-stocked market? What do you think stands you out from the rest?
What do you think has been your greatest challenge so far? With every new business, the first 12 months is always a challenge. Reece, Nigel and I still have full-time jobs. So there has been a lot of long nights and lost weekends building this brand. We enjoy it though - creating and developing new apparel - so it doesn’t seem too much like a job. It’s our passion.
What has been your proudest moment so far? We have had a lot of successful moments throughout our first year of business. We have released two seasons of cycling designs and one season of triathlon. We have signed a number of great professional athletes to the Camino Team. We started our Camino Customs program and developed great relationships with wholesale accounts. However, I think the proudest or the ‘WHOA’ moment would have to be the exposure of the brand via our collaboration with Oakley Aus/NZ. We worked closely with Oakley to create a limited edition cycling kit that sold out super quick and had an amazing reaction globally. The kit dropped into Oakley Stores in Australia and New Zealand, plus selected WS stores and three online outlets - it was crazy to see our brand aligned with such a huge multipart brand like Oakley. We are incredibly grateful to the Oakley team, employees and athletes for enabling that collab.
happy with the fit or the fabrics, we change it. We have the athlete’s needs front of mind when developing our products, as we are right there with him/her. We all train and race. We are active in the triathlon/cycling community and are always asking athletes for ideas or feedback. What are three things you would like people to know about Camino? • Camino Apparel is an Australian based brand, focusing on a multipart approach to triathlon and cycling. We have huge plans to expand this further. We have some exciting new products
to add to the Camino range over the next year. • We want to give back to the sport of triathlon and help develop the grassroots of the sport. In cooperation with a local leisure facility and local triathlon clubs on the Gold Coast, Camino will be supporting a Junior triathlon series, that will focus on children aged seven to 16 years. • So the older athletes don’t feel like they are missing out, Camino is also looking at starting Camp Camino. This will be a structured fitness camp focusing on triathlon and cycling. We will have professional coaches, heath and fitness experts - multiple, group, rides situated in beautiful cycling destinations. It will be a camp for all levels, enabling all of the Camino Comrades to come together to get away from their normal life.
The Products What is the Camino process of releasing new ranges? Are there products lines available as standard all year round and then you release new designs every year, quarter – tell us about that and why you chose that method to launch products. We always like our customers to look fresh and to stand out. We enjoy creating new
You’re an accomplished triathlete yourself – how do you juggle your own racing with now a new business? The reason I co-founded Camino was that I was wearing other brands and they all seemed the same - nothing really stood out to me. I’m now training, testing and racing in Camino every day. It gives me the ability to see what works and what doesn’t. I’m our biggest critic - If I’m not Australian Triathlete |
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tech talk Behind the brand
designs, products, testing fabrications and trims. Our head designer Nigel has a 15-year creative and product design background in the surf and action sports industry. This allows us to have a different perspective and outlook to the triathlon and cycling designs we have always seen. There have been hundreds and hundreds of designs already - some we love, some we hate and some we just aren’t sure on. So we hold on to them and circle back, stare at them and then push the button for release. We love sitting down with our sponsored athletes and picking their brains on design/fabric and functionality - that’s a huge part of the process. We love to have them, and their friends take a sneak peek - this allows us the be at that ‘everyday rider, racer, competitor’ level and ensure we are pushing out a product that is not going to be lost amongst other brands offerings. At this stage, our plan for Camino is to release three cycling and two triathlon apparel seasons each year. We aren’t bound to a definitive amount or to a drop
We want you to stand out, be noticed, and turn heads. We want you looking good for your daily — Camino Apparel adventures. date yet, being so young, and obviously, brand awareness and growth has a huge impact on this. As we grow, we plan to introduce a staple 12-month program of the product. The Season 2 line has just been released – tell us about that line? Sure, we dropped the Vapor Collection, our Camino Apparel Season 2, before Christmas, in line with the Oakley X Camino launch of the product. The Vapour Collection sees our offering expand substantially on a multisport level. The
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Vapor Collection was custom built for the hot summer months transitioning into spring. It offered a refined fit with increased functionality. All of our products use lightweight fabrications, firm fitting, highly compressive, yet with high moisture wicking properties, allowing the athlete to stay cool on those hot days but also providing the ability to insulate on cooler days, which is great for managing your core body temperature. We are just wrapping up our Season 3 development and putting all the finer points together for a release before winter.
Brand: Camino Apparel
You mentioned your collaborative collection with Oakley - that is big step for a relatively new brand, You must be pretty pumped having the support of such a big powerhouse like Oakley. How did that all come about? It was an amazing experience to work with the Oakley team. Like you’ve said, it’s a big step for such a young brand. We’d only dropped one season before this. It came about with some chat that grew into some serious conversation. We kept pinching ourselves, and thinking: “This won’t happen.” We threw around some ideas of a collaboration kit. Within a couple of weeks, we had a meeting booked at Oakley HQ in Melbourne. The three of us jumped on a plane and met up with the Oakley team to present our idea. The rest is history. We are very grateful to all those guys, especially James Hodge and Ben Goss of Oakley Australia for getting it over the line. Huge thanks also to Vic Payne! It made sense - we shared the same core values around performance and quality, developed with an emphasis on technical benefits, functionality and a multi-sport approach. The collection included a jersey, bib, cap, socks and water bottle. The Oakley Cycling Kit presented by Camino, is now sold out. How would describe your designs? Who/what is your inspiration? It’s hard to pinpoint specific people or influences. As mentioned, it’s great having Nigel on board. His design direction and
© Korupt Vision
influences aren’t impacted by a long background in cycling and triathlon, so he throws new ideas, looks and approaches down for us to view and test - it’s refreshing. Nigel and the team draw from a large base of inspiration - it could be walking through the streets of places like Tokyo or Melbourne and viewing streetwear styling, blending influences from other industries like outerwear, high-end fashion and urban directions. We respect all the other brands within the industry, and there are so many great ones. But we really don’t look to them for design inspiration. Otherwise, you fall into the trap of looking the same.
The Community You have a few great Aussie rising star ambassadors including Jake Montgomery and Renee Baker. What made you want to align with these guys, what are the qualities you look for in your brand ambassadors? We target athletes that present themselves in line with our core brand values - the men and women that we think will best represent our brand and themselves professionally and enthusiastically. I remember how tough it was starting off in the pro ranks back when I was racing, so we wanted to help out these types of athletes. The guys and girls with a great attitude and work ethic - athletes that we believe are rising stars and personalities in the sport. Each of our athletes has unique and interesting stories on how they got to where they are. This is what Camino is about - finding ‘The Way’ and creating interesting journeys. Jake have been through some really tough times of late, and we’ve tried to be there, supporting him and his family the whole way through his recovery. It was awesome to put the whole Camino Crew together on New Year’s Day for his first road ride after his accident. Our pro team is growing. Currently, we have Jake Montgomery, Lindsey Lawry, Renee Baker and we recently added Katey Gibb to the ranks. We also have some age group brand ambassadors that are part of our Camino Comrades. We like to create a
team environment when we go to races. At chosen races, we’ll have the Camino tent up, and we’ll get the whole team together to hang with, friends and family to help support while racing. What is ‘The Collective’? ‘The Collective’ is a way in which the cycling community can come together to embrace and appreciate our Camino apparel. Camino’s range and styles will be forever evolving, with creative inspiration drawn from different markets, trends and countries. We want you to stand out, be noticed, and turn heads. We want you looking good for your daily adventures. We will constantly be creating stylish, innovative and fashionable apparel. Camino appreciates the support of all our followers, customers and those within the tri community. And we are in the process of
building initiatives, programs and incentives to offer ‘The Collective’ members. As well as exclusive previews, deals and information before our public range releases. ‘The Collective’ is the only place where you will be able to have exclusive access to deals and information on what is happening next with Camino. How does one get into some Camino Apparel in their collection? Camino Apparel is available online at caminoapparel.com. If you would like to try it on before you buy, we have Camino in a number of stores, details of which you can find on our website. We also do Camino Custom Apparel. If you would like your team or club to stand out, we can create stylish custom designs for cycling kits and triathlon race suits. You can find all the information about this on our website.
Australian Triathlete |
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Sirius
M US I N GS Finding Information through
ADVERSITY text by Siri Lindley
I’
m going to tell you a story of an athlete I coached who had his greatest victory in a race in which he went slower than he had ever gone before. My athlete, we will call him Fred, had been coached by my amazing wife of two years, Bek Keat. He was doing such a great job in his training with Bek coaching him remotely. His progress was impressive. So impressive, in fact, that I decided to invite him to train with me, and the squad in Boulder, Colorado. Fred is a stand-up guy - I was excited to have him on the team. After a few days in Boulder, it became clear that Fred had been only telling us about his great training days and leaving out the dismal ones. What I was seeing was a very talented athlete who trained incredibly well and performed amazingly when conditions were good, and his energy was high - no issues or problems. But add an obstacle to the equation, and there was a downward spiral. Fred was an athlete who needed everything to be perfect to perform to his potential. He needed to feel great, and the conditions had to be ideal. When this was the case, this guy trained like a freak. However, if he wasn’t feeling great on any given day and training got tough, Fred would find a way to abort the session. Once he gave up, it was all over, and it often got ugly. I was exasperated by this display of inflexibility. To me, our greatest growth
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| photography Shutterstock.com
happens in those trying times - when the going gets tough, and we battle through, regardless of how ugly it gets. This is when we develop the most, both physically and mentally. In the first few days, I would listen as he said he had a sore shoulder or was having trouble breathing. These were the things he would say were preventing him from training to his potential. I would give him advice on how to calm his breathing. But, oh no - his breathing difficulties
Limitations
LIVE ONLY
In OUR MINDS.
But if we use our Imaginations,
Our Possibilities become
Limitless.
© Jamie Paclinetti
weren’t mental, they were physical. So, I told him I would give him my General Practitioner’s phone number, and she could give him an asthma test. That never came to fruition. Pretty soon I realised that Fred had an excuse for everything. If things
weren’t going perfectly, there would always be a reason for it. I came up with my plan for dealing with this behaviour. Whatever the problem was, we were going to work through it - no matter what. Breathing shallow? Ease up on the pace, focus on your technique, let the breathing settle and then fire back into it. There would be no ending the session short. There would be no aborting the session and doing it the next day. No. We would work through anything and everything that came his way. This did not go over well. I pushed him through a set of 25x100s in the pool where the 100s all had to be done under 1:20. I knew, with effort, he could do this! Not a crazy hard effort, just a stronger effort. But he was having a bad day, so, as usual, he gave up and started barely making 1:30. I told him that every time he missed the interval, we would add on one more to the 25 that needed to be done. This wasn’t working. He was now at 35x100s needing to be done. The rest of the team was finished with the session and were now sitting in chairs on the side of the pool, providing support as Fred was giving up right in front of our eyes. I stopped Fred and said: “Listen, this isn’t for us, this is for you. You have got to find a way to turn your thoughts around and change the pattern that has defined you as an athlete.” “You don’t just finish the set when you are feeling good, and everything is going
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 your way. Here, on Team Sirius, we finish no matter what - with guts, determination and pride.” “We are finishers,” I continued. “We are completers. The greatest glory comes in achieving something that, at the moment, you feel is impossible. Gritting and toughing it out, and never giving up on yourself. Doing the best that you can with whatever you have inside of you. Finish gracefully, no matter the circumstances.” He put his head back in the water and proceeded to just make the 1:20 intervals. He was battling his mind more than he was fighting the water. My other athletes sat on the side of the pool, cheering loudly every time he made the interval. They understood the silent war he was fighting within himself. He was so used to giving up, to only finishing if it was going to be a good day. The challenge today was to change that whole mindset - to give him the opportunity to grow and toughen up. The challenge was to broaden his horizons by teaching him that finishing through struggle can be one of the most gratifying gifts you can give yourself. He finished the set. The team applauded his resilience, hoping that this would now become the way he deals with adversity. Not giving in or giving up, but forging on and doing whatever it takes to finish - with pride, courage and a relentless spirit. In the following weeks, we had many more encouraging sessions where Fred battled on despite adversity. But, when left to his own devices, he would still find ways to end a bad session early or find a reason as to why he only did half the session and stopped early. Fast-forward to the Ironman World Championships in Kona. This race had been Fred’s dream for as long as he could remember - the Holy Grail. This is why he did the sport, and he had finally qualified to be here. A dream come true.
