Innehållsförteckning för July 2020 från 220 Triathlon

“After watching 220’s Matt Baird complete his ‘Garden Half-Ironman’ I felt inspired to replicate it!” PHYSICAL AND MENTAL BOOST Following a mental breakdown in 2018, I was in a bit of a state. But I stumbled across Operation Ironman by George Mahood, which I read end to end in a day. I told my close friends and family I was going to do an Ironman, despite being 22 stone and not able to swim. It took me until January this year to start training, but with the help of a personal coach I’ve shed 4 stone since NYE. I have swimming lessons booked and (if it goes ahead) a sprint tri in September. This sport, and its training, has made me feel so much better both mentally and physically. I’m…

CORINNE ABRAHAM Corinne has won two Continental IM Champs and podiumed at several full and half IMs. FENELLA LANGRIDGE Fenella clocked three podiums from three 70.3 starts in her first pro year, plus a win in Edinburgh. DAVID McNAMEE David is GB’s most successful Ironman male athlete thanks to two third-place Kona finishes. NIKKI BARTLETT Nikki has mounted multiple 70.3 and full IM podiums, including a win at IM Lanzarote in 2019. SUSIE CHEETHAM Susie has finished sixth twice at the Ironman World Champs, nd is a multiple 70.3 champ. ELLIOT SMALES Elliot currently holds the record for the fastest British Ironman debut time (8:01:22, at Barcelona 2019). KIM MORRISON Kim won her first 70.3 in Buenos Aires just one year after going pro. In 2019, she finished 26th in…

ECHELON EX3 MAX £1,238 Does the EX3 Max warrant a place in the tri homestead? You’ve bought a Wattbike!” a friend on Zoom shouted when they saw my new short-term loan during lockdown. Alas not, but the Echelon EX3 Max was certainly a quieter, healthier and more productive visitor than most entrants to my dining room. While there are Wattbike comparisons, Echelon’s main rival is the £700 more Peloton (they of £8bn stock market value and dubious Christmas adverts) in the home training market, with both offering reams of live and pre-recorded indoor spin classes and training content on their apps. So, does the Echelon warrant a place in the upper echelons of the indoor training market for triathletes? The EX3 arrives in a mightily-heavy box that won’t be welcomed…

As you’re eyeing up a wetsuit from this selection, which all cost over £450, it’s likely you’ll either have a swim background from your youth, or have worked hard in adulthood to hone your skills and are emerging from the swim placed inside the top 10% in the majority of your triathlon events. If that’s not the case, unfortunately spending more won’t necessarily lead to faster swim splits. Though there are high-end wetsuits with higher buoyancy ratios aimed at those with sinky legs, this may do the same job as a cheaper suit with the same buoyancy levels. And if you don’t have the rapid arm turnover to take advantage of thinner neoprene in the arms and shoulders that often appears on high-end suits, it could even be detrimental. With…

The challenges of Covid-19 and its aftermath will fundamentally alter the triathlon landscape in both the short-and long-term. The number of tri brands will possibly diminish, the range of products is likely to decrease. While this may provide the established, major tri brands with less competitors, as a consumer we cherish the existing choice we have when it comes to tri wares. Because we love the democratisation of tri-suit craft especially. If we want proven aerodynamics, we’ll go for the Endura D2Z or Zone3 Aeroforce-X. Hydrodynamics? The Orca Dream Kona. Affordability? Step forward the Dhb Classic. Environmental chops? Presca. And long-course comfort? There’s only one winner for us: the annual Heart Sports tri-suit, produced by a secondary school computer science teacher from his spare room in Gillingham, Dorset. Our first…

