Latest / Happy Pace - a triathlon podcast / Episode 5: Nailing the Basics
Transcript
- Mardi: welcome to episode five of the Happy Pace Podcast. How are you, Jacqueline? Jaclyn: I am good, how are you? Mardi: I am good. Yeah. Jaclyn: I am looking at what we're wearing here today and you in Brisbane wearing a tank top and me in Melbourne wearing a jacket. Mardi: ⁓ yeah. That is that's May for you in Queensland. I did say to my parents this morning it's been a little bit cold 'cause it's been like sort of fifteen to sort of seventeen degrees, but I'm again complaining to the wrong people. Jaclyn: ⁓ look, it's fine. We we did get very wet out at the Danny Nong's yesterday, but Mardi: Yeah, I did see a lot of ⁓ indoor sessions on Strava or a lot of umbrella emojis on the rides. Jaclyn: Very much so. how ⁓ have you out from Western Sydney? Mardi: Actually pretty good. I feel like I've slept really well week, which honestly, out of all the recovery, methodologies or ⁓ sort of things you module what is it? ⁓ modalities ⁓ the recovery modules you can do. like it's course. ⁓ Yeah. ⁓ all the Yeah. Jaclyn: Modalities. All the recovery learning modules that you can do. Start that sentence. Mardi: You can do ⁓ sleep is number one. So I've had some really solid nights of sleep. I'm feeling pretty good. ready to roll into cans prep five weeks. Jaclyn: Five weeks to go the countdown's on, hey? Mardi: Mm, totally. And ⁓ I was reminded yesterday after the race on Sunday, I said to my friend that I was like, you know what, after after doing that PV, like I I don't really I think I might just ⁓ defer cans, like I think I'm really happy with that. I might yeah just go up and support all that sort of thing. And like literally the next day, and obviously all this week, I'm like, yeah, bring on cans, five weeks, five weeks to go. Jaclyn: ⁓ It's that immediate post race where you're like, I don't need to do that again. ⁓ versus the the twenty four hours later when you're like, I I'm ready to go again. Mardi: I think it's actually ⁓ just what a couple of nights of good sleep can do as well. ⁓ and nailing the basics, which is our topic of the week this week. ⁓ last week you talked Triton gear and all the equipment you can get, all the things you do need and some of the things you don't. but today we're gonna talk about nailing the basics of of swim back and run. And I guess no matter whether you're a beginner to the sport or someone who's been it been in it for years and years. Nailing the basics is something we can all be reminded of. Jaclyn: For sure. I think that is is key. But before we jump in, what was your session of the week? Do you have one? Mardi: I do I didn't have many sessions this week. ⁓ but my first run back was on Thursday. ⁓ I was still in Sydney I met a Steph, out in Bondi. she is a friend from Melbourne and moved last year to Bondi. And so we went for a nice easy run along Bondai Beach to Tamarama. It was a beautiful sunrise, just like picture perfect. And we were just running along talking about, ⁓ like so good with that you can do a half iron and pull up really well, go for a run, a couple days later. And then I rolled my ankle. ⁓ Jaclyn: ⁓ no Mardi: Like literally mid sentence. ⁓ Yeah, so it was okay. Thankfully it was nothing too serious, but enough to stop for a couple of minutes and ⁓ yeah, it was at the furthest point of our run. So I didn't really have much choice but to jog back. it felt okay. It was a bit sore, but then later in the afternoon I was, foot up on the chair, ice, bandage, all of that. So thankfully it Jaclyn: ⁓ no. Mardi: took forty eight hours to sort of feel better and it wasn't anything more sinister, but I actually just because I thought, like, of course, ⁓ of course I c exactly, of course I can do it a half iron man, pull up great and then just like roll my ankle ⁓ on an easy jog a couple of days Hmm. Jaclyn: The irony. No, lucky lucky we've got enough podiatrist friends who can who can maybe help us out if we need it. Mardi: Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. How about you? What was your session of the week, Jax? Jaclyn: ⁓ Thursday night. we have quite a big Thursday generally. actually it was just quite a big week in general. ⁓ But Thursday night ⁓ is typically my favorite run of the week but was a quality session. For those of you in Melbourne, we were at the tan ⁓ and we had two ⁓ laps of the tan. ⁓ we run our reverse. So we don't run up Anderson Street very often at all. so the efforts were starting at the bottom of Anderson Street, the bottom of the tan and then up kind of ⁓ road, St Kilda Road there to the top, recovery down the hill. twice and then at end of the second effort, recover down the hill and then a one K effort from ⁓ the bottom of Street to the one K pole. which is just past the pillars of ⁓ wisdom there. But the session in its of itself was really, really good. And it was just one of those sessions where I was a little bit nervous going in because last time I had a big tan set, I don't think I was recovered enough from ⁓ Gold when I did it. And I was carrying a bit of fatigue and ⁓ the tan effort itself was really, really hard. but it's how like three weeks down the track, like I'm much more recovered from that and I'm adapting to the load again. So ⁓ I was running with Molly. It was just the two of us. so lots of chatting along the way and we both sort of like had same goals in mind for the session. so it's just one of those sessions where we both got home and we're like, yeah, that was my favorite session this week. And like we were like texting and ⁓ Molly like, Thursdays are always my favorite run. And I was like, yeah, I love Thursday nights. So it was it was really wholesome. and for those of you that were in Melbourne on Thursday, I think the top temperature was 12. for the entire day. So it was it was chilly, but it was it was good. Mardi: Would have been so satisfying. Jaclyn: It was. It's just one of those ones that you just tick off and you're like a bit nervous going into it and then you finish it and you're like, Yeah, I feel really good about that. I I know I'm conditioning, like I know I'm adapting to the training load. Like, yeah. Good way to finish the week, really. Mardi: Love it. Love it. And also just tick the social box as well. Set with the gals. Love it. Jaclyn: Very much so. Exactly. Exactly. Mardi: yeah, let's dive into topic of the week. So last week we spoke a lot about equipment. ⁓ and this week we're gonna talk about nailing the basics. ⁓ Jaclyn: Yeah, really big one. And I think as we spoke about last week with and what you need to kind of do triathlon, it's it's one of those sports where if you can nail the basics really well, ⁓ you kind of like build on there Mardi: Yeah, and I think everyone wants to know the latest workout that Christian Burminthel's doing or ⁓ like the new Nike shoes, arrow helmets, like nutrition hacks, things like that. but really, the biggest gains can come from, your skills ⁓ and ⁓ your confidence ⁓ on swim back and run. And also none those mean anything you like literally can't