It goes without saying that McA Fitness & Events host the best multisport events in the country, if not the world 😉
This is evidenced by the fact we’ve just won North West Regions GO TRI Initiative of the Year 2022 for the Dunham Massey GO TRI Duathlon and in 2019 (the last time there was a GO TRI category) we also won the North West Region and placed second nationally.
Joking and gloating aside, our GO TRI events are very popular and this year, we’ve introduced a slightly longer Sprint distance at each of our venues to offer progression or a longer, race day training session.
But what about other events, other distances and even disciplines? As cool as duathlon is, there are other options for your endurance needs, so I’ve compiled my top 5 for 2022.
Wilmslow & South Manchester Triathlon 24/04 & 11/09
Wilmslow is a cracking event, always busy and competitive, but fun, friendly, safe and welcoming. Organised by our friends at Stu Web and OP Events, Wilmslow was actually the inspiration for the Manchester Airport Duathlon.
This year, they are offering the usual Sprint distance, with a 400m pool swim, 24km bike and a 6.3km run. The ride will take you through Wilmslow, Ashley and Mobberley while on the run, you’ll run through the leafy streets of Wilmslow. As well as the Sprint, they’re also offering the Double Sprint (simply double your distances), an Aquathlon (Swim/Run) and Aquabike (Swim/Bike).
A great event fir all abilities, this was the first triathlon I completed and even if I’m not racing, I try to be there every year to support.
Poynton 10km – 3rd April
Poynton 10km is again directed by friends. Crazy Legs Events (you may have seen them at our Sprint distances, they do our timing).
Poynton is again a very friendly event. As with all running events, you’ll get a good mix of abilities, from the speed monsters to first timers. Bill and co are a friendly bunch who will support where needed.
The course starts at Poynton Civic centre and is undulating with various off road sections. Its an event with a bit of everything and is definitely not a dull multilap course, but isn’t necessarily a PB potential.
Another event I have “raced” myself (loosely put it) and one I plan on having a crack at again this year!
Abersoch Triple Crown – 29th May, 18th June & 22nd October
The Abersoch Triple Crown is an event I’ve been trying to do for 3 years… it’s the location that’s got me hooked, sea swim, beach side and plenty of bars and restaurants for “recovery” 😉 thanks to lockdowns and jubilees, I’ve deferred my entry until 2023.
The triple Crown consists of 3 races, the 10km, the Sprint or Standard distance Triathlon and the Half Marathon (my favourite distance). To complete the Triple Crown, you do all 3, but you can also enter each one individually.
I’ve already said the swim is in the sea, not everybody’s cup of tea, but an experience I’m really looking forward to. The bike of the Triathlon is a lapped course, which is described as undulating with plenty of long, fast sections and the run is sand and track before hitting the roads. The 10km and Half Marathon, again both starts close to the harbour and as with all north Wales roads will undulate somewhat.
Organised by the Sensation Group, I cannot wait to get stuck into this one next year.
Chester Marathon – 2nd October
Chester Marathon, well what ca I say… there is some unfinished business here…
If you followed my journey last year, you’ll know that this was my first (I won’t say and last) marathon. It’s definitely not as flat or fast as Manchester would be and its far quieter than London, but both reasons to drive down the M56 to give it a go.
Race HQ is at the Racecourse where you run into the city, past all the landmarks and out into some of Cheshire’s finest Welsh countryside. It was a great event in 2021, very friendly, well organised and excellent communication. There were drink stations every 3-4 miles with water and gels available. Every finished got a medal (did you even race if you didn’t get a medal), a goody bag and a technical top.
Roads are all closed to traffic, so very safe, well marshalled and incredible value for money compared to other marathons in the UK.
Well worth a visit for your first or 15th marathon!
Outlaw Series – Various venues and dates
I haven’t yet ventured into the world of middle and long distance triathlon, but if I was going to, id definitely have a look at an Outlaw event.
