Hi guys, I hope you’ve had a great September.
I have to admit I’ve had pretty mixed feelings this month. On one hand, I’ve been delighted with the progress in my recovery since my bike accident five months ago. On the other, I was absolutely devastated not to be on the start line at Ironman Wales. What I know now is that it would have been foolish to push my body to get there. There may have been a very small chance of making the start line, but only by pushing way too hard, way too soon. That would have put far more strain on my body during rehabilitation and slowed my rate of recovery, and I just couldn’t see the point. I’m so glad I made that decision, because it’s given me the breathing space to let my body get stronger at the rate that works best for it, and I’m reaping the rewards of that right now.
I would also have been on the start line with only about 70% of the fitness I’d need to put in a really solid performance. Ironman Wales is one of the least forgiving courses in the world, and this year it rained all day and there were numerous bike crashes. When you’re rehabilitating your body, you’re rehabilitating your mind too, and I knew I wasn’t quite there yet. I simply didn’t feel ready to face the country lanes and potholes of that bike course.
Recovering from a traumatic accident is a little like riding a rollercoaster. You have good days and bad days, but over time there’s a definite shift towards the good ones. The good days are when you can ride your bike with no fear or worry. The bad days are when you’re conscious of every bump and pothole in the road and feel a little more on edge.
One thing I’ve really enjoyed over the last couple of weeks is the safety of riding in Richmond Park. It’s there that I’ve started to rebuild my confidence in riding fast and hard again. The accident has also changed me as a rider in a very positive way. I used to have absolutely no fear descending. I was never reckless, but I didn’t have the fear on descents that you see in many riders. It’s a dangerous superpower, until you have an accident like mine. Now I’m a little more cautious going downhill, but I’m pushing much harder uphill to make up for it, and it’s definitely making me a better climber. I can save the faster descending for race situations.
I’ve also been astounded by how much fitness and strength I’ve lost since the accident. This thankfully has now starting to return. I’d say my running is at about 80%, my biking at about 70% and my swimming at about 60%. The biking is more mental than anything else. Physically, the damage to my right arm has hit my swimming hardest. Even though I felt pretty good in the water after a few weeks, I was initially swimming 30 seconds per 100m slower than before the accident.
One of the biggest effects of breaking my olecranon, the bony point of the elbow where the triceps tendon attaches, has been the loss of strength when extending my arm. The triceps is the main muscle responsible for straightening the elbow, so after a fracture, surgery and a period of reduced use, it loses both strength and its ability to produce force efficiently. This has had a huge impact on my swimming. During the final part of the underwater pull, the triceps helps extend the arm and keep applying pressure to the water as the hand travels back towards the hip. At the moment I can’t fully extend and finish that movement with the same strength, so I’m effectively losing part of every stroke. It’s a relatively small movement, but repeated hundreds of times during a swim, that loss of propulsion adds up, which helps explain why my swim speed is still some way below where it was. I used to be able to chest press about 80kg. When I first went back to it after the accident, I couldn’t even lift the bar without any weights on it, and I’m currently struggling with 30kg. It’s been a real eye-opener to see how much a weakened triceps can slow your swimming, so I’ve really upped my gym work to address it (a good clue for you all!).
The strange thing right now is that I feel as though I’m almost at the start of my triathlon season, and I’ll soon be raring to go. So much so that when I went back to Wales last weekend, I spotted a relatively hilly 50-mile bike time trial in Monmouth, which also happened to be the Welsh National Championships.
As I mentioned earlier, the biking has been going quite well. I’ve still got plenty of fitness to regain, and I’ve probably only managed about four weeks of normal bike training, but my confidence has been building and I wanted to test myself on the bike at least once this year. I only entered about a week before the race, and I’m so glad I did. I needed to get the monkey off my back and do some kind of race this year. I knew I wasn’t ready for a triathlon, particularly with my right arm, so a time trial felt like the right place to start rebuilding that confidence.
So I put myself out there, and I have to admit I absolutely loved it. I love riding fast and riding hard, and I was delighted that, psychologically, I barely gave the accident a thought. Instead, my focus was on my breathing, staying relaxed, holding an aerodynamic position and getting the intensity right in the moment. Keeping my mind on those things shifted my thinking away from the accident and the fall, which was exactly the kind of focus I needed. It was such a relief. The time was far from quick (2:14), but given the hills and so little training, that isn’t what mattered this time. It was the first step on the journey back to full racing in 2027, and it was the perfect start. What a joy it was to be back in lycra again.
