Open water swim training for triathlon

With the triathlon season almost upon us, and many more people deciding to undertake bigger and longer triathlons, I thought it would be timely to highlight a few tips and tricks regarding the open water aspect of triathlon.

Because open-water swimming includes many variables that differ from normal pool swimming, the only way to get better is to practise; therefore you must get out and swim more in the open water. This is one of the biggest fundamentals of open water swimming, nonetheless, here are my top tips to help you excel at your next open water triathlon race:

1. Train in the open water
If you have a race in the open water, then you must train in the open water! Do not use the triathlon race itself as your first open water swim session, if you do you’re setting yourself up for disaster.

2. Practice sighting
When swimming in open water you have to lift your head out of the water to see where you are going (called sighting). One of the best ways I’ve found to sight is to lift your head straight up, look forward quickly, then turn your head to the side to breathe. Try to keep your head fairly low, just so your goggles are just out of the water, as you want to limit how high you lift your head because your hips will drop, causing more drag, thus slowing you down.

3. Sighting on buoys
Swimming in a straight line and sighting on the course buoys can be very difficult at times, due to the size of the buoys or the chop and swell of the water, therefore sighting on landmarks that don’t move (like a pier, house or trees) is the better option. So choose a stationary prominent landmark and swim to that, so much easier than sighting on a tiny buoy that you can only see every few minutes.

4. Practice swimming with others
Swimming on your own is very relaxing. Throw in a few hundred other people and all sorts of strange things happen! Try swimming with a masters swim group or during a "family" swim time and get used to not having the water to yourself. This will help you experience more choppiness than usual in the water, help you deal with unexpected changes of pace of other swimmers and allow you to become familiar with swimming in and around other people.

5. Drafting
Drafting is an integral part of open water swimming. It can help you sometimes and hurt you others. Swimming behind someone (called drafting) allows you to swim faster so you may be able to hang on to a faster group of swimmers, likewise you can also get stuck behind some slower swimmers who will slow you down. Additionally, you can be tempted to simply follow the feet in front of you and not sight the course, this is great if the swimmer in front is swimming the correct line, but please check, as you could both be swimming way off course if left unchecked!

So if you're in Cardiff, Penarth, Barry or Cowbridge and are contemplating an open water triathlon race and would like some help with your swim technique or your triathlon training plan, check out our Vale Sports Therapy website or contact Mark (Cardiff, Penarth & Barry) on 07947 010276.

Enjoy your open water swimming and have a great triathlon race!!!

Great Learn To Run workshop today

This morning we presented another successful Learn To Run workshop in Penarth, on the outskirts of Cardiff. The goal with our workshop is to teach the runner the steps, principles and drills to enable them to become more successful at running.

Richie, a local runner from Cwmbran, really enjoyed the workshop and had this to say about it:

"As a new runner I was looking for tips on technique when I came across the Whittlefit ‘Learn to Run’ Workshop. I have been coached in other sport most of my life and in comparison found the workshop format easily digestible. Match this with the welcoming, friendly and informative style of the Whittlefit team and I would recommend the Whittlefit ‘Learn to Run’ workshop to any new runners. Since attending I have noticed improvements in both pace, and more importantly comfort, and will be keeping a keen eye out for any future Whittlefit events."

So if you're a runner in Cardiff, Penarth, Barry or Cowbridge and are contemplating running a 10K, half marathon or full marathon and would like some help with your running technique or your running training plan, check out our Vale Sports Therapy website or contact Mark (Cardiff, Penarth & Barry) on 07947 010276.

Open water swim training

Here’s the swim set I did yesterday. It’s great for open water swim training, not too taxing and you can be in and out of the pool in about 40 minutes.

Give it a try:

300m swim/200m pull/100m kick
4×100m with 20 second rest (25m water polo drill/75m no walls drill)
3×200m pull with 30 second rest (100m easy/100m strong)
4×50m kick with 15 second rest
200m easy cool down
Total: 2000m

Water polo drill: Swim with your head out of the water (like a water polo player). Look forward as if you were sighting a buoy or landmark in open water.
No Walls drill: As you probably guessed, turn before you get to the wall to simulate open water swimming.

Cycle coaching in Cardiff

I am now offering cycle coaching both online and in the Cardiff area. 

