Want to improve your swimming? Try this.....

“People wish to learn to swim and at the same time to keep one foot on the ground” Marcel Proust 1871 -1922. I’m sure that Proust was not talking about triathlon when he made the above statement however it resonates deeply with many of those of us involved in coaching triathletes to improve their swim abilities. I’ll state it quite simply that there is no substitute for spending time in the water in order to improve your swimming ability. Spend some time just immersing (pun intended) yourself in swim training, increase your volume and you will improve. I know I will already be losing some readers who want the quick fix, the latest technique or technology to get faster with less effort and time. To those I will say please stay and read on as by doing so you truly will be on the road to a better swim split.

I consulted a couple of weighty tomes on my bookshelf to consider what volume is considered to be. Former national performance director of British Swimming, Bill Sweetenham and coach John Atkinson consider in Championship Swim Training that 40km a week is the starting point. The astounding thing here is there are not talking about swimmers they are talking about triathletes. When Sweetenham and Atkinson come to swimming per se they consider that swimming 8 hours a week offers “participation, fun, involvement and significant health benefits, but it is not competition swimming and never produces” what they call “a competitive result”. Bear in mind they are talking about competitive swimmers when they make this statement but it puts swim volume in perspective I believe. Again I may be starting to lose more readers who really don’t want to hear this but I’ve said it before; “I’ve not come across a good swimmer that hasn’t swum lots”, yet this is the one area of triathlon where it appears people are looking for the secret. For those of you still with me I am not saying go out and swim 40km or 8 hours a week what I am saying is that by spending some time training like a swimmer will improve your ability to swim in a triathlon.

If you were training a marathon runner you would probably have them build up to run a long run of around 20 -22 miles or 76 – 84% of race distance. Reading this across to swimming would mean an Ironman distance triathlete would build up to swim a constant 2900 – 3200m. No stopping, no drinks, just do the distance. The key here is to build up. Swimming has less impact on the joints hence you could quite easily go over distance, and in swimming you could do this a number of times whereas with running you would limit it.

So try turning up that volume and seeing how you get on.

Specificity - One of the Fundamental Principles of Training

I’m sure that even the most hardened of Sports Scientists will not have read a paper by DeLorme on the restoration of muscle power by heavy-resistance exercises[1] as it was published in the Journal of Bone Joint Surgery back in 1945. However this is where the term specificity was first suggested as being the method whereby an athlete is trained in a specific manner to produce a specific adaptation or training outcome. In other words you need to do the thing or at least replicate the thing that you are striving to improve at. That is because according to the “law of specificity’ the adaptation, for example being able to swim 3.8km efficiently in a wetsuit, matches the stimulus, which might be training by swimming something like 40 x 100m with some small paddles, pull buoy and band. Training for a specific event is therefore actually quite simple; from either a practical coaching or a science perspective you apply a stimulus and it is that stimulus that causes the body to adapt. The term specificity is often quoted interchangeably with the acronym SAID, which stands for specific adaptation to imposed demands. The principle here is that it is the type of demand that is placed on the body that dictates the type of adaptation that will occur. So let us go back to my swim set that many of you will have been horrified at. In this example I am not trying to give you a stimulus to adapt you to be a pool swimmer per se, I am trying in a pool situation to give you a stimulus that allows you to adapt to swimming in a wetsuit, or in the sea, or both with 2500 of your closest friends. So would swimming open water make you a better open water swimmer? Yes, because it is more specific – it is also quite tough to do all year long in most climates. So the example I have used here is one where I am trying to activate or recruit the same motor units required by your sport and by incorporating training that mimics the movement patterns of your sport as a Coach I increase the likelihood that muscles involved in the sport will be recruited.

You can apply specificity to the energy systems involved in your sport. In track and field athletics a sprint takes around about 10 seconds – in a triathlon a sprint takes about an hour. The former is an anaerobic event and if you want to be good at it you need to apply an aerobic sprint-training stimulus. If you want aerobic ability you apply an aerobic stimulus and you apply it to the very muscles that you plan to use for your desired performance. If a sprint triathlon is a predominately aerobic event then you can guess what an Olympic, 70.3 or Ironman distance event is. So ensure that you apply the principle of specificity to the event and the energy system. Don’t get me wrong, I get it that you love going to your athletics club on a Tuesday evening and smashing out 400s but ask yourself how applicable it is to the marathon at the end of the Ironman event you have signed up for and is now only 5 months away. Would it not be more appropriate for example to do an hour big gear turbo session and run at your race pace, which I guarantee will not be “smashing it” even if you are Sebastian Kienle, off the bike? So when you head out the door for your next training session, think of T.L. DeLorme and ask yourself – ‘is it specific’? Now where is that pull buoy…..

[1] DeLorme T.L. Restoration of muscle power by heavy-resistance exercises. J Bone Joint Surg 27:645. 1945

Swim Strength Session

Westonbirt Triathlon Club swim strength session preparing for the Westonbirt Triathlon 25 May 2015. [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pLhVX1Z_jRY[/embed]

Tumble - The Movie

This week the Westonbirt Tri Club began the road to perfecting the tumble turn - enjoy the movie we'll be posting more in the weeks and months to come!

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZevgkGkltg[/embed]

Swimming Tumble Turns

Following a great Coaching Session at Westonbirt Triathlon Club last night where we worked on perfecting the Tumble Turn I thought it was an ideal opportunity to cover the basics in a blog post. 1 Accelerate to the wall but do not lift head to look at wall.

One mistake we see often is swimmers slowing as they approach the wall. Swim fast in those last 5 metres and convert that forward momentum into a fast turn.

2 Don’t take a breath on the last stroke.

In order to keep that nice acceleration to the wall do not lose that streamline position, which would decrease your momentum.

3. Do not get too close to the wall.

With the knees in too bent a position you’ll restrict the power you can push off with so don’t get too close.

4 If possible do not breathe on your first stroke.

It’s sad but true that your fastest period of swimming in a length is just after the push off so the longer you can hold that streamlined, fluid dynamic position the quicker you will swim.

5 Tuck your knees in – a smaller ball will turn faster

Try doing an underwater flip turn – if your legs are straight, or body is not in a tucked position, you will see how much effort it takes to get the legs around and ready for push off.

