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The half-distance race consists of a 1.9km swim, followed by a 90km cycle and a 21km run. The bike leg starts in Peguera and takes in Es Capdellà, Calvià, Palmanova, Magaluf, El Toro, Santa Ponça before returning to Paguera for the run leg.
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Riders also venture into the foothills of Serra de la Tramuntana, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Need more tempting? Check out this gallery above.
www.challenge-family.com/challenge-paguera-mallorca/
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Photographs courtesy of www.joseluishourcade.com
Fed up with your bike being pinched stolen locking it securely? A pair of inventors from San Francisco could have a novel solution that could detour thieves The Guardian have reported.
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The entrepreneurs, Daniel Idzkowski and Yves Perrenoud, have invented a bike lock called SkunkLock that looks like a standard bike lock, but when compromised is anything but as it emits a noxious chemical deterrent.
Called formula D_1, the pair say that the chemical is a US legally compliant pressurised gas that, when expelled, causes shortness of breathing, potentially compromised sight, and induces vomiting.
“At two feet it was pretty bad. It was absolutely vomit inducing in 99% of people. At five feet it’s very noticeable and the initial reaction is to move away from it. At 10ft it’s definitely detectable and very unpleasant,” they told The Guardian.
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The SkunkLock creators are now turning to crowdfunding to help them move to the future. Find out more about their Indiegogo fund here
www.skunklock.com
Olympic gold and silver medallists, Alistair and Jonathan Brownlee, along with bronze medallist Vicky Holland, will be attending British Triathlon’s annual award ceremony on 12 November.
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Joining them will be Paralympic gold medallist Andy Lewis and silver medallist Alison Patrick, as well as triathlon volunteers, officials and coaches from across the country.
Alistair said: “It’s been a fantastic year for the sport and I’m looking forward to celebrating the team’s achievements in Rio.
“The British Triathlon Awards Dinner is always a fantastic evening and it’ll be great to catch up with my teammates in my home town next month.”
The Rio heroes will also be taking part in a question and answer session during the evening, led by BBC Breakfast presenter and amateur triathlete, Louise Minchin.
The awards evening will be hosted by BBC sports reporter Vassos Alexander.
Vassos said: “It’s an honour to be part of the British Triathlon Awards Dinner following a hugely successful year for the sport.
“There have been some fantastic achievements across all levels of triathlon throughout 2016, reaching a crescendo in Rio at the Olympic and Paralympic Games, and I’m greatly looking forward to re-living them next month in Leeds.”
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The British Triathlon Awards Dinner will be held at Royal Armouries International, Leeds, and tickets, priced at £55, are now available until 27 October. Book here. Price includes a drinks reception, three-course dinner with wine and evening party.
ITU World Champion Flora Duffy has won her second world title of 2016, the Xterra World Championships in Kapalua, Hawaii. This was Duffy’s third Xterra World Championship title in a row, equalling Julie Dibens record of three straight wins from 2007-09.
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Always the favourite Duffy led from the outset and posted the fastest swim, bike, and run times to take the win in 3:14:59, more than 10-minutes ahead of runner-up Lesley Paterson from Scotland. Fellow Brit Jacqui Slack came 7th.
“The 3-peat is really cool. It’s actually probably even cooler with the fact that I also won the ITU World Championship and then to back it up with this, wow, it’s really a year I could not have asked for. And to tie Julie’s record of three in a row, it’s not easy to do, so many things can go wrong out there. You really need a bit of luck, to prepare meticulously.”
Duffy took part in her first Xterra triathlon back in 2013 and credits the off-road series with helping her success on the ITU circuit.
“The first Xterra I did in 2013 in Beaver Creek, I swore I was never going to do one again,” she explained. “Thankfully I did, and it sort of led me to finding myself in triathlon. Here you are racing against yourself, you have to do everything to get through the race, so I’ve kind of taken that to the road side of life. I’m going to race my own race and shape the race to suit my strengths. I think Xterra has really aided my success on the road.”
Together the 20-mile mountain bike, which traversed the West Maui Mountains, and the run had more than 4,000-feet of climbing, and wet conditions turned a fairly technical course into a “matter of survival” said competitor after competitor.
Duffy herself didn’t escape unscathed herself: “It was really tough out there,” she said. “I crashed on the bike, went over the handlebars and flying into the bushes. My gears weren’t working, and all the while Lesley was back there charging hard behind me.”
