Bike Ride

Well done Mandy - first time out doors on a road bike!!!!!!!!!!!! aaaaarrrrrgggghhhhhh

Good session outdoors. One more before we start the St Christies 10 mile Time Trial.
Well done to the boys, you all looked knackered at the end....just what we like :-)

Tuesday Training Session

Bike ride and run - meet ATHelite, Hamilton 6pm sharp. If nice we'll bike outside if not usual turbo session. Be prepared!!
Update ..... Looks nice we'll head outdoors. OOOOOoooooohhhhhhhhhh.

Next race Ayr Duathlon

Come on you lot enter Ayr Duathlon, 19th April. It's a nice start to the season and we can get a real club presence at this one. It's 'only' 5k run, 20k Bike, 5k run. The run is all trail - well part trail.
Here is the link http://www.entrycentral.com/index.php?raceID=100028

~~~~~Brooks Shoe Party ~~~~~

Brooks Shoe Party at ATHelite, Hamilton

Thursday 2nd April 10.00am - 4.00pm

Advice on your running plus receive your free personal gait analysis and free gift.

Call 01698 422448 or email mail@athelite.net to obtain an appointment

Race Report - Edinburgh Uni Sprint Tri

Our Man Gareth was competing in Edinburgh yesterday - here is his excellent report of his first race of 2009. (Please note that Gareth's anaesthetist is a work colleague & not someone who has to accompany him to all his events!)

EU Sprint Tri - Tranent -The first sprint of the year started well , i got lost in Tranent . My anaesthetist had told me that it was a bit rough in places so i approached a pedestrian with caution to ask for directions - my year in edinburgh stood me in good stead as i could understand the direction given to the race , turns out some helpful person had moved a sign to point in the wrong direction !Got parked up at the pool and had difficulty opening the car door due to the wind -another good sign i thought .Wheel bags blown over to the other side of the carpark as soon as i got the wheel out - the portents are not good i thought .Got registered race no 8 , first heat as usual and recieved my race mug and timing chip . Off to transition well organised apart from the car parked in the middle and the breast screening van nearly blocking the exit . Setup completed as near to the pool exit as possible with large red jacketover the handlebars so i can see the bike when hypoxic and blinded by chlorine so the only thing left to do is get changed and heat up .Then disaster struck -no coke in the vending machine only pepsi and no mars bars !The swim started as usual but this time i was doing the overtaking on the first three lengths - those 3 pool sessions this year have really done me proud ! anyway out of the pool in 18.57 (an early season best) and not last out of the pool for once .Down the stairs to transition not good without specs and when short of breathMy transition went well and off on the bike nice flat and sheltered from the wind for the first 10 feet then it was head down and tri to be aero . For a flat fast course i seemed to be going upwards a lot and all the downhills were twisty and had crosswinds , caught 5 or 6 folk on the bike and then into T2 with totally numb feet trainers on and off on the run.The run was flat and round the paths of a housing estate .Dissapointingly only one person in front that i could see and he was running at exactly the same pace as me then of course a giant skinny bloke passed me but he was the only one for a change ( 2 of the fast folk were warming up on the run route and yes they were running faster than me.embarrasing ). With the end in sight i finally managed to get my legs going . looked down at my hrm for my time and it said 1.11 -this i could not believe - had turned it off when trying to look at my hr on the run . Anyway best time of the year so far and not last . next stop East fife and another bottom 10 finish ! Gareth

Post Mallorca Comedown

A funny old week as expected following the 'kicking in the Ballearics' we had last week.
Monday was straight back into the run group, fortunately it was a fairly tight session so no great distance - I managed 2 gentle laps of the park at first before my knees started to complain, followed by another 4 laps later on. Wheezy, wobbly & the body showing obvious signs of needing recovery. Took Tuesday as a complete rest, feeling very groggy & sleepy all day. Weds was much the same but we did make it to the Roller Session just to turn the legs over. We managed about 30 mins total, others there got on their bikes then just got off them & sat on chairs. Glad it's not only us feeling bushed!
Thursday was a gentle 4 mile run, starting to feel a bit more alive again, Friday an easy swim in probably the most unstructured swim session ever, Saturday rest day.
This morning, Sunday, we headed into the lanes for 1.5 hours easy run. A cracking day - bright, sunny & not too cold & we had a great run. Just the right distance & actually quite a good pace for the pair of us considering we haven't run over 45 mins for a month. We could definately feel the benefit of all the biking as the hills & wind around Auldhouse didn't bother us in the slightest.
I think I've forgotten how much I enjoy running - the nice weather makes it so much more enjoyable.