6 Flip straight over – angle your feet at the wall and rotate body on the push off

The fastest way to get feet to the wall is with a flip straight over – chin to chest, knees tucked

7 Keep both arms straight by side/palms up –using abs to create the flip- hands and arms will be ready for a streamlined push off

8 Flip and Freeze – After executing a straight flip- with feet on wall, freeze to make sure your arms are straight, hand on top of hand ready for push off

9 Stay relaxed – exhale through nose to keep water out – and practice, practice, practice!!

Think you don't have what it takes to finish an Ironman? .....Read on.

Often in articles you read about how the Triathlon Pros train or what it takes to qualify for the Ironman World Championships in Kona but rarely do we read about what it takes to just finish an Ironman Triathlon. By just finish I really mean that; I don’t mean to set some arbitrary sub 12 or 13 or 14 hour goal but truly just to finish under that 17 hour deadline. I’m as guilty as anyone because I use terminology more akin to the world of performance sport and I often talk about my high performing athletes but I use this vocabulary correctly in that I apply it to all of my athletes and everyone I coach is referred to as an athlete – some are just faster than others. Whether they are like Rachel who’s aim is to qualify for Kona in 2015 or whether they are like Maite, a world renowned concert pianist who has just signed up for her first ever running race, the Brighton marathon, they are all athletes and the same principles of training apply to them all.  Trudy’s Challenge

 In 2013 I had the opportunity and the great pleasure to start working with a first time IMer, let’s call her Trudy – because that’s her name! The physical equation for Trudy’s attempt at an Ironman finish was a simple one – we had to get her aerobically fit + give her some sports specific strength + help her understand what was going to be required of her = finish in under 17 hours. One of the huge advantages Trudy had was that she is quite simply one of the most positive people I have ever met so the psychology aspect of getting her ready was relatively simple. Trudy was apprehensive but that trepidation offered genuine, unadulterated, motivation.

 Make no mistake, we both knew that this was, to use football parlance ‘a big ask’, as the Ironman distance offers no mercy for those who enter unprepared. Of course Trudy being Trudy she decided that if she was going to do an Ironman she might as well do a ‘proper’ race and therefore she entered a race not designed for the soft hearted - Ironman Wales.

 If like Trudy your aim is to ’merely’ cross that line (it should be noted that anyone that finishes an Ironman in under 17 hrs is extremely fit and would rank in the top 2% in terms of fitness within a population) then I want to look in more depth as to what is required to achieve that and what we put in place training wise for Trudy, and you, to achieve the goal.

 The Requirement

 So, what are the requirements for a 17hr finish?

 Well if we ignore transitions, not an easy job to do at IM Wales with the never ending run from the beach to T1 then we can assume a 2 hr swim, an 8.5hr bike and a 6.5hr marathon will get the job done. The output required does not look fearsome when written down; a 3 min per 100m swim, an average of just over 13mph on the bike, and a modest 14:45 min per mile run. In requirement terms, it sounds pretty easy, but try doing anything for 17 hours and you’ll find out that it isn’t as simple to operate for this length of time as it sounds.

 The Training

 We built Trudy’s training along the tenets of Consistency, Specificity and Strength Endurance. In other words we had to get her training, training by doing the right thing and that right thing was working on Strength Endurance. Trudy came to me having completed a number of events including a couple of Middle Distance events, notably the Cowman which she finished in 7 hours and 4 seconds and a 5hr 30min finish at the London Marathon. This was to be her first attempt at the IM Distance and the training was build on getting her efficient and strong in the swim so that it took nothing out of her so we worked on a lot of strength type sets with small paddles, a pull buoy and band. On the bike we mixed the traditional longer rides with some specific big gear turbo sessions, like 3 mins hard, 3 mins easy for an hour to get her strong and we looked at specific run and brick sessions to get her moving efficiently at and slightly faster than race pace.

 The Result

 It was a tough day at the office for all the competitors as the weather turning, well very Welsh towards the end, but I’m delighted to say that in 16 hours and 30 minutes Trudy heard the words “You are an Ironman!” The details were a 1hr 27min swim, an 8hr 39 minute bike and slipping under the 6 hr barrier with a 5hr 59 run.

 With the correct level of motivation, consistent training, appropriate pacing and a willingness to succeed you can achieve the same. I’m looking forward to helping Maite achieve her goal in 2015 and who knows perhaps an Ironman awaits…..

Your Twitter Nutrition Tip for the Age Group Triathlete

Inspired by a poll my good friend Gary Fegan (@Fegan) carried out - we asked a wide range of Professional Triathletes, Coaches, Nutritionists and Scientists: "In this world of differing diets, Paleo etc, what would you advise for working age group triathletes?" Many, many thanks to those that took the time to responded below, it truly demonstrates the fortunate contact we have to and with the professional triathlon community.

Brett Sutton @trisutto

Professional Triathlon Coach, Switzerland/Cozumel

As I tell all my women athletes, old school; meat, vegetables and fruit. For the men, if training hard add the pasta.

Rachel Joyce @rjoyce09

Professional Triathlete, London, England

Everyone's different but the approach I go for is everything fresh and no to processed foods.

Professor Tim Noakes @proftimnoakes

Exercise Science Professor, Cape Town, SA

If heavy and insulin resistant, Paleo would be advisable. Too early to say Paleo will work for all. Each an experiment of one.

Jozsef Major @krepster

Professional Triathlete, Lisbon, Portugal

I seriously follow, believe and recommend ‪@TheCoreDiet. It has its similarities w/ Paleo but it's more "performance driven. Not a paleo fan but everyone has to do that works the best for him/her. Eat 5-6 times/day. Focus on protein, carbs, good fat, less sugar.

Paul Burton @pablo_burt

Age Group Triathlete, London, England

I'm not going paleo/LCHF, but an active move towards a middle ground where I control refined carb intake. Lots more eggs/meat

 Early thoughts are that it really helps control energy levels - much More stable, no crashes. Tricky with a sweet tooth though. Must say I'm enjoying embracing eggs & steaks in my diet. Learning to cook properly is fun as well - better than boiling pasta

Belinda Granger @belinda_granger

Professional Triathlete, Noosa, Aus

‏‪I still live by the good old fashioned 'everything in moderation'. I eat gluten,meat, dairy, vege, chocolate, red wine, coffee

 I make sure I eat it all in moderation and cut down on the 'naughty stuff' when I need to...life is too short to miss out

Dr Philip Skiba @drphilipskiba

Programme Director of Sports Medicine, Chicago, USA

Eat a well balanced diet. Fad diets are for celebrities with more money than sense.

