WhittleFit Athlete Spotlight: Angela Martin

Here's our brand new WhittleFit Athlete Spotlight article, where we let you inside the mind of WhittleFit athletes and see what makes them tick.

This month we focus the spotlight on Angela Martin, lets see what Angela has to say:  

  • What got you started in endurance or multi sport events?
    • My husband started doing triathlons in 2011 and I could see he was really enjoying it. I was doing some running but was not really feeling the love and then in June 2012 I saw my gym was holding an indoor triathlon. I did a few months training (I hadn’t been swimming since I was a teenager!) and completed it in Nov 2012. A month later my husband bought me a road bike for Christmas and I haven’t looked back!
  • How long have you been working with WhittleFit?
    • I started to receive coaching from Mark in Spring 2013.
  • Tell us about your home and work life
    • Home is really busy. My husband has a full on training plan (Mark coaches him too) and we have two children who are both really sporty so evenings and weekends usually involve taking them to their clubs. Luckily I only work part time so I do most of my training in the day. I like working with Mark because I don’t have to think about what I’m going to do, I just open my plan and follow it.
  • What was your first race?
    • Apart from the indoor tri my first triathlon was the Amman Valley Sprint tri in Spring 2013. My first open water triathlon was Mumbles sprint in June 2013 which I absolutely loved although I was almost sick with fear before it!
  • How many races have you competed in?
    • Not that many, I’ve done around half a dozen sprint triathlons, 2 olympic distances and a few sportives. 2015 was supposed to be my first ‘long’ year so I didn’t compete much. I was signed up to race the Ironman Zell am See 70.3 but I had an accident a few weeks before which prevented me from taking part.
  • What advice would you give someone starting out in triathlon?
    • If you can, join a club or get a coach. It’s easy to treat every session as a smash fest but that doesn’t get results. Get advice and a plan to take you to your goal. If there’s one thing I’ve learned from Mark is that consistency is key, it’s the routine, repetitive sessions that make the difference long term. I would also say, if swimming is a weakness get technique advice from a swim coach. A small tweak to your stroke could make a huge difference. 
  • What has been the most rewarding part of your journey racing in multi sport or endurance events?
    • I love the buzz you get from completing a race, the endorphins give you a real high although usually within 24 hours I’m thinking ‘I should’ve pushed harder’.
  • What is your biggest accomplishment so far?
    • Making it to the start line of any race is an achievement for me. It would be easy to give up and make excuses not to train but I want to be healthy and inspire my kids to be healthy and fit too and I think I’ve achieved that.

Thanks to Angela for checking in with us! Angela has some good challenges lined up for 2016, including the the Alpe d'Huez short course triathlon, the iconic French alpine triathlon! Keep checking back here as we'll be adding a new WhittleFit Athlete Spotlight article every month, and even some guest posts from some single sport endurance athletes!!!

The WhittleFit cycling gear is NOW available!

The NEW WhittleFit cycling gear is now available!!! 
 
We have teamed up with Pactimo to provide a top of the range, elite level of cycling and triathlon clothing, which has been tested by professional cyclists and triathletes to give you confidence in a durable and comfortable set of clothing that is suitable for the novice and elite athlete alike. 
 
The team store is available HERE. Please use the password “Whittlefit’ when entering the team store (case sensitive).
 
We have a range of bespoke WhittleFit cycling gear available and some generic cycling items that may interest you. With the Pactimo store you can order what you want, pay for it online and then it will get delivered to me in the New Year; I will then distribute the kit ready for your winter/spring rides in January and February! 
 
Please use the sizing chart in the shop to choose the correct size for you. Some manufacturers sizing is different, so please use the chart as once the items are ordered, we can not change them as I won’t be holding a stock of kit for exchange purposes. 
 
The shop closes on the 5th December so please get your orders in ASAP! 

Alpe d'Huez Long Course Triathlon: A Preview

I’ve set one of my goals for the 2016 season, the Alpe d’Huez alpine triathlon in July! Find out what lies in store for me with this course preview…(caution: contains hills!)

The Alpe d’Huez long course triathlon in the South of France is considered one of the toughest tri events in the world. So I’ve signed up to do it! I’ve got 7 or 8 months of training ahead of me. Here’s what I can expect on the day. 

2.2km lake swim: The swim isn’t just long, it’s usually cold too (despite the time of year). The entrance to the lake  is rocky, so I'll be cautious even before the race starts! Low water temperatures aren’t unusual in this race (it was 13'C in 2013), so I’ll pack two swim caps and be sure to take time to dry off properly in T1 before heading off on the bike. And with around 1,200 athletes taking part, it’s likely to be a bumpy swim. But the views will be worth it: the setting of Lac du Verney mountain reservoir is beautiful (and the water is clean and crystal clear too).

115km bike: The clue is in the name: the Alpe d’Huez triathlon is hilly! The course is the stuff of legends. In fact, I get to ride three mountain passes: the Alpe du Grand Serre (1375 m), the Col d’Ornon (1371 m) and the climb up to Alpe d’Huez itself with its 21 switching bends. Some of the climbs are 12%, and they go on for a long, long time. I’m just going to have to spin up and grind it out. I’m counting on some pretty stunning views from the top as a reward for my efforts!

T2: There are two separate transition areas in this race, so I’ll have to be extra organised when I pack my transition bags and set myself up.

22km run: The final leg of this tough race starts on a narrow track along the mountainside, with an uphill section halfway through. The last few kms are downhill, though, so I’ll enjoy that bit! Apparently the finish line is noisy and packed with crazy enthusiastic spectators, and the post-race “village” is great. But it’ll be some time before I’m there. I’ve got to swim 2.2kms, bike 115kms, run 22kms… and tick off months of structured, periodised training first!

