Indholdsfortegnelse for February 2019 i 220 Triathlon

1 This recovery powder from Healthspan Elite Complete Vegan Protein (£24.99) offers the textbook 20g of protein per serving for enhanced recovery. It also contains a blend of amino acids and multi-vitamins. 2 The Suunto 3 Fitness (£199) offers a wealth of fitness tracking benefits, including sleep metrics, step counting and calorie intake alongside its optimal HR measuring, GPS capabilities and water resistance. 3 The Rapid Reboots ($936/£730) offer targeted compression via the pulse recovery system. The aim is to reduce muscle soreness and hasten recovery times by enhancing the blood flow to the muscles and removing waste products. 4 The Nuun Vitamins (£8.99) provide a host of active and natural vitamins and minerals, including stevia leaf extract, beetroot juice and sodium, to assist hydration and improve daily health. Flavours…

1 Replicate the hypoxic beach start and short run between laps with this swim session: 15 x 200m as flat-out 50m; 150m threshold. 2 Set the turbo to a big gear and build strength for the hills. Do 1min on, 1min off at a cadence of 40rpm. 3 Brick it by running a fast 5k straight after an hour of big gear work (like session 2). 4 Hill reps are invaluable for this bike course. Practise with 15 x 500m hills, blast it going up and recover on way down. 5 Running hill reps are a must. Pick a short hill of 50m and run up hard and recover back down, repeat x 15.…

Heel loop? Check. Quick-fastening system? Yep. Mesh upper? Present and correct. As the bike-to-run transition moniker suggests, the 1500T2 race-day running shoes from New Balance have plenty of multisport appeal. Created using data from the American brand’s sports research lab, the 1500T2 are targeting a wide range of race distances, with New Balance touting them for 5Ks, marathons and everything in between. Of potential benefit to triathletes is that perforated synthetic mesh upper, the Boa ratchet wiring system for a lace-free transition and the heel loop for an easier foot insertion. Elsewhere, the Revlite foam midsole is said to provide the same responsiveness and durability as midsoles that are 30% heavier than usual New Balance foams. The heel-to-toe drop is a lean 6mm and weight per shoe is 244g. You…

THE UK ULTIMATE What? Easy logistics, an iron newcomer-friendly looped course and an always-inclusive atmosphere combine in this low-key and affordable iron experience. When 2 June 2019 Price £254 Location Whitchurch, Shropshire Swim Lake, 19°C Bike elevation 1,216m Run elevation 146m Median finish 13:12:38 BEST FOR BEGINNERS IRONMAN UK What? The original UK Ironman, which returns to Bolton for another well-supported tour of Lancashire and a memorable finish line experience in Bolton town centre. Date 14 July 2019 Price £405 Location Bolton, Lancs Swim Lake, 19°C Bike elevation 1,614m Run elevation 312m Median finish 13:30:35 BEST FOR ALL-ROUNDERS THE BRUTAL What? One of the toughest iron-distance races in the world, with that marathon run taking athletes up and down Wales’ highest mountain. Date 31 August 2019 Price £312 Location Llanberis,…

American comedian Larry David believes that a compromise is when neither party is happy. While we agree with the Curb your Enthusiasm star on most things, obviously Larry isn’t familiar with the concept of aero road helmets, that winning hybrid of traditional road helmets and pointy TT lids. Since the Giro Air Attack started the aero road helmet revolution in 2012, the popularity has exploded in cycling and triathlon, and they’ve become one of the areas where the greatest biking innovations are made. Aero road helmets can – and should – offer a balance between TT and road helmets. That is, they have to be faster than a road helmet yet free from the compromises of weight and ventilation of a time-trial helmet. While the weight of an aero road…