Race day. The gun goes off, and Fred starts his day with the best swim of his career. He swims five minutes faster than he would have ever dreamed of swimming. He gets on his bike and within the first 200m, POP! He has a flat tyre. He quickly fixes the flat and gets back on the course, riding strong, still buoyed by his excitement over his awesome swim. BANG! Another flat about two kilometres into the bike. “Damn it!” He’s angry but fixes the flat quickly, realising that his fast swim gave him the cushion he needed to take care of these two flat tyres. Back on the bike, he is a bit nervous because he has used both his spares. If he gets another flat, he’s out. I’m standing on the Queen K, waiting for Fred to come by. I see him and am so excited that he’s in a really good position. “OK, good. He swam where I thought he would on a good day,” I think to myself. I didn’t realise what a great swim he actually had.
As he passes by… POP! I hear him swear loudly: “F**K!” I am appalled by his reaction to his flat, so I let him know. “Coach this is my third flat in five kilometres,” he reports. “I had the swim of my life, and now I can’t even ride. I have no more spares - my race is over. I’m so angry. F**K! F**K! F**K!” At this moment I decide this day could change his life. At the very least, it could change his whole experience with this race and this island in the future. “Fred,” I say, “you will walk to the bike shop about a mile down the road. You will buy another few spare tyres, and you will fix this flat first off, making sure there is nothing in your rim that is causing the flats.” He has tears rolling down his face as he says: “My race is over. This sucks. It’s not my day. It’s over.” “Fred, you will finish this race no matter how long it takes you,” I tell him. “You will start off your relationship with this
© Siri Lindley
beautiful victory: Stand up to the struggle and relentlessly pursue your goals - no matter what. Australian Triathlete |
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Sirius
M USINGS
© Korupt Vision
achieve your dream: Tell yourself: “Nothing will stop me from getting to that finish line.”
amazing island in the most powerful way. By saying, ‘Nothing, nothing will stop me from getting to that finish line. Nothing will get in the way of me achieving my dream of being at the World Championships. I will lay everything I have out on the course to cross that line!’ What you do today will define your whole future with this race. Show this island who you are and what you’re made of. Show yourself who you are. Show me who you are!” He gathers up all his stuff and starts walking. My final words to him: “You get to that finish line no matter how long it takes you. Make it the best day you possibly can, no matter what. Finish!” I leave him there. Feeling his pain and feeling like a mean b***h because of how tough I had to be on him but knowing in my heart that this was the right thing to do. I continue on my way, following Rinny, Yvonne and Troy who were also out there racing hard. Kona is such a magical place. The Ironman World Championship is the most incredible display of true grit, heart and soul, passion and persistence. I was so proud of my athletes and the incredible effort and relentless spirit they put into their races. I was overwhelmed with pride and joy. As the end of the day drew near, I wasn’t sure if Fred was still out there or if
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he had finished. I could only hope that he was battling his demons, and winning! As I was heading back to my apartment, at about 10pm, my phone rang. It was Fred. I took a deep breath before answering, wondering if I had any energy left to deal with the possibility that he was going to tell me he gave up. “Coach, I did it!” he exclaimed excitedly. Tears were welling up in my eyes as I continued to listen intently. “It took me two hours to finally get my wheel and tyre sorted, but I got back on my bike and decided I was going to have the best race I possibly could, from that point on,” he told me. “I realised there was always somebody to catch. I thought about all the work I had done - the work that we had done - and how I have been dreaming of racing on this island for what seems like a lifetime. I felt strong and inspired and did all the little things right. I drank, I ate, and I pushed hard the whole way. Same on the run, I just ran – I ran for me. Living my dream, having the opportunity to race here at the World Championship. I kept catching people too, and with each pass, I felt better and better. Coach, I did it!” I told him I had never felt more proud of him than I did at that moment. He had finished - not begrudgingly, but gracefully. He had finished despite all the obstacles
he had to overcome. He had finished with gratitude, with passion and with a great spirit. He had proven to himself, to me, and to the island that nothing would get in the way of him achieving his goals. Nothing would stop him. Nothing would beat him. He was up for any challenge. He could roll with any punches. He was resilient, relentless, and he was a finisher! This to me, and I know to him also, was one of the greatest victories. This is something that had to happen and something that will forever change his definition of who he is as a man. This new definition will reshape his entire future. So, what’s the moral of this story? Don’t ever think that victory is always beautiful. Victory can mean many different things to many different people. It can be standing up to struggle and relentlessly pursuing your goals despite everything and everyone trying to stop you. This changes the definition of who you are and what you are capable of. This is success - this is a beautiful victory.
@siri.lindley.3 @SELTS @sirilindley
SUNDAY, 3 DECEMBER 2017
JOIN IN THE FUN AT BUSSO 40 SLOTS FOR KONA
INCORPORATING
3 DECEMBER 2017
Register at www.ironmanwesternaustralia.com
Events Capital WA
with Willy Dan Wilson
2
The DNF
© Shutterstock.com
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However, when you have raced as much as I have, there comes the odd occasion where I’ve had to concede and leave a finish line untraversed. More often than not, there’s been a humorous side to each occasion, if one searches with a gaze filtered for optimism by the healing touch of time. Thus, the DNF list, aka the hall of shame.
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2001. Naught but a 16-year-old, I grasped an early thorn from the rose bush of triathlon. Flat tyres can happen anywhere, in this case – 2km into the bike. I slunk back to transition, did the run anyway to vent some frustration. Due to a timingchip malfunction, I was awarded the win. In a test of my moral compass, I returned the valuable commodity (a backpack) to the rightful victor. You don’t want an illicit backpack on your conscience while you’re trying to get to sleep every night.
© Shutterstock.com
T
he DNF - Did Not Finish. It’s about as much fun as preparing your tax return. Ironically, for a bloke who pays his bills by finishing races, the more DNF’s I have, the less tax preparation I have. This also means that fewer of said bills actually get paid, but I guess it is a mild succour to know that at least I’ll never have the double whammy of bulk DNF’s and complicated tax. Like most who invest gratuitous quantities of time, effort and money getting to races with the intent to perform well, I’ve always done my utmost to avoid the lamentable DNF. Indeed, in these very pages, I’ve detailed my exploits navigating the German hinterlands, ‘borrowing’ wheels with much dexterity and little consent from recently crashed comrades in the effort to avoid an untenable DNF next to my name.
2007. Another flat tyre, this time, it came as welcome relief. I’d been crook as a dog, and spent the first half of a World Cup in Lisbon in a dilapidated state, coughing up my guts and trying not to pass out. My obvious display of relief upon my forced exit from the race confused some spectators. I find speaking Portuguese impossible, and speaking Portuguese with a mouthful of phlegm even more impossible, so I left them in a bemused state and was back at my hotel, and asleep before Gomez had broken the tape.
3
2007. My first and only premeditated DNF. Shortly before the World Championships, I took the opportunity to do a ‘training session’ at a Euro Cup in Geneva, just down the road from our base in France. Again, cue confused spectators, when I ran 2.5km flat out, pulled to the side of the road to talk to my coach for 10 minutes, then re-entered the race for a 5km cool down, only to pull out again, 2.5km short of the line.
4
2008. Hamstrung by some questionable poultry the night before the Mooloolaba World Cup meant my stomach was as congested as Coronation Drive on a weekday morning (gag for the Brisbane commuters!). Bluffed my way through the swim/bike, but the stabbing intestinal pain was too much for the run. Almost as painful was trying to convince an altruistic yet irritatingly persistent volunteer that a) yes, I really wanted to withdraw, and b) yes, I realised how disappointed I would be if I pulled out. The disappointment in her eyes haunts me to this very day.
© ITU/Delly Carr
5
2009. Sick again this time, and definitely shouldn’t have even attempted to start the Washington WTS. Last by minutes out of the water, I trudged up the swim ramp, straight into the athlete’s tent, and spoke to my coach for 10 minutes before wheeling my bike out of transition and heading for the hotel. At this point, an enthusiastic, benevolent, yet clearly imbecilic Yank started cheering for me with inexhaustible vigour. I wouldn’t mind seeing a photo of the way I looked at him while he cheered for me as I wore a backpack riding the wrong way on the footpath, 15 minutes after the rest of the field had gone, but I can’t imagine I hid my emotions well…
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2010. My only non-flat mechanical at Sydney WTS. My side of the story is that no chain forged by man can withstand my wattage when I unleash full power. How ostensible this narrative is may be open to some debate, however, the end result was a chain twisted around my frame tighter than my stomach muscles from the Mooloolaba yarn, and an undignified walk back to transition.
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2012. I guess this would also go down as a premeditated DNF. In Chengdu for a Conti Cup, I’d come down with a stress fracture days before the event. Having already received flight assistance from the organisers to get there, I felt obliged to toe the start line and show good intentions. It was a two-lap swim with a get out-pontoon dive in between laps. I think I was third at the end of the first lap, and about 35th after I got out, dragged my lame leg across the pontoon and flopped back in with the grace of a drunken hippo. At the end of the
My side of the story is that no chain forged by man can withstand my wattage when I — Dan Wilson unleash full power. swim, I limped slowly back to the athlete’s tent, where I discovered someone had stolen my gear bag. Sometimes, life just wants to poke you in the eye. To make things worse, for some inexplicable
reason, the race volunteer translators wouldn’t let me leave the hotel to buy a beer to drown my sorrows. Nothing worse than not being able to finish either a race or a beer in the same day…
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_
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SEXTON’S Scribble...
Brendan Sexton
Ask, Ask, Ask The Endless Pursuit of Knowledge
W
e’ve all been there: our first triathlon. For some, it has become a far off memory, for others, it was recent enough that recounting the experience still spikes the heart rate without moving a muscle. In so many different circumstances every triathlete has delved into the unknown on that triathlon debut and never looked back. Some think they have an idea of what their first event will entail (I doubt many of those are correct) but most of us get to the event clueless, excited and terrified. If you were lucky like me, you popped your triathlon cherry at a small, local, club event. At the time it was all still very overwhelming with the labyrinth that was the transition, having to ride with soggy shoes - not to mention, swimming without a lane rope! But in hindsight, the extremely relaxed and supportive nature of the Maitland Tri club was a smooth entry into this sport when I look at some bigger and more competition-spirited events I took part in, further down the track. I had swum and run competitively as a kid and knew how to ride a bike. But since that first morning, stumbling through the 200m/8km/2km course around the
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Maitland cricket oval, I began to learn (and still, continue to learn) the complexities of triathlon beyond the singular three sports that combine to make up our event. I have been thinking back to that day and the huge culmination of knowledge I’ve amassed in the preceding 16 years of immersion in the triathlon world. I have pondered about what would be the best piece of advice I would give myself if I fell off the back of my chair into a time warp and landed poolside on that late summer morning. After sifting through ‘the tips and tricks of the trade’, I now know that might have assisted the young me in that 15-minute race. The one perfect pearl of wisdom is - ask more questions. Flash yourself back to your very first tri - what was the main source of the nerves and anxiety? You might think “the pain”, “the open water”, “the distance” or any combination of the standard tri-virgin worries. But the common theme behind all of these worries is the unknown - not knowing how much it will hurt, how you will handle the open water or how you will manage to get through a 40km cycle. Now, take those sources of stress and anxiety, and ask yourself - if someone had walked up to you an hour before your
event and assured you that your fears were overcomeable and provided a few pointers on how to overcome those challenges, would your stress levels decrease? Would some confidence grow? Of course, we don’t all have triathlon guardian angels who appear while we’re waiting in the portaloo line - teeth chattering with nerves - and provide us with the precise wisdom we are needing (nor is there a time warp behind my seat – the proof is in the head bruise). Fortunately, there is an ingenious way to source the information and the peace of mind a newbie athlete is after - by asking.
