Local and national boost for Melanie

Local Evening Telegraph, Saturday 16 April 2011

Top Northamptonshire triathlete Melanie Ryding has received sponsorship boots both on a local and a national scale ahead of a big year.

Ryding has been selected as a member of the TRI UK sponsored race team in 2011 and will be representing the sponsors throughout a series or national and international races during the season.

And she has also received support from local company CD Leisure who run the Waendel Leisure Centre in Wellingborough.

Ryding first took up triathlon in 2007 after shedding four and a half stone and she earned a spot in the Great Britain team for the World Championships in Australia two years later.

She will be competing in the European championships in Spain later this year and she admitted that none of it would be possible without the support of her new sponsors.

Ryding said: “I would like to sincerely thank all the sponsors involved for helping to make the international competition possible and affordable.

“I was proud to call myself a triathlete after that first race.

“I was even prouder to call myself a GB triathlete when I earned my country’s colours in 2009, 2010 and 2011.

“But now to be able to say that I am sponsored by the biggest race team in the UK and the world’s largest triathlon store is quite an amazing thing to put on my C.V.”

Ali Boon, co-owner of Tri UK and team manager, added: “Melanie was a natural choice when we were selecting our team for 2011.

“We have grown the race team to a 50-plus strong team which is now the envy of the triathlon world.

“Melanie’s dedication and loyalty meant that she was an obvious choice for the team. We are looking forward to a year of success together.”

To find out more about the 2011 race team and their sponsors visit the TRI UK website http://www.triuk.com. For further information on Melanie Ryding, visit her website at http://www.melanieryding.co.uk

Team TRI UK – gaining one of the biggest triathlon sponsors in the UK



Helen Russell and Melanie Ryding



My knees are still quaking even now. I felt shocked and stunned when I got the e-mail from Ali, team manager, saying yes, you’re in, back at Christmas time. It has been one of the hardest secrets to keep for a long time!

At the end of my first triathlon season on team GB, I was broke. I had to sell my motorbike and max out the credit card in order to afford the trip to Australia for the World Championship grand final. As an age group triathlete, even if you compete for your country, all the costs related to international travel and competition are down to the individual athlete. There is no financial support, you have to find your own.

As you can imagine, in this climate, finding sponsors is a very tough game. People are not interested in you unless there is (understandably) something you can give them in return. I decided to look at it like a job interview. I put together my resume, grew a brass neck, and asked absolutely everyone I could think of, local, internet based and otherwise, if they were interested in sponsoring me. I got many many knock backs, but didn’t let this deter me.

I saw the advert for Tri UK – they were looking for team applications. To be honest, I dismissed the whole idea because I had already asked similar race teams (Primera, for example) and been turned down. I didn’t think I was good enough for such a major team. Then I got a little nudge from a fellow athlete friend, Helen Russell, who suggested that I apply. I thought ‘what the heck, there’s nothing to lose is there?’ and sent it in.

Months and months went past, and I assumed that I had not been successful. Oh well, no surprise there then. When suddenly, in December I got the email from the team manager:

Many thanks for your recent e-mail enquiring about TRI UK sponsorship for the 2011 race season.

I have now gone through all the CV’s that were sent to me and have made my final selections and have now come up with my final sponsored race Team for 2011.

I am please say inform you that you have been successful with your application and Chris and I would like to welcome you to the 2011 TRI UK Race Team.
Congratulations once again – and welcome!

No words can describe how I felt when I first read this. I was so, so amazed, and had to read it over again! Not only that but later, I discovered I was even more lucky, and was awarded a team bike, which only certain team members get. Here it is, beautiful yes? I’m flabbergasted!

I look back at my story so far, and think to myself, I have achieved quite a lot, that must be it for me now, there’s nothing more to be done?

No! Here starts another chapter in my amazing roller coaster journey through triathlon. I was proud to call myself a triathlete, after that first race, I was even prouder to call myself a GB triathlete when I earned my country’s colours in 2009, 2010 and 2011, but to now be able to say that I am sponsored by the biggest race team in the UK and the world’s largest triathlon store is quite an amazing thing to put on my C.V.

I would like to sincerely thank Ali and Chris, along with the rest of the staff in the Tri UK store for giving me this amazing opportunity.

I will be sure to do you all proud.