Our exclusive wind-tunnel test delivered some fascinating results (we’ll go through them in-depth next issue), with some helmets only delivering the aero goods at certain speeds and angles (Scott), others consistently behind the pack (Endura and Poc) and some continually in the lead (Specialized and Giro). The data produced gave us stats for the Coefficient of drag (CdA); Power to achieve the speed (Watts); Speed at the baseline power (km/h); Time to complete 35km and 45km at 35km/h and 45km/h; and the time behind the best performance of the Kask Mistral TT lid. Here we’ll show you the average time difference at both positions, yaw angles and speeds behind the Kask Mistral TT over a 40km bike leg. The scores were: 1. Specialized Evade 2 (+32secs); 2. Giro Vanquish (+37secs);…

Indoor cycling, facing a wall, straining to hear your favourite playlist over the deafening whirl of your turbo has long proven a greater mental battle than the physical. But, as the likes of elite triathletes Lucy Charles, Jan Frodeno and Jonny Brownlee have shown, indoor training, specifically the gamification of indoor training, is losing its reputation as a necessary evil. Instead, these virtual-riding packages, specifically Zwift in the case of Charles, Frodeno and Brownlee, have captured the imagination of triathletes around the world. So has gamification truly taken a foothold or do we have another Nintendo Wii on our hands? This piece uses Zwift as the exemplar because, well, it’s the industry leader. A snapshot of its popularity, as of February 2018, reveals over 500,000 users had used Zwift from…

PACING Getting the pacing right is one of the biggest challenges for age-group triathletes – work at it! “In this key session we use shorter 100m reps to develop disciplined pacing, and longer intervals to develop speed endurance” TECHNIQUE Complete some hard interval sets as drafted swims, either changing the lead swimmer or drafting formation. MOTIVATION Swimming hard interval sets with training partners or a club will keep you motivated and make them fun. By developing your race-speed endurance and pace control over the winter months you’ll build the foundation from which to unlock your swim potential for next season’s racing. This starts with an understanding of what pace you should swim your interval training at and then how you need to work to improve your race-speed endurance. Completing a…

TECHNIQUE Engage the glutes when you stand, really push through the pedals. “By doing this session, you’ll really start to see some big overall strength and mobility gains, which in turn will give you more power on the bike” POWER Control the power, don’t go crazy on the efforts – this session is all about control. CADENCE Try different cadences to test your ability to push the power. Now we’re in the depths of winter it’s time to work on your weaknesses. And we do this by activating the different muscle groups through cycling-specific exercises that you can do alongside your strength and conditioning work. By doing this, you’ll really start to see some big overall strength and mobility gains, which in turn will give you more power on the…

POSITION Hold your head high while you run to maintain a good posture. “The key to this session – and developing aerobic fitness in general – is to be patient and enjoy the process” TECHNIQUE Time the swing of your left arm with your right leg for balance and propulsion. FORM Try to have your feet landing underneath your body to prevent inefficient heel striking. One of the greatest barriers to achieving the results you so badly crave (and deserve) is time available to train. This leads to a lot of athletes completing training that is maybe harder than they should, to try and achieve a greater benefit. Aerobic fitness is the base that the ‘faster stuff’ is built on, so it’s important to build that base as wide as…

No doubt the images of triathlon can be a bit daunting, with super-fit athletes in super-tight Lycra racing around the streets, in broad daylight! You might also think that in order to be a ‘triathlete’ you need to train for 20hrs+ per week and never eat a slice of cake ever again. Rubbish! Lies! And we’re here to banish those myths with a training plan that will take you from complete beginner to race-ready in eight weeks. It’s true that many triathletes tick that aforementioned stereotype, but with our super-easy, no-pressure, eight-week training plan you can sign up and be ready for your first triathlon with confidence that you’ll nail it. Triathlon is a sport that offers many distance options and can be raced anywhere, which is why we love…

Cumin is a popular spice with a long histor of medicinal y use. It’s been linked to improvements in digestive and cardiovascular health. More recently it has shown to reduce inflammatory biomarkers which become elevated by oxidative stress, which is a common response to training. Coriander is a great source of antioxidants and contains the highest levels of beta-carotene, which has proven beneficial in the prevention of cancer. Adding coriander to foods can help maintain ‘freshness’ as the high antioxidant content prevents spoilage. VERDICT While both are great sources of antioxidants and give you a legitimate excuse to include a curry as training food, cumin just pips the post due to the fact that there are more established studies on its health benefits.…

