Finding an open water venue can be difficult and time consuming, so it is important that you use this time efficiently. For instance, don’t waste your time swimming for 15 to 20 mins and then get out. All too often I see triathletes turn up to a session with no aim or structure. Instead, the key is to make that session count.

Open water swimming is a difficult skill to master and requires confidence in your ability to stay calm and relaxed if things get a little rough – which they will! You must have an *action plans* if things go wrong, or if you experience a certain scenario. Some of my top training tips to improve your open water swimming:

Never open water swim alone.

Your open water swim session should replicate open water racing, so don’t waist your time plodding around. Your swimming should be at either race pace or faster by performing intervals.

It’s no good just choosing fine calm conditions in which to do your open water swimming. Practice swimming hard and difficult conditions because this will happen come race day.

Practice swimming with friends and recreate race scenarios (see below).

Scenario 1. Slower swimmers are given a head start over a set distance; the aim for the slower swimmer is not to be caught by the faster swimmers and for the faster swimmer to try and catch the slower swimmers. This may take a few times to get the handicap (time difference) just right. This is a fun session that allows all swim abilities to work really hard.

Scenario 2. A swimmer is chosen to swim a set distance while the other swimmers (min 1 max 4) aims to simulate race conditions. The group swimmers deliberately knock or disrupt the chosen swimmer, the contact between swimmers should be progressive and should only increase when the chosen swimmer agrees what type of contact is prescribed. Be sensible and keep it safe. This is an excellent scenario to practice giving the chosen swimmer valuable experience when it comes to swimming in a close pack with lots of disruptions to the stroke, breathing and body position.

* Action plan – a practice you do if you experience a certain scenario.
An example could be loosing your goggles or if they fill up with water. What would you do and how would you execute that action plan? You have a number of choices, see practices blow.

Practice 1. Keep swimming without your goggles you will be surprised how well you can swim without them if you practice in training. Fresh water is less problematic and you could swim the remainder of the race without too much irritation to the eyes. Seawater however is much more difficult as the salt does irritate the eyes and can really impede your vision over a relatively short distance. So I would not recommend swimming in seawater without your goggle (see practice 2).

Practice 2. Swim at the front of a few swimmers (min 4 max 12) with your goggles fitting poorly to allow water to enter after a short period of time. Once the goggles are no longer performing as they should turn and and face the swimmers who will be swimming to the rear of you at pace, tread water and try your best to avoid as many swimmers as possible. Obviously the other swimmers will not care (race day) that you’re having problems and will just swim over you. Prepare yourself for this unpleasant and at times scary experience. Look for a break or gap in the swimming groups and choose the right time to re-fit your goggles. Once this is done you can get back into the race.

You can add these session to any part of your open water training – enjoy!

Mark Livesy is organising perhaps the flattest and fastest middle distance triathlon in the UK – the Rubicon. For more information on that, plus tips and information on Mark visit functionalfitness.co.uk. Alternatively, follow him on Twitter at @f2events

Competitive athletes often talk about “running their own race.” What they mean is that they intend to rely on their own perception of effort to pace themselves through an upcoming race instead of allowing other runners to dictate their pace, for example by hanging with the leader as long as possible.

Every runner needs to run his or her own race to a certain extent. In experienced runners, perception of effort is the single best guide to the optimal pace for any given race. However, perception of effort should not be relied on to the exclusion of an outward-looking competitive focus. That’s because awareness of other runners in a race actually increases one’s tolerance for suffering, enabling one to cover the race distance faster.

Suppose I brought you to a track and asked you to warm up and then run a 10K solo time trial (25 laps) around it without wearing a watch or receiving split times. In this scenario, you would be forced to rely on your feel for appropriate pacing to complete those 25 laps in the minimum possible time. More specifically, you would find a rhythm at a steady pace that would cause your perceived effort to start at a moderate level and increase gradually until you reached the maximum level of suffering you felt you could tolerate just as you crossed the finish line.

Now suppose I brought you back to the same track a few days later and asked you to repeat the time trial, again without time information. However, on this occasion, you would race against five other runners of roughly equal ability. It is almost certain that you would run a faster time than you had a few days earlier. Why? Because the presence of the other runners would activate social instincts that would increase your maximum suffering tolerance.

Even though you would still be running primarily by feel, those other runners would push and pull you so that, after only 20 laps, perhaps, you would be suffering as much as you had been in the last lap of your solo time trial — because you would be running faster. But, whereas you were certain that this amount of suffering was the most you could bear when running alone, in the group race you would shoot right past that suffering level over the final five laps and hit the finish line at a significantly higher level of perceived effort — and with a significantly faster time.

