I'm Off To France

In other news I've been given the opportunity to spend 8 weeks out in Southern France at Les Stables working as a Coaching Assistant! 

This will be a great experience and I'm looking forward to gaining some invaluable coaching experience from the other highly qualified coaching staff.

With their own outdoor 25m pool, 800m running track and plenty of traffic free roads it should be a great place to train and get ready for the upcoming season. 

Les Stables also have a team of athletes who they support with kit from Zerod and nutrition from high5. I am lucky enough to be a part of 'Les Stables-Zerod Equipe' race team.

For more information about Les Stables check out their website here: www.les-stables.com.

I'm off on the 13th April and will be posting regularly once I'm out there and keeping you all up-to-date with what I'm up to.

It's Spring and Everything is Changing...

Spring is officially here and I for one am so happy to see the sun again and it's given me a new found energy for training. 

It's been a busy time for me since I last wrote. I got some early season racing under my belt, wanting to see what kind of form I was I was in after my 'Base' phase, and  was pleased with what I found.

I wrapped up my cross country racing with a win at the penultimate CC6 (Hampshire XC league), earning me the series win with three 1st places and one 2nd. I would recommend cross racing through the Winter for any athlete looking to build strength and add a new dimension to training through the tough Winter months, it's also good fun if you like getting muddy!

My first test was at the City of Winchester 10k - a race I did last year coming 2nd, but with a new course and a huge re-vamp I was keen to improve. 700+ runners lined up shivering on February 22nd, I sat comfortably through the first few km's then broke away with another runner, I tried to conserve energy knowing it was hilly course with a long uphill slog from 6-8km. I made my move at the top of the climb and broke away to win in 34:10 - not the fastest time but I was pleased considering the course.

Two weeks later I was off to Eton Dorney for a Sprint Duathlon organised by VoTwo Events. The weather was better than expect for the 7th of March and I was warm enough in my tri suit and some arm warmers. Favoring the run legs I pulled away from the group on the first 5km and came into transition 30s ahead giving myself a nice gap on the bike. I lead for 3 of the 4 laps of the lake and only got caught with a final lap to go, I tried to minimize the damage but was confident I could catch the cyclist on the final run if I could keep him in sight. Coming out of T2 I was surprised by how stiff my legs felt, I'd been doing brick sessions all winter but nothing compares to race efforts, I was soon into my stride and took back the lead after 1km and settled into a steady rhythm, knowing that I was clear meant I enjoyed the run soaking up the sun and the atmosphere. 

An added bonus was beating all the Oxford and Cambridge University athletes  who set off in their own 'Varsity' wave.

The following week I was off to Race New Forest's Winter Duathlon - Race 3 of a 4 race series. It was just down the road for me and offered a more challenging course than the previous weeks flat looping run/bike/run course.

My biggest mistake was thinking that the weather would be as nice as the previous week, it wasn't, it drizzled the whole race and was considerably colder. 

The race starts at the bottom of a 600m off-road hill which separates the field immediately, I like to start hard and set the tone for the rest of the race so hit the front and took the hill like a hill repeat. I was soon clear and settled into a solid rhythm which was soon destroyed by the steep 800m down and up found just before halfway on the run, once at the top you do a quick off-road loop and go straight back down and up the other side. 

Onto the bike, where the out and back course was very exposed to the wind out on open country roads, it was a true New Forest cycle route but unfortunately you couldn't take in much of the scenery because of the weather. After fighting the wind to the turn it feIt like I flew back to T2. 

Off the bike I knew I was clear of 2nd and just wanted to get the hills done! I was pleased that my legs felt a lot better off the bike and really happy to run 16:09 for the final 5km considering the hills. I crossed the line 5 minuets clear of 2nd and just before the rain really came down! 

So, so far I've gone 3 for 3 and I hope that it's a good indicator for the upcoming Summer of racing

** Logo **

So, with the view to using some of the knowledge that I have, and continue to gain from my own experiences in training and being trained to coach and help others on their own triathlon journey I have put together some logo designs.

What do you think ?

Training's getting hard and I'm hungry.

Winter is officially in full swing, the Christmas break is over and it getting pretty cold. It's time to get your head down and work through the important next couple of cold, dark months.

There is always lot of hype about diet and body image especially at this time of year. I've spent a lot of time over the years reading up on nutrition, initially as a method to lose weight and then whilst at University as a method to improve athletic performance.

By no means do I think that I have all the answers or follow the best diet, I enjoy my food and try to follow a healthy ‘balanced’ diet that should help with training and racing, although we are all only human and I do have the occasional binge resulting in me being curled up into a ball on the floor.

