We’ve been discussing how Lactate Threshold trumps Max Heart Rate for Endurance Training (LT over Max HR) and in the last post I explained how to test your Lactate Threshold (Test your LT)

Once you have done the two step test and properly determined your Lactate Threshold you will be able to set your training zones as follows:

• Zone 1 – Recovery: Below 80% lactate threshold
• Zone 2 – Aerobic: 80-90% lactate threshold
• Zone 3 – Tempo: 90-99% lactate threshold
• Zone 4 – Lactate Threshold – 100%-104%
• Zone 5 – VO2 max: 105% – Above lactate threshold

Equip your watch (and connect your heart rate straps) to record data for zone training. 

Re-testing lactate threshold every 2-3 months (depending on the fitness age of the athlete) is required as zones will need adjusting as fitness improves, meaning your field tested data stays accurate and allows for fully robust training sessions. 

As you improve your aerobic fitness, you would expect your average heart rate during a 30 minute lactate threshold time trial to decrease. 

This is because the heart becomes more efficient at pumping blood and oxygenating the muscles as cardiovascular fitness increases.

There are a few key reasons why heart rate at lactate threshold pace decreases with training:

• Increased stroke volume – The amount of blood pumped per beat increases, so the heart can deliver more oxygen at a lower heart rate.
• Improved diastolic filling – More blood fills the heart between beats, boosting stroke volume.
• Increased capillary density – More blood vessels in the muscles allow better oxygen extraction.
• Greater mitochondrial density – More cellular mitochondria let muscles utilize oxygen more efficiently.
• Enhanced fat burning – Greater reliance on fat metabolism and less on limited glycogen stores.

The cumulative effect is that the cardiovascular system can sustain a given pace with less effort and lower heart rate.

So if you see your lactate threshold heart rate dropping over time, it’s a good sign you are building robust cardiovascular fitness.

Previously I gave a little bit of insight into my Coaching Ethos and Athlete Philosophy and my 5 golden rules.

I’m diving a little bit deeper in to each one in separate posts. So far I’ve discussed Rule #1 Control the Controllable, #2 Find the Positive, #3 Focus on You and #4 100% Effort.

Time for the last piece of the Mindset puzzle…

#5 – Extreme Ownership

Hands up, this one isn’t mine. I stole it from Jocko Willink, ex Navy Seal.

If you haven’t heard of him or heard of his theory of Extreme Ownership before do yourself a favour and look it up. He has many YouTube clips, there is a short 13 minute TedxTalk and he has actually published a book called Extreme Ownership and it is 100% worth a read, or a listen.

In a nutshell Extreme Ownership means having a unwavering “the buck stops here” attitude.

It means owning your failures and your mistakes. It means never looking for someone else to blame, even if other people did contribute to the situation.

Why? Because when we own our problems we find solutions. When we take ownership we get shit done.

Ultimately you are responsible for your life. If you want to be a success, take full responsibility.

Stop blaming the fact you are tired, you are busy blah blah blah.
Most people are tired, most people are busy. You aren’t so different, your circumstances arent all that special.
You are just getting in your own way.

If it is something worth chasing, find a way to make it happen. It might look a little different to how you thought it would but if it works, it’s working.

If you want to truly be the best version of you, it’s time to take

#ExtremeOwnership

Previously I gave a little bit of insight into my Coaching Ethos and Athlete Philosophy and my 5 golden rules.

I’m diving a little bit deeper in to each one in separate posts. So far I’ve discussed Rule #1 Control the Controllable, #2 Find the Positive and #3 Focus on You.

Time for…

#4 – 100% Effort

This should be the easiest of all the rules to absorb and commit to quickly.

If you can’t you are, for whatever reason, just not fully ready for the journey yet.

It doesn’t require any deep mindset practice or any great amount of thought… and really, is pretty self explanatory!

It simply requires you to show up and do what it required, giving your true best effort every time, all the time.

It means never dialling it in. It means not cutting a warm up, a RAMP, an interval, a set/rep or a piece of mobility as they all have value and meaning and are there to make you better.

It means not looking for the shortcut or quick fix as you know such things don’t exist. True champions know this all too well.

100% effort means just that. 100% effort. In EVERY aspect of your life that requires it in order for you to achieve your goals. In sport and in life.  

Everyone has a different level of ability which means that your 100% and mine may look a little, or a lot different. That does make one less valuable than the other  – and if you have truly taken on board rule 3, Focus on You, you won’t be aware or concerned about what anyone else is doing anyway!

It comes back to ‘better athlete = better person’. 100% effort means having integrity and doing the work, regardless of who is watching as you know that it has to be done.

If you want to be the best you, you will do the work. All of the work.

It’s that simple.

#100%Effort

Previously I gave a little bit of insight into my Coaching Ethos and Athlete Philosophy and my 5 golden rules.

I’m diving a little bit deeper in to each one in separate posts. so far we have covered Rule #1 Control the Controllable and Rule #2 Find the Positive.

Time for…

#3 – Focus on YOU

This can be the hardest one for some athletes to get.

It sound simple but in a world of social media and Strava (Social media for sport) there are a thousand and one distractions.

It is one of the reasons I advise all my athletes to leave the facebooks groups etc at least two weeks before their events. Those places become a drain and if you have trained right, they are not needed. They mostly just become a source of anxiety and annoyance – not great for building the right headspace to head into an event with.

Thanks to the ability now to constantly see what everyone else is up to, you can be fooled in to thinking that your goal is to go faster than other people.

It isn’t. Your only goal is to go as fast as YOU can go.

You are put in a start pen, or on a starting line, against other athletes but your job is not to race them. It is to be the best that you can be.

I get so much push back from athletes when I tell them I want them to come off Strava. “I like seeing what others are doing” “I’m only looking at ‘X’” are common replies.

If you are focusing on other people, you are not 100% focussed on yourself. And that means wasted time and wasted energy.

My most successful athletes are the athletes that really buy into this way of thinking.

Their only focus is on their pacing, their Heart Rate zones, their FTP, their preparation etc. They don’t engage with other people about what they are doing in their training as it is of no concern to them.

This doesn’t mean they don’t support others. It is not about being selfish or shut off. It doesn’t mean they don’t want the best for their fellow athletes. They do. They just don’t need to see the numbers or hear about the details.

As their coach, I need to know the numbers. I am data driven when planning their training. I need to know what results we are aiming for. But thats another part of what a great coach will do for you. They will unburden you of all the noise and distraction and build you the stage on which you can rise to your true, full potential. You just have to want to perform.

