It’s the time of the year when we all start to reflect on the year just passed. Not only our achievements in the world of triathlon, but everything. I wanted to take some time to write about this – not just harping on about how great my year has been, blah blah blah, but the rest of it. The real stuff. Why we are here, what do we want out of life…

Each and every year, my aim is to look back and feel like I have really lived my life. To have challenged myself, achieved things, overcome things, and most of all, to have taken away amazing, memorable experiences that I will never forget.

Take triathlon completely out of the equation (because it wasn’t IN the equation!) and 2011 was easily the best year of my life up until that point. I experienced things I had never come close to and many people never will. If I can get to the end of a year and feel like “yes, I have really made the most of my life”, then I will feel happy that when I get to the end of my life, I will have no or very few regrets. That I have lived life to the fullest, taken every opportunity I can, discovered things about myself and others, and had enriching experiences that will last forever.

On New Year’s Eve last year I was in a tent in a storm at the top of Beachy Head cliffs. (I’m not a fan of NYE, I like escaping it). It was actually an incredible experience and I know I’ll never forget it. I went on a run today and I thought afterwards, “I will never forget that”. Every time I have a moment like that, I savour it. Because for me, this is what life is about.

So at the end of last year I was extremely happy with what I had achieved in 2012. Probably beyond my wildest dreams if I went back a few years. I travelled to Thailand on my own to rock climb, went on a climbing trip to Siurana, ran my first ultramarathon, ran three major marathons, completed my first Olympic triathlon, my first half Ironman, I learnt to swim properly, got a triathlon coach, received a promotion at work, met a guy I quite liked… 😉 – it was hard to top.
There is no way in a million years that I would expect to be in this position now, having progressed in triathlon a bit and sat here with 15 sponsors. I know I’m incredibly lucky, and luck plays a part among other factors. But I strongly believe in the ability to make whatever you want from yourself. I remember my best friend saying to me when we were still young, “you always land on your feet”. It annoyed me at the time because I just make stuff happen. I’m one of the most determined people you can get, and I’m truly relentless.

This year has been so fantastic in so many ways, and I think creating experiences that you’ll never forget is something to be treasured. Ironman is obviously my major event of the year, and like anyone, the training takes over your life for the better part of a year, but that feeling when you cross the finish line is something you will cherish forever.

Ironman, one of the best experiences of 2013

But my most memorable things about this year apart from travelling to Paris and Berlin to do the marathons, Mallorca 70.3, training camps, and topped off with an amazing New Year’s Eve in Lanzarote  (all the physical stuff that has happened) is the emotional side of my journey. Wow, it’s been intense, it has to be said!

Training at such intensity, that step into dedicating your life entirely to something – is a big thing. For you and for those around you. I know the people closest to me have had to endure endless triathlon chat from me which I know must get hideously boring! And more importantly, they’ve demonstrated wonderful patience as I have put my energy into this one goal, and what’s more, have supported me along the way. That’s something incredible, and means more to me than any Ironman finish line.

My amazing mum and dad

I’m not great at showing appreciation sometimes and although this blog post is verging on dull sentimental thank yous, I have to reveal this huge bit of gratitude I have because it’s this kind of stuff that really keeps us going.  Through all the hard times and through all the elation too.

My life has changed radically this year. In fact, this year, my life has probably changed more than it ever has.  Sounds a bit extreme, but it’s actually true. I have gone from being a pretty rubbish triathlete who wanted nothing more than to do Ironman “just for the challenge”, to slowly but surely carving a path into the triathlon world. I think I have said before, I have no idea where this path will go but I am willing to put everything into it, because it feels special to me.
I am still unbelievably overwhelmed with all the support people have given me. I frequently think, WTF, seriously, why is this happening to me!? But it’s genuinely amazing, and I am eternally grateful. I know this sounds unbelievably clichéd but there is NO way I would be where I am without the invaluable support and help I have had from other people.

This has truly been a lesson learnt. Despite all the cool places I have been, cool things I have done, cool things I have acquired (new kit anyone!?) – it is actually the cool people that are in my life, and I think everyone’s life, that really benchmark where we’re at in the world.

I couldn’t be any more excited for 2014. I love new years, because they bring new opportunities for me to tick things off, have life-changing new experiences, achieve new things, meet new people, and write more new blog posts.

So I’m not going to prolong this gushing diatribe any longer, but thank you, for everything. You know who you are…

Robert Twells January 1, 2014

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They talk about marginal gains. We’ve all heard the expression, we’ve all looked to beat our PBs and see a notable improvement in performance. In fact we’ve probably all achieved it, and it’s a great feeling. But there are some disconcerting questions lurking in the depths of your mind… we don’t talk about this stuff so much. What if I plateau? What if I get WORSE? That just can’t happen, so we train harder, we train more. But we can’t keep doing that forever. So what is the key?