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
It just so happens that triathlon is ripe with triathletes - the perfect bunch of knowledge filled grapes waiting to be plucked and squeezed of all their experience. And triathletes, in my opinion, are the most willing to help, share and teach, as most of us can still recall being the bewildered newbie. Now fast-forward through that first event, the second, the tenth, and the fiftieth. The anxiety and stresses have gone (or changed, at least) and you pretty much know what to expect. But does every race go exactly the same for you now? Is every result you produce the same as the last and the best you’re capable of producing? But how do you improve? Train of course - improve weaknesses, amplify strengths, broaden the vocabulary that is your physical range. We can all improve – no one is perfect – and there are people who possess deep wells of knowledge about the areas we can
improve on, and who can be easily tapped, simply by asking. We are part of a rapidly growing sport. Expanding in width and compounding in depth - the knowledge reservoir is accessible. Have a coach? Point of contact numero uno. Qualified coaches (in Australia anyway) are trained to certain standards, which means a particular amount of knowledge must be reached to claim a particular level (of which there are several). A coaches job should be to provide you with the tools to reach your athletic goals, as well as show you how to use them. This process is driven by the athlete indicating the holes in their knowledge by asking questions about everything. An extra dimension of fulfilment can be found in both training and racing when an athlete has a bit more understanding of why they’re doing what they’re doing, rather than blindly charging towards a goal, which could
© 2016 Getty Images
already be sapping masses of time, energy and cash. Of course, as no athlete is destined for perfection, nor is any coach. The best thing about the Australian triathlon coaching system is that all coaches are encouraged to network, and just as every athlete has weaknesses to work on, so do coaches. By athletes asking questions, this forces coaches to address knowledge deficits and to reach out to fellow tri coaches, nutrition specialists, body movement specialists, physiologists, psychologists and even coaches of unrelated sports everyone benefits thanks to curiosity and knowledge sharing. No coach? No problemo! Along with the relative youth of the national (and worldwide, for that matter) triathlon community comes a collective tendency to forward the sport by knowledge sharing in much less formal arenas than coachathlete relationships. Local clubs and social training groups, online forums and social media based groups can be goldmines of experienced and wise tri-folk. There’s very little chance of asking a triathlon related question amongst even the most casual triathlete groups and not getting a reply that doesn’t at least point you in the right direction of resolving your query. Of course, it goes without saying that even in the most helpful crowds, not all answers and advice will hit the nail on the head, in the most appropriate way for you. But, if your continuous improvement is high on your priority list, then keep asking and growing your knowledge base until the right answer is struck. The longer I spend in this sport, the more I realise how little about it I know. I ask questions to find one percent improvements. Eventually, I’ll find 100 good answers, and my performance might double. Many triathletes are out there searching for watts, but the real power is knowledge Australian Triathlete |
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Tips for Tapers
© Stephen Pond/Getty Images
text by jodie swallow p h o t o g r a p h y b y G e tt y I m a g e s f o r ir o n m a n
H
ow many successful races are thrown away with terrible tapers? Proper tapering is all about experience and personalisation. See, a taper, in theory, has a conical profile. If workload occupies the volume, we move through the biggest diameter of the circle about a month from competition. Then we look to incrementally bring it down, or ‘coning it up’ as the case may be. We gradually drop our effort to reserve and prepare for race day. The tip of the cone points to an optimal target race. It’s nice and neat. I’m afraid that’s just not how the body works. ‘Workload’ is a multifaceted concept involving distance, effort, stress, speed and more, with our individual ‘cones’ varying in size and shape. Some athlete’s systems need to be regularly stimulated to induce recovery. Some need complete rest and relaxation. And some athletes? Well, they don’t need a taper at all. Unlucky for some. The most successful tapers I have seen (and done) are ones when there has been absolute trust between the athlete and the coach. Some of the methods, my sports scientist background would question, (my legs have questioned them a fair amount too), but the crux of it is
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- that athlete trust in a coached taper program minimises the anxiety that changing training strategy induces. Worrying caused by a vigorous taper jeopardises its physiological benefits. After all, the high echelons of racing are often not a body game but a head game, and we don’t spend enough time considering the implications of that. So how do we approach a taper that balances the need for mental stability and confidence to race with the physical recovery required to perform? Good coaching. Good coaches recognise the mind as the weapon that it is and prioritise the need for it to be fresh, resilient and confident on the start line. Doubts and fears, the foreign sensations caused by resting, increased thinking time - they are variables that a taper introduces, and these insecurities will nullify physical preparation come race day. If an athlete
equates rest with laziness, or with feeling fat, or de-conditioning, then the bestdevised taper in the world will not rescue the damage that can be inflicted to their
The most successful tapers I have seen (and done) are ones when there has been absolute trust between the athlete — Jodie Swallow and the coach.
Jodie Swallow Jodie Swallow is a world champion, Ironman champion and Olympian. Not one to shy away from an uncomfortable but necessary conversation, Jodie Swallow is guaranteed to keep you thinking. Follow her at www.ifollowtheswallow.co.uk
Jodie Swallow Sleep more Sleep is always good. Some say you can sleep too much, but I am yet to ever confirm that hypothesis. Sleep is the ultimate recovery. It not only rests the body but also gives an overanxious mind a timeout. As sessions are cut down in race week, sleep is the best thing to put in their place.
Eat better Everybody feels lazy and fat if they don’t train. The bigger your workload, the more the drop-off and the heightened sense of ‘bleurgh’ that is felt. To add to that, carbohydrate not burned is stored in the body and holds water with it, which makes you feel heavier than you are. Salt dosing is even worse. Before Kona, I know of one champion who weighed in 3kg heavier on race day than a few days before. I feel I may be underselling the taper here, somewhat! Obviously, this athlete is not fat. She was rested, prepared and was ready to burn available energy. Cut out junk, eat more nutrients and embrace your body’s preparation for effort. Nobody gets fat in a week (no matter what your mind tells you) and at 20km into the marathon - that’s when you’re going to be thankful you had those big stores of easy energy to harness on the bike. mindset. Conversely, if an athlete feels tired, overworked and not rested coming into a race, that too can cause a lack of confidence, perhaps a lack of motivation and can also destroy performance. This is where good coaching shines in the face of scientific data. A good coach knows when to disguise a taper - to use light training to dissipate the pressure of performance that a lengthy, severe taper evokes. Likewise, they understand the athletes that feel they need to taper hard and can similarly streamline training
without compromising fitness. This stuff doesn’t come on a universal plan or through online coaching - it is a skill of an excellent coach. It is personal, intricate and evolving. Aside from choosing a good, experienced coach, there are ways to help maximise your preferred method of taper or compliment your coaches one. Anything that can help stabilise the increasing nerves and doubts that descend on athletes of every level during taper time will enhance their performance.
Hyper-compensation Don’t over analyse how your body feels in taper week. Some feel good, but I regularly feel terrible. Hyper-compensation is a real thing, and as your body strengthens and repairs you can feel dire. It doesn’t matter one iota how you feel - three days before race day, two days before race day, the day before race day. Only race day matters so don’t even think about it. Australian Triathlete |
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Aerobic work Aerobic work is the basis of endurance. The heart rate needs to rise to pump blood around the muscles to remove waste. One of my old swim coaches used to shout ‘140’ at us during warm ups for competitions as we cruised along nonchalantly. His theory - you need blood pumped to remove yesterday’s workout. It’s ‘active recovery’. I still warm up briskly to this day. Easy, longer sessions should pad the time available for training up to race day. After flying it is important to get the body moving as soon as possible to dissipate stiff legs and flying swell.
thinking about it to then. Overthinking is often the cause of anxiety - worrying about the external factors to performance is not only pointless but can also be destructive. A taper is a time for mental discipline of the highest order, see it as a new challenge to conquer and perfect for race success.
Hydration and electrolytes Drink, drink, drink. You can’t really stay hydrated enough before endurance events, so always have a bottle beside you. It is especially important if you are travelling to a race. I drink a concentrated electrolyte drink on the plane as well (designed for patients with diarrhoea). Flying can be very unhealthy. Don’t get me started...
Jodie Swallow Plan gear Use one of your missed sessions to spend time planning your race provisions. A lot of stress in taper week results from last minute considerations and rushed visits into and out of the expo to find your nutrition, lubricant, or safety pins. The expo is one of the most stressful environments you can be in before race day. It is a pit of nerves, gossip and predictions. If you can avoid it don’t go. If you must go, don’t talk. Don’t let anyone else’s insecurities or worries mess with your headspace.
Germ avoidance
© Shutterstock.com
Taper reality Sometimes you are reaching so hard for a taper that when it comes, you forget that it isn’t a complete week off. There should be hard elements in a taper - some fast work, some specific sessions. They wouldn’t faze someone in normal training, but they can seem mountainous if you were banking on an easy jog or a plod swim. A taper is the cherry on top of the training, but you still have to work for that cherry. It might be more important than some of your hardest of weeks.
I am sure if we could all steer clear of germs all the time we would. I would be an idiot to write ‘keep away from germs’ - it is impossible. I have tried it. Air travel, work, group gatherings - the stuff of nightmares. Be a little more aware in taper week as you are fit, and very fit people can sometimes have compromised immune systems. Fist pumps over handshakes, lots of handwash and lots of vitamins. Two weeks before a really important race might mean it is fair to opt out from big group meetings. Some think it quite rude to skip a big family dinner for fear of contamination. I think it is far ruder to attend one with a virus and spread it around #justsaying. I am only talking about target competitions. Otherwise, you will duly become a hermit. Look at my husband and me. Rarely ill, perform well, definite hermits.
Solid perspective We race to improve ourselves, to challenge our capabilities and to test our resolve. Race day is a superb opportunity to excel, but it is also important to remember that there are many race days available. Keep everything in perspective. Clear motive and rational thought serve very well on race day. We don’t know how much anxiety detriments performance, nor how many athletes it affects. It’s a considerable percentage. I know athletes more talented than me that never master the art of BMT (big match temperament). It too is a skill - use your taper week to hone it. Being cool under pressure is one of the most difficult skills an athlete can acquire, but it can define a race, a career, a personality, and a life. That’s worth some thought.
