JUL/AUG 2017
ISSUE 24.7
JAKE BIRT WHISTLE
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2013 Ironman World Champion: Frederik Van Lierde
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CO N T E N T S
Cover Story
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FEATURES
TECHTALK
TRAINING TOOLBOX
18 Ironman Australia Wrap Up
38 Tri Products
54 Sirius Musings
Jake Birtwhistle the x-factor
AT brings you all the action and highlights from Australia’s longest running Ironman, Ironman Australia.
We look at the latest must-have products on the market.
Siri Lindley shares valuable insights into how your thoughts can impact your life and performance.
Triathlon’s rising superstar, Jake Birtwhistle chats about his rise in the sport, the Super League Hamilton Island event, the upcoming Commonwealth Games and more.
JUL/AUG 2017 Australian Triathlete
ISSUe 24.7
24 Babies On Board Megan Evoe chats to four of the best female triathletes in the world about embracing motherhood while still holding onto their racing dreams.
30 #INSPO: Major Holly Orchard
Issue 24.7
Find out how Major Holly, the determined, hardworking and successful 32-year-old balances the Army, deployment, Ironman training and more.
July/AuG 2017 Jake Birtwhistle - The X fAcTor
34 Short Course Stars Mixing It Up In 2017 JAKE PP341999/00020
Issue 24.7 2017 AUS $9.95 inc GST
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BIRT WHISTLE
Cover: Jake Birtwhistle Photography: Korupt Vision
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Jordan Blanco chats with four Rio Olympians who are stepping up to race half iron distance in 2017.
40 Product Spotlight: Elite RAMPA This month we shine the spotlight on the Elite Smart Interactive Trainer RAMPA, which is the latest generation wireless electronic home trainer.
42 Road Test: Zipp 454 NSW Carbon Clincher The Test Lab road test the Zipp 454 NSW Carbon Clincher wheelset 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 full-length compression tights for you.
50 Road Test: Suunto Spartan Sport Wrist HR and Garmin Fenix 5S We road test the latest offerings in multisport watches and explore what they have to offer.
56 Words With Willy Dan Wilson shares a hilarious tale of his encounter with the police, involving a nasal clip.
60 Sexton’s Scribble Brendan Sexton talks about a new triathlon revolution - the elitism of the non-elite.
62 The Art Of Suffering Simon Johnson chats to seven superstar triathletes about the art of suffering.
72 Dr Mitch Triathlon’s favourite doc shares his insights into the benefits of heat acclimation for performance.
90 Nutrition Accredited Sports Dietitian, Alicia Edge shares advice on how to periodise your nutrition to enhance your performance.
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 Production, Administration & subscriptions Gina Copeland
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W
e’re beyond excited to have Jake Birtwhistle on our cover this month. The boy from Tassie has accepted the expectations that have been firmly on his shoulders for years and is really starting to make his mark in the world of triathlon. We’ve all seen him race and know his athletic abilities, which are amazing, but even more impressive is his attitude towards excelling in this sport, his desire to be the best and a confidence that it’s all possible. With qualification already sealed for the 2018 Commonwealth Games and looking further ahead to 2020 Tokyo Olympics Games, we cannot wait to see how the next few years unfolds for this Aussie X Factor. Also in this edition, we go behind the lens of Korupt Vision at Ironman Australia as we witnessed Laura Siddall earn her maiden Ironman win and Dave Dellow who took home the men’s title over reigning champ Tim Reed (page 18). Megan Evoe checks in with four of the best long course women in the world to talk about having Babies On Board (page 24), and we also chat with Major Holly Orchard who combines Army life and deployment overseas with a love for
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triathlon in this month’s #INSPO (page30). Tech Talk is as always packed with greatness. Our Test Lab gave the Zipp 454 NSW wheels a road test (page 42), we talk compression for recovery on page 46, Deputy Ed. Margy Margs road tested two of the latest sports watches to hit the market (page50), and we put the Product Spotlight on the Elite RAMPA on page 40). Our regular experts share their best tips, tricks and advice in this month’s Training Toolbox. Simon ‘Snowy’ Johnson looks at the Art of Suffering on page 62, while Dr Mitch Anderson talks heat acclimation (page 72), and Kriss Hendy has your latest Strength and Conditioning workout on page 76, plus much, much more! So, grab your favourite recovery drink, brew or vino and enjoy this edition of AT!
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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NEWS AND Launches
K
ick off the season at ATEC – Australia’s Premier Endurance Event in Sydney! As an Australian Triathlete reader, you can now grab your 2FOR1 tickets, by simply using promo-code ‘2FOR1AT’ at check-out ATEC, Australia’s premier event celebrating the endurance lifestyle is back on the weekend of 9-10 September in Sydney, to kick off the season! Meet Craig “Crowie” Alexander and other inspiring endurance athletes, including Pete Jacobs, Ironman Triathlon World Champion (2012), Pat Farmer, Ultra-marathon runner and Henk Vogels, professional Cyclist and World Champion! To prepare you for the season, ATEC offers a variety of educational seminars, practical workshops, live activations, cooking demonstrations and competitions to participate in. ATEC will have something for every endurance athlete, from beginner’s level to advanced and from swimming, running and cycling to strength training and nutritional advice. Check out who’s exhibiting and stay tuned for the full schedule of events… Grab your 2FOR1 tickets now for only $7,50/$10 each - Simply use “2FOR1AT” at check-out –
www.atecshow.com.au
Epic Mel Congratulations to Melbourne’s Melissa Urie who recently completed the EPIC5 Challenge in Hawaii. As the only female competitor to take on the gruelling race of finishing five ironman’s in five days on five islands of Hawaii, Mel is one super impressive athlete. Stay tuned for our feature with Mel as next month’s #INSPO.
Race In Amazing Conditions The Leading Edge Computers Cable Beach Triathlon showcases it all during the 750m swim in Cable Beach tropical waters, followed by a 40km cycle past many resorts and tempting cafes finishing with a 10km run through Sunset Park. Make no mistake - it will be a competitive and fast race with flat and warm conditions... the bonus is you get to recover in paradise. With professional timing systems and great prizes to be won we encourage triathletes of all levels to enter. The scenery of Broome, WA, will make this event one not to forget. Why not make it your annual off-season triathlon? Swim, cycle and run your way to Broome on Sunday 17 September 2017.
For more information visit www.broometriclub.com.au
© Shutterstock.com/Alex Couto
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Hamilton Island Fujifilm Hamilton Island Triathlon – Saturday 11 November 2017 Perfectly situated on the edge of the Great Barrier Reef, amongst Queensland’s 74 Whitsunday Islands, Hamilton Island provides an idyllic backdrop for the Fujifilm Hamilton Island Triathlon. The undulating landscape of Hamilton Island’s interior, of which 70% is preserved, and surrounding turquoise waters offer the perfect setting for the event’s competitive 750 metre swim in Catseye Bay, a 20km cycle around the southern part of Hamilton Island encompassing the airport runway and a 5km run around the marina and resort sides of Hamilton Island. This event is open to individuals or teams over the age of 14 years and the Junior Fujifilm Hamilton Island Triathlon is a fun swim, bike and run around the Hamilton Island village (open to children aged under 14 years). This is an event not to be missed.
www.hamiltonisland.com.au
Lauren Parker
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ur thoughts are with professional triathlete Lauren Parker who was involved in a major bike accident on 18 April 2017. Newcastle based Parker suffered series injuries including a broken shoulder, pelvis and spinal cord damage when she came off her bike and hit a guardrail. The accident has left Lauren paralysed from the naval down. We wish her strength and courage in this incredibly difficult and challenging time. We are with you Lauren and know that the incredible strength, perseverance and determination you have displayed during races will help to get you through anything that comes your way. If you would like to help Lauren and her family a GoFundMe page has been set up in Lauren’s name to help raise much-needed funds towards her rehab and recovery https://www.gofundme.com/wearewithyouloz.
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Jake birtwhistle
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Jake birtwhistle
JAKE BIRT WHISTLE text by SRR Media p h o t o g r a p h y b y K o r u p t v isi o n
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o be any chance of getting a podium finish on the ITU’s World Triathlon Series the numbers are pretty intense. Success requires a special kind of allround athlete who is mentally tough, isn’t afraid of a bit of pain and is able to produce a sub-30 minute 10km run off a hard 40km ride, and after an intense 1500m swim. If you are struggling to come to terms with the maths, picture the machine-like way the Brownlee brothers, Spain’s Javier Gomez and his compatriot Mario Mola have been tearing up the world circuit with their take no prisoners approach and their explosive run leg. Quite simply they have taken the sport to a new level, and several years ago for the talent scouts of all the world triathlon federations, it became acutely obvious
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that if their country was to be competitive, they needed to heavily invest in finding a new breed of athlete. For Australia, it was no different. In fact, given our past successes, it was imperative that Triathlon Australia rebuild the men’s program and find us the new Brad Beven or Greg Welch to fly the flag on the international stage. Well, after searching the country far and wide, Australia has found such an athlete, and without putting too much pressure on the young lad, his name is Jake Birtwhistle. For many years the Australian triathlon pundits have been saying that he is the one to watch and, much to the disgust of Athletics Australia who had been grooming him as a middle distance runner, Jake was on the radar of Triathlon Australia’s talent scouts since he was a youngster.
Without a doubt, he is the best triathlon talent to come out of the Apple Isle since the legendary Craig Walton, but what Birtwhistle has that Walton didn’t possess is blinding foot speed. That necessary ingredient needed to give yourself a chance to win the elusive Olympic Triathlon Gold Medal. The fact that Birtwhistle made the jump across from athletics to triathlon is in large part due to the efforts of another Tassie legend Craig Redman who first saw Jake when he was in the Tasmanian school’s team at the National Championship in Devonport. Redman’s wife was involved with the team as the manager, and she was quick to tell her hubby that he needed to have a look at this very talented kid. “That was the first time I had seen him,” Redman said. “He loved his athletics, and I
Jake birtwhistle
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Jake birtwhistle
really wanted to encourage him to keep running because it was obviously a weapon with the ability to change speeds and all the stuff you learn on the track.” “We built a really good relationship with his running coach Kim Gillard, who was a very good runner in his own right. Kim did a really good job looking after his training program, and between Kim and I, we oversaw his programs of swimming and biking and putting it all together while he still dabbled in both.” Jake lived in Launceston while Redman was in Ulverstone, so they were a 100km apart. A lot of the training was prescription but every weekend Jake along with another athlete, Dylan Evans, would make the trip up the coast. “They would train with my squad on Saturday and Sunday and head home Sunday night. That went on for a while, but we always knew at some stage that we couldn’t give him what he wanted, and he needed a daily training environment
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and to be with a high-performance squad,” Redman said. From an early age, Jake clearly knew how to win, establishing himself as one of the hottest properties in junior athletics representing Australia as a junior at the World Cross Country Championships and picking up 11 Australian titles on the track in middle distance events and steeplechase, setting age and open state records. As recently as 2013, Jake was still combining track, cross country and triathlon, representing Australia at the junior worlds in triathlon and cross country and picking up the under 20, 3000m championship at the Zatopek meet in Melbourne, winning the final in 8:11.32. “Over time I just grew fond of triathlon and eventually decided that I could be pretty good at triathlon, and my goal is an Olympic Gold medal. Our country has a great record in triathlon, and an Australian definitely has more chance of medalling in triathlon than athletics,” he said.
As soon as Jake finished year 12, he made the decision to go full-time triathlon making the jump across to Jamie Turner’s squad, affectionately known as the Wollongong Wizards. “I worked with Craig Redman and the National Talent Academy program for three or four years, and we had discussed it. For me, at the time, the choice was either Jamie Turner or Craig Walton.” “I had done some work with Craig and his team up on the Gold Coast, so I had a feel for it and spent a week with the Wizards up in Falls Creek in 2013. I decided I liked Jamie’s group and got along well with the athletes, so I went back in January for the month and straight to Wollongong.” As part of the Wollongong Wizards and as Triathlon Australia’s poster boy, Jake had an extensive and very supportive network during the dangerous time where there are increased expectations in terms of results, sponsorship and media coverage - it is easy for an athlete to get lost.
Jake birtwhistle
The beauty of the Whitsundays will keep you going when your body’s ready to give up during the Fujifilm Hamilton Island Triathlon. A 750m swim in Catseye Bay is followed by a 20km cycle, and a 5km run through the island’s Marina Village. Get into gear for race day on Saturday 11 November 2017. For more information visit hamiltonisland.com.au
Saturday 11 November 2017
GREAT WHITEHAVEN BEACH RUN GREAT WHITEHAVEN BEACH RUN 12 November 2017
6 May 2018
24 June 2018
GREAT WHITEHAVEN BEACH RUN Australian Triathlete |
GREAT WHITEHAVEN BEACH RUN
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© ITU/Janos M.Schmidt
In the past four years, we have witnessed Jake’s rapid evolution. From winning the Australian Junior and Under 23, the Junior Series title, the Mooloolaba Oceania Cup and the World Junior Duathlon Championships, to finally making the grade and having a short stint on the World Cup scene before stepping into the big time of the WTS [World Triathlon Series] and scoring his first podium in Hamburg in 2016. Jake made his debut in the World Triathlon Series just as the world of Olympic distance triathlon embarked on its frantic journey towards Rio 2016. But his bid for a seat on the Olympic Team’s jet for Rio came unglued when he failed to perform at the two automatic qualification races. “What I did wrong was leave selection up to chance and have someone else determine my fate. My focus now is to race well when it counts, so that team selection is sorted early.” “Missing Rio was pretty heartbreaking because I came so close. But I think realistically, and the results over the past 12 months since that team was
announced have shown, that it was a year too early for me. I am only getting to that level now where I am one of the best in the world.” Coming out of a stunning offseason, the whole triathlon world was inspired by Birtwhistle’s insane early 2017 season form, racing with confidence and maturity beyond his years to dominate the world’s best over the short course at the Super League Hamilton Island event. “It was nice to be right up there in the mix, pushing the pace, digging deep and making things happen. It is kind of weird to look back and see how fast my progress has been.” “I don’t really think about it too much, but I guess things have come a long way in a couple of years. This season I will be going out there expecting nothing less of myself than to be on the podium. I need to
have ‘in the race’ mentally and tick all the boxes. That will put me in the position I need to be in,” he said. Season 2017 not only kick starts the new Olympiad, but it is also the gateway to the Commonwealth Games in 2018. In April, Jake arrived on the Gold Coast for his first World Triathlon Series of the year with his focus on performing in front of his home crowd and securing the first spot on the Commonwealth Games Team for 2018. While his fifth place locked in the Commonwealth Games spot, the way the race panned out and his performance, where he faded in the final 5km, left him disappointed. “It is hard to say, about the Gold Coast race. With what I was doing I think I had an okay race, but I wasn’t overly happy with it. It was bittersweet to get the Commonwealth Games qualification, tick that box, and be happy and super excited about going forward with that. But a fifth place on the Gold Coast wasn’t exactly what I was after.” “I would have liked a better second half of the run, but it was the finish line that kept driving me. I just wanted to get there. I started suffering big time in the last two kilometres, and it felt like the longest five kilometres I have done for a long time.” “I really didn’t know if the other Aussies were coming, so I was pushing to just hold them off. It is great to get the Comm Games spot locked in immediately. I am happy to nail it the first opportunity and in my first WTS race of the year.” There was some conjecture that Jake left his good form on Hamilton Island, with only a short break arriving on the Gold Coast tired and not in the shape he needed to race against more seasoned athletes. “Obviously everyone is different, but it is hard to use that as an excuse. Hamilton Island definitely did take a lot out of us and probably more than what I expected. So there wasn’t a lot of quality work done between the two events that were three weeks apart.” “I think it is possible that the older guys handled the workload of Hamilton Island better, but then it could have gone the other way because they say younger people bounce back quickly.” “Looking at it, if Hamilton Island had been just one day of racing, I think it would have been more beneficial for a young person doing that super quick kind of racing, to bounce back and be right back into their program pretty soon afterwards. By the time day three came along you had to dig pretty deep to race and do well there,” he said. What was not obvious at the time was Jake’s discontent with his training environment, and his desire to move on
© Delly Carr
from Jamie Turner’s squad to explore something new. In a mini-bombshell, since the Gold Coast WTS Jake has now severed ties with Jamie Turner and the Wizards, and has commenced working with former Triathlon Canada National Senior and Olympic Coach, and British Triathlon Head Coach, Joel Filliol. “I met with Joel after the race on the Gold Coast and had a chat. We have been speaking a bit since then and decided that we wanted to try this new arrangement out.” “It has been an ongoing thing, and I wanted to try something different to what Jamie’s plan was. Our relationship got to a point where it was time for me to chase what I want, what I believe in and give that a try. So I am not left wondering in ten year’s time thinking, ‘what if’. What if I had tried this back then.” “I have been with Jamie for over three years now and from where I was as an up and coming junior guy to now being one of the top in the world is a pretty massive transition in a few years, and a lot of that is because of him and his ways. He certainly has taught me a lot, and it is
Jake birtwhistle
Above: Jake gave a dominating performance at the Super League Hamilton Island event earlier this year. Left: Jake on the way to his first podium at ITU WTS, Hamburg in 2016.
something I will continue taking forward with me where I am going.” “As the old saying goes, you work on your strengths and chip away at your weaknesses, and I have a bit of room for improvement. I thought a bit more effort could have been put into what I was doing. I obviously don’t want to take a step backwards with the biking or the running to improve the swim, but I do want to improve the swim.”
“If you look at all the races I have done well at, it has been the races where I have had a good swim or the races that have come together on the bike, but that is not a chance you want to take to guarantee being up there at the front of the race.” After [WTS] Yokohama Jake will head over to Europe and join Filliol’s group (which includes Mario Mola and Richard Murray) and will be based between Banyoles Spain and Font Romeu in France.
Make Broome your off-season Tri destination
750m . 40km . 10km
Leading edge Computers Cable Beach triathlon
Swim, cycle and run your way to Broome on Sunday September 17th, 2017
For more information visit www.broometriclub.com.au
© Shutterstock.com/Alex Couto
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Jake birtwhistle
“What I liked after talking to Joel was that Richard and Mario don’t follow the same training program, and contrary to what a lot of people would think, they are not out there pushing each other all the time on the run.” “They are different kinds of athletes and Joel has given them different training programs. That is something that sits pretty well with me, as I am not looking to go into a group environment and be one of the group. I want to go into an environment that is very specific to my needs, and it sounds like Joel will be very good for that.” Jake said the Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast in 2018 is a massive priority for him and will be his primary focus. “Obviously, I will be racing the WTS and doing all that through the year, and trying to keep progressing there but the medium-term goal is the Commonwealth Games. It is exciting because it is not only my first big championship and a big Games event, but for it to be in Australia as well makes it that little bit cooler as well. It is going to be awesome to have the home support.” The success, or otherwise, of this move remains to be seen, and we can only wish Jake well in what has to be the biggest decision of his career. But with the fate of the nation’s leading athlete and our number one Olympic medal hope now being in the hands of an international, there must be some raised eyebrows at Triathlon Australia.
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PRO Men’s Results 1
Dellow, David
AUS
8:15:36
2
Reed, Tim
AUS
8:22:43
3
Fettell, Clayton
AUS
8:30:03
4
Fox, Michael
AUS
8:32:15
5
Mcdonald, Chris
AUS
8:35:54
6
Ambrose, Paul
AUS
8:47:03
7
Shearer, Nathan
AUS
9:26:24
8
Read, Carl
NZL
9:49:38
9
Brown, Daniel
AUS
10:47:52
PRO WOMen’s Results 1
Siddall, Laura
GBR
9:16:39
2
Gailey, Michelle
AUS
9:44:16
3
Mitchell, Jessica
AUS
9:53:49
4
Thibodeau, Karen
CAN
10:14:46
5
Richards, Jessica
AUS
11:28:45
p h o t o g r a p h y b y K o r u p t Visi o n
shut up legs: Laura Siddall (above) showed the rest of the field how it’s done as she took the lead early into the bike leg. heartbreak hill: Clayton Fettell (left) grinding his way up the 7% gradient of the infamous Matthew Flinders Drive.
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Ironman Australia 2017
in the zone: David Dellow (above) had his eyes set on one thing during Ironman Australia - that top spot on the podium. Hanging tough: Aussie up and comer, Jessica Mitchell (right) rounded out the podium, coming home in third. SHINing star: Tim Reed (below) ready to chase as he exited the swim.
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Features
iron war: (above) David Dellow making his move to pass defending champion, Tim Reed. get down low: Tim Reed (below) crushing the punishing bike course. furry support: Michelle Gailey (below) makes her long awaited return to professional racing in style, coming in, in second place.
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Ironman Australia 2017
The sweet taste of victory: Pro winners Laura Siddall (right) and David Dellow (below) enjoyed their wins. For Siddall it was her maiden Ironman victory.
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@breaksruns The feeling of that finish line was indescribable and hearing those words YOU ARE AN IRONMAN was everything that I had worked so hard for. What an amazing experience. Thank you everyone for your support.
@tri_dad_matt Elvis was great get me up Ma motivation tth we could have ew Flinders Drive at #imoz to this on every hill thanks for if only @cairns.b. the pic
@nathangroch No word s when @koruptvision is behi necessar y nd the camera.
ring post @ sammy_bevo Already suffe e, think I’ll #imoz blues. Such a fantastic cours be back next year.
like to take this @ triandruncourts85 I would had an input who opportunity to thank everyone ay. into yesterdays Ironman in anyw
@amy_ryan81 We are an ‘Ironman’! Couldn’t be more stocked with how i went yesterday. Sub 12hrs - dream result .
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@Ironcentury #imoz
ss The bike @ sarah_impact.health.n.fitneworried about, most leg at ironman was what I was the bike is a but me to up it’s run in the swim and to say nothing different thing... but I’m happy went wrong.
Ironman australia 2017
We scoured Instagram and social media to see how the Ironman Australia experience played out in your eyes!
out! @ tim_big Well that was a tough day Ironman number two at Port Mac made walk a like feel Busso at Ironman number one in the park.
@ silver_f0x I’d like to than chef, my driver, my housekee k my team - my councilor who have helped per and my me get to today. Or as you all know her as... My wife.
@ tomlo #portmac ck1988 Wow. Wha filled wit quarie #Ironman t a day. h punctu fi res and cr nished! 11 hours 40 amps.
