Building the right training group....

Triathlon isn't just a sport its a community of athletes. We train within the BTA club structure, but we all have different goals. Each athlete is training to peak for individual races and their training is tailored to suit these goals. I've chosen to specialise in Ironman or Long distance racing, whilst some of my peers and contemporaries at Ful-on Tri or Tri- Living race the faster short distance, Olympic races. This means that as much as like spending time with them on rides and runs or in pool, it unlikely that their sessions will fit in with my training program.
Over the last 9 months or so, we have formed an adhoc training group which includes Tim Bishop from Optima racing - 2 xHawaii Ironman finisher, Declan Doyle from Optima a 2 x Ironman Hawaii finisher, Dion Harrison from Thames Turbo ( 1 xHawaii Finisher) who has Just turned Pro and moved out to Boulder -Colorado and me, also a 2 times Hawaii finisher.
Now although we all may be training to peak at different times, we each have an understanding of the level we need to train at to achieve faster results in Kona in the future. Despite the camaraderie and the banter there is a respect of each others talent and for the duration of the session, ego's are parked. With the odd exception where Dec gets too excited and rides off the front 'Jens Voigt 'style, but that's just Dec!!

I love training with these guys, its not just a training group, but a support network and when your sessions are hard, having friends to bounce your ideas off and keep you in check is priceless..... regardless of which club they are members of!!

What makes Kona Coffee so special??

A coffee is just a coffee..... right? well actually no!!

What is it about Kona coffee that makes it so special... is it just the reward of all the hours of training you've put in to arrive on the island, or is it... that it really is better than all the rest

Kona is the very special coffee grown on the dark volcanic lava rock slopes of Kona, with enviable consistent quality. Kona coffee is a deliciously rich, medium-bodied and slightly acidic coffee with a heady aroma and complex, winey, spicy taste.
Kona, on the west coast of Hawaii island has produced coffee continuously since the early 1800's. The Kona name only applies to beans grown in North and South Kona, and coffee that is grown elsewhere in Hawaii cannot be called Kona coffee.The Perfect Climate for
Coffee requires a very specific combination of sun, soil, and water. It is successfully grown in only a limited number of locations round the world. The magical diurnal cycle of bright sunny mornings, humid rainy afternoons, and mild nights create perfect growing conditions for exotic plants to flourish. The trees thrive on the volcanic rocky land, and mild frost-free temperatures.

This combination produces a smooth tasting blend without that bitter aftertaste. It really is the difference in taste between a Chateaux Margaux and Jacobs Creek!!

Last year in Kona, our training group which consisted of Tim Bishop, Declan Doyle, Dion Harrison and I and I took real pleasure in swimming out to the 'Coffee's of Hawaii' catamaran' which was moored about 1Km offshore. Dec and Dion who would normally pass on a coffee, even joined in... ( the sign above is on the Ocean floor directing Athletes out to their free coffee) Dec admitted to me yesterday he's now a bit of a fan.

My personal Favourite is the Peabody blend - The rarest of the rare, only 3-5% of the entire Kona coffee crop are Peaberry beans. Concentrated and more intense Kona taste. This really is the best. You can pick this up at Ferrari coffee who are a long established Coffee producing family

Aloha!!!

The joy of open water swimming!

Not having a swim background puts me at at disadvantage at the beginning of every race. At school I was far too interested in too many other sports to worry about swimming....

I'm not a natural swimmer, but one attribute I do have is the ability and propensity to train hard and put myself on the limit. Essentially I'm resigned to the fact there is only so far that technical coaching can take me unless I was to start all over again!! I try to make up for this by making myself strong, using both paddles and a band in my sessions.

Now that the summer has arrived it brings with it the opportunity to swim open water and this much more fun!!

There are three lakes that are close enough to London and enable triathletes or just swimmers the opportunity to swim open water. They are dependent on seasonal temperatures and normally open May through to September. In the early season they're still a little cold, but normally by July you'd be comfortable swimming without a wetsuit.

My favourites are both Liquid Leisure and The Princes Club. They're are both Water ski lakes but they open up the whole lake for a limited time for athletes....Brilliant!!

So which is the best?? as they both have their own merits.

Firstly Liquid Leisure, I've been swimming here for the last three years, its located out at Dachet and its Superbly managed by Mike Trees and his team. They were the pioneers in turning open water swimming into a safe, fun and secure experience. He was also the first to offer athletes the opportunity to try before they buy his full range of 2XU wetsuits. Although this sounds such a simple thing, Mike was the first to do it. There are a number of different distance loops and the main 800m loop can be extended out to add a little more distance, but most athletes will swim repetitions of the 800m. There's a great atmosphere created by the buzz of athletes. A coffee shop and breakfast shack provide a good post training snack.... bacon sandwich or a Latte?