If you are still looking all around you at what others are doing, you are just not there yet. You are not really ready.

If your focus is anywhere but on your own capacity and capability you will never reach your true best.

So cut the noise and cut the distractions.

If you want to become Great stop competing with others and start only competing with yourself.

#FocusOnYou

Why Eat after a workout

Focusing on recovery is one of the most important and often overlooked aspects of proper sports nutrition.

An effective nutrition recovery plan supplies the body with the right nutrients at the right time.

Recovery is the body’s process of adapting to the previous workload and strengthening itself for the next physical challenge.

The key nutritional components of recovery are:
Carbohydrates to replenish depleted fuel stores.
Protein to help repair damaged muscle and develop new muscle tissue.
Fluids and electrolytes to rehydrate.

A full, rapid nutritional recovery plan supplies more energy and hydration for the next workout or event, which improves performance and reduces the chance of injury, meaning we become fitter and improve our endurance.

Rapid recovery is especially crucial during periods of heavy overload training and anytime two or more training sessions happen within 12 hours 

When to start replenishing carbs

Training will generally deplete muscle glycogen.

The first 30 minutes or so after exercise provide the best opportunity for nutritional recovery due to factors such as increased blood flow and insulin sensitivity, which boosts cellular glucose uptake and glycogen restoration. 

To maximise muscle glycogen replacement, you should consume a carbohydrate-rich snack within this 30-minute window. Ideally this should include foods providing 1.0-1.5 g of carbohydrate per kg of body weight. Since it can be difficult to eat whole foods so quickly after exercise liquid and bar supplements may be useful and convenient choice. 

For endurance athletes especially, if you are going to do another intense session within 24 hours you should ideally repeat this carbohydrate load for 2-hour intervals for up to 6 hours, 

Consuming smaller amounts of carbohydrates more frequently may be the way to go if the previous recommendation leaves you feeling too full.

Now on to Protein

Recovery nutrition is essential for muscle tissue repair and muscle growth. Whether you’re focusing on endurance or strength training – or both, taking on protein after your session provides the amino acid building blocks needed to repair muscle fibres that get damaged and promote the development of new muscle tissue. 

As a rough guide, as protein requirements vary from person to person, consuming 15-25 g of protein within 1 hour after exercise can increase the muscle rebuilding and repair process and help you achieve those all important strength gains. It will also help those trying shift, or maintain, their body composition from fat to lean muscle and can be worked into a calorie restricted diet. 

Effective Rehydration

Pretty much all weight lost during exercise is fluid, so weighing yourself (without clothes) before and after exercise can help gauge net fluid losses. Knowing this is something recommended for endurance athletes especially. 

Be sure to replace fluids gradually and not by gulping down an entire litre of water as soon as you are done. The recommendation is, over the course of 4 to 6 hours drink 1/2 a litre of your chosen recovery fluid or water for every pound of weight lost. 

It is essential, for performance levels, to properly rehydrate before your next exercise session. If your sessions are an hour or less as low to moderate intensity than water should suffice. However, if you are in hot or humid conditions, or undertaking long or high intensity sessions you will likely find rehydration more effective if sodium is included with the fluid and food consumed. 

GET IT RIGHT

As with effective pre workout nutrition, post workout nutrition will need personal experimentation regarding the best fluids and foods to deliver the necessary nutrients. 

Everything here is a guideline, a recommendation and a starting off point. There are no exact hard and fat rules that suit every individual.

Pay attention to how you feel during your sessions. Notice when you feel like you have no energy to being with or when you book really quickly on your runs and/or rides.

Play around with timings and quantities until you hit upon what really works for you and your body. 

Previously I gave a little bit of insight into my Coaching Ethos and Athlete Philosophy and my 5 golden rules.

I’m diving a little bit deeper in to each one in separate posts. Last week was Rule #1 Control the Controllable

This week it’s Rule #2

Number 2) Find the Positive

Like the first Golden Rule, this one takes a lot of practice and commitment. You can’t just wake up one day and change your mindset. It takes work.

Finding the Positive, like Control the Controllable, means embracing the Stoic way of thinking and controlling your reaction to situations.

As an Endurance Athlete finding the positive is crucial to success.

You are going to have bad races. You are very likely going to experience a DNF. You are very likely going to get injured at some point.

Endurance events are tough. You are going to spend a lot of time feeling beaten up and wondering “why the hell am I doing this”  

How you handle being placed in tough situations, as well as dealing with the lows,  are what is going to make you as an athlete.

Race DNF – sure it sucks, but what went well.

Why did you DNF? What can you learn?
I had a mechanical failure very early on the bike leg at an Ironman, which was my first DNF ever. It was devastating BUT I had a great swim. I took that away with me. Attempt 1 done… live it, learn it… head back for Attempt 2. Yay, I get swim in the gorgeous lake again.

Injured – yep, its annoying for sure but injuries are opportunities.

Can you train around it?

Yes, then let’s go and it might be the chance to work on a new strength or skill!

No, ok great. Then you now have a bunch of time to devote to developing a different skill that will help you become a better athlete, and a better person.  

Jocko Wilink, ex Navy Seal, calls his take on this theory ‘“Good”.

Whatever happens, the response is “Good”

Didn’t get the promotion you wanted.

Good. It gives you more time to sharpen your skillset and become better in your current role.

Can’t afford that fancy piece of equipment you wanted.

Good. It gives you more time to become a savage using the basic things you have available.

As I said, this one isn’t easy but it is worth it.

People love to complain. People love to make excuses… but those people are the  ones content with being average at best.

If you want to rise up, you will find the positive and say “Good”

#FindThePositive

In a previous blog I gave a little bit of insight into my Coaching Ethos and Athlete Philosophy and my 5 golden rules.

I’m going to dive a little bit deeper in to each one, starting here with Rule Number 1

Number 1) Control the Controllable

Only certain things are within our control. If it isn’t something you have any say over, forget it. Only expend energy on the things that you can directly influence.

My personal belief system and ethics are shaped by philosophies and teachings of Buddhism and Stoicism.

At the heart of Stoicism is the understanding that the only thing we can truly control is our reaction to the things that happen. If we can learn to control our reactions and remain steady there is no situation that can either completely undo us or over inflate us.

It doesn’t mean not feeling joy or celebrating the wins. It also doesn’t mean never feeling sad, angry or let down.