Don’t believe it? Too bad! It’s a proven fact. In 1968, a researcher at the University of California-Berkeley had a bunch of college students individually complete high-intensity stationary bike rides to exhaustion. In other words, they were required to sustain a fixed power output level for as long as possible, quitting only when they felt they could not complete a single additional pedal stroke at that wattage. Then the researcher used the results to match up these students in pairs of roughly equal ability. The test was repeated exactly as it had been done the first time, except each subject was in the presence of another. Even though the students were not explicitly told to compete against their partner to see who could last the longest at the same power level, the students did just that and lasted a full 20 percent longer, on average, than when they had done exactly the same test alone.

There are those athletes who believe they can run as hard alone as they can against others. These athletes are fooling themselves. Those social instincts that hard-wire us to tolerate more suffering in competition than alone cannot be fooled. It is impossible to race as hard solo as you would in a race by merely pretending you’re in a race. By the same token, you don’t want to go into any race with a mindset of pretending it’s not a race — that is, a mindset of completely “running your own race.”

Let those other athletes influence you. Let them push you and pull you. Go ahead and unleash your competitive instincts so that you’re able to tolerate greater suffering and reach the finish line faster.

Recently we’ve been looking at the Race Rockets that dominate the bike leg of most major races. Last week we checked out the Cervelo P5 and the Orbea Ordu GLi2, today it is the turn of the Specialized Shiv.

Fit
Craig Alexander has to drop his bar nearly as low as possible to fit the Shiv—a good thing for most triathletes because few people can mimic his fit. The Shiv’s frame is designed to fit positions ridden by everyday athletes. Its stack height is taller than nearly all tri bikes with a similar reach length, matching realistic aero positions without relying on a tower of spacers. They can be used to elevate the rider farther, and the aerobar offers a seemingly infinite range of adjustment. The bike can solve just about any fit problem.

Simplicity
Instead of dropping the stem- and-steerer tube in favour of a unique integrated system, the Shiv blends the standard components together without sacrificing practicality. Brake calipers strike a balance between functionality and aerodynamics. They aren’t quite as effective as the Shimano stopper used on the Orbea Ordu, but still provide more than adequate power and modulation. Adjustment and service are also easy. Packing the bike into a travel case and reassembling it are simple to do.

Ride
Point the Shiv in a straight line and it calmly holds its course. It feels almost impervious to the shivers and twitches that plague some triathlon bikes. Despite its inclination toward going straight, it deftly moves through sweeping turns. Its monstrous downtube and head tube catch a bit more wind than the other bikes in this test, but the bike’s predictable handling characteristics help resist any input from the wind.

Kit
Our test model was built up with Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 which remains unmatched. Front shifting feels almost automatic, the rear derailleur stays tuned barring a disaster, and shifting from the brakes is a real speed and performance advantage. The Zipp’s 404 Carbon Clinchers fitted might be the best wheels for racing/training double duty. This kit makes the Shiv ready for anything.

Aero
Specialized designed this bike for real-life triathletes, not just endurance all-stars. The bike’s aerodynamic performance reflects those goals. As yaw angle increased, its drag dropped, meaning the Shiv is comparatively faster in conditions frequently experienced by amateur triathletes.

Verdict: Universally practical and aerodynamically competitive

Want to get your hands on an utterly amazing piece of kit? Well, we’re giving you the chance to do just that. What’s more, we’re making it spectacularly easy.

The nice guys at Garmin have asked us to give away one of their top-of-the-range Forerunner 910XT training computers. You know the Garmin Forerunner 910XT – it’s the one that everybody wants to own. Designed specifically with triathlon in mind, it boasts individual swim, bike and run features – plus a whole lot more (more on that later).

There are three ways of getting your name in the draw to win this amazing piece of kit:
1. Go to the Triathlete Europe Facebook page (facebook.com/triathleteeurope), ‘Like’ it and share the post with the Garmin 910XT on it.
2. Go to our Twitter page (twitter.com/triathleteurope), follow us, find the Tweet that says ‘WIN a Garmin Forerunner 910XT!’ and retweet it.
3. Do both (and double your chances).

That’s it! At the end of the month we’ll scour the entries and pick a name at random. That name is the winner!