Daniel Hawksworth @hawky1

Professional Triathlete, Jersey, Channel Islands

I enjoy my food but eat healthy at the same time. Body needs fuel. Not in to dieting. If you are too heavy train harder.

Catherine Faux @catherinefaux

Age Group Triathlete, Sheffield, England

Keep it natural and unprocessed. If your granny would be perplexed (pot noodle?) then steer clear. And no 'never' foods.

It's a good rule of thumb. My granny introduced me to slow cooker: perfect for hot tasty goodness after long cold ride. Genius!

Caroline Steffen @caroline_xena

Professional Triathlete, Mooloolaba QLD / Spiez BE

Eat 'clean' food only. No processed products! If the list of ingredients on the backside is longer than 3words, stay away of it

Charlie Pennington @c_e_pennington

Age Group Triathlete, Surrey, England

I'm unusual (!) in that i don't get to control what I get offered to eat (limited choice in Mess): either I eat it or not. therefore I try to be sensible: I eat in moderation but don't particularly forego anything if I want it. I guess the key is that I don't want to burden my wife (does most of cooking when I'm home) with a diet. I eat with my kids :)

Richard Evershed @revershed

Age Group Triathlete, Cheltenham, England

Think it's bit of an AGer thing to subscribe to a type diet (paleo etc) Most pros I’ve read about just keep it simple & eat clean

Tom Lowe @tomalowe

Professional Triathlete, Bristol, England

Healthy, balanced, aspects of Paleo I'd adopt but certainly not all. Plenty of fruit & veg, carbs like oats/potatoes, grains.

Dirk Bockel @dirkbockel

Professional Triathlete, Luxembourg

Without knowing athletes history its hard to say. Heathy, organic (meat,eggs,milk) and mostly GF for sure. Low carb. Many colors

Gordo Byrn @gordo_68

Professional Triathlon Coach, Boulder, Co, USA

For performance ‪http://www.endurancecorner.com/Gordo_Byrn/nutrition_performance …

Brandon Marsh @brandonmarshtx

Professional Triathlete, Texas

Fuel the workouts. Eat smart outside of workouts. Stay away from 'diets'.

Paulo Sousa @pstriathlon

Professional Triathlon Coach, San Diego, Ca, USA

Not a fan of the term "diet" and all the baggage that carries. Eat in a balanced way, low on processed high on fresh food.

Victor Del Corral @victordelcorral

Professional Triathlete, Spain

No meat and no sugar added food products. Drink a lot of water!

Alan Couzens @alan_couzens

Professional Triathlon Coach, Boulder, Co, USA

Scale carbs with activity level. 40/30/30 is a good "middle ground" target for a serious AGer (15-20hrs/wk)

Gina Crawford @gina_crawford

Professional Triathlete, NZ

Eat as natural as possible, cut out the processed stuff. Proteins, fats good, but you still need carbs to fuel sessions.

 Scott Neyedii @scottneyedii

Professional Triathlete, Aberdeen, Scotland

High protein generally

Darren Smith @coachdaz

Professional Triathlon Coach, Morzine Fr (Sedona & Canberra)

Very balanced approach to nutrients eat real food! More smaller portions spaced thru day don't go overboard on protein-no need

Matt Dixon @purplepatch

Professional Triathlon Coach, San Francisco, USA

Avoid voodoo hype. Keep it simple. Eat real foods. Ensure you fuel following every workout. Frequent and small healthy meals.

Robbie Haywood @robinhaywood

Professional Triathlon Coach, Various Locations

Don't be scared of good fats, eat for long term health - can't train a sick body

Professor Paul Laursen @paulblaursen

Physiology Manager High Performance Sport, North Shore New Zealand

 Paleo or LCHF like this: ‪http://greatist.com/health/ultimate-guide-eating-paleo-infographic …, but periodised like this. ‪http://yelling-stop.blogspot.co.nz/2013/12/low-carb-athletes-world-record-ultra.html ….

 but need to warn them that at first they will likely feel like this... ‪http://www.runetics.com/index.php/blogmenu/2014posts/82-sugar-killed-the-running-man …

Emily Miazga @emspowercookies

Nutritionist & Coast to Coast Winner, New Zealand

Some ideals of Paleo are good like avoiding processed food. But I advocate whole food plant-based eating, no fad diets.

Meredith Kessler @mbkessler

Professional Triathlete, San Francisco, Ca, USA

Variety, moderation+normalcy=ideal. Eating wholesome + unprocessed foods in your fueling window @ right times - minimal focus on a #!!

Catriona Morrison @cat_morrison

Professional Triathlete, Broxburn, Scotland

Wide & varied, as unprocessed as poss. Prep & freeze for the week ahead. Treats mandatory.

Edith Niederfriniger @ironfrini

Professional Triathlete, Meran, Italy

Lots of vegetables, add more good protein if you are focusing on gaining strength, more carbs for high intense workouts

Chris McDonald @bigsexymcdonald

Professional Triathlete, Austin, Tx, USA

Everything in moderation! Remember EVERYTHING that goes in your mouth is your "diet".

Tyler Butterfield @tybutterfield

Professional Triathlete, Boulder, Co, USA

I tend to go with Healthy Balance Diet. Nothing crazy, just balance little bit everything. Carb, protein, healthy fats, etc.

Justin Daerr @justindaerr

Professional Triathlete, Boulder, Co, USA

Fuel yourself adequately during long training sessions to avoid overeating later.

Emma Davis @emmadavistri

Professional Triathlete, Various locations

My preference is paleo "for athletes". Paleo with some natural starches such as sweet potatoes etc around training when needed

Joe Beer @coachjoebeer

Professional Triathlon Coach, Braunton, Devon, England

One that is "balanced with your goals, budget, personal happiness and outcome realism" (ie.no diet makes a champ)

     Happy eating from Neil & Beth at Performance-Edge!