Each one is situated in epic countryside at Nottingham, Woburn, Holkham, Bowood and Thorsby Park and Outlaw offers both middle distance, 70.3, and full distance, 140.6 (don’t mention the I word though)
Entry is very reasonably priced, particularly compared to other long distance brands and you’ll get online support ahead of your race, technical top and medal, post race massage and a post race meal. I have never done or even been to one myself, but I know many people who have and they all thoroughly recommend Outlaw. I know of a few McA regulars who are having a crack at upping the distance in 2022 and Triathlon Dan and Harry Palmer (2 of my famous friends) are both huge supporters.
Finally, it gores without saying that McA Fitness and Events bring the best duathlon, but we know full well that you may want more than that and so are totally happy to support other local and national organisers bringing the best out of multisport. All our events in 2022 have been strategically scheduled to ensure we don’t clash with these events and other local races as well as to give you the opportunity to get some last minute training in with us before your big race!
Our GO TRI’s and Sprints are perfect for fine tuning, managing nerves, testing kit or nutrition or just having a fun blast out with likeminded people.
What’s your favourite McA Event and wats your favourite other event? Let me know and I’ll check them out this year too!!
Here we go with our third Podcast for you to enjoy. It’s actually the second in our Swim series but who’s counting? Sit back. grab a cup of tea (or isotonic drink of some description) and enjoy
Catch the full recording of this podcast or just read our edited transcription below.
KATE: Hi Im Kate from Smiling Tri Coach
ANDY: On this episode Kate will be talking us through terms related to your swimming arms.
ANDY: Starting with catch
KATE: Catch is really really important in swimming. What catch refers to is how your hand enters the water and then gets hold of that water and pushes it behind you to enable you to move forward.
KATE: The way I always think about catch is when people are windmilling and their arms are going really quickly yet they don’t seem to be going anywhere. It’s because they are not catching the water properly.
KATE: If you think about actually trying to pull your body over your arm rather than pulling your arm under your body then that’s a really helpful way to try and visualise the catch.
KATE: If you were to speer into the water with your hand and put your fingertips on the rung of a ladder (if you can imagine a ladder underneath you) and then pull your body over the ladder then you’re making physical progress forward your not just moving your arm under your body.
KATE: When people talk about feel in swimming and how swimmers feel the water they are talking about the catch. So as your hand enters you get hold of the water quite quickly and really move the water behind you which then prepels you forwards.
ANDY: Pull
KATE: Pull in swimming refers to just using the upper body and putting a pull buoy between the tops of your legs.
KATE: When you have a pull buoy in its best to keep your toes pointed and it will pull your legs up and you can focus on your upper body rotation, the catch and the pull.
KATE: It’s strength building but it’s also because you’re taking legs out of the equation you work more in kind of a zone 2 or an aerobic zone where you’re not getting too out of breath because you’re not using those big muscles in your legs.
KATE: You might find as a Triathlete that you can swim further for longer when you’re pulling as you’re taking your legs out than you can when you suddenly add your legs back in.
KATE: It’s a really good way of building base fitness for swimming.
ANDY: Paddles
KATE: Now hand paddles are loved by Triathletes across the land. They are plastic pads with little bits of elastic that hold your fingers in and you can get all different types of paddles. Some will work on your technique and some will just give you a little resistance.
KATE: Paddles are a great aid to use along with your pull buoy because you’re isolating your legs and taking them out of the stroke so are just using your upper body.
KATE: It basically becomes a form of resistance training so if you want to enhance the resistance element of your work and the strength element of your training then paddles are really great.
KATE: They also try to ensure that you are getting your hand entry in a better position, more sort of technically correct. As you pull back because of the nature of the classic surface area of the paddle they ensure that you are pulling the water back in the right planes so your technique improves over time.
KATE: Just a word of warning. In terms of injury prevention if you suddenly go from never using paddles to using them all the time you can risk shoulder injuries like overuse. so just use them with caution and build into use of them.
ANDY: Thanks Kate.
If you missed our previous podcast that started our Swim series then just click the link. Otherwise we hope you enjoyed this one and will check back soon for our next swim post.
Don’t forget to check out our events page for all our latest events. There’s sure to be something that is right up your street.
That’s the title you will see on a lot of running magazines or in Mens Health right next to blistering abs in 30 days by only doing this one revolutionary exercise.
