Tri Alliance E News

Welcome to the ninth addition of Tri-Alliance e-news!

We hope you are enjoying our editions of Tri-Alliance e-news, and are getting the information that you need to help yourself through your on-season. If you would like to see any specific information in these newsletters that we have not yet covered, please contact us at news@tri-alliance.com.au, or for an answer requiring a quick response, go to http://www.triathlon-forum.com/

Enjoy!

Race Season is Fast Approaching!!

Yes, that's right, you heard correctly, race season really is fast approaching. It's almost here, and it's a guarantee that there are a lot of people worrying about their preparation training which they have left to the last minute.

But even if you are one of those that have left the training to the last minute, these race season tips that we have compiled for you are sure to help you through the race season with relative ease, and to help you exude confidence while you're out there giving it your all.

BRICK SESSIONS - brick sessions at this time of year are extremely important in helping you get a feel for the race, as it somewhat simulates the real thing. A brick session involves riding and running in the same session, usually doing a set distance for the ride before doing a transition which takes you straight into a fast run to finish off. The brick sessions that we usually complete look something like this: warm up, 3-4 x (15min ride at 80%, 1km run at 85-90%), cool down. These sessions allow for leg speed to be developed after coming off the bike, and are great to simulate race transitions.

TRANSITIONS - while we have just mentioned that brick sessions are great for transition practice, we also recommend that you practice all aspects of transitions during your training sessions to increase your experience with them, meaning that you won't make any costly blunders on race day. Practicing getting out of your wetsuit as fast as you can after a swim, and getting onto your bike as fast as possible following this are all good ways to shave time off your transition splits. Also practice getting into your runners as quickly as you can. Transitions, while they may seem easy, should not be neglected! By the time you have done the swim in a triathlon, it is very hard to concentrate on getting out of a wetsuit or getting onto a bike, so make sure you practice this when you have the opportunity to do so, as this will make your triathlon experience far more enjoyable.

LEAKY GOGGLES - there's nothing worse than leaky goggles on race day. Having to constantly stop to empty you goggles in the middle of a hundred flailing arms can be kinda scary at times. So make sure that you have the perfect fit of goggles for you before your first race of the season. A good general rule for the perfect goggle is to, before purchasing, take the goggles out of the packaging and press them firmly against your face. If they fall off your face straight away, keep looking at some other styles, but if they stick to your face for a couple of seconds, this suggests that the style is a good fit for your face, and will probably not leak when you're in the swimming pool or the ocean. Fogging goggles are also an issue when racing in a triathlon, as you need to be able to spot buoys ahead of you in the water. To fix this, you can either buy some anti-fogging liquid, or simply use a bit of saliva. The later of the two suggestions sometimes doesn't last for as long as the anti-fogging liquid, but it still works pretty well.

PRE RACE TAPERING - tapering refers to reducing exercise in the days just before an important competition. For elite athletes competing in very important races, tapering can sometimes be up to a week long, but for those who are not at this elite end, tapering can be minimised to about 2 or 3 days before a race. This does not mean that you stop training, simply that you take it a bit easier in your sessions instead of smashing yourself.

RACE DAY CHECKLIST - a race day checklist is perhaps the easiest way to put your mind at ease prior to a race. It can help stop you from having those annoying "i feel like i've forgotten something" thoughts. A pre race checklist should include the following: wetsuit, foot towel for transition, towel, goggles, spare cap if they do not supply one, baby oil (if you use this to get into and out of your wetsuit quicker), bike, bike pump, spare tubes in case of a pre race flat tyre, helmet, sunnies, bike shoes, runners/racing flats, gels (if you are doing a longer race), water or gatorade, baby powder (if you use this t =o get in and out of your shoes quickly), and post race clothing.

While we are on the topic of race season, it is a good opportunity to write about pre race nutrition. Pre race nutrition is largely an individual thing for every athlete. Some people will claim that you should never have milk or milk products before a race unless you want to see it come up again. Ewwwww! But others seem to have a stomach of steele, and can take almost any pre race meal that you throw at them. So basically, there is no ultimate rule about what you should eat before a race.But in saying this, there are a few tips that might help you along on your race day without feeling woozy, or like you need to go to the loo every ten minutes.

Meals the night before a race should be largely complex carbohydrate based to give you an added boost of carbs. Carbohydrate are the body's preferred source of energy, so it makes sense to want to feed the body its primary energy source, especially when it is going to be using so much of it on race day. Try to stay away from excessive amounts of fibre. I know, i know, fibre is a good thing for the body, but it certainly isn't all that crash hot when you're halfway through your run, and you need to make an un-scheduled stop. So stay away from too much fibre the day before and morning of the race.

Breakfast on race day should not be a time for experimentation with new foods. The experimenting should have all been done by now during training, where you try to find the breakfast that most suits you for energy levels, and feels like it won't come up during training. It is a general rule that you stick to the foods that you are most used to consuming, so if you don't eat bacon, eggs and sausages for brekky before training, DO NOT try this before a race! It will only end in tears!

There's still plenty of time to start experimenting with foods for training and racing, so get onto straight away. There's nothing better than feeling full of energy before a race, and the best way to do this is through food, glorious food!

For some people, it seems like there is a never ending need for training clothes when you are a triathlete. It comes to a point when you start to get sick of donning already used clothing that means you have to stand away from your training partner by about 5m so as he doesn't get a whiff of your formidable smell.

Or, if you do not come under this category, you are probably the kind of person who just loves to buy clothing that you really don't need, and probably won't get a chance to wear it at training, but it looks soo good!

Whichever category you come under, jaggad.com is a great online alternative to shopping and has some awesome training and racing clothing available.

Here are some examples:

If you are part of the growing MSAC Multisports Program or you want to have a friend try it out then bring them down to the sessions and have them give a swim bike and run a go for FREE to see if it suits.
All memberships our now handled via Tri Alliance.
Contact Ollie, ollie@tri-alliance.com.au or 0425 731 036.
MSAC Multi-Sport now offers a new comprehensive multi-sport program at Melbourne’s MSAC

Casual: The Tuesday Swim-Spin sessions are available for
Entry fee: $10 cash or cc paid on the night. See us on the night to join.

Tri Alliance MSAC Multi-Sport Mini Program: The mini program is the perfect multi-sport program for individuals either starting out or just wanting to train socially.
With this you will get the choice to participate any 3 Multi sports full sessions including entry to any of the MSAC sessions FOR ONLY $25 A WEEK.

Tri Alliance Full MSAC Multi-Sport Program: The full program is the perfect multi-sport program for athletes of all levels from beginner to advanced. Entry fee: $35 pw providing you 6 sessions a week as part of the MSAC program plus any additional Tri Alliance session free. JOIN NOW

For all the latest Tri Alliance cycling gear including jersey's, bib and brace and shorts as shown below.

For more information contact CBD Cycles on (03) 9639 2299 shop 1 top of Bourke St or (03) 9642 8766 at shop 2 bottom of Bourke St Melbourne.

Email, sales@cbdcycles.com.au