Running the Snowdon race in 2012 – marginal gains indeed…

I’m sorry if you’ve started reading this thinking you might get answers! I don’t have a magic solution, for the simple reason that I haven’t got a clue. But I’m learning and discovering all the time. Of course it helps that I’m working with one of the best coaches around, and I see him around three times a week. But I’m three weeks into working with Rick Kiddle and the emphasis on marginal gains is very apparent….

I think everyone will know how it feels to constantly monitor, assess and reassess your performance in everything you do; from easy training sessions right through to racing.

This marginal gains things has been a really key theme over the past week, and I can actually quite neatly split it into three disciplines. This is purely coincidental and hasn’t been engineered, in fact, I hadn’t even realised this until I started writing…!

The track – dark moments of self discovery…

SWIM
After having an endless pool session in the dark with torches with Rick at the start of my training programme, he hasn’t seen me swim much since. However, he has reduced the duration of my swim sessions and increased the frequency and intensity. “Every single swim session needs to be hard”, he says. “Time everything, even your warm up.”

As a total non-swimmer at the beginning of last year, I think swimming is the area I am most proud of. I’m not great, but I’m definitely not bad. But in order to improve, there is a need to constantly analyse your stroke, after all, we all know that swimming is pretty much all technique. Oh, and swim almost every single day…

I am not allowed to swim in club sessions anymore. This has been quite a surprise, but the principles are admirable. I need to be focusing what I need to work on, not what 20 other people are doing. So predominantly solo swimming it is then. 

Oh god, here we go. One dreaded expression: tumble turns. Last night I swam with Rick in a one-o-one session. This was awesome, because it’s one thing having a coach stand on the poolside giving you sets and telling you to move your hands or arms or legs a bit differently, but having someone who is an indisputably amazing swimmer swim with you, mimicking your stroke then demonstrating how it should look, is priceless! 
 
So Rick told me I need to learn to tumble turn. “We’re not looking to make you a triathlete, we’re looking to make you a swimmer. Because real swimmers make good triathletes.” I knew this would inevitably involve copious amounts of chlorine up my nose, and, shock horror, this is exactly what happened. I felt about 10 years old as I was somersaulting in the water and getting it wrong. Triathlon training is ridiculously glamorous, especially with chlorine nasal burn and watery eyes.
 
I have now been instructed to never ever again swim by turning normally at the ends of the pool. In two weeks it will feel like I’ve been doing it forever, apparently. We’ll see! I have a suspicion it will be unpleasant for a while before I’m a tumble turning master…
 
This will revolutionise my swim. Along with the other list of things I need to improve on with my stroke. Rick told me it’s all about seconds. We’re looking to take only seconds off my swim times, so focus on getting the times down every day. I have t report my times back to him. Relentless.

BIKE
Last year I was turbo-ing a couple of times a week and one long ride at the weekend. This is another frequency thing. I am on my turbo/powerbike/bike almost every day. Again, vastly increased frequency and intensity. Two power bike classes a week with Rick, where your heart rate is monitored and projected on a wall for everyone else to see (no hiding here!) is a revolutionary way of running a spinning class! 
 
A power threshold test every few weeks to ensure there are marginal gains, even if it’s only a few watts improvement, a few heart rate beats down, a slightly higher cadence. It’s monitoring, assessing and reassessing.

This is just a no brainer. I’m working in carefully constructed heart rate zones to maximise efficiency and it’s definitely paying off. I hate power threshold tests when I’m in the middle of one but I kind of like them, I feel amazing afterwards. And everyone will be able to relate to the ‘being competitive with your own statistics’ concept! Must. Beat. Last. Week’s. Time….
 
So I did. In just three weeks of the new coaching programme I have improved my power threshold test by 20 watts. Doesn’t sound like much,  but in a short space of time, it’s a very satisfying figure!

RUN
I’m not actually doing that much running to be honest. Unusual for me as I come from a running background (ish, if you can call that after only a few years). But again, strict HR zone orders and some running off the bike (in Winter I hear you cry!? Yes, apparently so!).

Anyway, I have ‘Park Run’ in my programme. Never been to one before, but I knew the concept. In fact I have no idea last time I even ran a timed 5k – I’ve spent a year training for Ironman, this could be interesting! But with my new found love for pushing hard (I won’t say going fast as it won’t be entirely accurate…), I was quite up for this.

No pressure, it’s not a race. Why do I feel nervous then? Because I want to get a good time. Yes but it’s just training. I don’t care, I want to come in the top three. Oh god, here we go.

I was struggling after about 5 minutes but that’s the name of the game in short stuff! A few laps of the park and an absolute mission to run two women ahead of me down (as in overtake, not actually run them down), and I was over the line. 21:50. I was third female and felt quite pleased with that.