Triathlon Vitoria Race Report

Triathlon Vitoria Race Report My objectives for this event

▪ This was my A race of the season - aim was to come in around 10:30 ▪ Swim – be very focused and just get the swim done without it taking anything out of me ▪ Bike – ride a solid bike leg aiming for an average of 180W ▪ Run – aim was to run 3:30 (8 min per mile pace/5 min per km) this should put me in sight of an age group win

PRE RACE

The last few weeks leading into this race I’d missed a few training sessions as was busy with getting athletes sorted for their own races but I knew this training was the icing on the cake so I wasn’t that stressed – honest! The days leading into the race I felt good and relaxed but race morning felt pretty nervous which I haven’t done for some time but all being well I knew it would pass.

SWIM

Being Spain nothing happens that early so Elites head off at 08:00, the women are 5 mins later then at 08:10 the Half race starts and finally the Iron Distance at 08:20. Being an anti clockwise course I entered the start area from the right, and got away clean. This was probably the worst swim I’ve been in for getting smashed though, some of it has to do with the fact that I actually sight well so will swim pretty much on the buoys but you get pretty beat up at the turn. I was kicked in the throat on the first out leg, the guy meant to kick me which is just so dangerous and it’s not like we are going to win! I swam wide after that. It’s a 2-lap swim course so you have an “Aussie Exit” up and across the beach for about 30m then back in for lap two. Of course it had thinned out a lot in the second lap and I came out in 1:14 which I’m happy with. All the bike bags were on racks in an open transition area and I found mine and pulled on a long sleeved skins top to keep me at a good temperature and protect from the suns rays on the bike. I was away well and pleased with myself for a reasonably slick transition all things considered.

BIKE

The bike course is a beautiful undulating course where you cycle in some fantastic Basque rural countryside. Both the Iron and the Half courses do a short lap, which the Half then repeats but the Iron distance does a further two longer laps. I rode well although there was some huge peletons forming, it was difficult not to get caught up in these as some were 20 strong and 2 or 3 abreast. On the second lap I could see that I was riding with a couple of guys in my age group (funnily enough one was the eventual winner and I kept thinking I can smash you in the run!) and I stayed with this group until the end of the bike course.

I am a good climber but would drop off the pace to keep my power down but you could see the Spanish get very excited and smash it up every climb to ecstatic shouts of “Venga Venga, Animo, Vamos” from the extremely excitable spectators. I’d catch the bunch again on the descents and rolling flats, go past them and then realize that I was doing a “Tom Boonen” and pulling them all along so would sit up and settle off the back. I came off the bike with a 5:20 split and it felt good.

RUN

This is my strength and having come off a great run in the Honu 70.3 in Hawaii I had high hopes of keeping to the conservative 5 min per km pace however this was not to be. I have had an Achilles issue for about 5 weeks now but I knew that adrenaline would see me through so no excuses. Injury wise I can pretty much kill myself to finish a race. The run course is a 4-lap affair and is run within the streets and parks of Vitoria-Gastiez and again is extremely well supported. I went ‘old school’ and changed completely into my Bristol and West run vest and run shorts and wore compression socks (ok so not fully old school) to try and support my Achilles. Technique wise I tried to run light, using a gentle heel strike and hold my hips high. It’s never easy in an Ironman but I felt my technique stayed reasonable throughout.

The crowd support was fantastic and I genuinely do not think I have come across such enthusiastic supporters – which is quite annoying when you just want to walk! My first two laps were pretty much on target but by the end of the third lap I had strong waves of nausea and was starting to fatigue – I also had the onset of the “never again” feelings. The final lap was a death march I tried jogging between lamp posts, jogging for a count of 50, then 20 but pretty much walked most of the last 10k to finish the run in 4:15. It’s not my worst Iron Distance run but it is my most disappointing. My final time was 11:02. Incidentally the guy who I thought couldn’t run - he ran a 3:29 and came first in the AG. If I had run to plan I would have won.

Summary

Swim – I stayed focused and got it done without it taking anything out of me Bike – I’m in better shape than last year and I felt good and rode a sensible but reasonably quick bike leg keeping to the power I had aimed for Run – Not my slowest Iron Distance run but pretty disappointing. I’m better than this.

NUTRITION

Overall a bit less nutrition than normal but it worked pretty well for the most part and I had no issues on the bike. The run was a different story.

Breakfast:

▪ We always take our blender and I had a protein powder, fruit, coconut oil, almond butter shake with some granola sprinkled on top.

Bike:

▪ 7 serves Ucan ▪ 3 tablespoons MCT Oil ▪ 30 Master Amino Profile tablets crushed ▪ All of the above blended with ice and water and put in two bottles. ▪ 4 x Bonk Breaker Bites ▪ Water

Run:

▪ 2 x Double Expresso Clif Shot Gels (caffeinated) ▪ Water ▪ Some Coke ▪ Aimed to have more but stomach was rebelling badly by halfway

OUTCOMES

Positives:

1. All my gear worked great and I did not get too hot or burnt. Huub wetsuit, Cervelo P2C (This was it’s last outing as I’ve just bought a P3 – If you are interested in a 56 Cervelo P2C, Zipp 404, Q Rings, Rotor Cranks, QuarQ Powermeter then e mail me!!), Adidas Tempo run shoes. 2. I handled the mental side well in the swim and the bike and raced my own race. I was disappointed on the run and allowed negative thoughts to enter. 3. Nutrition worked pretty well in terms of not bonking at all on the bike – not sure about the run might need a rethink 4. Confident that if things go well I can put together a 3:30 or faster on the run

Negatives / Work On's:

1. My run was poor but this was not anything to do with running per se. 2. Possibly nutrition. I need to think about that for next race 3. Not being able to push on the run

All in all I’m pleased I finished – it is so easy not to.

ITU Old School Triathlon to the Modern Day

Here at Performance Edge we love a bit of Old School Triathlon so we'd thought we'd share a great video that goes along with the International Triathlon Union (ITU) announcement that they are creating a hall of fame.  There are some great footage from back in the day when speedos, crop tops, running vests were all the rage.  Not a carbon bike in view at the start of the video but there is some super fast racing!  For those who more enjoy the modern era it does chart the progress through the Olympics culminating with London 2012.  Enjoy!