Lumie Lights product review: first impressions

SAD lamp

I was thrilled to say the least, when Lumie contacted me to say they were interested in me testing and reviewing their products. I discovered light therapy as part of a blog I wrote for Orbana about influencing the Circadian rhythm. I was very curious to see how it worked out. They sent me 2 products to test, over the summer and winter, promising me it would make a big difference.

What products am I using?

I have a SAD light and a Lumie Alarm clock. To be honest, I haven’t really used the SAD light yet, and I am aware that it is coming into summer, however I am sure that does not mean there is no need to use them. I still need to figure that out.

The Lumie alarm clock

Lumie Alarm clock

I have, however, been using the alarm clock. It is very odd at first, relying on a light to wake you up. There is a feature on it where you can set a sound – I guess it is a security measure, however I decided to embrace it fully and not use that.

I set the alarm clock for the time I usually set it for. It told me that it brightens over a period of half an hour, I decided to just go with it and see what happened, so I turned all the other alarm clocks off. Brave? I was very surprised!!

Each morning this week I have woken up just a few minutes before the light reached its brightest (which happens at the time the alarm is set for). It seemed very unusual to wake up gently rather than with a jolt as the noise goes off! That took quite a bit of getting used to!

I have also been using it for ‘sunset’ too – it dims over the period of half an hour too, which is quite nice, although it does seem to take forever so I often don’t initiate my ‘sunset’ from full brightness. Each time I have been asleep before the light has gone out.

The effect on training?

It’s a bit early to say, but on Friday, I went swimming before work, which is normal and part of my routine. With the clocks going back, the morning (5.30am) is dark again, so sunrise on the alarm clock occurs before it does outside!

I arrived at the pool feeling not much different to be honest. I had a reasonably tough set to do, which I was not looking forward to. I completed the set within the time I had, swimming further than I usually do by 100m, in the 45 carefully timed minutes that I have in the pool before I have to dash to work.

Was that because of the alarm clock? Who can truly say, and I know it is very early days, but I am pleasantly surprised so far, and really like my new method of waking in the morning!  

How to create a reliable Power Balance band test?

I was recently sent a power balance bracelet to test. This came about due to the fact that someone asked me did I wear them, and I subsequently did some research which threw up all sorts of doubt as to their reliability.  

Quite a debate was struck up, and on the whole, with a few isolated cases, it was felt that they did not work, and had no scientific background at all.

Despite all this, Power Balance UK offered (without prompting may I add) to send me one to test out, since i was so interested, I quote.

So, i now have it. I havent opened it or even put it on. Before i do this i need a plan. How do i construct a reliable test on it that does not contain bias?

• Do I use just myself? or a range of people?
• what tests exactly do I conduct?
• do i do the test blind folded so i cant cheat?
• same time of day / week over a series of weeks?
• a placebo bracelet?
• a double blind?

What do we think people? i am aware that a lot of the tests presented on this is flawed, for example, if i repeated the same test over a series of weeks, either with or without the band, is that bias? did I learn the tests rather than get better at them?

I am setting out with a very negative view of power balance bracelets, however I want to do the tests justice, and create tangible results.

I would welcome your thoughts on this? do you have an idea for a reliable way to test them?

Do Power Balance bracelets really work?

This is something that has been in the media quite a lot recently. Good friends of mine swear by these, good respectable, intelligent friends. Someone directly asked me today, did I wear them. No, it seems silly to assume a bracelet will give me more energy, doesn’t it?

Power balances claims: how exactly does the bracelet work?

Apparently, the holograms on the bracelet are meant to work with the body’s natural energy field. On the power balance web site, their directly quoted answer to this question is thus:

‘The thin polyester film hologram is programmed through a proprietary process, which is designed to mimic Eastern philosophies that have been around for hundreds of years.’

I am not entirely sure what this is meant to mean, though! If you use enough fancy words, is it meant to make it more believable?!

Research: does it really work?

Porcari et al (2010) did research for the journal of sports science, into whether the power balance bracelet improved balance, flexibility, strength and power. They made some interesting observations.

42 athletes were tested on four tests, trunk flexibility, balance, strength and vertical jump. These tests were the same as those on the power balance test videos. The test was repeated twice, with a placebo bracelet then a power balance bracelet. There were negligible differences between the test results the first time, but much more promising the second time. They explained this as being a result of either being more warmed up, or the practice of having done the test once already.  

Porcari states that this method of testing is often used by companies, to demonstrate results that they deem to be favourable. It is known as the ‘order effect’

‘The improvements in the second trials were attributed to the fact that subjects were either: (1) more warmed up, or (2) habituated to the task. This would explain why the public sales demonstrations of Power Balance and similar performance-jewellery products appear to have beneficial effects on flexibility, balance and strength.’

