Over recent years there has been a boom in carbon-plated running shoes. Following Nike’s revolutionary Vaporfly 4%, most of the major running shoe brands have now developed their own carbon-plated models. These shoes are all about improving efficiency and, as a result, enhancing your performance. In this two-part blog, Coach Jon explores how these work and how they can make you faster.
Read MoreMost triathlons feature an open water swim, and familiarity with the water really helps on race day. Many triathletes swim in their local lakes, rivers or sea during training season but stop once the water and air temperatures drop. In this article, coach Denise looks at why and how you can swim outside all year round.
Read MoreIn this latest article, Coach Philip looks at whether or not it is practical to put a marathon into an IRONMAN Training programme. This is a common conversation with athletes, so we outline some of the considerations below.
Read MoreAs the Triathlon season in the UK ends, it’s time to think about your goals for 2023 and how you can best prepare for them. In this tongue-in-cheek article, Coach Denise looks at just how you can do this to maximum effect, maybe.
Read More
We live in a world of ‘results’ within triathlon and what ‘results’ are can be different between individuals. As coaches, we have the privilege to see under the bonnet or behind the curtains of many athletes’ performances and it is this perspective that gives us the ability to give a logical opinion on performance. Recently and more frequently we are experiencing athletes having difficulty digesting and sharing their experience of an event with what ‘everyone’ else thinks. Here Coach Alan has written about one of his races to give a framework to help structure planning, doing and reviewing a race.
Read MoreIn this article, coach Kevin explores how we can use brains over brawn to run more efficiently. How does leg ‘springiness[‘ contribute to running efficiency, and can a springy shoe make a difference to your performance? Read on to find out more.
Read MoreIn this article, coach Philip looks at our ability to "dig deep" and how we can nurture it and become better and what many people call "mental toughness" as he explores why some people find it hard to push themselves in a race.
Read More
In this second article on warm-ups Coach Alan takes you through each of these steps to give you the details on how to warm up so that you can be firing on all cylinders from the moment you cross the start line of your next race.
Read MoreA strong foundation of a healthy diet is a great starting point, but when training, it is crucial to ensure that energy used is replaced in a form which is readily accessible. Coach Denise looks at how much fuel is needed, in what form, and some other reasons to train your fuelling strategy well before race day.
Read MoreHaving recently completed a ‘run every day’ challenge earlier this year, Coach Jon reflects on his experience of completing the challenge.
Earlier this year, I set myself the challenge of running every day for a month, with no rules, no targets, just lace up the trainers and get out of the door every day. Why? No real reason, apart from a self-fulfilling sense of achievement and a desire to investigate whether a little and often approach would bring about any tangible running improvements. Before I let you know how I got on, let’s take a look at some of the benefits and negative aspects of running every day.
Read More
How important is it to warm up? How does it make a difference? Why should you warm-up? How could you warm up for your upcoming triathlon race over any distance? Read on to find out as Coach Alan takes you through each of these steps to give you the knowledge to be firing on all cylinders from the moment you cross the start line of your next race.
Read MoreOne of the most important parts of swimming outside in a race is swimming straight. Sighting is critical to this; seeing where you are going helps too! Foggy goggles are a persistent problem; Coach Denise looks at how to keep your goggles fog-free.
Read More
In this latest blog Coach Alan answers the question ‘Is a constant power output the best way to pace for race performance” by looking into pacing strategy using dFRC.
Read MoreMany people know about the significant events on the race calendar. In fact, one of the bigger, more well-known events is probably how you got into the sport or learned about triathlon. However, smaller, more low-key events are critical to the success and popularity of the sport. In this article, Coach Denise looks at the perks of racing local and how you can use local races to succeed this season.
Read MoreIn most triathlons, the swim takes place outside, either in a lake, river or the sea. Training in a similar environment makes sure you are fully ready to take on the first leg of the race and gives you a chance to test out all of the race kit, especially your wetsuit. Your wetsuit is likely to be the most expensive item of equipment you have for swimming, and looking after it is crucial. In this article, Coach Denise looks at why it should be cleaned and how to do it.
Read MoreAs coaches, we can focus on tracking metrics to help guide your training and performance as an athlete. It helps to see a quantitative measure of if things are on track or going as expected. One of these metrics is power or wattage, in this article Coach Alan looks at why ‘winning’ or riding with the lowest average power can result in a better performance.
Read MoreThere are as many different ways to create a training plan as there are athletes - at TTH, all athletes are treated as individuals, and plans are generated from the ground up to suit the athlete's goals, lifestyle, and constraints. However, there are some basic principles that have been around for a long time; you probably know the one Coach Kevin is going to discuss: which is to complete a block (or blocks!) of base training before you start to think about increasing the intensity of sessions. It might seem a bit ‘old school’ to some, but in this article, he’ll discuss four reasons why we think it’s still a good idea.
Read MoreThere are many swim tools and toys available in the swimming world. Some are favoured more by triathletes than by pure swimmers and vice versa. In this blog, coach Jon looks into the equipment that can help you improve your triathlon swimming performance.
Read MoreFor this year's International Women's Day, Coach Philip spoke to some athletes about some of the female-specific barriers they may feel or people new to endurance sports like triathlon may think. As a male coach, he was less interested in the science behind the differences; there is plenty of air-time about that both in our female athlete section on our website and generally in research (though more is needed). Instead, he was more interested in practical solutions to what some women may consider deal-breakers for getting into this sport. Below he captures parts of the discussions.
Read MoreIn this latest article, coach Kevin looks at how much recovery you need – how you can track recovery and some of the important skills you can develop as an athlete that goes far beyond just training.
Read More