Recently I helped test out a new product that measures force during the swim stroke. Click below for more details.

More about SENSARII: http://sensarii.com/r/shotcoaching

This is going to be a really interesting lecture. Hosted by one of my best friends, Professor Anthony Forsyth. Click on the image for more information (by the way, it’s free)

I often get emails from people asking ‘How do I get started in triathlon?’.  So I thought I’d write an article outlining the answers I usually give.

Firstly, I always start out congratulating the person on considering getting into triathlon!  It is a fantastic sport that gives you an all-round athletic experience – especially when a thorough strength program is included.  I then advise them that joining a triathlon club is a great place to start to gain insight, training tips, and support.  I add that it’s great to have a coach, especially if you want to do well, but you can learn most of what is required through reading books, blogs, listening to podcasts, and following an online plan (like on TrainingPeaks) – that’s what I did when I started out.   

Then I get more specific – I ask what their background and experience is.  Often their answer is that they have a cycling or running background.  It’s less common that they are coming from a pure swimming background.  So I usually suggest they find a swim squad to join where they can get some expert advice on their stroke and also the enjoyment from joining others in the pool (the pool is often the most challenging aspect to do alone).  

As far as riding goes, I suggest they find a group to ride with – it’s much more fun riding with others, especially if you are riding long distances.  I also suggest that riding indoors using a smart trainer is a great way to train, as it is allow you to be more specific with your training and stay safe, especially in poor weather.  People often ask me about the best bike to choose for triathlon.  I usually suggest a normal road bike with clip-on aero bars (like these) when starting out.  They are more comfortable for the beginner triathlete and more versatile.  If they are very serious about doing well, then I recommend a triathlon-specific bike.  Either way, I always recommend they get a proper bike fit.  Not getting a proper bike fit is the biggest mistake many triathletes make (actually any rider).  A bike fit is so important not only from an aerodynamic and comfort perspective, but also from a running perspective – a poorly fitting bike can seriously curtail your run performance! 

As far as running goes, I recommend they first get a run analysis by a physio/podiatrist/sports physician, and a thorough strength assessment by an appropriate professional.  This is important because the majority of injuries come from the running part of triathlon.  It is the only weight bearing sport in triathlon.  Getting your run technique and strength right at the start will save you a lot of time in the future by reducing injuries and will make you a better runner overall.  I also add that you should start out conservatively and build very slowly, for the same reason.  As a general rule, you should not increase your run volume (measured in duration) by more than 10% a week – for some people (e.g. those overweight) it should be lower. 

There’s lots of other tips I could give, but I’ll leave it here and invite you to leave comments or ask further questions below. 

Ready. Prepd. Go!

PREPD is a fantastic product, backed by science. I was lucky enough to have access to a pre-market version which I used in Kona to great success (after testing in training of course). I was able to consume large amounts of water during the whole race which kept me very well hydrated and gave me the additive benefit of being able to consume more energy gels than usual (4 per hour) without gastric upset (gels need lots of water to be absorbed well). Here’s a bit more on PREPD. See the website for more details http://www.prepdhydration.com.au

The proprietary resistant starch in PREPD is resistant to digestion and is a pre-biotic (food for the good bacteria in the gut).

The proprietary resistant starch in PREPD is resistant to digestion and is a pre-biotic (food for the good bacteria in the gut).

Unlike digestible starch, resistant starch travels to the large intestine where it is broken down by bacteria to short-chain-fatty-acids [SCFAs]- e.g. acetate, butyrate and propionate. These SCFAs need to be produced in the large intestine as they are otherwise broken down by stomach acid if consumed directly, hence the unique PREPD RS-based drinks. 

The presence of SCFAs encourages blood to flow into the vessels of the large intestine keeping the tissue healthy and increasing fluid absorption. This allows up to 5-6L more fluid per day to be absorbed!

The PREPD Prime drink should be consumed 6-18 hours before exercise so the resistant starch can reach the large intestine and prime the body for enhanced absorption of all other fluids consumed before and during exertion.

The PREPD Recover drink is a hypotonic formulation (low glucose at around 6g/L), has an optimal blend of electrolytes and tops up the body’s level of resistant starch to enhance rehydration in recovery.