WARM-UP 100m as: alternate 25m front crawl (FC)/25m backstroke 100m kick as: 25m left side/25m right side/25m back/25m front (no board required) 100m as: 12.5m scull/12.5m swim 100m FC 4 x 50m; 10secs rest (RI), getting quicker each 50 MAIN SET 3 x 25m max effort; 30secs rest 100m vigorous to max effort; 30secs RI 175m vigorous; 30secs RI 200m easy COOL-DOWN 100m as: fast first 3 strokes of each length, then easy 100m choice of stroke 100m as: 50m FC/50m backstroke 100m easy kick ADAPT FOR BEGINNERS Make sure that the speeds change but don’t stress about max effort to start with. Maybe shorten the warm-up. Could also do fewer reps of the main set. ADAPT FOR ADVANCED Longer second and third reps – up to 125m/200m. Repeat x…

WARM-UP 5-10mins building up to moderate 3 x [5secs low-gear sprint, stay seated and focus on maximal cadence; 55secs recovery spinning] 2-3mins easy spin MAIN SET Ride the efforts in race position 5 x [5mins @90-100rpm vigorous to max effort; 3mins @80rpm easy] COOL-DOWN 5-10mins easy spin ADAPT FOR BEGINNERS Drop the length of the intervals to three minutes and, as you get stronger, simply add 15-30secs to each one. ADAPT FOR IRONMAN This is a demanding session as it is, but if you really want more try finishing each interval with a 10sec all-out sprint.…

WARM-UP 30 controlled breaths focusing on breathing from the abdomen If you have one, 30 controlled breaths with a Powerbreathe™ 10mins easy run maintaining abdominal breathing MAIN SET 2 x 6mins easy, breathing in an out through the nose 4mins moderate, breathing in through the nose and out through the mouth 2mins vigorous, breathing in and out through the mouth 4mins easy, focusing on holding shoulders back and opening the chest 2mins moderate, focused on an even in/out breathing pattern COOL-DOWN 5mins easy, focusing on bringing all aspects together 60 controlled breaths with a Powerbreath™ on a lower level than pre-run ADAPT FOR BEGINNERS Simply reduce the time of each rep or only complete one set so your total run time is less. ADAPT FOR IRONMAN Maintain the initial 6mins…

Loockdown is tough. There’s no sugar-coating it. When normal things we take for granted are taken away from us we realise only then, and too acutely, how much we actually appreciate them, even things like going to work! Sport, exercise, that release of endorphins, meeting up with friends and teammates for an easy run, bike or swim set, or even that crazy hard burn-up on all the hills and sprinting for the village signs, man I miss them big time! And can we talk about racing in 2020? That’s the big question on everyone’s mind. I know most races have been cancelled, moved to later in the year or even next year, and it’s the right and only thing to do. Trust me, it’s affecting all us pro’s as that’s…

SHORT-SLEEVED TRI-SUITS Comfort is key for all levels, so consider pads, grippers and material quality. Full-length zippers are also handy for mid-race toilet stops. 2XU Perform Full £130 Performs very well on both the bike and run thanks to top-quality fabrics. Issue 378 2xu.com RACESKIN Funky Skull £135 Great visuals and zip guard, and best suited to shorter distances. Issue 378 raceskin.co.uk ZO0T Ltd Tri Aero Tokyo £170 Great style for a good all-round tri-suit that should suit all distances. Issue 378 zootsports.co.uk TRI-FIT Evo £179 Comfort, aerodynamics and features… a standout suit for all distances. Issue 378 tri-fitathletic.com ZONE3 Lava Short Sleeve £190 Very comfortable woven fabrics and excellent temperature control. Issue 378 zone3.co.uk ENERGY GELS Carb and caffeine content, added extras (such as electrolytes and salts), digestability, and,…

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. First thing you’ll do post-lockdown? “A swim at Cefn Sidan Beach in Llanelli followed by a pie and a pint at the local pub.” HELEN WEBSTER 220’s editor made the move from marathons to tri seven years ago. Happiest…

“I borrowed a bike and just kind of figured out what to do” A year before my first tri, I was in a coma. I came within an hour of dying, and had to relearn everything, including walking and speaking. It was my 35th birthday, and my girlfriend Zoe [Uma Thurman’s stunt double from the Kill Bill movies] had organised a surprise party on the beach with my friends and family near where we live in Los Angeles, it was so much fun. My gift from her was a motorised skateboard-style board. I’d ridden them before on film sets, so I was confident to ride it home, which was maybe a mile away. I was going up the bike lane and a car pulled out on me. I flew off…