Anyway, enough from us. Here’s some more information about the Garmin Forerunner 910XT:

You swim. You bike. You run. You obsess over data and details. So do we. And we’ve just perfected your new training partner. Forerunner 910XT is the only all-in-one, GPS-enabled device that provides detailed swim metrics and tracks distance, pace, elevation and heart rate¹ for running and cycling. It sports a sleek profile, comfy wristband and an easy-to-read display.

Swim: Forerunner 910XT is the only all-in-one device that provides detailed swim metrics and tracks distance, pace, elevation and heart rate1 for running and cycling. Designed for open water and pool swimming, Forerunner 910XT is water resistant to 50 meters. It’s our first multisport watch to offer extensive swim metrics, including swim distance, efficiency, stroke identification, stroke count and pool lengths.

Bike: Whether you’re into triathlons, duathlons, adventure races or other multisport events, Forerunner 910XT can track your cycling distance, speed and other metrics. The 910XT is our first multisport device to incorporate a barometric altimeter for highly accurate elevation data, including ascent, descent and grade.

Run: When mere seconds separate the winner from all others, you need a watch that’s accurate and so easy, you don’t have to sweat the details. Forerunner 910XT delivers with advanced features like a vibration alert so you can get a silent nudge when you hit a split or it’s time to take nutrition.

Don’t forget: to win the Garmin 910Xt simply go to our Facebook page and Share the Garmin post, or go to our Twitter page and Retweet the Garmin Tweet.

Entries close at 23:59 on Friday 31st May

Morgan Williams, National Development Manager for Triathlon England said: “Swim Smooth is fast becoming the gold standard in coaching for the freestyle stroke and open water swimming. They are already the Swim Coaching Consultants to our current coach education programme; therefore it was a natural decision for Triathlon England to choose Swim Smooth to deliver a series of specialist training days across England.”

Triathlon England, through a series of new relationships, are trying to increase participation in the sport as Morgan went on to explain: “We hope working with Swim Smooth will create extra opportunities for members of the public to access high quality coaching and to help them prepare for their next triathlon challenge”

Paul Newsome, the founder and head coach of Swim Smooth Ltd said: “We are incredibly excited to be teaming up with Triathlon England to deliver a series of open water training days this summer and for the next 3 years thereafter! This partnership is a natural extension of the coach education work we’ve been doing with British Triathlon coaching at levels 1, 2 and 3 since 2010, and we’re confident that this will be another very successful relationship for all parties. By offering these training days across England using our own certified Swim Smooth coaches in conjunction with Triathlon England coaches, we can assure a great quality of delivery, which we know all budding triathletes will really benefit from. Here’s to a great 2013 summer season!”

Take up for this new initiative is already proving to be very popular and the provisional nine dates planned across the UK starting in Worcester on 2 June 2013 are expected to expand due to this high demand.

For more information or to book a place please visit: www.triathlonengland.org/take-part/open-water

Dating back to 268BC, Rimini is one of Italy’s most popular beach resorts with its kilometres of sandy beaches, ancient Roman history and vibrant cultural scene making it an ideal place for a holiday as well as a race.

In keeping with Challenge’s focus on athlete experience, the Challenge Rimini course is designed to include the best of this spectacular region and promises to be one of the most cultural half distance courses in the world.

Starting in the seaside resort of Rimini, made famous by renowned film maker Federico Fillini, the warm waters of the Adriatic Sea will host the 1.9km swim following which the 90km bike course will head high into the hills surrounding Rimini along roads built by the great Roman emperors. Travelling through the Emilia Romagna Apennines, an area renowned for its stunning landscapes and many fortresses and castles, the course visits the historic towns of Coriano, Montegrimano, Monte Cerignone and Montescudo before heading back down to the Riviera. The 21km run is a three-lap course along Rimini’s famous promenade, lined with bars, shops and restaurants and a crowd of thousands before finishing in the shaded beauty of Parco Fellini.

On Sunday 26 May, Challenge Rimini will kick off at 9.00am – follow all the action live via the Challenge Family smartphone app or at www.challenge-rimini.com.

Alistair and Jonny Brownlee, London 2012 Olympic Gold and Bronze medallists, are bringing a brand new open water super-sprint triathlon to Yorkshire on Saturday 21st September 2013.

We are pleased to announce that in partnership with The National Trust, the ‘Brownlee Tri’ will be taking place at the World Heritage Site of Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal.

You will have the opportunity to race over the same course as the Brownlee brothers, and watch the world’s top triathletes in action.