21-year-old Mauricio Mendez, who posted the fastest run of the day with 0:42:06, won the men’s race, after overtaking the leader Ruben Ruzafa from Spain with one-mile left in the run.
“It’s a dream come true,” said Mendez, the first pro from Mexico to win an Xterra World title. “I’ve looked up to these guys for so long and now to be up here with them is very special. I’m just happy, really happy.”
“My first Xterra was in 2010 in Mexico, in the junior kids race, and I won it, and I remember Dan Hugo was first place at the time and thinking wow, this is amazing, I want to be like him,” said Mendez. “And I just got into it and from that day I dreamed about being the world champion. I don’t know, I feel like I am still sleeping.”
Both Mendez and Duffy earned $20,000 USD for their respective victories. The total purse was $100,000, and the event was filmed for international television distribution.
TOP 10 ELITE MEN AND WOMEN
Pl
Name
Age
Hometown
Time
Purse
1
Mauricio Mendez
21
Mexico City, Mexico
2:49:38
$20,000
2
Ruben Ruzafa
32
Malaga, Spain
2:51:02
$12,000
3
Ben Allen
31
Wollongong, Australia
2:53:49
$7,000
4
Braden Currie
30
Wanaka, New Zealand
2:55:48
$4,000
5
Josiah Middaugh
38
Vail, Colorado, USA
2:57:06
$2,500
6
Leonardo Chacon
32
Liberia, Costa Rica
2:57:14
$1,500
7
Ben Hoffman
33
Boulder, CO, USA
3:01:41
$1,100
8
Courtney Atkinson
37
Queensland, Australia
3:02:22
$800
9
Sam Osborne
25
Rotorua, New Zealand
3:02:52
$600
10
Rom Akerson
32
Tambor, Costa Rica
3:05:16
$500
Pl
Name
Age
Hometown
Time
Purse
1
Flora Duffy
29
Devonshire, Bermuda
3:14:59
$20,000
2
Lesley Paterson
36
Sterling, Scotland
3:25:01
$12,000
3
Suzie Snyder
34
Reno, NV, USA
3:29:03
$7,000
4
Myriam Guillot-Boisset
37
Brindas, France
3:30:51
$4,000
5
Helena Erbenova
37
Jablonec, Czech Republic
3:32:54
$2,500
6
Michelle Flipo
28
Palma De Mallorca, Mexico
3:35:49
$1,500
7
Jacqui Slack
33
Stoke-on-Trent, England
3:41:45
$1,100
8
Lizzie Orchard
31
Auckland, New Zealand
3:42:14
$800
9
Carina Wasle
32
Kundl, Austria
3:44:19
$600
10
Joanna Brown
24
Guelph, ON, Canada
3:56:59
$500
Want to try Xterra? It is coming back to the UK on June 4, taking place at UWC Atlantic College in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales. Xterra returns to UK in 2017
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Related
Xterra triathlete heroes: 6 of the best
Xterra: 16 tips for race day from Ben Allen & Jacqui Slack
Four off-road racing tips from British Xterra pros
For many age-groupers, the 2016 ITU Leeds Triathlon failed to live up to expectation, with organisational issues causing chaos across the course and many athletes demanding refunds for a disappointing race experience.
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In light of this, Leeds’ organisers British Triathlon and Ironman have created the Leeds Fund Programme – a £40,000 pot that will be distributed among British triathlon clubs who had competitors competing at the race.
In a statement, the organisers said: “The aim was to provide an amazing race experience where triathletes of all levels and abilities could race from Roundhay Park through the streets of Leeds to a packed city centre. However this was not achieved for all age-group competitors.
“The Ironman Foundation is donating £40,000 of charitable funds to Home Nation and Ironman affiliated clubs who had members compete in the June event. We anticipate that applications will focus on improving club’s infrastructure in areas such as training for coaches and officials, supporting volunteers, along with attracting and supporting new club members.”
All participants who took part in 2016’s Sunday event have also been offered priority entry for the 2017 event, plus £25 off the entry price or £50 off several Ironman and Ironman 70.3 races, although the discounted entry offer has since expired.
The BTF have said that applications will be assessed against the following priority criteria:
• The award will help a club increase its capacity to deliver more triathlon activity.
• The application is supported by a significant number of competitors from the Leeds event in 2016.
• Evidence that the award will increase the triathlon volunteer community.
• The award will be used to increase regular participation amongst existing and potential new triathlon participants.
• The award will be used for the development of GO TRI events or training in partnership with other local community sessions or events.