stay upright on the bike, ⁓ like Jaclyn: ⁓ Mardi: can't get through the swim without panicking, all of that. So I think this is a really important topic. Jaclyn: Mm. Yeah, for sure. So I think hopefully today with today's episode we can make the basics of this sport feel a little bit less overwhelming. ⁓ if you come from a sport background into a multi sport background, that's where it can feel like a lot. Mardi: Yeah, a hundred percent. So we'll start with the swim. one of the biggest things, particularly as a coach that I see is people who dive into ⁓ want of better term, dive into swimming, ⁓ and just basically start swimming laps ⁓ much thought around technique, So the really great thing about taking on or learning to swim now as an adult is there's so many resources available online. ⁓ Jaclyn: Ha ha ha. Yeah. Mardi: you know, through YouTube, there's there's courses and things you can follow. But a few simple swimming technique cues to have in your mind when you start swimming is just really helpful to give you something to focus on, both physically and mentally. Jaclyn: Mm. Absolutely. things like being relaxed the water, which ⁓ if you swim a lot growing up, it can be really challenging. It can take a lot of practice to be really in the Mardi: ⁓ And ⁓ as coach, I coach ⁓ swim skill sessions our athletes and ⁓ they asked like best sessions we could do, like the best 90 minutes we could spend together is doing that. ⁓ And so much it does come back to being relaxed in the water, focusing on your breathing. ⁓ the big thing that I you know bring people back to is breathing out completely when your head is under the water. Which then triggers you to want to breathe in really quickly as soon as your head is out. ⁓ I think from that as well. Like you can start building things into your stroke with, your body position in the water, your your stroke, your kick, everything like that. it's very hard to focus on those things if you're panicking mentally. And it's really hard if you are, anxious in open water or you're just trying to swim as hard as you can down the pool. Jaclyn: Mm. Mardi: So really bringing it back to your breathing, which will help you stay relaxed in the water, means you can then build on your technique and start adding those cues to improve your stroke. Jaclyn: Yeah. And then building on your conditioning as well. I think one thing, especially in triathlon, is you don't want to come out of the water and be absolutely gassed and then have to get on the bike and ride really hard or not have the energy to be able to get through through the bike leg. So I think the more relaxed and the more you're able to just like calm your mind in the water, the the easier that swim's gonna be and the less energy it's gonna take away from the bigger legs in the sport. Mardi: I remember Noosa a of years ago and one our friends, ⁓ who a great swimmer quite naturally, but didn't do much swim training ⁓ in the preparation, like she down a great swim time. ⁓ had but had a particularly long T one and then, yeah, smashed the bike and the run. And we said, ⁓ like what happened? Like what happened in T one? Why did you take so long? And she said, ⁓ man, I was gassed after the swim. I was so hungry. I sat down and had a measly bar and a banana. Like, you know, like she probably swam a similar time to me, which for me I was like, ⁓ I'm that's frustrating. Like I know I did so much training. ⁓ like she was just so gassed after that. ⁓ Jaclyn: Mm. Yeah. Mm. Mardi: that she needed to stop for a sit down. So definit Yeah, a hundred percent. And and that is something that doesn't come through when you're looking at splits. Like how efficiently you do the swim, how easy it feels for you, ⁓ is definitely something that you can work on. ⁓ that's not necessarily just to do with swimming faster or harder. Jaclyn: Literal picnic in Tiwam. Hm, for sure. Mardi: ⁓ anyone has done Slim Skills with me will will know that I'm gonna say bubble bubble breathe. ⁓ And that is good to come back to both physically but also mentally acute to stick to. So bubble bubble breathe is again that idea of exhaling completely. So bubble bubble is like two counts where you're exhaling completely in the water and then breathe is like where you turn your head and take that quick breath in. ⁓ Jaclyn: Ha ha. Mardi: Obviously that's relying on breathing to both sides, left and right. ⁓ but that's an anchor that I really like to come back to, ⁓ to sort of steady breathing in the swim, ⁓ but also mentally having a mantra to just Just bubble bubble breathe. Bubble bubble breathe. And once you've got that under control, ⁓ starting to think about some of those other ⁓ I could go into a whole bunch, but that's one. ⁓ Jaclyn: Mm. I really love that though. Like I really love that. Like that is that is something like when I was teaching Learn to Swim like fifteen years ago that we used like teaching kids how to do freestyle and how to swim and be comfortable under the water. ⁓ so I think as adults, like it's such a good anchor and a good grounding cue to come back to when you're in the open water because I know for me and I do quite a bit of open water swimming over the summer, is like I still have moments where I feel really panicked, like if the swim's gone out really hard or there's been a lot of people start at the same time. Like I still have those moments where I feel really anxious and do panic a bit in the swim. But having that anchor of bubble bubble breathe to come back to can be really helpful. Mardi: It sounds so so philosophical. Jaclyn: what about sighting? So I think that the the next thing is once you're in the open water and swimming in a race is being good at sighting. Mardi: Yeah, so sighting is where you're looking up and toward the direction that you want to swim in. When you're swimming in the pool, you've got the black line underneath. So, you know, you're very easily and very subconsciously swimming in a straight line because you can look down and see that you're swimming along the black line. Whereas when you hit open water, straight away you've got a very dark or cloudy type of outlook as soon as your head's underwater. So It is very easy if you're swimming the same way in the pool as you do in open water to think you're swimming in a straight line, to then look up and realize, hang on a minute, I am like 45 degrees off the angle that I want to be swimming in. So in triathons, you've got your turn buoys and then they call them sighting buoys in between. So generally there'll be ⁓ additional buoys every like 50 to 100 meters, which are there for you to be able to look up, see that you're swimming in the right direction and look down. it is a little bit of a skill to learn. Definitely ⁓ look it up on YouTube. But what you want to do I call it crocodile eyes, ⁓ is to like lift your eyes just above the water like a crocodile Sorry if we've got anyone internationally listening. Just above the water alligator eyes, yeah. ⁓ yeah, lifting your eyes just above. Jaclyn: Mm-hmm. Alligator. Mardi: ⁓ when you're at the top of your stroke and then