Does this sound like the kind of race you’d like to do? What’s the toughest triathlon you’ve ever done?

WhittleFit Athlete Spotlight: Matthew Pritchard

Matthew Pritchard Triathlon Coaching WhittleFit

Here's our latest WhittleFit Athlete Spotlight article, where we let you inside the mind of WhittleFit athletes and see what makes them tick. This month we focus the spotlight on Matthew Pritchard, who is actually the brother of Adam who was our September WhittleFit Athlete Spotlight athlete. Matthew, or Pritch as he's normally called, has a history of crazy antics with the Dirty Sanchez crew, but his crazy antics are now all focussed on endurance sports including Ironman triathlon, the double and triple Brutal triathlon and the crazy Windermere to Cardiff Epic Triathlon Challenge. Here's a very honest insight into the world of Matthew 'Pritch' Pritchard:

  • What got you started in endurance or multi-sport events?
    • It started off with a half marathon then a full marathon, then it was Bolton Ironman and from there I realised I'd found something I loved doing......swimming, cycling and running (although my background is skateboarding). 
  • How long have you been working with WhittleFit?

    • I started in January 2015. 
  • Tell us about your home and work life.
    • My home and work life is very varied which I like as it keeps it interesting. No week is ever the same to be honest. A normal week for me starts Tuesday till Friday of which I look after all things shop related (Pritch owns the SWYD Tattoo & Barber studio in Cardiff) whilst working on other projects that I have in the pipeline. I have an office in my attic where I like to do all my paper work plus I pop into the shop to see the team every now and again to make sure everything is all gravy. The good thing about the shop is I can go off and do my thing and I know the shop's always in good hands so if a gig happens to pop up I'm all good to go and not worry about locking or opening up. I'm in the process of opening my second shop and have some exiting things in the pipeline so its sure to keep me busy. I train 6 days a week at whatever time I feel is best for me throughout the day. If its pissing down in the morning on a bike day and dry in the night then I'll wait till the night and vice versa. If its pissing down all day & night then its tough shit........I'm getting wet. The good thing about my job is I get to go swimming off peak and I get a lane to myself, trust me its bliss compared to the 6am morning rush hour. As for running, rain or shine, I'm not bothered. My fave days of the week are Sunday and Monday as its normally my long ride day on Sunday which I try and get out early for and get home to cook myself a Sunday roast. Monday is my quiet day but I try and spend more time with my dog Lemmy and take him out for most of the day. I have a special belt with an elastic lead that I attach to him so he can run with me, believe me, he's a springer so I'll never tire him out no matter how hard I try.  My fiancé Ciara lives in Dublin so she comes down to stay with me when she can and vice versa. To relax I love to cook and even with a hangover I never order a take away. Talking of hangovers the only time I party these days are if I'm with my fiancé, have a gig or going out with the team from SWYD. Thats it.
  • What was your first race?
    • When I was 15 I entered the Cardiff half marathon with my brother, mam, dad and my mams mate. My parents told me and my brother that if we did the Cardiff half marathon we could have a pair of Hi-Tech silver shadows!!!  
  • How many races have you competed in?
    • Oh god, good question. I rounded up my medals the other day and I'm sure we're looking at about 20 races over the years.
  • What advice would you give someone just starting out in triathlon?
    • If you're looking at doing an Ironman distance triathlon then be prepared to dedicate a lot of time to training. Get a proper triathlon coach, it makes a BIG difference as I found when I joined WhittleFit. Most of all, enjoy it, its great. 
  • What has been the most rewarding part of your journey racing in endurance or multi-sport events?
    • The training gave me focus. Completing the lake Windemere swim with my brother and completing the double brutal, i will never forget them for as long as i live. The positive vibes at all events, athlete's and supporters alike.
  • What is your biggest accomplishment so far?
    • The Double Brutal Triathlon 

Many thanks to Pritch for letting us into his world for the WhittleFit Athlete Spotlight series, it's very much appreciated. Pritch will be announcing his next crazy endurance adventure very, very soon, so watch this space!!! 

Winter Wattbike cycling improvement program

The winter is here, so how would you like to improve your cycling power and performance ready for the 2016 season?

Well, our 12 week Wattbike Cycling Improvement Program does just that! We use the state-of-the-art Wattbike to accurately train and test your power and track your progress over 12 weeks, in conjunction with a bespoke progressive training plan.

The Wattbike gives essential feedback on performance and monitors improvements. Each athlete will have an initial 20 minute threshold test and throughout the program this test will be repeated to ensure progress (you will get tested on Week 1, Week 6 and Week 12). This allows us to keep you working in the right training zones and get the best training response possible. These improvements on the Wattbike will then directly translate over onto the road ready for 2016. 
  
The program includes twelve 60min Wattbike sessions. You will undertake a 20min threshold test on the Wattbike Week 1, Week 6 and Week 12 and on the other nine sessions you will receive a coached Wattbike session with WhittleFit triathlon and Wattbike coach Lawrence Cronk, where you will progress through various high intensity efforts to really boost your threshold power. 
 
The 12 week Wattbike Cycling Improvement Program costs £300 and will be held at Penarth Leisure Centre. For more details CONTACT US and find out how you can enter 2016 fitter, leaner and faster with the Wattbike Cycling Improvement Program! 
  1. New coach joins WhittleFit!
  2. 6 Simple Winter Triathlon Training Tips To Get Stronger, Fitter & Faster
  3. Treadmill running this winter???
  4. Testimonial: Ironman Wales triathlete
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