Our cycle coaching services are aimed at people of all abilities, so if you want to finish your first 100-mile sportive, get faster on your mountain bike, improve your pedalling technique or need help with the bike leg of an Ironman triathlon, WhittleFit can help you achieve your goals and more!

You can work with our coaches on a one-to-one basis for fitness and technique testing, to develop a bespoke training plan, a combination of both or simply download a standalone training plan, either way, our structured, progressive approach will provide you with the tools required to achieve the results you desire.

Integral to our one-to-one cycle coaching is the Wattbike. The Wattbike was developed over seven years in partnership with British Cycling; it is the world's first indoor bike that feels like riding a real bike, whilst providing scientifically accurate training data.

Beyond cycling, the Wattbike has broader appeal. It is a superb cross-training and talent identification tool for a wide range of sports that want a high quality training alternative. It is currently being used by several Premier League football clubs, rugby union international teams, Olympic runners and GB international rowers. The Wattbike is simply the most advanced, scientifically accurate, simple to use training bike in the world.

When it comes cycle coaching, we appreciate that everyone is an individual, with different strengths and weaknesses. And depending on your event, you will have different training needs and goals. We identify your current fitness levels, goals, lifestyle and commitments and then balance them with an effective training plan that works for you, the individual.

If you're in Cardiff, Penarth or the surrounding area and would like to know more about the Wattbike email Mark or visit the WhittleFit website.

First ever mountain bike race!

I did my first ever mountain bike race this weekend! And what an experience it was!

It was a 90 minute race held by Red Kite Events as part of their Winter XC Series. It was my first MTB race and my first 'real' outing on the new Merida 29'er.

I travelled up to mid-Wales the night before, just so I could get to the race site in plenty of time, and the weather was looking rather grim (snow & frost forecast) so I thought it would be prudent to be near the race site to avoid the worst of the weather.

However, the weather was pretty bad come race morning, -3.5'C on my car computer!!! The race was quite a low key affair, but the course was pretty brutal. The course consisted of a mix of fire road, single track and technical downhill sections, I was fine on the less technical climbs (always passing people), but really suffered on the technical descents, with loads of people passing me back. And that's the way the whole race went really, me passing them on the climbs and them re-passing me on the technical sections.

It proved to be a great race, very, very cold, but a great experience! Results won't be out for a few days but I'm content with my own race, and now know where I need to focus my efforts before the next race (in a few weeks time). Train smart all!

Tough, hilly session today!

Today was a tough, tough, hilly session! It consisted of a club handicap race which was 4 miles over a very hilly course.

Doesn't sound too bad, does it? If it was "just" the handicap, that would have been hard enough, but I decided to run the 4 mile course as a warm up, then raced the handicap race, then did the same 4 miles course as a cool down.

So the session turned into 4 hilly miles at a steady pace, 4 hilly miles at race pace, then 4 hilly miles at an easy pace.

Make no mistake, this course was very hilly, with a monster hill at 3.5 miles, so just as you think you're coming to the end of the run/race, this monster hill kicks up and destroys you!

Train smart all!

Ticking along!

Not a lot to report from Whittle World, training is ticking along OK, feeling the occasional twinge in the hernia, but I guess that's just something I'll have to deal with from now on and my ankle is still not 100% from the twist the other week. Don't get me wrong I'm training OK, but I can feel the ankle and the hernia most days, but they're not slowing me down - yet!

I have a 10 mile road race in about 2 weeks time, I'd like to do myself justice in that race, so that's my focus for the time being. After that is the start of the south Wales cross-country season, so I'll be doing a few of them, they're always good for a laugh!

Train smart all!

Swansea Bay 10K

On Sunday I took part in the Swansea Bay 10K. It's a fairly local race and is well renowned for its deep field and fast times. Well, the field was certainly deep and some fast runners turned up but perhaps didn't quite go as fast as they would have liked due to the atrocious weather conditions.

I was coming into this race off limited training due to various running injuries, but the latest one was a badly sprained ankle, so I knew my time at this race wasn't going to set the world on fire. With that and the driving wind and rain, I knew I was in for a tough day.

The way the wind was blowing was effecting slightly behind you on the way out (for about 5K) and then in your face for the return leg. I felt pretty good for the first 5K, but once we turned for the return home, it was simply no fun at all! I was working really hard into the wind and could tell I was slowing down from the pace being shown on my GPS watch, but everyone was in the same boat and I was now passing loads of people. It seemed that so many people had misjudged the first half of the race and were now paying the price.