One day later, text from Rick: “21:50 – we need to get that down to below 20 minutes by March!”. I hadn’t even told him my result. Why monitor yourself when you’re being monitored!? I like his approach though, I have to say…

So, the point of my ramblings. Well, all of this is about marginal gains, all of it. And when I can see progress, in some shape or form, in just a few weeks with working with someone new – this is what it is all about. Because right now, it’s only December, and I still have months before the season starts.

I am relishing this sensation of monitoring and assessing. I used to just smash out mileage – quantity not quality – and I’m truly recognising the importance of performance analysis. All. The. Time. I’m ready for gains, not losses…..

Robert Twells December 17, 2013

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This one is slightly off-kilter. I wanted to find time to write something which affects every day of my life, every goal I have, every dream, every challenge, and the way I think, perceive and achieve. I'm talking about inspiration. For anyone that has an ambitious streak in their personality (which is pretty much everyone, in their own little ways), inspiration is something that has touched all of us.

Inspiration is everywhere, all around us, even when we don’t realise it. Things are absorbed into our consciousness without us even being aware of it, and our memory holds onto them like a little secret envelope to be opened later on when the time is right. These pockets of memory impact us in small but significant ways, shaping our personalities, our aspirations, our dreams, our goals. And a lot of that is credit to others who inspire you as a person. Your parents, your boss, your loved ones, public figures, sporting heroes, high achievers, famous faces. These are the people who help you realise who you are and what you want from life.

I couldn’t possibly count the number of people who have inspired me in my life. But, and I'm sure most people can relate to this, there are certain figures who I have come across in my life, either in person, or through a secondary medium such as a book, a magazine, a film; and these people have inspired me to dream, to believe, to achieve. To inspire others is something even more amazing, and I hope in some small way, that I do sometimes encourage others to believe in themselves and go for their dreams.

A few years ago, I was literally obsessed with climbing. I would eat, sleep, breathe, talk about, dream about, read about climbing. As you can see, this has been replaced by a spiralling obsession with triathlon! At the time I wanted to progress and climb harder routes for nothing other than a personal achievement. On the road to this achievement, I was reading books by every ground-breaking climber out there. Wow, some of these people are breath-takingly inspiring! (And stupid, maybe!? Such dangerous stuff but totally gripping).

One of the books I read referred to ANOTHER book which inspired him to become one of the greatest climbers in history. So what did I do, as an easily-influenced, doggedly enthusiastic climber!? I bought it. And I’m very glad I did. Climbing is such a mental game, and it proved instrumental in helping me understand a few things.
‘With Winning in Mind ’, Lanny Bassham.

Firstly, a little bit of background on Lanny Bassham from Wikipedia. ”In 1972, at the Munich Germany Olympic Games, Lanny Bassham failed in his attempt to win the gold medal in International Rifle Shooting. He had a mental failure resulting in his taking the silver instead. Frustrated, Lanny wanted to take a course in controlling the mind under pressure. After looking for such a seminar and not finding satisfaction, Bassham began to interview Olympic gold medallists to discover what they were doing differently to win.

Bassham created a system of mental control he called Mental Management. Within the next six years Lanny Bassham dominated his sport, winning 22 world individual and team titles, setting 4 world records and winning the coveted Olympic Gold Medal in Montreal in 1976.”

This book revolutionised the way I think. Not just for climbing, but for every part of my life. The basis of the book is Lanny Bassham’s journey from nowhere to being a gold medallist and a World Champion. All owing to the power of the mental game.

Before you switch off and think this is all a bit ‘out there’ – don’t. It outlines a mental management system for athletes and performers, but the strategy which success can be founded upon is truly transferrable to anything. Business, relationships, life itself – this book has the capacity to change you as a person. (Bold statement, road test maybe!?)

Every single one of us (even non-sporting types) has to cope with mental toughness at some time in their day, week, month, year and life. Having mental preparation can be key to how a situation is perceived, and this is very relevant to sporting performance.

The basis of Bassham's mental system is that if you have negative ideas about what you are about to do, be it a race, a business presentation, a relationship – whatever – then your body, which is intrinsically connected to the brain, actions out those negative thoughts. The vast majority of the body’s movements are subconscious. Therefore, if your conscious brain is telling you that you will fail, or not achieve, then your body will subconsciously act this out.

Developing a positive mental attitude (we all hear this a lot, but this book revolutionises this concept) is key to success, and can be the difference between being a failure and being a winner. Because winning isn’t about coming first – it’s about achieving your goals. And if you set your goals, and they are realistic, and you put everything into making them happen – they will.

I have a strong philosophy in life, which I try and adhere to (although it can be very tough at times). I try and remove all negativity from my life. If I find myself feeling negative, I do everything I can to feel positive again. If I find myself surrounded with negative people or who have a negative attitude, I try and remove myself from situations in which I am exposed to this. Sounds brutal maybe, but I'm not interested in negative people. They contribute absolutely nothing to life – to other people's lives, or to their own lives.

