2 weeks ago and we were at the annual triathlon show at Sandown Park – TCR09. We presented a series of seminars in the Gatorade sponsored theatre with a host of triathlon (and non triathlon) stars. Those present included Ali & Johnny Brownlee, Olympic Kayak Gold Medallist Tim Brabants, 9 time GB triathlon Champion Richard Allen, Sports psychologist Jeremy Lazarus, GSSI scientist Susan Shirreffs not to mention TTC coaches Jack & Steve and of course yours truly as the MC. In 2 days we presented 10 x 45minute sessions and all but one were packed out. It would be difficult to tell you everything that was covered but some of the messages were repeated time and again
Core – this came up in all of our seminars and was emphasised by the athletes as well as the physio´s. You have probably read and heard it time and again about how important the core is (it´s at the core of everything!!) and the comments from our panel just served to emphasise this.
Flexibility – A close second was flexibility. Having a good range of movement around all joints (mobility with stability!) can help you to develop an efficient technique, reduce the potential for injuries and when cycling can help you to get into a more aerodynamic position. In fact investing 5 -10 minutes per day stretching would arguably give you a better ROI than a set of aero wheels
Consistency – At just about every seminar we have presented, variations of the following question are asked “Whats the quickest way to get fit?” And while each question has it´s own unique answer the common theme is consistency of training. If you miss blocks of time through injury and/or illness then your fitness will take a small step backwards. It´s not possible to mess with biology (your body will only progress at the rate it wants to) but you can make sure that you keep making small steps forward!
Keep it Simple – it often seems that athletes want to make everything so complicated and the more complicated, the better it is for you. So it was refreshing to hear 3 Olympians and some of our other pro athletes talk about how they liked to keep everything (training, nutrition, psychology and race tactics) as simple as possible
Preparation & Planning – This was another popular theme and came up in some way in each seminar. A small amount of time taken to prepare (nutrition, training sessions, travel plans etc) enabled the whole training programme to function more smoothly and ultimately this reduced the stress that an athlete had to cope with.
Hopefully that has given you a bit of an insight to our time at TCR. I will try to elaborate on these in more detail in some future postings.
Stay healthy & have fun