Epic Camp - The Numbers

In the blog we have kept we have often referred to the volume of training that we were doing on Epic Camp Kona 2014 and therefore I thought it would be enlightening to "do the math" (as they say) and tote up exactly what it was we had been doing.  Before doing that I think it is worth pointing out that this all was very manageable and took you nicely to the edge without tipping you over it.  I suspect in the full Epic Camp that being tipped over that edge is a regular occurrence. I also think that the volume we did will mentally prepare you well for the rigours of long course racing - as I've stated before the actual 70.3 race felt like an easy training day volume wise as we were finished by lunchtime. I believe that camps should be a big part of training and in future articles I'll write how to do your own, but I mainly think about how much fun they can be. Some things to focus now on how to get the most benefit from a training camp are below

The lead in - When you have a training camp coming up, it is wise to focus on preparation but that doesn’t mean race ready. You need to ensure that you are fit enough to be able to get a physiological benefit out of the camp rather than just getting tired. To address this, work toward a solid block of training that is consistent across all disciplines. Don't be overly concerned about length of sessions, just aim for my favourite word - consistency. This consistency helps to develop durability.  A camp is much more enjoyable when you are durable and healthy going into the week. The final tip during the lead in to a camp is to make sure you freshen up the week before. You are going to shock your system at camp. Make sure your body is ready to go.

The Camp - The idea of a camp is to take you out of your comfort zone and the safest way of doing that is big bike volume - Epic Camp and Epic Camp Lite does that. You get to train full time and push the limits. The biggest advice here: resist the urge to go too hard, set limits for yourself (for example, power and HR caps - which are great when the devices actually work!).  It is best to pace a camp much like an ironman. Build into the week.

Post camp - Refresh the week after the camp. How do you evaluate the success of a camp? By how quickly you can get back to a normal training week.  Post camp week is the time to assimilate back into normal life and let the week of training absorb. Remember camp life isn’t normal life. You can’t be expected to maintain that level of training when you have work/life/family commitments.

Ok so you've been in suspense long enough - the numbers. In the 7 days of Epic Camp Kona 2014 we did:

Swim - 10km (6 miles)

Bike 765km (480 miles)

Run 59km (37 miles)

Epic Camp - Reflections

Having completed Epic Camp Kona I thought it might be useful to write down some of my reflections on a number of subjects.  To put them in perspective we came into the camp with no real aspirations in terms of outcome and certain no outcome goals for the race.  What it turned out to be was the most fantastic experience with a great bunch of people and actually it showed us just what can be achieved in terms of training and yet still achieve a solid race.  Not least the gains we have made mentally will see us in good stead for the future - it is not many people that would consider the distances of a 70.3 as an easy training day but that was our perspective going into this race when compared to what had gone before.

So to the reflections: I have tried to group them under headings  and these are purely personal and will not necessarily reflect the rest of the Epic Campers thoughts although several will ring bells throughout I suspect.

Technology

I used my Cervelo P2C Tri bike for the camp and 95% of the campers were on Tri bikes and the other 5% on their race bikes which would be a road bike with clips ons.  This gave you a great opportunity to get used to riding your race bike as I suspect the majority of athletes ride their road bikes a lot and perhaps have their Tri bike on the turbo trainer or ride them on sunny days but certain wouldn't ride 400 miles in 5 days on it through wind, rain and sun.  In terms of set up my bike is 8 years old but to be fair it is probably only the frame that is 8 years old.  I have Q Rings and a QuarQ Cinqo power meter, Zipp 404s and a Ultegra/Dura Ace mix - Ultegra brakes but Dura Ace derailleurs. It is starting to feel it's age and this camp and the conditions didn't do it any favours.  The 404s were fine to ride and they were the only wheel set I took with me.  The power meter died on the day we did the 200km up and over Volcano and mine wasn't the only one.  Interestingly it wasn't just the QuarQ's that were failing Powertaps were suffering too.  The extreme rain and I suspect Volcanic dust were not helping.  This of course resulted in me racing without a power meter.  However I think that my body was acting as a good limiter on performance by this stage anyway but I'd still have liked to have seen the numbers and to had a bit more control on the undulating course.  I've e mailed QuarQ so let's see how their customer service is! A lot of the guys were on P5s and some of them really suffered with integrated (read complicated!) headset problems to hydraulic brake problems where it lifts the brakes and you puncture as a result.  My creaking P2C just rode by (albeit noisily!) .

In terms of tyres both Beth and I used Schwalbe Durano Plus for the camp which are pretty much bullet proof.  Neither of us had one puncture which is  really important in a camp like this as it is not group riding as I'll describe later.  The shoulders of the road are wide but are pretty crappy and a number of people had multiple punctures which just adds time to your ride.  We switched out and put race tyres on for the 70.3 which are Continental Grand Prix TT

So in terms of the bike overall I was happy with how the set up performed on the camp and in the race but I've had it for so long I'm kind of moulded to it - well I am after this week!

Psychology

 I think on a camp like this you need to make friends with yourself before you come because on the long bike days you can find yourself on your own for long periods of time.  Not only that, you need to be prepared to dig a little deeper than normal in terms of endurance; not intensity, just that ability to keep going in whatever conditions this Island throws at you.  Those conditions whilst we were here were "tropical" in terms of being warm and humid at times, windy most days and wet/really wet on occasion. As an example when we descended the 50km to Hilo from Volcano I had a base layer, cycle jersey, arm and knee warmers and a wind (slight water) proof jacket and it was torrential rain yet earlier in the day it was blue skies and very warm. You are going to get tired on Epic Camp but you really need to stay positive and keep that positive attitude.  The aid stations that were manned by the wonderful Mark Kendall, Maryanne Patton and Dave Dwan were like a oasis of hope in the distance - when you saw them and eventually got there the cheerful banter lifted the spirits no end.  NOTHING was too small for them to do as they pushed you on to the next stop - not literally however.