So my outlook is positive. For other people, for their dreams, goals, achievements, whatever. If I am positive perhaps it will inspire them to feel more positively about other people, and about themselves.

I wanted to share these thoughts because for me, it's so relevant to every aspect of your life. No, I’m not a world champion and I never will be – but I have set goals, achieved them, and I hope to carry on achieving them. I try to never, ever think negatively about what I want in life and what I can achieve, because anything is possible. Talent is not born, it is created; created by the power of will

Robert Twells December 4, 2013

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Test one is slightly off-kilter. I wanted to find time to write something which affects every day of my life, every goal I have, every dream, every challenge, and the way I think, perceive and achieve. I'm talking about inspiration. For anyone that has an ambitious streak in their personality (which is pretty much everyone, in their own little ways), inspiration is something that has touched all of us.

Inspiration is everywhere, all around us, even when we don?t realise it. Things are absorbed into our consciousness without us even being aware of it, and our memory holds onto them like a little secret envelope to be opened later on when the time is right. These pockets of memory impact us in small but significant ways, shaping our personalities, our aspirations, our dreams, our goals. And a lot of that is credit to others who inspire you as a person. Your parents, your boss, your loved ones, public figures, sporting heroes, high achievers, famous faces. These are the people who help you realise who you are and what you want from life.

I couldn?t possibly count the number of people who have inspired me in my life. But, and I'm sure most people can relate to this, there are certain figures who I have come across in my life, either in person, or through a secondary medium such as a book, a magazine, a film; and these people have inspired me to dream, to believe, to achieve. To inspire others is something even more amazing, and I hope in some small way, that I do sometimes encourage others to believe in themselves and go for their dreams.

Robert Twells December 4, 2013

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Ok, this one is personally very exciting for me. I don't want to create false hype but it's a major development for me and the direction my triathlon aspirations are going, and it's going to be an incredible adventure.

After a year of working with award-winning coach Steve Lloyd of Absolute Tri, I have achieved above and beyond my goals and expectations in triathlon. If someone had said to me one year ago (before I even had a coach) that I would be where I am now, I would have dismissed them with the flippant assumption that they were suffering from a borderline mental disorder…

I recently spent the day with Steve discussing my goals for next year and the groundwork needed to get there, and it proved a very positive exercise. I've been incredibly happy with Steve, we have built up a great relationship over the past year and he (gradually!) earned my trust in him. I genuinely believe he can take me to great places in triathlon, but despite this, there was a looming realisation that in order to see significant improvement in my performance I might need to consider not having to drive a 250 mile round trip for my coach to see me train once every few months.

Things always happen for a reason, and I truly believe in grasping opportunities when they present themselves. So when I was recommended by the owner of my bike shop, Lovelo Cycles, to get in touch with a local guy who coaches triathlon who they had become acquainted with, I thought "why not?". However, wary as always, I proceeded with trepidation as there are many 'triathlon coaches' out there who aren't all they're cracked up to be. Knocking out generic online programmes for all their clients. I don't want to sound high maintenance but I don't want that – give me tailor-made plans please! It's not a big ask – everyone is different and coaching is fine-tuning an athlete's performance, looking at every detail of their life to make sure they are at their optimum.

Anyway, given that I live in a rural market town the chances I can find a triathlon coach 10 minutes from my house who is not only sufficient, but one of the BEST (see, told you I wasn't high maintenance 😮 ) is so slim it's anorexic. Not the case, apparently. Luck strikes my doorstep.

I will now be working with Rick Kiddle, former British Triathlon Champion and one of the first ever triathletes in Britain. After competing in the World and European Championships and Commonwealth Games he became one of the first National Triathlon coaches in Great Britain. Not only is Rick an established BTF Level 3 coach he is also a tutor and assessor for BTF, introduced spinning to the UK in 1996 and set up Heart Zones UK Ltd in 2002, now the basis of all heart rate zone training. In 2010 Rick launched the National Open Water Coaching Association (NOWCA) with legend Martin Allen, coaching the coaches!

So credentials-wise – Rick has it. A lot of it. He also has an endless pool on his premises and about 15 Wattbikes/Cycelops bikes, both of which will be instrumental in my one-to-one sessions with Rick. When I asked him if he could improve my swim, his response was unforgettable: "If I can't get your swim down to a sub-1 hour Ironman swim time there is something wrong with me." Confidence, we like that.

This new partnership is extremely exciting and we are both looking forward to working closely together to help improve my performance and take my training to the next level. As part of the partnership, I will also be helping Rick raise the profile of his businesses locally and nationally.