Around 50% of the resistant starch isn’t digested and reaches the gut as a prebiotic, where it enhances hydration. The other 50% is actually digested and absorbed providing a slow-release source of glucose. With testing in training, there is actually a reasonable case for a full IRONMAN to have PREPD Prime the evening beforehand and then PREPD Recover maybe an hour before the race start. The Recover would provide some sodium loading, a slow release fuelling source and also top up the starch to further boost hydration in the run leg (although the Prime will still be delivering benefits then depending on the race duration). You could then have another Recover afterwards to boost rehydration in recovery.

In addition to the benefits of using PREPD for exercise, there’s also likely to be additional benefits to overall health from resistant starch. Check out the cool video below…..

DISCOUNT CODE: love_to_tri20off (use in the online store: http://prepdhydration.com.au)

“Disneyland for triathletes” 

Someone once described to me that the Ironman World Championship in Kona Hawaii was like “Disneyland for triathletes”!  I couldn’t agree more – you get to wander around in a town full of the world’s best professional and age-group triathletes, and then compete in the world’s toughest one-day endurance race.  This year was even more special as it was the 40th anniversary of the first Hawaiian Ironman and there were a lot of events around that theme.   

It’s such an amazing experience to go to Kona and I feel privileged to have gone back-to-back on the Big Island.  I arrived in town a bit earlier this year – 10 days prior to the race – in order to acclimatize to the heat.  It was a different feeling this year – everything was so familiar and it felt like I was there only a few months before, rather than a whole year.  I knew the course, knew the heat, could find my way around town, remembered where everything was in the supermarket, and even remembered how to drive on the right-hand side!    

Race preparation 

Preparations for the race went well.  It started off with the Ho’ala practice swim on the Saturday before the race (3.8km, on the Ironman course).  I didn’t go too hard, just tried to stay nice and smooth and enjoy it.  Did a few more shorter practice swims before the race – all on the course in Kailua Bay – a lot of athletes head to the pool in Kona, but there was no way I was going to the pool when that beautiful Hawaiian water was on offer!     

 

As far as riding goes, I did my final long ride on the Sunday before the race and then a couple of shorter rides to keep the legs primed.  All of these were done along the famous Queen K highway where the bulk of the race ride is held.  I had a couple of incidents such as my di2 (Shimano’s e-shifting) completely dying before a ride (before you ask, yes, it was fully charged the night before!), and puncturing on my last ride, the day before the race.  I always try to turn a negative into a positive so, for the latter, I saw this as an opportunity to practice changing a tube in case it happened on race day (luckily it didn’t).  Riding in Kona is both good and bad – the scenery is great with the lava fields and mountains in the distance, however the roads are really busy with cars and trucks most of the time.    

As for running, I had a different preparation to usual, and for good reason.  Ten weeks before the race I was unfortunately diagnosed with a grade 3 stress fracture of the femur (that’s the biggest bone in the body).  Basically, I had a fairly decent crack going into the cortex of the femoral shaft.  The usual treatment for this injury is 6 weeks on crutches (no weight-bearing at all) followed by 6 weeks of walk/running before resuming normal running and building from there.  Unfortunately, the maths didn’t work for me on that.  Despite that, my doctor Mitch Anderson, coach Mitch Kibby, and the physios at Back-in-Motion Brunswick put a plan in place that would get me to the start line with a decent chance of running.  I had 6 weeks on crutches to  let the bone repair (hopefully), and then a few weeks of walk/running taking great care not to get an injury before race day.  Luckily when I got off the crutches the bone didn’t hurt anymore, however when you haven’t put weight on your leg for 6 weeks, let alone run, I knew the legs wouldn’t be optimally conditioned and it’d be a tough race.  In the week before the race I did a few practice run/walks, getting up to my longest run in 10 weeks, 40 mins.  Despite my lack of running time, I actually felt pretty good while running and was confident I would finish.

Given the leg injury meant the run was going to be challenging (to say the least!), my focus in the last 10 weeks before the race was to be the best prepared I could be in every other aspect of the race – swim, ride, nutrition, hydration, heat, etc.