• The award is part of an ongoing commitment to the development of a triathlon club.
• The club is affiliated to a Home Nation Association or Ironman’s club affiliation scheme.
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Should any clubs or individuals have any questions, they can contact the British Triathlon team on 01509 226161 or [email protected].
“You’ll be hot, cold, hot, cold – that’s the nature of swimrun…” says Michael Lemmel. “Or, in the case of this race,” muses fellow race director Mats Skott, “cold, cold, cold cold…”
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We’re at the race briefing for the inaugural ÖtillÖ World Series 1000 Lakes race in Rheinsberg, Germany and not one of the 150 teams starting are underestimating the challenge ahead. The next day we’ll face a 43km course that includes 10km of lake swimming in temperatures ranging from 10-14 degrees, plus the air temperatures are unseasonably cold, too. Brrrr.
Early start
Race day dawns fresh and misty and we’ve got a 7am coach trip to the start line in the town of Wesenberg. I’m racing again with four-times World Champs finisher Göran Wernqvist, who was my partner earlier in the year for the ÖtillÖ Swimrun Isles of Scilly race. We’ve been tempted back by the promise of a fast, flat course timed to take in the autumnal beauty of the Mecklenburger Seenplatte area and as the coach weaves through the darkness we get glimpses of enchanted forests and calm, clear lakes. There’s no doubt – this is going to be an epic course.
Race prep hasn’t gone quite to plan though. A niggle in my calf has flared up and my physio diagnoses a problem with the peroneal nerve and the tissue around it. Frantic icing and taping in the days before settles it a little and as racing won’t make it worse, it will just be painful, we decide to go ahead. We’ve been looking forward to the race for a long time and training hard, so we don’t want to miss it!
Race start is in the town hall courtyard and the atmosphere is great, with plenty of local support and drones buzzing ahead. Michael Lemmel counts down and we’re off – heading through cobbled streets out of the town and then onto single file forest trails. This first run is 4km and the pace feels good – we’re keeping up with the pack and getting nice and warm in our zipped-up wetsuits, which we know is important before jumping in chilly water.
Into the water
Göran and I did the final 500m swim on the course as prep the day before and the water temperatures felt chilly but ok – once you get used to the face freeze – so we’re feeling good about the swimming ahead. We swim tethered as Göran is a much faster swimmer than me, so we clip the elastic line between our belts, pull our goggles down and head into the water. This first swim is 900m and with the water temperature around 10 degrees and air temperature around 7 degrees, we can see mist rising off the water around us. It’s both magical and spooky, all at the same time.
Mist rises off one of the early lake swims. Image: Jakob Edholm/ÖtillÖ
The temperatures feel ok and we’re getting into a good rhythm with the swimming and I’m enjoying seeing glimpses of the beautiful forests as I turn to breathe. It doesn’t feel long before we’re out of the water and into the second run, which is a short one at 1.2km, and it’s here that the problems start. We’d hoped the cold water would blunt my calf pain, but in fact it’s caused my ankle to lock up and I’m struggling to run already. Our pace drops to 8:38min/km which, even despite the uneven terrain, is way below our planned pace!
Running took in amazing autumnal colours and magical forests. Image: Nadja Odenhage/ÖtillÖ
The second swim is another long one at 1,370m and takes in a bend in a lake, so we first head out to a flashing beacon and ÖtillÖ-branded buoy, then turn and head to a second buoy. Once we make the turn though, I’m starting to feel the cold so concentrate hard on my swim technique instead, something I’ve been working on with Total Immersion coach Tracey Baumann, who trains long-distance open water swimmers. This really helps and again I’m enjoying being in the water and we’re making good progress, with Göran powering ahead in front.
Tough times
It’s in the last 200m of the swim that things fall apart. Göran later tells me that all of a sudden he felt very aware of me behind him and he knew I was struggling. The key to swimming tethered is to keep the same rhythm and rotate in the same way as your partner, and once you stop doing that, you both start struggling rather than flowing through the water together. At the time I don’t really know what’s happened, I just find I’m struggling to breathe – plus my stroke’s obviously fallen apart!
Getting out of the swim we’re at the first race cut-off point and actually, doing pretty well – we’re in position 99/150 and have made it with time to spare. Göran’s feeling the cold too, but it’s obvious to him by now that I’m not going to make it – I’m shaking uncontrollably and passing swimrunners keep asking if I’m alright! A big part of the sport is taking care of your partner though and this is why you race in teams of two, so Göran makes the call. “Ok, I think here we’ll break,” he says, before shepherding me towards the race HQ in a country house at the cut-off where there’s medical support, a roaring fire and hot tea. Funnily enough as we enter we see one of the reigning women’s world champs Annika Ericsson sat by the fire waving hello to us – it turns out some of the best teams in the sport were struggling with the cold conditions as well!