I can home in a time of 38:15 which I am fairly content with considering the conditions and my reduced training. If the wind hadn't been so strong I am pretty sure I would have been knocking on the door of a new PB.

The winner was a Kenyan who came him win a time of 28:30, although I'm pretty sure he would have gone sub 28 minutes on a perfect day!

Anyway, back to training now, I've got a 10 mile road race in a few weeks time where I'd like to go quite well, lets hope the hernia holds off and the ankle stays strong! Train smart all!  

Product Review: Sufferfest Indoor Cycling Videos

Have you heard of the Sufferfest training videos? Well, the time-crunched athlete (due to family, work, sports and social commitments), has to find methods of fitness training that are effective so that we can actually fit them into everyday life. Well, as far as our cycling training is concerned, this is it!

The Sufferfest group of training videos are intended for cyclists, triathletes and fitness enthusiasts who want to get seriously fit, but are limited for time. However, I warn you now - they are not easy! In fact they are designed to seriously kick your butt; they are evil! But they work!

So what are they exactly? They are downloadable videos for you to use on your indoor bike trainer (known as a turbo trainer in the cycling and triathlon world), spelling out the exact intensity and time interval required for that section of the training session, all set against the backdrop of some amazing pro cycling race footage and some great music tracks.

So in essence each Sufferfest video is based on a specific workout (like flat out sprints, short intervals, climbs, time trials efforts, even 20 minute race simulations), and tells you how hard to go and for how long, and during that interval the footage shows you what you should be doing (so if you should be sprinting, you'll see some amazing sprint footage). How simple is that? Even I can follow it!

The 2 videos I bought are "Revolver" and "Downward Spiral", each being 45 minutes and 60 minutes respectively. Revolver is billed as simple, brutal, uncomplicated and it doesn't disappoint. The main set is 1 minute intervals, with 1 minute recovery, it is tough, tough, tough, as you have very little time to recover before hitting the next interval. This is a great training session when you are very short on time and just want to get your ass kicked! Downward Spiral is 60 minutes of maximum intensity intervals, which gradually decrease in duration, with decreasing recovery intervals. This intense session even has you chasing Tom Boonen during his solo breakaway in Paris-Roubaix! Another great training session.

For me these training videos are a very welcome change to staring at a concrete wall in your garage, listening to music or watching a movie and have been a stable part of my triathlon training for a long time, in fact they were integral for me in qualifying for Team GB last year for the European Triathlon Long Distance Triathlon Championships. The combination of the intervals, the awesome cycling footage and the pounding, motivating soundtrack just makes it so much easier to train harder!

The Sufferfest videos are incredibly cheap too, I bought mine last year for less than £10 each ($12.99) and I'm really surprised they haven't increased in price yet. For your $12.99 you get a downloadable video that will see you through many a tough training winter, or even when you just need a kick up the butt to reinvigorate your training! You can check out the full range of training videos at the Sufferfest website, I would definitely recommend trying out one of their videos, but only if you're ready to work hard!!! Did I mention they are evil? Enjoy!

Quick update!

Sorry all, I've been away from blogland for what seems like forever! Sorry for the few months hiatus, it's been a busy time for various reasons (which I'll update you on over the next few weeks), but I promise to try to keep you all updated on my adventures from now on!

Just a quick one though, I have the Swansea Bay 10K on Sunday, it's a huge race and will attract a very deep field, probably with a few guys going sub 29 minutes - which is world class! I don't hold up much hope for my time as I've had a few niggles lately that has taken me away from quality training, but I'll give it a good crack!

Llanelli 10K

I did the Llanelli 10K yesterday on what turned out to be quite a hot and windy day. The Llanelli 10K is advertised as a fast course but having done a half marathon on the same course I know it's more undulating than the organisers suggest and as its on the coast, it's always windy. 

I went into this race hoping to go sub 38 and get a new PB, my training indicated that was possible but I wasn't too optimistic due to the windy conditions. 