After suffering in the heat last year I put together a plan to beat the heat this year.  The guys from iHealth Saunas  helped enormously in this regard by providing me with a home sauna to use in general training and specifically for heat acclimation.  Throughout the months before the race I regularly got in the sauna before and after key sessions to warm up and/or to recover.  Then in the 10 days prior to the race I used the sauna for 30 mins every day to get my body used to the heat.

Last year I also had gut problems associated so I also changed up my nutrition strategy.  I used a prototype hydration product, Prepd Hydration, before the race (a starch-based product that allows great water absorption), and I changed to using maltodextrin/fructose gels for the duration of the race, as opposed to the single source carbohydrate, maltodextrin, I’d used previously.

All in all, despite the leg injury, I went into the race feeling very well prepared.    

Race day: 

The swim start is pretty special – if you haven’t seen a video of the start, take a look here.  Like last year I paused for a few moments before the starting canon went off to appreciate how I’d got there and how lucky I was.  The water was warm, clear, and calm – and then canon went off!  I felt pretty good on the swim; it wasn’t my best time, but I got out feeling fresh and ready to hit the bike solidly.   

Once on the bike, it became apparent that the conditions were a lot milder than last year (or any year for that matter).  Whereas my initial strategy was to go relatively easy and respect the heat, I altered that strategy slightly to go hard until it got hot – but it never really did.  Just like the heat didn’t materialise, neither did the famous Mumuku trade winds.  These famous winds, conjured by the gods of Hawaii, have been known to literally blow riders off their bikes and usually slow the pace down considerably.  But the gods obviously had a day off this day so it was a fast ride for all, including me, and several race records were broken (bike records and overall course records).   It actually felt like any normal Ironman bike leg, not the infamous hardest Ironman bike leg in the world!  My new hydration/nutrition strategy worked a treat, managing to get in lots of water and energy without any gut problems.  In the last 30kms of the ride, it actually rained for a while, something that almost never happens in Kona on race day – training through a rainy Melbourne winter actually had some advantages for a change! After 180kms, I rolled into town feeling pretty good, but I knew the hardest part of the day was yet to come.   

Photo: Rainy one moment, dry the next – a bit like Melbourne! 

I always look forward to getting off the bike and feel good in the first part of the run, and this time was no exception.  I felt strong, especially during the first 10 km down the famous Ali’i Drive.  Despite feeling good, I backed the pace off knowing it could get very hard later on, given my lack of run training.  Quite a few people had advised me that I should walk through the aid stations in order to preserve my legs.  However, for some stubborn reason I HATE to walk during a race, and have never done so, even in the darkest of times.  I ran pretty slow at times, but I never felt I had to walk.  I  managed to do the whole marathon without walking – I actually didn’t feel like I needed to at any stage – I was comfortable doing the ‘Ironman shuffle’.  I was pretty confident I was going to finish but wasn’t sure until I came out of the toughest part of the run, the infamous ‘Energy Lab’.  This portion of the run is situated in the middle of the lava fields – it’s hot and desolate, and was even tougher this year after a course change made it 3 kms longer.  The Energy Lab has been the downfall of many pros and age-groupers over the years.  So, I steeled myself and enter the Lab……and 50 mins later I exited feeling not too bad!  Once out, although there was still 10 kms to go, nothing was going to stop me!  I pushed the pace up a bit knowing that if I did any damage to my leg at that stage, I could hang on.  The last two kms were awesome as I came off the Queen K highway and back into town.  I flew down Palani hill at 4:30/km pace (probably re-fracturing my leg!!), giving it all I had before swinging back onto Ali’i drive and down the finishing chute.  Crossing the line at any race is fantastic, but at Kona it’s the culmination of a dream for most people – it’s a very special place.      

Photo: The first part of the run along Ali’i Drive 

I managed to better last years’ time by over 5 mins, but more than that, it was probably the most satisfying experience of my life.  Ten weeks before, I had a serious injury and was told by many that I was crazy to even contemplate racing.  It took a lot of hard work and determination to get there, but I proved that the Ironman slogan is true: “Anything is possible”.   

Photo: Finishing – the most satisfying moment of my life