Introducing the first member of our Triathlete's World Fab Four… Kate K (aka MintyFresh)
Former county level swimmer Kate is keen to rediscover her love of competition - and the challenge of an Olympic distance triathlon debut at London is the perfect opportunity.
Kate will be using our brand new Olympic distance triathlon training schedule as a basis for her training (starting May 23).
She’ll be posting her training progress on a regular basis, and feedback the training and nutrition advice given to her by the team at Triathlete's World so make sure you check back regularly to find out how she gets on.
You can read more about Kate’s triathlon background and goals here.
Good luck Kate!
Alice
Comments
Hello,
As the newest of the fab 4 to triathlon, I am excited by the challenges ahead and let’s face it-there will be many along the way!
Our open water swim session last weekend gave me a real insight into just how tough the next 10 weeks are going to be but what doesn’t kill you make you stronger, right?!
I do hope I can pick your brains for additional training advice and race day tips to help me prepare as much as possible.
Minty x
Hi MF............where did you do the OW swim session..........are they going to organise many more for you.
I love OW swimming but unfortunately nowhere near me to train
goodluck MF - you'll be grand
OW swimming is easy onceyou're comfortable in the wetsuit!
Hi Seren Nos,
We did the session at Ham Lake in Richmond with RG Active. Bit of a trek for me as I'd come all the way from Buckinghamshire but glad to say it was worth it.
As beginners we were all taken through the process of easing ourselves into the water, stroke technique, sighting, drafting as well as the dreaded mass start! I was absolutely exhausted by the end and shocked as to how different it is to pool swimming but glad I realised this now than two weeks before the race.
I found I was finding it difficult to get into a breathing rhythm and was very one sided- any tips on this as I'm sure it would make a huge difference in my next session?
MF x
Thanks for the support Mr Zuvai, quickly starting to realise that preparation is key! First time in the wetsuit was definitely an experience, thought i was going to tear it i was stretching it so much! Lucky for us Zoot supplied the suits and they made sure everyone's sizes were correct!
Swim is on the agenda today,but think i might team it with a bike session too
MF x
MF,
OW swimming is easy. The water is no different to the pool except without the neat lines painted on the bottom. Maybe a temperature difference as well but depends on which pool and which lake!
The only advice I can give is relax. When you get in get your face/head under the water. If possible do this two/three times and then you should be good to go. Relax into the training swims, start slow and build to steady. This should help with the breath control.
My 2XU is very good at helping me relax into my swim stroke and my Speedo trunks cut a fine figure. My Zoggs goggles on the other hand are just goggles.
Seriously relax and enjoy the OW swimming and you will soon hate the pool.
Meface
There is a lake in Marlow that is open 2 (Ithink) evenings a week
Thanks for the tips Meface, maybe it was just the early start and the unknown that played on my mind- definitley looking forward to my next session and see how i progress.
Pacing is probably my problem, i always preferred sprinting in both my swimming and running so whilst the training focused on staying consistant over a certain timeframe, come race day i was always pushing for a fast time.
Hoping i dont end up hating the pool-that place is my salvation most days.
Todays session was good, managed a 23k bike in just under 45 minutes and went straight into a swim session using paddles and pull bouy to work on my technique.
10k run tomorrow morning....best stay away from the drinks tonight!
enjoy your saturday
MF x
Minty, don't worry about which side you breath on and how often. We get told to breath bilaterally in the pool but that is less important in open water.
Sometimes it is beneficial to breathe on one side only. If the waves are coming from one direction then it is easier to breath facing them than with the back of your head to them. That way you can see whether there is water there before you open your mouth and won't be caught out with a wave breaking over your head.
Also if you are following a shore line then breathing to one side can help you to keep a straight line relative to the shore.
In a race, sometimes you might find someone swimming very close to you on one side, so it can be easier to breathe the oposite way, or you might prefer to breathe towards them so that you don't allow them to get too close.
I think the important thing is to be able to breath to both sides. Whether you swim bilateral all the time, or to one side only, swapping as the circumstances change is all down to personal preference.
I also find that I need to breathe more often in open water. I think the cold makes it harder to get air in and you tend to use air up quicker as you are working harder (body trying to use energy to keep warm as well as for the swimming).
I can only breathe on one side.........doesn't cause me a problem in OW.............until in the sea when if I'm in the wrong direction I get a mouthful of water each time.............
great news with thewetsuits and the lessons.........good fitting wetsuit make a difference
Hey guys,
Sorry for the late responses, laptop got a virus and all was very messy!
M...eldy- i live just outside Stoke Mandeville so Marlow would definitely be an option- I am planning on visiting Richmond again in a few weeks and also the lake at Cotswold Water Park.
Supercaz- thanks for the advice, i was hoping someone would say it didn't matter! I am use to breathing bilaterally in the pool so guess if i practise breathing to just one side from now on, come race day i'll be prepared for what the water has in store for me!! I did find myself needing to breathe more in the OW session which then made me feel like i was struggling and the panic set in a little.