Both of which are not true (Unless you are already superhuman) yet we still can’t help ourselves reaching for the magazine and spending our hard earned cash in pursuit of perfection.
I wanted to dispel the myth that being able to run a marathon was beyond the average human being and give our readers a frank introduction into running. Let’s be honest you probably aren’t going to run a marathon but at the very least you would like to exercise more and maybe lose a bit of weight.
You tried all the apps but still failed.
Why choose running as your exercise of choice? It’s usually the first one that most people go for and why? Because it’s easy to get out and get started. You don’t need any special equipment and can get started straight away. Why people say they will start on Monday though is beyond me.
Consistency
The first hurdle that most people fail at is consistency. Consistency is the key to success in most things in life and running is no different.
The key to cracking consistency is by starting small. By starting small we don’t mean that you have thought about running so that’s a start and tomorrow you will plan it out. No.
I mean start out by walking a little. Science has proven that to make something permanent you must train your brain to get used to doing it. If you start off small by doing 15 minute walks daily and doing them at the same time, wearing the same (or similar clothes), listening to the same music, your brain will get used to the fact that this is what you do at that time and it then becomes a habit.
Once something begins to be a habit you are on to a winner. Don’t get bogged down trying to run initially as any exercise needs to be consistent for it to benefit you so keep walking. Get those steps in and keep consistent with it.
Try and increase your walking time week on week until you are regularly walking for 30 – 60 minutes per day. Forget about distances for now, focus on time.
Once you are upto to regular 60 minute walks your muscles will be used to the exercise and your mind will more than likely be conditioned to doing some sort of exercise.
You don’t have to do this everyday (we are not maniacs) try and give yourself two rest days but be consistent with those too and try to stick to the same days.
Remember you are trying to form habits too so keeping things as similar as possible will really help.
Motivation
There is a lot of talk about not being motivated when it comes to exercise and running and ultimately this also boils down to consistency. By keeping this the same you are building up micro habits which will keep you going.
Although you are wanting to run, walking is still an amazing exercise and you will see the benefits from the walks alone. Track your steps and watch them grow.
Building in some sort of motivation will help but don’t make it the sole focus. A lot of people will say things like:
The one thing that all of those have in common is they point people towards a goal that once achieved allows their brain to believe they can stop. Which is exactly what happens time and time again.
Remember you are building micro habits to be consistent so good motivational goals are things like.
I’m sure there are more but what I am trying to say is motivation should take the form of something that doesn’t give you an endpoint.
Intervals
So you now know about creating Micro habits, being consistent, choosing the right motivation and have already started on our walking plan.
Keep on walking until you are consistently doing 60 minute walks 5 times a week. Depending on your level of fitness this should take anywhere between 6 – 8 weeks. Any less and you are probably missing the point of consistency and trying to rush it.
The golden target of 6 – 8 weeks should have created enough neural pathways in your brain for this type of exercise to have become a habit. Your bones, tendons and muscles will have gotten used to some form of exercise so we now think it’s time to step it up a level with some interval training.
Interval training usually sends people running for the hills (you wish) but really it’s just mixing up how you are currently training.
What I want you to do now is stick to your schedule of training 5 times a week but mix your training up with some running intervals using the following ratios
For the running interval, don’t try and kill yourself, you’re trying to run for 4 minutes, so no sprinting, just a steady jog will do. You’re not trying to break any records. All I want you to do here is get used to running. The whole 60 minutes you are only running for 16 minutes.
I could get into heart rate monitoring and training zones but I don’t want to complicate things just try and build up to consistently running.
Do this for week one then for week 2 increase your running by 1 minute and reduce your walking by 1 minute. Week 3 increase your running by another minute and reduce your walking. During week four keep it the same.
For weeks 5 and 6 play around with your ratios with what you feel comfortable with. Don’t be afraid to push yourself and vice versa, don’t be afraid to take a step back. Consistency is key.
You are building up to consistent running but every step you take, be it running or walking is making you fitter and healthier so it’s a win-win situation.
Keep doing this until you are constantly running forty minutes with a ten minute walk to begin with and a ten minute walk to end with.