looking down and breathing back to the side. It takes a little bit of coordination to get to. but I teach for people to do siding like when you first start learning, literally siding every stroke and then to be able to build it up so that you're just siding every, you know, three to five and then pushing it out to that sort of eight to ten strokes. ⁓ Jaclyn: Mm. Yeah, it's it's just practice and we practice it in the pool we do three by one hundred and do it for fifty meters of that three by one hundred. ⁓ just picking something that you're going to site towards ⁓ and trying to get your eyes on that item ⁓ as many times as you can that lap. ⁓ while you're while you're practicing that sighting can be really helpful. Mardi: ⁓ But there can be some pretty rough conditions in open water where you can struggle to see the boys. You know, I'm thinking of like cans, ⁓ noosa some years where it's been a bit rough. Jaclyn: Even Saint Kilda on a on a windy day can be sometimes challenging to see those far end boys. Mardi: Mm. Yeah, and I think one of the really good tips from my first tricoach was like as soon as you take the turn on the back straight, ⁓ if there's anything you can see land that is in the vicinity of the next boy, try and sight to that. So Something bigger than the boy that's not gonna be, you know, bouncing up and down in the waves. And as soon as I lock eyes on that, you know, that's the thing that'll look up to Jaclyn: Yeah, absolutely. It's it's just practice really at the end of the day, a long period of time. Mardi: and it's such a good basic to nail because, you go out on any tri course and there are people swimming up to like thirty to fifty meters off the course and they don't even realise because they haven't put their head up. ⁓ So you can, be a fantastic pool but if you don't have siding skills, if you're not swimming in a straight line, you are wasting a lot of time and energy. Jaclyn: Mm. Hm, definitely. Mardi: The third one with swimming is confidence in open water. So this is something that is very, very normal to struggle with. And even the most confident of pool swimmers can get into open water and feel very panicked, have have sort of bad experiences. But what's been your experience with open water swimming, Jacks? Jaclyn: Mm. I was a very nervous open water swimmer for a long time. but it is something that the more I've done both in race situations and in training the the more confident ⁓ become. But it I think it's just one of those things that you just have to practice. Mardi: Yeah, And I think back to my first triathlon and I would have ⁓ actually even that, probably my first just open water swimming session with a tri club and I probably swam fifty or a hundred meters and I think burst in tears ⁓ because it just so I was I don't know what I thought would happen. and it just was so ⁓ Jaclyn: Yeah. Ви що? Mardi: Unnerving like you're in a wetsuit, it feels can feel really tight and restrictive. so you almost have like a panic attack essentially. ⁓ then it can be really hard to sort of regain your nerve ⁓ to sort of ⁓ feel like you can go on. So, I had the experience myself, ⁓ I know many other people who have, ⁓ where you just find yourself breaststroking, re feeling really short breath, feeling really panicked. and unfortunately there's no magic pill to get over that. Jaclyn: It's just time. It's just practice, isn't it? And maybe even like going out with people like to practice who are a little bit more confident in the water than what you are, is a good way to round it. Mardi: Mm. And I think try and break down for you what's the reason why you're struggling with it. Like is it mental? Is it something about being in the open water? You're, scared of getting hit by a shark. Is it that you is it 'cause you can't stand up, so you feel like if you stop, that there's nowhere to go. all of those sorts of things. It can helpful to like break it down mentally, or if it's physical, you know, if it is you feel really constrained in your Jaclyn: Mm. Mm-hmm. Mardi: a wetsuit and like actually because you're not strokey normally because the arms feel really tight. ⁓ that that's that that feels limiting. There can be quite a few things to work through. What I would say is that swimming in a race is one of the safer situations that you can open water swim in. Jaclyn: Yeah. there's always the lifeguards there So ⁓ if you do find yourself panicking ⁓ or can't it. Like there's always gonna be lifeguards there and can swim over to one of the boards and just either take a moment or they'll find a way to get you back in. Mardi: if you do find yourself in that situation where, you've stopped, ⁓ you've had a lifeguard come and help you, don't like that has to be the end of your race. it's not a DNF straight away. Like often the lifeguard will let you chill out on the board for a little bit, keep going. And the great thing about swimming is that there is no compulsory rule about doing freestyle. If you want to do breaststroke for a bit, you know, just being able to get yourself through that moment, come back to your bubble bubble breathe. can be really helpful. Jaclyn: Yeah. something that really helped me. ⁓ there was ⁓ Melbourne seventy three race a couple of years ago and the swim was actually shortened because of the conditions and I knew one of our friends was lifeguarding that event. So I just kept telling myself I was like, Jim's out here if I get stuck. ⁓ Jim's out here I get stuck. ⁓ Yeah. And like even just knowing that, ⁓ Mardi: Jim will help me. ⁓ Jaclyn: was really, really helpful. And even if you obviously don't know the lifeguards, like the chances are probably pretty slim. Your friends are out there as well. Mardi: Yeah. I feel like also on the sharks and sea life thing, I always take comfort in knowing that I'm a pretty mid-pack swimmer. And so if there was anything in the water, ⁓ there are people ahead of me and behind me. ⁓ And it's probably pretty safe from fish, you know, crocodiles, whatever else is in there. Not that there is, they not put the swim on if it was not safe to. ⁓ but yeah, I just think it's one of the safest places to swim is in a race. So, ⁓ you do have opportunities to swim in open water before races, absolutely take them. ⁓ at the same time, do safe in the race. there's lots of safety out there, lots of support, and it's a great opportunity to push yourself out of your comfort zone. Jaclyn: For sure. What about on the bike? Mardi: Mm. there is a lot to nail on the bike, I think we should start with cleats. And we should explain. So cleats ⁓ are ⁓ clip-in shoes, ⁓ which ⁓ yeah, are for They do special pedals and they've got little brackets on the bottom of your shoes, but essentially it locks your feet into the pedals and means that you're getting not just the push when you push down on your pedal stroke, but also the pull. So you're getting more energy through the bike throughout. Jaclyn: ⁓ sorry. Mardi: each revolution. lot of people will start cycling with flat shoes, be it runners or something similar, but you do want to get into cleats as soon