I've only just started swimming at Princes, but at the moment I'd say it was my favourite. Its in Bedfont, a much shorter drive from my house in Kingston. They open from 6-9am at the weekends and on Monday evenings from 5-8pm. The loop is 1500m, a 750m out and back. I've heard in the past that's it been a little weedy, but not this year as the lake was nice and clear today. The Princes Club is a very established water ski club and has all the amenities associated with this. There's a coffee shop, restaurant and even a bar. The manager, Glen walker, who runs the lake is always on hand and creates a warm friendly atmosphere taking time to chat and offer advice. Incidentally Glen runs Sippery fish swim school and is a Hawaii Ironman finisher!!

Both offer a secure monitoring system counting athletes in and out, but Princes Log all your details online when you arrive the first time, making registration quicker on your second visit.

The going rate is a £5 at each, which to be fair on a beautiful day like today, was money well spent.....

Who are Skinfit????

It’s interesting as I’m often asked who makes my kit…. Who is Skinfit???

It’s by chance that I discovered Skinfit. I’m coached by Richard Hobson and he chose Skinfit for his team ‘Tri Living’ kit.
I hadn’t heard of Skinfit before either, but some friends of Richard had acquired the UK distrubution rights of the business. They had seen how popular it was in Europe, especially Austria where it originates, and Germany and had brought it to the UK.

Ant and Eve Roberts are the founders and distributors, here in the UK. Both from a triathlon background they understand the rigourous demands of today's athletes.

Eve and Anthony Roberts

(0) 1332 552255 - office

(0) 7811 384393 - Eve Roberts

(0) 7977 403089 - Anthony

skinfit@skinfit.uk.com

http://www.skinfit.uk.com/

Triathletes in general are what I would call early adopters, embracing innovation always looking for faster, more comfortable products that might give them a legal advantage over their opposition. As far as kit goes for the last four years Skinfit has given me that, so much so that when I had to revert back to Orca kit for the European and World Championships the difference in performance was evident. The Orca kit was ill fitting and after the run leg of both races, I’d developed a nasty case of nappy rash – Ouch!!!

As my confidence grew in their brand I branched out and road tested their other technical products and they lived up to my expectation. What I like about Skinfit is their design is so simple and they manufacture clothing designed specifically for active people and Pro athletes alike. It surprises me is how comfortable to wear their products are. Their Ethos is to design functional anatomical cuts which are extremely lightweight and skin-friendly. Its true their simple robust design ensures uncompromising functionality.

I can honestly say I am a big fan..... if only I could keep them a secret!!!

Sailfish Attack -Wetsuit Review 2009

Sailfish wetsuits has four suits in their range progressing from an entry level suit through to the top end ‘G–Range’. I had agreed to test a suit with a view to racing in it but time was running out as I was off to Lanza in two days!! A suit arrived directly from Germany by express delivery the next day. I had gambled on the sizing and was hoping it would be right.

The first thing that I noticed when I unwrapped my delivery was that it comes in a really cool bag. It’s a little like a paper delivery/couriers bag with a shoulder strap. There’s mesh on one side for the water to drain out and enough room to put swim toys, or towels. It’s a great idea as I usually use a Sainsbury’s ‘bag for life’

Secondly the wetsuit looks cool…. and the seams are blind stitched and glued flat… There’s only so much that a wetsuit manufacturer can do with graphics, but I like what Sailfish have done and also the fact its named after the fastest fish in the ocean. Maybe this would create some good karma for my imminent race!!

The wetsuit I was testing was the ‘Sailfish Attack’ which is one of their mid range models. Upon examining it I noticed how light it was, much lighter than my previous suit, which I’ve had since 07. I followed Jan’s easy instructions on how to put it on. My current wetsuit takes me 15 mins to get a good fit, I had managed to put the Sailfish suit on in a couple of minutes.Once I had it on, I realised it was too big. I had learnt that the fit is more important than how much it costs. To sum up… a good fitting cheaper wetsuit may out perform a bad fitting expensive one. Faced with the dilemma of what to wear – I reverted back to racing in my current wetsuit.