The Final Hurdle
Don’t push your training. You have a plan to get you running consistently for 40 minutes whilst staying injury free. You are building up at a pace that suits you, making running a habit and not a chore.
You haven’t increased your training time so you can no longer use the excuse that you don’t have the time.
Your distances will have significantly increased and we can guarantee that if you have followed these simple steps properly you will be feeling amazing right now.
So What Next?
Do you really need me to tell you that? The aim is to run consistently for the full 60 minutes. The way you achieve this is to now start to play around with your walking 10 minutes either side of your runs.
Just like steps one and two don’t rush this final stage. Stay consistent and start by swapping 1 minute of walking from both ends and gradually building up only once you are comfortable.
Nutrition
In addition to the actual training a lot of results are achieved in the kitchen. Eating correctly will help your training improve massively and quickly. I’m not going to go into great detail in this article about nutrition for sport and exercise but in general we would recommend eating as clean as possible.
For those of you who do not know how to eat clean all you need to know is stick to whole foods and eat plenty of fruit and veg. Avoid processed foods as much as possible but don’t starve yourself or deny yourself treats.
Reward yourself after a session with something you like. This will condition your brain to associate exercise with something nice and rewarding and will help you build those vital micro habits.
I will tackle nutrition in a lot more detail in future articles but this isn’t the time. Just try to take on the above and you will be fine for now.
Hydration
Hydration during running is massive also. Your body needs water to survive. When you run you sweat. Sweating releases a lot of water and salts from your body which needs replacing so you can function properly.
Try to carry water with you during your sessions and be sure to take on as much water as possible. There is science around how much you should consume during any sort of training and I will delve into that in an article in its own right but for the purposes of this article. Keep the water intake going.
Not just during your runs but throughout the day. Hydration is one of the most important factors in your everyday life so keep the water coming.
Entertainment
On a lighter note and to finish off. If you can run without music you are a better runner than me. Get the air pods in, crank up the volume and pound the streets.
Training should always be undertaken at your own pace, knowing your own limits. All of the details in this article are set out to help you out and aid in your training to be able to take part in a multisport event.
If you are unsure of your own ability please consult a medical practitioner before starting any new training plan.
With that out of the way we hope you enjoy the article and get out of it exactly what you need to be able to enjoy the wonderful world of Multisport.
What is Multisport?
You’ve probably come across triathlons. You may have seen the Brownlees et al at the Olympics or heard of Ironman, the famous Iron War race of 1989 or Chrissie Wellington. But do you know how accessible multisport actually is? Do you know there are races virtually every weekend in the UK, there is probably a club on your doorstep and it’s not just swim, bike, run?
Multisport disciplines and distances available
Multisport
Disciplines
Triathlon
Swim, Bike, Run
Duathlon
Run, Bike, Run
Aquathlon
Swim, Run
Aquabike
Swim, Bike
Multipsport Discipline Distances
The main and most recognised amongst Triathlon is the Standard or Olympic distance which is 1500m swim, 40km bike, 10km run. As the distances get shorter, you can half the distances and longer, double them.
A lot of what I talk about in this article is aimed at beginners but is totally transferable. If you are training for a longer event, I would definitely recommend doing a little more research or speaking to a coach.
How to choose your first multisport event
Choosing an event is exactly the same as choosing your next pair of trainers. What I mean by that is you wouldn’t walk into a shop pick the first pair that your eyes see and buy them would you?
No. What you would do is think about what colour you would like, what size you will need, what activities you will be doing in them.
Choosing a multisport event is no different and there is lots to consider here too:
What type of event should I choose?
Lets keep it simple and (for now) Triathlon or Duathlon. We’ve stated the difference above so the only real choice here is do you want to get wet or would you rather stay dry? If you don’t want to get wet then choose Duathlon.
How far do I want it to be?
This article is about training for your first event so be sure to select an event and date that fits in with your training. In my opinion it’s best to start small and build your way up as we don’t want you injuring yourself.
However, this all depends on your starting level of fitness. If you are already very fit and just looking for a new challenge then you could probably opt for a longer race.