‘But in reality, these sales demonstrations are essentially carnival tricks. By altering the way you apply force to the body, explains Porcari, you can easily change the outcome. "If I'm pushing a certain direction, and then I change the angle of pull or push a little bit, I can get you to lose your balance easily," he says.’ (Hall, 2011 ‘Power balance products: a sceptical look’)

Harriett Hall goes on to challenge their claims at length, with several questions, related to quotes from their web site, for example:

·     It resonates at certain frequencies – so how did they test which frequencies work best?

·     We are a frequency – we are a bunch of cells help together by a frequency she quotes, but states a frequency is ‘the number of repetitions of a periodic process in a unit of time’ therefore cannot exist in isolation.

She also explains a positive test done by a power balance representative on national TV, and explains how the flaws make it look like a positive test.

I would certainly be interested to try it if power balance UK wanted to give me a neoprene strap to wear, however, so far, it seems there is very little reliable evidence to suggest that it works at all.

WE TESTED IT OURSELVES!

A friend and gym owner friend of mine conducted a test on the power balance bracelet. He had seen the demonstration done by a sales rep, and helped construct a test to see if they really worked. Here is what happened. Read the review of how we tested it and what we found by following the link to our full gym test

To read more about the power balance bracelet research, click here.

What are the benefits of drinking Green Tea?

The main beneficial ingredient in green tea is flavanoids, a plant derived compound that is an antioxidant and epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG).  

The benefits it offers you as a regular drinker are:

• Reduce the risk of cancer (such as skin, breast, lung, colon, esophageal, and bladder cancers) 
• Reduce bad cholesterol, and improve good cholesterol
• Improve artery function and reduce risk of heart disease / hypertension
• Improve glucose tolerance and insulin tolerance – could help diabetics
• Improve cognitive function
• Help treat skin disorders
• (Boosts metabolism and aids weight loss)

Where is the proof though, it is easy to make wild claims, and create a new food fad! Here is the proof, all good sound research that supports most of the claims made above.

There is some doubt over the weight loss claim, so I put it at the foot of the article, and explained what I found.

1.      Reduce the risk of cancer (such as skin, breast, lung, colon, esophageal, and bladder cancers)

There is very strong research by Fujiki et al (2003) on green tea as a cancer preventer to support the fact that green tea is a very effective way to prevent, or delay the onset of cancer symptoms. Nakachi’s research (2008) into the effects of drinking green tea on cancer and cardiovascular disease  also supports this conclusion. In studies by Suganuma et al (2000) is has been shown that green tea is the most effective beverage for cancer prevention in humans.

2.      Reduce bad cholesterol, and improve good cholesterol

Maron et al (2003) have completed research which concludes that  there is in fact a positive effect that supports the statement that there are Cholesterol-Lowering Effect in Green Tea.

3.      Improve artery function and reduce risk of heart disease /hypertension

Nakachi’s research (2008) into the effects of green tea on cancer and cardio vascular disease also strongly suggests that green tea can also help reduce heart disease.

4.      Improve glucose tolerance and insulin tolerance – could help diabetics

The research by Walter-Law et al (2002) on green tea’s effects on glucose production seems to conclusively prove that it is in fact an effective treatment for diabetics.

5.      Improve cognitive function

Kuriyama (2006) researched green tea consumption and cognitive function. Hyung-Kym et al also researched this topic. The research proved that cognitive function was improved by green tea, and Hyung-Kim also suggested that it would be beneficial in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease.  

6.      Help treat skin disorders

Katiyar conducted some research into skin photoprotection and links with green tea. The epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) found in Green tea has been found to be a good treatment for photoaging and melanoma, for example.   

CONFLICTING RESEARCH

·        Boosts metabolism and aids weight loss

I found two research articles, both by Diepvens et al (2005) as well as a study on overweight females. that suggest that this is in fact not true. conducted research that did not show any beneficial effects of green tea.  When I read the methods of the trial, I understand that the green tea was part of a low energy diet, therefore, I would need access to the whole article to investigate whether the effect of this diet on food consumption and desire was in fact a variable that was or was not considered. The women could have in fact just eaten slightly more, while still drinking green tea. It is hard to say when I can only get access to the abstract.