@tridazdarwin Yes, she’s #IMOZ underway @kyliesc excited holz.
s @ianjclark Done! #canteenau #imoz #trialliance
@jillythomo It’s a crac king day here in Port for the IMOZ! Wishing this fella @wez_thompson a solid race.
me, you are an @trudy_tri_run Trudy Graha was IRONMAN. Completing this once ience again. exper something that I wanted to
@beckworth ra HAWAII here we cing KONA... come! What a great feeling! 2 from 2.
@all_hayden My wife @sa on 15km into the Marathon njiiii cheering me at #imoz.
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t looks like the future Ironman World Champions will be flooding in like a tidal wave by the year 2042, thanks to triathlon sensations Liz Blatchford, Mirinda Carfrae, Jodie Cunnama, and Rachel Joyce. These four women have dominated podiums at both the half and full iron distance racing in recent years and are always seen as the top contenders on the sport’s biggest stage. However, Kona will be without Blatchford, Carfrae and Cunnama this year as they take on the role of mum-to-be and soon, where, their only transition this year, will be that of motherhood. Joyce, on the other hand, is focusing on her comeback, after giving birth last year. Find out how four of the best female triathletes in the world are embracing motherhood and still holding onto their racing dreams.
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s e i b a B on d r a o B text by megan Evoe p h o t o g r a p h y b y k o r u p t v isi o n
LIZ BLATCHFORD Australian Triathlete Magazine: When did you realise you were pregnant and what were the first thoughts that went through your mind? Liz Blatchford: I found out when we were in Kona, last October. I was not racing due to an injury I had for most of the year, but I still went to hang out for the launch of the new BMC Time Machine. It was a somewhat a tricky place to find out and have to keep things quiet. My interviews went from: “I can’t wait to be back here racing in 2017.” To the very open-ended: “The future holds so many options, I’ll have to wait and see what next year holds.” It definitely took some time to sink in, but that soon turned to excitement.
I’ve not found a new career that I’m as passionate about as racing. Obviously, I don’t know what my motivations will be like once bub comes along and that is the big unknown. Whether I will want to go all in and be back racing Kona in 2018 or if I decide to take another path, I am unsure. ATM: What goes through your mind when you think about not competing in Kona this October? Blatchford: To be honest, I think last year was harder. I was still really fit, but my foot had just been so injured. This year I am sure I will be baby-besotted, so I will have a very good reason for not racing.
ATM: What’s it been like managing your ever-changing pregnant body compared to your normal race-ready body? Blatchford: In some ways, it has been a little bit like managing a body in full training as I have new niggles every week! I’ve continued with my regular physiotherapist and masseuse to try and keep things best in check. It is hard though when things are simply caused by pregnancy and you are basically stuck with a pain or niggle for the next six to nine months. As far as the weight gain, I am quite relaxed about it, just letting the body do what it wants to do. I put on six kilo’s in the first trimester and thought, “Whoa, I’m
ATM: How did your partner react to the news and how is he handling t he pregnancy? Blatchford: Glen was similar to me in that he was surprised, shocked, and excited! His excitement has definitely built throughout the pregnancy as things have become more visible and he can feel the little ninja go nuts! ATM: What was it like keeping the pregnancy a secret during the first trimester? Blatchford: I’d been quite injured, so it was a good disguise for me not to be signing up for any races. As far training went, it was a little trickier. I do a fair amount on my own, so I just began to do even more on my own if I thought something would be obvious. When I was in Kona, I had to be careful to avoid the heat on my rides, but everyone is so self-focused over there, it was fine! ATM: How has your approach to training changed now that you’re pregnant? Blatchford: It’s a nice change of pace, though my competitive instinct is still there, which I have to keep in check at times! As much as I would have loved to have run for longer, around 20 weeks I developed pelvic pain that has not subsided, so I have had to work within that and not been able to run since. Swimming is great, I bike with Glen at quiet times of day, and I love pregnancy pilates. I am even doing a bit of yoga and SUPing. ATM: Are you planning on returning to racing post-baby? Blatchford: The short answer is, yes! I love what I do and if I can get another year or two out of this bod, then I will! I only really have a few competitive years left in me, so figure I may as well. At this point,
racing: Liz is passionate about racing and plans to return to racing post-baby.
ATM: What will you do this year to stay involved in the triathlon scene? Blatchford: Over the past six months, I’ve been at a few races, commentating at a few and, at another race, I took part in the “Race With A Pro” initiative and swam in a relay. It’s nice to stay involved in some aspect and catch up with people. I coach a few age-group athletes and have been involved with coaching a group of newbie triathlete school students on the Gold Coast too. ATM: Are there any food cravings? Blatchford: I craved a lot of salt early on, which made vegemite on toast my go-to breakfast. Now those cravings have turned sweet, so it’s cake for brekky! Well, not all the time! Recently, I have been getting frustrated in these later stages of pregnancy at how pathetically small my stomach is and how easily I get full!
going to get huge,” but I have only put on another three kilo’s in the subsequent 24 weeks and not because I’ve been watching what I eat! Everyone is different, and I think a lot is out of my control. ATM: What are your favourite and least favourite aspects of being pregnant? Blatchford: My favourite aspect is the anticipation and my growing belly. It’s like when you are planning a really great holiday and the months of anticipation are half of the enjoyment. I have that feeling each morning waking up. My least favourite aspect is definitely the body pains in my pelvis, back, hips, and, now, my ribs! ATM: Are you going to find out the gender of the baby? Blatchford: No, we are keeping it a surprise! I have no preference either way and figure it will just be an amazing surprise at the birth. Australian Triathlete |
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Mum’s in training
so we had a nice little pregnancy training group. It was a lot of fun. We’d meet to swim, do a long run on Sunday through some National Forests, and then we’d all ride together a couple of days a week. It was nice to step away and not have any pressure on any session. Since I have been back in Boulder, I have been hiking, which I never get to do. I am still running, and I will continue to run until I am uncomfortable. Some days I feel better than others, so I just play it by ear right now, but I am still weight training and swimming quite a bit. Overall, it’s just nice to have time to socialise in between training since I am not pushing myself like I would in my usual training.
MIRINDA CARFRAE Australian Triathlete Magazine: When did you realise you were pregnant? Mirinda Carfrae: I knew as soon as it’s humanly possible because we were trying. We decided after we finished Kona we would try to start a family. You never know, because we had just turned 36, we love racing, and I love my career, but I didn’t feel it was worth continuing my passion to pass up trying to start a family. We figured we’d try this year and got pregnant on the attempt! ATM: How did you tell your partner you were pregnant? Carfrae: Tim (O’Donnell) was actually out of town for a Garmin event right after Thanksgiving. I was super excited and trying to call him, but he was in meetings all day. I started sending him texts, but I didn’t want to sound frantic, so I told him I was ok, but to call me. He finally called me, and I told him I got a positive pregnancy test. He was so surprised and said, “How do you expect me to go into these meetings now and just act normal?” We were both pretty excited! I told my mum as well, who was in town, but otherwise, we kept the pregnancy pretty quiet. ATM: How did you hide your pregnancy during the first trimester? Carfrae: I was fortunate because during the offseason, I like to have a few drinks and let my hair down a little bit in
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December and January, so not training a lot in that period wasn’t weird for me. With Siri’s (Lindley) group, we’re pretty isolated in our training in Boulder, so that made it easy too. It was harder when I went out with friends for dinner and drinks. I continued to order drinks and Tim would just drink them, so he was very drunk in December. We went to Australia to train in January for about eight weeks, but it was much harder to hide there since it was summer and my tummy was sticking out a bit. By then we were in the second trimester, so we decided to tell people as we saw them.
ATM: Was it difficult cut back from the rigorous training schedule? Carfrae: Initially it was hard to step away from the intensity I was doing in my regular training. After 15 years of being on a schedule, to step away from that, in the beginning, was strange, but I think being in Australia and now, being back in Boulder, has really helped. I just physically couldn’t do that kind of training right now, so I am just letting it go and picking it back up when it’s time. ATM: What’s it like having more time to spend supporting Tim? Carfrae: It’s nice that right now I can give Tim a little more energy since we’re both always training so hard and trying to win that big race every year. It’s nice now to have the freedom to support him and hand him a water bottle or gel while he
ATM: How did your sponsors react to your pregnancy news? Carfrae: My sponsors reacted really well when I told them I was pregnant, which was one of the scarier parts for me. To have to tell them I was taking a year off was hard, but I had a pregnancy clause with one, so that helped. Tim and I have been very open in our plans to start a family with our sponsors so nobody was surprised. They are all taking good care of me even though I am pregnant. ATM: How has your approach to training changed now that you’re pregnant? Carfrae: I am just trying to enjoy my training now. When I was in Australia it was pretty cool because there was a group of pro women who are all pregnant,
Mirinda training a little less these days! Source: Instagram
babies on board trains. It was nice to be out there on one of his long runs before Ironman Boulder. He even said that was one of the better long runs he’s had because most of the time he’s just by himself, and if you’re not feeling well, the end of the run starts to decline. It’s nice to help and help him get more out of his workouts and be a sherpa for a while. ATM: Do you plan on coming back to race triathlon after the baby is born? Carfrae: The plan is to go back to Kona next year. The last time I won Kona was 2014, so I just need to finish an Ironman. Luckily, Kona is 14 months after the baby is born, so that should give me plenty of time to prepare. I will probably race my first Ironman in June and start racing in March or April of 2018. Obviously, you can’t know what it’s like when you have a little person to look after, and how difficult it might be, but I feel like I have a little bit of flexibility and time to get ready to race again. ATM: How are you staying involved in the triathlon scene? Carfrae: This year I have already done a speaking engagement in the Chicagoland area, which was fun. I am also getting involved with the Ironman Foundation and will be helping them out and working with the charities they partner with at certain races. I will be able to help out my sponsors with appearances and talks too. ATM: Have you had any cravings or food aversions during your pregnancy? Carfrae: At the beginning of my pregnancy when I felt sick, I had a lot of aversions because nothing sounded good. I actually didn’t eat much, but that went away after the first trimester. However, steak or any meat is something that has not sounded good at all. Now, I am drawn to fresh fruit, orange juice and salad, which is great because I never want any of that when I am training. ATM: What are you most excited about when you think about becoming a mum? Carfrae: The whole process and idea of creating this little person and getting to show them the world, and share the world with them. I think that’s the coolest thing. I can’t wait to see if it looks like a combination of Tim and me, and we’re not finding out the gender of the baby, so that will be exciting as well. We’re just excited for the whole journey. We’re under no illusions and know parenthood is going to be very hard, and we’re excited about the challenge.
ATM: Do you think giving birth or waiting at the Kona start line will be more nerve-wracking? Carfrae: I think I will be more nervous to give birth, especially in those last few weeks. If you win Kona, your whole world changes. When you get to the starting line, winning is a possibility or the A goal, so there’s always a lot of nerves around any big race. This is completely different. I feel like I will be really nervous, but I bet Tim will be more nervous than me because when you’re inside your own body, you feel like you’re in control more and he just has to stand there and watch. He’ll be pretty nervous in those last moments.
JODIE CUNNAMA Australian Triathlete Magazine: When did you realise you were pregnant? Jodie Cunnama: Having a baby was something James (Cunnama), and I have both wanted for a long time, but I suspected, given the way I train, the length of career, my age, and my past eating disorders, that it may take some time to conceive. I was right in the depths of Ironman South Africa training when I actually realised I was pregnant. I had some trouble breathing while swimming earlier that week and had to similarly drop a second bike session because I was so exhausted, which wasn’t like me. I didn’t think I was pregnant, but I was just suspect about those weird things. James didn’t know I was taking the test, but I ran out of the bathroom shouting and straight into his arms.
ATM: How did your partner react to the news? Cunnama: James is ecstatic! He has wanted kids for a long time, and it has always been me that needed another year or another race. He would do anything to help me, which is basically just letting me sleep and making dinner occasionally, which I may not be able to eat. ATM: Was it hard to fit planning a pregnancy around your career? Cunnama: Yes, it is difficult to fit pregnancy into my career. I am at the top of my earning potential and still on top of the races, so it is a big financial sacrifice and a forced break from competition, which is all I have ever known. I’m 35 now, so the statistics say it’s time to get going. I would regret waiting too long to be a mother more than simply missing a year of racing. ATM: Knowing you are a top contender in Kona, was it hard to pass up that racing opportunity? Cunnama: I think that if I had a shot at the Kona win in 2017, then I will still have it in 2018 and, probably, more so because of the enhanced perspective and need that a break creates. This pregnancy has no doubt prolonged my career in the long run rather than stunted it. Sometimes a change is a good as a break, and I have been at this long distance game for seven good years now.
Source: Instagram
happy family: Having a baby is something both Jodie and husband, James have wanted for a long time.
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ATM: Do you plan on coming back to racing after the baby is born? Cunnama: Yes, absolutely! I’ll probably target the Ironman 70.3 World Champ’s in 2018 as my big comeback aim. ATM: What will you do this year to stay involved in the triathlon scene? Cunnama: I will train, coach a few pros, continue writing for Australian Triathlete Magazine, write my autobiography, run Facebook live sessions about my pregnancy and training, write pregnancy diaries, do media work for my sponsors, and support James. I will be doing quite a lot!
ATM: Are you going to find out the gender of the baby? Cunnama: Maybe, but we haven’t decided yet!
Australian Triathlete Magazine: How did you know it was the right time for you to get pregnant? Rachel Joyce: Starting a family was something Brett and I knew we wanted and we’d talked about it for a few years. At the end of 2015, we just knew it was the right time to start trying. I was 37, which meant I was already going to be a “geriatric” mum, and while I was still enjoying racing, our future family was more important, and we didn’t want to delay that any longer. Being pregnant didn’t really fit into my career. I was taking a year away from racing off the back of one of my best years. However, emotionally it made sense. Starting a family was really important to Brett and me, and I felt that racing would lose some of its appeal if I felt like I was putting that on hold for another year.
ATM: What are you most excited about when you think about becoming a mum? Cunnama: Being a part of a brand new life is amazing. I want to help our child simply become the happiest and best human they can possibly be.
ATM: Knowing that pregnancy would halt your racing career for the time being, did you have any struggles or reservations with the decision to try to become pregnant? Joyce: It really didn’t. Yes, winning Kona was always my goal, but I am a very
ATM: What has it been like managing your ever-changing pregnant body compared to your normal race-ready body? Cunnama: It’s been difficult. I still have remnants of body dysmorphia that hang about and putting on weight really tests my soul. I will be talking a lot about this in coming weeks on my Facebook live chats. It is something that I really have to work on.
return to racing: Jodie plans to target the Ironman 70.3 World Champ’s post-baby.
ATM: What was it like keeping your pregnancy a secret during the first trimester? Cunnama: It was impossible for me to keep it a secret! My training suffered immediately, and there had to be an explanation to my swim coaches and squad as to why I was coasting along at the back rather than leading like normal. Then I had to drop out of Ironman South Africa for “health concerns.” This was deliberately vague, and we thought it would direct people that I was indeed pregnant and needed to keep it quiet as it was the first trimester. It didn’t work, and about 50 various strangers outright asked if I was pregnant. It took me aback because it isn’t really in my culture to ask someone about medical health unless they offer up that information. My ability to lie is ridiculously bad, and strangers ended up knowing my business before my friends, which made me very sad. We finally waited until after our first scan, where we heard a strong heartbeat, and then told everyone. ATM: How has your approach to training changed now that you’re pregnant? Cunnama: Training before I was pregnant was the best part of my day, and now I can’t push too hard, which bores me a bit. I still turbo, run and swim a total of about two to three hours a day. But it is simply exercise [rather than training] now since I feel so sick.
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RACHEL JOYCE
triathlon: The hardest part of training as a mum for Rachel (pictured left) is “getting the balance right”.
process driven athlete. I am okay with my race resume as I know I followed a process, which meant I gave my all to trying to achieve that goal. I fell short, but I don’t think I fell short in my preparation towards that goal. That’s not to say I didn’t make mistakes, but we’re all human! I learnt from those mistakes. As I get back to racing now, it’s not because I feel like I have anything to prove. It’s because I love racing. I do feel like I can still get better and I am enjoying the challenge of fitting training into our life now, although it’s very different to before! ATM: What was it like keeping your pregnancy a secret last year during the first trimester? Joyce: The first trimester was hard - I felt pretty rubbish with nausea and fatigue, plus I hated having to dodge questions about my season. I also felt podgy and was sure people could guess what was going on. It was a relief to announce it! ATM: What are the differences in your training, now that you are balancing it with motherhood? Joyce: The biggest difference is I am way more time efficient! Now I wonder what I did with all the time I had pre-Archie. I do train a bit less than before in terms of hours, but I use the time I have in a very focused way. No junk miles. No procrastination! Each swim, bike or, run has a specific focus. With that said, I knew for this to work I needed to take more ownership of my training. Some days I do have to shift things around, say if I’ve been up a lot in
the night with Archie. I know it doesn’t always make sense to stick to what’s on the schedule. I see this as a good thing that will have a positive impact on my performance. Looking back, I can see I had a tendency to be a slave to the program before, which was sometimes to my detriment. ATM: What’s been the hardest aspect when juggling triathlon training and being a mum? Joyce: Getting the balance right. Brett and I have by no means mastered it, but it is a team effort, and I know I couldn’t get back to racing without his full support. We’ve definitely got to the end of some days or weeks and known, “Okay, that didn’t work,” and looked at what we can tweak to make it work better for everyone. I now try to get my longest training days done during the week so on the weekend we have more family time. I feel guilty sometimes but figure that is just part of being a parent! ATM: What was it like physically and emotionally coming back to training and racing after having the baby? Joyce: The first month or so were exhausting. I was really unfit after taking a full six weeks completely off training after Archie was born and my training during pregnancy wasn’t nearly as much as normal. I was sleep deprived, and my core was shot to pieces. Swimming for half an hour left me more physically tired than I would have been after a five-hour ride “before.” However, it also felt wonderful. Exercising and getting back to what I do is part of who I am and it was good to get back to it. I also made a conscious decision to measure my fitness by how far I was progressing from October 2016 and not by comparing myself to my fitness levels in October 2015! ATM: What were your biggest food cravings during your pregnancy? Joyce: In the first trimester, I pretty much craved any beige food such as potatoes, toast, salt n’ vinegar crisps, and cheese. My diet was pretty gross! It was a good turning point when I started to crave fruit! ATM: What was your favourite aspect of being pregnant? Joyce: I mostly enjoyed being pregnant. The first trimester wasn’t a barrel of laughs, between the nausea and worrying about the higher risks of miscarriage during those early weeks meant I didn’t really relax and enjoy it until the second trimester. I feel lucky that I mostly felt very good during my pregnancy. And, I won’t lie, it was nice to take my foot off the training pedal for nine months and get stuck into a few other projects!
babies on board Source: Instagram
Rachel Joyce with Archie
adorable
ATM: What do you love about being a mum? Joyce: I love how it’s made Brett and me even more of a team. We see caring and bringing up Archie as a partnership, and I think we communicate better than ever these days. I love going into Archie’s room in the morning and being greeted with a big smile and coo. I love seeing how he can quite literally change overnight and we watch him discovering new things, even something as simple as finding his toes or his own voice. It is just lovely. Yes, there are challenging days and nights, but anything worthwhile challenges you. ATM: What advice would you give to women triathletes about combining motherhood and triathlon? Joyce: Try to relax. I think the best thing I did for myself and our family was to not even think about training or getting back to racing in the first six weeks of Archie’s life. I really cherish those early days even though we were mostly exhausted. I feel like that would have been compromised had I been stressing about needing to get fit by a certain date. Also, view your fitness in terms of gains and not through comparisons of where you were before. It’s far more motivating. Be flexible, as sometimes you will need to skip a workout, or juggle things around. Don’t stress about it! Finally, triathlon and racing aren’t going anywhere, so take your time and enjoy the process of getting fit again. ATM: Where will you be during the Ironman World Championships this year? Joyce: I am not sure! Australian Triathlete |
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Meet
Major Holly At just 32, Major Holly Orchard has done it all. She has served in the Army, has been deployed to places like Afghanistan; she is a qualified personal trainer and teacher, and she is a four-time Ironman finisher – including the Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii. Inspired by her terminally ill mum and her pro triathlete fiancé, Holly is the definition of ‘anything is possible’. text by Margaret Mielczarek p h o t o g r a p h y f r o m H o l l y Or c h a r d
Who is Holly Orchard? I am a fiancé, daughter, and sister and try to be a good friend to the people around me. I am passionate about helping people do their best, and I have always been in the Army. In school I did cadets, and since year nine I have been in the uniform and adopting the values that I still hold today. At the moment I am the Northern Regional Commander for the Australian
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Defence Force (ADF) Investigative Service. I look after and oversee Service Police Investigations, as I am a Major in the Royal Australian Corps of Military Police. Wow! Impressive. What is your background in sport? Were you always athletic/into fitness growing up? I’ve read that your dad is a cyclist (in fact, a top age group cyclist) and in the past, you also worked as a PT. Tell us about that and the influence that had on your sporting pursuits. When I was really young, my parents had me doing ballet, Tae Kwando and gymnastics. Moving into high school my parents travelled on weekends as we renovated houses, so I was never able to play team sports except for in year 12 when I joined the local hockey team. During school hours though I played netball and went to our Country Week for soccer. Moving into the Army I dreaded running with a passion, and I had knee surgery at 17, but I didn’t want to be left behind so struggled through my training. During my training, I managed to play AFL, hockey and volleyball but running was always an issue.
During my time in the ADF, I did my PT (personal training) courses as I had such an interest in becoming someone who was able to help people with their fitness goals, and I loved it! When I left the ADF to become a high school teacher, I already had my qualification and worked in a number of gyms, which resulted in a massive amount of job satisfaction and close friends that I still catch up with. Being a PT and a teacher, I have seen the result of people being told, “you can”. That’s what I love about my life thus far. I have been able to help people get to places they didn’t see themselves getting to. What sparked your interest in endurance sports like triathlon? Initially my second knee surgery! I couldn’t walk, ride or swim. My physio at the time was a triathlete, and a work colleague of mine invited me to do a race with the local tri club.
© Commonwealth of Australia / ABIS Sarah Williams
two worlds: Australian Army Major, Holly Orchard, during the 83km cycling leg of the 10th Annual Huskisson Triathlon festival.