I am learning so much about triathlon training which i never considered before signing up to the race- it is becoming strangely addictive though!
I fell a little short of my 10k distance on Sunday so am focusing the training this week on pushing to the full distance- Runner's World are hosting a 10k race on Sunday which i'll use as a base for my run time.
What races are you both currently training for?
MF x
Hi Steve Ho,
My competitive streak is definitley resurfacing! At the moment it is just in regards to the swim discipline but as the training progresses and I get closer to race day, i have a sneaky suspicion that it will strectch over to the race overall.
I was unsure how my bike time/distance faired so good to know that it is a good pace- question is whether i can keep it up for the remaining 17k!
MF x
Steve Ho-
Wow... the last time i did 50 miles was the London to Brighton a few years ago and that took me 8hrs- i was riding with 4 others who insisted on stopping at every pub on the way though so hopefully it isnt a sign of any timings for race day!
Last night's training ended up being a mixuture of pacing and fartleks over a 5 mile route- not sure if that was what my training plan had in store for me but my body was telling me it wanted to regress back to being a 5 year old and running as fast as i could- so i went with it and felt pretty good afterwards.
Pool session tonight- Thursday evenings tend to be a little quieter so gives me the chance to spend a decent time working on my technique and distance.
MF x
MF - Let me know when you're thinking of as that is local to me and we can meet up
Schmunkee- that sounds great. It will be in a few weeks time when i am visiting my parents. Do you know how the timings and costs work out?
MF x
Hi Minty and Schmunks - I'm going to Lake 12 at CWP first thing tomorrow morning. Assuming it's the same as last year the session is 8.15 - 9.30 every Saturday morning. You pay £5 to the lifeguard and they will look after your car keys while you swim. There is an excellent changing room and shower block and free parking. Everyone gets there about 8.00 to get into wetsuits - then the lifeguard goes out in a little boat and ferries bouys around to get the course set up then off you go. You get into the water from a sort of pathway along the side of the lake - just like getting into a pool and about the depth of the shallow end of a normal pool. The loop is about 400m clearly marked with bouys - the lifeguard is in the boat in the middle. It's usually frigid cold - wearing two swim caps helps a bit. Visibility is excellent - you can sight off the trees and some handy racks of brightly coloured canoes.
That's all I can think of - no doubt more will occur to me tomorrow when I get there!
Sorry... been a while!
Busy week for me so far but am really starting to see a change in my fitness levels. Managed 2 swim sessions this week where i was able to cover an 1800metre distance within a 40minute timeframe. While this use to be a warm up for me when i was swim training- its been a fair number of years and am pleased to be able to see this advancement in my ability.
Tonight will consist of a brick session and i plan to push myself hard on the run
I have a few races coming up over the next 4 weeks (only 8wks until London!) and will be using these as a good test of my stamina for the day. (5k and 10k events, a sprint triathlon)
Nutrition advice would be great if anyone could help me out? I have the before and recovery bits sorted (was using these before entering into the race) but have never done a race long enough to require nutritional products during and am honest in saying i have no idea where to start.
MF x
Mints, with the race nutrition stuff all I can say is test stuff out during long training sessions. And then test it again!
I had a shocking London Marathon last year because I was chugging down gels and ended up feeling so queasy I could barely run. In my second marathon I went for jelly beans instead, and found it much easier to nibble on these as I went along.
Jelly babies, Shot Bloks, Percy Piglets etc also seem to work well for me.
Alice x
Thanks Alice, I realise it is mostly about trial and error. I have some Powerbar Ride Shots which i am going to test out this weekend- the idea of being able to eat percy pigs whilst running the last stage does intrigue me though!
I shall conduct a thorough test this weekend and update everyone on the good, the not so good and those that made me feel a little too queasy!
MF x
Can’t believe there is only 2 weeks of training left- it clearly is something playing on my mind as I have had 3 consecutive nights of dreaming about the race and the fear of jelly legs has featured in each one!
Last week saw me taking some time off from work to concentrate on my training and this helped me immensely in both the pacing and nutrition for race day! Circuits at Cotswold Water Park gave me the confidence to partake in a mile swim next week at Dorney Lake- put my technique and breathing to the test! Was nice to meet with Schmunkee on the Wednesday- *(note to Schmunkee- did I miss you on the Friday? I know I ran a little late but don’t think I managed to spot the bright yellow cap J)
Before I left for my week off, the lovely guys at Timex lent me one of their Global Trainer GPS watches to use in the last 4 weeks of my training. Definitely something I should think about investing in- pacing is my main concern so being able to keep track of my speed and timings throughout all three stages means I can hopefully replicate these on race day! Have to say after a few times of wearing the device, I’ve become quite reliant on it and was lost on my bike session last night when the battery ran out!This week's training will consist of a few hard session on the bike, 5k race tomorrow night and my sprint triathlon on Sunday- Anyone else doing the Thame Triathlon this weekend?
MF x