Berube-Parent published an article in the British Journal of Nutrition (2005) investigating the metabolic effects of green tea. He concluded that it does have some effect, however was unable to isolate effects of different dose levels.

Westerterp-Plantenga (2005) conducted research to find out if green tea helped with weight loss. It was reported as a result of this research, that green tea did in fact help. The research was conducted on obese people, and again linked with a low energy diet. Therefore again, I would need to know if the subjects ate more as a result of feeling more hungry, or was this variable managed effectively?

It seems research has not yet been able to nail down whether green tea alone can increase the body’s ability to metabolise fat. Dullo (1999) offers the following explanation:

‘Green tea has thermogenic properties and promotes fat oxidation beyond that explained by its caffeine content per se. The green tea extract may play a role in the control of body composition via sympathetic activation of thermogenesis, fat oxidation, or both.’

 It seems research has found that green tea COULD improve fat metabolism but as yet, I am unable to find some reliable research that is able to identify WHY, and what properties within the tea are responsible for this.

If you know of any, please feel free to contact me with the details and I will take a look at it.

What are the benefits of hill running?

People often tell me that hill running is the way to get strong, fit and fast, but why is that? In general, people know that if you build stronger muscles, then you will become more powerful, therefore a faster runner. How does hill running fit into this? How does it all relate to building strength?

There are a number of ways that can be done:

Plyometrics

This is a way of training you muscles to develop explosive power. Much of the plyometrics approach involves explosive vertical jump related exercises. My coach uses this in conjunction with strength and conditioning.

Strength and conditioning

Strength and conditioning is a way of training and developing strength, but not the usual ‘isolate muscles one by one in the gym’ approach. It seamlessly incorporates muscular endurance, strength, power, speed, aerobic / anaerobic conditioning all at once.

Historically it was thought that the best way to strengthen the muscles was to tackle them one by one. That’s why gyms up and down the country have a fancy array of machines that work each muscle group one by one. This is, however, not all that logical. If you consider how you use and engage your muscles, you will know that they are never engaged in isolation, but always in conjunction with a wide range of other muscles. This is the foundational belief on which the strength and conditioning approach has been based. Stone, Plisk and Collins (Sports Biomechanics, 2002) evaluate modes and methods of resistance training and note that free weights are better than machine weights, for this same reason.

Where does hill running fit into this?

Hill running does what plyometrics and strength and conditioning does, but in a running context. When running up hill, you are fighting gravity which means you are requiring more strength to drag your body weight up the incline, added strength work that cannot be replicated in track sprinting. While you are doing this, you are still using all your muscle groups, in conjunction with each other, as well as working the core and cardio vascular system, in order to run up that hill. Justin Daerr, a professional triathlete, was interviewed about hill running in episode 245, by IMTALK. He said that hill running is used to recruit fast twitch fibres, and to recruit your fast twitch muscle fibres, which are the ones that make you go fast, you need to increase load on your legs. The load is increased on each leg when running up hill. To do this on the flat would mean increased pace. Read more of Justin's interview with IM TALK in my transcript of the podcast. 

Conclusion

Since fast twitch muscle fibres are engaged when the intensity is high, and the hills increase the load on the leg due to the incline, power/weight ratio and gravity, it seems that hill repeats are a very good way to improve run speed, while avoiding the extremely high stress on the body that comes with track sprinting.

'Catch' Swim drills progression

Here is a series of swim drills I was given a while back, the purpose is to develop the catch phase of the freestyle stroke. It is a progressive set of drills, which should be done in succession.

Usually I do drills progressions sets like this:

200-400m warm up easy

drill - 25m, easy 25m (repeat x 2-4 times)

repeat this with all 4 drills in the progression

400m good strong tidy form, employing the techniques you have been focussing on

200-400m cool down



Catch 1 - Glide practice kick with elbow bend

Catch 2 - Side kick rotating into a catch

Catch 3 - Side kick, elbow bend plus a stroke

Catch 4 - Six kick with correct catch

Have fun, and any questions, just ask :)

Is Cheese Really That Bad For You?

My gut reaction to this question posed to me on twitter is yes, but like anything, in moderation it is fine. I know that cheese is a very high proportion of fat, but it also has a lot of calcium and other nutrients that are good for you. Is that enough of an argument considering its very high fat content?

It seems the main concern with cheese it its high saturated fat content. “Saturated fat, which clogs arteries and increases LDL levels, is the No. 1 cholesterol-boosting culprit. And foods like ice cream and cheese are where you’re likely to find them (Sally Wadyka)”

How much saturated fat is actually in cheese?

