Over the last 6 months Bec & Kerrie trained diligently, learnt many new skills (including how to pack bikes for travel and maintaining a bike) and faced their fears head on.

Leading up to the race Kerrie picked up a foot injury, which meant no running pre race. Both were ready and keen to race. They stuck to their race plan and when it came to the run Kerrie stayed strong and positive and achieved a good result, running keeping the injury at bay. Bec was feeling strong but was struck with food poising on the bike. Finishing the bike in a good time she pushed onto the run and soldiered on with the effects of the bug taking its impact, which impacted on the overall time.  Needles to say it was a great effort for both of them to finish and I so suspect that it was due their diligent training and preparation that helped them triumph in the face of adversity. Well done I know you both are looking forward to your next races already.

From a personal point of view it was great to be back at Forster racing long distance tris again.

Forster never disappoints both as a venue and the volunteers who are always friendly and helpful, they will go out of their way to help you.

I was not expecting a great race as my training had been severley hampered over the last 4 months, but didn’t want to miss out on the chance to race. The swim was a nice one lap in Forster keys, the bike ride was a 2 lap heading south of Forster, the first lap felt nice and easy and trying to stick to my predetermined effort. By the second lap of the bike a strong southerly had blown up, making it a rather hard effort, for those who have raced previously at Forster this was little out of characteristic as we usually had a strong westerly to content with heading back into town. By about 90k my  lack of training started to show and even with my efforts to stay hydrated and keep the energy high, I had hit a wall.

Getting off the bike things did not improve, taking all my effort to keep the legs moving forward. Glad to say I finished but was considerably slower than what I would like. Everyone from the club had a great race, capped off by a nice evening meal together and a lovely breakfast by the river before heading back to reality and Sydney.

I will definitely think about returning next year to do this race.

Race day came and at 6am it was unseasonably hot and dry, with a race start of 6:20am I had made the assumption that we will almost be finished before the day starts to warm up. I was very wrong.

It was pleasing that 100% of our participants made it to the start line and we had not lost anyone to injury during the training. Everyone relied heavily on the training that was in the bank and it showed towards the end of the race when they stayed strong whilst others started to struggle. Everyone did finish, yes the heat did add a few minutes to the times, but the goal was to finish and raise funds for Cancer Research and both goals were achieved. Well done team, looking forward to the next running program.

Obviously for a race of such importance and prestige you want to be at your best. The goal was to put in a PB type performance and on an unkown course and conditions it is hard to put too many specific and achievable targets that are not controlled by outside factors. As a coach I thought it would be nice to be in the top 10 for your age, but I never mentioned this goal. Looking at the profile of the course I did think that it played to Emma’s strengths and she would race well.

On race day Emma definitely pulled out that PB performance and came home 5th in age group. A brilliant race and everyone is ecstatic with the final result. To use her words “the coaching rocks”, although I would prefer to say Emma rocks!

Since returning from Beijing Emma raced the Fixed relays at Dorney, this is a team event where every member completes all 3 legs. Happy to say that Emma’s team with Parys and CJ all from Ful-on tri club took out the win for the fastest female team and 5th fastest team overall, this result included a 5min PB over last year from Emma. I am already looking forward to see what Emma can do in 2012.

further details can be found here http://www.stivesvillage.com.au/whatson.html#Link18

The run is on Saturday 3 September, registration from 10am (race start 11am) at St Ives Village Green, with an entry fee of $10. Enjoy.

If you are training for this run or anyother events and would like some coaching, then please contact me on coaching@trifocus.com.au

After a good couple of months of racing Simon raced in his age group for GB, whilst I am yet to find out overall placing, Simon has managed another PB for the year with a 2:01. Well done on achieving such an amazing time.

