Challenge Salou race report - Craig Burrows

WhittleFit coached triathlete Craig Burrows raced in Spain a few weeks ago, he raced Challenge Salou, which is a half iron distance trathlon, lets hear how he got on:

When choosing a race I look for many facets that will make it desirable for both myself, who will be racing and Loz (my girlfriend), who will be supporting. Generally the criteria is fast, flat, good weather and somewhere different each time (apart from Ironman Wales which is like an itch I just can't scratch). After Challenge Salou this past weekend I may be revisiting some, if not all of that essential check list.

I must first start off by saying that I loved racing Challenge Salou, it was a fantastic event that was as inclusive to all abilities as it was geared towards the speedy ones. It wasn't without its flaws and caveats but what race is? The main thing is that I had fun, so much fun.

Team WhittleFit racing roundup - 3rd & 4th June 2017

There was some excellent racing this weekend from WhittleFit coached athletes, here's a snapshot:

• Cotswolds 113: The Cotswolds 113 triathlon always proves a popular early season half iron distance race and it was the same this weekend, with coached athletes and many friends of WhittleFit racing. Dan Budge (coached by Chris Tasker) set a new PB in a time of 4:38 and Trevor Batey (coached by Lawrence Cronk) raced superbly to come 6th in his very competitive age group in a time of 4:24, great work everyone!
• Bala Middle Distance Triathlon: The beautiful setting of Bala hosted the Welsh Middle Distance Triathlon Champs this weekend and sole WhittleFit coached athlete Gareth Hodgson raced as a stepping stone to his A races for the year, being the Outlaw Triathlon and the Ironman World Championships. Gareth raced extremely well, especially considering he didn’t taper for this race and finished 8th overall and 2nd senior male in the Welsh Middle Distance Champs, well done Gareth!   
• Dorking 10: Tom Foster raced the Dorking 10 (10 miles) yesterday and came home in a well deserved 10th place, nice work Tom!  
• Brecon Sprint Triathlon: Coach Henry raced the Brecon Sprint Triathlon on Saturday and blew out the cobwebs with a superb 2nd place, great work coach! 

Is your swim bag missing something?

It’s fair to say that adult triathlete’s who come from a swimming background are the minority and also true that the majority like swimming the least. Hence the array of pool toys to a) try and ingrain the technique you never mastered as a child and b) to entertain you in the pool!

Triathlete’s love a training aid or gadget, that’s a given. I can guarantee those reading this will have most or all of the following in their swim bag: Pull buoy, kick board, fins and paddles. But there could be a simple little gadget that you have overlooked, a tempo trainer. If you are not familiar, it’s a metronome (or wetronome) about the size of a watch that fits under your swim cap. It can be used to beep at the end of a length to help you pace an interval or, it can be used to beep on every stroke to give you a stroke count or strokes per minute. It is the second of the options I’d like to talk about in this article.

One thing adult swimmers can struggle with is timing and rhythm. Their stroke rate might be too low as they pause when they breathe or it might be lopsided as they favour rotation on one side. Trying to match each stroke with the beep will immediately identify any imbalances, pauses or dead spots. On the flip side a stroke can be too fast or choppy, not allowing enough time to get a feel for the water and utilise the catch, pull & push.

Team WhittleFit racing roundup - 27th & 28th May 2017

This past weekend we had lots of WhittleFit athletes and friends of WhittleFit racing, from Salou to Scotland, lets see how our athletes got on:

• British age group sprint triathlon championships – Andrew ‘Pops’ Martin raced the British age group sprint triathlon championships in Strathclyde this weekend. He had an amazing race (fastest swim of the day) and won the 40-44 age group! Well done Pops, you’re now the British sprint triathlon champ!
• Swansea Sprint Triathlon – we had lots of athletes racing at Swansea this weekend, congratulations to you all, with notable performances from James Grandfield (10th overall) and Emma Edworthy (10th vet)!
• Challenge Salou – Craig Burrows raced a half iron distance triathlon in the heat of Salou this weekend and came home in a great time of 4hr23, well done Craig, great racing, now enjoy the rest of your holiday!  
• Bynea CC 25 mile TT – coach Lawrence raced the Bynea CC 25 mile time trial this weekend, unfortunately he missed out on a PB, but had a great ride nonetheless, well done coach.