To cut a long story short, this was a tough race, the wind was strong in the first half and a cheeky little hill after the 8k point (which you did twice as there was a short out and back section) provided a real test, it was definitely harder than advertised! The first 5K (into the wind) was fast, probably too fast for me as I went through in 18:35, which equated to a 37:10 finish time if I was able to hold that pace, and I was definitely not in that kind of shape. I started to tire after the 6K point, I was finding it really hard to hold my pace and stay with other runners, and I even considered stepping off the course at one point, but managed to hold it together mentally and continued on. I got into a nice little battle with another runner between 8K and the finish, and eventually managed to drop him on the final hill. 

I crossed the line in a new PB time of 37:39. I was pleased with the time as it was a tough, fast, windy course and I gave it my absolute all as I buried myself in the final few KM's to catch and then hold off another runner. 

I came 12th overall and my club won the team prize (£50 presented by John Hartson), so overall it was good day! Train smart all! 

Welsh Castles Relay 2012

Yesterday I took part in the Welsh Castles Relay, my leg was 9.1 miles from Merthyr Tydfil to Abercynon, a mainly flat leg with one or two hills and a long flat downhill to finish.

If I’m honest I wasn’t feeling great before the race, in the warm up I just felt tired and out of breath, I was just hoping that I would feel ok during the run. The race started rather quickly but within a few hundred yards I had settled into 6^th or 7^th place. The group in front seemed to be pulling away rather quickly, but I was already on my limit so there was no point in trying to chase them down this early in the race. A guy ran up to me from Serpentine running club and seemed to be going at a good pace so I settled into his pace and ticked along for a few miles. He seemed to be going really well on the flat sections (a bit too fast for me really), but struggled a bit on the up and downhill sections, so we stayed together for quite a while.

We got to about the 4 mile point and I was working very hard to keep up with my new friend, the pace was too quick for me really but I didn’t want him to gap me at this stage. We came to the biggest hill on the course and he started to blow a little bit, I took this as my opportunity to put my head down and try to get away from him. A gap appeared really quickly and I must have put 100m into him on this hill, but now it was my turn to start to blow! I had worked really hard to get away and was paying the price!

It was at this point I saw my parents, they said I was in 6^th place, this spurred me on but I was working really hard now, I still had over 4 miles to go, I think I had gone too hard too soon! I looked back and my new friend was gaining on me with every step and before I knew it he was on my shoulder. I put in a few surges; he’d drop back every time but would be back on my shoulder within a few seconds, I couldn’t shake him off. We got to the 6 mile point and he put a surge on of his own. I couldn’t go with him and the gap opened up very quickly to about 10m. I was back in 7^th place.

During our little battle I thought we were 1^st and 2^nd vet and was desperate to try to get back to him, I wanted to be first vet! We got to the 7 mile point and I knew it was all downhill with a flat section at the end from this point on. With just over 2 miles to go I worked out I had about 13 minutes of running left and it was now or never, if I wanted an opportunity to catch the guy and get first vet I had to give it one final push and risk blowing myself to pieces in the process.

I put my head down and ran as fast as I could for 30 seconds – he didn’t get any closer. I took a breather and did the same again, this time the gap closed. I went again and before I knew it I was two or three metres behind him, again I took a breather and then went past him as fast I could. I was back in 6^th place! A gap quickly opened, but I was absolutely on the limit and gauged roughly I had about 5 minutes of running left to get to the finish line. I can’t lie to you, at this point I was dying, I was just hoping he was in as much pain as me!

I turned a corner and saw the guy in 5^th place! He was rocking and rolling all over the place, the wheels had definitely come off for him! I soon caught him, passed him and was in 5^th place!

I was in agony. Only about 3 minutes to run. Surely I can run for 3 minutes?

I keep looking back and a gap had opened between me and the next guy, but I could see my friend from Serpentine chasing hard and then passing the other guy to go into 6^th place.  

I was in agony. Only about a minute to run. Surely I can run for 1 minute?

I rounded a corner, crossed a road, ran down a lane behind some houses into a small housing estate and was ushered through a tree covered lane by the marshals with a “you’re nearly there!”. I exited the lane onto the business park where I knew the finish would be, but didn’t quite know how far into the business park we’d have to run, it could have been a few metres or a few hundred metres. You’d not believe how relieved I was to see all the supporters and officials literally a few dozen metres on exiting the lane, it was nearly over. I was sure the guy behind me wouldn’t catch me now but as this is was cumulative team race I still had to push to the very end as every second counts.