In my fridge we always have my husband’s full fat strong cheddar, and my reduced fat cheese. His ‘seriously strong cheddar’ has 21.7g saturated fat per 100g. It is a 400g block, so that’s 86.8g saturated fat in his block of cheese, almost one quarter of its weight. Mine, however, is reduced fat mature cheese. It has 9.9g saturated fat per 100g, totalling 29.7g saturated fat in my 300g block, around one tenth of the overall weight.

Why is saturated fat bad for you?

Saturated fat is the biggest cause of high LDL levels. Our bodies can make all the saturated fat that we need, so there is no need to consume any more. Therefore, it is best to keep this dietary intake to a minimum. The Harvard School of public health  explain it like this: Low density lipoproteins (LDL) “carry cholesterol from the liver to the rest of the body. Cells latch onto these particles and extract fat and cholesterol from them. When there is too much LDL cholesterol in the blood, these particles can form deposits in the walls of the coronary arteries and other arteries throughout the body. Such deposits, called plaque, can narrow arteries and limit blood flow. When plaque breaks apart, it can cause a heart attack or stroke.” If you take a look at this simple cholesterol database from ‘dietary Fibre Food’ (which is by no means extensive by the way) you can see already, how much higher the saturated fat content in cheese is.

Where can you find saturated fat?

According to MedilinePlus national institute of health article by Neil Kaneshiro (2009) “saturated fats are found in animal products such as butter, cheese, whole milk, ice cream, cream, and fatty meats. They are also found in some vegetable oils -- coconut, palm, and palm kernel oils. (Note: Most other vegetable oils contain unsaturated fat and are healthy.)”

Recommended daily intake of saturated fat

To ensure an accurate figure, I searched for the answer to this question on more than one web site. They all say the same thing. Based on a 2000 calorie a day intake (for adults and children over 4 years of age) the recommended daily intake of saturated fat is 20g.

Conclusion

Is cheese really that bad for you? Yes, it seems like it is. However, like everything, as part of a properly balanced diet and eaten in moderation, it could also be perfectly safe.

Awesome Novelty Cakes from ‘The Happy Little Cake Company’

‘The Happy Little Cake Company’

The Northampton based company

I am so pleased to be able to introduce you to my good friend Vicky’s new Northamptonshire based novelty cake company. The first cake I saw of hers was this one, a TRI SUIT, just identical to the one our club wears. To be honest, I thought ‘why is she showing me a picture of a suit, I know what it looks like, I have one!’ Then I realised that it was in fact a cake!!!

I have always been flabbergasted by the amazing celebration cakes she comes up with. There seems no restrictions to her amazing talents, and I am truly not just saying that because she is a friend! She has made caravans, tents, flip flops, gardens, hills and array of different vehicles!! The pictures that are on her web site are a fraction of her many cake talents!

My novelty cake experience from ‘The Happy Little Cake Company’

She did in fact make me a cake, for my Dad’s birthday this year. He is building a miniature steam engine, one he has dreamed of building since he was a boy. She is called Maisie, and this is her in the black and white photograph. I sent that to Vicky and asked could she make me a cake for him. I expected to lose a friend when she received the picture, because she thought  it was way too complex and said that all she could promise was something that would not look like Thomas the Tank Engine!!

I expected a square cake, maybe with a picture of the engine on it, cut out of icing. But what I got was miles better than that – the cake was Maisie!! Right down to the hinges, bumper detail and the number on the coal tender. I mean, my gosh, she even managed to make coal!! I was so so pleased with what she had done; I couldn’t wait to show my Dad!

The reaction to the Celebration cake ‘Maisie’

I don’t think anyone was quite expecting a cake quite like this one. My dad was close to tears, he said it was so good, and was extremely impressed with the very intricate and accurate detail she had put into it.

How did ‘Maisie’ taste?

Maisie was made of chocolate mud cake with chocolate ganache, and I thought with all that icing it would be a bit sweet, but it was truly delicious, and we were eating Maisie for almost a week!

How long do the novelty cakes keep for?

I stored the cake at room temperature (so the icing did not sweat) for a week after I collected it from her. We took another week before we managed to eat it all, and it was still fine.

Recommendations:

What I love about Vicky is her incredibly friendly and modest nature. She truly does love her work, and puts all her love and efforts into everything she makes. I am confident that every cake that leaves her kitchen will make happy customers!