When was your first foray into triathlon? What was the race/distance? What was the experience like for you? Did you know then that you would go on to do Ironman? Ha-ha! This is an experience I will never forget! My work colleague invited me to a club race, and I was thinking, “I can swim 400m”, so I turned up and stood on the beach - I borrowed a tri suit from her, and lined up next to everyone else in their wetsuits. It was a one and a half lap course of 50m out, 100m across and by the first turn I was ready for the boat to come and rescue me. No one had told me about waves and bilateral breathing, and I almost drowned. I said I would never do one again. That was in 2012. Clearly, never say never!
On Triathlon/Ironman You’ve since raced in six Ironman 70.3 and four Ironman events – what is it about long course that makes you keep coming back for more? What motivates
you to continue in the sport and what are your secrets to success and longevity in this sport? It was the challenge. I was once told by a triathlon coach that they didn’t think I could do Ironman and maybe I should wait. So I always have that in my mind, that there are people out there that will put others down instead of helping them reach success. I want to be an inspiration to others - forget the haters, get out there and give it your best. When you race what’s the worst that can happen? You don’t finish? So what! You will still meet some awesome people out there. You qualified for Kona at Ironman Melbourne in 2015, through the Military Division. That must have been a proud and emotional day. Tell us about how the day unfolded, and what that experience was like for you. Who was there as your support team? I went into Melbourne injured, and I was
lucky enough to have the support of the entire ADF team. It was a tough day, especially on the bike but once I got onto the run, I found that my legs were working and I got over that finish line, which was an amazing feeling. Qualifying, as a Military participant, was amazing. To know that Ironman recognises the unique challenges that we as Military members face is so humbling. The Military Division is huge in the US, and it’s brilliant that is has been included in Australian races. What has the support been like for the Military Division here in Australia? Melbourne by far was the most amazing experience as a military member I have ever felt. We were included and made to feel so special - I felt almost guilty that I got to have VIP access to things. But equally spending over six months in Afghanistan made me realise that I should lap it up when made to feel a bit special. Australian Triathlete |
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Then you get to Kona – the Holy Grail of Ironman. You came away with a finishing time of 13:47:22, which is amazing for such a tough event like Kona. Talk us through how your day unfolded and what the Kona experience was like for you. Love. Pure love. I lapped up the people, the place and the day. I think I smiled for the entire time, even when I was on that Queen K! I loved the stunning swim, the bike was so tough, and I was just crossing my fingers that the winds didn’t throw me from the bike. I knew that once I got to the run I had it.
Then, earlier this year you raced at Ironman New Zealand. I understand this was on limited prep because you had been deployed in the lead-up and you were also injured. But you still went ahead with it. Talk us through the lead-up, how you managed to get Ironman training in while deployed and also injured. I was so blessed to have an amazing group of girls to hit the gym with in Kabul and a Commander who lead by example in the way of fitness, so it was actually really easy to train. Unfortunately, I was in a moon boot due to a stress fracture but that didn’t stop my enthusiasm for training. As there was no pool, the swim was my main concern when lining up for Ironman NZ. But my mum is terminally ill with cancer, and she has been through the roughest of rough times with her treatment, and she still fights, so
© Commonwealth of Australia / ABIS Sarah Williams
Do you think you’d like to go back to Kona one day? Sure, but I probably wouldn’t want to do it at the expense of someone else as at this stage I couldn’t see myself going to be competitive. I would just be doing it for fun.
Huskisson Triathlon Festival : Still smiling as she crosses the finishing line of the 10th Annual Huskisson Triathlon festival.
whenever I get a little voice I always think of her, and she always tells me to give it my all and prove them wrong. So yeah, I will always try for her. I understand you wanted to give up throughout the day due to how tough it was but you didn’t – you got through it and finished Ironman number four.
What are some of the mental strategies that you might use to get you through those tough times in a race? How has your Army training and experience helped you to get through these hard times and to never give up? My mum is the reason I don’t give up. My Army training has provided me with the mechanisms to dig deep and never give up. But when it gets hard I think about all the chemo mum has endured and ask myself, “Is a little swim, bike and run that hard? No! So keep going!” What’s next for you and Ironman? After Ironman NZ you had said that there will be a number five but that it will have to be a special one. Any thoughts on where/when this may be yet? It will have to be Ironman WA. It is my parent’s hometown, and it was my first Ironman, and I got a time that was very special to me. My brother races it every year now after watching me do one, so it will be Busselton.
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inspo
You have said that triathlon (Ironman in particular) has changed your life – that it lifts you to places both physically and mentally. Tell us about that. Well if it weren’t for triathlon I wouldn’t have met my soon-to-be husband, so that is the best part! Triathlon is hard, I know that and it is time-consuming and let’s not forget expensive, but it becomes a lifestyle and a coping mechanism for the stressful job and life issues that none of us can avoid.
The Army The Army – wow! That is not your typical employment. While most age groupers have to juggle work/career with Ironman training, I’d say you probably have it harder then most of us and are in a very unique situation with the work that you do as a Major in the Army. How do you manage to juggle the work that you do (which I imagine is pretty full on – especially given that you’re deployed to places like Afghanistan) with training for a sport like Ironman, that can sometimes be quite all consuming? How do you make it work? It is hard, I usually play it down, but I will be honest, it is really hard. It would be great to have a job that allowed me to live in one place and join a tri club and actually have time off to attend [training] but that’s not my life. I make it work because I put no pressure on myself and I find a support network and coaches that understand.
wedding coming up in May, which will be my time to a have a break, so I guess I only had the weekend to switch into ‘back at home Holly’. And to be honest, I haven’t stopped with Ironman NZ, wedding planning and moving to Canberra for a new job. Everyone deals with reintegration differently but that first day I got off the plane and was met by family and my beautiful Godson, then Dave and I went to Eat Street in Wollongong, and sitting there on the street with food van grub I remember saying to Dave, “You know, in Kabul this could never happen.” I was so thankful for the freedom we have, and I continue to be thankful. On your social media, someone wrote ‘qualifying for Kona is hard – the road to deployment must be a whole other story’. Talk us through that. Haha, yeah he’s another ex-military guy, so he understands. Deployment brings out the best and worst, so it’s just like Ironman. It’s long, emotional, hard and rewarding.
Family/Support – soon to be Mrs Mainwaring
What does a typical day look like for you in terms of training while being deployed? How do you fit it all in? We were up at 0450 in order to hit the gym in the morning before work at 0730, and then we try to go to the gym at night too. My job overseas made it particularly hard as I was in a very busy role so when I needed sleep over training, I took it.
Who makes up ‘Team Holly’? How important is having the right support and network around you while you’re deployed overseas and/or training for an event like an Ironman? Oh, Team Holly is the best! I have all my family, my parents, my brother Tom who does Ironman, and his wife Shelley who was a massive support while I was overseas, sending me reminders of home; as well as David’s side who did the same. I have my Wollongong family who is made up of Project M mates, ITC mates and my old PT clients who continue to inspire me. I have my ADF buddies who continue to challenge me and even my old school friends through FB and Instagram that follow my adventures.
After deployment, how do you come back to “normal” life in Australia? What impact does deployment have on you – as a daughter, friend, fiancé, triathlete? What does “normal life” look like for you? Talk us through that. Deployment for me was a chance to experience life fully immersed as a military member. I didn’t have to shop or clean or drive to work and equally, I didn’t get to go to any family event, which was hard but because I was removed I was just focused on the ‘Army Holly’. When I came back, I went straight back to work as we have the
On top of all that you do and have achieved, you’re also engaged (to David Mainwaring, pro triathlete) and by the time we go to print you will be married – huge congrats! For most couples, Ironman training on its own can be quite testy. How do you juggle a relationship with the Army/deployment and IM training? Talk us through how you make it work. Does it help having a partner who is a pro triathlete? David is my rock. Being a professional means that his work can be flexible and he puts me and my career ahead of him and
his, which is a big ask. At the moment I work in Canberra, and we live in Bulli, so we make it work through good communication and compassion. We are very lucky that we listen to each other and we have the same values.
‘Anything is Possible.’ A lot of people (athletes/non-athletes) make 101 excuses as to why they can’t do something or why they can’t achieve their goals because of life/work/family etc. Given all that you’ve been through, seen and experienced through the Army, what is your advice to others about not letting life stop you from achieving your goals? What is life if you are not achieving your goals? You don’t get another go. Going through the motions isn’t an option for me. My mum being terminally ill and with Dave’s dad losing his battle to cancer last year, we are constantly reminded that life is short. If someone wants to do something they will. I get that fear can be a big factor, as someone who once signed up for a 10km fun run, went there and then went home as I didn’t think I could do it, I get it! But never let fear be the reason you don’t reach your goals. We can’t all be Prime Minister or win an Ironman, but if you set reasonably achievable goals and your support network say: “YOU CAN DO IT”, then listen, seek help, motivation, guidance and support from those people and there will be nothing that can stop you.
Australian Triathlete |
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Post Olympics Quad
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| Australian Triathlete
Post Olympics Quad
Short Course Stars Mixing It Up In 2017
© ITU Media/Wagner Araujo
After a concerted focus on the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, a handful of short course stars are turning their attention to events outside the traditional ITU, World Triathlon Series (WTS) circuit in 2017. For several athletes, it looks to be a permanent departure from WTS racing, while for others, 2017 is merely good timing to mix up the schedule without the imminent pressure of Olympic qualification and the 2020 Tokyo Games. We chatted with four Rio Olympians who are stepping up to race the half distance in 2017.
text by jordan blanco p h o t o g r a p h y b y I TU M E d i a
Alistair
Richard
© ITU Media/Janos M.Schmidt
BROWNLEE Two-time Olympic gold medalist, Alistair Brownlee, made headlines earlier this year when he announced his intention to focus on the half iron distance in 2017 with an eye towards Ironman racing in upcoming seasons. While the elder Brownlee brother’s departure from WTS racing may come as a welcome relief for draft-legal racers, including younger brother Jonny Brownlee, his focus on longer distance, non-draft racing stands to spice up the competition at the pointy end of 70.3 events. Brownlee’s trademark aggressive and off-the-front racing style is expected to translate well to the half distance, as he demonstrated at the recent Challenge Gran Canaria race, taking the lead during the hilly, technical bike course and winning comfortably with a 1:11 run split. “My training hasn’t changed a great deal,” he explains, “I’ve tried to prepare for the longer, steady state style effort of the non-drafting bike leg and this has mainly involved long TT efforts.” His true test over the distance came at the recent Ironman 70.3 North American Regional
Murrray Championships in St. George, where Brownlee faced off against the in-form Lionel Sanders of Canada and Germany’s Sebastian Kienle, a two-time World Champion over the 70.3 distance. Any doubts about how his short-course cycling abilities would translate to non-draft racing were quashed as the Brit got away during the early miles of the bike, and was not seen again by his competitors. His bike split was almost identical to that of Sanders. Brownlee’s next race is the WTS event in his hometown of Leeds in early June. Thereafter he will look to add more 70.3 races to his calendar with a season goal to “qualify for the 70.3 World Championships”. Triathlon fans will need to wait a year to see Brownlee in Kona as his debut over the full distance will likely take place in 2018: “if the half distance racing goes well and I enjoy it, I would like to do [an Ironman] in the next season or two.”
Another Olympian testing the waters of non-drafting racing is South Africa’s Richard Murray. The fourth place finisher at the Rio Olympics. Murray is set to tackle the Challenge Championship race in Samorin, Slovakia, in early June. Murray recently spent time in the wind tunnel with bike sponsor, Specialized, to dial in his TT bike position among other things. Murray claims to be just testing the waters at the half distance: “I’m looking forward to seeing how I fare over the distance, hoping I don’t blow up!” Not much has changed about his training so far, but Murray will be working with his coach, Joel Filliol, in the lead up to the race, increasing bike and run volume as well as more building TT efforts on the bike. Having raced a TT bike at last year’s Island House Invitational Triathlon, an event he won, he’s clearly no slouch at non-drafting races. But don’t expect to see Murray on an Ironman start line anytime soon: “I doubt I’ll do an Ironman as I prefer high paced racing, but I’m keen to see how I go over the half-distance.” Australian Triathlete |
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© ITU Media/Janos M.Schmidt
Duffy Flora Duffy is hands down, the most versatile athlete in women’s WTS racing, earning three world titles in 2016 across WTS, XTERRA and ITU Cross Triathlon. She’s expanding her horizons even further in 2017, mixing in mountain biking and non-draft racing into her schedule. “Last season was great but also very intense,” confesses Duffy, “so I wanted to add a few ‘fun’ and different races to my 2017 calendar that will take me out of my comfort zone and challenge me in ways that ITU does not.” Her overarching goal for the year is to defend her WTS and XTERRA world titles and longer term Duffy is hoping to represent Bermuda at her fourth consecutive Olympic Games in Tokyo 2020. Duffy had hoped to make her non-draft racing debut at this year’s Escape from Alcatraz in June, but a stress reaction has delayed the start to her triathlon season. She hopes to squeeze a half distance race into her schedule towards the end of the year: “I really enjoyed racing my Scott Plasma last year at the Island House Invitational, and it’s motivated me to try a 70.3.” Duffy has an additional incentive to try her hand at half/70.3 racing before the next Olympics rolls around. The 2018 Ironman 70.3 World Championships is set to take place in Port Elizabeth, South Africa: “I spend half the year in South Africa and will get married there later this year so it would be special to race in my second home.”
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Lisa
Norden
Olympic silver medalist from the 2012 London Games, Lisa Norden of Sweden, is no stranger to the half distance, having dabbled in a few races after the culmination of the London quad in 2013. With a fast swim and strong cycling abilities, she’s sure to be a threat when she toes the line at the upcoming Ironman 70.3 Mallorca. Norden has changed her training situation this season, joining up with the Norwegian National team for the year. “They have a taste for volume and threshold training, and a LOT of it,” she says about her new squad, “so even if I’m, technically, with a short course group, I’m doing more hours and distance than ever before.” Having battled an Achilles heel injury over the past year, the run is likely to be the question mark for Norden over the longer distances. “I always found the run terribly long in 70.3 races,” she admits, “and I guess much of the race comes down to nutrition as well! It plays a much higher factor than in two-hour races.” Norden will continue to race several World Cup and WTS races in 2017, so training for her is “a balance of speed and distance”. But she has her eye on qualifying for the Ironman 70.3 World Championships: “I’m looking at the Ironman 70.3 race in Exmoor... or, alternatively, the 70.3 in Haugesund, which makes sense with my Norwegian connection! It’s also the last race to qualify for the [2017] Ironman 70.3 world champs!”
While a full distance Ironman race is not yet on the schedule for Norden in 2017, it’s part of her longer term plans: “It’s such a big part of triathlon so of course, I’m curious about the Ironman distance. Having seen some of my previous training partners and competitors stepping up and doing it so well, I’d like to give it a go also!
© ITU Media/Delly Carr
Flora
tech talk Tri Products
Velotoze Helmet Cover veloToze Helmet Cover is designed for cycling on cold or rainy days. Whether its race day, training day or just another commute day, veloToze Helmet Cover will help you ride more comfortably. Waterproof: covers your helmet with a water-proof material that keeps rain and fog away from your head Windproof: windproof materials keep your head warm, even on cool mornings (10C to 18C) Lightweight: weighs less than 45 grams and doesn’t retain water when wet Aerodynamic: flexible material creates a form-fitting design, dimples reduce drag Easy to Remove: easy to remove if the skies clear or you warm-up on your ride Compact: easily fits in jersey pocket or saddle bag RRP: $44.95 www.echelonsports.com.au
Road ID The Wrist Id Slim 2 Rose Gold The Slim 2 is something special, but we felt it was missing one key ingredient: a woman’s touch. So we took our classic design and wrapped the clasp and faceplate in an elegant, golden finish that’s as versatile as it is eye-catching. Aside from the finish, which is available in standard gold or rose gold, everything under the hood remains the same, from the stainless steel hardware to the high-quality silicone bands. Speedsleev Bag Ranger Blk The Speedsleev Ranger enables extremely tight fit and narrow profile, and will work with most dropper style seatposts Water proof ballistic nylon Designed specifically to carry: - 2-Road tubes or 1-Mountain tube - 2-16-20 gram Co2 canisters - 2 Tire Levers Inflator head - Multi tool RRP: $49.95 www.echelonsports.com.au
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RRP: $34.99 www.roadid.com
Zipp SL70 Aero Matte Black Zipp’s SL-70 Aero is, in every way, a high-performance bar. This unidirectional carbon handlebar is packed with innovations for best-in-class fit, ergonomics and aerodynamic performance. With its wing-shaped bar top, the SL-70 Aero features Zipp’s latest bar refinements while building on the trend-setting aero legacy of the VukaSprint. RRP: $499.00 www.echelonsports.com.au
Feedback Tool Kit Ride Prep 12pc Fine tune your bike before or after a ride with this set of essentials. Perfectly sized to keep on the bench or in the car. ------------------
Tool case included Fixed 3-way TORX T25/27/30 Fixed 3-way Hex 2/2.5/3mm Fixed 3-way Hex 4/5/6mm L-Hex 8mm #0 Phillips Schrader core tool Presta core tool Valve extender wrench Spoke wrench Chain pin press Rotor truing tool Crank arm cap tool Steel core tire levers Brake pad spreader 15mm pedal wrench 15mm axle nut wrench
RRP: $209.95 www.echelonsports.com.au
Cycliq Fly6 HD Camera and Tail-Light Combo The Fly6 is a rear LED light with a built in HD camera. Fly6 replaces your existing tail-light and records in real-time what happens behind you, so you can ride on worry free. RRP $199.00 www.cycliq.com
DYNA 6 Women’s Trail Running A women’s specific medium-capacity trail running vestpack for endurance races, training and more. BUILT FOR SPEED - Vest-pack fit provides bounce-free stability and purpose-built for incredible comfort so you can focus on FKT’s and PR’s. HYDRATION INCLUDED - Bottles, reservoirs and add-on flexibility for short runs, long runs and everything in between. You decide what you need. Duro/Dyna makes it possible. EASY GEAR ACCESS - Pockets up front for quick access to fuel and soft-flasks, trekking pole storage when you need to use your hands as much as your feet to move forward, and room for rain gear and extra layers. RRP: $169.95 www.ospreypacks.com/au Australian Triathlete |
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tech talk
Product: Elite RAMPA
Product Spotlight
Smart Interactive Trainer
I
talian company Elite has been a leader in the cycling industry for over 30 years. As one of the worlds leading manufactures of cycling products from bottles and bottle cages, in-door trainers and rollers with new levels of realism, to the active ozone-based OzoneElite performance creams. Elite continues to offer cyclists new products that enhance the cycling experience. Elite has, and continues to be, the choice of more than half of the
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professional cycling teams on the circuit including Team Sky, Movistar, BMC Racing Team and Orica Scott cycling team. With in-house researchers and engineers, the R&D team of Elite continues its research in mechanics, electronics, chemistry and biodynamics, to refine and advance the development of indoor-training management software, explore the function and efficiency of bottle cages, and examine materials for bringing increased thermal performance to bottles.
Product by product and season-by-season Elite aim to bring new innovation and refinement to the market.
Elite Rampa Smart Interactive Trainer RAMPA is a latest generation wireless electronic home trainer that uses a double communication protocol system (ANT+™ FE-C and Bluetooth Smart) to easily connect with iOS or Android smartphones and tablets via the Elite My E-Training app that professionally manages
Features • Interactive wireless Smart home trainer with automatic resistance adjustment. • High power output: 800 watts at 35 km/h. • Electronically managed magnetic resistance, based on the type of training or course selected. • Simulates slopes up to 10%. • Compatible with third party apps and software. As well sa computers, Smartphones, tablets and cycle computers that feature Ant+ (Fe-C) and Bluetooth Smart protocols. • Compatible with Real Software Elite. • Resistance managed via the standard ANT+ FE-C (Fitness Equipment Control) profile and Power, Speed & Cadence data sent via the standard ANT+ Power and Speed & Cadence profiles. • Power and Speed & Cadence data sent via the standard Power and Speed & Cadence Bluetooth service. • Resistance managed via the proprietary Bluetooth service. • The reinforced frame (50mm tubes) and wide footprint ensure safety and stability.
40mm Diameter Elastogel roller.
indoor training sessions. It also features Real software for PC Windows that is as easy to use and exhaustive as the My E-Training app. These two options offer video simulations of RealVideo (pro races designed by Elite), My RealVideo (courses created by the user community), training programs, free training, Google Maps courses, the saving and analysis of training data, data export in many formats/providers and many other options. Additionally, third party software, such as Zwift, Kinomap, TrainerRoad, etc., easily connects to the RAMPA for a wider range of indoor training customisation.
• Automatic Tension Plate: a system that maintains the correct pressure between the unit roller and tire throughout training sessions. • Fast Fixing: a quick, easy and safe way to secure the bicycle to the trainer. • Compatible with: Road bikes with 24’’-29’’ wheels, Mountain bikes with 24’’-29’’ wheels. • 40mm Gel Roller.
RRP: $849.95
For a list of retailers or to find out more information, head to www.cassons.com.au Australian Triathlete |
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tech talk Road Test
Zipp 454 NSW Carbon Clincher
Z
ipp is not really a brand that needs any introduction in the world of triathlon. In fact, to say Zipp is the most recognisable brand to a triathlete would not be an exaggeration. They are considered by most to be the market leader in wheel technology and are usually the first to introduce new ideas to the wheel market. Zipp has grown up with triathlon and used triathlon as a playground to develop and advance their vast array of products. And for most of its lifespan triathlon has been the beneficiary of these advancements in technology.