Physiology

You need to come into this camp physically used to training daily but I don't think you need to come into it super prepared like you would do a race.  I feel that having a positive mental attitude can really help you get through the camp as many of the events are done at your own pace according to how you feel on the day. One area you need to concentrate on when on the camp is to stay on top of any niggles and endeavour to ensure you come into the camp with as few injuries as possible.  We brought a Grid Foam Roller, golf ball and a tennis ball - all of which we actually used!  Muscle sticks, massage bars, trigger balls or whatever your preferred torture devices happen to be are all good things to bring.  Both Mark and Maryanne provided massage on the camp but you can help yourself with a little stretching when you get a chance just to keep on top of that muscle tightness.  

Good hand hygiene is imperative to prevent picking up bugs and all the aid vans had sanitising gel to use prior to plunging your hands into the large vats of pretzels, cashews, almonds etc.  Keeping up a good probiotic routine and perhaps supplementation with something like colostrum if necessary will help prevent stomach upsets.

I've mentioned in another post but liberal use of chamois cream is an absolute imperative.  If you think you have enough on then put some more down there!  Sleep is pretty important too!

I feel that you will get the benefit of any training camp some 7-10 days after providing you take some down time in terms of both intensity and volume to allow yourself to absorb and adapt.  However mentally you feel like you should be doing something so you need to fight that and do some easy swims and some easy bikes for maybe a couple of hours each day just to keep the aerobic engine ticking over.

Nutrition

This was one area I was interested in before I got here in terms of I wondered how peoples diet would change.  My personal view is that both daily and race nutrition is very specific to that person and that what works for one will not work for another.  We came into the camp with our own particular nutritional nuances; Beth is Vegetarian/Vegan and I tend to live a lower carb higher fat diet however I suspected for me that would go out the window pretty much as you need fuel.  Beth stuck to her Vegan diet (no eggs/milk/dairy/meat/fish) but I ate more bread and rice in this week than I have in the last year.  I was not alone in this; most triathletes I know are a little bit freaky in what they eat and some of the Epic campers fitted the mould with the majority I would say living a lower carb lifestyle.  When you are hammered and presented with a burger and coke however then you'll just eat it.  The day we left Hilo, seven of us went for breakfast and Phil Paterson (Kona qualifier this year for the third time who would come 37th overall in the 70.3 at the end of the camp) had eggs, bacon, waffles, maple syrup and ice cream....for breakfast - our standing joke was that everything was Paleo so the saying was "waffles" are Paleo right?"  At the end of the day when you have cycled for 8 hours you need food.  One thing to watch (I say this having literally celebrated Phil's birthday with guacamole, salsa and tortilla chips, bacon burger and fries and some kind of huge chocolate dessert) is that after Epic Camp you need to realise that you no longer have the requirement to eat the same amount to sustain the lower  level of training.

The Epic Camp Experience

This has been quite the most amazing experience, it has surpassed any camp I have ever done in terms of enjoyment, rigour, volume, fun, friendship and sense of accomplishment.  Huge thanks to Coach John Newsom, Mark Kendall (Bike Mechanic and massage), Maryanne Patton (Massage and cook) and Dave Dwan (Camp "mother") and to all our fellow Epic Campers -  it would not have been the same without them. Slots for the Kona 2015 camp are open now just visit www.epiccamp.com..........See you there!

Epic Camp Day 7 - Race Day

So it came to pass that after 28 hours of training logged in 6 days we awoke at 03:30 on the morning of the Honu (Turtle) Ironman 70.3.  The first thing to say is that I loved this race.  The second thing to say is that is not an easy race by any stretch of the imagination.  It's an 1.9km ocean swim off Hapuna Beach with a long uphill run to transition.  The 90km bike course is effectively half of the Ironman course and it takes you right on the Queen K before turning at Mauna Lani and riding to the turnaround at Hawi - this portion is effectively uphill and was into a head wind.  Having turned at Hawi you come down again with a tail wind and some crosswinds before climbing again out of Kawaihae and turning right on the Queen K to ride back to T2 at Mauna Lani.  The run is around a golf course and is a mix of grass and concrete and has a great many twists and turns, short downhills and tough short uphills.  It is definitely not a fast run course and the temperature on the run was extremely hot.  The organisation is slick and the aid stations are fantastic and plentiful with enthusiastic and numerous volunteers. The lead in to the race was relaxed and I (Neil) was probably the most unorganised I have been for any race but also probably the most relaxed.  Mind you at least I remembered my nutrition - unlike Beth!  I did give her one of my bottles and went and found some gels in the van - I'm all heart!  The swim course is a rectangle and the swell was low today however I got smashed in the swim up to the first and second buoy but got some clear water for the rest of the swim.  I was quite happy with my swim and felt good running into T1 I was 64th in my Age Group.  I felt pretty flat on the bike and I don't think I have been passed by quite so many people on a bike leg before; however I kept thinking that I would come good and once we turned back onto the Queen K I started to move up places and started to feel strong; I came into T2 in 40th position.  I had a slick transition but maybe too slick as I couldn't get my run cap on - the reason....I still had my helmet on!  I quickly got this off and gave it to a volunteer.  Straight away I felt good and continued to feel strong for the whole run.  I wasn't overtaken once on the run and made my way up to 12th at the finish.  All in all a hot, windy, tough day at the office but one I thoroughly enjoyed.

I (Beth) wish I could say I loved this race!  I loved the camp leading up to it - I was prepared for a different experience  and unfortunately expecting something on race day can be dangerous!  It doesn't help when you forget your one bottle of nutrition!  Swim was beautiful - crystal clear water and nice calm conditions helped- Bike... well, I don't have much to say about the bike.  Started off slow and I am sure just felt harder and harder as the day went on (jumping gears never helps on a long ride, also bar tape came unloose so I looked like some 70's Huffy riding little girl with streamers). Run didn't get going until mile 7, but after that I felt better and better as the miles ticked off.  It's a challenging race and I am sure in a few weeks I would consider doing it again.  It is also the race that has put an end to the thought of ever trying to qualify for Kona!  

After we all finished, we sat down for lunch and beer to watch the live band (with traditional Hawaiian dancers) and prize giving.  The roll down slots came and went swiftly after this with all slots being snapped up immediately.  Our last dinner at Mauna Lani was topped off with John handing out the last of camp prizes with everyone getting Epic Socks for completion of the camp.  Mary Anne had been busy all day making Leis for everyone and Mark invited us back to watch a movie of photo clips he had been taking throughout the week.  All in all a pretty good end to a fantastic week! 