01 @lewys.casey A clean bike is a fast bike 02 @diamondsmudger So my run couldn’t go as planned, as had kids and no treadmill, so had to adjust – 4 miles on the bike at their pace and a stop for some sprint intervals to make it worthwhile. 03 @triathlondiaries We had a garden Olympics planned for the kids, so I thought I’d make them chuckle and get dressed up for the occasion. Might be the only time I get to wear the kit this year, so why not! 04 @ allezsteve Which ride and in which part of the world will I go to today? @fulgazapp 05 @luff_2_ tri Royal Wootton Bassett virtual triathlon with Eddie Bailey. 2km row, 22km bike and 5km run, all in aid of Wiltshire…

In five editions, triathlon has become as interlaced into Olympic tradition as the Games’ famous rings. If the vision of Pierre de Coubertin, its modern founding father, was for ‘stronger, higher, faster’ competition, then multisport has delivered in spades. By the time we eventually reach the Tokyo Games, hopefully in July 2021, triathlon’s growing stature will be rewarded through its medal count and the addition of a mixed team relay. Paralympic paratriathlon is also established, a six-category debut at the Rio 2016 Games being boosted to eight for 2021. Tri has come a long way in a short period. Olympic status is often the holy grail for sports, promising private member status to the International Olympic Committee (IOC), an unenviable platform of exposure every four years, and the riches of…

DHB BLOK VESUVIO £95 Possibly due to our family’s letters of complaint, Dhb have resolved their see-through issues on the rear of their tri shorts in 2020. Further improvements have come in the Vesuvio’s visuals, the internal flatlock seams that led to chafe-free riding and running, and our best leg grippers on test. So far so good, especially at half the price of the other suits. Where it falls down for long-distance riding and racing is in the short’s (£50) minimal pad, and by 50km on a June ride we were searching for a bucket of ice to sit in. The short’s pockets are too shallow to be trustful, making them largely redundant, but the £45 top’s duo of pockets can fit a couple of energy gels apiece. As with…

When it comes to a favourite wetsuit, so much depends on body shape, swimming position, comfort levels in cold water, budget and your triathlon aspirations. All the wetsuits here are of great quality and deal with the buoyancy-versus-flexibility equation in their own way. The Yonda Ghost II would be a great choice for those with ‘sinky’ legs looking for improved body position in the water, while the Roka MX will also aid sinking swimmers with its increased buoyancy. The new Zoot Bolt did nearly everything well and was hard to fault (the neck felt a little tight on longer swims), so it was the Huub Agilis and Orca Alpha that were the standout suits on test. Both offered unparalleled fit and felt the most like swimming in your own skin,…

“When you race, you don’t just swim at one pace throughout, so being able to swim at different intensities is key, as is the ability to switch comfortably” Another session to bank for postlockdown! And it’s an important one. When you race, you don’t just swim at one pace throughout, so being able to swim at different intensities is key, as is the ability to switch comfortably. When you start a tri-race swim you might start with a sprint, so you need to get moving as efficiently as possible to find a space to work with. This can use up lots of oxygen, so it doesn’t last long, maybe 25-50m. You then settle into more of a rhythm. You’ll still be working hard, but not quite at a flat-out effort,…

“Because you’re working above lactate threshold, your body gets a big training stimulus and pulls up your lower-intensity abilities” Some common training adages are meaningless clichés, but a few are golden nuggets of truth. One that definitely falls into the latter category is ‘train hard, race easy’. This sums up brilliantly why efforts above your race pace are so important and effective. Sustained efforts of 3-5mins, when you’re right at your limit by the end of each effort, are one of the most effective ways to improve functional threshold power (your ability to sustain the highest possible power output over 1hr) and lactate threshold. Because you’re working above lactate threshold, your body gets a big training stimulus and, by adapting to it, pulls up your lower-intensity abilities. It’s analogous to…