Head training Nerves build in the taper period, and questions and insecurities often rear their ugly heads. Limit your race analysis to training. Consider race execution, the course, tactics and nutrition during the warm up or warm down of your sessions but limit
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@jodie.swallow @jodieswallow @jodiestar ©Nigel Roddis/Getty Images
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Training TOOLBOX
Training Your Stomach to run t e x t b y S a m b e tt e n p h o t o g ra p h y R e b e c c a O h lw e i n
M
ost triathletes spend countless hours doing specific training sessions with the goal of increasing strength, building lean muscle mass as well as muscular endurance. Quite simply, the reason why we train is all based on these aforementioned physiological principles so that we can deliver our best performance on race day. While we focus on training key muscle groups, many athletes neglect one of the biggest muscles that we should be training, our stomach. Now, this doesn’t mean training our abdominal muscles (which are important for core stability), but more so, increasing our tolerance of the nutritional demands of race day during specific training sessions. Research indicates that athletes who do not practise their nutritional strategy in training may be twice as likely to develop stomach issues during a race compared to those who practise this in training. For the vast majority of triathletes who have experienced stomach issues during races, I am sure you will be getting flashbacks to a race (or races) where your stomach refused to cooperate and even resulted in an unscheduled bathroom break mid-race. This should not be the norm as there are simple and effective methods that you can use to reduce the chances of an upset stomach on race day. As a triathlete, you can and should be training your stomach for racing, just like you would any other muscle group. The reason why many athletes have problems during racing compared to training is that they expect their bodies to
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be able to absorb and tolerate the larger nutritional intake during race day, without having trained with this same intake. If you think about it in terms of the swim, bike and run distances of an Ironman 70.3 race, you would never race an event like this if you had never done each of these distances in training, during your preparation. So, why would you ever race an Ironman 70.3 having never practised and trained with the nutrition needed for an endurance event of this length? This sounds so simple in theory, however, how many times in training do you honestly practice, learn and refine this essential component of endurance racing? Being that everyone is different in weight, sweat rate, as well as their nutritional tolerances and absorption, there is no
one-size-fits-all strategy to race day nutrition. This is why it is so important to practice using different products and amounts in training to see how these variables can be tailored to your individual needs. I know that some athletes will prefer more solid food, such as energy bars, whereas others prefer a strictly liquid intake, like energy gels. Once you have mastered your nutrition plan in training, it is important to be able to transfer this to the race course. The ideal situation is that you can carry all of your nutrition with you while racing. However, this is not always possible, and for many races, you will need to rely on the aid stations for additional hydration and calories. In the weeks and months before the event make sure that you research
what the event organisers will be providing on the race course, and how often you will have an opportunity to get what you need while racing. This research will allow you to possibly try these products in your training, to see how they work for you and if you need to carry more of your preferred nutrition products during the race. When it comes to triathlon, nutrition plays such a huge role in our race day performance, so it is of the utmost importance that we spend time training
this skill just like we would for swimming, riding and running. The more time you spend refining and training your body for the nutrition demands of racing, the more likely you are to avoid an upset stomach on race day. Below is a session that I regularly do to train my body for the nutrition demands of an Ironman 70.3, which can be used to show you how I train my stomach for the demands of race day.
Key Ironman 70.3 Nutrition Training Session 4am Wake Up: Race breakfast - 2 cups quick oats with water, 1 double espresso, 1x MUSASHI BULK protein shake. 5:45am: 1 gel and 200mls water 6am Start Ride Session: 3hours including finishing with a 40-1hr15min race pace, time trial effort. Practice consuming 8 x energy gels, 1-litre water and 750mls of sports drink/electrolyte tabs. 9am Run Off Bike (R.O.B) Session: 20min at Ironman 70.3 race pace. Then 5 x 1km holding race pace with 1minute rest between each. Practice consuming 2x energy gels, water and flat cola as per race day (every 5-10min).
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Australian Triathlete |
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Listen to your muscles when they talk to you
What causes muscle damage?
t e x t b y Dr S im o n S o st a ri c p h o t o g r a p h y b y G e tt y im a g e s / ir o n m a n
A
ll athletes, at various stages of training and competition, will experience sensations of muscle soreness. In most cases, the worst symptoms of an acute bout of soreness are delayed by 24-48 hours (known as delayed onset of muscle soreness, or DOMS), typically reflecting unaccustomed loading on the muscles and subsequent muscle damage. The first time you go to the gym in a long time - or ever - you’ll know about it the next day or two with your whole body screaming at you! Or the first day out on the water wakeboarding. Or the usually “flat runner” hitting the mountains for a large dose of undulating trail running. For long distance triathletes, more so than their shorter distance counterparts, those
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final kilometres during the run can be torturous on the legs. Try walking down stairs the next day: “Ah, I don’t think so!” Don’t despair, the upside to acute exercise-induced muscle damage includes the subsequent protective effects on your muscle architecture respond and adapt. However, many athletes lack the confidence in reading between the lines on managing soreness. Is it a transient response that is expected with a particular period of training? Is it the start of a chronic condition that may increase the risk of injury? It certainly helps athletes and coaches with planning, expectations and resilience when the fundamentals of the loading/damage process are recognised and respected.
Muscle fibres contract via a series of highly complex electrical, chemical and metabolic interactions, culminating in force generation and subsequent movement of paired muscle groups. To put in perspective - during a run, the quadriceps muscles apply force to propel your legs in a forward motion (concentric contraction = muscle shortening under
Training TOOLBOX Performance
What are the key factors that positively affect the magnitude of muscle soreness?
RUNNING DOWNHILL: Eccentric loads are magnified when you run downhill because the hamstring is required to “break harder”, which can cause fatigue.
force), and to complete the gait cycle the hamstring lengthens to manage the external load (eccentric contraction). Together, these distinctive segments of muscle shortening and lengthening are known as the stretch-shortening cycle. Interestingly, the greatest training strength gains are made via the eccentric contractile phase, but also, paradoxically, eccentric contractions contribute to the lion’s share of ensuing muscle damage and soreness following extensive or unaccustomed loading on the muscles.
When the triathlon segments are broken down, the eccentric contractile phases are minor during cycling and swimming, and most pronounced when running. Indeed, the eccentric loads are substantially magnified when running downhill, as the hamstring is required to “break harder” each time one foot hits the ground, given the exceedingly higher external load that goes with a negative gradient. As such, there are substantial changes to properties inside muscle cells that affect muscle structure, integrity and function via protein leakage into the circulation and pronounced inflammatory responses. These changes reduce the muscle ability to produce force accelerate time taken to fatigue. Several studies have demonstrated impairment to running (Marcora &, Bosio, 2007) and cycling (Twist & Eston, 2009) time trial performance following eccentric exercise. There is also compelling evidence that exercise-induced muscle damage reduces muscle glycogen content and impairs glycogen resynthesis (Asp et al., 1998). Together, these metabolic disturbances are considered a major disadvantage to triathletes, who heavily rely on oxidative metabolism to preserve performance.
Put simply, if you are unable to replicate pre-event results, your muscles need more time to recover. — Dr Simon Sostaric
Previous training history – exposure to a “manageable amount” of eccentric loading via strength training, plyometrics, prolonged endurance exercise (particularly running) and downhill running. Gender – oestrogen has a protective effect on muscle integrity during exercise (Williams et al., 2015; Enns &, 2010). We have also monitored male and female athletes in our clinic, over several years, undertaking very similar training programs, and noted lower production of enzymes and inflammatory markers in women. Perhaps the oestrogen phenomenon goes some way to explaining why females are more competitive with males during long endurance events?
dna damage: DNA changes may occur as a result of repeated muscle damage.
What are the key factors that negatively affect the magnitude of muscle soreness? Genetics - ACTN3 X-allele carriers are exposed to greater levels of muscle damage. DNA damage – high incidence of inflammatory processes following repeated muscle damage (incomplete recovery) may provoke DNA changes although more research is required. Incomplete recovery – long distance triathlon provokes a significant reliance on muscle glycogen. Resynthesis of glycogen is impaired by the presence of muscle damage. Therefore, a return to training or competition too quickly may alter metabolic responses that are mandatory to perform well. Australian Triathlete |
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Training TOOLBOX Performance
Conditioning your muscles to increase resilience to the demands of training and competition The benefits of strength training have been highlighted numerous times during recent triathlon performance editorials. Conditioning your muscles with regular strategic strength training will improve resilience to the debilitating effects of muscle damage. A good starting point should include squats, calf-raises and deadlifts - 3-4 sets, 8-10 reps. For the most part, combining concentric and eccentric phases of a movement (e.g., squats – downward and upward phase) will promote effective adaptations. Then if you are really keen and want to take strength adaptations a step further, designated sessions of eccentric phase only will have more pronounced effects (e.g., squat – downward phase only; calf raise – downward phase on a step, et al.). However, eccentric phase training, particularly with squats, is somewhat labour intensive and requires one to two spotting buddies. Include strategic periods of downhill running. An effective way to start is integrating undulating courses if you are otherwise a regular flat-terrain runner. The analogy of graduating volume, velocity and frequency of downhill running is much the same as building your regular training. Too much, too soon will increase your risk of soft tissue injury. Starting with shorter downhill intervals, and building to longer efforts will expose leg muscles to protective features.
days to evaluate recovery. As expected, substantial hormonal, enzymatic, inflammatory and immune system disturbances were evident one day post. After five days, most of these disturbances were reduced. However, they were still well above normal levels expected in recovery. After 19-days, a number of muscle damage and inflammatory markers were still elevated above initial pre-race baseline, which reflects incomplete muscle recovery. These findings do not suggest a complete rest for three weeks is required after an Ironman triathlon, but do suggest that metabolic and anatomical loads should be carefully considered.
Recovery from muscle damage
Key tests to consider:
Consider the appropriate time frame to recover from training or competition induced muscle damage. Excessive intervention (i.e., ice therapy, electrical stimulation, non-steroidal antiinflammatory meds) during a build phase can interfere with important adaptations. Adequate rest between “eccentric biased” training is usually appropriate. However, following arduous exertion, such as an Ironman triathlon, more care is required before ramping up training and the next competition. A number of post-competition triathlon studies have identified significant changes in blood markers associated with muscle damage, and reduced muscle function. During a study by Neubauer and colleagues (2008), 42 well-trained male triathletes were monitored closely for 19
Blood tests don’t always hold the answers. However, baseline and post event evaluation of immunological, inflammatory, metabolic, and haematological and muscle damage markers will shed light on athlete specific responses. Muscle power and strength tests provide insight into leg muscle integrity. A simple vertical jump test is reflective of a muscles contractile integrity and recovery. Strength tests can include a series of squats, or a more sophisticated maximal force production test on a Cybex dynamometer. Put simply, if you are unable to replicate pre-event results, your muscles need more time to recover.
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muscle conditioning: Squats and calf raises can increase muscle resilience to training demands.
In the next edition we will focus our attention to the pros and cons of popular recovery methods.
References:
Marcora SM, Bosio A (Scand J Med Sci Sports, 2007). Effect of exercise-induced muscle damage on endurance running performance in humans Twist C & Eston RG (Eur J Appl Physiol, 2009). The effect of exercise-induced muscle damage on perceived exertion and cycling endurance performance. Asp S; et al. (J Physiol, 1998). Exercise metabolism in human skeletal muscle exposed to prior eccentric exercise. Williams T et al. (Biol Sport. 2015). The effect of oestrogen on muscle damage biomarkers following prolonged aerobic exercise in eumenorrheic women. Enns DL & Tiidus PM (Sports Med. 2010). The influence of oestrogen on skeletal muscle: sex matters. Neubauer O, et al. (Eur J Appl Physiol. 2008). Recovery after an Ironman triathlon: sustained inflammatory responses and muscular stress.
