GK Newsletter April

April Apples  Once again, a lot has happened in the month since our last update. Athletes have been training hard in the lead up to major events. Busselton 70.3 is just around the corner and the energy levels are starting to rise in time for WA's premier event. Ultraman Australia is coming up fast as well as the ITU Long Distance World Champs. GKEndurance athletes will also be competing in 70.3 Mallorca, Subic Bay, Vietnam 70.3, Junior Nationals and 113 OD Malaysia just to name a few! Today's Newsletter covers.  Knowing "THE WHY" Coached Sessions AIS Recap Tips N Tricks: Featuring Peak Podiatry Gear that caught our attention: Power Meters Getting to know you: With Jessica King

COACHES CORNER KNOWING "THE WHY" Knowing the WHY, might seem a little vague to you? But knowing WHY you get out of bed in the morning to go training is the key to consistency and improvement, mental and physical health. So to start with, there is no right or wrong answer here.  The WHY varies form person to person and is usually very personal to the individual. You might say "I don't know why" but if you really think about it, I'm sure there is a very real reason WHY you commit to exercising on a regular basis.  So instead of outing one of our athletes, I'll answer this myself and hopefully it help you reflect on your own "WHY" So WHY does Guy get out of bed in the morning. Most are you are thinking "because Kate makes him" And in a lot of cases that is true. Guy gets out of bed and goes training because Kate makes him.  But on occasion that motivation is reversed and Guy's the one motivating Kate.  But being forced to get out of bed is not Why I train / exercise regularly.  Is it "Being the best I can be"? Yeah that probably has something to do with it. I'm interested and curious to see if I can go faster at 40 than I was at 20. But that's not the only driving force.  If I really think about it my WHY is because  -I like being good at something -I like to socialise -I'm addicted to exercising and would struggle to stop -I love sport (our sport) -I don't want to work in an office -I want to set a good example for our GK crew -I enjoy being healthy, mentally and physically - I love having a job that revolves around sport, allows me to travel, be an extrovert, positivity impact people, and while I'm not a wealthy man, my life rewards are MASSIVE. It's not an easy question to answer and I had to get honest with myself in order to answer that. Usually there isn't just one reason. Is there a goal you are training for and want to achieve? Maybe you want to set a good example for your kids? Maybe it's because you are crazy competitive and you've been kicked out of all team sports? Maybe you are recovering from a major health scare or an ex smoker and need to make sure you never go down that path again? Maybe it was a weight issue or a confidence issue? But whatever your reason WHY , it's your reason and it doesn't matter if someone is training for another reason, they aren't you.  Understanding yourself and your reasons is just as important as the swim/bike/run  so you can wake up each morning and be "pumped" for what the day will bring!  Guy  AIS Australian Institute of Sport In case you missed it we recently spent 10 days at the AIS (Australian Institute of Sport) for a Triathlon Performance Coaching Course.   The course covered a variety of coaching methodology and most days were 6.30am-6.30pm. This was a combination of classroom based lectures and practical engagement.  To sum up what we learnt would be extremely difficult.  But we will say that in the near future we may be incorporating some new ideas and strategies to help improve not only your fitness but your strength in each discipline and that doesn't mean we will make you hit the gym. (I guess you'll just have to wait and see, for a lot of you this will be post Busselton) We were lucky to have Darren Smith as our mentor coach. Darren coached the 2nd and 4th place finishers at the London Olympic's. His CV is extremely long and his knowledge is vast. Darren has degree's in things I didn't even know existed.  He is very driven and a little confrontational. He pushed us to learn and be better than we were before. He never gave us the answer, it was always guided discovery.  