Having a coach who will work with me a number of times per week will not only be a bit of a shock to the system (no more slacking off in training!) but will also enable me to make ongoing improvements to my technique (much-needed!) and to constantly challenge myself mentally and physically under the watchful guidance of one of triathlon's greatest! 

Rick will pretty much become the most important person in my life as we work relentlessly towards my goals for next season and beyond. No over-exaggeration, even even if that sounds a bit sad!

I'm also very lucky to have recently partnered up with Triathlon Training Spain, run by Swim Smooth expert Martin Hill who owns Complete Fitness Coaching and created the Palm Paddle, which I'm using in training drills. Triathlon Training Spain will be supporting me with training camps next season in sunny Alicante, kicking off with a swim camp in January. Some intense warm weather training camps will be a welcome relief from the cold UK winters, I can't wait for a few "holidays" to really kick me into shape! Benefits also include coming back with an jealousy-inducing tan…

I'm over the moon with such amazing partnerships, I feel so lucky to be surrounded by professionals who are so enthusiastic about helping my progress and achieve my dreams. (Cheesy line was well overdue).

But honestly, I'm struggling to express how excited I am about this adventure, and I'm going to do everything it takes.

It's going to get serious now. And I'm ready for it…

Robert Twells November 25, 2013

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Ok, this one is personally very exciting for me. I don't want to create false hype but it's a major development for me and the direction my triathlon aspirations are going, and it's going to be an incredible adventure.

After a year of working with award-winning coach Steve Lloyd of Absolute Tri, I have achieved above and beyond my goals and expectations in triathlon. If someone had said to me one year ago (before I even had a coach) that I would be where I am now, I would have dismissed them with the flippant assumption that they were suffering from a borderline mental disorder…

I recently spent the day with Steve discussing my goals for next year and the groundwork needed to get there, and it proved a very positive exercise. I've been incredibly happy with Steve, we have built up a great relationship over the past year and he (gradually!) earned my trust in him. I genuinely believe he can take me to great places in triathlon, but despite this, there was a looming realisation that in order to see significant improvement in my performance I might need to consider not having to drive a 250 mile round trip for my coach to see me train once every few months.

Things always happen for a reason, and I truly believe in grasping opportunities when they present themselves. So when I was recommended by the owner of my bike shop, Lovelo Cycles, to get in touch with a local guy who coaches triathlon who they had become acquainted with, I thought "why not?". However, wary as always, I proceeded with trepidation as there are many 'triathlon coaches' out there who aren't all they're cracked up to be. Knocking out generic online programmes for all their clients. I don't want to sound high maintenance but I don't want that – give me tailor-made plans please! It's not a big ask – everyone is different and coaching is fine-tuning an athlete's performance, looking at every detail of their life to make sure they are at their optimum.

Lanzarote, where the journey began…

Anyway, given that I live in a rural market town the chances I can find a triathlon coach 10 minutes from my house who is not only sufficient, but one of the BEST (see, told you I wasn't high maintenance 😮 ) is so slim it's anorexic. Not the case, apparently. Luck strikes my doorstep.

I will now be working with Rick Kiddle, former British Triathlon Champion and one of the first ever triathletes in Britain. After competing in the World and European Championships and Commonwealth Games he became one of the first National Triathlon coaches in Great Britain. Not only is Rick an established BTF Level 3 coach he is also a tutor and assessor for BTF, introduced spinning to the UK in 1996 and set up Heart Zones UK Ltd in 2002, now the basis of all heart rate zone training. In 2010 Rick launched the National Open Water Coaching Association (NOWCA) with legend Martin Allen, coaching the coaches!

Rick Kiddle, triathlon legend

So credentials-wise – Rick has it. A lot of it. He also has an endless pool on his premises and about 15 Wattbikes/Cycelops bikes, both of which will be instrumental in my one-to-one sessions with Rick. When I asked him if he could improve my swim, his response was unforgettable: "If I can't get your swim down to a sub-1 hour Ironman swim time there is something wrong with me." Confidence, we like that.

This new partnership is extremely exciting and we are both looking forward to working closely together to help improve my performance and take my training to the next level. As part of the partnership, I will also be helping Rick raise the profile of his businesses locally and nationally.

Having a coach who will work with me a number of times per week will not only be a bit of a shock to the system (no more slacking off in training!) but will also enable me to make ongoing improvements to my technique (much-needed!) and to constantly challenge myself mentally and physically under the watchful guidance of one of triathlon's greatest! 

Rick will pretty much become the most important person in my life as we work relentlessly towards my goals for next season and beyond. No over-exaggeration, even even if that sounds a bit sad!