JOHN WOOD Wetsuit vs speed An award-winning tri coach of 10 years, John is also a former international swimmer. ANDY BLOW Peeing during an IM Andy is the founder of Precision Hydration, which specialises in tailored sports hydration. NIK COOK Bike hill power Cycling writer Nik is a competitive multisporter who’s competed for Team GB in the duathlon. NICK BEER Strength training for kids Nick’s a sports injury rehab specialist and development coach, specialising in S&C work. DERMOTT HAYES Reader rescue Dermott is head coach at Be Endurance, and the organiser of the Storm the Castle duathlon.…

POST-IRONMAN RECOVERY Q Looking at all the Ironman training plans available and none of them seem to have anything after the event. What’s your opinion on just stopping full stop? I see it all the time on Strava: ‘First ride/run since Ironman three months ago’. Surely it would be better to wind down after the event? Paul Fisher “Adopting a complete no-training approach is not advised” A Life after Ironman is a strange place for the average age-grouper who’s had the race at the forefront of their focus for so many months, maybe even years. For a pro triathlete or an age-grouper in search of Kona, they will have a clear plan as to what comes next. But, if like 95% of athletes, completing an Ironman is the pinnacle…

‘A’-RACE The most important race of your season AGE-GROUPER Non-pro triathlete (most of us!) AEROBIC Aerobic exercise involves or improves oxygen consumption by the body ANAEROBIC How much energy your body can produce without using oxygen AQUABIKE Race with just swim and bike elements, no run BILATERAL BREATHING Breathing every 3 strokes when swimming BIOMECHANICS The forces applied to your body during exercise BONKING Running out of energy mid-race or training session BRICK SESSION When you ‘brick’ two disciplines together, e.g. bike & run CADENCE Pedal rate on bike, in revolutions per minute (rpm) CARB-LOADING Eating a carb-heavy meal prior to a race to boost energy CATCH The part of the swim stroke where you pull on the water CORE STRENGTH Development of the stomach and lower back area in…

ULTIMATE IRONMAN TIPS Keen to do an Ironman but worried you won’t have the time or the fitness? Find out how to make it happen with our expert feature on p28. 220 TRIATHLON AWARDS You voted in your droves in the 2018 220 Awards! Turn to p38 to find out which gear, coaches, races and athletes you rated the highest. VIRTUAL TRAINING On p65 we examine how indoor training platforms such as Zwift have transformed tri training… and how to get the best out of them.…

Has one of the best just got even better? The previous edition of Australian outfit 2XU’s snappily-titled Comp Full Zip Sleeved was the overall winner of our men’s sleeved tri-suits grouptest in 2018, and now the 2019 has arrived with us early with a host of upgrades. The major change is the increase in compressive technologies, with the 105D Power Mesh fabric on the quads aiming to ensure muscle stabilisation and less vibration to reduce soreness. The fabric also includes mesh and dimpled areas with the dual aim of increased ventilation and aerodynamic improvements, respectively, as well as UV protection. Elsewhere, there’s an Italian chamois targeted at long-distance cushioning, a full-length zip for race-day convenience and two rear pockets. Two-piece and vested versions are also available. Find out how the…

Poldy: We’re both relatively fit, but neither of us had done a triathlon before – we were complete amateurs. The longest part was working out how to train… it’s been a big journey. Rob: The North Pole wasn’t feasible as not many people have successful expeditions, so we scaled it back to Svalbard, which is the furthest north before encountering pack ice. All we had to do was learn things, like swimming! R: We were definitely underprepared on the run, we hadn’t done enough miles. P: Two weeks before the start I picked up an ankle injury, went to physio, and they said they don’t recommend running over three marathons [the distance from London to Dover]. I was resigned to the fact I would be walking or cycling, thinking this…