The run up to the first cut-off point, where 220’s team called it a day! Image: Jakob Edholm/ÖtillÖ
The support team are fantastic – we get wrapped in blankets and handed herbal tea (although I’m still shaking so much I can’t hold mine!) and it doesn’t take long to start thawing out. I feel bad that Göran had to stop as well, as I have no doubt that he could have finished the race. “This is swimrun though,” he says. “You start as a team, you finish as a team and if you break, you break as a team.” I’m grateful for his good humour, strength and support.
Looking at the course later, the next run was only 1.7km and we’d then have had another longish swim of 725m. With my injury I was finding it hard to run fast enough to warm up between the swims so we absolutely made the right call – it wouldn’t have been sensible for us to carry on. We later find out that the ÖtillÖ organisers redesigned the course during the race to remove one long swim – plus another had already been modified the day before so it ended up totalling 7.5km of swimming, rather than 10km. Despite that, 49 teams still didn’t make it. Nobody ever said this sport was easy!
At the finish
As we get ferried on to a coach to the finish line to hot showers, bratwurst and Gluhwein with rum (posting my first ever DNF isn’t all bad, it seems!) the race continues – and once warm again, we head to the finish line to see the winning teams across the line. The first team to finish are a men’s team, Swedish Team Terrible Tuesdays Triathlon of Sweden, Pontus Lindberg and George Bjälkemo, in a winning time of 4:42:02. “Our game plan was to get a gap on the runs, where we knew that we could accelerate,” said Bjälkemo, “It was hard as our legs were so stiff from the cold but we managed!”
Team Terrible Tuesdays Triathlon cross the finish line. Image: Nadja Odenhage/ÖtillÖ
Mixed team Jasmina Glad-Schreven and Thomas Schreven, Team Say No To Doping! from Finland came in second, finishing in 4:47:59. The first women’s team, Diane Sadick and Fanny Danckwardt-Lillieström, Team Orca, cross the finish line at 5:33:45.
For team 220 Swimrun, there are lessons learnt here but despite not finishing the race, it was a wonderful experience and weekend among some of the most inspirational (and friendly!) people in multisport. ÖtillÖ Swimrun 1000 Lakes set a new standard of endurance for swimrun and will undoubtedly see athletes back next year to take on a course that is faster and flatter than many other ÖtillÖ races, but challenging in new ways. If you fancy racing in fairytale forests and calm lakes – and don’t mind being more than a little chilly – then make your way to Rheinsberg next year.
As for us? Some rest and injury rehab (and possibly some work over the winter on acclimatising to cold water!) and we’ll be back for more swimrun fun. If you never fail, then you haven’t challenged yourself hard enough – but that’s not to say that you shouldn’t take on those challenges again and beat them… Bring on the 2017 season!
Tempted by swimrun? Read our beginner’s guide and find out more about the gear needed in this article.
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Find out more about the ÖtillÖ World Series on the official website.
Italy’s first full-distance Ironman triathlon is to take place on September 23 2017 in Cervia, a seaside town in the Italian province of Emilia-Romagna, Ironman have announced.
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Ironman Italy Emilia Romagna will be Italy’s second Ironman event with the country previously hosting the Ironman 70.3 triathlon in Pescara, located 300 km south of Cervia.
“We are thrilled to be adding a second event in Italy which will contribute to the further growth of our European series,” said Hans-Peter Zurbruegg, Managing Director of Ironmnan Europe, Middle East and Africa. “Last year more than 3,000 Italian athletes raced in our European races. Bringing a full-distance Ironman race to Italy is something we have been working towards for quite some time – it is a great way to provide more opportunities and thank our loyal Italian athletes.”
The race, which will begin on the beach in Cervia, starts with a 3.*8 km loop swim. Athletes will then begin the two-loop bike course on the promenade of Cervia before taking in the hills of Romagna, the park of Salt Pans – where athletes and spectators may see pink flamingos – and the vineyards of famous Sangiovese. The total elevation gain of the bike is about 700 m.
The marathon leg is a flat three-loop course through the main streets of the nearby Milano Marittima. Athletes then enter the heart of Cervia and cross the square of the historic and iconic “salt warehouse” before reaching the finish line on the beach promenade.