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Zipp was founded back in 1988 and was in fact born out of the motorsports industry in Speedway, Indiana. Fiercely proud of their American heritage, they began with a simple disc wheel and are generally accredited with having introduced the use of carbon fibre in wheels production for bikes. They soon followed the disc wheel with deep rim wheels, tri spoke wheels and even the fabled Zipp 2001 tri bike. Stems, cranks, handlebar systems, tri bars, bar tape, tyres and multiple amounts of wheels have all followed. They were at the forefront of the change to wide rims and are known
Product Tested: Zipp 454 NSW Carbon Clincher
worldwide for the distinctive dimples on all their wheels, which is designed to induce boundary layer turbulence and prevent detached airflow in crosswinds. To our knowledge, they are still the only company using such a design. For over a decade now, when it comes to race specific wheels, Zipp have offered the 404, 808 and Discs (900 and Super 9) albeit in continually evolving designs. All of these wheels are available in Firecrest Clincher, Tubular, Clincher disc brake, Tubular disc brake and NSW versions, which brings us to the new Zipp 454 NSW Carbon Clincher. This is the biggest change to the Zipp lineup in over 10 years and has resulted in a completely redesigned rim and wheel. Like most triathletes, we had seen photos of the new 454 NSW wheelset, but it’s not until you pull them out of the wheels bag and see them for the first time that the shape really hits you. To say it’s unique would be an understatement. The saw tooth profile is very pronounced and at
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
first is quite strange. It gets even more odd when you read about why Zipp chose this new shape. For the 454 NSW Zipp have utilised biomimicry, an emerging science where engineers and scientists study nature to see how it solved problems, through evolution, that they are trying to solve now. In the case of Zipp, they are trying to improve the speed, control and efficiency of their new generation wheels. So, where in nature did Zipp look? Well, sea life of course, and more specifically the Humpback whale and the leading edge of its pectoral fin, and the textured skin of a shark, which helps it glide effortlessly through the water. So why the need to go in this new direction? Well, as stated before Zipp wanted to improve on the speed, control and efficiency of their wheels. In simple terms, deeper improves the aerodynamics but reduces handling from side winds, while shallower improves handling from side winds but reduces the aerodynamics. Zipp realised that if they
We would have to say that the 454 NSW’s are a faster wheel than — The Test Lab most wheels out there. were to have any chance of improving both aerodynamics and handling, they would have to think outside the box. Enter biomimicry. From here we end up with a Sawtooth shaped rim, inspired by the tubercles (the shaped bumps) on the pectoral fins of the humpback whale, and the Hyperfoils and HexFins, which replaced the usual dimples. The Sawtooth rim rolls from 53 to 58mm in depth while the Hyperfoils are fin shaped and the HexFins are basically the ‘new’ dimple but in the shape of a hexagon. All of this is designed to reduce aerodynamic drag and
side forces while improving airflow. One of the supposed benefits of the foils and fins is that put simply they wash off the pressure build up of air on the rims more frequently, creating a greater number of smaller, less powerful and more predictable vortices, which leads to more stability. Now, this all makes for a great story, and Zipp actually has a very slick little video to market these new features to you and try to convince you of their virtue. But are they any better and are they worth the $6000+ price tag? Australian Triathlete |
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tech talk Road Test
a fast option: No matter the weather, you can stay aero with the 454’s.
Because it’s so hard to write about a wheelset without something to compare it to we grabbed a set of 404 Firecrests from a mate. While they weren’t the NSW version, they gave us a good comparison. The 454’s had a notably more rigid feel to them, which helped to instil a bit more confidence in them, and the Cognition hubs were a huge step up from the standard 404 hubs - they spin a lot longer than the regular hubs found in the 404’s. This may have something to do with the new design of the ‘Cognition’ hub. Those of you who have the 404 NSW’s will already know about these hubs, but for everyone else, they essentially disengage the ratchet system when free wheeling, thus creating almost friction-free rolling in the hub. While this doesn’t mean the wheels are faster in an all-out effort, it did allow us to hold speed longer when coasting on downhills or in a group, which was pretty cool. There are a couple of other cool features to the hubs such as the need for no maintenance or lubrication due to the use of magnets to operate the system. They also feature factory set preload bearings that need no adjustment.
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Other than a feeling more ridged and spinning better, how did the 454’s perform? Well initially, on our normal test loop, they didn’t present much faster, if at all. It was within seconds at approximately the same power, with both of us experiencing the same. They certainly felt more responsive and somehow felt more stable, but that was it. Our initial rides were however on fairly calm days, and it wasn’t until the week leading up to Challenge Melbourne that we really noticed a difference in the 454 NSW’s versus the standard 404’s. Now there were some seriously windy days around this time, and it was then that we really noticed a difference. These wheels just don’t move. In areas of heavy cross winds where whoever was on the 404’s had to sit up to control the bike, whoever was on the 454’s just rolled on in the aero position. It was almost comical as whoever was on the 454’s looked like they were taking the mickey out of the other. Just the ability to stay in the aero position longer helps to make these wheels a fast option, but the wind wasn’t the only place that these wheels felt fast. Heading to the
Product Tested: Zipp 454 NSW Carbon Clincher
hills, it was impressive just how well the 454’s handle descending. Cornering felt tighter, more like a shallower wheel, which we guess is due to the varying depths, and the wheels seemed to hold the road better. A lot of confidence in the wheels was drawn from the braking track. The NSW range of wheels all feature Zipp’s new silicon carbide ‘Showstopper’ brake track. Improved grip and little ridges in the track allow much quicker braking in all conditions. This means you can brake much later into corners and feel really confident that you still have control. Even on my 2011 Giant Trinity, which had a reputation for bad braking, I had no issues, and PB’d my decent of Melbourne’s legendary 1in20 by 35 sec. While we can’t get into a wind tunnel to test these wheels out, when you put all the things we experienced, together increased rigidity, better handling in cross winds, later breaking and improved cornering - we would have to say that the 454 NSW’s are a faster wheel than most wheels out there. In fact, they are probably our favourite wheels to have ridden. What’s exciting for us is the trickle down effect for the future. Things like the Showstopper breaking and Cognition hubs will hopefully make their way into future wheelsets across the board. And hopefully, we will see deeper versions of the Sawtooth design, whether that’s an 808 depth or even a 75mm depth you would have to think they are coming. At the moment the rather hefty price tag of the 454 NSW’s would be their biggest drawback. At around $6000AUD for the set, the market for them are either people with deep pockets who are after a bit of bling or the high-end age grouper, or pro, who is looking for that little bit of extra time to win or place in their division at a big race like Hawaii. Hopefully soon Zipp will be able to shorten the build time, from the current 12 hours per wheel and in the process bring down the price so we can all enjoy the benefits of this exciting new wheel.
tech talk save/spend/splurge
WOMEN
MEN Save
$75.00
ASICS Asics Stripe Tight ASICS Mens Stripe Tight is a perfect mix of comfort and performance. Made from and ultra lightweight compressive fabric, it provides excellent moisture management quick-dry properties, as well as an easy on easy off function. www.asics.com.au
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PROJECT CLOTHING Mens V2 Compression Tights PROJECT compression is engineered with multiple panels to provide concentrated pressure to the muscles and ensure maximum power during exercise and recovery. Our compression design along with our high Lycra® content promotes greater circulation and increasing oxygen to the muscle without constriction – allowing you to move freer with maximum muscle support. www.projectclothing.com.au
Splurge
Product: Full-Length Compression Tights
$70.00 Skins A200 Women’s Thermal Compression Long Tights Skins unique scientifically proven engineered gradient compression improves circulation, getting more fresh oxygen to your muscles, helping you shape, tone and sculpt your body whatever your sport. www.skins.net/au
Lululemon Fast And Free Tight LYCRA® Added Lycra® fibre for stretch and shape retention HIDDEN POCKET Stash your essentials in the hidden waistband pocket NAKED SENSATION Engineered to feel like your go-to, lightweight, second-skin layer—you’ll forget you’re wearing this next-to-nothing sensation as you move www.lululemon.com.au
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$200.00 $200.00
2XU The 2XU Elite Power Recovery Tights are the ultimate compression tights for those wanting to get back to their peak in the fastest possible time. Featuring graduated stamping technology with overfoot compression for greater recovery. Proper recovery is essential to any training regimes to help prevent overuse injuries. www.2xu.com/au
2XU Power Recovery Compression Tights The 2XU Power Recovery Compression Tights are the ultimate compression tights for those wanting to get back to their peak in the fastest possible time. Featuring graduated stamping technology and over foot compression for increased venous return. Proper recovery is essential to any training regimes to help prevent overuse injuries. www.2xu.com/au
Australian Triathlete |
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tech talk 2XU Compression
Compression for recovery
P
roper recovery is essential to any training plan to help prevent overuse injuries, and sports experts are uncovering huge gains by implementing smart recovery techniques. During training and competition, the body can be subject to explosive movements and strain on muscles that can leave an athlete feeling depleted and sore. A central factor in recovery is muscle relaxation and stimulating blood flow, both to and from the muscles. Massage, foam rolling, contrast showers and
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stretching all help, but wearing 2XU compression garments also delivers huge gains – and it takes no extra time or effort. It’s important for all triathletes to get their body back to its peak level in the fastest possible time ahead of the next training session or event. Many recovery strategies for elite athletes – including the use of compression –are based on medical science, which is traditionally used to treat lymphatic and circulatory conditions. Recovery compression should be a graduated fit to help stimulate blood circulation for faster muscle repair and
recovery. Professional trainers and elite athletes understand that they recover faster and perform better after wearing compression gear such as tights, socks and calf sleeves. Compression garments are thought to improve venous return through the application of graduated compression to the limbs from proximal to distal (Bochmann et al., 2005). The external pressure created may reduce the intramuscular space available for swelling and promote stable alignment of muscle fibres, attenuating the inflammatory
Q&A
with Dr. Shona Halson, AIS Senior Recovery Physiologist Q. What is the best way to wear compression garments? Any tips on the fit and how long to wear them for? A. We generally instruct athletes to wear the smallest size that they can comfortably wear for at least an hour. Q. How soon after training should you wear them and how long should you wear them for? A. We recommend that athletes wear 2XU compression for at least an hour after training or competition. It’s not a problem to wear them longer as long as the individual is comfortable. Many athletes anecdotally report they like wearing them for longer periods, especially if travelling.
Compression clothing works for recovery best when it is worn in the 12 to 48 hours after “significant amounts of muscledamage-inducing exercise”.
response and reducing muscle soreness (Kraemer et al., 2001; Bochmann et al., 2005; Davies et al., 2009). Compression garments have been studied for their effect on recovery between sessions, between bouts of exercise (e.g. go on and off the field or court) and for their part in limiting post-exercise muscle damage that can result in soreness and/or a slower recovery. A British study on the effectiveness of post‐match recovery strategies in rugby players showed that compression works for a variety of activities, ranging from ultraendurance to sprints to jumping and power sports. In this study, an enhanced rate and magnitude of recovery was observed. Low impact exercise immediately post‐competition, wearing compression garments, enhanced creatine kinase clearance more than passive recovery in young male athletes (Gill, N D, C M Beaven, & C Cook 2006, p.40).
Q. Is there any benefit of wearing them in training? Are you going to recover faster if you wear them in training? A. There is some evidence to say you will perform better if wearing 2XU compression during exercise. We are in the early days of research as to why, but increased blood flow and reduced muscle damage (from reduced muscle oscillation) are likely important factors. Q. Do they actually do what they say they do rather than just a placebo effect? A. There are a number of meta-analyses of all the research available and they describe increases in performance, reductions in fatigue and increases in recovery. So, yes there is sufficient scientific evidence to support their use. Q. Should athletes wear them in travel e.g. on the plane? Why? A. 2XU make a specific travel sock, which can be very useful for travel. Compression garments can be an important means of preventing deep vein thrombosis during long-haul travel. Q. Any extra benefit if you sleep in them? A. Wearing compression during sleep can be beneficial due to the additional time spent wearing them. Again, if athletes find it comfortable, it can be a good way of getting additional recovery.
Australian Triathlete |
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tech talk 2XU Compression
Three of the best: 2XU Power Recovery Compression Tights Photo: © xxxxxxxx
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Researchers say that compression clothing works for recovery best when it is worn in the 12 to 48 hours after “significant amounts of muscle-damage-inducing exercise”. An athlete should aim to wear compression garments for at least a couple of hours. It is perfectly safe (and convenient) to wear compression garments to bed or when sitting for a long time – in fact, this is when it will work best. True graduated compression garments have a significant impact on performance and an even greater impact on recovery. A proper compression garment needs to be firm enough to wrap muscles and hold them in place during activity. This helps to prevent muscle movement and microtears that can cause soreness and fatigue. 2XU’s recovery technology provides superior grade compression to stabilise muscles and promote increased blood flow. Increasing venous return to the heart and blood circulation helps with the
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Specifically designed for recovery, with a stronger compression fabric throughout the sock for enhanced circulation and blood lactate clearance after activity.
removal of blood lactate from muscles to return oxygenated blood to the body. This helps to reduce swelling and speed up muscle repair. 2XU uses circular-knit, graduated compression, which means that the pressure of the compression is great at the extremities (feet, lower calves, ankles, wrists) to enhance blood flow back to the heart. 2XU also has a designated Recovery line of compression that is completely comprised of PWX – 2XU’s most powerful compression fabric.
References: Bochmann, R. P., W. Seibel, E. Haase, V. Hietschold, H. Rodel and A. Deussen (2005). External compression increases forearm perfusion. J Appl Physiol 99(6): 2337-44. Gill, N D, C M Beaven, and C Cook. “Effectiveness of Post‐match Recovery Strategies in Rugby Players.” British Journal of Sports Medicine 40.3 (2006): 260–263. PMC. Web. 2 May 2017. Kraemer, W. J., J. A. Bush, R. B. Wickham, C. R. Denegar, A. L. Gomez, A. L. Gotshalk, N. D. Duncan, J. S. Volek, R. U. Newton, M. Putukian and W. J. Sebastianelli (2001). Continuous compression as an effective therapeutic intervention in treating eccentric-exercise-induced muscle soreness. J Sport Rehab 10: 11-23.
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tech talk Road Test
Exploring the Latest in Multisport Watch Technology text by Margaret Mielczarek p h o t o g r a p h y b y S u u n t o a n d G a rmi n
I’
m a bit of a tech geek at heart and love playing with new toys and gadgets, so I felt like a kid in a candy store at work recently when I was asked to review the latest offerings in multisport watch technology – the Suunto Spartan Sport Wrist HR and the Garmin Fenix 5S. When the courier delivered the packages, it was like Christmas morning, and after opening the boxes, I was itching to have a play. Both watches had a similar style, boxed packaging, with each box containing the watch, the charging cable and the user manual. The Garmin came with a black silicone band and a silver bezel, while the Suunto came with a bright blue band and a black bezel. Even though the Garmin, with the black band, looks very elegant, it was love at first sight when I saw the
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Suunto – I think I may have even let out an excited, “wow” at the colour of the watch and band. I love anything bright, so the bright blue definitely caught my eye. Both watches do come in a range of colours though, so I may have had the same reaction if the Garmin I got came with a coloured band. The Suunto comes in thicker bright blue, black and light pink bands, which look like they would be quite durable. Durability is exactly what you want in a multisport watch – there’s nothing worse than losing your watch in an open water swim, for example, because the band has broken and the watch has come off. The Garmin band comes in a range of colours and styles as well – from black, blue and yellow to white and red. But the cool extra feature in the Garmin is that the bands are
Product Tested:
Suunto Spartan Sport Wrist HR and Garmin Fenix 5S
designed to pop on and off easily and quickly, meaning you can match your watch to your outfit without having to buy a whole new watch. The bands easily clip on and off – there is a lever, with a single-press button, below the band, against your wrist. The only thing here is, after wear and tear, will this potentially mean issues with the watch coming off in the water? The lever and button are below the band, and against your wrist, so this hopefully shouldn’t happen – it’s something to look out for. As mentioned above, both watches came with a charging cable – really, you’d expect this to be the case! The cables for both the Suunto and Garmin come with a USB port – so, just plug it into your computer and let the charging begin. Both cables clip securely into the back of the watch - this does mean that you can’t have the watch on your wrist when charging. No real issue but may be a pain if you’re competing in a multi-day event and you want to quickly charge your watch using a battery pack, while you’re on the go – you’ll have to take the watch off to charge it. Next up, the watch face. The two main differences between the watch face of the Suunto and the Garmin are the size and functionality. Both have colour screens, and you can customise both screens as desired. But the Suunto is bigger than the Garmin. This isn’t a massive issue – the Suunto still felt fine to wear during training, and I really didn’t notice the size too much. However, aesthetically, particularly for a small female wrist, the Garmin looks better and more in proportion. The Suunto, when compared to the Garmin, almost looks like
Choices: Whether you choose Suunto or Garmin, you will get a high-quality multisport watch.
I’m wearing a small satellite dish. But I’m being picky here and like I said, this didn’t affect the wear of the watch at all. In fact, I really only noticed the size when I put on the Garmin after having worn the Suunto. The main difference in the functionality of the watch face between the Suunto and the Garmin is that the Suunto is touch screen. It took a little bit of time getting used to the touch screen, and it was a little frustrating at times during training because I’m so used to the buttons on a Garmin, and knowing exactly what to press and when to capture my training data. But this is no reflection on the watch itself – it’s a case of getting used to it. Although, I did find that the touch screen on the Suunto a little unresponsive at times, especially if my hands were sweaty and in the pool. However, the Suunto watch face does also come with three buttons on one side of the watch to help in these situations. Possibly my favourite feature of both watches is the wrist HR (heart rate) sensor. Goodbye heart rate strap – it’s not me, it’s you! Monitoring your HR during
training is useful in that it helps with keeping to the prescribed intensity and it can be used to calculate other data such as total calories burned. But wearing a HR strap, for me anyway, can be a pain in the…! HR straps can cause some serious chaffing and often slide down – they’re just annoying. Who’s with me? Doing away with the strap has been the best thing. Both the Suunto and the Garmin use wrist HR technology – the Garmin uses Garmin’s signature Elevate™ optical wrist-based HR technology, whereas the Suunto uses Valencell, which is said to be the most accurate biometric sensor for wearable sports technology. The way wrist HR technology works is underneath both watches are green optical sensors, which, when placed on
your skin, detect your HR. The optical sensors are green as it is said green sensors better detect HR across a broader range of skin tones. You need to make sure the watch is on firmly and above the wrist bone to get the most accurate reading. It’s useful to note that wrist HR doesn’t work as well in water as water passing through, between the watch and your wrist is said to interrupt the technology. In terms of HR monitoring, the main difference between the two watches is that the Garmin measures 24-hour HR, sampling your HR every 1-2 seconds, regardless of whether you’re at rest or training. Whereas the Suunto is not able to measure 24-hour HR. Instead, the Suunto lets you check your HR throughout the day
Goodbye heart rate strap — Margaret Mielczarek it’s not me, it’s you. Australian Triathlete |
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tech talk Road Test
Product Tested:
Suunto Spartan Sport Wrist HR and Garmin Fenix 5S
actually already had the Garmin Connect App on my phone and found no issues adding a new watch to the App). However, I did find initially, that syncing the Garmin to the App to upload my training data took a little longer at the start, compared to the Suunto, but that resolved itself pretty quickly. What’s more, both Garmin Connect and Movescount are integrated into Strava. So, no matter which watch you choose, you can still challenge your mates to that Strava segment!
Other features of both watches worth noting include:
as desired, showing you your HR trend over the previous five minutes. Both watches measure HR in training. Knowing HR trends (including HR trends at rest) is useful to help detect any potential issues such as illness. This makes the Garmin the stand out in this case. Another difference between the watches worth mentioning is the ability of the watches to sync and save collected data with their respective Apps – Garmin Connect and Movescount. The Garmin saves collected data on Garmin Connect, including the 24-hour HR, and resting and average resting HR. Unfortunately, Suunto only saves training data on Movescount and doesn’t save the HR trends at rest. This again, makes the Garmin the standout. With the plethora of gadgets and App’s available on the market to measure and monitor your training data, you’d be hard pressed to find a triathlete who isn’t number-obsessed. “Have you seen my latest ride on Strava,” sound familiar? Both Garmin and Suunto have come to the party when it comes to data collecting with easy to use App’s that sync with their respective watches, enabling better data interpretation, along with an assortment of other functions and capabilities. However, Garmin Connect appears to be the stand out here with a lot more information being available to the athlete,
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including HR, stress scores, training load, VO2 max, training effect, time in training zones, calories in/out and more. While the Suunto App, Movescount does seem a little more basic in comparison - it has a cool heat map feature, which Garmin Connect doesn’t have. The heat map shows you popular training spots (for say, swim, bike and run) in your area. This is great if you want to train with others. It’s also great if you want to avoid people. Another cool feature on the Movescount App is the ‘Suunto Movie’ (as far as I can tell, you can only watch this on your phone). Once you’ve uploaded your workout to the App you can watch a movie of your workout – a movie tracking the map where you ran or rode. Throughout the movie you’ll see the title of the workout (bike/run etc.), the date, duration, the location, how many stops you made (great information for your coach - just because you paused your watch doesn’t mean you didn’t stop. Ha!), your fastest time and peak heart rate. What’s more, you can share your Suunto Movie on your socials for your friends and family to see. Along with the heat map, this was probably my favourite feature on the Movescount App. I found both Garmin Connect and Movescount easy to use – I had no issue downloading both Apps onto my iPhone (I
• Water resistance up to 100m • They are both multisport, and you can choose from about 80 sports profiles, including SUPing • Long battery life – the battery in both watches seemed to last for days • Basic smart features – the Garmin also has weathzer and calendar features, which the Suunto doesn’t • Navigational features • The ability to create training plans or training routes on each App, which can be downloaded to the watch (for both the Garmin and the Suunto) • Activity tracking (step counter) • Stopwatch • Alarm • Compass
The cost: • Suunto Spartan Sport Wrist HR $699 • Garmin Fenix 5S $ 799
The latest offerings in multisport watches, the Garmin and the Suunto are both top of their class. While the Garmin appears to be the superior of the two (particularly for triathletes), Suunto still has some cool features. So, whichever brand you choose, you will get a highquality multisport watch. But personally, given the extra functions and capabilities of the Garmin – I’d choose the Garmin.