It’s inevitable – at some point on your tri journey you’ll spend time recovering from injury. But are there injury trends and, if so, how can they be avoided? It’s a question answered in a recent study by Dr Dominik Schorn and his team, who analysed the injury history of 193 amateur German triathletes over 12 months. Of the 193, 12 participants sustained an acute injury (a one-off impact) while 36 experienced an overuse injury. Preventing crashing, the researchers noted, could come down to technique, albeit sometimes it’s simply unavoidable. When it came to the overuse group, the most common ailment revolved around the shoulder area with Schorn concluding that paddles were the root cause. “A possible reason for this is the expansion of the hand surface, leading to increased…

FASTENING Dedicated triathlon laces can be added to most racing shoes for a swifter T2, but the New Balance here have a Boa ratchet wiring system for an enhanced fit and, hopefully, a faster transition time (the heel loop should also help with this). VENTING Whatever your race distance, your feet are likely to be hot and sweaty from the bike leg. So aim to look for a mesh upper to enhance ventilation. Also factor in whether you’ll be running sockless for the final discipline and assess the internal seams. GRIP Given most of you are based in the UK, there’s a fair chance your race-day running will take place at a high pace on wet, concrete roads. So scan the shoes for assured – but not excessive – traction…

INTERNATIONAL TRIATHLETE OF THE YEAR 1. Daniela Ryf 2 . Patrick Lange 3 . Mario Mola 4 . Jan Frodeno 5 . Lionel Sanders MALE PARATRIATHLETE OF THE YEAR 1. Joe Townsend 2. George Peasgood 3. Andy Lewis 4. Mark Conway 5. Dave Ellis MEN’S ELITE OF THE YEAR 1. Tim Don 2. David McNamee 3. Alistair Brownlee 4. Patrick Lange 5. Joe Skipper DUATHLETE OF THE YEAR 1. Emma Pooley 2. Emma Pallant 3. Mark Buckingham 4. Seanin Gilmore 5. Jonathan Hoggett FEMALE PARATRIATHLETE OF THE YEAR 1 . Lauren Steadman 2 . Jade Jones 3 . Hannah Moore 4 . Claire Cashmore 5 . Alison Patrick TRI CLUB OF THE YEAR 1. Leeds & Bradford TC 2. Lincoln Tri 3. DO3 Club 4. GreenLightPT 5. Roding Valley AGE-GROUPER…

Q How has your approach to coaching triathlon changed over the years? A The biggest change for me is that I feel like I’m much more of a life coach now. Writing and delivering a training plan is the easiest part for me and for the athletes I work with. Far more challenging is helping them find solutions to the everyday issues that interrupt their training and cause them stress. I also focus far more on firstly keeping them healthy and then building their fitness. Q What are the 3 key tips that you think all novice triathletes should know? A 1 Focus on the basics; 2 Get your technique right; 3 Take a longterm approach. Q What do you enjoy most from coaching athletes? A Watching them progress and…

INCREASE YOUR LOWER BODY STRENGTH 1 SQUAT For lower body strength exercises, you can use body weight with additional weights or a TRX Suspension System(£99, but there are cheaper alternatives). Aim to descend to a depth just below parallel where the crease of the hip is lower than the knee. If you’re struggling, the TRX will achieve this with support from your arms. Example set 3 x 15-20 reps with 60secs recovery. Descend slowly with your weight distributed over your midfoot to heel. Pause at the bottom and ascend by pushing your heels into the ground and rise in one movement. HANDY TIP... Aim to do these sets three times a week with a day off in between. Sets should take 45mins including the warm-up and cool-down. 2 LUNGE Mix…