What it does mean is learning to control those emotions so that they don’t overtake your life and screw you up.

Learning this lesson as an athlete can help set you free and elevate your performance.

Weather looks bad on race day – nothing you can do about it and it’s the same for everyone. What can you control? Having the right kit. Practising in all conditions throughout your training so you know how it feels.

Can you actually turn this into an advantage? Going to a hit race? So many people underperform in heat – can you heat train? I did some of my turbo sessions in front of my fire in my living room, in a hat and long sleeves to prepare for the weather in Spain)

Forgot a piece of kit, maybe a piece of clothing or nutrition – What can you do about it? Is ranting, swearing, getting stressed out helpful? Absolutely not. So what can you do? Do you have time to source something? Can others around you possibly help? If not, whats the best case scenario.

At an Ironman event this year someone got to the swim having left their wetsuit back at their hotel. They spoke to the IM announcers. The announcers asked over the PA system if anyone had a spare wetsuit and within 5 minutes that athlete had their pick of 4 wetsuits!

These are just two examples.

Anyone that knows my story from IronMan Vitoria Gastiez in 2022 knows that I came up against obstacle after obstacle in a race that ended in a mechanical DNF 20km into the bike.
Without all of the work I have done on my mindset over the last 5 years that situation probably would have broken me, especially as that race was 4 years in the making.

Yes I got upset. Yes I was bitterly disappointed. But I was also making a plan for my come back before the first athletes had even crossed the finish line that same day.

Another big lesson – Its only failure if you give up completely. Otherwise, it’s just an attempt.

For me, that race was merely attempt 1. I hadn’t failed yet. Attempt 2 was July this year, one year later, and I finished that damned race!

Whatever situation you face…

#ControlTheControllable

My personal ethics and belief system are a mixture of Buddhism and Stoicism and this heavily influences who I am, both as an athlete and a coach.

As an athlete, I hold myself accountable to same 5 rules that I apply to my coaching, and I try and instil these into my athletes.

As an Endurance Expert these 5 rules have been shaped over many years of racing and they are the foundation I believe every great success can be built upon.

*I’ll go into each one in more detail as the subject of their own conversation.

1) Control the Controllable

Only certain things are within our control. If it isn’t something you have any say over, forget it. Only expend energy on the things that you can directly influence.

2) Find the Positive
Even in the most disappointing situation (that race DNF, that training injury) there will be a positive IF you are willing to look for it.

3) Focus on You

This is one of the hardest ones for athletes to really internalise and act upon. Looking at what others are doing on Strava and/or comparing yourself to other athletes is a waste of your time and mental energy. All of your focus should be on your own performance.

4) 100% Effort
In everything you do. This feeds into the message of the previous weeks conversations…Integrity to do the work even when none is looking and acting like the athlete you want to become.

5) Extreme Ownership

Thank Jocko Willink for this one. No matter what the situation or anyone else’s involvement, take ownership. Don’t find someone else to blame. Make it your problem and find a solution.

#TheFiveRules

Let me ask it another way… Are you truly acting like the person, and athlete, you want to be?  

I work with a range of athletes across various endurance sports; Triathlon, Obstacle Course Racing, Hyrox etc.

Every single one of them has a goal they are working towards. For some it’s an age cat or podium finish. For others it’s simply to complete their A race and finish it well.

Every goal, regardless of size, requires some level of sacrifice alongside a huge amount of hard work and dedication.

Most people have a good idea of what it takes to achieve their goal. The hours of training required, the organisation of daily life to make that time, the dialled in nutrition, the early nights, the early mornings, saying no to certain social gatherings, saying no to certain favourite races or events as they just don’t mesh with the overall Big Goal … the list goes on and for some, it just doesn’t sound worth it.

Thats why so many people are content with just being average…if that.

Some are content to make the excuses, hide behind busy lives and find all the reasons not to do what is truly required.

Others say that they really want it, but their actions just never quite meet their words.

It may be that they just aren’t quite ready yet, or maybe they like the idea but in practise they really aren’t willing to do what it takes.

I’ve definately been guilty of this in the past. I would say I really wanted to achieve “X” but I wasn’t acting the person who would do that. I wasn’t watching my nutrition, I was still eating badly, watching my weight creep up but not doing a damn thing about it. I would say I was too busy to count macros but come on – it seriously only takes a few extra minutes of effort to weigh food and log it correctly. I was just being lazy. Plus, that still didn’t explain the amount of crap I was eating!  I was hitting my training sessions, for the most part, but I was content that that was enough. I wasn’t truly ready or willing to do everything it would take.

Luckily I have managed to shed that person and now I can, hand on heart, say that I truly act like the person I need to be to achieve my goal.

The first step – getting real with yourself and figuring out if you are truly willing, and able, to do what it takes.

This might involve a conversation with your coach as you may be willing but not be actually sure exactly how to make it work, especially if you have a very busy life that seems inflexible. As I said in the beginning, it will require some sacrifice but a smart coach will be able to help you figure out how to lessen the impact and make it work.

Is it hard? Yes… but then so is dialling it in, living behind excuses and not living your true potential. Both are hard. One is infinitely more worthwhile than the other.

We’ve all met those people. You know the ones. They turn up on the start line and immediately tell you all the “ reasons” why they are likely not going to have a good event. They got a poor night sleep / They woke up that morning with a weird niggle / Their dog ate their training plan…. Preloaded excuses give weak minded people a get out of jail free card. It doesn’t matter if they suck, because they already told you they would… and it’s not their fault.

Do not be one of these people.

Do the work that’s required, ALL of the work that’s required and whether you do or not, own your shit.

Also, remember this (one of my favourites: No one Cares. Work Harder.

Once you have set your sights on a goal, make sure you go all in and back yourself 100%

#ActLikeTheAthleteYouWantToBe

Is it true that people who are working hard to become better athletes also become better people?

In my experience yes, and a lot of it comes down to one thing – Integrity.

Integrity means doing the right thing, even when no one is looking.

It means putting in the hard work because you know it’s the right thing to do and will yield the best results.

Integrity is the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles.

This is true in sport, and also true in life.

When you examine your training can you put your hand on your heart and say that you never cut corners? Can you say with 100% truth that you completed every meter, every rep, every set AND every rest break?

Becoming a better athlete teaches us discipline and commitment. We set goals and we work hard to achieve them. We learn that if we can do this for our sport, we can apply these same skills to other areas of our lives such as work and family. As we achieve our goals we build confidence. We feel seen and feel that we have a greater sense of purpose.

