Ironman Vitoria - a beautiful yet brutal race. A race of many reasons. 
When I signed up it was to try to break my PB set in Roth 11 years previous (would have been 10 but Covid had other ideas). It was also an opportunity to help my good friend Dave complete his first Ironman Race. There was also a good chance it would be my final Ironman Race for a period of time. 

Ironman racing/completion/participation takes a lot of time and effort and truth is I just don't have the capacity to do the spor...
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Swimming in a straight line sounds easy but is actually harder than it seems. Even in a pool with lane ropes either side and a line on the bottom we see people weaving about all over the place. So how do we get better?
Well, if we look at our bodies and how we use them to propel ourselves we get a better understanding of what may cause us to not swim straight.

We are not built with the same strength and flexibility on both sides. One arm may be stronger and the other may be more flexible. Or o...
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Picture the scene........
You have your wetsuit on (correctly!) and you are standing by a beautiful lake. The sun is shining and you are about to dive into the water and go for a swim where you don't have to worry about splashing anyone in the lane next to you, you don't have to turn in 25 meters and you don't have to worry about following someones feet and swimming the correct side of the black line.
You walk down the ramp and your foot touches the water.......you notice it is a bit chillier t...
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Over this week we are going to help everyone swim better in open water - from novices to experts and everyone between. We hope that you will all take something from it.

In the first instalment we are going to talk about what equipment you will need.

Wetsuit 

If you are swimming in the open water you will need a wetsuit. The difference between a triathlon/swimming wetsuit and a surfing wetsuit is the smooth material and the flexibility - especially around the shoulders. The buoyancy will also be ...
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Taking on a coach is a big decision. Having someone else tell you what to do on a daily basis isn't something that should be taken lightly and you should try to speak to a few coaches. We have been in the industry for 16 years and have seen people go from back of the pack to standing on the podium as well as help rekindle the enjoyment for endurance sports. This article gives you a clue as to what is involved with coaching.

Trust

• The aim for any coach should be to gain your trust. If the coach ...

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I remember when I was a few years younger watching The Endless Summer 2 - a modern version of the surfing movie The Endless Summer. I hadn't watched the original and back in those days it was hard to get a copy of the original. Eventually I did and what I saw was mind blowing. Two young Americans travelling to hard to reach (in those days) places such as Tahiti, Senegal, Nigeria and South Africa. Their goal was to surf new spots and introduce locals to the sport. It was fascinating. Imagine t...
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I will admit it - I have let this side of my life go a bit. 

I have built a training philosophy around consistency and progression and I have let the little insights into my world slip. 

I started triathlon as an average athlete - way before the days of social media. At the time I craved success and wrote about training sessions, race reports and was pretty open. Then I hit the wilderness period and decided to block everyone out. There were reasons for this - good reasons I thought. I guess I h...
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Quite a few years ago, at some significant point in my life as a child, my mum gave me a Dr Seuss book called Oh The Places You'll Go. Being the kind of boy I was I probably said thank you and never actually read it in depth. But recently it has come back in to my mind - like the "One Ring" in the Lord of the Rings, I didn't know what the book was about but it's importance has become apparent.

As an athlete/coach I have been to great places, I have shared the best moments of people's lives (an...
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