For the test here, we’ve picked nine of the best aero road helmets currently available and put them through their paces on the roads to assess ventilation, comfort and usability features such as the ratchet, buckle and straps. Safety features were examined (all the helmets here come with EN1078 safety certificates and some have the Virgina Tech ratings-leading MIPS) before the most noteworthy six were taken to Evesham’s stellar Boardman Performance Centre for wind-tunnel testing at a variety of yaw angles, tri-bar positions and speeds.…

The Limar, HJC and Bontrager were all strong performers and unlucky not to make the wind-tunnel cut. Yet we felt the contrasting styles of the Specialized, Poc, Giro, Endura, Bell and Scott would provide a more revealing set of numbers, and shine a light on what type of aero road helmet types offer the greatest gains at the different speeds, yaw angles and positions. And they certainly did that, with the £270 Poc being outpunched by our £30 standard road helmet interloper, the B’Twin 500; the Scott Cadence moving from the best to the worst ‘high aero position’ helmet when the speed moved from 35 to 45km/h; and the S-Works and Giro consistently topping the honours. But it’s the S-Works that just edges the title (it’d score even higher with…

SET A BENCHMARK Complete a Critical Swim Speed (CSS) test (400m/200m time trial, swimsmooth.com) to establish a baseline pace for interval training and use this to develop your speed endurance. DEVELOP PACE DISCIPLINE Use a tempo trainer/pace clock and pace charts to set disciplined pacing for interval sets. Remember 1-2secs over 100m makes a big difference over longer swims. MIX IT UP Make your winter training challenging and fun: combine swim intervals with poolside S&C – vertical-wall, push-up ‘killer intervals’ really work the arms and back of your stroke.…

WORK ON YOUR TRIGGER POINTS Really try and keep on top of your mobility and strength throughout the winter months to maintain muscle strength, flexibility and, most importantly, to reduce injury risk. TAKE VITAMIN D The majority of UK athletes will be deficient in vitamin D over the winter months, so keep yours up with supplementation (October through to late March is best for UK residents). CHECK YOUR WEIGHT Keep an eye on your weight over these coming months, just so you know where you’re at for the start of the new season. It just needs to be an occasional weigh-in, say monthly.…

WORK ON TECHNIQUE It’s always a good time to work on technique, whatever the time of year! Try to hold a cadence as close to 180spm (strides per minute) as you can for increasingly longer times. PACK SOME FUEL This is going to be a long run/walk, so it’s important to stay well-fuelled and hydrated – especially if you’re heading to the hills where you won’t find many coffee shops! DO IT TWICE Depending on your time available and your fitness, this session (or a variation of it) can be completed again 2-3 days later for double the benefit!…

MANAGE YOUR TIME Organise your triathlon training around your work and family commitments and make sure you plan in time to get the work done. SET TARGETS Set yourself targets for each session, week and race; be realistic but also challenge for yourself. DO YOUR RESEARCH Research the sport, speak to athletes, watch online and immerse yourself. Never be afraid to ask questions. GET THE RIGHT KIT Don’t overspend on kit you won’t need. Stick to the basics at this early stage and always remember to test your kit out pre-race.…

AVOID ILLNESS As we enter the winter months, there’s ample evidence as to why triathletes in particular should stay supplemented (sunshine is the best form and we can’t get enough from food alone). A low vitamin-D level has been associated with a higher prevalence of respiratory illness in athletes. A study in 2016 (He. CS et al, Exercise Immunity Review) demonstrated that aiming for vitamin-D levels of above 75 nmol/l potentially prevented upper respiratory tract infections but also enhanced innate immunity. PERFORMANCE Since then, further studies have been conducted and research published in October 2018 showed that higher levels of vitamin D were associated with better exercise capacity. Each 10 nmol/L increase in vitamin D was associated with a statistically significant 0.78 mL/kg/min increase in VO2 max. While it was…

