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Hi Guys,
It’s getting to that time of year where race season is fast approaching!

If that doesn’t set the butterflies off in your stomach then I don’t know what will. This time should be a time of great anticipation and excitement as we head towards your first races of the season. Hopefully the great work I know you’ve put in all winter will start to bear fruit and this year will be your most successful ever. Just remember a season is all about evolving and improving from race to race so use these early season races wisely and be sure to learn from each and every experience.

I’ve already seen some terrific early season performances which I’ve highlighted below. These performances weren’t just built off the back of a lot of hard work, they were also built on the back of far more sensible/smart work than ever before. The smart work consists of targeting marginal gain work, the accumulation of which can often be a game changer. The area I’ve challenged all of my athletes to work on this past winter is to focus on taking a more holistic approach to their training. Rarely do I ever have to ask athletes to work harder in the swim, bike and run, most have the motivation in abundance to do this. The question I ask them is can they match that motivation to work hard and direct that same level of commitment to areas such as:

  • Increasing sleep hours & finding quality recovery time 

  • Being consistent with focussed sports specific strength, conditioning & mobility work 

  • Listening to their bodies & making sensible training choices  

  • Improved nutrition both for health & fuelling  

  • Finding the time to add in complimentary work such as Pilates, yoga, sports massage  

  • Working on their mental game as part of an on-going process

I would say for those that commit to the above over the longest possible period will always make the fastest gains. If you want to find the magic bullet then that’s it because rarely does just training harder and harder provide that same level of improvement, in fact it can have the opposite affect. That’s why being smart with your training is so important because combining all of the above is just as important as the swim, bike and run training. If you can shift your mind-set and embrace these key elements you will notice those improvements coming thick and fast.

So look forward to this new race season with great excitement and wonder, the races will now be coming thick and fast and I will be sure to keep you updated. The work I’ve seen the team put in this Winter has been the best I’ve ever so take great confidence into these early season races. There’s a very exciting season ahead.

First up will be two of our ladies at Ironman South Africa this weekend, we all wish you the very best of luck Tash Jackson & Vicki Hill, you’ve done the handwork now it’s time to cash in those cheques.

Team Race News

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@Focused Ninja Photography

It’s been a great month for our guys and girls out there racing. First up was our Aussie pro athlete Emily Loughnan at the Karri Valley triathlon. It’s been an incredibly tough few months for Loughers as she pretty much has everything and the kitchen sink thrown at her so far this year with injury and illness. This was topped off with her heading out to Taupo  for Ironman New Zealand only to have to pull out last minute due to a kidney infection.  Sport can be both cruel and kind in equal measure and this race just wasn’t meant to be. But in true Loughers style she bounced back to take the overall female win with a fantastic performance at the Karri Valley triathlon. Nice mate, I know the transformation has begun.

Karri Valley Triathlon (1.5km swim / 60km bike / 12km run)

  • Emily Loughnan
  • 2:59:02 (23:26 swim / 1:45:07 bike / run 48:00)
  • 1st female overall
  • Next up – Busso 70.3

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JJ, our man ‘up North’ opened his racing account for the year at the Clumber standard distance duathlon with a double run PB. Holistic has become JJ’s middle name this year and I’ve every confidence that the changes he’s made this year will only allow him to go from strength to strength as the season progresses.

Clumber Standard Duathlon (10km run / 60km bike / 5km run)

  • Jerome Jones
  • 2:23:02 (43:49 run / 1:16:05 bike / run 20:52)
  • Next up Staffs 70.3 

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It was also great to see our pocket rocket Louise taking yet another podium finish at the Durrell Duathlon in Jersey.  Nice work Lou.

Durrell Duathlon (Jersey)

  • Louise Bracken-Smith (5km run / 20km bike / 2.5km run )
  • 1:18:16 (23:58 run / 42:08 bike / run 12:10)
  • 3rd in 45-49 cat
  • Next up Aix En Provence 70.3

 

Book Recommendation

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Can’t hurt me: Master your mind and defy the odds by David Goggins 

What can I say about this book? Apart from it quite literally blew me away.