I crossed the line in 5^th place and, in my mind, 1^st vet.

After catching my breath and taking in some much needed fluids I was told that I wasn’t 1^st vet after all, I was 2^nd vet. To be honest I was a little gutted. I had buried myself against the Serpentine runner as I thought we were fighting it out for 1^st and 2^nd vet, if I’d have known we weren’t 1^st and 2^nd I don’t think I would have actually pushed as hard as I did. Is that wrong of me?

After the race I went to Cardiff Castle to watch the last leg and the presentation. Our last runner managed to get 4^th place which was a fitting end to the two days of racing. Last year the club came 8^th overall (out of 59 clubs) and this year we managed a very creditable 6^thplace, which for a very small club (we have 78 members) is an amazing achievement.

Many thanks to my family and friends for their support on the day, I couldn’t have done it without you guys and a big thanks to San Domenico Road Running Club for the superb organisation across two whole days of racing. Bring on 2013!

I'm back!!!

Yes, I'm back in blogland. Sorry for the few months hiatus, it's been a busy time for various reasons, but I promise to try to keep you all updated on my adventures from now on!

So what's been going on? I've been busy with work, studying at Oxford university, started coaching a ladies only community running group, been to Headley Court to see a specialist for my hernia, blew to pieces at the Interservices duathlon champs, busy coaching a few marathon runners, started resettlement training and just completed a level 2 Gym Instructor course........ so all in all, I've been a little busy!

I'm racing with my running club this weekend in the Castles Relay, essentially it's running the length of Wales, 200+ miles over 2 days, 20 stages and 59 teams, starting at Caernarfon Castle on Saturday morning and finishing on Sunday afternoon at Cardiff Castle. It's quite a prestigious club race, so I'm pleased I was able to make the team, I hope I won't let them down. My leg is leg 18, 9.1 miles from Merthyr Tydfil to Abercynon, mainly flat with quite a few downhill sections, so in theory it's a fast leg. We'll see how it goes on race day, but hopefully the weather will be better than today and we'll see some fast times from all of the San Domenico club runners!

Train smart all!

Trigger Point Performance Therapy: Starter Kit

So, lately I've been using the Trigger Point Performance Therapy Starter Kit with the aim of reducing areas of tension in the key areas that influence movement quality, especially for running (in the lower limbs, that's mainly the calf (gastrocnemius & soleus) and the glutes (piriformis)). So what does that mean? Basically, it means reducing the length/tension relationship in the muscle, thus making the muscle more pliable or elastic (releasing the tension).

I've found that the Trigger Point Performance Therapy Starter Kit I have is a great kit to start with, it allows you to self massage and manage various aches and pains of the body, particularly for us multi-sport guys who always seem to suffer from aches and pains in the feet, achilles tendon, calf and glutes. For me, my achilles and lower soleus have never felt better!

This kit is definitely worth checking out, I know I'll be looking at their other sets soon, particularly the one which includes the kit for the quads and hamstrings (they call it the quad-baller). Train smart all!

Suspected hernia!!!

OK, it seems I have a suspected sports hernia!

I've been trying to manage a groin/lower abs niggle for a while now (I had it a few months ago too, but it settled down quite quickly after some rest) so decided to do some internet diagnosis before going to see the doc last week. All symptoms point to a "sports hernia" and the doc confirmed that it "could be" a sports hernia, but she wasn't 100% sure, so I've been referred for an ultrasound to check it out. Hopefully I'll get that appointment soon, so I'll know either way.

I'm still doing some training, but very little if I'm honest and at a very low intensity. I guess at best the ultrasound will say it's a small strain and I need some rest & rehab for a few weeks, at worst I guess I'll have an operation to fix the hernia and that'll be me out for 6-8 weeks. I think either way my goal to try to qualify for the World duathlon age group champs may be out the window now. Hey ho, these things happen, it's not the end of the world I guess. Train smart guys!