I'm also very lucky to have recently partnered up with Triathlon Training Spain, run by Swim Smooth expert Martin Hill who owns Complete Fitness Coaching and created the Palm Paddle, which I'm using in training drills. Triathlon Training Spain will be supporting me with training camps next season in sunny Alicante, kicking off with a swim camp in January. Some intense warm weather training camps will be a welcome relief from the cold UK winters, I can't wait for a few "holidays" to really kick me into shape! Benefits also include coming back with an jealousy-inducing tan…

Casa de Triatlo
I'm over the moon with such amazing partnerships, I feel so lucky to be surrounded by professionals who are so enthusiastic about helping my progress and achieve my dreams. (Cheesy line was well overdue).

But honestly, I'm struggling to express how excited I am about this adventure, and I'm going to do everything it takes.

It's going to get serious now. And I'm ready for it…

Robert Twells November 25, 2013

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Winter. Not a word that is particularly welcomed by any British Isles-dweller, and certainly not by a triathlete. For a triathlete it means two things: 

1. Race season is over
2. Cold, wet, dark training sessions

Hardly an advertisement for the sport. But it's a reality that we all have to face – if we want to actually achieve stuff next season, that is. Many people assume that 'out of season', people start to tone down their training a bit, ease off, get back on it in the Spring. Some people do. But for most of us, this period is crucial for getting the miles in.

Cold/damp. Not even sunny, despite sunglasses.

It's pitch black outside, mind-numbingly cold, with a pervading dampness in every molecule of the atmosphere. You're in bed, warm, dry, cosy and cocooned in the comforting glow of semi-consciousness. Exactly what motivation is there to get outside and train? It's miniscule, trust me.

But even for me, a motivational monster, it's tough. It's really, really tough, and I don't think there's a person on the planet that doesn't find this kind of thing tough on some occasions. But you can't escape it (well, maybe you can, maybe you spend Winters basking in equatorial sunshine), but for the mere mortals among us, who have to train in the dark before AND after a full working day, this takes real mental fortitude (or maybe if you're just a bit mental).

I was in Stuttgart last weekend and although it was dark, about 3 degrees and I was there on a social visit, my 1.5 hour run around a huge landscaped park in the city was actually quite rewarding. The motivation to start it was almost non-existent. The sense of satisfaction when completed? Immeasurable.

Stuttgart. Cold, dark but enjoyable run!

Winter is all about base training. My coach recently said to me that over Winter, 90% of my training needs to be EASY. Like music to my ears. But it's true, this period is all about building endurance and it needs to be done at low intensity to make your body aerobically efficient. If you keep hammering out speed sessions all Winter you'll be wrecked and/or almost certainly injured by race season. 

Turbo time. Painful but at least it's not cold!
 
Acclimatisation. That's what it comes down to. Muscular and aerobic endurance, and don't forget the strength and conditioning too – perfect for this time of year. Obviously I'm no triathlete sage being relatively new to the sport, but I am aware of the gains I have made and to be honest, I think a substantial part of triathlon training is mental. And if you have to drag yourself out of bed or away from sitting by the fire with a glass of wine, in order to indulge in a prolonged period of self-torture and a full-on war against the elements, then what better mental toughness can you get than that?!

Appreciate the UK and all its weather flaws for what it is, and actually give it credit for making us FEARSOMELY STRONG. That's the positive slant on it anyway. Essentially, we all want to achieve our goals next season and this is not time for slacking off! (*whip cracks*) But in all seriousness, Winter can be beautiful too and provide a positive training mecca for hardened triathletes.

Pretty Winter skies – make it all worthwhile?
 
My training levels have now been upped, much to the surprise of some others who are taking it slightly more easy. But I am very conscious of the fact that I have to work immensely hard to achieve my goals for next year, and six months really isn't a very long period in which to improve. This kind of stuff takes years. But if you're as impatient as me, then you don't have years to relax and just tick along and see what happens naturally…

"If you only do what you've always done you'll only get what you've always got."

Get out there, challenge yourself. Let's make this happen. 

Robert Twells November 13, 2013

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Triathlon is a pretty hardcore sport, let's be honest. You don't just have to train for one discipline – you have to train for three. I may be stating the obvious here, but in terms of being time-consuming, triathlon is up there. 

We all know Winter is about base training. Getting all the miles in at low intensity – this is where you really build your endurance ready for a tough season the next year. This is the perfect time to up your strength and conditioning work. Perfect for when it's raining (so all the time, then).

Smashing up the gym

I'll apologise in advance if I'm preaching to the converted and I'm telling you something that every triathlete, novice or elite, knows already. Hopefully, if this is the case, it will help reinforce the fact. Plus I'd like the opportunity to tell you how S&C has changed me as an athlete and how it forms a big part of my training. (Here is the relevance to my opening paragraph, in case it looked a bit lost!).

So, fitting in strength and conditioning sessions into what is already a mind-numbingly busy week dedicated to training for three disciplines is a challenge in itself. But vital. If you do it already, brilliant. If you don't, do it now. Now!