How do you treat a trapped nerve? Most people make a full recovery over time without any intervention, but ibuprofen can help alleviate the pain. With more stubborn cases, treatment by a chartered physio can help. What are the differences between NSAIDs and steroids? Non-Steroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs) and steroids both work to reduce inflammation (swelling) in the body. However, they’re used to treat different conditions. The most recognisable NSAIDs are ibuprofen and naproxen, both of which can be bought over the counter. They alleviate the symptoms experienced during short-term bouts of pain, such as muscle strains, joint sprains, back or headaches or general discomfort sustained after an injury. Steroids are far more powerful, and are more effective at reducing inflammation, but they also have many more side effects, so…

We take gear testing seriously – you need to know that the kit you buy will help you reach your goals in all three disciplines and work as hard as you on race day. Our test team is made up of experienced triathletes, cyclists and runners who test each product that appears in 220 to the max during training and racing, rating it honestly for performance and value. JACK SEXTY A triathlete since blowing his student loan on a bike, sub-2hr Olympic athlete Jack moved to Ironman at Lanzarote in 2016. Key season goal A top-10 finish in my age-group at the ITU Sprint World Champs in September. HELEN WEBSTER 220’s editor made the move from marathons to tri four years ago. Happiest when in the open water, she also…

UNDER £10 CHASING EXTREME £9.99 Aussie extreme adventurer Luke Tyburski completed a solo 2,000km triathlon in 2015 and Chasing Extreme is the inspiring tale of how he did it… and recovered from the major lows that followed. An inspiring read for all endurance athletes. luketyburski.com UNDER £25 THE COMPLETE IRONMAN £25 Released to coincide with the 40th birthday of Ironman, U.S. tri historian Bob Babbitt’s latest tome celebrates the spirit of 226km racing and highlights the greatest moments, races and athletes in Ironman history. carltonbooks.co.ukcom UNDER £50 TO MAKE RIDERS FASTER £41 This is the beautifully-illustrated tale of how the Canadian duo, Gerard Vroomen and Phil White, developed a school basement project into one of the world’s most celebrated bike brands, Cervélo. tomakeridersfaster.com…

WELL DONE, DEBS! Back in February 2013 you ran an Age-Group Focus article on my girlfriend, Deborah Coyle, who’d just been crowned National Middle Distance Champion and was about to represent Team GB at the Worlds in London at Olympic distance. So I wanted to provide a follow-up with her many achievements since. At the 2013 Worlds, she took bronze in the 35-39 age-group. She then left triathlon for a while, concentrating on time-trialling, before returning last year. In October this year she represented Team GB at the ETU Middle Distance Champs in Ibiza. Incredibly, she won her age-group (40-44) by 4mins to become European Champion and was second female age-grouper overall (to a 20-24 Dutch athlete). Debbie works full time as a personal trainer and has two sons ages…

BREAK THE RACE DOWN Take the race one step at a time. Focus on what you’re doing now, how you’re feeling and how you think you’ll feel in five minutes time. This should help you pace the race correctly. Keep a clear head and break the race down into sections. Don’t rush frantically in transitions, be controlled and focused and you’ll race faster. Towards the end of the swim and bike think about your transition process. LEARN TO DEAL WITH SETBACKS In a triathlon a lot can go wrong, and it’s how you deal with those things that can make or break your race. I’ve rarely ever had a completely perfect race, but I’ve still had great results. Don’t let small mistakes ruin your race, focus on what is going…

MOST WANTED EKOI KOINA £264 Is Patrick Lange’s Kona-winning helmet worth the spend? The Koina was debuted at Kona 2017 and, as top German triathlete Patrick Lange’s helmet of choice, it’s now been ridden to successive Ironman World Championship victories. While the odd Kona/ Ekoi hybrid name doesn’t work for us, we were keen to try it for ourselves now it’s finally available on the market to triathletes. While in recent years TT helmets have been getting rounder and stubbier (or overshadowed by the more versatile aero road helmets - see p56), the Koina is part of a new breed that provides an in-between. There is a tail but it’s short, and head-on the shell has quite a wide frontal area. Ekoi claim the Koina has done plenty of…