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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THIS IS WHY WE RIDE... 3 DAY VELO | 1 DAY VELO ENTER NOW - velothonsunshinecoast.com
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Faster At 45 text by jordan blanco p h o t o g r a p h y b y Fi n is h e r p ix
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friend recently reached out to ask for advice. He turns 30 this year and was seeking my counsel, as a 40-something, on how to prepare for the ‘inevitable athletic slowdown’. My first reaction was indignation. “I’m not slowing down,” I thought to myself, “my race times are just as good as they were 10 years ago!” Okay, I’m willing to admit to myself that I’m not getting much faster, but I’m certainly not ready to slow down. And, what’s more, my friend still has plenty of runway to improve too, even at the far side of 30! I’m currently in my mid-40s and my race times continue to compare well with my personal best times achieved a decade ago, so my friend’s question forced me to ponder how I’ve achieved this. Here’s what I came up with:
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Experience counts for a lot The first race of each season always makes me feel like a rookie, but I recognise that 16 years of racing have provided a tremendous wealth of knowledge, insight and even instinct that serve me well every time I toe the line. After one of my first Ironman 70.3 races, when I had just started working with a coach, the coach asked me post-race how it had gone. “I didn’t feel good coming off the bike,” I told him, “so I took it easy until I began to find my legs after five or six miles and was able to run my goal pace.” I remember that he looked at me baffled and then practically screamed at me: “IT’S NOT SUPPOSED TO FEEL GOOD! Just commit to race pace on mile one, and the body will come around.” That feedback has stuck with me ever since, and nowadays I get off the bike prepared to hit my stride and goal
pace immediately, even if the legs are protesting… experience has taught me the legs will come around quickly this way.
Miles in the legs Unsurprisingly, I’ve lost count of the number of metres swum, and miles ridden and run over the last 16 years of training and racing. I grinded out a lot of mindless miles in my early years of training as my enthusiasm for this newfound sport of triathlon got the better of me. While my training has shifted and become more focused over the years, and the volume of the swim, bike and run has fluctuated depending on my race plans and goals, I find that my fitness and endurance return very quickly after my annual season break. As much as I kick back, de-train, eat pizza and drink wine, I can’t fully undo the miles that have accumulated in my legs over the years.
Training TOOLBOX You are what you eat The mention of pizza and wine is the perfect segue into the topic of nutrition. Personally, nutrition is a challenging topic for me as I was a little ‘chunky’ as a kid. I spent my teens and early 20s being very careful about what I ate to lose or maintain weight. A dinner of carrots and hummus was not unusual. Don’t judge me! Discovering triathlon signalled the dawn of eating more but with a penchant for burgers, French fries, pizza and of course, wine, the quality of calories was not always optimal for performance. Don’t get me wrong, there was plenty of fruit and vegetables mixed into my diet, but I did not pay particular attention to the overall mix or timing of what I ate. In the last two seasons, I’ve worked with a nutritionist to review and overhaul my eating plan. I hate the word diet! The most significant change has been to increase the quantity of protein, upping my intake to 160-180g per day, to support appropriate recovery from the stresses of training and daily life. The results have been dramatic with improved sleep, less muscle soreness and greater energy all around. I may have been able to get away with an 80% healthy diet in my younger years but to stay healthy and be able to maintain training for iron distance races in my 40s, my margin for error is much smaller. I would have graded myself B or B-minus for healthy eating in the past, but I’m solidly an A-grade student these days - though, wine will likely prevent me from ever scoring an A+!
hamstring after long runs, particularly if the course included hills. Strength training has helped to alleviate the pain by activating and strengthening my ‘lazy glutes’. My butt was the missing component, as other muscles such as the hamstrings and quads, had been compensating for all the years of just riding and running. It’s taken me a few years to prioritise strength training but following a functional strength program, keying in on exercises to align with swim, bike and run, is invaluable to keep the body in harmony as I age.
Technology As much effort as I put into my own training to perform my best, I owe some credit to the technological advancements made within the endurance sports industry over the past 16 years to allow me to retain my ‘speed’. Speed, of course, being a relative term! Everything from a wetsuit with more flexible rubber allowing
greater range of motion and more natural feel while swimming, to a coated chain on the bike to reduce friction and save precious watts over 180km of cycling. I’ve even added a new race suit to this season’s arsenal, one that is more aerodynamic than my own skin. My husband claims that all of this technology is ‘free speed’ on race day, but as the banker in the house, I had to remind him that it’s far from free, as many of these advancements have a hefty price tag attached! I’m two days out from my first race of 2017, Ironman South Africa, and I firmly believe that I’m capable of one of my fastest times yet so I’ll end with a “three cheers” to not slowing down in my 40s!
N.B: Jordan finished Ironman South Africa in 10:42:31, winning her age group (45-49) and earning a slot to the 2017 Ironman World Championships in Kona.
Strength Training Triathlon is a challenging sport given athletes need to schedule time for swim, bike and run workouts, in the midst of a busy work and family life. It’s all too easy to give strength training the short shrift. I did so for many years, never wanting to forgo a swim, bike or run workout in favour of a session at the gym. However, my current coach, Matt Dixon of purplepatch fitness, considers strength training critical, in particular for female endurance athletes. As he explains, “Lower muscle mass in women combined with the fact that oestrogen stalls anabolic growth and progesterone exacerbates the breakdown of muscle tissue means strength training is particularly important for women throughout their athletic career.” Since committing to functional strength sessions a couple of times a week over the past two years, I’ve seen tremendous benefits with respect to injury prevention as well as feeling stronger on the bike and run. I used to experience a nagging ache in my right
not slowing down: Age is just a number - it doesn’t have to determine your performance. Australian Triathlete |
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Part 2:
Strength training - isn’t a “one size fits all” affair t e x t b y kriss h e n d y p h o t o g r a p h y b y S h utt e rst o c k . c o m
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ariety is something that keeps us pushing boundaries, and access to knowledge keeps us continually growing. Much like how two triathlon coaches can vary in their training approaches, strengthtraining professionals can follow different philosophies, favour diverse training methods and move in alternative ways. So, in the world of unlimited information and opportunities, how do we decide which training method is right for
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us? It’s not uncommon for training to be a process of trial and error, potentially even with an element of risk, until you find the perfect formula. We are all physically and mentally different, so what works for a friend, may not work for you. What we must remember is that when choosing a strength training approach, however different the method, we should all be aiming for a similar goal – to develop stronger and healthier bodies for everyday life as well as performance.
With this in mind, we can start to look at a few of the training tools that you may choose to use when strength training. Bear in mind that these are just a few - the list is quite extensive. As we said in Part 1 (where we looked at the gym, home and outdoor training) the main message is that strength training doesn’t all look the same - it comes in a variety of forms, following different methods. If you have the opportunity to train with a strength training professional make sure
Training TOOLBOX strength and conditioning
they are aware of what sport you are doing, how demanding your current training load is and what your days surrounding your strength session look like. These are all essential to ensure you get the best out of every day without hindering any session. The overall aim of The Strength for Endurance Network is to raise the standard of strength training within the endurance community. We want to connect athletes with professionals that they can trust and who will help them to succeed. Each trainer will have his or her own delivery system and approach to improve an athlete’s performance. The style and method of training will depend on the trainer’s education, previous coaching experience and their own personal sporting experiences. “The most important thing to remember is that the muscle only knows the resistance; it does not know where that resistance comes from – whether it’s a barbell, kettlebell, bodyweight or a reformer.”
Resistance Machine and Dumbbell When training in the gym there are two main pieces of equipment to turn to resistance machines and free weights. Both can seem daunting if you are unsure of how to use them, but under the right guidance, both can equally have great results. Whether it is a leg press or Smith machine, resistance machines are fixed to an axis that will only allow you to move in one or two planes. This is great from a safety perspective as the load is controlled and can at times mean you can go heavier than working the same muscle group using free weights. Resistance machines also allow you to focus your mind a little more on the effort, as opposed to the mechanics of the movement. Free weights such as dumbbells allow you to move in many directions - forward, backward, side-to-side, up and down. This functionality is great as it replicates how your body normally moves in daily life. You are required to engage more muscles, as you have to work to stabilise the weight while lifting it. The drawback is that you’re at an increased risk of injury unless you maintain proper form.
gym equipment: It can seem daunting when you’re starting out in the gym, but under the right guidance, it can help you achieve great results.
The most important thing to remember is that the muscle only knows the resistance; it does not know where that resistance comes from. — Kriss Hendy Barbell Another variety of the free weights is the barbell. It provides us with unlimited progression because you can always add more weight to the bar. Being able to add more weight easily makes progressing with this tool very simple. Graeme Rundle of Coast PT explains why lifting heavier loads with the barbell has its place: “With the barbell, you can lift the most amount of load in a bilateral movement.
That’s first and foremost what I would work on with someone, and then, of course, you are going to balance it unilaterally because you are going to have weaknesses on either side. You want to increase your tissue strength, as opposed to doing more and more, light repetitions that will only increase the endurance of that muscle. Most of the athletes I work with aren’t lacking endurance, but they are lacking strength. Doing higher reps contributes to Australian Triathlete |
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overtraining, because the joint actions are already doing those high repetitions when you are running, riding or swimming. It doesn’t need to be anything fancy – it’s just about getting strong through movements such as pushing, pulling, squatting or deadlifting. However, like all weight training, this needs to be done with caution - barbell movements used in Olympic lifting require incredible amounts of skill and technique, and it can take decades to seek perfection, especially with some of the more dynamic lifts. The specificity of advanced movements such as ‘cleans or snatches’ is questionable for endurance athletes, due to the risks and actual relevancy of performing these movements. Ideally, you would use a combination of fixed machines and free weights to achieve the most benefit.”
Kettlebell Developed in Russia in the 1700s, the kettlebell is another tool commonly used in strength training. Unlike dumbbells, the kettlebell’s centre of mass extends beyond the hand. This defining feature creates an unstable force, which is a really effective training stimulus when used correctly. A strong fan of Kettlebell work is Amber Johnson at Firstwave Fitness. “The reason I love incorporate kettlebell work is that it solidifies good movement, by forcing you to engage your core in order to maintain good posture. Triathletes need to work on developing anti-rotation strength as well as core stability, so I find it has a great crossover for the athletes I work with. To maintain your position throughout any of the kettlebell movements everything has to be firing, so your body is forced to work harder than it would when working with other pieces of equipment. When you have someone going from a riding position with a fully flexed hip, and you need them to get off and go into full hip extension to run - an exercise like the “kettlebell swing” translates really well, as you are required to go from tight hip flexion to powering through into hip extension, and really using your glutes. It’s so common for athletes to not use their posterior chain because they spend so much time in that flexed position (on the bike, sitting at desks, etc.) Using the kettlebell also allows you to work effectively without hindering your other training and racing schedule. Providing you have access to a range of different weights, you can decrease the load so that you aren’t taxing the body as much, but you are still getting the neuromuscular benefit. A win, win as the strength work has been effective yet you can still train hard the next day.”
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Suspension Trainer When using a suspension trainer or support straps, the athlete uses their own body weight as resistance, with a focus on maintaining body position through bilateral, unilateral and dynamic movements, it is a versatile strengthtraining tool. There are many benefits of using this piece of equipment. First and foremost is its notable convenience, which can go a long way with time poor athletes - one of the reasons why it is one of the chosen pieces of equipment in the StrengthForEnduranceKIT. It’s a perfect option for home training or when travelling, it is compact, portable and cheap compared to dumbbells, kettlebells and other ‘pay by the kilo’ training tools.
Through the work in my business - KH Strength & Performance - I use suspension trainers with the majority of my athletes. It provides an aid for people to establish optimal positions. A healthy athlete should be able to get into a full range squat position. But due to tightness and poor mobility, triathletes especially, find it hard to get this range and stay there. The support straps encourage you to develop this range safely and progressively. It’s also a fantastic way to address poor posture by including pulling movements into your workout, an often neglected area of training that is essential for health, efficiency and resilience as an athlete. The design allows for both beginners and skilled athletes to attain great results.