Many of you will have heard about David Gogginsand some of his incredible endurance achievements. His journey through life has been like no other. His early life certainly doesn’t make for easy reading, he had very little hope, came from extreme poverty and was mentally and physically abused by his father. His life was going nowhere fast but somehow he managed to transform himself through hard work, discipline and failure to become a Navy Seal and then one of the worlds top endurance athletes.

His evolution both as person and as an athlete is a lesson to anyone that you can transform yourself if you are willing to keep pushing through both fear and failure. In doing so he managed to reach a level of mental and physical toughness that most people will never be able to achieve or even want to! But what the book can show you is how you can apply some of the life lessons he learned to yourselves so you can become a mentally & physically stronger you.

Team Nagi Athlete Interview – Connie Tram

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Name: Connie Tram

Age: 35

Star sign: Sagittarius

Years in triathlon:  3

Occupation:  Commodities data & research sales

In another life you would have been…..?  

A chunky dog–I’m pretty basic with respect to my needs in life (eat, sleep, walkies/exercise, cuddles, toilet etc). And I can always be bribed with food

Who is your athletic alter ego? 

I don’t really have an alter ego…although sometimes I channel Lionel Sanders or Paula Radcliffe

Favourite training session: 

I don’t really have a favourite but I do love a good S&C session because it gives me my “me time “to unwind from a stressful day/week

Least favourite training session:  

Those 2 x 20 mins, 3 x 15 mins threshold bike sessions. Ouch. Serious WTF stuff. My mind, body and soul die a little bit each time

Favourite training track (music!):  

I am loving #thatPower by Will.i.amft Justin Bieber–it’s a track that makes you feel powerful when you hear it and you can’t help but feel grateful for being healthy and alive to be able to do the things that you love. Also, training isn’t complete without“Children”by Robert Miles–it’s a classic

Favourite book: 

“Can’t hurt me”by David Goggins–it’s an incredibly powerful and inspiring book. It brings out the warrior spirit in me. Think he’s my prophet now (“What Would Goggins Do?”lol)

Favourite training venue/location: 

Club la Santa and the Olympic pool at Stratford (without the head up breaststrokers)

Favourite race experience: 

Racing Banana Man tri at Dorney Lake in a full banana suit. It was one of the hottest days in the UK and I was fried. There was no negative banana splits and I was totally (banana) frittered in the end. But it was so enjoyable because I’d never laughed so hard at my own misery yet at the same time had so much encouragement and so many high fives from strangers. Definitely an amazing experience

Favourite mantra:

“Live the life of most resistance!”and“pain is my friend today”

If you could choose 3 famous people to come to dinner with you who would they be & why?  

Oscar Wilde – his novels are witty, scathing and hilarious – I can imagine what he’s like in person: feisty. It’d be a hoot to have dinner with him
Nelson Mandela – I’d love to hear his life story and his lessons learned
Coco Chanel – she was a rebel of her time – a classy rebel babe

Training hours per week:  

9-10 h on avg

What are your training & race goals for 2019? 

Finish my first Ironman! Enjoy the tri journey and try to not to get injured (again). Am also aiming to eat healthier and cut down on chicken nuggets and pizza

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Food shamed  – Connie McNuggett

Team Nagi out & about 

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We’ve had Bat Woman poolside now it’s time for Wonder Woman …who’s next ?

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It’s Super Woman…she’s back! A smile we’ve all missed at swim squad for the past 2 years. Welcome back to swim squads for the 2nd time LMT (AKA Sue Kumleben)

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That feeling when you put in the swim time trial performance of a lifetime! That’s a 2min 43 secs improvement since November 2018 over 1.9km. Nice work Stefano.

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Vicki Hill styling it on the beautiful Island of Bintan, all in prep for Ironman South Africa later this week!

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….and finally Coach became a proud Uncle for the first time last week! Welcome to the world Baby Mila, your Team Nagi swimsuit is currently in production :+)