“Muscles for breathing are like any other and can fatigue more quickly without specific training. So sessions like this teach you to breathe well and, therefore, run faster” It’s a basic but crucial point – we breathe in oxygen to produce energy and anything that limits this means a reduction in performance. So, breathing ‘correctly’ makes you faster. Simple. Snatched, hurried breathing can disrupt the balance of inhaled oxygen vs exhaled carbon dioxide, so we need to make sure we maintain an even pattern to our breaths. Poor posture with shoulders rolled forward reduces the capacity of our lungs. Similarly, many people have become chest rather than abdominal breathers, meaning the diaphragm isn’t forced down, further limiting lung capacity. All of the above can reduce oxygen supply to the muscles…

So here we are in what may well turn out to be the strangest season we’ll ever experience. Like me, you’re probably all wondering what to do with your fitness levels and how to stay sharp, aware that racing in 2020 may not actually happen. So firstly, I recommend taking this time to get some perspective on your training. If your races have been postponed/cancelled then you have to deal with that, and if you only had one major race which has bitten the bullet then it’d be acceptable to take a little time to mull things over. Secondly, as an active athlete, you must now consider how best to rescue something from 2020, which is where this month’s eight-week plan can help you. The timing may be peculiar but…

JAMES WITTS Alcohol on sleep and recovery Freelance writer and former 220 editor James specialises in sports science and endurance. NICK BEER Treating a groin injury Nick is a sports injury rehab specialist, a development coach and a former elite triathlete. He has a BSc Hons in biomedical sciences. DERMOTT HAYES Introducing interval training Dermott has been coaching for 15 years, is head coach at Be Endurance and the organiser of the Storm the Castle duathlon. KATE PERCY Raw vs cooked veg Nutritionist and amateur athlete Kate is the author of several sports nutrition books and produces a range of all-natural energy balls.…

Do you have to swim front crawl in a triathlon? No, you can also do breaststroke but of course it’s not as efficient a stroke, especially in open water. Backstroke isn’t advised as you won’t be able to see where you’re going and you could disrupt other swimmers; while butterfly would exert too much energy. What’s a negative split? When you complete the second half of a race faster than the first half. What’s the ventilatory threshold and why does it matter? The ventilatory threshold (VT1) is the point during exercise at which ventilation starts to increase at a faster rate than VO2. It’s that intensity of exercise above which your breathing becomes laboured and you feel you just can’t draw in as much air as your body wants. Most…

Whenever we’re able to race again, we’ll want to be ready to perform. Which is where this latest advice from the master of protein, Dr Stuart Phillips of McMaster University in Canada, comes in. Phillips recently came up with his ‘home essentials’ to preserve muscle mass during quarantine. The first is that you must undertake anabolic exercise, which builds muscle, rather than catabolic, like long endurance sessions, that breaks down muscle. So resistance sessions are vital… but not too much: “A minimal, but frequent, volume of resistance exercise is an effective countermeasure against muscle atrophy,” writes Phillips. You should also mix in sessions that include both cardio, like a 1hr run, and bodyweight exercises, such as press-ups, tricep dips and core work. A little extra high-quality protein with good leucine…

SWIM Consider your goggle choice at least a month before the race. That will allow you to find similar swim conditions and test the light (with your lens choice), their visibility, and to discover any potential leakage points in open water. SC Get as much open-water swim practice, training and experience in as you can. If you’re not normally a fan of swim training, enjoy the location if nothing else. It’s supposed to be fun after all! CA If you can swim a few laps without too much difficulty, try to find some time to do a few sessions with people who will challenge you. You’ll enjoy it more and improve in the process. SL Do the swim straight challenge. Take your goggles off, close your eyes tights and swim…

Adrenalin-fuelled triathletes tread the open water, readying for the start of the 3.8km swim that begins their epic challenge. It’s the spectacle that draws so many of us to Ironman. Whatever your standard, the aim is to get through the swim efficiently, but delivering your best performance takes the right mix of prep, attitude and kit. Whether it’s swimming alongside others or dealing with uncertain conditions, there’s a lot to think about (and that goes for Ironman 70.3 athletes as well). Let’s find out how from some of the world’s best how you can conquer the first step of Ironman in 2021. TRAINING 01 AIM FOR CONSISTENCY Ingraining the habit of swimming regularly, either individually or as a squad, is better than doing mammoth occasional sessions. Work out where in…