as you feel safe and comfortable too. Jaclyn: for sure. And it's one of those things, again, that just ⁓ a little bit of bit of practice. Like people can find it can be all feel quite intimidating when you when you first start because you start pedaling along and you're like, ⁓ and you realize that you're stuck or like your foot is stuck in the in the pedal. it's again, like said, one of those things that just requires quite a bit of practice to get used to clipping and unclipping. ⁓ And one of those things that Like just to feel confident using. Mardi: Totally. So if you're starting out with cleats, definitely get yourself set up by a bike shop or someone who knows bikes very well. you can adjust how much give that the the clip-in pedals do So get that set up first to begin with. And yeah, so just like s ⁓ standing on your bike, you know, clipping in one while you're standing, and then starting to pedal and clip in the other just after you start riding, and then to slow down and to take Jaclyn: Yeah. Yeah, for sure. Mardi: Them off. keep one in and you unclip one and put the unclipped one on the ground as you break and come to a stop. ⁓ I say that everyone who I know who rides with cleats, which is, you know, 99% of my triathon friends, has fallen over before. ⁓ And, is a bit of a rite of passage to fall over with cleats. Jaclyn: Mm. Mm. Mardi: ⁓ we've all done it. ⁓ it is at low speed, so I think if that's one thing to sort of ease your mind about falling in cleats, is you're actually more likely to have an issue falling at speed than you at high speed So I think just building your confidence up using them. Jaclyn: Yeah. And one of the things that can be really helpful with just practicing that clipping and unclipping motion is just like if you're riding along a bike path or a quiet street or somewhere safe. Like I wouldn't be doing this on a busy road with lots of people or cars around me. ⁓ But just riding and just practicing clipping and unclipping your foot, like just like sliding your foot out of your c of the pedal and then clipping it back in just as you're riding along at a relatively low speed. ⁓ you will have one foot or one side that feels most comfortable for you to clip and unclip as your kind of I guess stability leg. ⁓ when you're riding like ⁓ left. What are you on the road, yeah. Yeah. ⁓ people have a preference ⁓ to their right side and ⁓ everyone's different. It's not like a horse where there's one particular side that you have to ⁓ Mardi: Are you left or right? So you put your left on the ground? Yeah. Yeah, me too. Yep. Jaclyn: kind of do it from. yeah, just riding along and just getting a feel for what clipping and unclipping feels like. but practicing that can be really helpful to start with, I am still known to unclip ⁓ early. ⁓ so if I'm rolling to lights and I can see that the is about to change, like there's no harm done in unclipping early and just resting my foot on the pedal. until I know that light's gonna change again. Mardi: Yep, yep, good sense of security. I think that leads really well into mounting and dismounting. So I was actually talking to one of our friends, Eliza, about this the other day 'cause she did her trathon coaching course. ⁓ and there was someone in her course in their practical trying to teach people ⁓ a flying mount, which is where you get on your bike, ⁓ you've got your shoes already clipped into the bike, and as you approach the mounting line, or just after the mounting line, you yeah, essentially put your bare feet on top of the shoes and then once you start moving, like putting your feet in the shoes ⁓ as you're pedaling along on the bike, which is quite a complex thing to do. think we were just talking about how silly it was because it's not actually necessary to do a flying mount in Trathlorn and, you might look on on TikTok or Instagram and see people, talking about flying mounts, but It's actually not something that's essential. learning to mount and dismount your bike ⁓ a really great basic to nail. Jaclyn: Yeah. Yeah, for sure. And I think it's it's weighing up like is doing a flying mount or even like I still don't clip my shoes in onto my pedals. in transition. I put my shoes on my feet and then when I'm going through transition, I get on my bike as if I would on a normal Saturday morning. I think it's one of things that you have to weigh up what you feel. most comfortable doing, you're not going to lose that much time by having your shoes on your feet or or taking your mounting and dismounting really slowly and being safe about it ⁓ and doing you feel safe doing versus doing a flying mount or dismount. Mardi: Yeah, I think they can look really smooth and really slick when you do nail them. Yeah. Jaclyn: When you get them right, there's also plenty of times I've seen people get them wrong as well. Mardi: ⁓ totally. I actually had ⁓ two friends last weekend at Western Sydney. Both of them are very good athletes. One of them is pro and both of them were debriefing transition one and both of them had done the same thing where they accidentally kicked the shoe off the bike when they went to s when they went to step on in their flying mount, and both of them had to physically get off the bike and go back and get the shoe and put it on. And of course, like Jaclyn: Mm-hmm. Mardi: people are standing at the mountain to cheer you on And so there are a lot of people around like filming and all of that sort of thing. So, you know, if you do nail it, it looks great and very professional and you've saved yourself maybe twenty or thirty seconds. But ⁓ at the same time, like you will lose those twenty or thirty seconds if you don't nail it. So absolutely get on and off your bike safely. Jaclyn: Yeah. And it's one of those things like to practice like mounting and dismounting your bike at the end of a bike session or on the weekend spending fifteen or twenty minutes just practicing that go a really long way as well. But it doesn't have to be fancy. Mardi: All right, moving on now to gears, which I think is ⁓ an important topic because not many people learn specifically how to use their gears. ⁓ think you just kind of pick it up over time. ⁓ what's been your experience with using gears on your bike, Jax? ⁓ Jaclyn: Yeah. Mm. Yeah. it's one of those things that takes a little bit of practice. Like there's lots to kind of think about when you're when you're riding, as we just spoke about, like your pet your pedals are clipped in, you've potentially got red lights coming up and other people riding around you. but then on top of all of that, you've got to think about the gear that you're riding in as well. and what I've found over time is like the more you ride and the more you ride on, I guess, familiar roads and familiar locations, the more you learn which gear you want to be in. Has it been the same for you? Mardi: Yeah, I think so. And I think really fortunate that when I started cycling, you know, it was with Triton groups and I was training with people of a similar ability. So our coach, yeah, taught us different gears for using, on different ⁓ on terrains. So learning when you are going up a gear or shifting up, ⁓ your chain moves to a smaller cog on the back, ⁓ or to the larger chain ring on the front or both. ⁓ And the pedaling becomes heavier and harder and you typically use that to go faster on flat roads when you're descending or if you're trying to maintain momentum. and then when you're shifting down or going down gears, ⁓ know, the chain moves to the larger cogs on the back and maybe to the smaller chain ring on the front and that makes it easier. ⁓ you use that when you're going uphill, you'll start to shift, down maybe when you're battling ahead of wind, ⁓ and when you're sort of starting from a stop. So I think like even just learning that is a great start to know ⁓ what mean what it means to shift up and shift down. But then also like you said, Jax, getting to know different roads and what gear you should be in, what gear feels good for that, Jaclyn: I as well, If you're in a gear that is too heavy for the terrain that you're riding on, for example, up a hill, ⁓ you're really going to be grinding ⁓ through that and your is going to be quite low, which is to take a lot more muscular effort ⁓ to kind of get through get up that hill. And I what you'll find in triathlon is if you're riding with a cadence that's too low is your legs are just gonna be too fatigued to run at the end. Whereas if you are riding in a gear where you can maybe hold your cadence, which is your revolutions per minute, is you can hold that cadence around eighty five kind of range, your legs are gonna feel a lot better. ⁓ You'll feel that takes a lot more effort to keep your cadence up higher, ⁓ but you're not gonna Cook your legs, ⁓ before you have to run. Mardi: I think it's just important, you know, to get to know your back and be able to use them intuitively. Also depending on the course that you're riding for your event, something like Western Sydney, which was really flat, you didn't really have to get to know your gears too well to be able to do that course. it was good to be able to find the right gear to maintain that good cadence and power. ⁓ But, you of course, like cans coming up, like the Nice World Championships ships in September. ⁓ you'll really want to know how to use your gears to be able to have a consistent effort across the whole black leg. Jaclyn: Mm, for sure. I think the other thing that often gets forgotten is when we're riding downhill shifting into a heavy enough gear to to maintain a little bit of that momentum downhill. One of the things when I first started group writing is I wouldn't get dropped on the climbs. ⁓ I'd get on the descents. and that was often because I was never in a heavy enough gear to keep up with the group. But All of those things I guess are practice and things that come with time. Mardi: Yeah, totally. Another one is cornering. we were talking last week about the Western Sydney course and how there are a lot of ⁓ U-turns. ⁓ that's not uncommon for a lot of triathlon courses. ⁓ and as well just when you're going about your training rides outside. really important to be able to maneuver your bike safely around corners That is a skill that is so easy to practice. You can practice in your driveway, being able to look at where you want to go, break before the corner, and really just practice to build your confidence. you'll probably find those first few times ⁓ you're gonna a really wide berth around the corner. but as your confidence increases, your bike handling improves, you'll be able to take a tired turn. Jaclyn: Mm-hmm. Yeah, Mardi: ⁓ ⁓ I think that sort of speaks to as well just riding confidently around other people. pretty fortunate in Trothon, we do have the twelve meter draft rule, but courses can get really crowded. when you're on the Trothon course, staying ⁓ as start. ⁓ holding your line, not sort of zigzagging all over the road, really helps the riders behind you be able to overtake you safely ⁓ and into the back of you because you're able to be predictable, not overlapping So particularly if you're riding in a group, riding behind the person in front and not letting the wheels cross each other ⁓ Jaclyn: ⁓ That's a huge one for ⁓ Is not ⁓ not letting your wheels or riding up the person behind you's wheel. ⁓ They won't necessarily know that you're there. if they have to quickly ⁓ move to get around a pothole ⁓ or something like that, it's it's gonna take much in that situation. Mardi: Yeah. And it is nailing the basics because, you want to stay upright. You want all your your friends to stay upright as well. So, I think probably just the last one on that, you know, communication. And I even noticed on Sunday at Western Sydney, the pro mails came past me, they absolutely yelled out, like, on your right, on your right. They yelled out. And if they have the energy to yell out, that they're coming up behind, like we all should as well, ⁓ and ⁓ communicating, ahead and behind you. If you're to stop. Jaclyn: Mm, yeah. ⁓ Mardi: Remember your bike doesn't have brake lights, doesn't have indicators. So communicating forward and back is just so important and I think a lesson that we can take no matter what level of triathlet cyclist that you are. Jaclyn: Yeah, and that's racing or training or whether you're just out on a on a group coffee ride on a on a Sunday morning. Really, really important. Mardi: Hmm. All right. Jaclyn: Nice. Shall we move on to the run? Mardi: The run. And I have to say I want to defer to you on a lot of this run stuff because of your exercise physiology background. And also because I feel like getting back to the basics of running is something that I could really benefit from. Jaclyn: I think it's something that we could all benefit from. I think we're all really quick, as we spoke about last week, to dive into carbon shoes or the best running technology ⁓ or or whatever it be. But I think a couple of things that we could really double down on in terms of running is just load management. I think it's a really exciting time when you first get into triathlon, when you sign up for your first Iron Man or your first seventy point three or whatever event you ⁓ might be signing up for, I think it's really exciting at the start to dive straight in. And this does apply across all swim and bike as well. but think especially in running is just load management. the first ⁓ to sort like think about sort of how much ⁓ running you've been doing prior to your triathlon training, but also Taking into consideration that you are also swimming and riding now as well, which is load on our bodies. So if we don't manage our load well, I think the risk that we run into is things like overuse injuries, stress injuries, or tendon injuries that can take some time to heal and are going to take you out of the sport for a little bit of time. and they're probably our big ones. what's ⁓ your experience Mardi: I find with running that I have a bit of a threshold of to four runs a week. ⁓ So ⁓ I have kept a really routine many years running ⁓ like a Tuesday, Friday, maybe a little run off the bike on a Saturday and a