Due to my delay in updating results below is a summary of recent performances

Eleanor, had a good start to the season with Thames Turbo sprint 1 posting a pb by 3 minutes and has dabbled in a few cycling events, most notably a 50mile TT, where she was second female overall

Ellen, recently competed in the UK middle distance champs at Bala, however treating this as a training racing looking to her full distance tri. It was a good result also considering that for many of the competitors this was a major race on their calendar. What was most impressive was that Ellen posted the fastest run time of the day for females and the 22^nd fastest run time overall.

Jackie, raced Liverpool standard distance, posting a 9^th in her age and a swimming PB she is aiming for faster times over the coming months

John, after being plagued by injury for a few months, but with the help of some medical advancements in treating Achilles problems, was able to race Austria 70.3, achieving a PB and raced Royal Windsor standard distance achieving a pb of 13minutes. I think one of Johns goals for the remainder of this year is to stay injury free and be able to race fully fit.

Parys, raced her first middle distance tri in Switzerland 70.3, coming 9^th in her age. A great result for the first attempt.

Richard, also raced Austria 70.3, carrying a slight strain to the hamstring was given the all clear to race conservatively and managed to achieve a PB, narrowly missing out on sub 5hrs.

Simon, raced the Dambuster standard distance tri. A pleasing performance almost attainging a PB, with a blistering run on what is not considered to be a fast course and is looking forward to the ETU champs in Athlone. Simon also competed in the Crystal Palace sprint Tri, improving on last years time by 1 minute and coming 2nd vet.

Tamsin, raced Switzerland 70.3, coming 11^th in her age, but more importantly improved by a massive 30minutes on last year, well done.

It is always pleasing when people race to their potential, with most of the team improving at every race and showing signs of improvements for the remainder of the season.

I am slightly behind on the news! Full congratulations to Parys who took a Silver medal in her age-group & third overall at this year’s ETU Duathlon Chamionships, held in Budapest in May 2009.

Parys had been focussed on this event for some time and the result was a just reward for her consistent hard work ethic and commitment to her training.

Parys, then returned home raced the following weekend & won Crystal Palace Triathlon, great way to start a season.

Parys in action at Steyning duathlon, qualifying for Budapest. Photo courtesy of Sussex Sport photography

Firstly before putting on the wetsuit it is recommended to apply a lubricant to your calves & arms to help the wetsuit slide off, a recommended product is body butter (from the body shop), has the added benefit of helping you smell nice you will get less strange looks than others do for their choice of lubricant☺& it will not harm your wetsuit material. In addition apply body glide to any areas that chafe, e.g. around the neck or under the arms.

Putting on the suit have a plastic bag handy to place over your foot & slide your foot through (do the same on the other leg), now gently pull the suit up, aiming to gradually pull it up (not yank in one go) & careful not to dig your finger nails in. A tight wetsuit is good as it will be a good fit, a small price to pay for taking an extra minute or two to put the suit on. Once you have the suit up to your hips, start again at your calves & gradually roll the suit up higher, the suit should be as snug as possible in your crutch area, any gaps will only lead to water pooling there, meaning more weight to drag through the water. Nb most wetsuits are designed to be shortened, by cutting the calves, this can help with putting the suit on or off. I recommend you check with your wetsuit supplier prior to making any changes.

Now to the arms & repeat per the legs with plastic bag over your arms. Like the legs gradually pull the suit up your arms & again pull it up further so that the suit fits snugly around your shoulder (including under arms). Pull the suit up your torso (again by grabbing a roll & rolling it up) so that the suit is snug around your neck. Ask a friend to zip you up gently, make sure you breathe in & pull the shoulders back to assist. Place your cord where you want it so that it can’t be pulled down during the swim & you can access it quickly in your transition. Your wet suit should be on & you are ready to swim.