When we encounter setbacks we learn how to deal with them, we develop critical thinking and problem solving, the art of not sweating the small stuff and always finding a positive.

Through all of this we become a better version of ourselves and the best bit is that those around us, that matter most to us, benefit from the person we are becoming.  

Work hard to become a better athlete. Become a better person.

#1%BetterEveryday

Creatine has been a popular supplement in the UK for a few years now but just recently it seems to have blown up and I get a lot of my athletes asking me “ Should I be taking it? 

In short, my answer is usually YES! Male or Female… just YES!

Here are the things you should know about Creatine: 

1) It is one of the most researched supplements within the fitness market. Many have tried to (falsely) claim that it causes damage to the kidneys but through all of the highly detailed research and testing done no adverse effects to health have been found. 

2) Its main benefit is an improvement in maximal strength and power. It is NOT a steroid. Creatine is an energy which saturates the ATP stores hence greater performance comes from greater amounts of creatine stored in the body. 

3) When taken over time, Creatine can help increase strength, muscle mass and athletic performance. 

4) Creatine is naturally found in foods such as fish, beef, pork and lamb but the quantities are small so you will never see a real benefit from food. 

5) Despite what some brands say you do not need to complete a loading phase. A daily dose of 3-5g a day will suffice. 

6) Beyond the physical benefits latest research also shows there are some amazing cognitive benefits, with improvements in concentration and memory. 

7) Some people will be non responders – which means they see no real benefit after 3 months of supplementation. This is usually because their body’s already have a high level of muscle creatine storage.

My Personal Experience. 

I started taking Creatine in mid January this year and can honestly say I have seen massive improvements in my overall strength and power – which has a carry over to my endurance sports.
Without specifically training strength in additional way and just following my normal weekly routine of CrossFit, Indoor Cycle, Running and Swimming I have PR’d pretty much every Power and Olympic Lift – in the 5RM, 3RM and 1RM range. My FTP (cycling power measurement) has increased more in tis time frame than it usually would in a 3 and 6 month period and running just feels easier.

In my opinion, Creatine is the one supplement where I would say it is definitely worth a try. You have nothing to lose but everything to gain. 

In short, Yes! 

I’m currently 44 and for the last year or so I’ve been feeling like I’m suffering from some perimenopausal symptoms. Not enough to warrant talking to my doctor about HRT but enough to make me look for some answers and find some help. 

Having opened up the conversation within Forza Fitness, talking very open and honestly with pretty much all my female clients, it’s clear a lot of feel the same way. We might be experiencing different effects, we might be different ages but we’re all looking for things we can change to help us with this period of hormonal chaos.  

I had a lot of people who’s voices I trust talking about herbal adaptogens so I decided to explore this avenue as they were all saying how this has helped. 

I’ve been taking Ashwagandha and Schisandra now for over 7 months, as they were the two best suited to help me with my particular symptoms, and I can honestly say they have been the answer for me. I am under no illusion that further down the line I may need to look seriously at HRT and if that time comes, trust me, I will not hesitate, but for now this is enough and I feel like myself again. 

As your oestrogen levels decline your stress levels increase which in turn upsets your mood and concentration – brain fog was a big one for me for sure – I have, in the past, even forgotten my own post code!

To help your body combat this stress, you can introduce adaptogens. Herbal adaptogens work by increasing your body’s resistance to stress and they do this by targeting the neuroendocrine system that controls your reaction to stress and regulates multiple bodily functions such as mood, temperature control, immunity and digestion. 

Taking adaptogens means that over time, they build up in the body and block your cortisol response. This means you experience less stress. 

Here’s the low down on the three different herbal adaptogens that have come up most often in my research: 

Ashwagandha

Ashwagandha increases your DHEA testosterone, which helps lower anxiety and cholesterol. It also improves insulin sensitivity meaning you’ll better blood sugar control and less prone to storing fat. 

Research on athletes has shown that it can help increase endurance and power. 

It is also an anti-inflammatory so can help reduce soreness after those tough workouts. 

It has also been known to help regulate body temperature so can help reduce hot flashes. 

Recommended Dose: 250 to 300mg twice a day (tablet)

Contraindications: Can affect your T3 and T4 thyroid hormones so those on thyroid medication should avoid. 

Schisandra 

Schisandra is widely used in Chinese Medicine and is commonly known as Five Flavoured Fruit. 

It is is the adaptogen for brain fog as it stimulates the central nervous system and improves cognition. This means it can clear the fog and help with your concentration and focus. 

It helps strengthen your mitochondria (where energy is created in the cells) so it can improve aerobic capacity. 

Finally it can help regulate fluctuating hormone levels and reduce hot flashes. 

Recommended Dose: 500mg to 2grams a day (powder) 

*I add mine to my morning coffee

Caution: It has a caffeine like effect increasing alertness so can disrupt sleep. It best taken in the morning and avoided in the afternoon / evening. 

Maca

Maca Root is often referred to as Peruvian Ginseng and is a hormone modulator. It also works as a steroid hormone so is a powerful herb! 

It helps improves the onset of night sweats, hot flashes. 

It can increase mood and help overcome the onset of anxiety and/or depression which are common during perimenopause. 

Research has found it can improve energy levels as well as mood and some people describe Maca as giving them a natural high. 

It also has anti inflammatory properties so can help reduce muscle soreness after workouts/ 

Recommended Dose: 450mg three times a day (tablet)

Contraindications: Can affect adrenal and thyroid function so those on thyroid medication should avoid. 

Some products containing Maca are also on the WADA banned substance list so if you are a competing athlete subject to drug tests either avoid or be 100% the product you are taking is ok. 

***Please remember I am not a doctor. The information shared here is purely for general information purposes. It is not medical advice. 

Isn’t that an Oxymoron?

I have been programming active recovery sessions once a week for one of my athletes for the last couple of months, since he completed his B race, and is building to his A race.

Last week I received a message from said athlete, asking (in their own words) “WTAF is recovery training?”

What I loved about this was that they had been doing the sessions religiously each week, regardless of not really understanding the purpose of them. This to me proved the trust they have in me. However, I didn’t love that I had an athlete in my camp blindly following workouts without knowing the why.

Now I get that not every athlete wants to understand everything (“thats your job” is something one of my guys likes to point out. “Monkey see, Monkey do, Monkey gets results” as he says) but I like to try and share the methodology behind everything we do so that they can execute every session to maximum advantage.