Epic Camp Day 6

Epic Camp Day 6 saw the mood and emphasis change slightly with the impending race tomorrow.  It started with a short walk to a nearby beach where there was a catamaran anchored off it. Neil jokingly said that Coach John would probably make us swim out and around it 3 times - upon arrival John said "ok guys session is out and around the boat three times" - I think we are getting used to his ways!  It was a relaxed swim in fantastic clear water the whole way and after the session we did some mass starts and sighting practice.

After the swim it was breakfast, if there had been ice cream Phil would have had some, with most people still eating enough for a small nation.  It is interesting to note that at the start of the camp there was a few people purporting to be Paleo/LCHF/Low Carb etc however as the camp has gone on all food is just considered fuel - waffles and maple syrup are Paleo right? After breakfast we changed bike tyres, cleaned chains etc and took a short run to registration to hand in our run bags and it was on to the ubiquitous expo to hand over our hard earned cash to WTC for branded clothing - actually have they thought of M Dot Waffles.....

Lunch was picnic style out on the grass and the afternoon was free which meant a lot of lying down and catching up on blogs etc.  We then cycled en masse to the bike drop off.  This race has a split transition with the swim and T1 being at Hapuna Beach and after the cycle up and down the Queen K you end up by Mauna Lani at Fairmont Orchard for T2 and the run around the golf course.  So it is race day tomorrow, I know I've never done this much training leading into a race as we've done 28 hours of training in the last 5 days.  Before I started I suspected that the race would feel short but there would be nothing to give in terms of effort; the evening before I feel very relaxed and it just feels like a short training day - that's one of the things Epic Camp does for you it makes a 1.9km ocean swim, a 90km bike, followed by a 21km run feel like a day off.  The other thing it does is make you very tired!!

Epic Camp Day 5

       Day 5 started with great intentions - Phil, Dave, Eddie, Chris, Neil and I were to grab early breakfast at the famous Ken's Pancake House then get a nice and early start to the days 120km ride from Hilo back to Kona. Heavy showers through the night and early morning made the thought of getting on bikes again even more painful!  Avoiding the showers, we managed to pack away a lot of pancakes (coconut and blueberry) and a lot of bacon and eggs -  the challenge laid down was for someone to order the bacon and eggs, waffles and Ice Cream.  Challenge accepted, Phil managed to clean his plate - and also made it back to Kona first.  I think maybe a re-think of race nutrition is in order :)

Getting a slightly later start than intended, we all managed to keep the pace reasonable and slowly make our way up 90km to Waimea for a lovely picnic lunch with beautiful views.  Wearily, we ate our lunch and saddled up for the 30km descent down Mamalahoa Hwy to Queen K then a hot and humid ride to our final destination, the Mauna Lani Resort.

Of course this wouldn't be 'Epic Camp' if we only did a 120km bike! Quick change and a 3km run to race registration.  And then back in the vans for a ride to the swim venue for a quick 1km swim.  (So you can understand why this blog is a day late!!)

A good end to the day was another great dinner with great new friends.

Epic Camp Day 4

Todays fun and games started with us meeting at 06:45 for a 5k steady run followed by a 5k best effort but with no watches where you had to estimate your finish time.  I'm pleased to say that although Phil took out the race I (Neil) took out out second but more importantly the estimated time competition. Left to right we have the race briefing; then the steady first 5k; then Chris (ex US Army Special Forces and below the knee amputee) finishing.

After breakfast it was a great 120k bike ride in a pop out from Hilo among some great Hawaiian country roads.

Finally before dinner it was a swim session at the local pool including some "fun" events like 50m kick races and 50m all out sprints.  As usual dinner resembled a feeding frenzy.  Tomorrow we cycle off to Mauna Lani and thoughts are starting to turn to the 70.3 race on Saturday.

Epic Camp Day 3

Day 3 has lived up to the EPIC moniker.  At 06:15, we had a rolling start for the monster day of cycling.  From our condo in Kona, we spent the next 8 hours cycling 200km up a volcano with 1500m ascent and a run inside the volcano at the 150km mark.  This will be a short and sweet post for sure!  Neil started off with a group of 3 - within 5km, Neil was left to suffer the next 145km on his own... this gave him a lot of time to think!  And here is a snippet of what goes on in your head for 5 hours. 1. Make sure to use A Lot of chamois cream.  If you think you have enough, put another handful on.

2. Coca Cola: good when you have less than 2 hours to go.  Bad if you have 6 more hours.  

3. Cycling as hard as you can for the first hill does not bode well for the rest of the day.

4. No, your back wheel is not rubbing.

5. Pointing out hazards on the road is great - but as the day wears on, s%^t just gets run over.

6. When cycling to a place that means 'windward' or 'wet side' make sure to pack accordingly.

7. If someone is faster than you - they are faster than you... until they blow up and you pass them.

8. Fantasising about chocolate milkshakes is ok - whatever gets you through.

9. Did I mention chamois cream... really.  Get it on there!

10. You may be suffering - but you are suffering in HAWAI'I!!  Buck up!

All in all, it was a blur of emotions, but the end result was worth it as this is the view from out hotel in Hilo.

Epic Camp Kona Day 2

It's a funny sport when you can call a 3k swim, 10 mile run race and 1.5 (to 4) hour bike with a 5km climb at 20% an 'easy' day! The morning started with a 1.5K handicap swim race at the pier - going by previously submitted ironman swim pb ' s, (which kind of sucked if you were Eddie and had only done IM New York with it's down stream swim in the Hudson River and therefore had a super fast split) we all go in and swam for our lives (there was a significant  swell today) - then back in for a 1.5K easy swim.  Sighting was a challenge as the bouys are quite small and hard to see on a calm day.  I figured that every 4 waves was a good time to try to sight - or get a mouth full of water.

We all regrouped and had a snack before driving down the Queen K to then make our way back on foot through the famous Energy Lab down the Queen K - right at Palani (10K) down to Ali'i Drive and home (another 6K).  The heat is incredible on this road, luckily we had our Epic Camp support crew handing out ice and water - gels, bars and anything else you would want.

