Innehållsförteckning för March 2024 från 220 Triathlon

LIAM COLEBROOK Liam is a business development director who is passionate about triathlon and mental health. He is involved with a number of charities in this sector, sharing his lived experience to raise awareness and help destigmatise mental health. If you’ve been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, please consider visiting the following: 1. gordonmoody.org.uk 2. epicrestartfoundation.org 3. gamcare.org.uk 4. stepchange.org I went to watch a friend of mine compete at Ironman Bolton. There was a real buzz to the event and I thought, ‘I want to do this’. My swim history was zero but, not long after, I finished my first event, a sprint, and then in 2016 I finished Ironman Bolton. From the outside it looked like I was flying. I was a senior…

Great Britain’s Ruth Astle was on a roll. A string of age-group titles, including two world crowns, saw the now34-year-old turn professional in 2020. A year later she won Ironman Mallorca followed by South Africa. The second-fastest bike split helped her to fifth overall at the 2022 Ironman World Champs in Utah followed by victory at Ironman Israel. But a 2023 bedeviled by calf issues has decimated her season. She dug deep to finish 12th in Kona but DNF’ed at her season finale in Cozumel after her calves flared up again. “It’s been a learning year,” Astle says… 220: Tell us about the injuries that have derailed your season. Ruth Astle: I’m still trying to get to the bottom of it. I’ve scans booked and experts to speak to, so…

MEET THE TEST TEAM OUR RATINGS 90+% BUY NOW A GENUINE CLASS LEADER 80-89% IMPRESSIVE ONE OF THE BEST YOU CAN BUY 70-79% GOOD A DECENT PERFORMER 50-69% AVERAGE IT’LL DO THE JOB WELL ENOUGH 0-49% POOR SIMPLY PUT, DON’T BOTHER! HELEN WEBSTER 220’s editor is also a qualified open-water swimming coach. ROB SLADE 220’s content editor and resident adventure seeker. MATT BAIRD Has spent years testing tri kit and accessories for 220. JACK SEXTY A strong age-grouper focusing on top-end gains. JAMES WITTS He’s a published author writing about sports science. POLAR VANTAGE V3 £519 ► Is this the watch to turn around Polar’s fortunes? News of Polar’s financial struggles has been sad to hear, with a 15% reduction in headcount last year due to poor sales in 2022…

P56 LUNCH BREAK TRAINING MASTERCLASS JOEL ENOCH Joel is an award-winning multisport coach, a world age-group champion, has a BSc in sport science and coaching, and an MSc in nutrition. P61 4 PLANT PROTEIN RECIPES KATE PERCY Is a nutritionist and keen amateur athlete. She’s written three books on sports nutrition and founded Go Bites energy balls. P64 ASK BEN BRIGHT AND EXPERT Q&AS BEN BRIGHT Ben is a former triathlon Olympian (Sydney 2000) and head coach of British Triathlon’s Olympic Programme. P68 HOW TO RECOVER FROM INJURY LAUREN DRINKWATER Is a personal trainer and group exercise instructor specialising in ante- and post-natal fitness.…

TRAINING NUTRITION For triathletes, getting a steady dose of protein, which is crucial for growth, recovery and minimising fatigue and muscle damage, is key, especially after tough sessions. The International Olympic Committee recommends 1.2 to 1.8g of protein per kilogram of body weight per day for strength and endurance athletes. Proteinrich foods break down into 22 naturally-occurring amino acids. Nine of these are essential, meaning we have to get them from our diet as the body can’t make them itself. So if you’re on a plant-based diet, making sure you get all these essential amino acids is crucial. Contrary to popular belief, you don’t have to eat meat to get enough protein, but you do need to focus on eating a wide range of plant-based protein sources such as different…

COACH BEN BRIGHT As the former head coach of British Triathlon’s Olympic Programme, Ben Bright oversaw our most successful Games to date. He’s also a former triathlon Olympian (Sydney 2000) and is now the national coaching consultant for British Triathlon. Having a high VO2 max is one of the most quoted markers of endurance performance. VO2 denotes volume of oxygen. Vis-à-vis, VO2 max describes the maximum volume of oxygen an individual can process. A high VO2 max is a good thing because it means you can transport more energy to your muscles when exercising. Another strong marker of performance in running is your velocity at VO2 max, or vVO2. This is where biomechanical efficiency - in this context, how muscles, bones, tendons and ligaments interact to produce movement - interacts…

FEATURE POOL TRAINING Open-water swimming season may feel a long way away as this issue hits the shelves. After all, February is usually the coldest month in UK waters, the domain of hardcore dippers and folk who do things like swim the Channel and carry pickaxes around to make holes in ice. In reality though, things will soon start to warm up between now and Easter, and triathletes will typically head back to outdoor swimming from about April, with races starting in late May/early June. Smaller lakes and bodies of water will heat up quite quickly, too, once the days lengthen and air temps rise. For now, most of you will still be doing the majority of your training in the pool and as the key to staying safe in cold…