April sees the start of a 6 month countdown to Barcelona & time to get things moving. I have started to put together the training plan & we just need to select our target races through the summer & build them in to the plan. Ideally 4 x Sprint Tri's, 2 x Middle Distance Tri's (hard to find ones we can do though), a couple of long bike Sportives & the usual running races too.
The ATHelite Tri Club also needs some away days for some open water sessions etc. Lots to do.

Nice now the clocks have changed, Monday should see us turn up at the Harriers for the 2nd time this year as we now endeavour to start building up the running again now Mallorca has gone.

Anyone been watching the Track Cycling Champs from Poland? Love watching it (7.00ishpm every evening). The Brits seem to having a bit of a struggle following the Olympic glory but lots of young 'uns there looking like they are oozing with potential. Funny to see Cavendish being interviewed after the Madison & saying that following his win last week he was just taking these World Championships as a Recovery Week. Some recovery!

Bike

Saturday Morning Bike Ride - 9am from EK shop.....we'll mix up the route a little and I'm coming out to play :-)

Core Strength

As many of you know we had Big Sister Paolina working in the shops last week whilst we were away in Mallorca.

Paolina Allan lives in Toronto, Canada & is a Professional Ironman Triathlete. She is a 9 time Ironman finisher, 7 of these with Podium finishes & an awesome PB of 9 hrs 34 mins.
She is also the 2007 Canadian 15km Bike Time Trial Champion.

For those of you who met her (especially if you attended the Swim & Run groups!) there is not much doubt that she is in great shape, and a big reason for this is not just Swimming, Biking & Running but also a strict CORE STRENGTH regime as well.

Paolina has kindly written us a bit detail about what we can all be doing from the (dis)comfort of our own homes to make us better, stronger & more injury resistant athletes.

Click on the following link to find out more.

Still Alive!!

So, the keen eyed amongst you may have noticed that the Blog entries dried up 2 days into the Mallorca trip & despite returning on Sat night, we have only now managed to actually write something down!

Day 2, as previously mentioned was a big day in the saddle for us & was followed on Tuesday by even more - 120 miles with more climbs, decents & fast flats. It became increasingly clear that our club doesn't appear to be like anyone elses. Loads of big teams & clubs out there from all over the world, biking round in big organised bunches - cruising along in tidy symetrical lines. Not us though - every opportunity to blast the group into pieces was taken - the only time we were all really together was on the plane & at dinner! A very hard day - the long climbs don't seem to bother us too much, but what seemed like a never ending drag aroung the 'undulating' northern coast road into 25 mile hour head winds was as near as I came to being broken. I stopped in a layby to take on some nutrition & Gen caught up & gave me a good talking to which gave me a kick up the arse to get through to the lunch stop.

Wednesday was a slightly gentler 'neutralising' day, a slower pace into & through Palma with a fantastic long cycle path right along the seafront & beyond. A couple of bike shop & coffee stops thrown in. Nice to go slower but still high mileage & our butts by this time were really feeling it. Could go into more detail but probably best left alone, thank god for chamois cream is all I'm saying.

Thursday was more of the same, not helped by the Weds night post dinner walk turning into several pints of Amstell & dancing in a late night bar in Magaluf. Not very sensible & felt very weak & shaky for the first couple of hours!

Friday saw many of the guys easing back but us two & a couple of others fancied more mileage & more climbs. We retraced lots of the climbs we had done over the last few days over a steadier but pretty arduous 80+ miles. Good ride without the pressure of constantly chasing all the others.

Another evening featuring Mr Amstell saw a trembly & slightly nauseous start to Saturday & after the first climb some of us stopped for a coffee & never really made it beyond that. Only 2 hours was planned anyway as the bikes were being returned so not much lost there.

So to summarise the week.............
1) We were worried about the mileage and it wasn't too bad, in fact we didn't need a rest day & did an additional long day too.

2) We were worried about the climbs but we actually weren't too bad at these & neither of us were last up the mountains as expected.

3) We hadn't really considered the descents but we are both crap at them (steep banked hairpin turns are not for us). Some guys were hitting 60 mph going down them, the only thing we were hitting was the brakes!

4) What I thought was a long bike before is now not & we are much more confident about what we are capable of.

5) Palmanova, where we were staying is somewhere I would NEVER go for a holiday. So noisy & untypical of the rest of the island with rows of English bars full of fat tattoed burnt idiots getting paralytic at 10 am. Fortunately we were out of there in 5 minutes on the bike. The rest of the island was stunning.

6) We bike for a club that tried to destroy us, each other & everyone else in front at every opportunity. I think that they were surprised that we held in there & will definately go back for more of the same next year.

Mallorca - Day 2

Today we have become one with the saddle.....LITERALLY
100 miles, 9000ft of climbing, 12 summits, sunshine, wind and company.....well at lunch time at least
Left at 9.45am and return just after 5.30pm.....