Last year, I did absolutely no strength work. I though it was all about swimming, biking and running as much as possible and then I'd be cruising triathlons. Yeeaaah! Or not. S&C forms a fundamental part of training;there's probably tons of articles on this  out there, and they are probably much more technical than mine, with much more scientific weight behind them or written by someone who is a professional. But you can hear it straight from the horse's mouth here!

As I was saying, I didn't know gym work was really relevant to triathlon. It's all very well bashing out hundreds of miles on the bike, running all over the place like a nomad, and turning up to every swim session ready to crush a good few laps in the pool, and because this is all cardiovascular, you will build aerobic strength, technique and endurance. But will you build power? To some extent, but you can catalyse this. 

I, of course, didn't do any, so when I met my coach last year and he introduced the gym into my life (which I had quite happily had a formal separation from, after realising that I was far more appropriately settled in a training relationship with the great outdoors!) it was a bit of a shock to the system.

Oh god, I'd have to watch all those puny teenagers desperately trying to get buff, and all the buff guys kissing their biceps in front of the mirror. Gyms are not for me. I don't want to sound like a training elitist but I don't really like training in a sweatbox full of machines, full of people who are only their because they either want to compensate for their binge-drinking or so they can waltz around flexing their muscles trying to impress onlookers. Argh! Give me a lonely forest and a pair of running shoes please!

I'm very lucky to not only work with a fantastic award-winning triathlon coach, Steve Lloyd of Absolute Tri, but I also have my own strength and conditioning coach. James Drabble is a personal trainer and S&C coach, heading up a partnership businessTrojan Training which also runs bootcamps to get people fit. 

Now I've met lots of people who claim to be personal trainers/strength and conditioning coaches and they give you the same old stuff you could get off some blog off the internet (ahem!) or from some fitness magazine. Their knowledge is limited to some 8 week training course. I don't want to demean the industry, it's great there are so many fitness professionals out there, but you have to be choosy, because you want someone who doesn't just understand how to introduce S&C work into your training programme, but how to make it compliment your training programme.

James Drabble, my S&C coach

I had a full body assessment. Scary! I was kindly enlightened on how weak my core was, my non-existent glutes, how my left side was much more stiff than my right, my posture was a bit shite, and lots more…! Of course, some say this so they get business out of you, but everything he said had already been mentioned by the physios who were working on me through Bupa, so I knew it was legit. Oh, and the fact that I knew my core was rubbish anyway.

James devised me a programme which involved 'back to basics' core work. He said there was no point in working on the major muscle groups if my core was weak, because the wrong muscles would be firing. We needed to get my core strong-ish before we even contemplated anything else. So, a 20 minute core session, EVERY SINGLE DAY for 6 weeks. Woah, come on! I have to train three disciplines! Yes, but it needs to be done, because it's crucial to performance.

My programme changes every 6-8 weeks. Once the body gets used to a routine, it will plateau, and you will stop improving. It is important to keep challenging the body by changing what you are doing, even if you are just upping the reps or the number of sets. So I'm now on my second phase of 'Mission Get My Core Strong', and it feels great. I get some weird looks in the gym because of some of the stuff I'm doing, but I can definitely notice a difference.

Not only does S&C help prevent injuries during the tough race season, but you also build POWER. And who doesn't want more power?! I have to say, despite the monkies in the gym weighing each other up with sideways looks like some kind of alpha male 'buff-off', I am actually loving my S&C programme. I feel monumentally stronger than I did this time last year and I just know that it is strength building from the inside out, paving the way towards invincibleness… 

(Okay, not quite, but you know what I mean…!)

Robert Twells November 4, 2013

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Anyone who is involved in triathlon enough to label themselves as a 'triathlete' will relate to what I am going to write about. Bold statement, I know, but it's true.

Addiction.

It's one of those words which carries negative connotations. Even when colleagues off-handedly mention how crazy you are, muttering something about addiction and being insane, got issues etc, all light-hearted, of course. But is it? Is it a serious and debilitating condition, being addicted to triathlon? Doubtful. But it does, without a shadow of doubt, dictate your life to some extent.

But I choose to do this, I hear you protest! Yes, we all do. But there becomes a time where the choice and the need blur together with intangible boundaries. Where does choice end and need begin? At the point you become addicted to triathlon.

I know this because I'm there. I'm sure this will still be subject to considerable disagreement from many of those in denial, but let's face facts and accept it. Embrace the urge, that relentless frustration, that hit, and that rush we get from it. Sound familiar? Thought so…

This end of season rest period has given me food for thought, as you can tell from my marginal stray away from more the more technical, physicality of triathlon and more ponderings on the emotional and psychological side of the sport. Anyway, I was given a wonderous two weeks rest from my coach. OMG. At first I wondered how on earth I would cope without training. This has dominated my life for a year, what will I do? I took down time, as you will see from my previous blog post.