Training TOOLBOX strength and conditioning For athletes new to strength training, which often triathletes are - free weights can be a scary option. However, this provides a safe and supported way to increase range of motion, build confidence and develop strength foundations. For the more experienced individuals who have established adequate body control through core strength, it provides a platform for complex exercises to be performed as you are required to use full body, core and stabilising muscles to perform exercises in a controlled and effective manner.
and imbalances, by not rehabilitating a previous injury, or correcting poor movement or technique, we will eventually pay the price through injury and layoff. Start focusing on improving your movement and basic health markers today and as an offset, you will improve your performance.
Thanks to our Strength for Endurance Trainers for their contribution to this article:
Closing Thought A balanced strength and conditioning program will contain elements of all of the above training methodologies - to simply state that one method is the best would be limiting. We each respond to different command styles, cues and stimuli and as a result, we need variety to maintain progression. The underlying thought from this article must be that if you move poorly, then you will perform poorly. We all know that if we choose to ignore our weakness
Graeme Rundle Coast PT - www.coastpt.com.au Based in Gold Coast, QLD
Amber Johnson Firstwave Fitness www.firstwavefitness.com Based in Melbourne, VIC
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
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Slowing Down vs. Calming Down What’s the difference? text by katee pedicini p h o t o g r a p h y b y s h utt e rst o c k . c o m
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lowing down vs. calming down - this is the number one area that I see 90 per cent of athletes getting wrong. A simple, effective tool and mindset shift that can change an athlete’s life and performance is to understand and appreciate the difference between slowing down and calming down. Endurance athletes are wired to go, go, go, and go, and go. It may be ingrained in their personality and habits, or it may be
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the involvement in endurance sport that has transformed them into this non-stop go-getter. I still remember the day it finally clicked with me. I’ve been told most of my teen and adult life: “You need to slow down”. Slow down? I’m a hard-wired, A-type, high achieving, superhero wannabe, and you’re telling me to slow down? “Meh! Get stuffed,” would be my response. But they were completely right. Combining university, two jobs, triathlon training, parties and general
life was a recipe for disaster - I survived, but only just. I sit here, eight years later, at 30-years-old, still feeling the effects of being a person who took on way too much, at a rapid speed. Not cool. What my brain couldn’t compute at the time, but what has finally clicked, is this there is a difference between calming down and slowing down. Can you see it? Of course, my wannabe superhero-self didn’t want to back off from all the great things I was doing - I loved them all. But down the track, my body gave me an ultimatum because I didn’t back off, slow down or calm down. And so, I experienced two years of horrible health issues that have taught me a hard lesson – calm down.
Training TOOLBOX Holistic Endurance
Balance: The key to achieving performance gains, life satisfaction and balance is knowing how to ‘calm down’.
way you go about your week and the thoughts you have along the way. Is getting stuck in traffic inconvenient for most people? I would say yes. Is getting stuck in traffic stressful for most people? Not necessarily. It’s all a matter of perception and the pre-disposition to experience stress, both physically and mentally. I conduct seminars on a number of performance and wellness topics, so the content varies. However, there is one slide that you will find in every seminar that I conduct Personally, I would relate slowing down to being less productive, being less successful, and being slower at swim, bike and run. So, of course, I didn’t want to do it. Calming down, however, is a different story. What if you could still do all of your superhero activities each week, but in a mindful, present and happy nature? The result would be a body that feels calmer, happier, stronger, more resilient and healthy. All that is required is a shift in the
“Your body does not know the difference between physical and mental stress.” Your body processes physical, mental, perceived or actual stress in the same way. This is why even the most Zen endurance athlete can experience the effects of rampant stress hormones, namely cortisol. The result of this can be inflammation, poor recovery, increased heart rates, lack of adaptation, poor gut
Calming down can be the key to unlocking performance gains while achieving a level of life satisfaction — Katee Pedicini and balance.
health and digestion, susceptibility to illness and poor weight management. Looking after your physical and mental well-being while training for endurance events is critical, but this is often overlooked in the pursuit of performance. “The only time fitness comes before health is in the dictionary.” - Brett Jones I’m not going to tell you to stop training - to stop achieving, or to stop being productive - because I wouldn’t listen to that advice either. However, what I will tell you is that you can still respect your superhero self by bringing in more calm and presence into your life, while simultaneously kicking butt. Don’t worry I’m not going to tell you to sit cross-legged for one hour while burning incense in a corner. There are simple and effective strategies that we can all implement seamlessly into our lives. The following are ways to bring more calm into your day, all while being your superhero self.
Waking and Morning Rituals The way in which you wake your body into a new day will set the tone for the hours that proceed that first alarm or eyelid flutter. Do you have an alarm that is loud, harsh and abrupt to ensure you wake up? Is it so Australian Triathlete |
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startling that it gives you no other option but to jump out of bed and start running from the boogieman? You may have relied on this crazy loud alarm up to this point - it’s time to switch your alarm tone to something more calming, to bring you out of a slumber with a sense of calm and peaceful energy (yes, this is possible even when training for an Ironman). Utilising light is a great way to naturally reset your melatonin levels if you need to rise before the sun does. Check out a great device called ‘the wake-up light’. Once you’re up and about, spend some time cuddling your loved ones, animals or giving back to yourself with a cup of tea and some stretching before hitting the pavement hard for training.
NOTIFICATIONS: One of the simplest ways to reduce your stress - turn off your Apps, social media and email notifications.
What are the keys to good time management? • Don’t over commit • Always allow extra time for travel • If you’re busy and the diary is stacked to the brim, schedule in relaxation and down time • Communicate your life movements to your coach so they can adjust your program to suit life commitments.
Time Management I know time management is a skill that doesn’t always come naturally, but it’s a skill that can be learnt – so, there are no excuses. If you want to train for an endurance event while balancing work, family, a social life and relaxation time, time management needs to be a priority. A well-planned day, week and month will ensure you minimise the tendency to rush and be stressed by lateness. It will provide you with the opportunity for consistent training, which is the key to performance.
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You can include mindfulness habits throughout your day or even in training. It’s about drawing yourself into the present moment to focus on what is now. What do you feel? What can you sense? What do you smell? What do you notice? If mindfulness training is new to you, I recommend an App called ‘1Giant Mind’. It will help guide you through effective mindfulness practice.
Mindfulness Mindfulness is such a simple concept, and it’s life changing. I’ve worked with athletes where this was the only element in their life and training that we changed. But it resulted in a more positive outlook on life, performance and racing I also saw changes in their aerobic efficiency and breathing.
Breathing Your breath is the key to aerobic and endurance performance. Again, such a simple tool but it often goes under the radar. Even more than endurance performance, your breath is also the key to unlocking a calm state of mind and body. In a stressed state, your breathing will become restricted to your upper chest. This type of breathing keeps your body in an alarmed state. All it takes to calm your entire system is some simple deep belly diaphragmatic breaths. This style of breathing during your training will also make you a more efficient endurance athlete. Win-win. Give it a shot by checking in with yourself throughout the day. In the car, at your desk, right now, relax your shoulders, let your belly ‘flop’ out and take a nice calming breath. To integrate this into your training - start by practising deep breathing during your warm up and cool down when the intensity is lower.
© guteksk7 / Shutterstock.com
Training TOOLBOX Holistic Endurance reduce the blue light exposure. You can even get light globes more suited for bedrooms to assist with quality sleep.
Notifications
Nighttime Rituals Just like your morning rituals, your nighttime routines will dictate your quality or quantity of sleep, which in turn will affect how you wake up the next morning. Think grumpy athlete versus motivated athlete. Backlit devices such as TVs, iPads and phones will disturb your melatonin levels mainly due to the blue light, which will, in turn, impact your sleep. Switch your screens for books, a light walk or mindfulness activities, or you can even buy blue light blocking glasses to enjoy your favourite TV shows before bed. If it’s necessary to work or study on your computer before bed (try and minimise this with good time management), you can install an application called ‘f.lux’ to
The simplest thing you can do right now is turn off you Apps, social media and email notifications on your phone and other devices. This constant stimulation is a contributing factor to the stress that our bodies and minds are being harmed by, in this modern world. If it’s truly important you will check it yourself when it suits you. No excuses. Turn them off, now.
Stop the Rush Rushing from one task to the next creates an environment for stress hormone production. Plan your time well, say no to things that will stretch you, stop procrastinating on social media, which then means you have to rush around to be on time. Simplify your life and watch your enjoyment and performance skyrocket. Calming down may seem like a fluffy step to take in the driven and precise world of endurance performance.
But time and time again, athletes have shown me that calming down can be the key to unlocking performance gains while achieving a level of life satisfaction and balance – something that is foreign to most people. If you’ve tried to ‘calm down’ I’d love to hear from you. How has ‘calming down’ benefited your performance?
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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Preparing for the Age Group World Championships text by Julie Tedde
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hat’s coming up on the triathlon circuit? Maybe not the 2018 Commonwealth Games for you, but there are numerous overseas races or World Championship events in 2017 that you can aim for, including: • Penticton, Canada (18-28 August 2017) will host the Age Group World Championship in duathlon (run/bike/run), long distance (swim/bike/run), cross triathlon (swim/mountain bike/trail run) and aquabike (swim/bike).
• Rotterdam, Netherlands (14-18 September 2017) will host the Age Group World Championship in Sprint and Olympic distance triathlon and paratriathlon.
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The above events are great opportunities to represent your country. While most of the qualification races will have been done at the time this edition of the magazine goes to print, there may still be a few races remaining. Ideally, when you are keen on qualifying for the Age Group World Championships make sure you are aware of the qualifying events at least 6-12 months out and the procedure involved in qualifying. This information is usually available on the Triathlon Australia website. The ability to qualify for a World Championship is dependent on the demand for that event, which is often determined by its location. For Australian representation in a World Championship in the Northern hemisphere, i.e., like this year – Canada or Europe, the demand is not so high, and as long as you do the qualifying races, you should be able to make the
team. However, if the World Championship event is in Australia or New Zealand, then it is an entirely different scenario. In 2018, Gold Coast, Queensland, will host the Age Group World Championship in Sprint and Olympic distance triathlon and paratriathlon. Given the World Championships will be on home soil, you can expect that many of the very best Australian age groupers, across all age groups, will aim to qualify. As such, it’s strongly advised that you do as many of the qualifying events as you can if you want to qualify – especially if you’re not at the pointy end of your age group. If you have qualified for a Sprint/ Standard or even a Long Course triathlon event this year, what can you be doing to get yourself in the best condition in
© ITU/ Delly Car
Training TOOLBOX coaches corner
© ITU/Delly Carr
© ITU/ Delly Car
what would normally be your offseason or down time? Firstly, it is important to have some time off – this may only need to be two to four weeks, and up to six weeks. Use this time to catch up on other things in your life, along with planning your assault on the event. Don’t necessarily jump back into the triathlon routine that you have followed over the summer. Look at your weaker leg or what limits your performance, and focus on that for around six to eight weeks. For example: if you find running has been your weakness, jump into a running group and enter some crosscountry events during this period. Also, aim to get two higher intensity run sessions, every week. However, make sure you don’t try to ride or swim hard during this time - focus on one thing at a time. Also, don’t forget the need to look at your running technique and efficiency. Check-in on how you run and how you are using your energy - you want it to help propel you forward. For many females, or male/female newbies coming into the sport, it is generally a lack of bike miles that limits your performance over any distance in triathlon. The strategy here is that this type of athlete needs to ride more. In some of the southern states, this is a lot harder than it sounds but a few smart, efficient ways to get the miles under the belt over the colder, wetter months include:
• Ride to work: Get a cross bike or hybrid bike and try to ride to work and back. This can take a bit of planning but once organised, very quickly an additional 100km are being ridden every week. Plus, you’ll save on petrol and won’t get stuck in traffic – win! • Mountain bike: Get together with your fellow athletes and do some mountain bike riding or racing over winter. The weather in these races does not change anything other than you get wet and dirty. • Bike races: If you have a World Championship event at the start of August/September, once you have had a few weeks to rejuvenate the mind and body, choose bike training, road racing or TT events to develop your bike leg. A coach will give you guidance on how to execute the bike races to reap the most rewards. The above are things you can do to work on a weaker discipline before you launch into a more traditional lead-up to the World Championships. Finally, give yourself a good 12-18 weeks to focus on peaking for the World Championships. Obviously, how long you have been involved in the sport, how long the season before was for you and, of course, the distance of your chosen event will all impact on exactly how long your triathlon focused preparation/build needs to be.