We were challenged daily and asked to explain why we would coach that way and then given different ideas or shown alternative ways in which to achieve better (or different) results.  So if your coaches seem a little brain dead cut them a little slack. They were challenged on everything you can imagine regarding coaching and training philosophies.  The last day it was emphasised that there is no right or wrong answer....there are many ways to get the same results. One way might work well for one athlete but not another. So our aim as your coaches is to increase our repertoire in order to help prepare you to achieve your individual goals.  We will come out the other side more knowledgeable and better coaches for it. Thanks for the patience over the last few weeks while we were MIA.  We don't know, what we don't know. Peak Podiatry LOVE YOUR FEET Lets look back in time for a second. Why have I been injured so much over my history as an athlete? So as a kid I raced draft legal triathlon and had shin splints. This was  probably due to the fact I was growing. I was then put in orthotics to stop me over pronating. (rolling inwards). Years went past and I stopped using those orthotics and found I didn't get injured. But then eventually the bones in my feet started to stress and sadly a small bone fractured in Decemeber. Which I now look back on as a good thing. I started working with the good people at Peak Podiatry. It turns out I don't over pronate AT ALL. I supernate. (roll outwards) so my first set of orthotics were causing me more grief than good :(  It took a world class podiatrist in Darryn Sargent to assess what was going on (pretty easy for him to diagnose though) Darryn has taken me from NO running to 20KM to 30km to 40km running weeks and So the short of this is, not everyone needs orthotics but if you are having constant issues with your feet, shins or legs then go and see Darryn, he truly is the top of his profession and will direct you as needed. (that doesn't mean Orthotics in every case, as it's not about the $$ it's about athlete health) I wish I met him earlier in my career. GKE ATHLETES OUT & ABOUT!  Don't forget to send Guy your photo's, he wants to feature you on the GK Instagram page guyrcrawford@gmail.com GEAR THAT CAUGHT OUR ATTENTION When I started Triathlon some 23 years ago, the PowerTap hub set the standard for affordable (it wasn't really) and reliable power meters. Unfortunately Saris, the parent company to PowerTap, is not a hub manufacturer, and did not stay up with the rapidly changing times in the hub industry (various hub standards, disc brakes, thru axles, etc). SRAM recently purchased PowerTap, and will add PowerTap's hub, chainring, and pedal based power meters to their existing Quarq power meter lineup. The power meter market is fascinating place. What used to cost $2000 USD + can now be purchased for $450USD  A few of my favourites (I'm bias to the Stages Power meter as I use one) Hit me up with any questions 4iii (These come pretty cheap) https://4iiii-innovations.myshopify.com/collections/power-meters STAGES:  https://store.stagescycling.com/Single-Sided-Power-Meters GARMIN: https://buy.garmin.com/en-AU/AU/p/pn/010-01787-01 GETTING TO KNOW YOU 10 Quick Questions with Jessica King How did you first get involved in Triathlon? I had a bet with a friend who does IM, he said if I didn’t do an IM I would have to buy him an expensive bike What are your goals for the coming year? To finish The full IM in December in one piece What is the most embarrassing thing that has happened to you at a Triathlon, running, swimming or cycling event? Getting an upset stomach at KVT, not quite embarrassing but it was quite funny. What is your favourite movie? Shaw Shank Redemption Where is your favourite place to relax? At home on the couch, with a book What is your best characteristic? Never taking life too seriously What is your worst habit? Forgetting something (even after I make a list) What is your favourite "go to" post race/event meal? Any liquid meals, I can never stomach anything else Do you have any pre-race rituals? No What are you most afraid of? Not being able to finish a race Popular Social Post I've feared this on every wet group ride!