long run on ⁓ and then in twenty twenty two I increased my running load ⁓ to train for the Gold Coast Marathon that year. And that's when I got a bone stress injury. So, there were some factors in that, particularly around load management, ⁓ because I'd gone from running three to four times a week to running ⁓ probably or six times a week. ⁓ and ⁓ you know, I that load wasn't me. as you said, people come from different backgrounds. Some people can tolerate higher loads than others. ⁓ but for me that was a bit of a point where my body did just kind of break down. ⁓ Thankfully I've been able learn from that experience, but now I know what works. I do run three to four times a week. I can increase the volume on those days, ⁓ but I find just having those in between to recover is really important for me Jaclyn: Yeah, absolutely. And and as you said, every everybody is different. What everyone tolerates is going to be different. I think the thing to remember as well as well coming into triathlon is that you're going to be running fatigued a little bit more often. If you're someone who's come from a pure running background, you're probably swimming ⁓ riding on the days that you're running as well, or you're running off the bike, which means your mechanics are going to be a little bit different. so just keeping that in mind and just start small. I think start with a little bit less than what you what you think you need. And then if your body is tolerating that well and you're injury free, you can gradually build up from there. other thing is ⁓ just some sort of strengthening and making sure that you're strong enough to ⁓ be running amount that you want to run. And whether that means you go you go and see a physio or an exercise physiologist or if you've had some foot injury history in the past, maybe you you go and see a podiatrist to just get some advice around, hey, I'm starting in triathlon or I've been in triathlon a really long time and I'm starting to have these niggles. What can you help me with? And just going back to that basics. I go to the gym. twice a week now and just ⁓ Going back to sort of basic movements, squats, deadlifts, lunges, things that are gonna help maintain my my lower limb strength, which is only gonna help me on my back, which is only gonna help me late in a seventy point three when my legs are tired. Mardi: Mm. I definitely need to get back into some more consistent strength training. I feel like that's a piece that's missing for me in the run at the moment. we are talking a lot about injuries with running because that is the highest impact of the three sports. Like, ⁓ you know, that is the highest exposure for injuries. ⁓ one thing which my podiatrist ⁓ Jim, who you know as well, ⁓ say to me. Jaclyn: He's gotten quite a few mentions on this podcast today. We might have to send it to him. Mardi: He's also he's also the lifeguard Jacqueline mentioned. He's a bit of a jack of all trades. Yeah. Shout out to Jim. but no, one thing that I remember I'd seen I think it was during my Iron Man build potentially, I'd seen him on a Friday morning I had a little niggle, ⁓ and I said, ⁓ I thought I'd just come see you. You didn't any appointments on Monday or Tuesday. And he was like, Well just in the session, he said, ⁓ you know, what's your what's your plans for the weekend? And I said, What my training was. I was gonna do a run off the bike on the Saturday and a long run on the Sunday. And he was like, Mm, yeah, I'm actually glad I wasn't available on Monday, Tuesday, because I would much rather see you now before you run those extra 30 K's on this niggle than to see you afterward. And I think that's probably the case for a lot of physios and healthcare professionals. They would much rather see you when something's just a niggle, which they can easily treat ⁓ ⁓ improve than to see you when it's all fallen apart Jaclyn: For sure. When I was working in a clinical in a clinical setting, it was much easier to see someone and help someone early as opposed to ⁓ another four or six weeks down track, and then we're trying to ⁓ load manage, ⁓ get them back and ⁓ their event in time. Mardi: ⁓ it is such a trap though, because you've got your program in training peaks, you see your run sessions and you're like, ⁓ I know I'm a bit sore, but I just really need to do this long run, or I've committed to Tuesday with the girls or whatever it is. ⁓ and you kind of you're in this denial stage about it, and ⁓ yeah, just go see the healthcare professional. Just go see them. ⁓ Jaclyn: Just go see them. Yeah. And just on that, I think the other thing is a lot of them, if you are seeing someone who is either from a sports background or within a sports injury clinic, they can probably help you with your run technique as well. I think it's really, ⁓ especially at the moment where endurance sport running triathlon is really, really big on social media, I think it's really easy to fall in the trap of what do I need to do to get Better, what do need to do to get faster? And some of that advice advice ⁓ online is around changing your running technique. ⁓ I think the risk of changing your running technique is that you're going to start to overload tendons, muscles, bones, joints that maybe haven't had that load before because of your running technique. ⁓ so I think just be mindful of that. And I and I do feel that. There is a time and place where we can maybe tidy up a our technique to be a little bit more efficient, to be able to run well at the end of a seventy point three or late in an IMN or whatever it might be. But it's about getting that balance really, really right so that we don't increase your risk of sustaining an injury from overloading different parts of your body. Mardi: Hundred percent. so we've done the three sports. There's a few other basics to nail outside of them, one of them being fueling ⁓ and hydration. fueling and hydration advice, you know, diet from a dietetics point view has particularly over the last five to ten years. Jaclyn: Yeah, and I think that's something that we can ⁓ maybe get a dietitian to come on and have a chat to us about. I think from a general sense, ⁓ from a triathlon perspective, ⁓ is sure that you're practicing your race nutrition in training. if you're you've got a coach and you're training for a big event you might have some really key sessions that are Mardi: Mm. ⁓ Jaclyn: race simulation sessions or similar to the intensity or the load that you're going to be doing during a race. So they're your training sessions to really practice what you're going to be doing on race day. So that when you get to race day you know that the the fuel source or the drink mix or whatever it is that you're using, you can tolerate it well and not run into any ⁓ any issues. Mardi: Yes, absolutely. And I think it is a basic that is hard to nail sometimes in training, particularly if you're doing it around work. You know, you might not have eaten since lunchtime, but you've got an evening session. kind of leaving gains on the table just by not fueling your sessions adequately. ⁓ and you're