Most events will clearly state how long the event is so be sure to check this out and choose according to your current level of fitness or how fit you expect to be. Give yourself plenty of time to train if you are unsure.
Do I want it to be competitive or friendly?
There are a lot of athletes who like all of their events to be competitive as they strive to be the best at what they do. Most multisport events wil at the very least time each participant and make the results public. What this means is that you can make any event you choose as competitive or non competitive as you like.
You are competing against yourself. If it’s your first time, get out there and get your first time in the bag. Once you have this you only have yourself to beat at your next one.
As you progress it’s then up to you if you want to start taking notice of other peoples times.
Do I need any special racing equipment?
As with most sports there is lots of equipment that you can buy and multisport events are no different depending on the discipline. For example with Triathlon at the very least you will need a bike, helmet, tri suit, bike shoes etc
As a beginner though most events will not require you to have all this and would certainly not want you to be put off by not having it. In most cases you will be able to race with a road safe bike and helmet and standard running gear.
If you are uncertain just ask the event organiser but we would be highly surprised if they insisted on you having all the required professional equipment to take part.
As you get more into your chosen sport though you will naturally want to get better which is when you will start to purchase more equipment.
GO TRI or Sprint that is the question?
As we’ve recommended airing on the side of caution for your first event our recommendation would be to choose a GO TRI or Sprint Event.
GO TRI is an initiative by British Triathlon to encourage participation in MultiSport, it’s what we specialise in here at MCA Fitness & Events. It’s all about creating opportunities and removing barriers. Limits on distances and entry costs to ensure the event is as accessible as possible.
A sprint distance is roughly half a standard, or Olympic, distance triathlon at 750m (open water) or 400m (pool) swim, 20km bike and 5 km run. A GO TRI event will usually be half that distance again at around 200m swim, 15km bike and 2.5km run. GO TRI’s will generally be pool based as well, which in turn requires subtly less training and equipment as you don’t have to learn to navigate the open water.
A GO TRI event is as competitive as you choose. Everybody will be participating for their own reason. It will not be a race as such, with no prizes, however the pointy end will always be “raced”. It’s an environment which is fun, friendly, accessible, and achievable. A GO TRI is an ideal first event. But that’s not to say a sprint distance isn’t suitable, it absolutely is, but because of the difference in distance, it will require a little more training and preparation and you should keep an eye on the course profile.
Triathlon, Duathlon or something else?
I’ll be honest here; it really doesn’t matter. Neither is more suitable for a beginner than the other (although I have already suggested you start with one of these), There are a couple more options.
The main advice here would be to play to your strengths. If you absolutely hate running and enjoy the swim, you may want an Aquabike event or a Triathlon, however if you can’t swim, or like me prefer to hit the weight room rather than the pool when you go to the gym, a duathlon is probably your perfect choice.
Choose the event that suits your strengths and interests for your first event. You’ll come across many people who tried a triathlon first, not knowing about the other options, but have since gone on to focus on Duathlon or Aquabike because it suits them better. If you’re at a fun, friendly event, your goal is to complete a new challenge and enjoy it. You can definitely specialise later.
So you’ve chosen your first event. The next thing you should do is look at your current fitness levels. If you’re a keen runner, you’re probably good to go with 3 weeks training, whereas if you’ve never competed in an event or in the middle of a Couch25k, an event further in the future i.e 12 weeks’ time may be better.
Under both circumstances, you’ll be able to complete the closer event, but what I would always encourage is that you ensure you’re confident in your fitness and are able to recover well.
The last thing we want is for you to feel like you’re not 100% ready when you’re on the start line or for you to suffer in the days following an event which may put you off multisport for life.
How to structure your training. Do you need a coach?
Coaches are an excellent tool. If you’ve never trained before, the Couch25k app can coach you to that distance, if you’re a regular gym goer, you may go to regular Spin classes or Circuits and use the teacher as your coach, or you might see a personal trainer once or twice a week. But now you’ve chosen to take part in your first duathlon/triathlon, do you need a multisport coach?
In short, a coach won’t hurt, but is absolutely unnecessary for your first event. Wait until you love the sport or you’re ready to be competitive either with yourself or the rest of your age group.