One of my biggest things, across every form of coaching that I do, is that if a client asks me “why are we doing this” if I can validate that question and explain the reason for the movement, or the workout, we shouldn’t be doing it.

As one of my experience athletes didn’t understand Recovery Training, I figure there must be others out there in the same boat so here’s the overview:

Recovery Training is a workout focussed on speeding up your recovery, rather than putting your body under any further stress.

To avoid stress we need to avoid high intensity, high impact, fast pace, or heavy loads. Recovery Training is ideally a maximum of 45 minutes and performed at a low intensity, keeping the heart rate down at around 30-60%. (*Note – It is NOT a zone 2 run. A zone 2 run occurs at a higher % of heart rate and although these often feel easy compared to the speed and power sessions, they are definitely still training and not recovery!)

I generally program indoor cycle sessions as active recovery sessions for my Ironman athletes but it can be swimming, walking, or maybe even some active mobility.

The goal is to move the body into a recovery state; a lowered heart rate, a lowered blood pressure – pushing your body to become more parasympathetic. This can drive up Heart Rate Variability (HRV) and people with a high HRV may have greater cardiovascular fitness and may be more resilient to stress.

Getting the body moving without stress will stimulate blood flow and help push fresh blood (and fresh oxygen) to every muscle fibre which will speed up recovery.

Working out at low intensity means you will be able to focus on the quality and rhythm of your breathing and the quality of your movement. Under fatigue we are all aware our form can go to shit and we are often gasping for breath any way we can get it. Recovery Training gives us time to build or reinforce our foundations, thus improving future workouts. I often spend some of my sessions focussing on my breathing patterns so that it becomes ingrained and less likely to fall apart under stress.

In a nutshell a Recovery Training session should make you feel better than when you started. It should help you feel more mobile, re energised and lessen the effects of the heavy, intense sessions that have come before.

A few months ago I decided to try the bio hack that Dr Stacy Sims talks about in her book ROAR. (Side note – if you are female and care about your athletic performance, you really need to read this book!) I got pretty decent results so thought I would share it here as it may help many of you.

In the book she shared an action plan that she created for a mother daughter duo who were talking the mountain biking world by storm, with both women rising to the top of their game.

This action plan helped both women master their cycles and not let PMS affect their power or performance.

The plan

The plan is in four stages and is this:

1. Peak Performance during PMS:
   For the 7 days before your period starts, at night take the following;
   250 milligrams of magnesium, 45 milligrams of zinc, 80 milligrams of aspirin (baby aspirin) and 1 gram of omega-3 fatty acid (flaxseed and fish oil)
2. Pre-training:
   Take 5 to 7 grams of BCAAs (branched chain amino acids).
   *Stacy doesn’t state how long before training you should take this. I did this around 30 minutes before starting my session.
   The science behind taking the BCAAs is that these amino acids cross the blood-brain barrier and therefore help to decrease the estrogen-progesterone effect on central nervous system fatigue. In other words it can hep fight the lack of mojo and help you find some energy.
3. In Training:
   Consume approx 0.45 gram of carbohydrate per pound of body weight, per hour.
   During this high hormone phase you want to consume a few more carbs per hour and should be aiming to get close to the above amount. During the first 2 weeks of your cycle, the low hormone phase, you can go lower at about 0.35 gram per pound of bodyweight, per hour.
   *I used this for longer endurance based sessions only. For my CrossFit classes I only ever consume water during and make sure my pre and post fuelling strategy is on point. I am however going to rectify that and follow this part of the plan too.
4. Post Training
   Consume 20 to 25 grams of protein within 30 minutes of finishing your session.
   Recovery is key. It is often overlooked yet so critical, especially as this point in your cycle. Progesterone, which is peaking during this phase, is extremely catabolic, which means it breaks down muscle. Getting that protein in post workout means you will be able to fight this process and boost, rather than inhibit, your recovery.
   
   What did I notice?
   It definitely helped me beat the bloat and keep my usual energy levels… something that never normally happens. I’m lucky that I don’t get super moody (although my husband may say otherwise!) but I do get a bit lazy, a bit “can’t be arsed” and a bit “m’eh”. Following this protocol meant I felt like me regardless of the time of the month 🙂 Who doesn’t want that!
   
   If you feel PMS is holding you back, give this power protocol a go and see if you can learn to master your cycle too.
   
   

Back in December last year, after seeing my friend Hannah’s results, I decided to take on the 75Hard challenge. I’d looked at it earlier in the year but dismissed it as I didn’t understand it properly. 75 days of training without a rest day? No thanks! I don’t even do 14 day challenges that don’t factor in rest and recovery as that’s just a straight road to overtraining, loss of performance and possible injury.

Hannah posted her results and I immediately messaged her to ask some questions. She gave me all the info I needed to finally understand this challenge and decide that yes, this could actually be one for me.

I shared it with the 3 other Team NBR members (my accountability group)that I would be starting this on 1st Jan and in sharing it for accountability reasons I actually inspired (although he’ll say peer pressured) Chris James to do it with me.
We had several discussions about our individual ‘Why’ as we both had similar thoughts… “it doesn’t actually sound that hard”, “thats pretty much what we do anyway” “I don’t really know what I’d get out of it”… and I think we both came to the same conclusion; This is the Why… because we think it’ll be easy/simple and it must be called 75Hard for a reason. I was also still massively motivated by Hannah’s results but also aware that she is an absolute beast when it comes to fitness so it was unlikely I could achieve what she had.

What is 75 Hard?

It a mindset challenge, not a fitness challenge, designed by Andy Frisella, also known as the MF CEO. It’s 75 days of discipline abiding by the following 6 rules:
1) Two 45 Minute workouts. 1 MUST be outside. They cannot be consecutive and 3 to 4 hours apart at least.
2) Follow a diet. You choose the diet to match your goals but it must be strict. If you decide on calorie deficit and macro counting you cannot just have a takeaway pizza one day and make the rest of the day fit. It must be clean.
3) No alcohol or cheat meals.
4) Take a progress photo every day.
5) 1 gallon of water a day. This is a US gallon which is basically 4 litres.
6) Read 10 pages of a non fiction book every day. Not a e-book, not an audio book. An actual book.

I completed day 75 yesterday and can honestly say this is one of the most surprising challenges I have ever done. I didn’t expect it to be so worthwhile or interesting. I got so much more out of doing this than I ever imagined. It was also a better experience for doing it alongside Chris as we had a lot of the same revelations and thoughts.