Getting better each day and looking forward to tomorrow - apparently it´s an easy day!!! Only 60 miles........

Mallorca Update

OMG!!!! Seventy six miles today including HILLS....we were informed this was an easy flat day.....cannot imagine what the rest of the week is going to be like. The climbs were 6+km´s long with hairpins and switch backs........
Weather is gorgeous - 18 degrees and no wind. Shorts and a cycle jersey feels like too much
missing you all..............

Only 2 days to go are we areaway to Mallorca!!

Holidays(!!!) nearly here so just posting a wee update for you all.

Bike ride is still on tomorrow. Meet East Kilbride shop 9.00am.

Runs - as usaul Monday and Thursday 6.15pm from ATHelite East Kilbride.

Swim - as usual Tuesday and Friday at Hamilton Water Palace 7.30am

Tuesday bike/run session is cancelled for this week only

ATHelite, East Kilbride, will be closed Sunday 15th and Monday 16th March - sorry for any inconvenience caused. ATHelite, Hamilton, will be open as usual.

If there is an internet cafe nearby and we can WALK!! we will post an update

Mallorca Next Week

So did I mention that we are off to Mallorca next week?
Here is the weather forecast - pretty sunny throughout & about 14 degrees. No rain fortunately - they say it turns the normally fantastic roads into glass - not ideal for biking.

Weather Mallorca

THE SHOPS
Even though we are both away the shops will remain open (not just unlocked, but staffed as well!)
We are away from Saurday 14th lunchtime & return to work on Sunday 22nd March.

TRAINING
Most sessions continue as normal - Tuesday & Friday swims are on, Monday run is with Mandy C & also our newly upgraded Mandy W - well done Mandy!! Thursday run is with Big Sister Pauline (brace yourselves!!) & Mandy W.
Saturday bike will still be on, maybe organise it this Sat as comments on the blog won't get activated while we are away.

Tuesday Sessions

A good day for training yesterday. 400's in the pool in the morning followed by the second Tuesday night Turbo session. One hour of efforts then straight outside for a run around the lit up streets of Hamilton (lit up by Blue flashing lights that is).

Welcome to Neil, & well done to Mandy on her first time on (& off) the saddle. I hope you can still sit down today!

Remember that the Tuesday night is not on next week as we are off to Mallorca. This doesn't mean that you don't do anything, just that we won't be there to shout at you.

Trossachs Training Camp 09

Only 3 places left!!!
The TTC09 is already more than half full, 31 out of 34 places have already gone. So please, if you are interested fill in an entry form and return to ATHelite. Only £10 deposit required to secure your place

ATHelite Tri Club

Bike - nice forecast for tomorrow between 6am and midday. Meet at 9am at ATHelite East Kilbride.

FitFlops

Get your Fitflops at ATHelite.

What we say:
They are perfect for recovery or just hanging out at races, on holiday, going to the shops. At only £36.00 a pair why would you buy anything else this summer!
Get a work out in even when you're not working out!

What they say:
I TONE… YOUR LEG AND BOTTOM MUSCLES MORE EVERY SINGLE TIME YOU TAKE A STEP. AND THAT’S NOT ALL.
FitFlop sandals increase the work performed by your legs by up to 53%*. And reduce heel shock by
up to 22%, and alleviate painful hot spots underfoot. They can almost immediately decrease ankle, knee, and hip pain, and realign ground reaction force toward your core, so when you walk in them, your lower back hurts less.

FitFlop sandals were biomechanically designed by Dr David Cook and Darren James at LSBU, and have been reported by wearers not only to help firm and tone the lower body, but to provide relief from plantar fasciitis, heel spurs, chronic back pain, sciatica, osteoarthritis, lower limb oedema and RLS and to help wearers affected by scoliosis and degenerative disc disease.

Benefits
1. FitFlop midsoles incorporate patent-pending micro-wobbleboardTM technology, to give you a workout while you walk. Developed by Darren James and Dr David Cook at LSBU, the FitFlop's unique safely -tapered midsole places varying densities of EVA under your feet each time you step, to challenge the support and balance muscles of the foot and leg.
2. They challenge hard to reach muscles more. FitFlops are engineered with a multi-density midsole that stimulates your muscles more while you're wearing them. In independent University testing, FitFlops have been shown to trigger increase gluteal muscle response, increased hamstring response, increase rectus femoris (thigh) response and increased calf muscle response .