This does not quite mean you are ready to race, you should acclimatise to the water first (especially if the water is cold), do this by placing the feet & ankles in the water & give them a minute to adjust, now walk in further, up to your waist & place your hands & wrists in the water again acclimatising for a minute or so. Now gradually go in deeper and place the head under the water. This should be less of a shock to the body & respiratory system than simple diving in. Swim 20 or so strokes & roll onto your back & slow your breathing down. If you are able try to pull your wetsuit up even higher. Now warm up by swimming say 50 – 70 metres 20 hard strokes, 20 easy strokes, have a small rest & return, exit the water & again check your suit to ensure it is as high as possible. You should now be warmed up & ready to race, spend a minute or two relaxing prior to the start.

To do this you need to be ready 10 minutes prior the race, also not all races allow for a warm up, so if this is the case, try & get wet to acclimatise to the water temperature & warm up using arm swings & other dynamic stretches around the chest, shoulders, lats & triceps.

Happy racing

This may not be a comprehensive list as each individual has specific requirements & some of the equipment may not always be required at every race, but it should give you an idea of the gear required to compete in a triathlon. Whilst the list will be lengthy one of the keys to success in racing is keeping it simple, therefore the aim is to keep your racing equipment used during the race & left in transitions, as simple & user friendly as possible with little changing or hassle involved.

A good way to prepare for your race is to plan in advance & write a list of equipment you need to race, so on the day before the race you simply need to pack what is on the list & nothing should be forgotten. Keep the list as a document on your computer & update it after every race so it is ready for next race (it will not be a static list).

Race Essentials

• Directions to Race & Race Instructions (ensure you have read the race instructions well in advance & that you are fully aware of the course, transition location & content (eg water or energy drink etc) & location of aid stations)
• Race number & timing chip (if already issued to you)
• Race Licence

Transition

• You will need a large plastic container (around 20 – 25 litre capacity) or a large sports bag to carry everything.
• A towel or mat to put down next to your bike to arrange your equipment & wipe your feet on after the swim (nb in some races eg Ironman or 70.3 your equipment will be in bags so therefore you will not be setting up your equipment next to your bike)
• Pre race nutrition (you should have eaten 2 hours prior to race, to give the body time to digest your meal)
• Sunscreen lotion
• Bike tools in the event any maintenance is required (last minute adjustments to bike set up are definitely not recommended)
• Recovery food or drink (for post race)

Swim

• A wetsuit, not always essential, depending on temperature of the water but advisable if permitted. You do not always have to buy one, you can hire or borrow. Whatever your method most important is to make sure the fit is perfect & the wetsuit is designed for swimming.
• Goggles, swim cap (as a back up), neoprene swim cap (for cold water)
• Swim suit (a tri suit is recommended to save changing for the bike & run)
• Lubricant to help the wet suit slip off & to stop chaffing (body glide or body butter are good products to achieve this purpose)
• Plastic shopping bag to help put the wetsuit on (place over your hands or feet)
• Sports watch (even though most races provide electronic timing we are all obsessed with monitoring our own time)

Bike

• Racing Bike (should be cleaned, degreased & lubricated, tyres checked for any embedded objects)
• Helmet (aero), sunglasses (or clear glasses if no sun)
• Number belt
• Spare tyre (if on tubs), tube, co2 cartridges or pump (even if you think you will not repair a puncture & continue racing, think about how you will get back to transition if you do puncture, it can be a long time waiting for a support vehicle)
• Track pump (if possible pump your tyres up at your car & leave pump in your car)
• Bike Shoes (including rubber bands if you attach your shoes to your pedals), socks are an optional extra
• Water Bottles & any nutrition for the bike (eg energy drink, gels or bars)
• Bento box (usually only in long distance races to store bars & gels)
• Talcum powder (also for your running shoes)
• Bike clothes if not racing in a tri suit

Run

• Running shoes with elastic laces. Socks again an optional extra depending on distance
• Talcum powder
• Run clothes if again not racing in a tri suit
• Running cap
• Nutrition required for run

Having a list you can rely on & check off when packing your gear should give you the confidence that nothing has been forgotten, so you can focus & concentrate your mind on the race ahead. Most of all you should sleep easy knowing that everything is packed.