DRYBONES OCEAN CAMO COAT £140 wearedrybones.co.uk We don’t see many products with skeletons on them here at 220, so this one caused a stir right out of the box! Based in the UK and the brainchild of two outdoor enthusisasts, the Drybones brand offer adult, child and dog change robes in a multitude of fun colours and designs - all with their unique skeleton branding, the idea being that these keep you dry to the bone! Our camo version with orange lining was striking and there’s a good range of colours we haven’t seen in the market before. Features feel good quality and are easy to get on with. The zip is chunky and simple to manage with cold hands and the zip pulls are nice big loops, which also…

PREP 5mins COOK 30mins SERVES 4 INGREDIENTS • 2 large red pepper • 150g whole almonds • 3 cloves garlic, unpeeled • 400g can chopped tomatoes • 1 litre hot vegetable stock • 11/2 tbsps red wine vinegar • 1 tsp smoked paprika • 1 tsp sugar • 1/2 tsp dried chilli flakes (optional) • Extra virgin olive oil • Fresh dill, finely chopped Preheat oven to 200°C/Gas mark 7. Place peppers on a baking tray, add almonds and garlic alongside. Roast for 12-15mins. Transfer almonds to a plate, then roast the pepper and garlic for 10mins more. Remove garlic. Increase heat to 230°C/gas mark 8 and roast peppers for a further 15mins or until the skin is blackened. Wrap the peppers in cling film and leave for a couple…

THIS MONTH’S COACHING PANEL JAMES WITTS Friction-free running Former 220 Triathlon magazine editor James is a cycling and sports writer, editor and author. NIK COOK Tri-bike transition Cycling writer Nik is a competitive multisporter who’s competed for Team GB in duathlon ANDREW SHEAFF Can you kick it? US swim coach Andrew has been helping swimmers improve for 20+ years. He specialises in helping triathletes improve their swimming through online coaching. BRAD BEER Return from injury Brad Beer is a sports and exercise physiotherapist, head physio at Super League Triathlon Series, author of ‘You CAN Run Pain Free!’. FRICTION-FREE RUNNING Q What is jogger’s nipple, how do you treat it and how do you prevent it in the first place? Lewis Hall A Jogger’s nipple is the polite way to describe…

WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS 01 @billyconnor3904 Thank you Santa… #wattbike #ironmantraining 02 @triwolfcoach Open-water swimming offers various benefits… full body workout, mental wellbeing, variety, vitamin D exposure, connection with nature… 03 @tri_sports_pilates Christmas weekend at home… there is only one way to start the weekend… it’s time to parkrun 04 @boydy52 Training continues towards @outlawtriathlon 2024 05 @runamile365 First run post-Advent run streak 06 (a)tigger_does_triathlon Poole parkrun this morning in challenging conditions. High winds, rain and puddles made for a run that was definitely Type 2 fun 07 @gb_triathlon 366 sunrises this year [2024 is a leap year]. Make the most of every one! 08 @matt_lee_tri Man am I missing those warm rides with a flappy open jersey!!! @gozwift all the way at the moment 09 @jase140.6 Wet and blustery…

Now is the time to plan your 2024 multisport season. In fact, we insist, for putting a big ol’ cross or two (or three or four…) on last issue’s calendar will instantly elevate your motivation to train to another level. As you’ll see with what lies ahead, you’re spoilt for choice. Want to race a triathlon of any distance and different terrains? We’ve got you covered. Want to drop the bike or the run? Ditto. Want to be chased by the ‘Xekutioner’ in Montenegro? Sorted. Once you’ve pinned down your 2024 events, it’s time to dig deep into your goal-setting (and goal-getting) plan. This can be as extensive or as brief as you like whatever works for you - but we’d recommend build-up, smaller events en route to your big…

TURBO TRAINERS KIT ZONE For many triathletes, a turbo trainer is essential. Sophisticated trainers allow us to do efficient sessions out of the cold and away from traffic, with training apps like Zwift making time pass and fitness increase without getting bored. When choosing yours, it’s important to consider goals, budget and your set-up. If you only dabble in the great indoors, aren’t particularly competitive and don’t have a dedicated training space, consider budget smart trainers to track power numbers reasonably accurately, or a ‘dumb’ trainer that just provides resistance. You could get started for under £300, and considerably less if you choose the latter. Spend £1,000 or more on a latest generation smart trainer, and it’ll be highly accurate, calibrate itself, and may even move for an even more realistic…

NUTTY NOURISHMENT CRUNCHY THAI SALAD WITH PEANUT TEMPEH PREP 10mins + 20mins to marinade COOK 15mins SERVES 4 INGREDIENTS • 200g rice noodles • 2 carrots • 4 spring onions • 1 yellow pepper • 1/2 a small red cabbage • 200g tempeh, sliced • 100g pack baby spinach leaves • 25g fresh coriander, roughly chopped • 25g fresh mint, roughly chopped For the marinade • 1 tbsp maple syrup • 3 tbsps crunchy peanut butter • 1 clove garlic, crushed For the dressing • Juice of 1 lime • 1/2 tsp grated ginger • 1 red chilli, finely chopped • 1 tbsp soy sauce • 1 tbsp sesame oil • 1 tsp brown sugar METHOD 1 Heat oven to 180°C/gas mark 6. Cook rice noodles as per pack. Once…

Wondering what the ‘washing machine’ is, or where to find your M-dot?! Make things easy with our guide to common tri terms… ‘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…