Ok, so what did I get out of it?

Well for starters I look better. I start there because it’s the most obvious change. I’m the lightest I’ve been for about 20 years maybe, but the body composition shift is all the right way. Fat% down and muscle % up.

I’m stronger than I was. During the 75 days I PB’d my 1RM Deadlift and Strict Press and have been challenging myself to use heavier options during CrossFit classes.

I read more, I read better. I have loved carving out a little bit of time everyday to sit down with a book and this is definitely something I will be continuing. I’m always listening to audiobooks and reading my kindle but very rarely read an actual book and this is staying. I found it makes such a difference putting the book in my hands. Its a different focus as there are no devices, no electronics and I really liked that a lot. I finished 6 books and am a third of a way through the 7th.

I have proved again to myself that all the stuff I say about myself is true. I am disciplined. I have strong mental grit. I have a strong work ethic. If I say I’m going to do something I do it. There were days when it got to 8pm and I still hadn’t hit the workout criteria so had to get shit done before I could think about going to bed. I’m Ironman training so many days I would hit 2, some days even 3 workouts but because they were either brick sessions, or all indoors or outdoors, I hadn’t followed the rules. In this situation a few people said to me “what does it really matter” “you’ve done 2 workouts” and thats true, but thats not the rules and you can say the rules are stupid/not fair/whatever but I knew the rules going in so bitching about them would have been pointless. I could have quit, saying the rules don’t suit my lifestyle… but thats the point. It’s meant to be difficult, it’s meant to be inconvenient so head down, mouth shut, do the work!

I discovered how much of a difference refined sugar makes to how I feel day to day. Both Chris and I cut refined sugar as part of the diet rule. Neither of us are mass consumers and we were both surprised as how a small change made such a big difference. I followed a strict high protein, calorie deficit diet with no refined sugar. I’ve been doing the high protein, calorie deficit thing for a while, although not as strictly, so the major difference was the sugar piece. After the cravings on day 5 and 6, it was actually really easy to stick to. I thought this would be the hardest bit but not at all. I feel a bit in love with no sugar me. I had more energy, I didn’t feel the need to power nap every afternoon (although I still love a nap – I just didn’t need one), I was just, well, better. Thats not to say I’m never eating refined sugar ever again but it was a learning experience and will for sure shape my diet moving forward.

I finally found a type of yoga I can get on board with. As mentioned at the start, the bit I struggled with when I first heard about 75Hard was the 75 days of 2 workouts a day. After speaking to Hannah, and listening to Andy’s podcast ( a must for anyone thinking of doing this), I understood that you can still have rest and recovery days. An outdoor workout can be a walk and an indoor workout can be yoga. I’ve never been a fan of Yoga but Hannah was using the downdog app and suggested I look at the Yin Yoga. Ok, game changer! I LOVE Yin Yoga. I’m a huge fan of mobility work so this was perfect for me and although I only did maybe 1 or 2 sessions a week, my mobility improved, my squat technique improved and I genuinely enjoyed every session. Like the reading an actual book, weekly yoga is staying as part of my new routine.

The Results:
*for the before and after photos you’ll need to check my social media.

Body Compostion:
Weight – Day 1; 82.4kg – Day 75; 74.6kg (Total loss: 7.8kg)

Body Fat % – Day 1; 32.8 – Day 75; 27.5 (Total loss: 5.3%)

Muscle% – Day 1 29.8 -Day 75; 33.2 (Total gain: 3.4%)

Bust/Back – Day 1; 38.5 / 31.5 – Day 75; 36 / 28 (Total loss: 2.5″ / 3.5″)

Waist – Day 1; 34 – Day 75; 29 (Total loss: 5″)

Hips – Day 1; 39 – Day 75; 36 (Total loss: 3″)

Other Stats:
Resting Heart Rate – Day 1; 52bpm – Day 75; 45bpm

Bike FTP – Day 1; 195 – Day 75; 235

Bike Watts per kg (avg) – Day 1; 2.1 – Day 75; 2.5

Vo2 Max – Day 1; 42 – Day 75; 45

Cycling Vo2 Max – Day 1; 44 – Day 75; 51

Workout Totals:
Open Water Swimming – 1

Pool Swimming – 10

Outdoor Cycle  – 2

Indoor Cycle – 24

Run – 23 (92 miles) 

CrossFit Class – 45

Training with Toby – 12

Indoor Strength – 1

Outdoor Strength – 2 

Indoor Row – 1 

Yoga / Mobility – 19

Recovery Cardio/Mobility – 5

Total sessions – 145 + 62 (45 min+) walk

After The Grizzly on the previous Sunday this week was always going to be a bit of a slow builder while I gave my body some time to recover. I was honestly expecting to feel a little worse after all those miles and hills but I’m generally ok. A little tired but thats about it. My foot feels no different to how it did a week ago so it’s still all systems go!

Mon – Rest Day
6pm – Restorative Yoga (via Down Dog App)
*Just a 45 min easy restorative yoga session this evening, rather than Yin as this is very gentle, after a nice long dog walk in the morning.

Tues – Rest Day
8:45 – Yin Yoga via Down Dog App
*Another day of dog walking and Yoga… feeling good and ready to get back to it.

Weds
6:45am – Coach by Colour Indoor Cycle Class (as Coach)
*Week 12 of 12; The Vortex. A max interval session. 4 min blocks of 105% FTP+ holding 85/90RPM with increasing amounts of full recovery down in the white zone.

7:40am – 2 mile Brick Run
*Easy 2 miles of the bike with George, one of my Forza Performance clients who also attends my Indoor Cycle classes.

12:30pm – CrossFit Class
50-40-30-20-10 Kettlebell Swing, Sit Up +30 Double Under each rd
*If there was a workout made for me, this would be it. I can’t swim this week as I had my hair done on Monday and I cant get it wet for a week so the stars aligned and gifted me this joy of a wod. I’d gone to the box with the thought of RX’ing this one as DU’s are the one RX skill I have. However, I’d expected the RX KB weight to be 20kg and it was 24! Luckily Pam (good friend and owner of Big Croc) was in the class and convinced me to go for it still… she RX’d it with me saying “we can fuck ourselves up together” and sometimes you need someone like this around you to give you that push. I am very much a coward when it comes to a lot of CrossFit and one of the things I’m working on is to try and be braver.