When the water was cold back in the early days of triathlon, athletes had a choice between just dealing with it or wearing something highly impractical like a surf wetsuit to stay warm. That all changed when, in the mid-1980s, French brand Aquaman developed the first triathlon wetsuit built with thinner neoprene synthetic rubber. Because it was designed for flexibility and buoyancy, it also meant faster swimmer splits. The idea really took off when Dan Empfield founded Quintana Roo in America, and spent 1987 selling his new tri-specific wetsuit from a van. Over the years the build quality of tri wetsuits has improved as demand has increased, with quick-release zippers appearing at the back and improvements to the inner linings being made to aid faster T1 removal. Neoprene also witnessed…

With all suits coming in at well over £500, we were inclined to simply give our top score to the very best suit regardless of price. While you may think that means Deboer would win hands-down, we couldn’t quantify any marked performance benefits compared to the other suits: it’s very good, just not £1.2k good. The Sailfish Ultimate IPS felt slightly smoother than the two sub-£600 suits from Blueseventy and Zone3, and when you’re prepared to pay this kind of cash, an £800 spend could be justifiable if you’re a front-pack swimmer and demand supreme freedom of movement. That leaves the 2XU Propel Pro, which again picks up our ‘Best on Test’ award. It feels lighter and more supple, and we felt it offered the same superior freedom of movement…

MAKE SESSIONS FUN Swimming with others will help you get faster quicker, and also make your sessions more enjoyable. Whether you swim with a club or the same people at open swim lanes, it all helps. LEARN TO TUMBLE Learning to tumble turn isn’t a necessity but it’s a fun skill, and if you can do it reasonably well it should help you bounce off the wall quicker. It also helps with body awareness for doing open-water turns. DO OTHER STROKES This will help improve your body position and alignment, which will boost your speed and strength in no time. It also adds variety to your sessions, to make them more enjoyable.…

TIME TO FOCUS This is a tough session so you have to be well rested, well fuelled and hydrated, 100% up for it… and then fully commit. You’ll need to focus on nailing every effort. PACE YOURSELF Don’t go off too hard, five minutes is a long time. Any pacing aids – HRM, power meter or just speed-distance trackers – will definitely help and prevent early blow-ups. FUEL UP Make sure you’re well-fuelled beforehand, and consider using an energy drink or caffeinated gel after you’ve completed your warm-up to give you an extra boost through the main set.…

BE MINDFUL Before you start, place one hand on your chest, one on your stomach, then take the breath down into the abdomen. Notice how this feels. Maintain the movement throughout the session. USE A TRAINER Using a Powerbreathe™ before and after runs strengthens the inspiratory muscles allowing you to expand your lungs more, proven to produce significant performance gains. PRACTISE IN THE POOL Many athletes pause or hold their breath, limiting the flow of oxygen. The pool is a great place to practise constantly breathing in and/or out, to then transfer to your running.…

Tim, in your Q&A in issue 376 you mentioned CBD oil. Which brand and products do you use? “I use iKOR, a Boulder-based CBD company. I use their Warming Relief after a run, which is great, a Recovery Shot after hard sessions, and I also use their daily supplements – 2 x 6 pumps under my tongue, one in the morning, one in the afternoon. There are a few other brands like iKOR that also only have trace elements of THC [the principal psychoactive constituent of cannabis]. There’s fourfivecbd.co.uk, run by an ex British rugby union player, and also Floyd Landis’ floydsofleadville.com. Hope this helps!” What’s a pyramid training session? It involves starting with a rep at a certain time or distance, then increasing the time/ distance of each successive…

‘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 BILATERAL BREATHING Breathing every 3 strokes when swimming BONKING Running out of energy mid-race or training session…