If you want to do… an open-water swim
Over the past decade, a growing number of swimmers have freed themselves from the confines of chlorinated pools and rediscovered the lost pastime of open-water swimming. Last year, more than 20,000 people took part in the Great Swim series, while places in one of the Outdoor Swimming Society’s events, the Dart river 10K, sold out in 20 minutes. A mile is ideal for your first open-water event – equal to 64 lengths of a 25m pool, but a different challenge entirely. “No lane ropes or lines to follow along the bottom, or wall at which to take a breather, but also no interruptions to your rhythm and a sense of actually going somewhere,” says Kate Rew, founder of the Outdoor Swimming Society and author of Wild Swim.
Open-water swimming is undoubtedly tougher than the pool, but the sense of adventure and freedom you feel, slipping into a reed-lined lake or wading out into the waves, is worth the effort. The key, says open-water swim coach Julian Nagi, is specific preparation. “No matter how much pool swimming you do, you need some open-water experience.” Nagi recommends that casual swimmers allow 16 weeks to train for a one-mile event. For the first few weeks, don’t think about pace, just swim, for at least 40 minutes, three times a week, he says. “Consistency is crucial – not just for fitness and technique, but also to feel comfortable in the water.”
Then start to practise some open-water skills in the pool. That’s what swimming coach Cassie Patten, bronze medallist in the inaugural Olympic 10km open-water swim, used to do. “Every other length, we would practise ‘sighting’, looking up to ensure you are swimming in the right direction,” she says. “Lift your head as little as possible, otherwise your hips sink. Think crocodile eyes.”
Swimming close to others is another skill you can get to grips with in the pool. “Swim shoulder to shoulder with a friend in a lane,” Patten suggests. “It’s about holding your line – being assertive, not aggressive.” A wetsuit raises the position of your body in the water – to prepare for this, Nagi recommends swimming some lengths with a pullbuoy (a float placed between the thighs). And swim continuously without a break, as you’ll be doing in the event. “For a mile swim, building up to 2,000 metres would be good – it gives you 400 in the bank,” Patten says. “It’s as much about confidence as fitness.”
As the event draws nearer, make sure you get some real open-water practice. “Spend some time treading water and practise breathing out underwater,” Nagi says. “The worst thing you can do is just jump in and start swimming.”
Many open-water swimming venues run coached sessions. Some also offer wetsuit rental or a “try before you buy” service. “In a wetsuit, you should feel slightly vacuum-packed, but not restricted,” Nagi says. “Pay particular attention to the fit around the neck and flexibility around the shoulders.” (Pull the sleeves and legs as far up as you can, to allow some movement in the torso.) Clear goggles are fine on a murky day, but if there’s even a hint of sunshine, tinted or mirrored ones will help with glare. A bright swim cap keeps you warm and visible to others.
If you have any opportunity to recce your swim route beforehand, do so. “Things look very different from water level,” Patten says. “Using a landmark on the horizon can help you stay on course. If you’re nervous, position yourself wide, or at the back, on the start line. Keep calm by focusing on your breathing, blowing out bubbles under the water.”
… a Tough Mudder
Is your social media feed populated with dozens of photos of triumphant friends covered head to toe in mud, medals slung around their necks? Obstacle course races (OCR), or “mud runs”, have been the breakout exercise trend of the last few years. They test not just your stamina but your strength, skill and steely reserve. On a run of between five and 12 miles, you could find yourself wading through a freezing bog, crawling beneath live electrical wires, scaling walls and climbing ropes. “No two races are the same,” says Ross Macdonald, one of the UK’s top OCR athletes. Obstacles. For example, in Tough Guy, one of the original OCRs, now in its 29th year, a third of participants drop out – and it’s only eight miles long. Tough Mudder, however, whose UK events attracted 100,000 participants last year, pitches itself as a challenge, rather than a race, placing the emphasis on fun and teamwork. It’s just launched a new half-distance option (five miles) that promises no fire, no live electricity and no ice.
Most events are about 10 miles long, for which Macdonald recommends allowing 12 weeks’ training. “Depending on fitness level and difficulty, you could be on the course for anything from 90 minutes to more than three hours,” he says.