Early 2012 race schedule

So I've finally got my ass into gear and decided on an early season race schedule. It's subject to change of course, but it will look something like this:

11 Feb: Cardiff 10K
18 Feb: Welsh cross country champs
26 Feb: Big Adventure Store chilly duathlon
4 Mar: Cardiff 10K
10 Mar: Dambuster duathlon (British Champs & World/Euro AG qualifier)
1 Apr: Neyland duathlon
15 Apr: Cambridge duathlon (World AG qualifier)
25 Apr: InterService duathlon
27 May: Rodez French League duathlon (draft legal sprint race)

The ultimate goal would be to qualify for the World AG duathlon champs (Nancy in September), but I think it'll be out of my reach this year. Dambuster will have a stacked field as it's the British Champs, so if I have any chance it'll probably be to qualify at Cambridge. Like I say, maybe it's not possible this year, but that's the goal. train smart all!

Train smart all!

Yes, it’s been a few weeks since my last “blog confession”, mainly work and work-related travel (alas only in the UK), hence my lack of blogging. I must make more of an effort to get a blog out more often!

So training has been interrupted slightly by the travelling, a slight back problem (which seems to be much better) and little groin niggle I’ve been managing for a week or so. It didn’t help that I did an 8 mile road race on Sunday (8 miles in 48:43 at 6:05min/mile pace), but a little bit of rest and conservative training will do the trick I’m sure.

I’m probably doing a 10K road race in 10 days time, which should be a good test of where my running currently is. I’m pretty sure it’ll be new PB for me, as I went through 10k in Sunday’s 8 mile race quicker than my current PB, so that bodes well.

Anyway, train and race smart all!

Been a little quiet lately.......

I've not blogged for a few weeks, mainly due to being busy with work & the festive period and being injured, so not much to blog about really. Things have died down a little bit, so hopefully I can return to blogland with more frequent updates from now on.

The injury was a spasm of some kind in my back, which put me out of action for about a week or so. I'm back training now, but just easing myself back into it slowly, whilst concentrating on some mobility, stretching and strengthening exercises for the lower back and core in general.

Good to see Sags and Daz back in blogland, and I might take a leaf out of Daz's books and enter the Dambuster duathlon (GB Champs and World/Euro AG Champs qualifier) in March as a focussed race to start the year off, although I do have a few running races planned between now and then. Train smart all!

Cardiff ParkRun - New PB!

I ran the Cardiff ParkRun this morning, again, with the hope of setting a new 5km PB. As you can tell from the title of the blogpost I achieved my goal, but it was far from easy!

I went into the run pretty fit; I had a great XC race 6 days previously and a tough track session on Tuesday, so I knew I was fit, but a few tight muscles from these efforts and a few long drives this week (London and back in a day & down to West Wales and back the following day) meant I was not exactly fresh.

To cut a long story short, I managed to cut 2 seconds off my PB time to get a time of 17:55 (on my watch, official time of 17:56). Pretty pleased to set a new PB, I wanted a quicker time to be honest, but a PB is a PB, so that's all good!

Have a great Xmas all, stay safe and catch up with all you in the New Year!!!

Merthyr Mawr Xmas Pudding Race

Today was the Merthyr Mawr Xmas Pudding Race, a 6 mile multi-terrain race that is one of the toughest on the race calendar, the official description from the race website states:

Steve Ovett and JPR Williams are just a few of the legendary athletes who have used the sand dunes at Merthyr Mawr, Bridgend as a base for their training and especially the highest dune, the mother of all sand dunes, the highest in Europe, known to one and all as “The Big Dipper”. Running up it is a harsh challenge just in itself, but the fun continues with an eventual second long climb, off road rough moorland, and several streams towards the finish! Welcome to the Pudding Race, an annual Christmas tradition that draws runners from far and wide to compete in a truly memorable race, guaranteed to test every muscle and sinew in your body!

As you can see from the photo on the right, the race starts straight up "The Big Dipper", the biggest natural sand dune in Europe! It doesn't get any easier with more dunes, long hills, waterlogged fields, stream & river crossings and more sand running just to finish you off!

It's a tough, tough race but having done this race last year I knew what to expect. And as I knew the course I knew I could take a few people right at the finish if I was within touching distance. At about 400m to go and 3 guys about 50m ahead of me, I gave my last push and as they were pussy-footing through one of the stream crossings, I sprinted straight through to take 2 of them. With another 100m to go I got onto the shoulder of the 3rd guy and just managed to pass him with a few metres to spare.

I came 12th overall (the race was a sell out, 600 participants) and finished in a time of 40:15, which was about 4 minutes quicker than last year (I was 28th last year). I'm very happy with that result! A great race and one I will definitely do again. Train smart all!