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Ironman Italy Emilia Romagna will offer a $40,000 USD professional prize purse and 40 age-group qualifying slots for the 2018 Ironman World Championship.
Olympic gold medallist Gwen Jorgensen and fourth-place finisher in Rio Richard Murray have rounded out their 2016 season with victories at the Island House Invitational Triathlon – a unique three-day, pro-only event that, as the name suggests, is invite-only.
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Made up of three races over three days, the multisport extravaganza started on Friday 28 October, with individual time trials of a 750m swim, a 20km bike and a 5km run.
DAY ONE
Following this first test, Great Britain’s Holly Lawrence (the 2016 70.3 World Champ) and Australia’s Aaron Royle led the standings leading into day two, with reigning Xterra and ITU world champ Flora Duffy lying in second and Jorgensen third for the women. On the men’s side, Murray ended the day in third behind Terenzo Bozzone and ahead of training partner Mario Mola.
DAY TWO
Day two welcomed the Enduro stage, a race comprising a 750m swim, 5km run, 40km bike, 750m swim and a 5km run. In the women’s race, the mass start kept athletes close together during the initial swim leg, with a large pack exiting the water together. Jorgensen asserted herself during the first 5km run to take the lead at the start of the bike. However, non-drafting, long-course specialist Lawrence, used her bike strength to complete the bike leg with the fastest time on the day. Lawrence started the final swim and run legs with a 50sec lead over a pack that included Duffy, Helle Frederiksen, Ellie Salthouse and Jorgensen. The short-course athletes worked together on the second swim leg, narrowing the gap to Lawrence to 30secs heading into the fifth and final leg of the day. Once again, Jorgensen proved invincible on the run, covering the final 5km in 16:52mins for the fastest run split on the day and a 45sec lead on general classification heading into day three. Despite dealing with cramps after the second swim, Duffy ran her way into second place on the Enduro stage, ahead of Salthouse. Lawrence faded to fourth on the stage, but she did enough to remain second overall, 10secs ahead of Duffy.
The lead in the men’s race also switched as Murray gapped the pack during the first run leg, posting a time of 15:21mins for 5km. Cameron Dye of the USA was the biggest mover on the bike, taking the lead over Murray during the closing miles and the two started the final swim and run legs in close proximity. Once again, Murray proved strongest on the run, edging ahead of Dye to cross the line in first place and to take the overall lead after two days of competition. Dye’s performance was enough to catapult him into second place overall after the two stages, while Bozzone’s consistency during the Enduro stage kept him in third place.
DAY THREE
The final day tested the top-10 athletes from the first two days’ competition over a sprint distance on the private island of Highbourne Cay. Athletes started the race according to their deficit overall to the overnight leaders, Jorgensen and Murray.
Lawrence dove into the water 45secs behind Jorgensen with Duffy just 10secs further back. Duffy closed the gap quickly to Lawrence and the two worked to reduce the deficit to Jorgensen out of the swim to 30secs.
“I knew I had to go hard from the start if I wanted to shoot for the win today,” acknowledged Duffy. After catching Jorgensen at the beginning of the second lap of the three-lap bike course, Duffy attacked through the technical sections and gained time heading into T2.
“Flora absolutely owned the technical sections of the bike course”, noted Lawrence post-race. “It’s a pretty technical course and I need to get some tips from her for the future!”
Lawrence was second off the bike but Jorgensen refused to allow the elastic to break and remained in close contact. On the run, the American used her dominant run speed to reel in her competitors, taking the lead by the 3km mark of the run. Once in front, there was no looking back and Jorgensen broke the tape first to seal victory for the second consecutive year.
The men’s race was expected to be a showdown between Murray and non-draft specialist Dye, winner of last year’s third-day stage. Murray retained his lead through the swim but Dye quickly ate into Murray’s lead on the bike portion of the race, catching him on the second lap. But despite his 30sec advantage off the bike, the buffer wasn’t enough for Dye as the South African took the lead at the halfway point of the run and breezed to victory.
Thrilled with the step-up in performance relative to his second place last year, Murray gushed at the finish line: “I’m very happy. This is the best race of the season. Period.”
Dye crossed the line in second place but the battle for the third and final podium spot was a heated one with Royle sneaking past Terenzo Bozzone on the run to claim third place.