3. Every step you take in your FitFlops helps tone and trim your legs: Studies at Salford University by Dr. Philip Graham-Smith and Richard Jones have shown that the FitFlop midsole extends the amount of time that the slow twitch* muscles are engaged during each step (by approximately 10-12%). So just by wearing a pair of FitFlops you'll get more exercise while doing just exactly what you're normally doing. (*slow twitch muscles produce energy by converting fats into energy aerobically)
4. FitFlops work your bum muscles more. FitFlops have been proven to increase the amount of time that the gluteus maximus muscle is 'activated' during every single step.
5. FitFlops have been shown to have a significant effect on the toning muscles of your thighs: The rectus femoris muscle (one of the large muscles in the group of muscles in your thigh) is activated for a longer period of time while walking in FitFlops than while normally shod or barefoot .
6. Walking in FitFlops is like walking barefoot, but a little bit better. According to a study done at the University of Salford in Manchester, UK, the FitFlop wearer's gait is very similar to that of a barefoot walker, but the added cushion provided by the EVA midsole helps reduce joint strain and absorb shock. In fact, several FitFlop wearers have already reported relief from back pain after a few days of wearing them.
7. FitFlops make it easier to stay in shape. Just throw them on while you're running errands, walking to work, or working around your house. Most first-time FitFlop wearers report feeling their muscles working more, while 'fitter' wearers feedback has been more toward great comfort and cushion. One woman reported feeling like she'd had a 'bum-blasting' workout after a half an hour of FitFlop-shod walking. More info http://www.thefitflop.com/styles.php?pv=118_1

Bloody Milk!!

Tired of getting injured through over-training? Why not see what you can do whilst going to buy some milk? I tried just this very thing yesterday morning.

Popped out from the Ek shop to the Post Office for 2 minutes to get milk but on the way back jogged past the vital roadworks in the Village (specially designed to stop anyone getting to the shop) only to catch my foot on the sticking up leg of a hidden upside down road sign. (Ironically the sign said something like - 'Beware Roadworks'.) What better use of a sign than to lay it down as a mantrap.
The sign speared my foot then laughed as I flew through the air, across a large puddle & slid onto the road on all the grit & rocks on the pavement. OUCH!!

So I have torn big holes in both my palms & elbow, jarred my shoulder, ripped two tops to pieces AND squashed the milk.

Spent much of last night wimpering in the bath as we pulled rocks out from under my skin and squirted stingy stuff everywhere. I know you are thinking 'what a big girlie' but I did do a days work & then do the hour bike turbo session last night before the bath so that must get some Man points back?

Next time you go to buy milk don't assume that everything is going to be ok because ANYTHING can happen.

Onwards & upwards.

A solid training week for Team ATHelite this week - 60 miles on the bike on Monday then a good run session in the evening, Tues am swim, Weds 1 hour of core at 7.00am then rollers in the evening, Thurs am 8 mile run & home by 8.00am, Jogscotland run session in the evening (quite tired at this point - just a loosener), Fri am swim (Coach Jack was back which brought more structure but also more pain!), Saturday rest day then Sunday 2 hard hours on the bike as part of a club APR (we had to pull up short & get back from Dungavel to get the shops open). Sunday also Birthday Day - got to work to open & find the shop full of balloons, banners & cake - thanks to the Saturday Crew - a nice surprise!!
Nearly 14 training hours & not feeling too knackered at the end of the week.

All that training & only got drenched in the rain once - pretty lucky. We did get wet in the pool but that is apparently supposed to happen.

ATHelite Tri Club was formally launched on Friday evening at the AGM. A good turnout & nice to see that despite our united focus on fitness & self-improvement we can still churn through an impressive amount of Doritos, Thorntons cakey bars & beer. Well done everyone.

Some good chat about training sessions, target races, club kit etc so we'll see what unfolds over the next couple of weeks.
Colin B is looking at a press release, Gareth is looking at some race suggestions for us, Mrs ATHelite is looking at Club kit design, Mandy W is looking at loads of stuff as secretary & will be appearing soon on a turbo trainer near you.
I will build up a 2009 Multi Events Calendar over the next few days & attach it to the Blog then we can see we can all see what we are aiming for. I know many of the races I would like to do but at some stage will need to work out when they are & actually enter something.

Mallorca training camp is now only 2 weeks away - aaaaahhhh. Need to train more & buy shorts....and umbrella - the forecast looks miserable :-(

ATHelite Tri Club

W/C 2nd March;
Monday - RUN 6.15pm ATHelite, EK Shop
Tuesday - SWIM 7.30am Hamilton Water Palace
...................BIKE turbo session 6.00pm ATHelite, Hamilton
...................RUN 7.00pm (ish) straight off bike
Thursday - RUN 6.15pm ATHelite, EK Shop
Friday - SWIM 7.30am Hamilton Water Palace
Saturday - BIKE 9.00am ATHelite, EK Shop