Race Results
70.3 Ironman World Champs (Nice, France)
- Hollie Strawson
- Swim: 33:52
- Bike: 3:04:30
- Run: 1:38:03
- Overall time: 5:25:40
- 30-34 category
Huge congratulations to Hollie on yet another excellent World Championship performance. This was her second Ironman 70.3 World Championships, and she produced an outstanding race on a really hilly, tough course in Nice. The bike takes in a long climb up the Col de Vence and some fast, technical descents, before a flat run along the Promenade des Anglais that tests whatever legs you have left. It’s a course that demands strength, bike handling and smart pacing, and Hollie more than delivered on race day.
Vitruvian Middle Distance Triathlon
- Ben Jarvis
- Swim: 40:29
- Bike: 2:39:01
- Run: 1:35:25
- Overall time: 4:59:15
- 20-24 category
What a performance from our new young gun, Ben Jarvis, who went under five hours for the very first time at the Vitruvian Triathlon. The Vitruvian is a classic middle-distance race around Rutland Water, with a rolling bike course that rewards patience, and Ben’s race execution was first-class from a pacing perspective. At just 23, it shows how much potential he has, and there’s so much more to come. It was the perfect way to bounce back after the huge disappointment of Ironman 70.3 Versailles being cancelled earlier in the year. All eyes now on Ironman Copenhagen in 2027!
Sprint World Champs (Pontevedra, Spain)
- Polly Rogers (Ireland)
- Swim: 17:26
- Bike: 42:01
- Run: 25:33
- Overall time: 1:33:14
- 55-59 category
Brighton Sprint Triathlon
- Polly Rogers
- Swim: 18:49
- Bike: 43:15
- Run: 26:31
- Overall time: 1:36:37
- Age Category: 6th in the 55-59 category
It’s not often you get to ride your first triathlon World Championships on a borrowed bike, but that’s exactly what happened to our Irish girl, Polly Rogers! Her build-up included a brilliant performance at the Brighton Sprint Triathlon, despite managing to ride an extra 5km on the bike. Always listen to your husband next time, Polly! She then picked up an illness in the week of the World Championships in Spain, so had to spend her days there resting, before putting in a superb performance on race day. She also conquered two sea swims, which was a huge boost for her confidence. As she returns to triathlon after quite a long break, it was a brilliant way to finish her season, and it bodes really well for the future.
The English Channel (21 mile – open water swim)
- Hugo Haller-Shannon
- 14 hours 37 mins
A massive shout-out to Hugo, who ticked off a lifetime goal of swimming the English Channel, and it was far from easy! Only a couple of thousand people have ever completed a solo crossing, which is fewer than have climbed Everest. It’s around 21 miles at its narrowest point, but strong tides push swimmers off course so the actual distance is often much further. Add in water temperatures of 15 to 18°C, one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world, jellyfish and no wetsuit allowed, and you start to see why it’s regarded as the ultimate open water challenge.
Hugo also did it the hard way, starting late at night and swimming through the dark hours. In what can only be described as over 14 hours of hell, he was thoroughly battered by the elements and was vomiting at his feed stops throughout. He said it was a horrific experience and his confidence took a major hit, but he managed to muster something from the depths, knowing there was no way he could allow himself to quit after all the work he’d put in. Your Oceans Eleven camp buddies are extremely proud of you, Hugo! We can’t wait to have you back again next year.
The Hurly Burly 10km swim
A big well done to four of our swimmers, Jo Turner, Wendy Hughes (+ Paul!), Teresa Walton-Smith and Anne John, who took on the Hurly Burly, or in Welsh, the Bwrlwm Bermo! It’s a stunning 10km swim that starts on the beach at Barmouth, passes beneath the iconic Barmouth Bridge and follows the incoming tide up the Mawddach Estuary to Penmaenpool, with the mountains of Snowdonia on either side. This one isn’t about the time. It’s about swimming in a beautiful place and enjoying the ride. The day they swam was stormy and choppy, making for tough conditions, but all four finished in around 1:42, and that included some sightseeing along the way!
Athlete focus for the month of October
October focus: making the most of the off-season
If September was about planning your race calendar for the season ahead and getting ahead of the game before races fill up, October is, for many of you, all about the return to training. So the big question is: how do you use the off-season to the best of your ability and build a strong, robust and resilient body for 2027?
Start with a look back
Before you dive in, take some time to reflect on 2026. What went well? What didn’t? Where did you lose time, and what held you back? Honest answers to those questions will tell you exactly where your off-season focus should be, and help you set clear goals for next year.
Come back slowly
If you’ve had some time off, you’ll be returning with lower cardiovascular fitness, and you’ll also have lost a significant amount of muscle strength and stability. The key is to reintroduce training slowly, be patient and add the layers one week at a time. Keep most of your sessions easy and aerobic to start with. I usually tell athletes that after about four weeks of consistent training, you’ll start to feel really good, quite strong and ready to add more intensity to the programme.
