A journey of a first-time triathlete conquering a long-distance triathlon in nine months. Introduction All long course triathlons (3.8km swim, 180km bike, 42.2km run) are challenging, some more than others, but none are easy. Challenge Almere, in The Netherlands, after Kona, is the oldest triathlon in the World, with the event being staged entirely below sea level! As this was Chris’ first long-distance (iron-distance) triathlon, we did not know his strengths at the time of entering. However, the date of Almere (early September) and it’s location to the UK (uncomplicated travel logistics) made ..read more

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Yesterday was my weekly planned recovery day and it was great to support the local running club hold their monthly time trials. Watching the runners giving it their all reminded me how much effort goes into (especially high intensity) training and the resulting accumulation of fatigue. Recovery days and recovery weeks are essential for reducing the build up of fatigue, allowing the body to recover and adapt. These periods of recovery are where your fitness gains develop. Other benefits of planned recovery include reducing the risk of; injury, over-training and mental fatigue. Get recovery rig ..read more

Some days just feel good and today was one of them. Thursday's can be hit or miss down the pool, today was a hit, with just two other swimmers in the lane and after the warm up I had the lane to myself. Feeling fatigued from yesterday's three hour ride, today was an active recovery day, in other words drills! I find swimming the most challenging of the three disciplines. I'm a visual person and not being able to see myself swim means relying on feel to identify if changes in technique are having a positive result. When correcting poor technique the new and correct technique will feel wrong, a ..read more

My report on the event can be found here. It was a fantastic experience and rounded off last year's qualification events perfectly. One of the highlights for me was the swim start and this video captures the excite as we lined up and awaited the start horn. https://video.wixstatic.com/video/479852_567d5f811f2b4bd99fb4c69615ecda8c/720p/mp4/file.mp4 ..read more

It's the beginning of March and spring is officially here. The last few days have been a challenge and definitely not full of the joys of spring. At the beginning of December I woke to find my right knee swollen. The inflammation meant I could not fully flex it, but there was no pain. I decided to go for my planned ride and if it hurt I'd return and rest. The ride went to plan. Afterwards I iced it, took anti-inflammatory drugs and gently massaged the area. I booked an appointment with my physio, let my coach know and we re-planned activities for the next few days. My physio could not detect ..read more

It was dry this morning, the sun was out, a gentle breeze and the temperature around 6c at 9am, a good day for a bike session. Despite the good conditions I was nervous about today’s session as it was the return of what my Coach calls ‘Zonal Endurance’. Today was a reduced session time wise (110 minutes), as it’s the first one of this training block. After a warm-up you ride at the prescribed effort for the prescribed time. After this the effort goes up, again for a certain time and this continues until you reach the top level of effort and then you replicate this but reducing your intensity ..read more

In 2022 we returned to where it all started, the Blenheim Triathlon. This is a brief account recollecting our first triathlon and how life has changed some 30 triathlons later ..read more

Our account of a great sportive (middle distance) triathlon starting at Dorney Lake (Windsor) and finishing on the coast in Brighton ..read more

You have may heard about goals and have already used them in some shape or form. Quite probably your experiences maybe from a work context, and quite possibly they felt pointless and demotivating. If this is your experience, do not be put off from setting meaningful personal goals. If you are passionate about achieving something, the following will help you start the process and your journey to achieving your goals. Set specific goals Goals such as ‘to be better’ or ‘be my best’ are almost as pointless as having no goals at all. Creating goals that are clear and specific are most effective (L ..read more