Down time (aka cocktail time)

Then I took some more down time. I actually emailed my coach after two weeks and said I wasn't ready to train again. Cue shock/horror.

This even surprised me. But after this level of training, you get to know your mind and your body very well. It sounds obvious, but you really learn to listen to your body. I knew I didn't feel 100% ready to train. I also knew that if I went ahead and trained anyway, I would be forcing myself. This would not be a good start to a whole year of hardcore commitment and determination. Next year is going to be tough, and I am very conscious of it.

For that reason I decided to make a sensible decision and ask for an extension to my rest period. My coach was more than forthcoming about giving me an extra week, he said he wasn't worried about loss of fitness but more of the psychological effect training has on you, and you need to feel ready for it again. He confirmed everything I knew.

I had a gut feeling and I followed it. If I forced myself into training there is a risk that I might resent it at some point. It is natural to have days where you don't feel like training and you get through it anyway. That is different. I needed long enough off so that I began to miss it. So that urge, that burning little fire inside us that makes us so driven to get out there, to test ourselves, to achieve – that is what I was looking for.

Ready to train again

Some people call it 'mojo'. Probably quite rightly so. Whatever it is, I needed it back. And I knew that nothing I would do would work effectively if I forced it. I needed it to come back to me, 100% naturally. It needed to come from inside me, rather than dictated to me on my training plan.

It worked. 

This last week I *chose* to train again, rather than *having* to. This is so vital to me having a successful season next year. I need to start off on a positive note, completely and utterly ready to push the hardest and furthest I ever have, both physically and mentally. This initial urge will carry me through. I will remember what it was like when I had the rest period and how much I wanted to train again. This is the beginning…
 

Robert Twells October 22, 2013

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Last December, I took the plunge to get a coach. This was primarily to tone my training down, as I have a very strong tendency to over train, and it wasn’t helping me improve as much as I’d like to (not that I had much to ‘improve’ on as I was utterly rubbish!). So in the world of a structured training programme and under the direction of someone who actually knew what they were talking about (Steve Lloyd, Absolute Tri), I had an enforced rest day once a week.

Beach time R&R with my dog
 
This took a bit of adjustment – resting was not really in my repertoire. But seeing the gains I have made this year, and many a technical article on how an athlete only actually improves during the rest phase, I took heed of this advice and did what I was told. I had to get used to training blocks which included ‘recovery’ weeks, a week of easier training, and even had a whole week off after Mallorca 70.3 and Ironman UK.

Then there’s the end of season rest period. That is now. I am mid-way through an entire two weeks of training, and I have mixed feelings about it. I anticipated getting very itchy feet, feeling like I had gone slightly mental, and craving some of those exercise endorphins I have such an addiction to. Not the case. I decided that I would do absolutely nothing for the first week, then maybe incorporate a little light ‘non-triathlon’ exercise in the second week.

First week flew by, and here I am. I was so busy organising the sportive I set up and run twice a year that I barely noticed I wasn’t actually training! Many people have asked me how I have managed it, when I am so used to training. It’s a strange one, because I have found it very easy…

The Cycle Sportive

Maybe I’m just getting lazy?

Or, more likely, my mind and my body both need this rest so much that I have adapted naturally to the rest period. It’s like sinking into a hot bath, it is kind of a relief, to be perfectly honest. There is no pressure to get up, fit early morning training sessions in, rush home from work and train all evening, spend most of the weekend rushing around training – I can just relax. It makes for a refreshing change.

A cheeky mojito (ssshh, don't tell my nutritionist, Fitnaturally)

It has also provided the perfect opportunity to catch up on things I haven’t been able to do. Some things have been an integral part of the R&R phase – I have had regular physio sessions with my fantastic support team at Emma James Physio, and this has been a fundamental component of my recovery (especially for my post-marathon DOMS).

A few visits to my physio have been in order!

I have also had some family time, a few dog walks, I have been horse riding and climbing, my other two passions which I rarely get time for these days, the all-important bike cleaning, and of course, I would be lying if I said I hadn’t taken the opportunity while not training to have a few ‘beverages’. I’m not a huge drinker and never have been, so can quite happily go without, but I have to say, it has been nice to not worry about it and also to catch up with friends who I have not seen for most of the year…!

Therepeutic horse riding

Despite an underlying temptation to train (it’s pretty easy to ignore at the moment), I have learned in my few years of triathlon the vital part that rest and recovery plays in not only your short term goals but for long term performance. I know that if I carried on now I would burn out, and wouldn’t reach my ‘peak’ next year in as good form. It’s not even the physical rest – all this training is mentally tough too, and for a brief couple of weeks of the year, I can sit back and not have to worry about it, take the pressure off myself, and let those not-quite-so-marginal gains settle in ready for another year of PBs…

Robert Twells October 8, 2013

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