Team WhittleFit racing roundup - 17th & 18th February 2018

We had quite a few athletes and lots of friends of WhittleFit racing this weekend, lets see how they got on:

• Hampton Court Half Marathon: Tom Foster raced the Hampton Court Half Marathon this weekend (a favourite race of his) and Tom raced extremely well to finish on the podium and get a PB too! Well done Tom! 
• Llanelli Half Marathon: We had lots of friends of WhittleFit racing at Llanelli this wekend, but notable shout outs go to Craig Burrows and Geraint Jones for significant PB's, cutting minutes off their previous times, well done all!   
• Dorney Lake Duathlon: Paul Fairclough raced at Dorney Lake this weekend and managed a PB with a very strong bike leg, well done Paul! 
• HOKA Half Marathon: Cath Colleypriest raced the HOKA Half Marathon this weekend and, as always, put in a great effort! This is a tough course, but Cath showed her grit and didn't let it beat her, well done Cath!  

Ironman Wales beginner triathlon training plan

We're very, very pleased to introduce our very first stand alone Ironman triathlon training plan! 

After many years of athletes asking us to produce a standalone Ironman triathlon training plan, we have now produced a 30-week Ironman Wales beginnner triathlon training plan aimed at the triathlete that may have trained for a couple of seasons, but are new to Ironman and now want the challenge of tackling the amazing Ironman Wales course.

The aim of our Ironman Wales beginnner triathlon training plan is to help you to achieve your goal with a clearly structured 30-week plan which avoids over-training and injury, whilst progressing with just the right balance of challenging and achievable training.

Is this the plan for you? Well, if you’re looking for a training plan designed by specialist triathlon coaches who know the Ironman Wales course inside and out, and you don’t need a coach to hold your hand, then this is the training plan for you! 

Because this plan is aimed at beginner athletes, it progresses very gradually over the 30-weeks to ensure you achieve your goal without injury or over-training, by building progressively, starting with a combination of shorter swims, rides and runs, building towards a peak week of 14:15 hours of training. 

Why choose the Ironman Wales beginnner triathlon training plan? The coaches at WhittleFit know the Ironman Wales course intimately, we’ve trained and raced on the course many times, therefore we’re very well placed to advise on the training requirements to have a great day on the Ironman Wales course. 

If you have any questions about the Ironman Wales beginner triathlon training plan please CONTACT US or check out the plan HERE. 

Cyclocross Season Report - Tom Foster

Autumn can be a bit of a dark time for cyclists and triathelets. Your last race is done and dusted in September or sometimes October and then all you can see isthe dark, wet, cold winter laid out ahead of you until April or May when you can conceivably consider riding outside in shorts again.

Many pro cyclists will take a whole month off – not touch a bike for all of November and into December. In fairness, this is justified given the amount they ride and level they compete at. From a psychological point of view as well as a physiological one it makes sense. That said most age group athletes do not train to that level, so physiologically there is less need for this training hiatus – not so say this is the case in all people, and there are definite positives to a bit of time off e.g. after Ironman. But 2 or 3 weeks is probably enough for most people before getting back to some sort of structured training. Psychologically however it is different. So how do you balance the feeling of dread when someone says ‘Sunday ride? 3-4 hours?’ and its below 5 Celsius and raining vs having enough time to mentally get over something like Ironman or a full season of competitive triathlon.

As a triathlete and having done long distance last season there were a couple of weaknesses that I was looking to address.

1. Bike handling, I have never been a strong bike handler
2. ‘Short Power’ – Punchy hard efforts are not my strong point

 Last season I made a foray into the crazy world of cyclocross. I found my handling improved and the stochastic nature of cyclocross should fit well with improving short power. If you think trying to explain triathlon is difficult to your colleagues then trying to explain ‘cross is nigh on impossible:

‘So you ride around a field/park in the mud, and have to get over hurdles and up steps with your bike’

‘Oh so it’s like ‘Tough-Mudder’ but with a bike’

Queue frustration in trying to explain that it is one of the oldest disciplines in cycling, steeped in history and tradition etc.etc. 

Cyclocross is extremely popular in Holland and Belgium, where there is a world cup series that is fiercely competed for. Some of the skills exhibited here will blow your mind. Just Youtube Matthew Van Der Pol or Wout Van Aert.

The best WhittleFit blog posts of 2017

So, it's the start of a brand new year, 2017 has simply flown by! WhittleFit had a big year in 2017, our athletes all had an amazing year and we've grown as a company with some amazing new coaches. To highlight a great year I decided to trawl through last years blog posts and see which ones really resonated with me. Theses are my favourites, I hope you like them too! 

1. Fuel to perform and the rest will take care of itself!
2. Ironman Wales - Tri Bike or Road Bike?
3. Team WhittleFit racing roundup - 6th August 2017
4. Coach Vicky joins WhittleFit!
5. Mumbles middle distance triathlon race report - Craig Burrows
6. Coach Rhys joins WhittleFit
7. Ironman Wales race report - Tom Foster

You may notice some of my favourites from 2017 are race reports, that's mainly because I love reading an athletes feedback from race day - sometimes you never know what's going on in someones head until they have time to reflect and put pen to paper! Many thanks for supporting WhittleFit in 2017 and here's to an even more amazing 2018!