Not to be put off, Sailfish sent me a smaller suit, this time it fitted ultra snugly. The collar sat neatly on my neck line and despite forgetting my body glide I experienced no chaff... This is especially good if you work in an office and don’t like attending meetings with what looks like ‘love bites’ on your neck. The forearm has what Sailfish call ‘Aqua reach zones’ which increase water resistance during the pull phase of the stroke. I must admit
it felt really comfortable and my range of motion across my shoulders was superb. The inner arm and shoulder area has this ultra super stretchy neoprene which is designed to aid performance by reducing any restrictions in the pull and recovery phase – It felt really good!

In the water the ‘Sailfish Attack’ felt very buoyant, correcting my body position. It has strengthened hip panels which optimise your body position to avoid hip rolling!! On my first swim I felt as if I was moving quite fast…. I was cruising along with very little effort. So I decided to test it against my current suit in a ‘head to head’.

I swam 400m warm up then did 200m all out in each suit, with 100m easy in between each 200m. I repeated the same test the next day but swapped the order I swam in each wetsuit. Now I know this is a really crude test but the results are evident, the Sailfish suit was quicker….

Test Day 1

Sailfish Attack – 2.31 secs
2007 Current wetsuit – 2.45 secs

Test Day 2

2007 Current suit – 2.40 secs
Sailfish Attack 2.32 secs

So how would this have affected my time at Ironman Lanza…. Well who knows? My swim split was 1.03 as I took off my suit before I went over the timing mat. Maybe I would have broken the hour??? Something I’m yet to do. I finished in 9.53 and although I qualified for Kona I’ve decided to make 2009 a build year, for a dream year in 2010 ;so I didn’t accept my slot. I want to attain a top 10 position in my age in Kona and I think I will need longer than 4 months to build for this

To sum up, it’s nice to finish first British Age Grouper, 20th Age Grouper overall, and it’s good to come away from a race believing that it’s still possible to go faster. Lanzarote is such a well organised race. Kenneth Gasque, the Race Director, makes all the competitors feel really welcome. I’ve already registered for 2010, but next time I’ll be in a Sailfish!!

Lanzarote Ironman 2009 - Bring on the wind!!!

The motto says it all. "Normal limits do not apply." and Its billed as "The toughest Ironman in the World".

It's hard to say what makes the Ironman Lanzarote course so tough. There's heat, high winds, and a challenging bike course that winds its way up and down two mountains.A swim is a swim, and the 2-loop ocean swim is a great way to start the long day. The bike course is where things get really tough for roughly 1300 competitors. By the time all is said and done, we will have climbed more than 2,600 meters (that's 9,000 feet!). Oh, lest we forget, there is still the run. The out-and-back run course is relatively flat. What makes it so tough are the winds, and the heat ... and the fact that it's a marathon

I had a great race with everything more or less going to plan. We had typical Lanzarote weather with a head wind from Yaiza all the way to Mirador del Rio; we even had 10 mins of rain!!!
It was a tough day for age groupers and Pro’s alike with Bert Jammer narrowly missing a herd of goats, crossing the road, whilst on the decent to Famara.

The swim was frantic and the current was pushing us into the buoys. Exiting the water for the second lap was exhausting, but good for the spectators, and I managed a smile before entering the water for another pummelling.
The head wind from Yaiza was tough and strung out the field, Going up Haria I was pushing 450 watts, holding just 8kmh!!
I could have walked quicker….

I had a solid bike and I managed my ‘Ironman marathon PB’, so I was really happy. I used only Infinit on the bike and gels and water on the run… I had no stomach issues and felt strong the whole way through. Getting your nutrition right is as important as all the hours you put into your training; I took two bottles with six scoops of infinit in each and consumed 1/3 of a bottle per hour, chasing it down with water from my aero bottle. I’m sure this contributed to my 3.08 marathon as I ran pretty consistent splits off the bike. The crowds support was awesome and because it’s a loop marathon course, where you collect a different coloured band each loop, it’s easy to focus on attaining the next band to stay motivated.

Although I qualified for Kona, I’ve decided to make 2009 a build year, for a dream year in 2010.
It was a tough decision, but I didn’t accept my slot for Kona. I want to attain a top 10 position in my age there and I think I will need longer than 4 months to build for this

I have a place at IM Wisconsin (Sept 13th) which has slots for 2010 and it will be my goal to qualify there.

To sum up, Its nice to finish first British Age grouper, 20th overall, and its good to come away from a race believing that its still possible to go faster. Lanza is such a well organised race and Kenneth Gasque the Race Director makes all the competitors feel really welcome. I’ve already registered for 2010!!


SWIM 1:03:48
BIKE 5:33:17
RUN 3:08:34
OVERALL 42
DIV.POS. 8th in age group

1st Brit

Copyright ©2009 Stuart Anderson