© ITU/Janos M.Schmidt
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 Š Hans Christiansson / Shutterstock.com
Strength Training for the bike t e x t b y Ni c k Cr o f t - M S C h e a d N o o sa T r i C am p s p h o t o g r a p h y b y s h utt e rst o c k . c o m
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he off-season is the perfect time to work on bike strength for next season. The next season will come around quickly, so making use of the off-season, while building a base after some down time, is the ideal time to work some specific strength into your cycling especially if the bike is your weakness. Initially, once some recovery or easy, unstructured training may have taken place, some athletes may choose to work
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in the gym. But triathletes are relatively time poor, and it is a fact that leg strength is not automatically transferred to the bike. It can be frustrating to see gym built strength fail to transfer to the bike. The majority of strength training for the bike should be done on the bike – unless you have areas that are very week and have been identified in a body screening by a qualified coach/physio, and you work on these in the gym to correct any in balances.
Following are some key sessions that help build on the bike strength. Be aware that the sessions described are difficult and can be stressful on your knees. Monitor your knees carefully and stop if you feel any pain or discomfort. Build up the number and duration of each repeat gradually, over weeks. Injuries are often caused by too much, too soon. Have patience with yourself to see the best improvements.
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
Big Gear Repeats On a flat course or indoor trainer pedal in a big gear, with a cadence of 50-60 rpm for 5 minutes. Your heart rate should stay in heart rate zones 1-3 (60-75% of max HR). That is well below lactate threshold. This workout is to stress your muscular system, not your aerobic system. Start with repeats of 5 minutes and work gradually up to 20 minutes. Stay seated in the saddle with a quiet upper body throughout the repeat.
Big Gear Hill Repeats When you have built up to 20 minutes of big gear repeats on flat terrain, you can do the same session on a hill to build additional strength. Remember to stay seated in the saddle with a quiet upper body. Focus on leg strength.
Force Repeats This workout is similar to lifting weights in the gym but done on the bike. On a flat course or indoor trainer pedal in a gear that only allows you to reach 50-60 rpm. While remaining seated, drive the pedals down as hard as possible for 15 to 20 revolutions of the cranks. Do 6-10 of these, starting a new one every 3-5 minutes. Between force-repeats, spin 85+ rpm easily with light pressure on the pedals.
90 Second Hills On an indoor trainer, with a high resistance setting, pedal for 30 seconds at 70-80 rpm with your heart rate in zone 1-2. Shift up one gear and maintain cadence for 30 seconds, shift up another gear and maintain cadence for another 30 seconds. Your heart rate will rise but should stay below lactate threshold in zones 3-4. Spin at 85+ rpm with light pressure on the pedals for 90 seconds recovery between each repeat. Do this 8-12 times. With the large selection of ‘smart wind trainers (check out Save, Spend, Splurge on page 45 for some buying suggestions), and programs and Apps now available on the market, it has never been easier or more convenient to get stronger on the bike during the off-season or indoors. Plot your progress through power and heart rate, and make the most of the limited time to train. Australian Triathlete |
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LCHF and Paleo: What does the science tell us? t e x t b y P e t e r h e r z ig p h o t o g r a p h y b y S h utt e rst o c k . c o m a n d g e tt y im a g e s
T
he incredible uptake of social media has spawned an abundance of information and commentary on diet and exercise. This can make it difficult to differentiate the right advice from speculation, popular trends and hearsay. In this article, I’d like to touch on the reasons why the interpretation of scientific information is essential, explore the facts regarding the Low Carbohydrate/High Fat (LCHF) diet, touch on the Paleo trend, and explain the relevance of these diets to triathlon.
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While reading a controversial sentence in a journal article abstract, or relying on one person’s statement and another’s anecdotal evidence may spark questions, this should not be relied on when developing an informed opinion. One of my favourite university lecturers taught me to always read research articles thoroughly and to understand how their methods may have influenced their results. Thorough reading can be timeconsuming, but can also be rewarding if you want to understand a topic and the science behind it in depth.
LCHF
LCHF 101 The concept of LCHF has been explored in waves over the past 50 years and has recently jumped back into life via expert opinion (Phinney, Noakes and Volek), social media and anecdotal evidence. The focus of the current LCHF movement involves limiting carbohydrates (carbs) to <30g or <50g per day, and obtaining 75-80% of total energy from fat and 15-20% from protein. To consume these levels of fat usually means eating a
Training TOOLBOX nutrition
significant amount of cheese, cream, nuts, grass-fed meat fat and oils. The aim of this diet is to achieve an increase in ketone levels to reach “ketosis” (not to be confused with ketoacidosis) - hence the ‘Keto diet’ or ‘Ketogenic diet’. To explain this further, and this is by no means a comprehensive or complete overview - for that you will need a Biochemistry textbook - when the body is deprived of glucose (low carb or starvation), blood glucose is initially maintained through gluconeogenesis (new glucose is made from breaking down protein). At the same time, the breakdown of fats into the molecule Acetyl CoA provides energy (ATP). Note: The brain can’t use Acetyl CoA directly, and Acetyl CoA can’t be converted to new glucose in this pathway. After a certain period of time (two to three days in starvation) our bodies decide enough is enough and we need to conserve our protein. Fatty acids then become the dominant fuel source, causing an increase in Acetyl CoA. When levels of Acetyl CoA rise (due to a down-regulation of NADH), they are converted to ketones, which are released by the liver into the blood and used similarly to glucose (i.e. can be used by the brain). The time taken for this to occur in a non-starved state (on an LCHF diet) has been recently shown to occur within three weeks (Burke et al., 2016). One of the alleged benefits of using ketones for fuel is the abundant store of ketones that even lean athletes have. As such, an athlete should be able to exercise for prolonged periods without having to refuel. While this process takes time to adapt to, it has been shown that glycogen utilisation (stored glucose) may be reduced four-fold, and blood glucose utilisation reduced three-fold during moderate intensity cycling (Phinney et al., 1983) post-adaptation. However, we simply don’t know how much energy can be derived/is available from ketones for use during exercise (Burke, 2015).
LCHF Benefits vs. Detriments There is no question that, in as short as five days of following a LCHF diet you will be able to oxidise (burn) more energy from fat in your muscles. Sounds good so far, right? As detailed above within three weeks you can achieve ketosis, and reduce your reliance on carbohydrate for fuel - both Phinney et al. (1983) and Burke et al. (2016) found a fat oxidation rate of ~1.5g/ min during moderate exercise. However,
Higher intensity exercise (85-90%) requires access to muscle glycogen, something that an LCHF diet resists. (Burke, 2015) the ability to perform high-intensity exercise is compromised by not having the stores of carbohydrate, or ability to access these stores as readily. Furthermore, the body is more efficient at burning glucose than other substrates for energy.
How do we know this? A recent Australian study put three groups of race walkers on either an LCHF, high carb or periodised high carb diet during a training camp for three weeks (Burke et al., 2016). They assessed both lab (walking economy) and field measures (1km, 10km and 25km time-trials) to compare the group’s pre- and post-training. Interestingly the LCHF group required more oxygen (VO2) to perform at the same 20km and 50km race speed pre vs. post, while the other groups had no change. We could say from this data that the economy of effort was worse on an LCHF diet. Furthermore, the 10km time-trial performances were improved on both high carb diets, though no change was seen on the LCHF diet after training (Burke et al.,
2016). The reason being that higher intensity exercise (85-90%) requires access to muscle glycogen, something that an LCHF diet resists (Burke, 2015). Furthermore, carbohydrate releases more energy for a given amount of oxygen, i.e. it is simply more efficient than using oxygen to burn fat. Finally, that difference in economy can be perceived, i.e. it will feel harder to perform a given intense workload, on an LCHF diet (Burke, 2015). You may be thinking that, as a triathlete, most of your training is at lower intensities, however anytime we call upon a higher intensity - be it accelerating out of transition, running up a hill or battling a headwind - we will call upon higher energy states. Conversely, if you are performing ultra-distance training/ racing at sub-maximal intensities, or if you’re competing in events where access to carbs or any food is an issue, then an LCHF approach may be of benefit to you. For those looking to trial LCHF, I would question the long-term implications of a high fat, keto diet for your health. I would Australian Triathlete |
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Legumes - in or out? Despite their health benefits, the Paleo diet typically excludes legumes.
also be careful about ensuring adequate fruit and vegetable intake to tick-off vitamin and mineral requirements, along with making sure your fibre intake is adequate. Furthermore, due to some LCHF’ers reliance on cheese to make up their fat quota, salt intake is a consideration. Finally, initial side effects of the diet may include an upset stomach and constipation. As a side note: A review article by Noakes, Volek and Phinney (2014) called for more research into the LCHF diet for athletes. Though I believe they were a little short sighted in their blanket approach, suggesting that dietary prescription for athletes is currently based on exclusively high-carbohydrate diets. The current sports nutrition recommendations are for an individualised dietary plan and periodising carbohydrate intake using carbs where they will have the most benefit. For a more in-depth look at LCHF for sports performance, I would thoroughly recommend Louise Burke’s excellent review article (2015). At this point, I would like to state I have a bias towards her work. However, she is extremely balanced in her approach and recommendations.
The detriments to Paleo include the exclusion of legumes, which is nonsensical. Also, on this diet, you will likely be getting way more protein than you need or can use, plus the long-term consequences of a very high protein diet aren’t clear (and it’s expensive). Removing grainy foods may result in reduced fibre intake. You may also be getting significant amounts of saturated fat. Furthermore, unless you are lactose intolerant, there isn’t valid evidence to limit dairy. Finally, with a Paleo diet, you are limiting your choices for event competition and easily digestible pre-race carbohydrates. My suggestions for triathletes on a Paleo diet would be to limit their red
meat/saturated fat intake and think about including legumes/beans and some whole grains for carbohydrate energy. This would actually bring you closer in line to the Australian Dietary Guidelines.
The Australian Dietary Guidelines While on the topic of recommending carbohydrate intake, something that gets thrown around like an old set of training togs, is the Australian Dietary Guidelines (ADG). This is a document based on thousands of research articles and while it needs adapting for individual recommendations, particularly sports people - it is a great starting point for
Paleo
Paleo 101 The Paleo diet, as most readers will be aware, stems from the idea that we should eat like our distant ancestors or cavemen. There are different variations of this diet, though using one of the ‘developers’ as a source would suggest a reliance on meat, fish, fruit and vegetables while avoiding processed foods, dairy, grains, seed oils and legumes. This effectively makes it low carb, unless an individual chooses to eat potato/sweet potato and a significant amount of fruit. It is generally high protein and high fat though percentages aren’t set.