Thur
12:30pm – CrossFit Conditioning Class
40 Min EMOM- Min 1-3 30 sec on (you can do 40 but this is active recovery for me), Min 4- 60s
1; Plate Ground to Overhead,  2; Burpee to Plate, 3; Goblet Squat, 4; Alt Run. Row, Bike Ski 5; Rest
*No, I didn’t swim today either. The sessions available didn’t fit my day so easy indoor conditioning it is.

6:30pm – Coach by Colour Indoor Cycle Class (as Coach)
*Same as Weds am.

Fri
12:30pm – CrossFit Open 22.3
This wod is too long to write in full so you can go find it elsewhere online if you really care.
*I completed the first set of thrusters and single unders and spent about 10 minutes fighting to get 10 Pull Ups out.
The video of my struggle to get these pull ups out is on my socials if you want to giggle -they are not pretty but they were effort!

2:00pm – Just Move EMOM with Head Coach Toby (and James & the hubby)
30 Min EMOM
1:16 DB Snatch 2: 20 Air Squat 3: 14 Hang Power Clean 4: 16 Down Up 5: “Recovery” Assault Bike

Sat
8am – CrossFit Class, Partner WOD with Si
25 Min AMRAP; 400m run together then 20 Weighted Box Step Up, 30 DB Snatch, 40 Cal Row, 30 KBS, 20 Devil Press (split reps)
* I’d planned for this to be an easy, light recovery session but as often happens with Si and I, we went all in and pushed each other to the max. I didn’t go super heavy but I didn’t go as light as I’d planned.

9am -7k Row with Si
I’d planned to run after class but Si said he was doing a row instead so I jumped in on that instead 🙂

5:45pm – 45 Min C2 Bike (easy recovery)
As I haven’t finished the 75hard yet I still needed an outdoor workout to meet the rules for the day so I dragged the C2 bike into the garden, set up the 2018 CF Games film on my iPad and just peddled. No stress, just moving.

Sun – Extra Rest Day
5:45pm – Restorative Yoga via Down Dog App
* I was feeling VERY beaten up today so I gave myself permission to take life easy. I got up with the dog at 6am and we went for a gorgeous 2 hour walk around Staunton Park and The Thicket before the rest of Havant woke up and then a yoga session in the evening.
Even though these yoga sessions are low intensity I am feeling the benefits greatly as my mobility has improved no end since discovering Down Dog. My squat form continues to get better and better and I am definitely more flexible. It really is time well spent.

This week was a tense one. Sunday saw the arrival of my first big race of the season, The Grizzly, and the first big test for my foot. Since my initial sit down with my CrossFit coach, Kerry, back in January, when we agreed I’d take a small step back to focus on my IM training, we’d put this race as a marker. If my foot didn’t make it my IM/Tri season was probably dead in the water. If it survived it was 100% game on!

It was also week 2 of The Open and I was feeling pretty good about my performance in week 1… would that com crashing down come Friday. It doesn’t matter, right – I’m not focussing on the Open. This was what I had to keep telling myself many, many times.

Things were a little quieter this week leading up to The Grizzly, although not a lot… here’s how it went:

Mon
6am – CrossFit Class
For Time: 50 Air Squat, 40 Box Step Over, 30 Jumping Pull Up, 20 Hanging Basket, 10 Jumping Bar Muscle Up
* This was fast, and fun. Still not jumping on boxes due to my foot but if it survives the weekend I will try and few box jumps next week.

1:15pm – 45min Zone 2 Run
*Threw all the layers on to try and make myself more uncomfortable and still control the HR to zone 2.

Tues – Rest Day
3pm – Yin Yoga via Down Dog App
*45 min mobilty session with a lower body boost in prep for the weekend.

Weds
6:45am – Coach by Colour Indoor Cycle Class (as Coach)
*Week 11 of 12; Faster, Better, Stronger. A repeated pyramid session of tabata sprints, heavy climbs and rest.

7:40am – 2 mile Brick Run
*Easy 2 miles of the bike with George, one of my Forza Performance clients who also attends my Indoor Cycle classes.

12:30pm – CrossFit Class
18 Min AMRAP; 21 Wall Ball, 12 Cal Row, 9 Over Rower Burpee
*I was supposed to swim today but I really, really liked the look of the workout so decided to switch my days around and Crossfit today and swim tomorrow. I love, love, LOVED this workout.

Thur
12:30pm – CrossFit Conditioning Class
42 Min EMOM- 30 sec on, 30 sec rest (you can do 40/20 but this is meant to be active recovery
1; Weighted Box Step Up,  2; Row, 3; Goblet Squat, 4; Ski, 5; Down Up, 6; Ski 
*No, I didn’t swim today either. The sessions available didn’t fit my day so easy indoor conditioning it is.

6:30pm – Coach by Colour Indoor Cycle Class (as Coach)
*Same as Weds am.

Fri
12:30pm – CrossFit Open 22.2
For Time: 1 to 10 to 1 – Deadlift @ 43kg + Bar Facing Burpee (Time Cap – 10 minutes)
*Not a bad workout overall. I’m not the biggest fan of fast deadlifts for time but I don’t mind a Bar Facing Burpee. It got gassy real quick but it was only 10 minutes so you could push.

2:00pm – Just Move EMOM with Head Coach Toby (and James & the hubby)
30 Min EMOM
1: 1 Snatch, 3 Bar Muscle Up Progressions + 15 Air Squat, 2: 30s Handstand Hold, 3: 50 Double Under, 4: 20 Sit Up, 5: Rest

Sat
8am – CrossFit Class, Partner WOD with Si
9 Min AMRAP; 3,6,9,12,15,18.. Hang Power Clean, Push Press, Hanging Leg Raise (split reps between you)
6 Min – to establish a heavy 3 Thruster
9 Min AMRAP; 8 Front Squat, 20 Double Under (1 rd each, U Go, I Go)
* After the day before and all the deadlifts my hamstrings were feeling a little tight so no heavy weights todaybut still moving fast.

Sun
Race Day – The Grizzly
20 Miles, All Terrain with a total of 1065m of elevation.
*This race is nuts. Carl and I always run this one together as it’s so challenging. It’s down in Seaton in Devon and it is the hardest 20 miles I’ve ever run in one go. This was our third time doing it so we knew what to expect as the route rarely changes from year to year.
I was bricking it that my foot would blow up and that would be it but I did what I tell my clients to do – control the controllable and find the positives. My foot has been “ok” since January. No, it isn’t 100% right but it hasn’t stopped me doing anything (except box jumps) all year. After some reassurance from my close friends, who also form Team NBR (No Bling required) – my accountability group, and lots of good luck messages from my coaches and friends I felt ready.
The headline of the day is: “Liza’s Foot is OK and happily survived the full 20 miles with no repercussions”
I was ELATED on the drive home (and pretty much all the way round to be honest) and it now really feels like this season is here and happening. It really is time to get to work!