Whether you are new to triathlon and entering your first race, or an experienced triathlete looking to compare times with the best, there will be something for you.

Alistair Brownlee, 2012 Olympic Gold Medallist, said: “We want this triathlon to be part of our legacy. Yorkshire is our county and it has played a key part in our success, it’s a great location for our first event.”

Jonathan Brownlee, 2012 Olympic Bronze Medallist and ITU World Champion, said: “Come and join us in Yorkshire for an incredible event and a great triathlon experience. The area has been such a big influence on us and the athletes we have become.”

Entries open on Tuesday 4th June, but for those who pre-register at BrownleeTriathlon.com will have a chance to enter early.

How do you go from being an Ironman finisher to being an Ironman winner? Linsey Corbin shares the tricks that she used to make the transition at the 2012 Ironman Arizona.

Ironman Arizona has long been one of Linsey Corbin’s sentimental favorite races. It was the first Ironman she ever witnessed (in 2006). But with three consecutive second-place finishes (2009, 2010 and 2011), the title seemed to elude Corbin—until November 2012, when her never-give-up attitude propelled her from a disappointing swim to the podium’s top spot. Here, Corbin shares the tricks that helped score her long-sought win.

Take it one step at a time. Corbin says not to worry about the marathon when you’re only a half-mile into the swim. “People always say to focus on the moment and not think about what’s ahead. That’s easy to hear, but to implement it is something different,” Corbin says. “It’s something I really focused on in 2012. In Arizona I was having a horrible swim. Rather than think: Nine minutes! I’ll never make that up! I tried to think about something that was going great. I focused on the blue sky. I told myself: Let’s go for a lovely long ride and then see what happens. I did a really good job of staying in the now. At the start of the run I just thought: All right, let’s see how much time I can cut in. I never thought of winning.”

Trust your plan. Corbin’s Ironman Arizona bike strategy has always been to progressively build through each of three laps. In years past she’s struggled to pace herself, but in 2012 she battled a cold during race week that oddly helped her execute an ideal ride. “I’m always in a rush because all the energy’s at the front of the race and you need to get up there as fast as you can. This time my body was pretty lethargic, so I actually did what I was supposed to do, almost by default. And it was like: Wow, this works!”

Get every last drop. “You always have these mantras and images you’re going to say and draw on during a race. But those things don’t necessarily come to mind. Instead the silliest things do, like little gifts. I kept thinking: You’re a ketchup packet. Squeeze out every last drop. Why would that come into my head?” says Corbin, laughing. “But you can imagine that cheap plastic packet and just trying to squeeze out every last drop.”

We all do it. The day before a race we all like to take a little wander around T2 to check out who is riding what (and admire some of the amazing tech on display). Well, on Saturday we did just that ahead of Challenge Barcelona, enjoying a good ogle at some stunning bikes.

Rather than focusing on a single topic, I have decided to draw back to the high level and tackle training. Most of us train every day and we understand that it is the essential ingredient to performance improvement (it is the specific stress that leads to performance adaptation), but what do you really know about successful training? At a recent purplepatch training camp I gave a lecture on just this concept and realised that many understood less than I thought. I thought I would therefore extend the lecture to these pages and outline a few thoughts on how to approach training.

What Makes A Successful Athlete?
Regardless of the level, an athlete who progresses and is successful normally has four ingredients that make up their success.
1. Will: An inner desire and drive that is very tough to coach or teach.
2. Innate Ability: Let’s face it, some of us are more talented than others, although this tends to be over-rated as a reason for any athletes success.
3. Exposure and opportunity: not fully teachable and can be limited by geography and surroundings, but a proper environment and exposure to guidance, support and community can be a huge catalyst to success.
4. Coaching: A teachable aspect but needs to include appropriate prescription for background, goals and how the athlete responds to different training stimulus.

What Is The Goal Of Training?
The goal of training is simply to improve athletic performance. It is not a destination but a journey. If we label it as ‘optimal performance’ (for any given time) then your training goal should be to do as little training as possible to provide maximal performance gains. The sport is demanding with a mix of three sports in one, so the training load brings you close to the edge of your physical capacity to handle load. With this in mind, your weekly training goal is to maximise the amount of training you can absorb while maintaining positive physiological adaptations. That is important. If you trim the sentence to ‘maximise the amount of training’ then trouble ensues, yet so many athletes do. Your real goal is adaptation, hence the need to maintain an overall state of positive adaptations.