How to train without a Coach for your first Multisport event
Train At Your Own Pace
Just train to be honest… you won’t need to change much before your first event really. You know you have a 2.8km run, a 14km bike and another 2.8km run to complete, so I would ensure that running and riding are part of your week. You probably want to be able to comfortably run 5km before the event but it’s not essential. You can continue to weight train, take classes or swim, but please don’t neglect cycling and running.
That said, there is a way to optimise your efforts. You probably work, have a family and a social life, so you won’t be training for 30 hours a week. Your event will only last for 1-2 hours too, so such volume is really unnecessary. 2-4 sessions per week is absolutely adequate. The first thing to think about is factoring your lifestyle, fit your training in when you can. Don’t plan multiple hour bike rides, if it’s going to cause stress at another point.
30 minute sessions, increasing gradually to an hour or 90 minutes. Start with simple runs and bikes, you can do these indoor or outdoor, with the main goal to be for the training to get more similar to your event as it draws closer. You can do this by following your ride with a short 10 minute run (known as a brick session) or if you’re still hitting the weight room, you could warm up on the bike or try some intervals on the treadmill afterwards when you’re slightly fatigued. Either way, you’re still replicating the intensity of your duathlon.
Brick Workouts
A brick session is usually a bike followed immediately by a run. There are many theories about why it’s called a brick, such as layering of disciplines, solid as a brick, but I understand they are named after World Duathlon Champion, Matt Brick, who made them famous in his use of them.
So a brick session doesn’t just have to be bike then run, it can be any combination of discipline, however most commonly bike then run, but sometimes swim, bike too. It also doesn’t have to be immediate, however your recovery time between the 2 should be short enough that it is still considered one session, for example you could ride in your full bike kit, put your bike away, get changed into your running kit and head back out after a few minutes.
Brick sessions are a great tool to have in your workout locker, particularly as you get closer to race day as these sessions are the ones that are closest in intensity to your race. I love how our GO TRI events are sometimes used as glorified bricks by more experienced competitors, as they simulate race day environment, multi discipline and race intensity, in a relaxed event.
The most common session is a hard bike, followed by a short, 10-20 minute run. Used primarily to get used to the jelly leg feeling of bike to run, but also a good opportunity to test your tired legs with a tempo push on the run.
Always include at least one full rest day
Fitness isn’t strictly how hard/fast/long you can go, in fact, a better indication is how well you can recover between sessions.
Therefore it is imperative that you utilise rest or recovery days. Now we’re beginners here and I’ve already discussed training just 3-4 sessions a week, so naturally that leaves 3-4 rest days also.
You may be an avid gym bunny or transitioning from a cycling background and including run and swim in your week too, so the number of sessions are not strictly limited by any rule, other than you need to be recovered for the next session.
If you’re training for a duathlon, i would recommend a 2 on, 1 off approach, for example,
You may find you want to train more than this or throw a weight session in too, in which case, you just need to think about your recovery. Don’t do a heavy leg session, the day before your hard run because you just won’t be able to perform. You may be able to do a heavy leg session on the same day, but after, an easy bike session. Then take a day or 2 off before an easy run. Your legs will be recovered and you’ll be able to perform for all your kms.
Get your pre and post race nutrition on point
You can’t out train a bad diet, but you also won’t perform if you’re under fuelled. It’s a fine line and careful balance. To put it simply, you wouldn’t get in the car, with an empty tank and expect it to drive you from Manchester to London, you’re going to need to fuel up before the journey. You’re then also going to have to fill up at the end when your tank is empty (think of your body for all non training time like an engine at idle, it’s still burning fuel)
The simple message is, fuel appropriately before, during and after
Before and after your meal, you should be ensuring a balanced meal. About 1-2 hours before you train (you’ll know your stomach better than i do), you should be looking at a Carb rich meal that will fuel your upcoming session, something like a small jacket potato with cheese or beans, or a tuna wrap with some fruit.
If you’re going to be training, or racing for more than an hour, you may want to include some sort of carbohydrate drink, gels or even sweets during your session to maintain consistent energy levels.