So how do you prepare? “Obstacle racing is a bit like interval training,” says James Trevorrow, creator of an OCR gym class, Mudder Maker (from April to September at all Virgin Active clubs). “You run a mile, climb over something, run a mile, crawl under something…” If you don’t already run regularly, allow six to eight weeks of slow, steady running, building up your distance each week. Then progress to interval training. “Include both short bouts of 30-60 seconds of hard effort with recovery jogs, and hill running. On a treadmill, alternate one minute uphill with one minute flat running”
No matter how good your running is, though, it won’t prepare you for the range of skills required. “You’ll be crawling, lunging, jumping, reaching, twisting, pushing and pulling,” Trevorrow says. “For a lot of people, the challenge is not endurance, but strength and mobility.” Hone upper body strength by working towards pull-ups. “If you can’t do a pull-up, just hanging [from a bar] is a good place to start. Then progress to swaying and assisted pull-ups.” For leg strength, try squats and lunges, progressing to power-based moves such as explosive squats and jumping on to a box or step. “I’d also include lots of crawling. You can practise at home: try a bear crawl, on hands and feet, and a belly crawl, pulling yourself along with your upper body.”
On the day itself, watch others closely. “There’s often queueing for obstacles, which allows you to see how others tackle them. Use the waiting time to choose a route or pick your strategy.”
… a half marathon
This is the UK’s most popular race distance. Coach Martin Yelling (husband of former Commonwealth marathon medallist Liz Yelling) understands why. “You can hit a half marathon hard,” he says. “And compared with a marathon, you don’t need to devote so much time to training, or recovering afterwards.”
That said, don’t underestimate the training required. Personal trainer Dalton Wong, who counts Jennifer Lawrence among his clients, advises that, before you begin, sit down with a coach, trainer or physio for an MOT. “Many runners get injuries because they start training without knowing whether their body is strong enough to take it,” he says. Wong recommends including regular strength and flexibility training in your plan. He encourages runners to do a hip flexor stretch twice daily to help reduce back and knee pain.
While Yelling says 12 weeks should get you race fit, Alexandra Heminsley, author of Running Like A Girl, recommends starting as soon as possible: “If you can run in the wind and rain of January, you’ll know you can run at any time of the year.” And don’t restrict yourself to three months of monotonous plods: “Varying your pace between sessions will get you fit quicker,” Yelling says.
The best way to improve your pace is to include some faster running bouts in your weekly plan: a set of two- to three-minute intervals with jog recoveries in between, or 20-30 minutes at a pace on the edge of your comfort zone. Even so, make easy running the bulk of your training, to build all-important stamina. “The first time you run 10 miles, it’s about survival,” Yelling says. “The next time, it’s about learning to pace it better. The third time you might feel good enough to speed up towards the end, or add on an extra mile.” It’s not essential to have run 13.1 miles before the day of the event but, unlike a marathon, it’s fine if you do. According to sports nutritionist Matt Fitzgerald, long runs are the time to practise drinking (go by thirst) and fuelling up (aim for at least 30g, the equivalent of an energy gel or handful of jelly babies, per hour) on the run. Make your last big run two weeks before race day, to give yourself time to recover.
It’s also good to vary your surfaces. One Brazilian study found running on grass produced lower peak forces compared with tarmac, rubber or concrete. But don’t do all your miles on soft ground if your race is on road.
If you’ve not run in a big race before, find an event to act as a rehearsal. “I wildly over-ate the morning of my first half marathon,” Heminsley says. “An egg on toast and a cup of tea would have been fine, but two bowls of pasta the night before, plus a huge bowl of porridge and two energy bars the morning of the event left me dragging myself round the course.” Your performance in a rehearsal race will also help you determine a realistic goal. From a 10k, multiply your time in minutes by 2.22 to predict your half marathon potential. Divide the result by 13.1 (for miles) or 21 (for km) and you’ll have an idea of the required pace.
Contemplating 13.1 miles of running can be daunting. Yelling likes to split the race into digestible chunks: “Three miles to get into it, three to build up to halfway, three to truly engage and focus (this is where runners often drop the ball) and three to hold on. Then it’s just a mile to go – and you know you can do that.”
… a sprint triathlon
The word sprint is applied euphemistically when it comes to this “entry level” triathlon: you’re still in for a sustained effort of 1.5 to 2.5 hours. But the event – comprising a 750m swim, a 20km cycle and a 5km run – is achievable for anyone who can at least get by in each of the three sports.
