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Dec 17 2018

79% of triathletes aren’t getting enough of this…*

This one simple thing that could make a huge difference to your performance in triathlon and even your day to day life..

Know what it is..?

…

* Ok, I’ll level with you – 79% is totally made up BUT I’m willing to bet that actual number is WAY higher.

And that “thing”…

Recovery

Do you get enough of it?

This can be sleep, a rest day, maybe a yoga/mobility session.

The potential list is quite long and all of it is so beneficial for people just like you who work hard and expect their bodies to perform day in day out in their training too.

And I get it, time is a big barrier.

How can you find time for 3 sports, plus some Strength and Conditioning and then add in recovery strategies too!

But you can start simple with this one.

😴 Sleep 😴

Unless you have a young child 👼🏻 keeping you awake or perhaps a new puppy 🐶 (awww) in the house you should be able to make improvements here.

You can aim to sleep more if you are averaging less than 8 hours, or aim to enhance your current sleep using one of these key methods (tried and tested by yours truly):

1 – SWITCH OFF

– have a time where you’ll no longer be looking at phones or screens, the light from these devices play havoc with us and do reduce the amount of deep sleep we get.

2 – DROP CAFFEINE

– I’m a BIG coffee lover, but after 5pm zero enters my body (it takes around 5 hours to clear from your system).

3 – BE REGULAR

– As much as possible aim to go to bed/wake up at a similar time each day. You can even build in a routine, i.e. brush your teeth followed by 10 minutes of reading than your body gets used to these signs before heading to the land of nod.

4 – CLUTTER FREE

– Clear out your room so that when it’s time for bed, you have no distractions.

5 – DARK ROOM

– Make your room as dark as possible helps get you to sleep, but also bear in mind that a dark room will be hard to wake up from. Check out the light alarms which slowly light up the room to a time you set.

6 – CHILL OUT

– We are very fussy sleepers, make sure the temperature in your room isn’t too hot or too cold to make sure you sleep comfortably.

^^ These 6 tips can hugely help without even considering buying new pillows and mattresses (which will all help).

Give just one of them a try and I’m willing to be you’ll see improvements in your recovery and your training within weeks, maybe even days.

Dedicated to your success,

The Triathlon Festival Team.

Nov 15 2018

Our top FIVE winter training tips for triathletes

It’s the time of year many triathletes (and most British people) dread.

Wet, windy, cold and just dark for what seems like most of the day.

That training window shrinks and many of us notice their motivation dropping, partly with the call of the endless socials coming up around Christmas time.

It’s easy to say “I’ll start later” but that battle in January will be far harder then if you follow a few of these key tips below and get some routine in place now.

Below are 5 of our favourite winter tips – if you have any others that you’d like to share, then comment on the Facebook link posted at the end – we’d genuinely love to hear your thoughts on this one.

ONE:

Consistency, it’s the number one for a reason.

It’s a winning formula. Not only are you reaping the benefits of regular training, but psychologically ticking off sessions week in week out gives you such a boost when it comes to standing on that start line.

Consistency doesn’t mean 15+ hours of training per week. Your schedule is unique to you. If you can commit to 3 main sessions each week, then stick to that plan.

Completing 100% of a 3x per week plan is a better strategy than completing 50% of a 6 time a week plan – one will feel like you are winning, the other will feel like you are failing each week. I know which one I’d take.

Create your schedule, whether thats a paper and pen type or something slightly more flash (like Training Peaks) and factor in life first and foremost and then build your training goals around this.

TWO:

Don’t neglect the bike.

And that’s not just making sure it is clean!

But making sure you are riding it frequently, whether indoors or out. Clocking up your training time on this discipline is one strategy that will reward you next year. Chances are, no matter what triathlon you are signed up for, the vast majority of your total time in that event will be on the bike.

So the potential gains on this leg is huge.

If you are a fair weather rider, our best tip is to hunt out plenty of films to watch on Netflix to help you get through some of those longer rides (box set binging is also a possibility!)

THREE:

Biking was mentioned in point 2… But what does the perfect winter riding look like? Especially winter riding when your time is tight?

This is where Sweet Spot riding comes into it’s own as it’s rumoured to be the one area that gives you the more reward for your time in training.

In short, if you ride with a power meter you’ll be riding at 88-93% of your FTP, if you ride to heart rate, this will be in the range of 75-85%.

Riding longer efforts in this range is mentally challenging and tough to sustain. This might not be the best way of selling the idea to you, but then again, if you are training for a triathlon this is the perfect preparation for you.

This type of session is ideally completed inside on a turbo trainer (for safety reasons). But there is no reason why you couldn’t complete this type of session out on the road, just steer clear of busy roads and wet corners.

FOUR:

Rest!

Pure and simple, studies show repeatedly the benefits of rest and recovery on performance and right up there as a primary component is sleep.

If there is one thing that I would bet on it’s this. If you are currently getting 6 or less hours sleep, you are seriously hindering performance and your health too.

Upping you nightly zzz’s to 8 will improve your health and more than likely your performance in triathlon too. This hasn’t been proven to my knowledge yet, but if the benefits of sleep include increased focus, more motivation to train, reduce stress, improved mood, regulates hormones (to control appetite) and much more, then it makes sense that it’ll help your triathlon training too.

Check out Why We Sleep for a very interesting book on the subject.

FIVE:

And lastly, focus on your weaknesses.

We all have them, whether it’s a swim stroke that sets the lifeguard into panic when you start to swim or a run split that never seems to improve.

Now is the time to do something about it.

There are a couple of options, either dedicating more time to it over the winter months or seek a professional who can fast track that learning process and speed up the results.

But spending 5 minutes working out exactly what areas you think you’ll gain the most from is well worth doing before commencing your winter training.

If you need any help with any aspects of triathlon training or if you have any questions – send an email our way (hello@triathlonfestival.co.uk) and we’ll be able to help or point you in the direction of someone who can.

Dedicated to your success

The Triathlon Festival Team.

P.S. In just two weeks we’ll be announcing the date and location of the Triathlon Festival coming to Southampton in Early 2019.

To be in with a chance of winning a free ticket, pop your email address in the box at the top of this page and we’ll be announcing winners when we release the date.

Dec 27 2017

2019 – the year to TRI

We’ve been a little quiet on the posting front,
But busy behind the scenes…

Maybe 2018 has seen us eat too much,
But don’t worry, we’re still training like machines.

2019 will be the year to TRI
Listen good because we won’t tell you twice.

We’ll see you swimming, cycling and running
Faster than you’d move if you’d spotted a nest full of lice.

Our event is pencilled in for October 2018
And we’ll have advice to get you through this season.

If you stick with us, we’ll promise to see you right
If we don’t… you could put us up for treason!

With brands and speakers coming to see us
You’ll be in for such a treat.

So make sure you join our mailing list
And we’ll give you advice to survive any feat.

Apologies right now for our poor poetry skills, but we wanted to wish you all a fantastic 2018, full of events, training and successes.

Triathlon Festival is on course for its launch in 2019 in Southampton.

In the next couple of weeks we will be ready to launch our dates and from that point onwards we’ll be trickling out who will be joining us, from bike retailers to coaches, running shoes to swimming hats.

And thats not forgetting the wealth of knowledge we will be sharing from the number of speakers and workshops too.

Stay tuned for the biggest triathlon festival in Southampton by joining our mailing list (no junk, just pure triathlon knowledge and information about the event and how you can secure tickets), just pop your name and email address in the box at the top of the page (click the orange arrow at the top right if you closed it down).