Andrew Tong | Triathlon coaching

After my bold statement last week (it’s not about the gear) with Ellen racing a trail half marathon without the specialist equipment and still winning, she decided to try racing with the right equipment and set off on Steyning half marathon at the weekend in her new trail running shoes.

All I can say is I think they must still be in pristine shop condition as she flew around the course, perhaps too scarred to get the new shoes dirty? One thing is for certain is she had a clean pair of heals as she again was the first female finisher and managed to smash the course record which had stood for the last 5 years by 10 minutes. Congratulations and well done Ellen

I am pleased that I have recently increased my coaching numbers of which one of my newer members is Ellen who is training for the London Marathon and Norseman xtreme  triathlon. Ellen completed her first event since our coaching began last weekend and has provided me with a blog (with a little coercion) of the training to date and her race report.

“The coaching programme from Trifocus does not leave much energy for such activities as blogging…  The sessions have been structured and with very clear instructions, so I can’t say I have been able to use any excuse to avoid just getting on with them.  Tongy might be in another hemisphere, but there’s no escaping the note of glee in the turbo instruction that after the first (long) set, there should be a second repeat ‘with no rest’.  1.30 hour endurance runs in to work do a lot to keep up demand for almost the entire annual production of Scotland’s porridge oats.  Run sessions on the track have been a complete novelty for me, and it’s been invaluable to have Tongy’s guidance on pacing.  Not that this does anything to lessen the embarrassment felt when struggling in close proximity to the gazelles who tend to turn up to Battersea track.  I am beginning to see why one guy there calls us marathon runners ’zombies’.  Luckily this was all forgotten last weekend when pounding the punishing terrain of the South Devon coastline in a half marathon trail race.  Unfortunately the stunning views went largely unappreciated as we fixed our concentration on the ground ahead.  Equipped with road shoes, I provided regular entertainment to all other participants in trail shoes while I aquaplaned where the mud was smooth and the hills steep, and almost left my shoes them behind in the deepest mud.  However I wonder whether, after coming in first woman, this might be a technique to recommend?!’

Well done Ellen for a great performance, I do get a good chuckle picturing you running without any specialist trail gear, but still showing a clear pair of heels, no doubt you would have miffed a number of competitors, it just goes to show it is not about the gear!