Build strength first
October is the ideal time to rebuild your body’s strength. As your training load increases over the winter, your body needs to be stronger to support it. Starting a good strength and conditioning program now, alongside some regular mobility work, is crucial to help you handle the extra cardiovascular work as you progress, and to keep you injury-free.
Get your swimming checked
The off-season is a great time to get your swim technique looked at, particularly if you’ve been away from the pool for a while. A one-to-one swim video analysis session can help reset your technique before you start building back up. Doing this at the beginning of your programme means:
- you start off with good technique that carries through the rest of the year
- you know exactly which technical elements to focus on, specific to you
- you avoid spending the winter reinforcing old habits
Work on your weakness
For some, the weakest link will be the swim, for others the bike or the run. The off-season is the perfect time to put extra emphasis on that one discipline and bring it more into line with the other two.
If it’s your running, you’re in luck, as we’re moving into the running season. There are lots of 5Ks, 10Ks, half marathons and even marathons to give your winter training a focus.
If it’s your cycling, you might want to look at something a little more technical. A one-to-one session with a reputable bike fitter can help you look at:
- your position on the bike
- any pieces of kit you may want to add
- the latest updates in technology
- anything that can save you time, such as a more aerodynamic position
Be realistic with your time
There are so many interesting areas you could focus on, and you might want to combine several of them over the next three months. The key is to build a plan that genuinely works for you and fits the time you have. Time is limited through the off-season, so it’s often better to bring one or two areas to the forefront and do them well, rather than trying to fix everything at once.
Make winter work for you
With the darker evenings and colder weather arriving, now is the time to set up your winter routine. Get your indoor trainer sorted, make sure you have good lights and reflective kit for running and riding outdoors, and put some focus on your sleep and nutrition. They’re just as important as the training itself.
Most of all, enjoy it. The off-season is a chance to try new things, train with a bit more freedom and fall back in love with the sport before the serious work begins.
Questions from the squad
Athlete asks: “I’ve had a cold for the past few days and I’m starting to feel a bit better. My A race is three weeks away and I’ve got a big key session in two days’ time. Is it OK to do it as planned?”
Coach Julian says: First of all, I’m absolutely delighted you asked the question now, rather than jumping straight in and doing the key session. I’ve seen this quite a few times in the last few weeks. As we get into September, athletes start picking up illnesses left, right and centre. Colds, coughs, COVID and sore throats are everywhere at this time of year, so you have to be really careful.
I recently had an athlete who got ill during race week, while she was abroad. The advice in that situation is always the same: full rest is best, and you keep your fingers crossed for race day. Getting to the start line is the most important thing, and then you see how you feel as the race unfolds. She would have gained nothing from trying to train while she was ill. And guess what ? Our Irish girl found a superb performance on race day.
The good news is that you’ve picked up a minor illness and you have plenty of time to recover from it. Remember, the fitness for your race is already in the bank. You can’t gain much in the last three weeks, but you can certainly lose freshness by pushing too hard, too soon. A few days of easier training won’t cost you anything.
The most important thing is not to jump straight back to where you were and attempt a key session before you’re 100% healthy. A simple rule of thumb many coaches use is the “neck check”. If your symptoms are only above the neck, such as a runny nose or mild sore throat, some very easy training is usually fine but also consider a rest day (less is more when ill). If they’re below the neck, such as a chesty cough, aching muscles or a temperature, then it’s rest only. If your symptoms linger or move to your chest, get checked out by your GP.
It also pays to keep an eye on your resting heart rate. If it’s still noticeably higher than normal in the morning, your body is telling you it’s still fighting something off.
Before any key session, you need to gently test the body with some easier training first. You may not feel great in those initial sessions, but if you’re slowly moving in the right direction, that’s all we’re looking for.
There’s nothing worse for your confidence than jumping back into such a big session and struggling through it. We want you to go into that session healthy and feeling confident in your body. In two days’ time, you’re probably not going to feel like that, so it’s best to avoid it.
Instead, we’ll plan some very light training for that day, no more than 30 to 45 minutes, just to see where the body is at. We’ll then move the key session to another date, once you’ve done a couple of sessions where you start to feel good again.
What I don’t want you to do is what many people do: panic and feel that, because that was the set day for the key session, it has to be done on that day. We’re very well set up to move it. We can adjust how we build the taper. Sometimes a longer taper works well, but when things like this happen, we can bring the taper closer to the race, which gives us breathing space to move this session. So no worries at all.
In the meantime, give your body the best chance to recover. Prioritise sleep, stay well hydrated and make sure you’re eating well, as all three will help your immune system get back on track.
So let’s start with some easier sessions. If you feel good in those, we’ll pick another day for your key session, and you’ll go into it feeling healthy, confident and so much more likely to nail it. That will give you exactly the confidence boost you need ahead of race day.