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Coaches tip of the month:
One of my favorite tips my old coach gave me was to put a wet flannel in your T2 bag when racing, its a great feeling to come off the bike and be able to refresh your face with it before the run.Try it, it really works !
Who’s doing what & where:
Some great results in from the crew over these past few weekends:
* Simone Dailey put in an incredible first Ironman debut winning her age group at Ironman UK in 11 hours 54mins. Simone is now Kona bound qualifying for the Ironman World Championships Hawaii in October.
* Irish girl Linda Blakely had a super breakthrough performance at the Half Ireman race in Ireland, finishing 4th in her age group / 10th woman overall in 5 hours 38mins. Podium next time Linda ;+)
* Canadian girl Jen Lazenby defied all the odds to complete Ironman Canada in 13 hours 28mins. An amazing result considering Jen had a severely injured ankle during the race and months leading into it. A 4.20 marathon is going some tough girl.
* Yuri Misorischenko completed his second half Ironman this year finishing the Wiesbaden 70.3 in 6 hours 51 mins.
* Last but certainly not least just wanted to wish my British Gas crew Chris Jansen, Morag Taylor and Lucy Papworth the very best of luck as they attempt to cycle the length of Great Britain starting Saturday!
Swim session of the month:
Pace awareness
– 400m super easy warm up (pick up the pace every 25m of the last 100m)
Full stroke
– 4 x 200m on 30 ri ( time each set and get faster with each 200m)
Full stroke with pull buoy ( no leg kick)
– 4 x 200m on 20 ri ( time each set and get faster with each 200m)
Full stroke with fins
– 4 x 200m on 10 ri ( time each set and get faster with each 200m)
– 100m easy backstroke cool down
TEAM NAGI Q & A
Question of the month
“What races should I enter in preparation for my “A race” triathlon next year?”
Now this is a really great question and the timing couldn’t be more perfect.
If you are thinking of doing a triathlon next year then you should be asking yourselves the same question. No matter what distance you are racing over – planning for next years races starts now!
Races are filling faster and faster every year so you need to start making plans soon, in some cases a year in advance. The big races are filling the moment they start accepting entries online. So be warned, if you know the races or races you want to enter make sure you know when entry goes live online. You will usually find this information somewhere on the race website, when you know the date make sure you are there ready with your credit card. If you don’t you could be in for a big disappointment.
Not all races are like this, the fast filling races tend to be the big name triathlons, Ironmans, half Ironmans, marathons, half marathons, sportives. In some cases they fill up in hours, not days, weeks or months.The popularity of the sport is booming and this has had a direct impact of other races involving swimming, biking and running.
In terms of what races to enter this takes some thought and sensible planning. Essentially your races should be at the right time of year for you to avoid any family or work life stress. Ideally give yourself a good amount of time to build up to your priority race, this is known as your “A race” where peak performance is your number one goal for the year. You should then select a number of races that help take you towards this goal, lets call these your B and C races. Think of them as testers that will get you back into racing mode again, chosen because they will test you in way that is hard to replicate in training. You can also use these races to experiment with different race pacing strategies and nutrition plans. All of the information gathered at these races is hugely important so don’t worry if you make mistakes. So long as you learn from each experience you will be a better athlete moving forwards.
To help give you some ideas I’ve listed the classic triathlon race distances below and given you some ideas as to what races would suit each distance. Just remember that in the early part of the season short course races are more suitable as you build your fitness slowly, then as you get closer to your A race the races should become much more specific to the demands of this race. So if its a long race then go long and if its short go short, if its hilly go hilly and vice versa…you get the picture. Specificity is all important as you get closer to your A race.
Ironman distance
The important factor when going long is that you should target endurance based events which are both mentally and physically challenging in some way. Your races could include:
1- Middle distance race or 70.3 half Ironman 8-16 weeks out from your A race. Can be done closer if adequate recovery is factored in.
2- Early season Olympic/sprint triathlons or even a long duathlon.
3 – Cyclosportives of varying distances throughout the year
4- Half marathons or a marathon, timing here is crucial if you do a marathon. Ideally make sure you factor this in 5-6 months before your Ironman date, less so for more experienced Ironman athletes with no running injury history. For most first timers/less experienced athletes without a strong running background i would highly recommend not doing a marathon. Also avoid entering a marathon if you are experiencing running related injures, it is no way essential and can create more problems than it is worth.
5 – Long open water swims throughout the year to build open water confidence.
Half Ironman/ Middle distance
Essentially these are the same as above but with a few adjustments.
1 – There is no need to do a marathon, shorter runs from 5km/10k to half marathon will be ideal to work on speed, strength & endurance.
2 – The frequency of Olympic distance races can be increased.
3 – Bike time trials or cyclosportives can be added to help build speed, strength, endurance and mental resilience. This can be over a range of distances but should start short early season when you are less conditioned then go longer as the season progresses.
4- Open water swim or time trials over a variety of distances throughout the year.
Sprint/Olympic distances
Frequency of racing can generally be higher for a athletes focusing on short course races as recovery tends to be quicker. Ideal races would be:
1 – A higher number of super sprint/ sprint or Olympic distance races within a season
2 – 5 or 10k runs for speed, strength and endurance
3- Short bike time trials from 10mile up to 25miles.
4- Open water swim or time trials over a variety of distances throughout they year.
Other events to consider would be a race series so you could monitor how well your fitness is progressing as the season progresses. These can be found for all race types from a 10k monthly run series to a triathlon sprint series of races. They are out there you just need to find them.
Hopefully this list will give you some good ideas going forwards, the sooner you start planning the sooner you can get focused on the more important work ahead like training.
Its also important to know where to find race information so I’ve included a list below for you:
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