GK Newsletter Feb

Rock 'n' Rolling in February.  We are getting deep into the race season now in the Southern Hemisphere with local state champs, Geelong 70.3, Dubai 70.3, the MetaSprint Series and many other swim, bike and run events happening for the GK crew! On the horizon is the Rottnest channel swim, Columbo 70.3, Ironman New Zealand and Powerman Malaysia just to name a few. It's an exciting time of the year,  which we hope you are all enjoying!

COACHES CORNER As Coaches we get asked a lot of different questions, but one that keeps popping up is: Q: What can I do to get better? A: Be Consistent There are a lot of things that can happen in our every day lives that challenge our routines, and sometimes they make consistency near impossible. As coaches, we do understand stuff happens and some important points to remember are: Try not to play catch up on any missed sessions.  One massive day won't make up for the days you've missed. The reality is it will make you more tired and likely unable to achieve sessions and targets set for you a few days later. It is much better to be as consistent as possible,  rather than a super hero on any one day!! Talk to your coach. If you miss something, let it go... but tell your coach so they can mange your load or make adjustments as required. If you are regularly struggling to make a certain session, or to fit something in,  talk to your coach so you can work together to come up with a better solution.  We know you are human and life sometimes gets in the way. All we ask is for you to try to do the best you can. GLUTE ACTIVATION Recently we have had a lot of you asking about Glute activation after realising that your hamstrings and quads are doing all the work,  and they shouldn't be.  There are two ways to encourage this to happen. One is mental, the other is physical. Check out this video,  7 WAY HIPS , which demonstrates some great hip and glute activation exercises. It is a nice refresher on why it's important to engage your glutes while running (and cycling), plus how you actually do this.  When to use Elastic laces? Pro's and Con's? Elastic shoe laces are a fantastic invention for triathletes. The laces reduce the time it takes to put your shoes on and get running by removing any fumbling you get with standard tie-up laces (especially if you have cold/tired hands). This improvement is possible for all athletes, whether you’re finishing on the podium or further down the field. If you want to finish with a quicker time overall, then elastic laces are a great buy and, as a relatively cheap purchase, you’re getting very good bang for your buck considering the potentially high time saving.  Thoughts about comfort and support are common among athletes thinking about going elastic. Yes, triathlon's elastic laces can lessen the shoe’s support, but there are a number of designs that aim to reduce this, such as Xtentex laces with bobbles on to reduce slippage while retaining comfort similar to that of a normal tie-up lace.   It’s certainly useful to practise with elastic laces, and work on getting your shoe on quicker for T2, but running too frequently with elastic laces may well be detrimental to your biomechanics.  Most running shoes are designed to be worn with standard laces, and the extra movement of your foot in the shoe when wearing elastic laces can result in the shoe not doing the job it’s made to do. Use over a longer period, could increase your risk of injury. This also means that they are generally more suitable for shorter distance races rather than middle and long distances.  To get around this, you could always opt to have a pair of triathlon racing shoes with elastic laces on permanently,  and a separate training pair with regular shoe laces. Alternatively, you could just change laces before each race. Whichever option you choose, most people find that elastic laces are a beneficial investment that will ultimately lead to faster transition times without detriment. So to sum this up: I would use them for Sprint and Olympic distance races (also practice at bike/run intervals) I would not use them for Half and Ironman where your biomechanics can really start to come apart! (if you are a strong runner you can possible get away with running in them for a half, but talk with your coach before hand) GKE ATHLETES OUT & ABOUT!  Lots of GK athletes getting their fitness on. Love seeing you all out there. keep it up. Remember that one little word : Consistency! GEAR THAT CAUGHT OUR ATTENTION This rear hydration unit by Profile Design,  https://profile-design.com/collections/rear-systems/products/rmp-1 , is the best I've ever used.. especially if you like keeping bottles on your bike. I haven't launched a bottle from this rear cage since I started using it over a year ago.  GETTING TO KNOW YOU 10 Quick Questions with Sam Alborn How did you first get involved in Triathlon? Some of the rugby girls do it in the off season and if it burns calories/means I can eat more sign me up.  What are your goals for the coming year? Busso 70.3 Sunshine Coast 70.3 (team) and New York Marathon What is the most embarrassing thing that has happened to you at a Triathlon, running, swimming or cycling event? Doing a swim with the tactical response group guys and not realising my bather top had ridden up well past my big kahunas  What is your favourite movie? End of watch Where is your favourite place to relax? Pub :) What is your best characteristic? Commitment. Like my commitment to eating What is your worst habit? Getting ready for a work out… and then having a little siesta on the couch for a few hours instead What is your favourite "go to" post race/event meal? 4 hash browns and a soda Do you have any pre-race rituals? Wee in the water right before the start. You’re welcome What are you most afraid of? A cop who is afraid of the dark SH#T Triathlete's say. Still very funny and surprising true!! Do you want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list