I think learning to read what your body says is a really important and no more so than with food. As an ‘athlete’ I've never counted calories or measured out food quantities. I try to avoid over-indulging and have spent a lot of time finding healthy alternatives to everyday snacks and meals. But my main rule is that if I’m hungry it’s time to eat!

Below is a 3 day food diary I recorded from the 19/01/15 – 21/01/15, I tried to eat and train as I normally would during a standard base week.

7:00 - Double espresso

7:45-10:30 - 1L water (During 1h 15min swim/ 1h strength and conditioning gym session)

10:30 - Banana

11:15 - 3 slices rye bread with wholenut peanut butter and banana, mixed fruit pot

11:45 - Nakd Bar, Coffee

12:15-14.15 - 750ml Water (During 2h ride)

14:30 - Homemade flapjack, pear

15:00 - Omlette with chorizo and cheese, avacado, hummus and carrot

15:20 - Orange, Green tea

16:30 - Green tea, 50g cashew nuts

17.20 - (Run 5km recovery and 20min stretch/foam roll)

18:45 - 3x Lamb and apricot sausage salad with beetroot/courgette/pepper and onion.

19:30 - Frozen smoothie ice cream.

20:00 - 50g 85% dark chocolate, large bowl of mixed nuts

7:00 - Double espresso

7:45-10:30 – 750ml water, 750ml High 5 electrolyte tablets with water (During 1h 15min swim/ 1h 15min turbo)

11:00 - 3 slices rye bread with wholenut peanut butter and banana, orange

12:00 - Coffee

14:30 – Salad with avocado, halloumi, chicken, onion and hummus

15:30 – Nakd bar

16:00 – 50g cashew nuts

17.00 – Handful of raisins

17:15 – 750ml water during 1h 15min turbo

18:45 – Glass of chocolate milk

19:45 – Peppered pork chop, roasted carrot, boiled baroccoli, asparagus and peas. Frozen smoothie ice cream.

20:45 - 50g 85% dark chocolate. Hot chocolate

21:45 – A few slices of cheese

7:00 - Double espresso

8:00-10:30 – 750ml water (During 1h 15min gym session and 45min swim)

10:45 - Banana

11:15 - 3 slices rye bread with wholenut peanut butter and banana, orange, handful of dried fruit and seeds

11:45 – Homemade flapjack, coffee

12:30-14.45 - 750ml Water (During 2h ride)

15:00 – Handful of mixed nuts and seeds, glass of chocolate milk

15:20 - Omlette with chorizo and cheese, avocado, hummus and carrot, green tea

16:00 – Nakd bar

17.30 – 500ml water (post sports massage)

18:45 - 3x Lamb and apricot sausage salad with beetroot/courgette/avocado and onion. Frozen smoothie ice cream

20:00 - 50g 85% dark chocolate, large bowl of mixed nuts and raisins

Keeping a food diary for just a couple of days is a great way to take a look at your diet objectively, does it complement your training or hinder it?  It makes it easier to then make changes and see how they affect your mood, energy level and training.

If you have any questions or queries then please message me.

I have entered the blogosphere!

Having recently secured the support of a number of companies since the end of my 2014 season, I've decided that it would be a good idea to keep a blog detailing what I'm up to throughout the winter and heading into the 2015 season.

I'll give you a short introduction to who I am and what I do. I'm 21 years old and have recently graduated from the University of Exeter after a great 3 years studying Sport and Exercise Science. I have always been very athletic and have tried my hand at a number of sports through the years (roller hockey, skate/snow/surf-boarding and rowing to name but a few!) but it wasn’t until I was in my second year at university that I was talked into giving tri a go by a good friend and housemate. I always liked to keep fit and thought it would be something different, but wasn’t very keen with the swimming aspect because I never had any lessons and my go to ‘stroke’ was a very efficient doggy paddle!

I did my first triathlon in the summer of 2012 and surprised myself with a 3^rd place, I was hooked and couldn’t wait to race again. Since then it’s been one big learning curve and I’ve enjoyed every moment, taking in as much as I can. After graduating I decided that I didn’t think that I could put my all into developing a professional career yet as I was certain that I had so much more to give to sport and couldn’t bear the thought of growing old wondering what if…

So after a well-earned end of season break I’ve shifted my focus towards training and racing in 2015 and can’t wait to see what happens, I’m more motivated than ever and I’m seeing great improvements already.

I have managed to secure some excellent support for 2015. I have signed with Pedal Potential, a company who look to support young athletes who have potential to succeed in events involving bikes, they are providing financial support for which I am very thankful. Also, Amy Knight Sports Massage will be working to keep my body in one piece throughout the year. In addition there are a number of exciting deals still in the pipeline, so check back in the New Year and see who else will be part of my journey in 2015!