We were lucky enough to gain exclusive access to the wind tunnel at the Boardman Performance Centre for this test, armed with the question, ‘What’s the fastest helmet?’ Yet finding the answer wasn’t a simple case of hopping on the bike and pedalling away. “It’s an admirable question, but then we need to break it down further to address different speeds, different body positions and different head positions,” says Barney Wainwright, the centre’s Head of Science & Technical Development. “What’s best for one person isn’t best for another. So we need to think carefully about how we test.” This careful procedure involved producing eight measures per helmet (we took the Specialized, Scott, Poc, Giro, Endura and Bell, and one £30 road helmet – the B’Twin 500 (see image) – and…

WARM-UP 10secs RI after each rep • 100m swim • 4 x 25m as: 15m sculling/10m swim • 4 x 25m as: 15m streamline kick/ 10m swim CSS SPEED ENDURANCE INTERVALS Use the 100m intervals to establish metronomic pacing then hold CSS pace for the longer intervals. Novices should start with repeats of just the 3 x 100m/1 x 200m to nail their pacing. • 3 x 100m CSS + 15secs rest • 1 x 200m CSS + 30secs rest • 3 x 100m CSS + 15secs rest • 1 x 300m CSS + 30secs rest • 3 x 100m CSS + 15secs rest • 1 x 400m CSS CONTRAST ‘KILLER ARMS’ 6 x 50m effort swims with 10 x vertical-wall push-ups after 25m in deep end • 30secs rest…

WARM-UP 10mins easy High cadence MAIN SET 4 x 4:30mins moderate At the end of each block do 30secs standing out of the saddle at a moderate pace; your choice of cadence • 10mins easy High cadence • 4 x 4:30mins moderate At the end of each block do 30secs standing out of the saddle at a moderate pace; your choice of cadence COOL-DOWN 10mins easy Cadence to suit ADAPT FOR BEGINNERS Carry out the session as above but cut the standing down to 10secs or 20secs, depending on your ability. ADAPT FOR IRONMAN Cut the blocks down to 4mins and complete 1min fully standing. If you wish to extend the effort, incorporate four sets of the seated-to-standing drills, with 10mins recovery.…

WARM-UP 15mins easy Running and drills MAIN SET 3 x [10mins moderate running; 5mins easy walking] • 2 x [5mins vigorous running; 5mins easy walking] • 2 x [15mins moderate running; 5mins easy walking] COOL-DOWN 15mins easy Running or walking ADAPT FOR BEGINNERS This is quite a long run so instead of doing the reps 3, 2 and 2 times repeat them 2, 1 and 1 for a 90min session. ADAPT FOR IRONMAN Depending where you are in your training you can complete the session as 3, 3 and 3 reps in the main set. The easy walking can also be completed as an easy run.…

WETSUIT VS SPEED Q Why does a wetsuit make you faster? Ross Stevens A A wetsuit should make everyone faster in the water, whether you’re new to swimming or Michael Phelps. This is because a wetsuit gives you buoyancy, lifting you higher in the water, which means you require less energy or force to give you lift (i.e. keep you at the surface) and, more importantly, push you along. Stronger swimmers will benefit less from a wetsuit than weaker swimmers, as their body position is already better. For weaker, newer swimmers, or less confident athletes, your hips will be level with your head and shoulders rather than below. This should mean that your legs are also at the same level – you might even feel your heels breaking the…

1 The middle-distance Challenge Vietnam takes place in Nha Trang on Vietnam’s southeastern coast on 14 July 2019. 2 Rising long-course race brand Toughman returns to the north-east Caribbean Sea with the 113km Toughman Half Puerto Rico on 13 October 2019. 3 Goa’s capital of Panaji on the western coast will play host to Ironman 70.3 Goa on 20 October 2019, and marks the brand’s long-awaited first venture into India. 4 The Nevis Triathlon offers a host of Caribbean-set race distances on 9 November 2019, with Trya-Tri, sprint and duathlon events all offered.…