Paleo Benefits vs. Detriments For some people, moving to a Paleo diet will mean they improve their diet quality, with a greater reliance on fresh veg, fruit and less processed foods. If you were an endurance athlete looking at this diet, you would need to be deriving most of your carbohydrate from sweet potato and fruit.
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Diet quality: The benefits of the Paleo diet include advocating for fresh, unprocessed, whole-foods.
Training TOOLBOX nutrition
Australians. The suggested number of grainy products per day is six serves (18-51year olds), which equates to, at most, around 160g carbohydrates. If you added a medium spud (counting as two serves of vegetables) and two big pieces of fruit, you might get to around 240g carbs. For an endurance triathlete in heavy training, this is a relatively low intake of carbs. So, my suggestion would be for most triathletes thinking about trialling one of the above diets, is to take a look at the ADG’s first and use this as a guide for the minimum amount of carbohydrate you should be aiming for.
My Interpretation Finally, while it is easy to get caught up in the hype, and it may sound great to try something new and exciting, sometimes
we need to step back and look at the evidence clearly. While an LCHF approach may assist those participating in ultradistance, low intensity events, for most triathletes there is no question that carbohydrate intake, individually prescribed, will facilitate faster times, better training responses, less perceived effort and better economy of effort - more on this in another edition when Alicia discusses ‘training low (carb)’. Disclaimer: please discuss any drastic dietary change ideas with a sports physician or accredited sports dietitian first, as any underlying disease factors need to be addressed by a professional to ensure your safety. References:
Burke, L. M. (2015). Re-Examining High-Fat Diets for Sports Performance: Did We Call the ‘Nail in the Coffin’ Too Soon? Sports Med, 45 Suppl 1, S33-49. doi: 10.1007/ s40279-015-0393-9 Burke, L. M., Ross, M. L., GarvicanLewis, L. A., Welvaert, M., Heikura, I. A., Forbes, S. G., . . .
NHMRC. (2013). Australian Dietary Guidelines. Canberra: National Health and Research Medical Council. Noakes, T., Volek, J. S., & Phinney, S. D. (2014). Low-carbohydrate diets for athletes: what evidence? Br J Sports Med, 48 (14), 1077-1078. doi: 10.1136/ bjsports-2014-093824 Phinney, S. D., Bistrian, B. R., Evans, W. J., Gervino, E., & Blackburn, G. L. (1983). The human metabolic response to chronic ketosis without caloric restriction: preservation of submaximal exercise capability with reduced carbohydrate oxidation. Metabolism, 32(8), 769-776.
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.
Hawley, J. A. (2016). Low carbohydrate, high fat diet impairs exercise economy and negates the performance benefit from intensified training in elite race walkers. J Physiol. doi: 10.1113/jp273230
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Qui
n
a o
Recipe by P eter Herzig Dietary: Gluten-Free, Lactose-Free Per serve (4): 35g of Protein 37g of Carbs 12g of Fat 10g Fibre 1767kJ
Š Shutterstock.com
Notes: This recipe can easily be modified to suit a bigger training day by using more quinoa. Alternatively, pearl couscous would work well too.
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ten cold A dish that can be ea rm in the in the summer or wa , simple on rti winter, easy to po port and ns to prepare, easy to tra in your a great way of getting . serves of vegetables
Prep Time: 10mins Cook Time: 15mins Difficulty: Easy
Serves
Chicken Quinoa
4
Salad
Ingredients: • 1 ¼ cups (225g) quinoa rinsed • 1 Massel vegetable stock cube • 400g chicken breast sliced into thin strips • 4 shallots (or spring onions depending on state of origin) sliced thinly
Method: 1. In a medium saucepan, cook the quinoa as directed on the packet, dropping in the stock cube when it comes to the boil and stir through 2. Prepare all vegetables
• 250g punnet cherry tomatoes chopped in half
3. In a medium-hot pan drop one teaspoon of oil and cook the chicken and garlic, seasoning with pepper, until browned.
• 2 medium carrots (washed and skin on) use a good vegetable peeler and cut long strips
4. Mix up the olive oil and lemon juice dressing
• 1 medium cucumber halved and sliced
5. Combine the quinoa and salads in a large dish
• 100g Baby Spinach (optional: shredded with a knife) • 1 minced garlic clove • 1 lemon squeezed
6. Serve with the chicken on top with dressing drizzled over the top 7. Bon appetite
• 1 tbs olive oil • Pepper
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Positively Positive t e x t b y Dr M it c h A n d e rs o n I l l us t r a t i o n b y s h utt e rst o c k . c o m / Nik o l a K n e z e v i c
O
n a train heading north Adelaide-Marla-Alice Springs. I’ve savoured an egg and bacon slider, washed down with coffee flavoured water. I need all the help I can get to replace calories after the 1000 kilometre ride, Geelong to Adelaide over the last three days! I’m perched up on a windowsill after seeing a spectacular sunrise over the salt bush and terracotta dust. The sky changed from iron grey in a series of minutes, as the sun crept over the horizon. We were left surrounded by the primary colours of the outback - ochre, green and blue. I couldn’t think of a more alien place to start writing a piece on
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drugs in sport. And not drugs in any sport - drugs in our sport. I’ve tried to condition my brain to be cup half-full when it comes to this issue, but each time a member of our community tests positive, I’m reminded of that empty portion in the vessel. It seems as foreign to me as writing this article. We all do this great sport for the enjoyment and health benefits it confers. Why sully this with cheating? Not just for the money - but cheating the health of your body? Beth Gerdes is the latest high-profile positive drug test in Ironman, and it brings to light many issues. I’d like to address the facts (as I know them) and
frame up some questions. I certainly don’t have the answers, but happy to host a discussion on my Facebook when this is published. I’ll invite Beth to participate if she wishes. Firstly, the facts - Beth has been banned for two years for testing positive to Enobosarm or Ostarine. This penalty was reduced from four years to two through the process of hearings and appeals with her claim of supplement contamination. Also testing positive, Lauren Barnett (another US triathlete). She was able to provide a sealed bottle of the supplement (salt tablets) that contained an Ostarine level consistent with inadvertent consumption. Beth was unable to provide the same level of evidence as Lauren, but managed to mitigate the length of the ban by 50 percent. You will note - Lauren still received a ban. She still tested positive and was penalised. She didn’t mean to take it [the banned substance], but she is still responsible for a performance-enhancing product being present in her urine. Every athlete is ultimately responsible for his or her own body. That substance may have been providing Lauren considerable benefit for the duration of inadvertent use and may well do so into the future a ban is obligatory. Given the spate of recent positives tests to this drug in triathlon (Lisa Marangon - four-year ban;
Ashley Paulson - six-month ban; Lauren - six-month ban; and Beth - two-year ban) what are the benefits of Ostarine in endurance sports? And why are the bans so variable in their length, despite each athlete claiming it was inadvertent contamination? Ostarine is a selective androgen receptor modulator for the treatment of muscle wasting and osteoporosis. It has structural similarities to Andarine, which has comparative effects. I am no endocrinologist, but this could be a prime vehicle for women in their sixties and seventies to prevent hip fractures, or for men/women in whom testosterone was not indicated/advisable. Muscle and bone mass both drop away after three-score. Now, in English - It changes the way cells respond to androgens, allowing the androgen to bind more effectively or for longer (Merck doesn’t disclose everything). Androgens are male sex hormones (like testosterone) that develop and maintain male characteristics. Women still have androgens naturally occurring, just in far lower concentrations. (Mostly) female athletes chose to abuse Ostarine in the same way dopers like Ben Johnson used anabolic steroids. It helped him train harder - helped him build muscle and stamina. When you partner Ostarine with endurance training, you won’t get muscles like Johnson because of the way long
miles trim us greyhounds down. It does, however, speed recovery to allow consistent training for racing. My educated guess is that as a drug, it has nowhere near the potency of androgens, analogous to EPO vs. CERA (Continuous Erythropoiesis Receptor Activator), i.e., hormone vs. receptor activation. In theory, it should have greater efficacy in the fairer gender - androgenising women has been used successfully by the Germans since the 1980’s. Look at what Caster Semenya has just been through for her naturally high testosterone readings. Irrespective of the performance enhancing potential, there aren’t any studies investigating using Ostarine in healthy athletes (it’s been a banned substance since 2008). The medical and science community can only speculate on the short/medium/long-term effects. It could be carcinogenic! Until proven
otherwise, we should consider ingesting this substance (and all other banned products) as harmful to athletes and have zero tolerance for any positive finding (inadvertent or otherwise). This is the overarching paternalism of WADA, and it’s subsidiary bodies (ASADA, USADA, etc.). They act in the best interests of the athletes in a beneficent way. You cannot say the same of drug companies. Sure, WADA is also there to prevent cheating, but primarily its function is to protect each athlete under its umbrella. So, why the difference in penalties for these four women? Again, I have read, as much as is available, and have the advantage of knowing a couple of the women, so here is my take. Lisa took on the ASADA without pecuniary (therefore legal) advantage, and despite the protestation of a contaminated substance, she had no evidence to
(Mostly) female athletes chose to abuse Ostarine in the same way dopers like Ben Johnson used anabolic — Dr Mitch Anderson steroids. Australian Triathlete |
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health kicks
mitigate her four years. It’s a bit like the AFL tribunal - an early guilty plea allows a player to accept a reduced penalty. She battled all the way with an innocence plea and had to receive the maximum ban. As I stated earlier, Laura was able to prove unequivocally that she had taken supplements with levels of Ostarine commensurate with her positive test. I presume Ashley Paulson was able to do the same. Beth was unable to provide similar evidence. I can’t speak on any of Beth’s proceedings, other than that reading her public statements she accepted the ban for having Ostarine in her system at the time of her test. But there must have been a significant difference between the supplement findings for the bans to be the resultant ban to be diametrically different. And now for the controversy of ‘parochial bias’. Warnie was a drug cheat. Stuart O’Grady was a drug cheat. Neither of them are legends in my book because of their cheating. The whole “Chinese doping swimmers cheated our green-andbloody-gold legends out of innumerate gold medals” is myopic and lame. Almost universally on the social media channels, Beth has been supported by her home states in the US and Australia. She is likeable and PR savvy - engendering the support of her fellow pros by contacting many of them prior to her public announcement. In stark contrast, the likes
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of Yvonne Van Vlerken (non-Australian/ non-US, positive for EPO and returned from her ban) continues to be decried through the same media as a stain on triathlon and worthy of isolation by her peers as a persona non grata. Why the difference? Both are cheats according to the rules that we all sign up to, albeit with a difference in the substance they were caught abusing. There may be some mitigation with Beth’s plea for mitigation as inadvertent, but this was not substantiated by her (costly) legal team, or her ban would have been attenuated to six months. I won’t give you the entire preamble about Beth or Lisa being pleasant and likeable persons (they are), it’s just not relevant. If it wasn’t deemed by ASADA/ WADA/CASA to have been consumed inadvertently, they must be treated as if it was advertent - exactly the same as Van
Vlerken. They are all drug cheats, likeable or not. They all received a benefit from ingesting a performance enhancing substance. It doesn’t make any of them bad people - it’s not an emotional label. If you break the rules, you are ipso facto, a cheat. When Beth has finished her ban, the rules state she can return to racing without question - same with Lisa. But the disgraceful double standards should stop. The bias of ‘what’ you cheated with or filtered by whether or not you are a ‘cool kid’ should be made redundant. Either treat all cheats the same - that they deserve a second chance after they have served their penalty, or find a pass time whose ethics are more aligned with your bias’. Maybe apply for a Collingwood football club membership! (Sorry Eddie). See you on the road.
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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