A lovely lunch was prepared for us on our return - and we graciously (but not gracefully) stuffed our faces in preparation for a 45K bike ride that included a 6K 'race' to the top of a hill with gradients of about 20%.  Let me tell you - I did Not have enough gears for  this ride which will be "interesting" as tomorrow's ride includes a 50km (yes you read that right) climb up to Volcano but more about that tomorrow.

Epic Camp Kona Day 1

Awoke on Day 1 of Epic Camp Kona 2014 to find that the weather looked favourable for the day's festivities which started at 06:45 with the first of three groups rolling out of Bali Kai for the start of the full 112 mile bike course out along the Queen Ka'ahumanu (Queen K) Highway, from Kailua-Kona to the turnaround in Hawi, normally you can be exposed to intense trade winds that buffet much of the exposed western and northern coast of the Big Island. The winds vary in intensity from steady to heavy blasts that can blow cyclists across the road. For this reason, disc wheels are not permitted in the races here. Winds may subside during the gradual climb to Hawi but pick up again as athletes make their way back to Kona.  Today Madame Pele smiled upon the Epic Campers as the winds were light, (there are several traditional legends associated with Pele in Hawaiian mythology. In addition to being recognized as the goddess of volcanoes, Pele is also known for her power, passion, jealousy, and capriciousness).  I'm not sure if she was any of those things today but she certainly was kind!The race we did two weeks ago in Bradwell-on-Sea, Essex with it's 20 to 35 mph winds trained us well for today although the freezing temperatures did nothing to prepare us for the heat and humidity!  Coach John Newsom, the Epic Camp organiser, was hoping for a tough day at the office but I'm not sure anyone else shared his desire!

Our group stayed together pretty much to the turn around but gaps started to appear on the way back particularly after the climb out of Kawaihae which is a lot more steep than it looks on the television!  It is often here or on the climb up to scenic point where one of the pros puts the hammer down and the wind is often a tail wind here so there is a real opportunity to overheat.  This was prevented on Epic Camp by the wonderful Dave and Mark leap frogging the riders in the vans to provide much needed ice and all sorts of nutrition as well as words of encouragement in either a Kiwi or Texan accent respectively

After the ride there was a 7km run off the bike out to Turtle Beach and back which was completed at the ubiquitous "Ironman Shuffle" pace.  There was a couple of hours to grab some lunch, throw some stuff in the laundry before it was off again down to the pier for an ocean swim before dinner in Lava Java.  All in all a good solid training day.  Special mention has to go to our Roomie, Nadia who managed to miss the turnaround and therefore tacked on an extra 10k onto the 180k ride, as a result of her efforts she won the prize for the effort of the day as well as the "Dick of the Day" prize :-)

T Minus One

Our last day of 'freedom' before the camp starts tomorrow.  A free day which consisted of a run down Ali'i Drive to the pier for a swim with... Dragon Boat racers!  And apparently one turtle that one camper (Eddie) accidentally ran into.  Breakfast and the largest coffee ever at Lava Java - and an expedition to find a grocery store then took up most of the morning.  But we did find the time to fit in another Acai Bowl.  

For those of you that may not know the Ironman History, here is a quick lesson from Wikipedia :

From 1978 through 1980 the race was held on the island of Oahu, the course combining that of three events already held there: the Waikiki Roughwater Swim (2.4 mi./3.86 km), the Around-Oahu Bike Race (115 mi./185.07 km, originally a two-day event), and the Honolulu Marathon. The bike stage was reduced by 3 miles to link it to the start of the marathon course. In 1981 the race was moved to the less urbanized Big Island, keeping the distances the same: a 2.4 miles (3.86 km) open water swim in Kailua-Kona Bay, a 112 miles (180.25 km) bike ride across the Hawaiian lava desert to Hāwī and back, and a marathon (26 miles 385 yards, 42.195 km) run along the coast of the Big Island from Keauhou to Keahole Point and back to Kailua-Kona, finishing on Aliʻi Drive.

Tomorrow on the first official day of camp, we will be cycling the 112 mile Ironman course.  Then running to Turtle Beach and back.  Then an ocean swim before dinner.  Did I mention this was Day 1?!?!?

Aloha!

Aloha from Epic Camp Hawaii - four months ago when we decided to come do it, we couldn't have imagined how freaking awesome it is!! Coach John Newsom and I just bobbing around off the Kona Pier

The four months flew by in a whirl of great training weeks (and some decidedly poor training weeks) but before we knew it we were packing up the car with bike boxes and luggage for the start of a long day of travelling.  The flights couldn't be easier - London to LA, LA to Kona.  London to Kona passes easily through the magic of movies on demand (you can watch a lot of movies in the first 11.5 hours!).  The plan to stay on Hawaii time from LA to Kona failed miserably as both of us pretty much slept on and off for the next 5 hours.

Looking back on our first day in Hawaii, it probably couldn't be more perfect.  We were up early (05:00) to get started on bike assembly - half way through, we had to leave and meet up with the other epic campers who like us have arrived early to run down Alii Drive to the pier for a quick swim.  A quick swim WITH DOLPHINS!!  Having worked up an appetite - we stopped to get an Acaii Bowl at Snorkel Bob's.  OK, for just a second, imagine eating the most beautiful, thick, creamy berry shake... then multiply it by 100.  Then, imagine eating this shake topped with fresh fruit, granola, hemp seeds, crushed nuts drizzled with Hawaiian Honey.  I could write two more paragraphs on this alone.  With our day just starting, we finished bike assembly and rode up to Bike Works to pick up a few things that we forgot... that Neil forgot :)   Can I just say what a fantastic shop Bike Works is - All the cool stuff I cannot get in the UK is there... on the shelf.

Tomorrow is a free day (which will entail us doing a very easy 2hr ride out to Waikaloa, a 20 min run and a swim - did I mention the dolphins! and on Sunday the camp and the real work begins with us cycling the Ironman route then later in the day a swim session off the pier before dinner at Lava Java.  So for the rest of today, we sit on the Lanaii of our condo listening to the waves crashing less than 100 metres from us, writing the first blog and drinking peppermint tea.