13-16 JULY 2017
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M US I N GS Change your Thoughts Change your Life
H
ow many of you get paralysed with fear in certain situations? Whether it be in life, or on the start line of your biggest race of the year? All of us have experienced fear and fear comes in many forms. If we look at the fear experienced on the start line of your major race, we can associate that fear to not wanting to fail - if we fail, we will disappoint ourselves, the people we love and everyone around us. If we disappoint these people, we fear losing their love or respect. Yes, it goes that deep. People have the power to choose what they think, believe and feel. In an instant, we can change the meaning of something, to positively influence our experience. For instance, at that moment when you feel paralysed with fear, you have a choice. Let that fear hold you back from giving everything you have towards being the best that you can be on that day - protect yourself. If you don’t fully put yourself out there, you won’t put yourself in danger of failing. If you don’t take big risks, you can feel safe, and comfortable. The problem is that the consequences of shrinking yourself to avoid failure are far worse, than
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the consequences of taking a leap of faith, going all-in and risking failure. Why? Because if you don’t lay it all out there, how will you ever know what you are truly capable of? How will you grow? It is by going all in, by taking risks, and tempting failure, that we grow. When we fail, we learn, this is when we grow. It is through problems or disappointment that we become connected to our greatest desires, and what needs to be done to get from where we are to where we want to be. If you sit back, and don’t risk at all, and let your fear hold you back from fully expressing your passion, the consequences are far more severe - feelings of inadequacy, stagnation, or weakness. Disappointment in yourself for not having the courage to step into the unknown and see what you can do! By letting your fear “bench you”, you will never know just how far or how fast you can go, or how tough you can be. You will sit safely in the bud and will never truly be able to realise your potential. The moment we change the meaning of something, we create a lifelong transformation in our experiences. Meaning leads to emotion - emotion leads to action.
By changing the way we look upon how we feel at the start line, we can change our entire experience on race day. For instance, what if we took that feeling of fear and decided that it is just excitement excitement for the opportunity to get out and do what we love. Push ourselves to be the best that we can be on the day. We typically feel fear because we care. We care about living up to our potential. We care about making all our efforts pay off. We care what other people think about us, and we care about people loving and respecting us. But fear won’t do us any good - it is a disempowering emotion. Let’s replace this fear with gratitude. When we feel gratitude, it is impossible to feel fear, anger, helplessness or hatefulness at the same time. Gratitude is by far the most empowering emotion that carries with it a meaning that can truly bring you to performing at the best of your ability. When I think of gratitude in this situation, I look at it this way:
“Always remember, your focus determines your reality.” George lucas
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 Step away from your fear, and step into your superhero costume. — Siri Lindley
2. I am doing something that makes me feel alive - that allows me to express my passion for pushing myself to my limits. 3. Usually, races are in a beautiful place. Look around you. We are so lucky to be alive, and able to express our physicality in this way. The above are three very simple thoughts that can’t help but make you feel grateful. The other thing that will help you step away from your fear, and step into your
superhero costume, is realising that if you give in to the fear, it will not lead you anywhere worth going. If thinking a certain thought will only debilitate you, why would you choose to think that thought? If you know that thinking positively leads to positive performance and feelings, but thinking negatively leads to negative performance and negative feelings, why would you choose anything but thinking positively? We all have control over our thoughts. Our thoughts create our reality. Be as disciplined with your thinking as you are with your training and you will find your experience of this sport, and of life, is enhanced in the most beautiful ways. Focus on what you want, not on what you
© Matt Roberts/Getty Images for Ironman
1. I have been blessed with two arms, two legs, a strong heart, and the ability, opportunity and desire to be out here partaking in a sport that I love.
don’t want. That is the simplest but most powerful advice I can give you today. Doing this can singlehandedly change your life, your training and your racing in all the best ways. So, get out there, acknowledge your fears, but then choose to either step away from fear, and into a more empowering feeling such as gratitude, or at least dance with your fear. Bring it along with you, to acknowledge that you care, but don’t let it stop you from stepping up, taking chances and believing that you have so much more inside of you than you can even imagine! Focus on what you want, and what needs to be done to get from where you are, to where you want to be. By creating an empowering meaning for all the feelings we have, we can change pain to pleasure, and disappointment to absolute ecstasy. Commit to finding a higher level by finding more empowering meaning for what you are feeling at all different times in life. Step up to the performances and experiences you deserve in your life, by replacing your fears of failing, with the excitement for finding out what you are made of. Realise that we never fail, we just learn. Once you realise that you will either win, or learn, the risk of going all in is totally worth it. You can’t lose. Growing is progress and progress is happiness. Choose to forge forward with gratitude and excitement and make all your dreams come true!
@siri.lindley.3 @SELTS @sirilindley
Australian Triathlete |
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with Willy Dan Wilson © Shutterstock.com
Australian Triathlon Police
T
he police lights went on, reflecting in my rear-view mirror with all the unwanted lumens of a fireworks display after a grumpy pensioner’s bedtime. I was instantly riddled with guilt, like when you smash the last Tim Tam, even though you’re over quota. I eased my Fiesta to the side of the road, envisaging a Shawshank Redemption-esque future in the slammer. However, the guilt soon gave way to a more quizzical line of inquiry. As I ran the last few minutes of activity through my head – I couldn’t think of a single thing I’d done wrong! I’d been stopped at the lights, so I could comfortably rule out exceeding the conventional velocity as my infringement. Hell, in the Fiesta, I’m not even sure that’s possible, save for a school zone or car park. The Fiesta, although lacking flash, was certainly roadworthy, I hadn’t rolled a stop sign, and I clearly wasn’t drink
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driving - it was 6am in the morning, and I was on my way to training! With this last thought, the penny started to drop, and as the officers walked from their car to mine, I began to take stock of my situation, as it might be viewed from an impartial observer. For starters, I was dressed for function, not form. It was the middle of winter, and I was driving to running training, and had clearly not anticipated anyone laying witness to my attire. I had running tights on, not conventional attire for a male unless said male is actually running, and
even then some may see them as a flagrant fashion faux pas. I wore a fluoro running jacket (also a tight fit, I must admit), a headband to keep my ears warm (also fluoro - seriously running companies, think of how we look to non-runners!), and a pair of gloves (thankfully, not fluoro). Clearly, I was cruising for a fashion bruising. However, the icing on the cake was the nasal dilator shoved fair up my olfactory orifice. It was a sample gifted to me to trial with the assurance of amplified oxygen uptake amid a litany of other promises and had lain dormant, untested in my car for a month or so. Moments before the fuzz descended on me in a fury of flashing lights and sirens - I had decided that this morn was the time to finally test this glorified schnozzle extender, and had taken it from the passenger seat and tested its fit in my nose. I had to assume that the officers thought that I had been texting on my phone, rather than attempting to manipulate my oxygen uptake. As I wound down my window, I was well aware of just how ridiculous my explanation was about to be… It wasn’t the first encounter with the law I’ve had during my triathlon career, most of which have come while clad in Lycra and on two wheels. I’ll come clean, I’ve been stopped a couple of times for rolling a red light. Once, as I blindly rolled through a sign to merge onto a main road at 40km/hour in a delirious state at the end of a five-hour bludgeoning - I escaped the fine I deserved – the officer took pity on me this time, saying that I looked like I’d been through hell, and recommended I get
The officers sized me up. I must have resembled an aerobics instructor — Dan Wilson from the 80s.
© Michael Dodge/Getty Images
some food into me ASAP. However, when I rolled at 10km/hour through a deserted street at 5am in the morning, I encountered a sterner constable, who gave me both a stern lecture and a $120 fine. It hasn’t all been castigation from the law though, I once had a cop-car shout encouragement from their megaphone while trackstanding at a red light, and received a rousing applause once the light turned green and I took off, pedals unclicked! There’s also been the occasional police escort, at times to make sure we didn’t encounter any trouble, and at times to make sure we didn’t cause any more trouble. The former came before the Yokohama WTS while attempting to navigate the Japanese road system, where a few piloting issues led a group of us on a highway clearly not intended for manpowered transport. A flash of lights, some stern, yet incomprehensible words was followed by a close escort back to our hotel, where a comprehensive team guarded us back to our rooms, not content until we’d removed helmets and given our word not to try to find the ‘back way’ to the pool again. The later came before the Hy Vee World Cup in the US, where the local cops kindly gave us an escort down to the race site, apologising that they weren’t permitted by law to actually stop the traffic, but could certainly encourage other vehicles to give way to us. That was certainly an understatement, as the vigour with which they escorted us to the race led me to believe they would have pulled a gun on anyone with the gall to drive within 100 feet of us! Back to my current predicament. The officers sized me up. I must have resembled an aerobics instructor from the 80s, with the addition of a paperclip stuck up his nose. The first officer rather smartly decided it was too early in the morning to investigate nasal lunacy, and quickly volunteered to check my license against
the computer, cunningly leaving his mate to inquire as to what the hell I was doing, and if I had been on my phone while driving or not. I fumbled through the ostensible benefits of nasal dilation, becoming increasingly aware that I didn’t appear to be answering his questions at all, while he appeared to grow more confused and irritated by the minute. “Look mate”, he said, “If I can check your phone, and there are no recent messages sent, I’ll leave you
and the nose piece to get on with it.” I handed over my phone to him, and once satisfied, he sent me on my way as quickly as possible, no doubt to have a good laugh back at the station. Fortunately, I was still the first one to arrive at running training, and I threw the nasal clip in the first bin I saw. Marginal gains are one thing, but not if the cost is going to jail. I’m not sure I could survive on the inside, certainly not wearing tights and a headband anyway…
About Dan Biomechanically denied his dream of becoming an NBA superstar, Dan Wilson has been racing the ITU circuit for over seven years representing Australia at Junior, U/23 and Elite level. His results have ranged from winning a World Cup to finishing only with the aid of glow sticks. When not “at work” training three times a day, he incompetently plays the guitar, competently sips short blacks, and fervently studies the underground metal scene. Website: www.danwilson.com.au Twitter: @dan_wilson_
Australian Triathlete |
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Route Change text by Jodie swallow photography by Getty Images for Ironman
W
ith this being my last essay type article for Australian Triathlete Magazine, I had a good, hard think about the most valuable advice I could give a triathlete regarding experience and improving performance. Over the few years I have been writing this column I have been forced to look more closely at our sport from many different perspectives - not just that of an elite racer. Spectators, coaches, business leaders, age groupers, family members and the media all see our sport very differently and have different priorities and motives that lead them to love or to loathe our triathlon world. I grew up never questioning the value that competitive sport offers society. As a child - drugs, exploitation, sexism nor elitism - ever entered my train of thought. When it came to racing - sports winners were heroes, their sporting endeavour a worthy example of success in life. I grew up with elitist principles, the winner very definitely ‘taking it all’. I fought to win races, enjoyed victories and suffered defeats. I never had cause to really understand the premise ‘it’s the taking part that counts’. That was something other people did. It wasn’t until I moved to long-distance triathlon that I ever really gave the value of
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participation in sport much thought. Age group triathlon opened my eyes to the valuable role that inclusion and participation in sport can play in everyone’s life - that the human need for challenge and endeavour can be fulfilled in ways that do not feature a podium, a medal, or beating everyone else. Merely completing a distance can stimulate regular people to feel the same sense of achievement and esteem that the podium always brought me. Elite sport and participation sport stand poles apart in preparation and performance but are intrinsically linked by similar motives and reward principles courage, dedication, focus and commitment. In triathlon, the two strata coexist together in a unique way. There is a special symbiotic relationship between the elite side of our sport and the age groupers whom we race alongside. All race on the same course, at the same time, for the same distance, with the same provision. The sports business model relies on mass, age group participation to fund events and pay prize money to the elite. The elites provide the entertainment - the prerequisite principle of competitive sport - the race. They satisfy sports elemental principal - to determine the ‘fastest/ highest/longest or strongest’ competitor. Over the past few years of writing for Australian Triathlete Magazine, I have
provided insights for the outsider into the elite-racing world I have lived and breathed for 20 years. It’s a world of marginal gains, of professionalisation, of minute detail and both inspiring and cruel stories. Occasionally, dismayingly, perhaps increasingly, it is also sometimes a realm of unscrupulous morals and questionable behaviours. Sometimes, I have to temper my stories - some experiences could be seen as inflammatory, some are outright shocking. The high-performance world I have seen is not a land of sunshine and rainbows. There are eating disorders there’s bullying, there is sexism and much unprofessionalism. There has been ‘success’ through all of these things. As an elite sportsperson, I occupy a world of obsession to detail where sacrifice is fairly rudimentary. Much of ‘the rest of life’ is suspended in waiting for a time, or a race, or a medal. Relationships suffer, health suffers, and balance goes out the window. In this environment, winning can be worth such rigour - but not for the
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
© Nigel Roddis/Getty Images for Ironman
young, not for the old, not for the masses. Don’t get me wrong. I love what I do. I am completely willing to do it, and I have found no higher source of satisfaction in my life than striving to be the best that I can be at sport. The elite racing world is exclusive, and it is magnetic, for those capable it is a life that not much can match. It is absolutely not for everyone. I realise now that my audience is different. My readership includes athletes trying to complete an Ironman in sixteen hours - maybe do their first half marathon, knock a few minutes off their swim time, lose a few pounds, socialise. I can coach somebody to reach all or one of these goals. The basics principles of training can achieve that. My advice won’t be unique - in fact, it may be far too complicated for the purpose. Gordon Ramsey knows how bake the perfect loaf of bread but would he be the best guy to teach another how to do it? Would he be tolerant to novice mistakes? Constructive to learning?
Lewis Hamilton could probably teach someone to drive. There might be better choices for instructor out there. I am selling myself out of a lucrative career as an online age group coach here - I know I am. It is just an attempt to illustrate just how tricky it can be to try and produce universal, informative coaching advice suitable for the pages of a magazine. It remains fairly distant from my area of expertise - coaching the top two percent how to get one percent quicker. Why now, after two years have I reached this epiphany? I can’t be positive, but maybe it is observing a recent Ironman race from the sidelines this year. Finally, understanding the difference in motivation, the precise, minute detail needed in elite racing and the difference in race stresses between professional racing and age group participation. Both heroic, both aspirational. Entirely different in preparation, execution and consideration. Dare I say it- to me, they are different sports. Despite being so different, I find myself reading countless triathlon articles from various publications and ‘experts’ across the sport, grouping ‘a triathlete - elite or novice - together. It seems to me more akin to click bait than good advice. ‘Top Tips To Nail The Swim’ by a back of the field, aged professional, who spends his whole race chasing down the deficit caused by his bad swimming. ‘Gold Nutritional Advice’ by a past pro who verged on the edge of an eating disorder her whole career. ‘*&%^$’s Top Run Workout - For You To Tri.’ Completed by a 2.50 Ironman runner - after three months of one hundred mile weeks. ‘First Trimester Training Tips’ by a first time pregnant champion, physiology beyond normal, yet to be confirmed successful or remotely medically accurate.
You know, yes - you could replace ‘a whole swim workout with stretch cords’. Maybe that would be a good idea. Probably if you already swim six times a week. Otherwise… no. There is so much information out there nowadays. Some absolutely true and totally accurate. Much - absolute bull. Think about it. Anyway I don’t want to be a hypocrite. I want to be good at what I do, and I know what that it is. I know elite performance. Over the coming months, my new column will profile the ‘who’s who’ of long standing professional triathletes. I want to introduce the stars of our sport to a wider audience. Reveal their personalities. Tell their unique stories. I’ll delve into real personalities and the unseen detail of their extraordinary careers - the ‘nitty, gritty’ of their lives in sport. In sport, we only get to view the medal product from a lifetime of sacrifice, lessons and defeat. We see the finish line, the celebration, the victory - we forget the rest. Over the years, as I have come to know my competitors better, I have witnessed champions miserable in victory and equally sad in defeat. I have watched bad coaches win, and good coaches lose. There are real stories behind public profiles - real stories are what we are about. Inspirational, motivational, aspirational people - better than any training tip out there.
@jodie.swallow @jodieswallow @jodiestar
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SEXTON’S Scribble...
Elitism of the Non-Elite A Triathlon Revolution
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t seems to me that competing in triathlon, not that long ago, was a casual and mostly unprofessional affair. From what I can gather in speaking with those who were there and observing the culture of the time with hindsight, our sport was merely a novel but challenging activity, and a boastworthy hobby for a slender minority of the population. This reputation, in Australia in particular, shifted rather quickly as the accessibility of triathlon became greater and the inclusive nature (born out of a combination of swim clubs, running clubs and surf lifesaving clubs crossing over each other) and national series’, and now iconic events, took off. With the inclusion of triathlon in the 2000 Sydney Olympics the sport’s status skyrocketed and with it came the dollars. A huge cash injection saw an unsurprising spike in professionalism in the upper echelons, where the funds were mostly directed. Even though I wasn’t there to witness this refinement of direction (my first ever tri was in the same year that six triathletes stood on an Olympic dias) I was a great beneficiary of this growth of elitism in Australian triathlon over the following decade, as a developing youth, junior and professional*. With this shift, the pointy end of athletes in our sport improved in leaps and
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bounds. Across the spectrum of the triathlon scene, Australia (and many other nations) produced and maintained a plump crop of World Champions, Olympic medalists, legends and heroes. The elite prospered. With cash and enthusiasm behind us we innovated and refined our craft. Iron distance champions realised the potential of setting up international bases and relocated homes and families to gain the greater advantage on the racecourse. Training techniques improved with the aid of expert sports science and the equipment that was once weird, wonderful and subjective, became proven, lab tested and conventional. Triathlon, at the top, was truly a professional sport. With this sharp upward trajectory of the professional ranks, there was a gap forming. The amateur ranks were still all about the participation, the challenge and the socialisation. Of course, there were those who took their age group racing very seriously. But the bulk of the participants at the local club race or the annual pilgrimage event would rock up on the back of the bare minimum of training, have a sweat and a laugh and be rightfully chuffed they survived another one. There was a distinct difference in the appearance, approach, performance and finish times from the elites to the next
Brendan Sexton step amateurs. This is the scene I grew up in initially as part of, and then observing from beyond, as I progressed in “class”. Only recently, I’ve begun to notice a new shift in the scene. A closing of the gap, if you will. Across all distances amateur triathletes are getting faster, depth of quality is getting greater, and the best of the amateurs are breathing down the neck of the pros. Some may say this is due to better numbers in the sport or more money behind these athletes but I think it’s something else, and it’s a reason I’m in full support of - the elitism of the non-elite. Elitism can be defined as “the superior attitude or behaviour associated with an elite”, and this is where I feel a swing has and is still occurring amongst the triathletes traditionally not dubbed elite. More and more amateur and age group athletes, who are not necessarily in the game for professional reasons or © Getty images for Ironman
Brendan Sexton As a youngster, Brendan’s life ambition was to be the fifth Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle. That didn’t quite pan out. But triathlon did. A decade on, he’s still at it. www.brendansexton.com.au @kung_fu_sexton
financial gain, are stepping up their attitudes and behaviours to match the pure full-timers. Aspects like seeking out experienced and knowledgeable coaches, employing correct training techniques, learning about recovery and nutrition, and investing in equipment that is best suited to them have meant that a more holistic approach to triathlon (and general wellbeing, for that matter) has swept through the broader triathlon community. And in my opinion, this movement can only be good for us all. Whether or not this wave of elitist attitudes has been a product of the masses observing the top end athletes reaping the gains and improvements of such approaches, and wanting in, or a natural filtering through the ranks, I am unsure. But it’s fairly obvious to me that the movement indicates a new step forward for triathlon within the wide world of sports. Triathlon is continuing to become more popular on a global level
and expanding into new cultures, demographics and is even being used as a vehicle for positive social change. When newbies come to a triathlon and are met with the welcoming and engaging community that has always been present in the Australian triathlon scene, and then experience the marvel that is participating in a triathlon, they will be hooked. Now, from there they will be enveloped in a positive sense of well-rounded improvement. Learning that the right recovery is just as important as the training itself or that the most expensive bike may not actually be the best bike for them, or how even the most novice athlete can improve their run performance (and enjoy themselves even more!) with some basic technique analysis and instruction. “Just winging it” is out of fashion but that doesn’t mean everyone should become a complete tri snob - living and breathing training and racing, renouncing all non-tri civilian lifestyles and possession
to live a monkish swim, cycle and run only existence. The elitism of the non-elite wave has been done the right way gradually and relevantly. Triathlon, being a relatively young sport means there’s a constant flow of new and more specific studies, techniques and theories on performance development. The true elite knows that big gains are not made overnight and that one aspect of development may take much time, patience and effort. The true elite spends time considering where deficiencies in a daily routine may lie and then more time again researching an ideal approach for them as an individual. Being a sport with three distinct disciplines means there is an endless world of techniques to become more professional, more personal and more purposeful. The true elite understands that any positive change must be brought about not only by identifying areas of improvement and sourcing better techniques but by incorporating these techniques as a habit and dedicating themselves to their nutritionist-prescribed diet, their twice a week pilates routine or their early morning swim squad. The current wave of neo-elites understands that it’s the genuine commitment to the several real techniques that pay dividends – not the gimmicks or the abnegation of a life outside swim, bike and run. If the term ‘elitism’ has in the past indicated somewhat of a class system in triathlon, then lately an unintentional revolution has been driven from the “lower tiers.” The only difference with this revolution is that the one’s forcing the change aren’t doing it to overthrow the status quo but to elevate the whole lower end to equality with the top. And for this reason, I say “viva la revolucion!” * For the purposes of this piece I have chosen to use the terms “professional” and “elite” synonymously despite the distinction some may have between the two.
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The Art of Suffering “A hero is no braver than an ordinary man, but he is brave five minutes longer” - Ralph Waldo Emerson. t e x t b y sim o n j o h n s o n
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our heart is thumping, jumping out of your chest. Your legs are burning, full of fatigue. Your body is aching - mind wondering. You are suffering. You know you can end this discomfort by slowing down, but in doing so will sacrifice your performance. How do you work through the pain and suffering to get the very best from yourself? The ability to perform under the duress of suffering - the state of undergoing pain, distress, or hardship - is a key characteristic of many of the most celebrated human
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physical feats - conquering Everest, the four-minute mile, the greatest Olympic achievements, and so on. The same is true for triathlon. There is an intrinsic link with one’s threshold to suffer and triathlon performance. Without discounting one’s talent and preparation, the athlete who takes the victory and spoils is often the one who can hang toughest the longest who can suffer that little more. So, how do the best triathletes in the business manage their suffering to optimise performance? We caught up with a few to find out.
What does suffering mean to you? Mirinda Carfrae - Willingly or unwillingly putting yourself through pain. Although, the suffering that I endure is done willingly and has a specific goal or favourable outcome attached to it. Annabel Luxford - Continuing when you don’t think you can or don’t want to. Sometimes suffering can teach people that they are stronger than they thought they are. Setbacks and suffering with delayed gratification can build our resilience, but I also believe that too much suffering can break people’s spirit, so it’s important to have a strong team to support you, a healthy dose of perspective, and knowing when it’s time to take a different course of action.