After your session, ideally within the following hour, a high protein and high carb meal or snack should be enough to replenish your energy and repair your muscles.
Same goes for race day, however with one golden rule, “Don’t Try Anything New on Race Day”
Hydration is key
When you do any sort of exercise, you’re going to sweat. Sweat is a combination of water and salt and losing either will impair your performance. Therefore, it is vital that you replace both. As a rule, 500ml of fluid for every hour of exercise as a minimum and the more intense, the more fluid required as well as some added salts and electrolytes.
In all honesty, fluid can be anything. Water is ideal, the perfect starting point and you won’t go wrong with it. Mineral water is even better as it’s been naturally filtered and still contains mineral elements which will aid with your hydration. If you want to add some flavour, lemon, orange, cucumber or even a dash of cordial won’t hurt, just watch the calorie and sugar content.
Talking of sugar, we’ve already discussed sugar and carbohydrates as a nutrition tool and it also aids your hydration. Every gram of sugar, holds onto 4 grams of water within the body, so if while you’re training, chugging down loads of water is a chore, or it sits on your stomach, then a small bag of chews or an energy gel is an ideal supplement as it kills 2 birds with one stone.
Finally we move onto actual supplements. Electrolyte tablets and powders and concentrated with salts and minerals that will help replace those lost through sweat and keep you topped up. (bonus tip, i have some n hand for before and after a night out to help with my hydration and recovery 😉 )
Ultimately water works, and you can use as many or as few alternatives as you like, but remember, if your goal is to shift a few pounds as well as do your first event, then litres of Lucozade may not be ideal. You want to stay hydrated and enhance performance while working to your goals.
Leave the Lucozade for before an intense session or race day and stick with water, cordial or electrolytes for the majority of your training.
Learn how to recover properly
Linked to both nutrition and hydration is recovery. You won’t perform or recover if you’ve got them wrong, but you can also enhance your recovery through other tools.
A hard threshold session on the bike, make sure you’re warmed up and ready, so spend 20 minutes riding easy with a few tempo and high cadence efforts thrown in so your body is ready for the session. This will help you perform in the session, avoid injury and help with recovery and make sure you do an active cool down as well, bring your body temperature and muscles back down before you jump off the bike.
Stretching, rolling, massage guns and massage treatment are all pivotal tools to assist your muscles in recovering from sessions. They are only part of the answer though, so don’t think pummeling your muscles in a hard session, then pummeling them with a foam roller will work, you have to listen to your body and give it what it needs. If you get tight in a session, stretch, increase the strength and flexibility in that muscle group. If your muscles feel sore a day or two after, try rolling or a massage gun, gently easing the muscles off. Physical recovery is about returning your muscles and body to its “normal” state from exertion.
Finally sleep. Going back to the definition of fitness and the body’s ability to receive, it would therefore make sense that fitness is often said to be built while asleep rather than during your training. Make sure you get to bed and have plenty of lie ins. Now work and kids will generally get in the way, but you can enhance this with good sleep hygiene. I’m not talking cleaning your sheets every day, but switching big lights off an hour or two before bed, limiting screen time in an evening, a few minutes spent meditating, writing in a journal or praying before bed, and generally trying to reduce stress, reduce your heart rate and preparing yourself for a good night’s sleep. I think the most important tip is to try and maintain a routine. Rest and wake at the same time each day, do the same thing in the hour before and after sleep and you’ll reap the fitness benefits of a deeper, more relaxed, less disturbed sleep.
Practice transition
The fourth and often overlooked discipline is transition. As with nutrition, you should not be trying anything new on race day. Therefore, you should at the very least have practised getting off your bike and running for a few metres. You should know how to rack your bike, what you’re allowed to bring into and what you’re not allowed to bring into transition. Multi sport is after all a multi discipline event and spending a few sessions in the weeks before your event getting used to switching sports, changing clothes and shoes and putting your helmet on in a rush, could be valuable and very worthwhile.
Most importantly though, enjoy the journey, embrace your training, look forward to your first event and if you end up choosing one of ours please come and say hi when you get there.