Men
1 Richard Murray 3:35:35
2 Cameron Dye 3:36:04
3 Aaron Royle 3:38:13
4 Terenzo Bozzone 3:38:19
5 Eric Lagerstrom 3:38:35
6 Leon Griffin 3:38:55
7 Brent McMahon 3:39:01
8 Joe Maloy 3:39:19
9 Sebastian Kienle 3:39:46
10 Lionel Sanders 3:41:19
Women
1 Gwen Jorgensen 3:55:01
2 Flora Duffy 3:55:19
3 Holly Lawrence 3:56:17
4 Sarah True 3:58:51
5 Rachel Klamer 3:59:01
6 Ellie Salthouse 3:59:09
7 Helle Frederiksen 4:00:00
8 Lauren Goss 4:01:33
9 Katie Zaferes 4:02:16
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10 Emma Moffatt 4:02:52
Ironman have today confirmed that the full 226km distance Ironman will not be hosted in 2017. The Ironman 70.3 distance race will return to Dorset, however, taking place on Sunday 17 September 2017. Entries opening on Wednesday 9 November at midday.
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Following speculation on the future of the full-distance race, Kevin Stewart, Managing Director Ironman UK, commented, “Weymouth was the first time we had combined a full distance and 70.3 on the same day [in Europe]. We’ve undertaken a review of this format since the event with the authorities and consultation with the local communities affected by the road closures.
The conclusion is that we’ll withdraw the full distance event from the race going forward to ensure that we can continue to deliver the best race experience for athletes.
“We’ll continue to offer Ironman UK in July and Ironman Wales in September for those looking to race the full distance.”
After a number of years as a Challenge Family event, Ironman 70.3 Weymouth was a new addition to the 2016 UK calendar and attracted over 2,800 entries in its first year making it the largest Ironman event in the UK. For 2017, the event will also continue to be a Pro race.
220 raced in September and it was a memorable day, with a 1.2-mile sea swim in the clear and warm waters of Weymouth Bay, before athletes then embark on a 56-mile loop bike course on the rolling hills and quaint villages of the Dorset countryside. Once back into transition, the final 13.1-mile half marathon run boasts a spectator-friendly multi-lap run around the town, harbour and historic seafront with bumper crowds along the route.
Ahead of entries opening on Wednesday 9th November, further information about IRONMAN 70.3 Weymouth can be found at www.ironman.com/weymouth70.3 and athlete inquiries can be directed to [email protected].
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Image: Getty
The process of planning/periodising the JETS training has, I believe, been one of the central factors in our collective success, as it improves the likelihood of accurately targeted, individualised, progressive training.
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I wanted to provide an idea of the process, to help illustrate what we do. Other coaches might also want geek-out over why what we do has had a good level of success!
AT THE START
At the start of the season I make a ‘macro-training plan’ on a spreadsheet. It lists all the sessions we do and all the things that we can work on within those sessions. Along the top, each column represents one week of the year (also showing rest weeks in green) and so I then allocate an ‘x’ next to each aspect in the week we will work on it in. It looks like this:
This then gives me a structure for the planning I do for each block, in which I write a session that works on the things I know we need to target. I also add notes about tapering/recovery or anything else that is relevant so I can keep in mind who needs the session adjusted. It looks like this:
All these sessions are then added to our online platform ‘Addaero’ – which is basically a free version of training peaks. Once on here all the athletes can access the sessions from Addaero apps on their mobile phones:
The athletes I coach individually then have their session added to the squad sessions. For Scott Thomson, for example, this means his calendar looks like the below. And as you see, it allows him to upload Garmin files to his training sessions:
The individual sessions I add for these guys/girls are dictated by another chart in which I plan all their additional sessions each block…
…and these are dictated by the areas we decide to target in our 1-2-1 meetings based on how things are progressing and where we think improvements can come from. All this is tracked on a form, which is placed online (Google Docs), so that either I or the athlete can update and edit it whenever they need to. In it we don’t just look at S/B/R but also sleep and diet quality, etc:
All this ensures that the training is as focused and individualised as possible while still allowing some flexibility for when life gets in the way and things need to change. In the future I want to refine this process to make it slicker and better presented. But for year two, even in its rough form, it seems to have worked quite well and is something to build on.
In addition, I also track progression in tests (S – 200m/400m, B – 20min Threshold, R – 5km and 12min Max [this test needs to be improved]) across the season and also track recovery scores to make sure no one is too fatigued. These are also recorded online:
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If you have any questions for Joel, please visit his website www1.joelenoch.com.