Team Nagi Coaching Newsletter – April 2022
Hi Guys,
Hope you’ve all had a great month.
So, the news from TN headquarters this month is that it’s generally been a two way split in camp between athletes charging forwards in their training and others making a very slowly return to action post covid. It seems some athletes have been very lucky and others haven’t and for some the return to action post covid has been a very slow one. Many have struggled with breathing for quite some time (several weeks in some cases) so if this is you remember you are not alone. What is clear from what I’ve seen is that everyone does come through it eventually but the time it takes is varying quite considerably from one person to the next. If this is you all you can do during this time is keep the intensity very easy, do as much as you feel like you can manage on each day and just be patient. Your body will tell you all you need to know and you need to listen to it otherwise you will just end up going backwards. Pushing when the body isn’t ready is hugely counterproductive so be prepared to play the waiting game to help your body get better sooner.
For those of you charging forwards with your training now is time to start to put your racing head on. What this means is that you need to start to pay attention to the specific demands that racing poses that you need to experiment with in training. Here is a simple check list for you shown below:
- Race day nutrition (both pre & during & how to carry)
- Swimming in a wetsuit
- Sighting practice both in the pool & the open water
- Open water swim practice (when feasible & the water is warm enough)
- Wetsuit stripping
- Transition practice
- Testing race kit
There is also one golden rule you need to remember…if there is something playing on your mind or an area you are unsure of you MUST practice this before you do your race because it’s usually these things that come back to bite you.
It’s also a good time to get your bikes checked over one last time before the big day.
If you’ve been training well and consistently up until this point then no significant changes are needed in the overall approach. That means you don’t have to suddenly start training harder, faster or longer, this phase is much more about specificity. The final few weeks before any race is simply putting the finishing touches to the work you’ve done in the many months leading up to this point. This is where the bulk of your fitness has been built. Ramping things up considerably just before a race is the reason a lot of athlete get injured just prior to racing.
Have confidence in the work you’ve done up until to this point and don’t get carried away. I can’t tell you the number of silly things I see athletes doing every year just before races when the nervous tension starts to kick in, even with experienced athletes. Just be sure to trust in your process that you have hopefully executed all year long and this will see you right all the way through to race day.
The other key thing to remember is there isn’t one session during this period that will tell you how you are going to perform on race day. Frequently I see athletes looking for that one final session that tells them they are ‘ready’. Just remember finding such peak performances in training is very difficult to a certain extent because you are un-tapered and carrying fatigue. These glimpses of true fitness usually appear during sessions where you least expect it. Just roll with it, some session will be good and other will be a struggle, none of this tells you what your performance will be come race day. Just keep an open mind and anything is possible.
There will be so many of our athletes doing big races in the coming weeks and months which will be awesome to see.
Best of luck to all!
Race Results
Hampton Pool Chilly Standard Triathlon (865m pool swim/ 35km bike/ 10k run)
- David Rueda
- Splits: 17:29 swim / 1:16:00 bike / 46:36 run
- Total Time: 2:07:0
- 1st in 45-49 category
- Next up: Oliva middle distance triathlon
2 races and 2 wins, the ‘Flying Spaniard’ is on fire! Loving your work David Rueda.
Worthing Half Marathon
- Andrew Reardon
- Total Time: 1:29:12
- 45-49 category
- Next up: Cotswold 113
A new PB for Andrew at a race that he was extremely doubtful for after a severe bout of food poisoning in the build up to it. Only deciding to do it the day before the message was simple and clear, just go out and see where your legs take you. A superb effort showing that sometimes when you take the pressure off, performance can come shining through.
Book of the month
To say this book is extraordinary would be a huge understatement. I always wanted to truly understand what drove so many Russian athletes to dope, not that the rest of the world is any less guilty of this but the scale to which it happened in Russia simply beggars belief. The book also shone a light on the fact that many of the athletes had very little choice in the matter if they wanted to make a life better for themselves when they had absolutely nothing. It’s tragic in every sense of the word and when you fully understand the magnitude of what they were up against stuck in a system that was toxic from the very top to the bottom.
Podcast of the month
How they train podcast with Brett Sutton – Part 1
How they train podcast with Brett Sutton – Part 2
As far as podcast go this one with Brett Sutton is pure gold. Brett hasn’t given a podcast for nearly 2 years so this was always going to be a special one. This is a golden nugget fest that every athlete should take the time to listen to. I first met Brett back in 2013 in Cozumel Mexico where I had the unique opportunity to spend a day with him and to this day no Coach has a had a greater influence on me. For anyone who is interested this is the article I wrote on him after that first meeting:
Instagram post of the month
Athlete feedback of the month (Track session)
“Actual Track! Jarvo field of dreams haha! I’m such a sucker but I do love it. noticed only on arrival this eve that both this week and last week are and were 5 sets not 8! Saw last week you wrote 5 but I did 8! With instructions this week to stick strictly to the program – you’ll see I’m on the parade ground on this one. nothing more nothing less than what is asked – hopefully!
Anyway – eldest son dropped off at the gym – quick 10 minute warm up, each lap distancing me from daily pressure and centring me for some good internal work, have a quick look up at the pace, then lose the hoodie at about 8 mins ready to roll. Slightly pathetic but all part of just actually bringing mind body and spirit together for a meaningful session.
right, silent gun goes off and we’re away. Main question across the next 25 mins… is “3:45… what RPE does that honestly feel like now?” the answer is with just 5 of them and not 8 – RPE 8. Solid 8. I feel that’s a step forward. In fact there were a few moments I drifted up to 3:30 and as I caught it on the watch, just feathered it back to 3:45. and yes, on every 400 of every 800, I did ding the bell – cut to steve cram voice “final lap Mo Farah what’s he got??” haha such a berk!!!!
News of the night: Sc 1-2.”
New Athlete Q & A
Name: Tommy DeLuca
Age: 39
Star sign: Cancer
Years in triathlon: I’ve completed four distance races over the last 10 years with a 7 year gap!
Occupation: Advertising Technology Sales
In another life you would have been a..? Dolphin
Who is your athletic alter ego? Steve Nash
Favourite training session: Swimming
Least favourite training session: Cycling
Favourite training track (music!): Swedish House Mafia
Favourite book: Siddhartha
Last book you read: Atomic Habits
Favourite training venue/location: There’s a great dirt road near my house that is a beautiful stretch of land with lots of woods and lakes that I enjoy running through.
Favourite race experience: Ironman Zurich, although Mallorca 70.3 was pretty epic (also my first triathlon).
Top 3 race bucket list:
- Alcatraz* (completed in 2014)
- Wildflower
- Norseman
Favourite mantra: Humble and hungry.
If you could choose 3 famous people to come to dinner with you who would they be & why? Paul Rudd, Jason Bateman, & Jason Sudeikis – three incredible actors who also happen to be hysterically funny and probably very good company at dinner.
Training hours per week: 7-10ish
What are your training & race goals for 2022? Have a solid bike in my 70.3, perform well in the S.O.S.
Team out & About
When you cycle 230km in a day you deserve battered Jaws for supper
2 peas cut from the same pod & the start of a beautiful middle lane bromance
Evil Knievel hits Phuket for her first training camp in 3 years
Off skiing he said, they might have a little pool he said
Huge congrats to 11 year old Team Nagi Junior Nicholas Prem who just won county gold for the 200m IM in 3:03. This is a race for only the toughest of the tough!
Angels come in many guises…this one put up with 20 of my boxes in her front living room for nearly 3 weeks. Although I did have to put up with her cat propaganda on a daily basis (i’m not a fan), it really was very much appreciated