Christmas Ideas for Triathletes...From Your Coach!

Christmas is nearly upon us and we are here to help with some Christmas suggestions for every triathlete who seems to already have everything out there. These are all gifts recommended by us to help get the best out of your training – we aren't looking for the next bit of bling, rather we want to ensure that you are able to continue training and get the gift that keeps on giving!

Merino Wool Socks

As the temperature has dropped to artic conditions merino wool socks should be part of every cyclist’s/ triathlete’s wardrobe to keep your toes nice and warm during those long winter rides. Paired with a good set of overshoes you have a winning combination. Which leads us on nicely to our next item.

Overshoes

Overshoes help to delay your feet getting cold when riding in heavy rain and provide a layer of insulation. Most overshoes tend to be made from neoprene which helps to keep the water out and provide a thick insulating layer. Also fit is very important as you don’t want the overshoe to be baggy around your leg easily allowing water to run down your leggings to your feet. For a good quality overshoe, you are looking at around £30-40+.

Finis Tempo Trainer

A fantastic training aid that you place under your swim cap. There are 2 functions stroke rate or lap interval mode. Most commonly used in the lap function to help swimmers pace their intervals. For example, if you are doing 100m repetitions trying to hit 1:20 pace you would set the tempo trainer to 20 seconds if you are in a 25m pool. Therefore, you know you should be turning every time you hear a beep. This helps you to pace yourself and get the best out of your session rather than starting too quick and then finishing much slower than your target pace.

Smart Trainer

If you have been particularly good this year and manage to find yourself on the nice list you may find a smart trainer under your Christmas tree this year. A smart trainer is just like a standard turbo trainer however it has the function to be paired to third party software such as Traineroad or Zwift to get the best indoor training experience. They can come in two types, wheel on systems or direct drive trainers. The price of a smart trainer ranges from a couple hundred pounds to £1000+. By spending more it tends to mean reduced noise and increased power accuracy.

Coaching Service or Swim Clinic

No better way of getting the best out of yourself or the recipient of this gift, leading into next season than purchasing a coaching service for them. This could be monthly coaching working with a personal coach to get the most out of your available time to train or a one to one swim clinic including video analysis to help improve and refine your swim technique. Find out about our latest sessions here.

Tri Training Harder Christmas Jumper

Finally, how could we do an article on Christmas present ideas without including this unique triathlon related Christmas jumper which we are sure will stand out amongst all the other Christmas jumpers in the office on Christmas jumper day. RRP £14.99 (Sorry for the shameless plug!). Click here to buy yours!

Will MundayDecember 14, 2017triathlon, Will MundayComment

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