Training TOOLBOX
Our suffer squad:
© Charlie Crowhurst/Getty Images for Ironman
Annabel Luxford – Former world number one ITU, U23 World Champion, 27 70.3 podiums. Fierce competitor. Race day poker face (unintentional). Chris Legh – 90+ professional wins. Became the face of Gatorade after infamously collapsing in the finish chute of Kona 1997, suffering from severe dehydration. Despite being fifth at the time, Legh was unable to finish and almost died - the episode was immortalised in a widely aired television commercial. Charlotte McShane – U23 world champion, winner of the 2017 Triathlon Australia emerging athlete award. One of the hardest working ITU athletes on the circuit. Damien Angus – One of the world’s best age groupers across any distance with a PhD in exercise science. An Ironman age group World Champion in 2005 and 2:28 marathoner. Liz Blatchford – Multiple world cup and Kona podiums, repeat Ironman and Ironman 70.3 winner. “Suffering is integral to being a triathlete. If you are not willing to suffer, you’ve chosen the wrong sport.” Luke Bell – 23 70.3 wins and Ironman wins, 52 podiums. Has pushed himself to unconsciousness and lost control of bodily functions all in the name of racing.
Below Right: Mirinda Carfrae’s miscaculation of fluid and nutrition at the 2012 Ironman World Championship cost her the win. She battled through the pain and managed to finish in an amazing third place.
Charlotte McShane - Going beyond what you think your body is capable of and challenging yourself to go to a place you’re unfamiliar with. I don’t think you would get very far as an athlete if you didn’t have the ability and distinct willingness to suffer. Liz Blatchford – What means the most [to me] is the pride I take in overcoming or conquering that suffering. That feeling after it is all said and done and you can look back and say, “Yes, I owned that suffering today, not the other way around.” There is physical and mental suffering, and the great races are the ones where both come together.
Mirinda Carfrae – One of the all-time greats. Four-time World Champion (three Ironman Kona and one Ironman 70.3). Strikes fear into the hearts of competitors with her weapon run. Multiple sub-three-hour marathons in Kona.
Chris Legh - To be a good athlete you need to be more than comfortable with suffering. You need to be able to deal with the discomfort of hard training days and to step it up a little on the racetrack. Luke Bell - For me, it is more about seeing how hard or far I can push myself. I’ve always been intrigued by what the body and mind can do. [In some races you are] able to ‘push’, ‘suffer’ to an unimaginable limit - in others, when the mind is not switched on, you can’t push close to your limits. Damien Angus - For me, the experience is more about discomfort than suffering – the concept of control is important. In triathlon, it’s a choice.
© Delly Carr
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© Korupt Vision © Delly Carr
Legend: The mighty Chris Legh is immortalised after his finish chute collapse at the 1997 Ironman World Championship.
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Carfrae - Ironman events are littered with suffer stories. I love seeing the pain and then the resolve on people’s faces like they would rather die than give in. I’ve seen so many people conquer the Ironman and then go on to better, more successful careers simply because they know that they have the ability to achieve whatever they set their minds to. What race experience sticks out for you as the time you have suffered the most? Bell – Two include Ironman 70.3’s at Lake Stevens. The first one, a sprint finish with Joe Gambles where I edged him out by one second. The other race was with Crowie where I just could not hang on in the last kilometre. After running side-byside, he ran a 1.12+ while I did 1.13 flat. Ironman Brazil [also sticks out]. Oscar Galindez beat me by 28 seconds. The final two kilometres was a dead straight road. He was looking over his shoulder - I was going as fast as I could. It was like running two kilometres flat out, in slow motion. Carfrae – The one that comes to mind first is the 2012 Ironman World Championship. I was in great shape to go for the title, and things were going to plan until about mile 14 of the marathon. I’d miscalculated my nutrition and was dangerously low on fluids - but I didn’t realise until it was too late. The last 12 miles were horrible. What was more painful, though, was knowing I had messed up. I was right where I needed to be - third place - and closing fast on the win. But my body was having none of it. Blatchford - The second time I raced Kona (2014) really sticks with me. In 2013 I came as a rookie and had one of those amazing days where everything clicked. I surprised myself coming third. But 2014 was a stark contrast. I came with big expectations, only to begin cramping in
the first two kilometres of the bike. The cramps didn’t let up all day. When I wasn’t cramping, I was riding or running in fear of the next cramp. It was hell physically and mentally. I thought about pulling out of that race probably more than 100 times that day. I don’t know what kept me going except for my stubbornness and knowing I’d dedicated the last 11 months to this one day, and that I would only be more disappointed with a DNF than any finish. So, I soldiered on and came in 10th place. That day I learnt that I had the mental strength to finish an Ironman - in 9+ hours when feeling horrendous. It’s something I’ve taken with me into other races, knowing if it’s not as bad as that day, then I’m sure as heck finishing. Luxford - All the Ironman races I have completed - that form of physical suffering is something I’m not sure I’ll ever get used to. Most of the marathons have been frustrating and disappointing. Continuing to hurt yourself when you know you’re not getting the time or place that you’d ideally like is tougher than suffering when you’re breaking a tape. Angus – Hawaii 2015 was my most
© ITU Media/Janos M.Schmidt
What is the greatest display of suffering you’ve ever seen in triathlon? Blatchford – You can’t go past the infamous scenes of Wendy [Ingraham] and Sian [Welch] crawling across the line in Kona [1997] - or more recently Johnny Brownlee messing himself up to finish in Cozumel last year. Bell - A fantastic recent example was Ben Hoffman at Ironman South Africa in April, where Ben and Nils battled the entire race only separated by seconds. Both these guys were “on” during the race, but the physical and mental strength, and will power that Ben showed to hold off Nils was exceptional. Angus – I’m genuinely inspired by the people at the back of the race who are on their personal journey. The one that burns in the back of my mind is Rick and Dick Hoyt – where Rick is prepared to put himself through another level of discomfort pushing his son around the course out of love and dedication.
© ITU Media/Janos M.Schmidt
strength: Suffering can teach you that you are stronger than you think you are.
willing to suffer: Go beyond what you think your body is capable of.
Training TOOLBOX
CAPTION: Caption text to go here. Caption text to go here.
Brothers in Arms: One of the most recent displays of suffering came from Jonathon Brownlee at the 2016 ITU world triathlon grand final in Cozumel, when leading the race he emphatically blew up around the final corner. Losing the lead, he was to be guided across the line by big brother Alistair.
uncomfortable race. I was fine with the triathlon part, but the heat stress all day was really hard and highlighted that I wasn’t heat acclimatised to the level I needed to be. Legh - Hawaii 1997 stands out as an extreme, but that was an issue of dealing with a bad pain, something I definitely learned from. I think a four-day adventure race in Malaysia in 2001 beat me up the most. The first of the four-day race included a run from sea level up to and then down a 14,000-foot mountain. On the way down my quads absolutely seized up. How I made it through the rest of the event I have no idea - it took months to recover. How do you mentally prepare for suffering? McShane - I’ve been encouraged to try and make my training more challenging than what any race situation would be so
I don’t think you would get very far as an athlete if you didn’t have the ability and distinct willingness to suffer. — Charlotte McShane that I’m prepared for anything come race day. So, I guess this makes suffering in training a little easier to bear. Race-wise, I think suffering is always 1,000 times worse when I’m thinking about the suffering itself, so simple distractions like technique cues or reminding myself that I do the exact same thing every day in training can make a huge difference. Carfrae - It’s just all part of it, it’s not something I think about too much. I set my goals and go through whatever suffering is necessary to achieve them. Lots of
visualisation - if you go into a race or training session with the right mindset then you can overcome, or more easily deal with, and push through the pain. If your attitude sucks, then it’s much harder to get through when things start to get tough. Luxford - I try and reserve judgement of how I’m feeling in a race - that’s not helpful. I also remind myself that everyone else is suffering too. In regards to suffering in training, I see it as preparing myself to suffer in a race. On a higher level (certainly Australian Triathlete |
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not a thought I have during racing or training) I see suffering in a race or training as a positive. This is a suffering I’m choosing to do, that ultimately brings me success or joy. So many people are suffering across the world through no choice of their own. Bell - I am a believer in being able to train yourself to suffer - teaching yourself to be “comfortable with being uncomfortable”. Then each week trying to push it that little bit further - just like training threshold. That way in a race if you have increased your pain threshold you push harder and go faster. Blatchford - It’s inevitable but also very trainable. You can train your mind to get used to suffering. After a long break from training, I am pathetic and wonder how I got through the constant uncomfortableness of peak form and 25+hour weeks of training. But gradually, as I train my body and mind to suffer a little more each day, it comes back to being “just the way it has to be”.
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Angus – The day before a race I’ll run through it in my mind - what I’m trying to feel and look for. Often it’s related to technique. Like on the bike remembering to be smooth, aero and in the right gear. It’s really important I’m keyed into that level of discomfort to measure my effort and get that balance right. When you’re going through discomfort your body’s telling you that you’re fatiguing – you have to assess if you’re OK with the information – sometimes it’s important to respond with more fluid, sugar or even slowing down. Other times it’s having that strong mind-body connection to know you can keep pushing. Legh - I enjoy the workload and challenge of training, that’s something I have never been afraid of. I also think that proper rest and taper before key races helps protect you from suffering in the lead-up and therefore enables you to tolerate a little more ‘hurt’ in race situations. You need to be physically and mentally ready to suffer when the big day comes around. Accept that the race is going to hurt at times.
© AT
© Korupt Vision
Luke bell (ABove): “Get comfortable with being uncomfortable.” liz blatchford (Above right): “Train your mind to get used to suffering.”
How do you control your thoughts and motivate yourself to push through when suffering? Carfrae - For me, trying to quiet my mind by focusing on breathing works best. I also sometimes count my breaths. Doing this gives me something simple to focus on and that in turn quiets the angry voices shouting all the reasons why I should shop. Visualisation can help a lot also – take yourself mentally to the race you are training for and put yourself in a win or lose situation. It’s easy to push on when you have a clear picture in your mind of that magical finish line. McShane - Every race I do will have specific physical processes that I plan to maintain. For example, high elbow in the swim and high cadence on the run. These simple, controllable cues help me focus on what I’m doing in the present moment as opposed to how I’m feeling or what might be ahead. I remind myself that I’ve been here before. Luxford - I try and take note of some physical aspects of suffering. For example, if I’m feeling hot, I remind myself to drink; if I feel like I’m getting blown around in crosswinds, I remember to keep peddling and stay relaxed. I try not give too much thought to how I’m feeling regarding whether it’s worse than I anticipated. Regarding motivating myself to push through the pain, sometimes I think about the prize money, at times I think about the points or placing to qualify for another race, other times I think about getting a PB, and sometimes I just don’t think at all.
Training TOOLBOX Bell - Focus on the ‘hear and now’; your breathing, foot strike, pedal stroke, nutrition - things that can help you in ‘the moment’ and help you deflect the thinking focused on the pain. Short-term goals like “get to the next light pole”, bring the thought pattern ‘in’ rather than leaving it ‘wide’. Stay focused to eliminate negative thoughts - keep telling yourself that it will come around. Angus - I feel lucky to have the opportunity to do triathlons. For this reason, I’ll put myself through a lot of discomfort but the level of discomfort has to be proportional with what I’m striving for. Knowing with life commitments I’ll only get the opportunity to race Hawaii once every five years - I’m motivated to bury myself when that time comes. But for a non-priority race, I’m not going to go to the well. Blatchford - I use distraction - focussing on other parts of the process. This may be as silly as what I am going to eat at the next aid station, to mindlessly counting my leg turnover. Or I will make deals with myself. In training, it may be, “Finish this rep at this speed or power and you don’t have to get out of bed for the rest of the day!” In racing, it may be rewards like going shopping or taking a few days holiday. Sometimes I just smile. I almost think of my smiling like a big “up yours” to the pain, like: “Is that all you got? Well, I am still smiling!” Is there a limit to how many times can you ‘go to the well’? Carfrae - I don’t think so, but ask me again in a few more years. Luxford - Yes, and it has been decreasing over the years. I’d say three to four times a year now. Blatchford - Probably. Toward the end of the season I often just wake up feeling tired of hurting myself every day. This is more mental than physical. I sometimes need to save that mental strength for when it matters. So, things like cold water and weather, which really crack me, I see as pointless and avoid at all costs. I’d rather expend that mental energy/ suffering on training hard or digging deep in a race than battling the cold. Bell - I don’t think there is. Some guys keep doing it over and over. Look at Cam Brown - fastest ever Ironman NZ marathon run this year after 20+ years in the sport - and Crowie keeps pumping out 1.12-3 run splits in Ironman 70.3. Legh- Yes. There are times you just go too deep, and you almost cry at the thought of your ability to deal with it again. I recall chatting to Crowie after one of his Hawaii wins, and he mentioned that experience
Favourite go-to saying or mantra that helps you get through suffering? McShane- “Be comfortable with the uncomfortable.” Carfrae - “If it is to be, it’s up to me.” But I never think of it when I am suffering. Bell - “How do I feel? What do I need?” Keep answering those questions repeatedly to stay focused and on task. Blatchford - I’d love to say it’s something motivating like ‘pain is temporary, glory forever!’ but I often just repeat the word: “Legs, legs, legs, legs.” I have no idea why - sounds bizarre when I tell other people! Legh - “Don’t turn it off!” I think of it as simple as a light switch. When it gets tough, it’s quite simple to just turn the switch off and give in. I like to envisage my hand not even being tempted to go near the switch.
damien angus (Above): “Put yourself through discomfort.”
took a great deal out of him. Peter Reid also mentioned that a head-to-head battle he had in Hawaii in the early 2000s took the final edge off him. The fact that athletes can recall these precise moments in their careers exemplifies the toll suffering has taken on them. Big wins come at a cost both physically and mentally. In closing Suffering is part and parcel of elite physical performance. In working with it, there are many different yet effective approaches. A healthy dose of perspective, mental strength and preparation, as well as positive attitude seems to hold one in good stead. As McShane puts it: “Suffer for the right reasons, and it will be so much easier to embrace it.” Bell also captures it well: “Embrace the sport and everything that goes with it, there is more positive than negative. You are better off being a positive than a negative one - in all aspects of life! This is a one-time only show. If it starts to ‘hurt’ in a triathlon just remind yourself all you have to worry about is swimming, biking and running. Pretty simple!”
What does the following statement say to you: “It’s only when we suffer, test and trial ourselves that we can expect to achieve any reward.” McShane -That’s evolution! Carfrae - Not 100% true but a solid statement. Blatchford - Agree, anything that comes too easily we don’t value. There is nothing better than achieving something that you’ve had to work your butt off for. Luxford - I don’t really agree. Sometimes the best days are those effortless days. Also, there are a lot of times you’ll suffer and not get rewarded. I don’t see suffering as a positive or negative. Bell - I think it is more dependent on what you want to achieve. The ‘reward’ for people is so different. It is actually sort of a negative quote to me, saying unless you do those things you will not get rewarded. Angus - One thing that’s nice is when you push through and get the result, it’s a good experience to draw on in other situations in life.
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What’s on your recovery menu? (part 1) t e x t b y Dr S im o n S o s t a ri c | p h o t o g r a p h y b y S h u t t e rs t o c k . c o m
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he mainstream population typically refers to recovery as the period and processes required to re-establish normality following injury or illness. Naturally, this concept also holds true for athletes. However, athletes tend to focus on recovery more as a necessity to support their training and competition demands, while also negating co-existing deleterious side effects that increase the risk of illness, injury and diminishing performance. Contemporary knowledge across the overwhelming minefield of recovery methodology is vast. The trick is making the right decisions at the right times - differentiating the hype from reality, and ensuring that you cover off the fundamentals of adapting to training loads, but not slipping into the “free fall” abyss that is every athlete’s nightmare. In the March edition, we discussed the fundamental principles of the workload-recovery balance. In this (and the following) edition, we extend the boundaries and explore some postexercise recovery methods that embody both the simple and logical, to the somewhat unconventional.
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INGESTIBLES Ketone Esters Should the magic genie bestow you one wish towards improving your athlete prowess “package”, an abundance of energy would surely be a popular choice. Indeed, a significant amount of training and preparation is geared towards improving your economy and energy availability. High volume/moderate intensity, or high intensity/low volume efforts are taxing on muscle and liver glycogen. Given that diminished glycogen stores contribute to a significant proportion of the endurance athlete fatigue paradigm, scientists routinely research new fuelling methods to maximise athletic sustainability and performance. Nutritional ketosis can be achieved in approximately four days with a strictly adhered to, high fat and low carbohydrate diet, with subsequent preservation of glucose and increased modulation of fatty acids (Pinckaers et al., 2017). In a diabolical situation such as starvation, ketone bodies will provide life-preserving energy for muscle, organ and brain function. For
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KEtone ESTER
athletes who plan and monitor their performance very carefully, periodic nutritional ketosis may provide a catalyst for important metabolic adaptations. However, the downside of an athlete practising regular nutritional ketosis is the risk of diminishing muscle responsiveness, and impaired performance. To theoretically gain metabolic advantages in competition without the
Training TOOLBOX Performance
risk that comes with a ketogenic diet, supplementing with ketone esters and salts before competition has recently increased in popularity – especially among cyclists and triathletes, as an alternative source of energy (Evans et al., 2016). However, there is currently no conclusive evidence that consuming ketone bodies prior to or during exercise contributes to an improvement in performance. During recovery, however, recent research by Holdsworth and colleagues (2017) has demonstrated that consumption of a ketone ester drink following exercise, significantly increases skeletal muscle glycogen resynthesis. In this study, 12 well-trained males completed a glycogen depleting exercise protocol and were then subjected to recovery re-feeding via three-way, randomised crossover design; (1) control drink then saline infusion; (2) control drink then hyperglycemic clamp; (3) ketone ester drink then hyperglycemic clamp. After the ketone ester drink, co-existing with high glucose solution, muscle glycogen was 50% higher compared to the control drink. Considering the typical time course required to fully restore liver and muscle glycogen (24-48hrs) via standard refuelling and adequate rest, these findings are encouraging. The downside is the high cost of ketone esters, and gastrointestinal discomfort commonly experienced by those using ketone salts. Ketone bodies are not lollies, and come with risk – always seek professional advice.
Sesame Training for any distance of triathlon comes varying degrees of muscle soreness and risk of incomplete recovery and fatigue disorders. If you know where to look, you will find many natural food extracts with nutrient rich healing properties. Sesame cultivar (Sesamum indicum L.), rich in antioxidants, vitamins and minerals appears to provide noteworthy bang for the buck, as a muscle damage and oxidative stress mediator. A recent study by da Silva Barbosa et al. (2017) investigated the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects of sesame consumption by semi-professional soccer players. Twenty players consumed 40g per day of placebo or sesame over 28 days after routine/heavy loaded training. Baseline measures of muscle and
inflammatory blood markers and aerobic capacity were evaluated before sesame ingestion. After 28 days, the experimental group had significantly reduced levels of muscle damage (creatine kinase, lactate dehydrogenase); inflammation (C-reactive protein) and oxidative stress (malondialdehyde). Furthermore, antioxidants (superoxide dismutase, vitamin A, vitamin E) and aerobic capacity significantly increased in the experimental sesame group. Sesame derivatives are cheap and readily available. There does not appear to be any downside to consumption of sesame, although care needs to be taken on frequency, as protective interventions can also interfere with important adaptations to muscle damage and inflammation when used in abundance.
Milk Once any training session has been completed, athletes turn their attention to re-establishing hydration, muscle glycogen, and minimising muscle soreness. The source of replenishment is key to optimise recovery and will vary according to the previous training load, and with an athlete’s previous response to a variety of products. A plethora a research over the past 30 years or so, has demonstrated the effectiveness of sports drinks under a variety of circumstances, to deliver energy and fluid during exercise. However, the efficacy of sports drinks following exercise, to promote recovery, remains questionable. Therefore scientists, coaches and athletes commonly experiment with a range of post training beverages, including milk and Australian Triathlete |
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Training TOOLBOX Performance
mid-strength with 25 mM sodium. On this occasion, the light beer with 50 mM sodium was the most effective in regaining and retaining exercise-induced fluid loss. Furthermore, it appears that manipulation of sodium concentration rather than alcohol content per se has a greater impact on fluid retention. If you like beer, you’re in business. If your training-induced dehydration is substantial, let someone else drive! In the next edition we will focus attention on a range of wearable recovery methods.
References:
Pinckaers PJ; et al. (Sports Med., 2017). Ketone Bodies and Exercise Performance: The Next Magic Bullet or Merely Hype? Evans M; et al. (J Physiol., 2016). Metabolism of ketone bodies during exercise and training: physiological basis for exogenous supplementation. Holdsworth D; et al. (Med Sci Sp & Ex., 2017). A Ketone Ester Drink Increases Postexercise Muscle Glycogen Synthesis in Humans.
milk-like products. So, how does milk, or milk-like products, stack up against the more traditional carbohydrate-electrolyte beverage as an ideal recovery drink? To answer this question, Desbrow and colleagues (2014) subjected 15 males to a rigorous intermittent cycling protocol, inducing a 2% loss in body mass. Participants replenished with a variety of beverages (cow’s milk, soy milk, Sustagen milk-based supplement and Powerade sports drink) on four separate occasions, at a rate of 150% body weight loss over one hour. Furthermore, participants were monitored closely during the four-hour period after that, via urine, blood, body mass and subjective feedback analyses. Following the trials, milk-based beverages (particularly Sustagen) were retained at a greater rate than the sports drink, as was the feeling of satiety. Plasma volume, electrolytes and thirst rating did not differ between the treatments. Therefore, the milk-based beverages provided a more effective rehydration outcome than the traditional sports drink. Furthermore, milk-based beverages provided superior sources of essential energy, protein and sodium following intense exercise. The only downside to milk based products for recovery is for those who dislike milk or have a lactose allergy. That said, lactose-free alternatives are readily available and very cheap.