also compromising your recovery. So, if if you just sort of are doing it because you didn't bring any snacks or ⁓ ⁓ yeah, you just are a bit feeling a bit lazy about it or you think, ⁓ it's just an hour, it's just ninety minutes, I don't need fuel. ⁓ there's a real opportunity that you're missing ⁓ and a real basic that you are not nailing. And I think the last sort of basic we'll we'll talk about is sleep. So there are so many tools around recovery protocols, but there is none that is more effective just sleep. Jaclyn: Yeah. It can be really easy to get bogged down in like supplements or the the 1% things like I don't know, compression, ice baths, sauna, things like that that yeah, maybe do help your recovery. But I think the biggest bang for your buck is is sleep. And anyone who knows me knows how protective I am of my sleep. Mardi: Mm-mm. Yeah, being able get that consistently, is going to be so much better for you than like a recovery ride or, you know, a supplement or whatever it might be. There's heaps of research into injury risk, adaptation, cognitive function that all point to just getting enough sleep. Jaclyn: Mm. Exactly. So I guess the other thing to think about is your transitions. some things to practice is how you're gonna lay your gear. So where do you put where do you lay your shoes? Where do you put your what kind of like layout do you do you like and then just practicing how you're going to execute your transition. So ⁓ when you into transition ⁓ off the ⁓ you're not to touch your bike until you have your helmet on your head and done up. ⁓ So I have helmet either ⁓ sitting on top of my shoes or sitting on my T T bars and that the first thing I grab once I've got my wetsuit off. I grab my helmet, I put it on and I do it up. Then as I said before, I put my bike shoes in and I grab my bike and I'm out of there. and then ⁓ the reverse ⁓ when I come back So after bike, again, have to leave your helmet on and done up until your bike is racked. So rack my bike and then helmet comes off. Bike shoes off, runners on, ⁓ then off onto the run. so it's just one of those things that if you practice it in training before your race, these things can massively reduce your stress during the race. Mardi: Totally. one I do ⁓ is that I'll ⁓ grab my race belt with the race my visor, ⁓ anything else ⁓ like from transition after I put my shoes on and start Like that's a really great way to save time to like put on the race belt ⁓ and the visor once you've started running. ⁓ I don't know if you follow you would follow all the Iron Man ⁓ accounts on Instagram. And in the last year or so they've started doing ⁓ Jaclyn: ⁓ yeah. Yeah. Mardi: like little wheels of people's transition setup. are the best. So if you don't follow them, go and have a look. They did one for ⁓ Western City the other day. But some people's transition setups ⁓ are so funny. Like someone in Melbourne like a shopping basket. someone the other day had container with cut up fruit in it Jaclyn: Yeah. banana in the shoe. The banana in the shoe. ⁓ Mardi: What else have you seen? the cardinal scene, the banana the shoe banana. So people with like a banana inside the shoe, like they're gonna get out the banana and eat it, which is fine. Like absolutely do it. Maybe don't leave it in the hot sun inside your shoe for three hours before you eat it. ⁓ but if yeah, you want a bit of an idea of like maybe what not to do, those reels are very entertaining unfortunately very realistic. So ⁓ Jaclyn: Yeah. Ha ha ha. Mardi: Yeah, I think just having that opportunity, know what you need in transition. Like, be efficient about what you need. yes, have few backup options for for nutrition if you feel that you're gonna need that or any asthma pump medication, Minimise a number of decisions to make, be able to get through there nice and quickly and out onto the next leg. Jaclyn: One thing I will say about being efficient is Lucy Charles Barclay, She's a pro from the UK and we actually haven't seen her race yet. She had some surgery late last year. ⁓ but I'm very keen to see her race again. ⁓ She has her T2, so bike run things that she needs ⁓ nutrition, visor, race belt, in a lock bag. And she basically grabs the snaplock bag, like similar to you. She just grabs the snaplock bag. Mardi: Hm. She's just like me. Yeah. ⁓ Jaclyn: She grabs the snaplock bag and then puts on her belt and has everything in in there that she needs. And as she's running through transition add onto the bike course, she's just grabbing it out. And then obviously she can just chuck the bag in the in the next litter zone I actually think I'm gonna try out try it for Cannes, so I'll keep you posted. Mardi: ⁓ I'm gonna use that one. Great idea. ⁓ Awesome. So I that probably covers the basics to nail. You know, there is so much ⁓ that you can take on when you do a trathlon, be it the skills, equipment, whatever else there is ⁓ to each of the legs. But I think just coming back to basics across all three, being able to nail those ⁓ and really spend that time and energy is going to be such a huge way, to gain not only, time or or improve efficiency in your race. But also just your confidence and enjoyment of them. Jaclyn: And think a lot of it is just repetition. Like we build confidence in doing these things. Swimming in open water, changing gears on your bike, getting through transition and onto the run. It's just rep after rep the same as you would anything else. ⁓ Mardi: Yeah, so what I'm also hearing from that jax is we should just sign up for more races. Just more practice, you know? More practice. Exactly, exactly. All right, so what has been happening in the pro world? Jaclyn: Hundred per cent. More races equals more practice. as we said last week, we actually didn't have a lot of ⁓ pro ⁓ racing this ⁓ but we did have a World Cup race in ⁓ Shangdu in ⁓ and a World Cup race is ⁓ it's just level kind of below, I guess, the World Triathlon series or the WTCS. ⁓ It acts a feeder into ⁓ the WTCS. So pro-level racing, draft legal. Mardi: Yeah, and it was a photo finish for the women's, which is so rare to have a photo finish in Trathon. ⁓ Valentino, Ria Sova, ⁓ Laura Linderman and Kate Wolf in third. But they literally, yeah, like one and two both did 55 27. Like it was right on the line. ⁓ super close race. So that's always super exciting to watch. And also the Triathon commentary team make it ⁓ so exciting to watch as well. ⁓ and then on the men's side, actually had ⁓ Luke Willen, who's an Australian athlete. Jaclyn: Wow. Mardi: ⁓ took out a win. So that's really a great confidence boost for him. Like we said, the ⁓ Olympic Games qualifying period starts in a couple of weeks just after the ⁓ Japan Triathon ⁓ series it's ⁓ starting to come that big time for the World Triat Series events. ⁓ The other event this was actually a 70.3 in the US called Gulf Coast. And I actually sent something. Jaclyn: Not to be confused with the Gold Coast. Mardi: Yeah, I sent Jacqueline something earlier because I think Zoot Sports, which is one of Sam Long's sponsors, ⁓ posted that he won the 70.3 Gold Coast. ⁓ and no one's corrected them on the page yet. So, ⁓ no, Gulf Coast, ⁓ which is I think in Florida, potentially. And that was a kind of like a Western Sydney equivalent, I'd say, in the US, in that the field was like largely local. Jaclyn: Ha ha ha. Mardi: ⁓ athletes on the women's side, there was Grace Alexander took out the win with Vittorio Lopez in second, Danny Lewis in third. And then on the men's side, Sam Long took the win, Seth Ryder in second, Mark Dubrick in third. What was most ⁓ surprising this race was the race times. Like we woke up and saw them and were like, ⁓ my God, these are like record times. Jaclyn: Yeah, I was gonna say, can we discuss Sam Long's bike time? Mardi: So I mean for starters the swim did get shortened for the race, which would explain the overall very fast times. ⁓ there was some nasty conditions, so they reduced the swim to like a kilometre, I think it was. but yeah, what was Sam Long's bike time? Jaclyn: One hour forty nine thirty two seconds. Mardi: For naughty K. Jaclyn: For ninety K. Mardi: I I probably just did sixty in that time ⁓ at Western Sydney. That's insane. I think that's of the top back times of all time, Jaclyn: So fast. ⁓ so is a seventy point three ⁓ like Iron 90k world record, but ⁓ San Label actually has the fastest ninety K bike time in a half distance, which I think was one forty nine seventeen seconds. So I mean we're not that far off, are we? Mardi: Mm. super fast. But we love Sam Long. I think we saw talked about Sam a couple of weeks ago at seventy point three Oceanside, He was just so disappointed. Like he wears his heart on his sleeve. So he came across the finish line. He did like the sprinkler, the dance, ⁓ like just before grabbing the tape and just like he just won the lottery. Like he's won a lot of seventy point threes, but he is just so passionate and I love watching him for that Jaclyn: Yeah, I agree. Really fun to watch race. Mardi: Mm. Jaclyn: so we've got ⁓ point three Ion Provence coming up ⁓ weekend, which is yes, ⁓ is a ⁓ point three pro series race. so there will be some pro series points up for grabs next weekend. Mardi: Now the pronunciation. Yep. Jaclyn: on women's side we've got Laura Phillip racing, which I guess will ⁓ maybe be leading race for her, ⁓ into Roth. Mardi: so Laura is a German athlete who the world champion for Iron Man in twenty twenty four, Jaclyn: yeah. Yeah. Mardi: ⁓ she's a really consistent athlete. Also excellent kit. She's got like a purpley pink ⁓ suit which we love. she's one of us. And yeah, excited to see her her sort of debut for this year, Jaclyn: we love. Yeah. Imogen Simmons ⁓ is also racing. Mardi: Yeah, she gave me my medal at the T one hundred Goldquest. Jaclyn: And mine too. Marjoleine Pierre Mardi: she is a French athlete, She is well known for wearing her hair out on the run. she has beautiful long blonde hair, and when she was racing, I want to say it was the world champs in Nice, like that's what we couldn't get over. We're watching it being like how ⁓ Jaclyn: ⁓ Mardi: How is she doing this without having her hair tied back? Like, what is she going to be dealing with after the race? ⁓ I think she came fourth that day, but she is definitely one to watch. ⁓ a really strong athlete. Also, Lisa Petera. So Lisa was down for Iron Man, Texas, and then she had to pull out on the morning of because she was sick. Jaclyn: ⁓ huh. Mardi: on men's side, I think probably what stands out most for starters is that Christian Beumenthal is not racing. ⁓ he has so dominant in the race to date. He's no doubt taking a little bit time to able to peak for the championship season later in the year. so we do have Jamie Riddle. Racing from South Africa. He is another bomb we love. is just again someone who is so passionate about the what they do, wears his heart on his sleeve, ⁓ and ⁓ yeah, this will be his first seventy point three for this year. Jaclyn: Mm. ⁓ a couple of others like Rico Bogan and Rudy von Von Berg. Mardi: Hmm. Yeah, did they both I think just Rudy did Iron Man Texas and Rico Bogan Yeah, I don't think I've seen him race this year. Jaclyn: Mm. No, I agree. I don't think we have. And then we have Yeah. Mardi: ⁓ I gonna say Pierre Lecour. So he Iron Man New Zealand. This is his first 70.3 and Iron Man season post doing the World Triathlon series. So he is coming out firing. ⁓ super competitive athlete from France. ⁓ Jaclyn: and then I think just another one to note ⁓ before we finish up is Carl Smith is on the start list as well. ⁓ New Zealand athlete that we spoke about after ⁓ Iron Man New Zealand. So ⁓ to watch him race in France next weekend. But the at the moment there's sixty men on the start list, so it'll be it'll be a good race to watch, hopefully. Mardi: Yeah. Yep, hopefully. And yeah, looking forward to that one. and also on the women's side we've got Charlotte McShane who is an Australian athlete. Now she did ⁓ Western Sydney last weekend, came fifth, and ⁓ has qualified for the Iron Man World Championships in Kona later this year. Jaclyn: Yeah. Mardi: so in our own sort of racing, we are five out from cans. So yeah, now is a really important time, obviously for training, but also getting organized ⁓ Jaclyn: Yeah. So one thing I think to consider with cans, especially coming from Melbourne, is that it is going to be quite a bit warmer and potentially quite a bit more humid than what we've got here at the moment. So I have been getting into the sauna one to two times a week at the moment. ⁓ and I'll probably say it about two times a week between now and cans. to sort of ⁓ adapt to that heat a little bit more. Mardi: Mm-hmm. Yeah. ⁓ the other thing for Cairns like it's a bit of a logistical effort to, to sort of be organized for the race. Western Sydney last weekend was pretty easy. You could rock up on the day with your bike, you lay out your transition on the ground. ⁓ whereas Cairns has a little bit more of a complicated setup with transition. Jaclyn: Mm-hmm. Mardi: What I just say at this point is just to read your athlete guide. So read the PDF that they email to you, which usually comes out in the next week or so. ⁓ all that up. But probably the the the first thing to get onto is just booking in your bike check-in. ⁓ and you may need to book bike transport if you're staying in Cairns, ⁓ because the transition one is in Palm Cove. ⁓ and also book in the bus for getting back to Cairns on the Saturday if you're racking your bike and also for the Sunday morning before the race. All of that will be in the Yeah, getting to the race start. So all that's in the athlete guide, but there's some things that you can look at and lock in now just to reduce stress over the next couple of weeks. Jaclyn: Getting to the race start. Yeah, in the next few weeks we'll start to talk about cans and our prep, but there are definitely some things to start to think about now ⁓ so that not panicking to try and sort those out forty eight hours before you have to race. Mardi: Yeah, absolutely. And I think we'll leave it there for today. Jaclyn: Amazing. Perfect. Yeah. Mardi: Yeah. a good Jaclyn: Bye.