A 16-week training block gives you plenty of time to prepare, says Nagi, who is also a British Triathlon Federation coach. Spend the first six weeks of training simply getting comfortable with each sport, building endurance and confidence. But don’t be fooled into thinking triathlon training is just a matter of swimming, cycling and running as much as you can. “You need to make training specific, mimicking the demands of the race – say, tagging a 15-minute run on the end of a 30-minute bike ride, or jumping on an exercise bike after a swim.” (These are called “brick” sessions.)
Proportionally, the swim leg (which is the most common weakest link) comprises around 20% of race time, compared with 50% on the bike and 30% running. So should you spend less time training for it? “It could be argued you needn’t spend equal time in each discipline,” says triathlete Vicky Holland, who will compete for GB in Rio later this year. “But it’s a bit more complex. For example, running puts more stress on the body, so you can’t do as much of it without injury risk. Cycling is low stress, very sociable and great for aerobic fitness. I spend roughly twice as many hours riding each week as I do swimming or running.”
After establishing an all-round base comes a skill-building phase, where there’s more focus on honing technique and race-specific practice. Brick sessions help you prepare physiologically for the switch between sports (it’s common to experience jelly legs when you begin the run after cycling, warns former world champion Helen Jenkins) and also allow you to practise the unique feature of triathlon that is transition – when you’re moving from one discipline to the next.
“There is no point training hard to improve your times if you blow all those hard-earned seconds by messing it up,” Jenkins says. With a month to go, Nagi advises introducing a weekly swim-bike-run simulation, where you link all three disciplines together. And make sure you’re comfortable with all the kit you plan to use, from goggles and trainers to wetsuit and energy drinks.
When it comes to the final week, wind down training to ensure you feel raring to go on race day. “Mentally run through your transitions,” Jenkins advises. “In what order you’ll put your clothing on, which side you’ll grab your bike from – this will make your race smoother and less stressful.”
It’s almost impossible to get there too early on race day – you’ll need to register, set up your transition area, get your wetsuit on and take a look at the course. Remember to take water and perhaps a snack (or energy drink) on the bike.
… a 100km cycle
A sportive is an organised ride, rather than a race, though riders are usually timed. Most offer feed stations, where you can take a break or refuel, as well as mechanical support; plus the route is waymarked or marshalled, so there’s little risk of getting lost. It’s a great way of taking on an ambitious distance.
You can ride a sportive on any bike, but a road bike is the favoured (and fastest) option, says Dawn Hunter, a British Cycling qualified coach. If your bike skills are rusty, she recommends riding in a traffic-free area, such as a park, to regain confidence, familiarise yourself with the gears and brakes, and practise turning and taking each hand off the handlebars. “You’re likely to be riding in close proximity to other riders, which can be daunting. Practise looking over your shoulder before you change direction and being able to react quickly to sudden changes of speed or direction from riders in front of you. Get together with cyclist friends, or join a club to get used to riding in a group.”
Lizzie Armitstead, road race world champion, agrees: “Nothing will motivate you more than cycling in company. It’s more social and will help your riding, too. Riding close behind another rider uses around 30% less energy.”
From a reasonable base level of fitness, 12-16 weeks should be long enough to train for a 100k sportive. “There’s no substitute for long rides when it comes to preparation,” Armitstead says. “They build endurance and get you used to time in the saddle. Try to achieve the full distance in training at least once, if you can. Mentally, it’s important to know you are capable of it.”
Not all your rides have to take up an entire morning or afternoon, though. “If you have an hour to ride, including some hill climbs and sprints will build strength,” Armitstead says. “Short, steep climbs will improve power; longer, gradual climbs will consolidate general conditioning and fitness.” If you can’t get out much during the week, do fast or interval sessions on an indoor bike. Try four minutes at 90% of your maximum effort, followed by a two-minute recovery. Spin classes are another good indoor option, but make sure you do a few sessions on the road before the event.
Fuel up in the morning. “I have porridge with berries and nuts before a morning ride, and a coffee,” Armitstead says. You’ll be out on the road for several hours, so you’ll want to top up energy stores along the way. Fix two bottle cages to your bike and stow snacks somewhere accessible such as a cycle top pocket or top tube bar. “I take water and a banana or a flapjack,” Armitstead says. “I start eating after the first hour and have something every half-hour after that.”
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