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Beer Let’s face it, many athletes have a yearning for a cold frothy now and then – and don’t they go down a treat when you’re thirsty! We have been led to believe that beer, or any alcoholic beverage for that matter, should be avoided after exercise. To elaborate on misconceptions, a series of experiments were conducted by Desbrow and colleagues to identify the merits of beer as a “sports drink” (2013) and the effects of manipulating alcohol and sodium content of beer on post-exercise rehydration (2015). During the first experiment (2013), seven males cycled to induce dehydration (~2% drop in body mass) and then were assigned to a range of beer compositions (2.3% low-alcohol; low-alcohol with 25 mM sodium; 4.8% full-strength; full-strength with 25 mM sodium) on four separate occasions. The volume and rate of beverage consumption was the same as the milk experiment previously described. The light beer + 25 mM sodium proved to be the most effective of the four beverages in enhancing net fluid balance and lower urine output. The second series of experiments (2015) followed identical protocols to the first series (2013), with additional manipulation to the alcohol and sodium content of beverages: low-alcohol with 25 mM sodium; low-alcohol with 50 mM sodium; 3.5% alcohol mid-strength;
Da Silva Barbosa C; et al. (Front. Physiol., 2017). Effects of Sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) Supplementation on Creatine Kinase, Lactate Dehydrogenase, Oxidative Stress Markers, and Aerobic Capacity in Semi-Professional Soccer Players Desbrow B; et al. (Appl Physiol Nutr Metab., 2014). Comparing the rehydration potential of different milk-based drinks to a carbohydrate-electrolyte beverage. Desbrow B; et al. (Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab., 2013). Beer as a sports drink? Manipulating beer’s ingredients to replace lost fluid. Desbrow B; et al. (Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab., 2015) Manipulations to the Alcohol and Sodium Content of Beer for Post-exercise Rehydration.
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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t e x t b y Dr M i t c h A n d e rs o n I l l us t r a t i o n b y S h u t t e rs t o c k . c o m
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hen it comes to adapting for racing in the heat, I feel like a stuck record. It’s low hanging fruit: at least a three percent improvement on race day if you can acclimate effectively in the two weeks leading into your event. The science has been published over and over. From the seminal work of Greenleaf et al. in the 70s to Armstrong and Maresh (1991), heat acclimatisation has been widely studied and accepted in the physiology world. Since we already know that heat acclimation improves performance (summarised well in Guy et al. 2014), there’s a great deal of interest in how to optimise benefit to time spent on acclimation - especially in a world where 140 characters is an essay! Short or Medium Term Heat Acclimation (STHA or MTHA) both work well, with the weight of literature backing MTHA as superior. So why aren’t athletes executing a simple task for this performance benefit?
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I think the finger can be pointed three ways 1. Lack of plain language communication by scientists. 2. Coaches are busily writing programs for too many athletes to keep up with current best practice. 3. Athletes who too often focus on the latest and greatest equipment, rather than the critical skills associated with swim/bike/run.
Now that I have clipped the whole community (sorry!), let’s get to the nuts and bolts of heat acclimation. To clarify, heat acclimation benefits racing in cool-temperate climates, as well as hot/humid conditions. But I really want athletes and coaches to focus on executing MTHA or STHA protocols effectively for racing in the heat (i.e. Ironman Cairns or Ironman 70.3 Cairns), rather than getting bogged down comparing the minutiae of performance
benefits in different climates. Any specific questions, please shout at my handle (@ drmitcha) or email me (Mitch@ shinbonemedical.com). There are physiological and psychological adaptations to heat. The physiological are well documented (see summary). The psychological benefits have been less extensively investigated, but still, point to a reduction in perceived exertion and improved thermal comfort (Maxwell et al. 2016). This adaptation should confer critical
benefits on race day, allowing athletes to better make rational and optimal decisions about pacing and nutrition, in the absence of overwhelming heat stress. • Physiological Adaptations Summary: • Increased plasma volume (water in blood) • Reduced heart rate/core temperature/ skin temperature • Reduced core temperature at onset of sweating
• Altered fuel utilisation • Increased oxygen consumption/ heat loss by radiation and convection • Improved exercise economy in hot and cool environment • (Armstrong LE, 1998). A STHA protocol is considered seven days or less, while MTHA as eight to 14 days. Time spent exercising in the heat (35-40C) varies Australian Triathlete |
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Training TOOLBOX The real world aspect of this process isn’t lost on me. It’s a big commitment - so don’t worry if you miss a day or two. Aspire to 14 sessions and consider 10 to 12 a job well done. The idea is to be acclimated before reaching your destination, so the final touches of the taper are effective. You may mix some passive heat adaptation with the active sessions, but keep in mind that this type of protocol remains unvalidated in the lab. Passive heat adaptation has been popularised through elite cycling and involves entering a sauna for 15-30 minutes at the end of a training session. Engage with the process of heat adapting as you would any other part of your training. There is no sense arriving in Cairns, Hawaii or any other ‘hot’ race course in an ill-prepared manner. As they say, the proof is in the pudding. So get cooking.
References in these protocols from forty minutes to two hours, using walking/running/cycling at an intensity of 40-80% VO2max. Guy and colleagues (2016) synthesis of all these options suggests that MTHA is significantly more effective than STHA. For instance, plasma volume expansion in MTHA (7%) is double that of STHA (3.5%). So shooting for 45 minutes daily at 50% max for two weeks should be the target for all athletes trying to heat acclimate properly. It’s a big time commitment, but the performance gain is also large. The benefit starts to decay in days to weeks, so this is best done in close proximity to the event. I would suggest starting at 21 days before race day and completing with a week to taper fully acclimated. Regarding acclimation mode, to my mind, cycling is the simplest to execute on a daily basis, and the easiest to control in terms of intensity (also minimal muscle damage). Keep the effort low. The heat is already stressful, and the muscles generate quite a lot of heat at lowmoderate exercise intensity. Set up a cycling ergo in the laundry and turn on the clothes dryer with a wet towel inside to provide enough heat and humidity for the purpose. Trying to drag a treadmill into the laundry sounds like hard work! Avoid using a fan to allow more heat accumulation the idea is to get the body temperature up and illicit heavy sweating. You will need towels, lots of towels. Given that plasma volume expansion and increased sweat volume are the main effects of heat adaptation replace fluid and electrolytes as you go. Setting a set of scales next to the ergo is easy. You’ll also get a sense of sweat rate if you keep track
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of this each day- letting you know that adjusting to the heat is taking place. Additionally, this will allow you to approximate your sweat rate on race day and the fluid required to match sweat losses. Another easy measure is body temperature - pop a thermometer under your tongue while you are weighing in. A steady drop should occur over the two week period (anywhere from 0.5-1C). As a practical note, athletes should be cognisant that plasma cortisol (stress hormone) is stimulated by exercise in the heat. Cortisol is a reliable indicator of strain on the body. Erring on mild doses of heat exposure are therefore recommended in the tapering athlete. The whole purpose of the taper is to reduce stress on the body and allow it to recover- blunting this recovery with high-intensity heat training would be counter-productive. Stick to the lower ends of the recommended intensity and use the daily dose as an adjunct to other sessions, rather than an ‘extra’ load. Concomitant reduction of the swim and run session volumes to match a ‘regular’ taper volumes should also alleviate some of the time and physical stress associated with the addition of heat acclimation.
Armstrong, L E and C M Maresh. The induction and decay of heat acclimatization in trained athletes. Sports Med. 12: 302-312, 1991. Guy JH1, Deakin GB, Edwards AM, Miller CM, Pyne DB. Adaptation to hot environmental conditions: an exploration of the performance basis, procedures and future directions to optimise opportunities for elite athletes. Sports Med. 2015 Mar;45(3):303-11. Santiago Lorenzo, John R. Halliwill, Michael N. Sawka, Christopher T. Minson Heat acclimation improves exercise performance Journal of Applied Physiology Published 1 October 2010 Vol. 109 no. 4, 1140-1147 Willmott AG, Hayes M, Waldock KA, Relf RL, Watkins ER, James CA, Gibson OR, Smeeton NJ, Richardson AJ, Watt PW, Maxwell NS. Short-term heat acclimation prior to a multi-day desert ultra-marathon improves physiological and psychological responses without compromising immune status. J Sports Sci. 2016 Dec 9:1-8.
mitch@shinbonemedical.com @DrMitcha
@Drmitcha
113 IRONMAN FINISHES... All your triathlon questions answered: Sports Medicine, Physiotherapy, Exercise Science, Massage, Rehabilitation, Coaching & Nutrition.
Image: Delly Carr www.sportshoot.com.au
www.shinbonemedical.com 2/96 Macaulay Rd North Melbourne Vic 3051 Appointments: Julie 9-5 Tues-Fri: 0393295454
Dr Mitchell Anderson M.B.B.S., B.Physio. (hons), B.Sci. (hons), Dip. Surg. Anat. Jason Shortis B. Ex. Sci., Grad. Dip. Ex. Phys., Level 2 Tri coach, Level 2 Strength & Conditioning Charlie Bottero (Masseur) Australian Triathlete |
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Strength Training for junior triathletes 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 u t t e rs t o c k . c o m
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s both a strength and conditioning coach and secondary school teacher, helping young individuals to develop and achieve through sport is a great passion of mine. A topic that is often a hotbed of discussion is strength training for junior athletes. What does this look like? What exercises should they be focusing on? Should they be lifting weights? Endurance coaches often approach me for advice on how to develop strength
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amongst their younger athletes. What we hear more and more is the general concern that these juniors are suffering from niggles and injuries often seen in much older athletes. Being immersed in the endurance community, I have noticed a big difference as the new generations of sporting stars come through the ranks. The clear difference between this generation and the generations before is the sole focus around one particular sport, often with a much higher training volume.
Through a simple and effective strength program, we can develop the strength and stability to limit the damage, prevent injury and help them develop into competent athletes. Young athletes nowadays are commonly ‘talent spotted’ at a young age and set on a path to excellence, rather than having a more general approach whereby they participate in a wide variety of sports. The advancements in coaching, education and sporting
Training TOOLBOX strength and conditioning
Mix it up: Participating in alternate sports will allow the development of a more robust physiology.
I have seen numerous young athletes who possess a certain level of ‘fragility’, as a result of training in only one plane of motion. Yes, they may be fast in the pool, on the bike or out on the track but as soon as you place these athletes in an uncertain environment, they fall apart. There is a lot to be said about the benefits their parent’s experience, growing up playing ball or team sports and developing a more robust physiology as a result.
Movement: Mobility over impact will help lower the chance of injury as you grow.
opportunities are greater than ever, and with enthusiastic parents behind them, these young athletes are training upwards of 10-15 hours a week in their chosen disciplines. Don’t get me wrong these opportunities are fantastic, but the problem is that their training often becomes too specific. Juggling a focused training schedule with schoolwork and weekends of racing means they are missing out on the physiological benefits of ‘play’ and team sports.
What can we do to combat this? We know that focus, and hard work is a strong determinant of sporting excellence equally, we aren’t suggesting that our young athletes go about swinging recklessly from tree branches or that we get them involved in the local rugby club scrum. But there are things we can do to make sure they grow into well-rounded athletes. This is where basic strength training can be so beneficial. Through a simple and effective strength program, we can develop the strength and stability to limit the damage, prevent injury and help them develop into competent athletes.
Keeping Mobile As We Grow Throughout childhood, our bones are at times growing at such a rate that our muscles are put under additional stress as they try to adapt to the rapid changes. High impact activity like running can often put more stress on the muscle-bone attachment points and cause pain that is often referred to as growing pains. Australian Triathlete |
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This is why mobility is key. Through mobility, we are simply looking to increase the range of motion and end range strength around the hip, knee and ankle, and major joints. By doing simple and dynamic stretching, we can create a greater range of motion around our joints and surrounding muscles, lowering the chance of injury, improving form and therefore increasing our efficiency.
Below: Kriss Hendy Illustrates how to do the Inch Worm dynamic exercise.
© Kriss Hendy
EXAMPLE Commonly we see fast growth spurts in our young male athletes, who seem to shoot up in height overnight. If muscles such as the hamstrings are tight, this can often cause lower back pain and other problems. Dynamic exercises like the one below are great at encouraging some mobility into the area.
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Inch Worms – • Start by hinging at the hips, keeping your legs straight as possible reach down towards your toes, only bending your knees when you reach your stretching limit. • Note: do not bounce in the bottom position. • Walk your hands out into a rigid, push up position, perform a push-up (optional) then walk your hands back in towards your feet, while maintaining straight legs and come to standing.
Preventing Injuries How often have you heard of young talented athletes, who were training really well (maybe too much) and have just been diagnosed with a stress fracture? Growing bones are less mature than those of a fully-grown adult and, therefore, are more susceptible to overuse injuries. As we know, resistance training strengthens bones by increasing the bone density and thus reduces the likelihood of trauma. Great coaching is seen in the ability to achieve a balance between effective training, preventative measures and not overtraining. The problem with a lack of variety and unpredictability in training is that we are at greater risk of becoming vulnerable in other areas. By developing the strength and structure of our athlete’s joints, we are essentially making them more durable and resilient to cope with anything that gets thrown at them, whether it be bursts of speed or the undulating ground on a cross country course.
Focus on great movement, not load Too often when we talk about strength training, we immediately picture weightlifters, bodybuilders and power-lifters, which would understandably make any parent concerned. But the strength training that our
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© Kriss Hendy
2 © Kriss Hendy
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Training TOOLBOX strength and conditioning
top Tips
Growing bones: Resistance training strengthens bones by increasing bone density and will help prevent injury.
young triathletes, runners and cyclists need to be doing is much more simple and controlled. With an emphasis on proper movement patterns and technique even a body weight routine, a few times a week can be highly beneficially in strengthening the body to prevent injury and encourage great performance.
• Group sessions – incorporate it into the beginning of a run, swim or swim session. Whether you do it as a family or squad session, training together will help with motivation and accountability. • Make it fun! • Use it as a time to learn about the body. So many adults I work with aren’t even aware of some of the muscles they have simply because they have never used them. Strength training is a great opportunity to learn how your body is feeling. Is it tight? Does it feel stronger on one side to the other? • Start with body weight, perfecting the movements. • Be individual - even if athletes are the same age, they can be very different in size and strength. • Ask a professional – if you are in doubt as to what you should be doing, ask a strength training professional, guessing is just asking for trouble especially when load is added.
Kriss Hendy
Strength & Performance Coach Seeing the need for better athlete education and understanding with regards to Strength & Conditioning for the Endurance Athlete. Kriss works with a variety of athletes from Age Groupers to Professionals, developing programs that support and heighten their endurance performance. Kriss is based in Byron Bay with his wife (Professional Triathlete) Polly Hendy. He has both a local & International client base that use his Online Strength Training Packages.
For further details or to contact Kriss: www.khstrengthandperformance.com Twitter: khendy3 Instagram: @kriss_hendy
STRENGTH TRAIN WITH CONFIDENCE AND CONVENIENCE
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StrengthForEnduranceKIT strengthforendurance.com
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Bike Racing Over winter Why all triathletes should give it a go t e x t b y S a r a h Gr o v e p h o t o g r a p h y b y K irs t y b a x t e r p h o t o g r a p h y
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hen heading into winter or the offseason, most triathletes will sit down and review the running calendar to see which run races they will incorporate as part of their training. But how many triathletes sit down and mull over the cycling calendar to decide which bike races they will enter? Surprisingly, or not, only a small minority. I’m not talking about your mass group/ participation rides; I’m talking about actually ‘bike racing’ - where you pin on a number, line up against pure cyclists and race for placings.
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This got me thinking, and I wondered why only a small number of triathletes participate in bike racing. When I delved a little deeper, I learnt that unless a triathlete comes from a cycling background, they don’t really know a great deal about the cycling community. Triathletes may feel intimidated or don’t even know where to start, so they simply don’t even bother considering it. The thought of crashing also puts many triathletes off and can be one of the reasons many triathletes are too nervous to give bike racing a go. Along with this, many triathlon coaches aren’t involved in
the cycling community either, so they don’t discuss the option of including bike racing into a triathletes training program, as they too don’t know enough about the sport to add it. If you are looking at focusing on the bike leg over winter, I’ll show you why and how to incorporate bike racing into your training mix to help you become a stronger and more skilled cyclist, so you can transform into a stronger all round triathlete.
WHY you should incorporate bike racing into your training:
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Build your bike skills
In swimming, we practice and incorporate tumble turns into training even though we don’t need the specific skill in racing, but we know the benefits it offers. In cycling, developing, practising and incorporating bike skills is exactly the same. Traditionally
Training TOOLBOX Holistic Endurance
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Provides winter motivation
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Train and race with those stronger than you
If you are a fair weather rider or sometimes struggle for motivation with getting on the bike in the dark/cold winter months, then entering some bike racing events is an excellent way to get out and get your long ride done, and keep the motivation high. Just the same as entering running events over winter, bike racing allows you to stay focused, and have something to work towards during the times when triathlon races seem so far away.
To become better at something, you should train with those who are better than you. Most triathletes will consider themselves decent runners until they enter run events and run against pure runners. The same goes for cycling. Enter into a bike race or two, and you will soon learn that even the strongest triathlete riders will find it hard to compare to the strongest cyclists. This is a great way to challenge and push yourself against some of the strongest in their field and drive yourself to become stronger yourself. triathletes are not known for their bike handling and skills. This is mainly because triathletes don’t see the need to learn these skills as we don’t use them in racing. However, the skills you develop in bike racing, just like the skills developed in open water swim events, help you to develop the necessary skills to become a better cyclist and bike handler overall. This is not only beneficial to you becoming faster but also helps for safety reasons too. Plus, the more skilled you are on the bike, the more confident you will be and the more you will be able to push yourself – whether when riding by yourself or in a faster group.
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Race specific skills (draft legal)
Bike racing helps you develop key race specific bike skills, including drafting, bike handling, strategic racing skills and more, and the winter season is the perfect time to hone these skills against other top cyclists. It’s hard to simulate this type of racing and skills in training, so bike races, and in particular criterium racing, are the perfect way to improve these skills.
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Changing your training stimulus
If you have been training and racing for a few years, you will probably find you go through a similar winter season year after year. Long aerobic and hilly rides, building up the duration or the elevation over the months, but essentially the same (or very similar) training stimulus each year is rolled out. There’s a great saying: “If you always do what you’ve always done, you will always get what you’ve always got.” Bike racing incorporates a great mix of different training stimulus on the body’s energy systems - aerobic (sitting in the bunch), threshold (chasing a pack), VO2 (holding off a chase) strength (hills), power (sprinting to the finish). And just like any other event/race, it’s hard to simulate these top efforts in training, and so racing can give you that extra five to 10 percent you may be looking for. Changing up your training and including a different stimulus such as bike racing can provide you with the stimulus your training may just be looking for.
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It’s safer than you think
Yes, there are crashes in races, and you may see them happen, but it doesn’t mean you will be involved in one. I’ve raced for three years and haven’t had one crash. In general, crashes happen because an athlete takes too big of a risk (and it doesn’t come off), or because an athlete stops concentrating or isn’t aware of the other athletes. This can all happen in training too. If you’re scared of crashing, my advice is to race to your ability, know your limits, and develop the skills and confidence over time. And again, just like in swimming, position yourself in a pack where you feel comfortable. In bike racing, if you are not confident, the worst place you can sit is in the middle of the pack. So, start off by learning from the peloton on the back or side of the pack, and get a feel for the other riders and gain your confidence. Then make your way into the pack, taking turns and making moves. For my first few races, all I did was sit on the back, watch and learn. This was the best thing I could ever do to learn and stay safe!
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Keeping it fun
If you feel like you have started to lose your mojo on the bike, or training in general, changing things up can be a breath of fresh air. Having a new and different focus over winter can help to bring back your motivation and throwing in some bike racing may just be the catalyst you need! Have I convinced you yet, to give bike racing a go this winter? Awesome! Following are some key things to get you started.
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HOW to include bike racing into your training:
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Equipment: You will need a road bike – tri bikes are illegal in road races. Watch and learn: Head
down to a local race to first watch a race in action. Watch how the experienced riders navigate the peloton, the lines they take, how they spend their time and energy in a pack, and how they set themselves up for attacks or the finish line sprint. Watching and learning can be one of the best ways to learn from the best.
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Join a cycling Club: The cycling culture and club support are fantastic, so I suggest simply finding a club close to you and enquiring with them. A list of clubs is available from your state cycling body (i.e., Cycling Victoria). Clubs are fantastic at supporting those new to the sport and can provide you with plenty of guidance and information on getting started. Note: most Clubs will have a small annual fee to join.
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Have the basic skills:
Even though you will use racing to develop your bike skills, it is still important that you are competent and comfortable on local group/training rides first. Basic bike skills that you will need include not only having base fitness/endurance but also base bike handling skills, knowledge of pack etiquette, knowing how to draft and
corner, and having rider/situational awareness - these are all essential to riding safely. In bike racing (and pack riding in general) you want smooth movements rather than sudden changes. You also want to hold a constant line through corners. If you are unsure whether your skills are up to scratch, most local cycling clubs offer bike skills courses and trials before entering a race.
Training TOOLBOX Holistic Endurance
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Get your insurance: Just like
Triathlon Australia, Cycling Australia requires you to hold a license for insurance purposes to race. A great way to ‘try before you buy’ is purchasing a three-race license so you can try out a few races before signing up to an annual Cycling Australia Membership
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Choose your event/s: There
are a number of different types of bike racing including road races, criteriums, time trials and two to three-day tours, all of which are an excellent way to improve your skills, strength and performance on the bike. A time trial is an easy one to start with, and you may want to gravitate towards this, but really they are more like a triathlon than a bike race. Criteriums only happen over the summer season, so in winter, road races are a great place to start. Start by
choosing road races on courses that are less technical until you build up your confidence. Find out what races are on in your area/state by contacting the state cycling body (Cycling Australia).
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Find your grade: Most races are graded A, B, C, D, etc., with grade A being the strongest, and cyclists are graded accordingly, based on previous races. If this is going to be your first bike race start in a lower grade and ease yourself into racing - you can always move up once you gain your confidence. There is nothing worse than entering a grade above your ability and getting dropped by the bunch in the first five minutes and finding yourself riding by yourself for the rest of the race.
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Give it a go: Once you have done your research, it’s simply about biting the bullet, entering and giving it a go!
As you sit down over winter and plan your season, throw up the idea of incorporating bike racing into your training mix. Then watch as your bike strength and endurance improves along with your enjoyment!