Contact her immediately, she will cater for all your cake based needs! You can also find her on twitter and Facebook. You will never find a friendlier and more accommodating custom made novelty and celebration cake service.

http://www.thehappylittlecakecompany.co.uk/

I Discovered Today, that I am a Triathlete

This may seem a little odd to you, after all, I have been competing in triathlon for a few years now, been to two world championships, one European championships, of COURSE I am a triathlete, you are thinking? Well, let me explain.

This thought has been gradually rammed into my brain, in part; started by my coach, Steve Casson, keeps telling me I must stop looking at things in individual parts, see the bigger picture. Nope I was not interested. I was comparing my run splits with runners, my bike splits with cyclists, and my swim splits with swimmers. Then I listened to what Brett Sutton had to say in his interview, then I noticed a few things, then I put all the pieces together.

The signs

·    I recently joined a new health centre, Waendel leisure centre. I now share a public pool with lots of others. There are lane swim slots, but it’s always busy, and I am not always the fastest one in the fast lane, like I used to be in the much quieter private gym I used to be a member of. I am regularly out-swum by youngsters, and the pool is shared with the local masters swim club on 2 of my lane swim sessions. They too are all usually quicker. BUT – at my first swim squad (predominantly for triathletes), run by my coach, I was much faster than many others, much to my surprise, considering my new local pool experiences.

·    I was out cycling hills on Saturday morning, I was feeling great, it was the first time out for a long time (weather is to blame!) and I was going well. Then, it happened: a group of cyclists, from the local cycling club motored by, saying ‘hello’ bright and breezy as they effortlessly floated past. What was I doing wrong, I wondered, and why were they all able to effortlessly go SO much faster?

·    My running club is a member of the local Three Counties Cross Country League. I ran all the races this year, as I did last. I don’t really mind how I do, I love cross country, and think it is great fun, to be honest, I like the club group thing, which we don’t get much when triathlon race season starts, and everyone goes off in their own direction. However, it is duly noted at the back of my mind, that a good friend of mine, who has NEVER beaten me in a triathlon (and boy has she tried!) came in at each race a long long way in front of me. Results wise, in cross country I am in fact distinctly average! Also, a triathlon friend of mine recently complained that she used to be a very good cross country runner, but has slipped down the rankings since she has taken up triathlon (and she too competes for GB, placing even higher than me usually!)

What does this all mean?

I am not a cyclist, that much is clear. People who dedicate their spare time to cycling are much faster than me, but, when part of a triathlon, my cycle split is usually pretty good, compared to my peers. I am also not a swimmer. Swimming is by far my best discipline, but when pitched aside masters swimmers and juniors from swim clubs, I am slow. When put against triathletes, though, I am pretty quick (usually!)

Therefore, I am a triathlete. Some lucky people, (there are quite a few in my club I could mention!) are able to say they are a runner and a triathlete, for example, or perhaps a cyclist and a triathlete or maybe they are even all 4. These people are probably medal winners, perhaps in all the disciplines and also in triathlon. I, however, am a triathlete.

I train hard, in all three disciplines, and when I stick them all together in a race, I do pretty well. I am a triathlete. Not a runner, a swimmer, or a cyclist (although I do a little bit of each of those too), I am definitely a triathlete.

Why am I a triathlete?

The approach is all different.

You can’t train triathletes like swimmers. It will affect the way they run. Test training theories out on slower athletes first. E.g. 4 anaerobic sessions a week, one in each sport, DOES NOT WORK! Brett Sutton

I split my time between three disciplines. They carefully interweave, in my typical training week, so that I can fit some elements of base, tempo, technique and speed into all 3 disciplines, as well as do strength work. This is a carefully plotted thing, and my run coach has come to realise himself that there is a very distinct difference between a runner and a triathlete. I am the first triathlete he has coached. He has come to learn that the run is just an element, admittedly, an important one, but still only an element. He cannot push me to the limits that he pushes his other runners to, because likelihood is that I will have something else to do later on, or tomorrow, and breaking me is not conducive to building a good all round triathlete. In a few weeks, he will learn what bricks are, and how running off the bike is an important training element. I doubt any of his other runners have to worry about this either.

Take Philip Graves as an example. He is an outstanding cyclist, but is I would say, still working on finding the balance and skills needed to be a good, balanced, consistent, top level triathlete.

Triathlon is different, and that is why I love it.

I am a triathlete, and proud of it.