Sarah Grove Sarah is a triathlon performance coach with Holistic Endurance and competes competitively at all levels of triathlon. As a coach, Sarah works with athletes of all abilities from beginner to Ironman athletes, with a passion for developing, guiding and supporting athletes from the ground up to help them achieve their triathlon and lifestyle goals utilising holistic principles for optimal performance outcomes while maintaining a balanced, nourished and happy life. For more information, www.holisticendurance.com.au
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Swimming 101 Positives of swimming solo: • Focus on drills and technique with no pressure from other people in your lane • Cheaper option • Not restricted to going at a particular time or venue. So, you can go when it works for you.
Negatives of swimming solo: • No feedback on whether you are practising proper technique or even executing the drill the right way • More difficult to do, the harder the interval sets are • Fitting in with regular swimmers despite signs saying slow, medium, fast.
text by Julie Tedde p h o t o g r a p h y b y S h u t t e rs t o c k . c o m
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t this time of the year, whether you are with a coach or self-coached you will want to make some real improvements in your performance. The first step is to look at what is holding you back the most - what is your weakness. Despite the swim leg being relatively short compared to the bike and run, it is often the leg in triathlon that makes the rest of the race harder than it needs to be. In an Olympic Distance race losing 10 minutes to your rivals’ means they are already 5km up the road on the bike. This is even harder in Ironman - lose 20 minutes, and your competitors are likely to be 12km+ up the road. If you are a strong bike/runner then you will be riding through many slower riders, riding as the wind picks up and in long course, still competing in the warmer part of the day. So, if you are finding that swimming is your limiter in your tri performance, let’s work on it now.
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Squad versus swimming solo Positives of squad attendance: • Regular feedback from the coach on technique • Correct interval work and periodisation of your training • Being pushed along with others in a lane • Swimming with people of similar ability • Feedback on drills you are including • Practising swimming with others in a crowded environment when required.
Negatives of squad attendance: • Cost $$$ • Swimming hard all the time.
In summary, becoming involved in a squad is the way to go with swimming, especially for the majority who take up the sport with not much of a swimming background. You need regular feedback. Adding a solo swim, fortnightly, to practice things that may not be going quite right for you, is a great idea too.
Strength Training Strength is an important component of swimming, even more so in the open water. For those in the tri community, many may not have done a lot of activity with their upper body and core strength. So, doing some specific strength work to the swim leg will clearly develop this if there is a weakness. Swimming challenges your muscles as it takes extra work to move against the resistance of the water, though the water’s buoyancy means there is less impact on your joints.
Training TOOLBOX Coaches corner
The top three swimmer limiters:
Strength gains in the gym or the pool Positives of strength work in the pool: This includes swimming with bands/pull buoy/drag pants and paddles or doing drills such as catch up, one arm swimming, kick sets. • Time efficient and cheaper to incorporate strength work each week • Incorporate the correct technique when loading the muscles for strength gains.
Negatives of strength work in the pool: • Poor technique could mean you overload the smaller muscle groups and end up with injuries • Hard to progressively overload as limited with the actual load of the resistance. For example - most people only have one set of paddles, not three different sizes.
If you have a gym membership or a few weights at home, it is very easy to incorporate a few swim specific exercises to help develop the extra strength in your swim-specific muscles. A few swim specific exercises are: • Plank row with or without dumbbells • Kettlebell swings • Push ups • Superman on a fit ball with or without weights • Upright row • Bands or cable pull simulating swim action.
Positives of strength work at the gym: • Periodisation of strength within your training program • Loading of specific muscles that are weak, especially after injury Rehab work can also be included • Great for injury prevention.
Negatives of strength work at the gym: • Another cost • For those that are time poor, it is just another session to add into an already busy schedule.
Correct Technique
Strength : Don’t discount the benefits of regular strength and core to improved swim performance.
Finally, how important is technique and how can you address technique issues while still training and expecting to maintain fitness? This is a common question by athletes wanting to take the next step but not wanting to let go of their cardio fitness. Unfortunately, there has to be a trade-off. While you train your brain and muscles to work in a different patterning, you cannot expect to be pushing as hard as you would when peaking for a race. A sensible strategy: identify your biggest limiter or what is slowing you down the most.
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For many beginners or less experienced swimmers, this is dropped hips - this results in very poor body alignment through the water and therefore high drag. The focus must be getting your head/butt and heals all in a line. Kicking drills, swimming with a snorkel, so you don’t lift your head, and exercises that engage your core are a few drills to include.
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Spinning your arms/no catch. Ever feel that your arms are entering and just going through the water and not getting you anywhere. They talk about this as not catching and pulling the water. A good catch technique will have you entering the water, locking on and pressing the water back behind you. You do not want to press the water down at the front of the stroke rather than back. Pressing water down creates a lot of pressure on the palm because you are changing the direction of the water flow (from towards you to downwards). When you change to a good technique and start to pull the water back behind you, will move more quickly and become a more efficient swimmer.
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Swimming your arms in recovery and dropping your elbow on entry across the midline of your body. Once again this has a fair bit to do with setting up the hand for a good pull though under the water. As your hand enters the water, take care to make sure it does so, fingertips first, lengthening forward in front of the same shoulder with the middle finger pointing the way to the far end of the pool. Avoid crossing over the centre line - this is critical to keeping a high elbow catch and pull through later on.
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
Using an Elliptical Trainer to improve your Running Injured or Not
F
ollowing on from one of my previous articles on Deep Water Running (DWR), another great training tool to help your running (potentially looked down on by some) is the elliptical trainer or cross-trainer. Like DWR, with an elliptical trainer, there is no impact on joints to contend with, and it can be included as a way to get in a great second run for the day, or an additional general run, frequency-wise there is no extra impact stress to the legs. Personally, as I age, I am finding run time diminishing (due to injury/pain from niggles), and therefore I am reducing my run time out of necessity. Of course, having the benefit of cross training through cycling and swimming helps get the dose of intensity and cardio needed, and adding in a Yoga or Pilates session if time is available - if need be taking away specific poses/routines from these disciplines - really does help as long as you do consistently.
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Enter the elliptical trainer. One of our local Noosa triathletes, (a former World Champion who is still a current pro), has had a few career threatening injuries in recent seasons, spent a few months during a previous non-running phase, on the elliptical, while upping her swim and ride volume. She came back to win a few Ironman events and placed very highly at last year’s 70.3 worlds – podiumed in fact. I also coach some older age group athletes, in their 50s and 60s, who swear by the elliptical trainer as part of their weekly training. They run every second or third day and do body maintenance in-between, and are running now, as well as they were when running up to twice the volume, and are spending far less time out due to injury. Like DWR, elliptical trainers provide benefits to runners/triathletes beyond being the obvious cardio workout - they’re not only beneficial for injured runners that may have been steered towards the
elliptical for rehab. Most elliptical trainers have a cadence feature - with many runners trying to increase their running cadence, the elliptical trainer provides an easy, monitored environment for doing this without the stress of actually running. A simple workout is to reduce the load on the elliptical trainer and to simply hold the cadence at around 90+ strides per minute (each side) for 30-40 minutes. Alternately, you can break this up into a series of intervals instead, at a target cadence with recovery in-between, backing off the tension and going easy but still at a higher cadence between the efforts. Focusing on cadence is not a strength building session, but more a nerve firing one, so keeping that cadence up is the key and load/strength oriented sessions can be worked in for specificity while just working on the turnover. The aim is to improve leg speed. Once you’re feeling at ease being on the elliptical trainer, you can focus on different aspects of running, such
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
as posture. Stand tall and let the hips lead instead of ‘sitting’, and maintain proper chest and head position - this is something that can be focused on during an elliptical trainer workout. Ideally, try not to use the long moving arms on the elliptical trainer. Sure, you get a better overall conditioning workout, but it won’t be great for you running technique as your arms end up way out in front of you as though you are ‘punching’ the air, and are more forward of the torso. Use the fixed handles that are between the outer arms so you can focus on the leg turnover - when doing a more loaded resistance session this will help keep power up through the hips. Not all elliptical trainers are the same. A newer machine should allow you to maintain the action of running, with getting in your knee lift, feet landing under the body. Ideally, these are the better ones to use if you’re able to access them and best simulate run form. Older machines may not allow you to have your foot land under you and instead of running ‘circles’, a more ‘mechanical’ action, which sees your foot land in front of you is created. Like running uphill or stairs, elliptical trainers help build quad and Glute strength. You can try the elliptical trainer workout below, as a cross-training alternative to running. Over time, your form will improve if used once a week or more if unable to run for a period.
• 10-minute easy tempo and resistance warm-up on the elliptical • 5-8 x (3 minutes at solid load on elliptical, 2-3 minutes at very light load but higher cadence) • 5-minute easy cool-down
The biggest positive for the elliptical trainer is that there is no impact on the body, so it’s a great option for people with lower leg/ soft tissue/feet issues. The impact, of course, is still a necessity to strengthen and temper the legs for racing on the road. But for age groupers that are getting up into their 40s, and beyond, and like myself are finding more injuries creeping in from wear and tear, and developing imbalances and weaknesses forcing reduced run time, adding an elliptical session into the mix may save your legs that little bit more. But the biggest benefit I have found for runners is that it is a great tool for increasing run cadence. Australian Triathlete |
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Training TOOLBOX
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Why you need a custom race suit t e x t b y S a m b e t t e n | p h o t o g r a p h y R e b e c c a Oh l w e i n
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ith the triathlon apparel industry growing each year, it is now easier than ever before for triathletes to be able to create their own, personalised triathlon race suits. No doubt, many of you take note of the professional athletes and how the vast majority of them work with triathlon apparel manufacturers to help showcase what is possible in regards to custom designed race suits, as well as being used as a platform to promote their sponsors. On a personal note, being a professional athlete sponsored by SCODY who are arguably the leaders in custom triathlon apparel, means that, every year, I have the chance to design my own, custom race suit, which is something that I always look forward to. Before I get too excited and share with you the process behind my 2017 custom SCODY triathlon suit, it is important to understand each of the three levels of customisation. Each tier offers a varying level of design complexity and customisation as the following hightlights.
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-- Name/Country Customisation: If you are lucky enough to race for Australia at an ITU World Championship event then you would no doubt be familiar with being able to add your name and country code onto your SCODY Australian race suit. This process can be applied to most made-to-order race suits that stick to a retail design. It can be a great way to add some personality to your race suit and help you to stand out amongst those who opt only for a triathlon suit from a retail range. For those who have worked hard and been given the opportunity to wear an Australian uniform at the World Championships, being able to have your name and country displayed on your race uniform is an unforgettable experience. -- Club Customisation: For those who are affiliated with a triathlon club, being able to have a team uniform gives you the chance to come together as a collective group to create a
custom race suit that reflects your clubs colours and logos. This is a must have for any triathlon club or corporate event, such as the Australian Corporate Triathlon Series. Being that this is usually a larger order by nature, prices are generally, very reasonable per suit. -- Full Custom: This is the holy grail of customisation and allows you to go crazy with designing a one-off custom suit that is sure to make you stand out just like many of the professional triathletes. While this is often seen as something that is reserved for the professional athletes only, some select triathlon apparel manufacturers can create you a one off custom triathlon suit for those who desire this service. This can be seen as a similar service to having your bike custom designed and painted and means that you can create your design, logo positions, colours, etc., from scratch.
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the process Step 1: Of course the first step of race
Step 2: Once you have finalised your
suit customisation is discussing your needs and ideas with an industry expert in triathlon customisation and coming up with a design concept. With a company like SCODY, everything from start to finish is done at SCODY in Brisbane, which does make this process much easier. If you simply want to add your name to your next custom race suit (the first tier of suit customisation) then this process can be done in just a few minutes on the SCODY website.
design, it is time for this to be sublimated onto the technical fabric. Many years ago, triathlon race suit customisation used screen-printing to add logos and other design concepts onto the suit. However, this has been replaced by the sublimation process. Unlike screen-printing, sublimation ensures that the oftenexpensive technical fabrics maintain all of their properties such as moisture wicking and cooling when they are printed on. This process is automated to ensure the highest quality control standards and that your design concept transfers seamlessly onto the fabric.
Step 3: With the fabric printed, it is moved to the automated cutting table where it is digitally cut to size to ensure that every single piece that makes up your triathlon race suit is millimetre-perfect.
personalised race suit: Customise your tri suit to make sure you stand out from the crowd.
Step 4: Once completed, the fabric is hand sewn, at SCODY meaning that the entire process from design concept to shipping is handled in-house to ensure the highest level of quality control. Finally, it is time for your custom suit to be shipped to you anywhere in around the world. This entire process, from the design concept being approved, typically takes just six weeks.
4 Having the opportunity to design and create your race suit can be a great way for you to stand out and also make it much easier for you to be spotted by loved ones (and identified in your online event photos). For those of you with sponsors or supporters, then the number one promotion tool for you is, being able to showcase them on your race suit during your racing. Therefore, customising of your race suit is also a necessary item of your triathlon race day kit. This is especially valuable for triathlon clubs who have relationships with sponsors and club supporters who desire branding exposure. Race suit customisation has come a long way in recent years, and with it being such a straight forward process it can give you a chance to showcase your personality by creating a one-off unique design or simply just adding your name onto your race suit. No doubt it is the number one way for you to get noticed out on the racecourse and help you to stand out.
For readers of Australian Triathlete Magazine, I have included my 10% off SCODY apparel code here -
AUSTRI CODE: 10% OFF at SCODY using the unique code: SamB
Powered by
Sam Betten A professional triathlete from QLD
Australian Triathlete |
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Eat like you Train: Periodising Nutrition for Enhanced Performance text by Alicia Edge p h o t o g r a p h y b y sh u t t e rs t o c k . c o m
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epending on the type, timing, frequency and intensity of your training sessions, your body responds and adapts differently. Training periodisation is all about long-term variations in your training to improve performance. Did you know that your nutrition could also be used for adaptation? Research is making it increasingly clear that the adaptations from exercise can be both dampened or amplified with food choices and timing. Nutrition periodisation is all about changing and adapting your intake in
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response to the different periods of training and racing. Some of these concepts are new, while others you may have heard about or have even tried already. Each of these concepts needs to be timed within your training/racing program appropriately and may not ideal to do year-round. Sports Dietitians are experts in these concepts, so if you would love some individualised advice on how to incorporate nutrition periodisation into your training, it is one incredible investment (ok, so I am a little biased).
365 days
The Macrocycle: Adapting your intake year round The macrocycle refers to your training program over the entire season, and how your training changes depending on the time of year to ensure maximum performance for your key races.
Pre-Season/Base Phase In triathlon, you will usually have a base phase initially. This is where you enter (or re-enter) the training scene with the goal of building endurance and fitness. Sessions are usually low to moderate intensity and are not yet focused on achieving those top end speeds. This is
Training TOOLBOX Nutrition
availability, this response may be strengthened. Options could include training in a fasted state or even training twice per day to improve adaptations. Although it may be tempting to train with zero nutrition for long sessions during the base phase, this does not often end well. Instead, use this time to cycle off supplements during training and instead add in some whole-food portables. This will naturally reduce carbohydrate and likely give your bank account a wellearned rest!
In-Season
the time to really nail your nutrition to achieve specific goals, such as a particular body composition goal you may be aiming for. The reason that this is the ideal time to alter your intake, to achieve this, is that this phase does not rely on high-intensity training, and therefore you can enhance exercise adaptations by altering carbohydrate availability. There is no need to ‘diet’ or restrict to achieve this - instead, adapting your intake through the types of foods you are choosing can be enough. During this phase, you will naturally need less carbohydrate overall. This is because you are simply not dipping into your muscle glycogen stores how you would during high-intensity sessions. Simple strategies such as keeping carbohydrates to a 1/4 of a plate at main meals or just switching your favourite carbohydrate options for a lower energy alternative, e.g. swapping rice for cauliflower rice, can be all it takes. This is also the time that you can acutely alter carbohydrate availability by ‘training low’. This strategy is all about training with low carbohydrate availability. There are a few different options to achieve this, so it is all about incorporating a strategy that is the right fit for you, your lifestyle and your preferences. The purpose of training with low carbohydrate availability is to create an environment where the stress result from exercise can maximise gene expression (and therefore adaptation). Endurance training already achieves this, however by also adding the additional stressor of lower carbohydrate
As intensity ramps up and there becomes a bigger focus on quality sessions, nutrition to support your training demands becomes increasingly important. A lack of adequate fuelling going into a key hill or interval session can prevent you from getting maximal gains from the session, as goal intensities may not be able to be achieved. In this phase, reduce the number of sessions that you ‘train low’ for and instead concentrate on ensuring adequate carbohydrate intake around key sessions. It is best not to aim for significant weight loss during the season and to instead focus on weight maintenance, and adequate fuelling to maximise what you can get out of each session. Regarding your plate, it may now look like 1/3 plate carbohydrate - particularly on heavier training days.
CARBS Pre-Season/ Base Phase
CARBS In-Season
Periodising: You will typically increase your carbohydrate consumption as intensity ramps up.
Taper As you approach a key race, chances are your training load will be reduced, as the focus moves to feeling fresh and rested for race day. As the training volume is reduced during this week, ensure your nutrition intake reflects this. Trusting your appetite is essential, as it will likely be reduced along with your lower training load. Ensure you continue to choose quality foods despite the added freedom, as this will minimise any unwanted weight gain as you approach the important day.
Off-Season This is where the likelihood of increasing body weight and fat mass is highest. For many lean athletes, it is essential that body weight be increased slightly here to assist with regulating hormone levels and maintaining a good immune system. To manage your health and body composition during this downtime, concepts are similar to the build phase. As muscle glycogen demands are much less, your intake of carbohydrate should be reduced to reflect this. However, instead of focusing on what you should remove in this phase, instead focus on what you can add in! Aim to consistently add plenty of salads and veggies to your meals – that way you will naturally reduce overall energy intake without going hungry or missing out! Australian Triathlete |
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Training TOOLBOX Nutrition
7 days
The Microcycle: Adapting your intake during the week
The training microcycle is the pattern of training that you follow over the week. This is all about how the length and intensity of your sessions change depending on your work and lifestyle commitments, and also what works best for optimum performance. Periodising your nutrition around the weekly microcycle is a concept that can be tricky at first, but if you chat to an experienced Sports Dietitian, they will be able to train you to do it yourself automatically in no time at all! The benefits of adapting your intake daily to match your training demands are extensive. The biggest one many athletes find is that they can achieve better energy balance and maintain body composition at their goal levels. Also, by fuelling those tough sessions adequately, you will find that you can maximise your performance and hit the goal intensities of the session. For higher training days, where the sessions are longer or harder, your body will require additional energy and carbohydrate. This is because your need for muscle glycogen is higher as your heart rate increases. To achieve this, ensure you are eating frequently over the day, timing intake around your sessions and prioritising carbohydrate more than usual. This could mean adding a high-quality carbohydrate source to your salad for lunch or having a
Microcycle: The benefits of adapting your intake daily to match your training demands are extensive.
more carbohydrate-centric meal for dinner, such as a rice or pasta dish. On recovery/lower training days, the intensity of any session is lower, so your energy and carbohydrate requirements are also reduced. To match this, reduce your portion sizes of carbohydrate where possible and instead replace it with higher fibre, lower energy dense foods – options like fresh fruits, salads and veggies are perfect. This ensures that you remain full and satisfied, as overall food volume and variety remains high. All that colour also helps boost your immune function to cope with the risk of illness while training hard over the week!
By considering your training and competition cycle, it is possible to maximise the fuelling and adaptations to be gained to then enhance performance.
Summing Up All triathletes will have different goals, body compositions, nutrition needs, lifestyle factors and training schedules. With this, there is no one program that is going to meet the needs of all athletes. However, by considering your training and competition cycle, it is possible to maximise the fuelling and adaptations to be gained to then enhance performance. To give you an idea, or what this may look like from a Sports Dietitian point of view when I work with an athlete, I utilise their training program to build a nutrition platform based on their training and lifestyle demands each week. We consider not only the performance side of things but also food preferences, work and family commitments, cooking skills and of course timing. This is done with both the macro- and micro- cycles in mind, and with the added goal of coaching the athlete to be able to be independent in nutrition periodisation after a few rounds. Nutrition intake as we enter the off-season can be your key to a bigger and more successful 2017/18 season. By considering the periodisation of food choices now, your adaptations to training will be amplified by the time the new season hits!
— Alicia Edge Alicia Edge Alicia is an Advanced Sports Dietitian with an online sports nutrition business, Compeat Nutrition. She is also a mum and triathlete, so advice extends beyond the basics and is instead focused on providing effective and achievable nutrition for both training and racing.
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Training TOOLBOX Nutrition
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Blue
b
y r er
Alicia Edg
e Prep Time: 5 mins Cook Time: n/a Difficulty: Easy
T
his is our go-to breakfast option as we run out the door to work on a lower training day. It is filled with a load of good stuff but doesn’t hit you with a big carbohydrate load when your muscles don’t need it. The best thing about this is that it is super quick and cheap to make - you just need a powerful blender of some description to help you out.
© Shutterstock.com
The coconut milk is so tasty in this, and the combination of fats and proteins make it extremely satisfying. So much so, you will find that this can keep you going throughout most of the morning. We also love adding baby spinach. Adding greens to smoothies is a great way to sneak in a veggie serve without actually noticing it. The flavours of everything else in the smoothie disguise the taste perfectly! The blueberries then pack a beautiful, immune system boosting, antioxidant punch for an all-round smoothie option that ticks all the boxes.
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Depending on your tastes, you can absolutely still add some maple syrup and/or banana while still keeping it relatively lower carbohydrate. I love the addition of these, as they really boost the flavour and texture even more. As we chatted about in our article, sleeping low can be an effective adaptation strategy after some training sessions. If you are after something to nourish and satisfy post-session this has to be your choice! It is just so easy! Enjoy!
Serve
Blueberry Coconut
1
s
Smoothie
or a great A lower carb breakfast alternative for rest days, on. sessi post recovery option if planning to sleep low
Ingredients: • 150-200mL of canned Coconut Milk (full fat) • 2tbsp of Ricotta
Method: 1. Place all ingredients in a powerful blender on high and blend for two minutes until smooth and creamy.
• One scoop of Vanilla Protein Powder • 100g of Frozen Blueberries • 1 tbsp of Chia Seeds or LSA • Handful of Baby Spinach • Optional: 1 tsp of Maple Syrup • Optional: 1/2 a banana (frozen)
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