This week saw the start of the CrossFit Open. I wasn’t going to join in the fun this year, apart from as a Judge, as it detracts from my primary goal but when my box said they were going to run an In House Comp and all proceeds would be reinvested back in the gym, well, how could I not sign up! I now have three weeks of competition where I have to keep reminding myself that I’m not taking it seriously and I AM NOT bothered about how it goes… honest! Fun times 🙂

I had an Instrument Assisted Soft Tissue Mobilisation treatment with Muscle Therapies 640 on Monday and we focussed solely on the foot and connecting areas. Paul managed to trace some of the issue to my achilles so hopefully this issue will get sorted once and for all within the next couple of months.

Other than that, nothing much has happened this week beyond the norm so here’s what my week looked like.

Mon
6:30am CrossFit Class
Every 3 mins x 5; 30 x Double Under, 20 x Pistols Squat (Foot behind ankle), 10 x Handstand Push Up from a box

Tues –
11:45am – 2000m Pool Swim
*Boom! Longest swim to date, after only a few weeks of swimming and the only reason I stopped was because the pool session is capped to one hour!

Weds
6:45am – Coach by Colour Indoor Cycle Class (as Coach)
*Week 10 of the 12 week Program = The Force, or as my husband calls it, The Kitchen Sink as I’ve thrown everything at this one. It’s a full on interval session that flies by.
No brick run today as, following my treatment Monday I’m not allowed to run until Saturday.

12:30pm – CrossFit Class
Deadlift;  3 Reps every 3 mins x 5 
Then
Every 90 seconds; 5 Deadlift + 10 Burpee over the Bar

Thur
12:30pm – CrossFit Conditioning Class
42 Min EMOM (Min 1 to 4 40sec, Min 5 60sec)
1 – Down Ups,  2 – KB Swings, 3 – Top Of Plank Hold, 4 – Weighted Box Step Ups, 5 – Alt Row/Ski, 6 – Rest 

6:30pm – Coach by Colour Indoor Cycle Class (as Coach)
*Same as Weds am.

Fri
12:30pm – CrossFit Open 22.1
18 Min AMRAP; 3 Scaled Wall Walk, 12 Alt DB Snatch, 15 Box Step Over
*A fun start to The Open. Very happy with Snatches and Box Step Overs… not practiced Wall Walks a lot lately but the scaled version was simple enough.

2:00pm – Just Move EMOM with Head Coach Toby (and James & Jack)
30 Min EMOM
1: 1 Snatch, 3 Bar Muscle Up Progressions, 2: 16 Wall Ball, 3: 100ft Dbl KB Front Rack Carry, 4: 12 Hanging Leg Raise, 5: Rest

Sat
8am – CrossFit Class, Partner WOD with Si
25 Min AMRAP (U go, I go but run together); 1000m Row, 200m Run, 75 Thurster, 200m Run, 50 Bar Facing Burpee, 200m Run, 25 Hang Power Clean, 200m Run.

Sun
Rest Day
* Myself and a couple of the Forza Performance crew went to Southsea to support one of our own, George, participating in the Portsmouth Duathlon. That was ahard fought race in brutal wind whipped conditions. I was very glad I hadn’t signed up!

8pm – Yin Yoga (via DownDog App)
* A chilled way to end the week 🙂

This week I had my first dark day. My foot has been playing up more than usual and I was still a week away from treatment. I knew I had to cut back the running and thats not great for someone less than 5 months away from a 140.6, with no more than 8 continuous miles under their belt.

Still, the first things I try to instil in my athletes is “Control the controllable” and “Find the positive”. I am usually pretty good at this and up until Wednesday I was doing ok. However, for whatever reason, I woke up feeling less than chipper. I then had a disaster session in the pool and my mindset went black. I’d been feeling a little guilty for all the training hours taking me away from my husband, my dog and my home but I know my husband understands (and has never complained so this is ALL in my head) and while things are going great it’s ok as it all feels worthwhile.

Normally one bad session wouldn’t be enough to derail me but this week, for whatever reason, it was. I am only human after all and sometimes things get the better of you. Realising that I’d forgotten to check in with a close friend, who is really going through something shit, pushed me over the edge. It all seemed pointless. Thoughts of “whats the point in doing all this, if you’re going to fail anyway” plagued me, along with “this just isn’t worth it, you’re a shit triathlete and all this is going to count for nothing” and more along the same theme. Dramatic right! I know! But when you get beat down, you get beat down and it happens to the best of us.

What really matters though is what you do next.. how you deal with the black thoughts and whether you pull yourself out of the quagmire. Obviously I did. I quit the swim as it clearly wasn’t working. I went home, ran a bath and took 15 minutes of relaxed silence to reprogram my thoughts. I told myself it’s inevitable to have bad days. I always tell my team its the bad days that define us. Its easy when everything goes right. It’s how we deal with the tough times that show us who we really are. So, who am I? Oh right, I’m a muthafucking badass bear and badass bears don’t wallow in self pity. They take charge, they fix shit and they keep moving forward. Once out of the bath I first messaged my friend, then rescheduled my week to attack the swim again at the end of the week and got back on with my day.

Why am I sharing this? Because everyone will have self doubt at some point, especially anyone training for an Ironman (or crazy ass endurance event) as it takes such a commitment and so many other things have to take a back seat. Its a dark side of endurance training that we need to normalise and learn how to deal with. We all know the mantra; It’s ok not to be ok and it’s true. We just have to be kind to ourselves, take a few deep breaths and rationally look at the big picture, not just that one bad day!

Overall, my training week was pretty good so here it is:

Mon
12:30pm CrossFit Class
15 Min AMRAP
100m Farmer Carry 2x DB then 2 Rounds of DB DT (12 x Deadlift, 9 x Hang Power Clean, 6 x STOH)
*This was, as you can imagine, a grip burner. I survived better than I thought I would and my forearm only really went on my lefthand side. More unilateral grip strength work needs to be done clearly!

Tues – Rest Day
6:30am – Active Recovery Session at CFID
*Usual mobility and HR Z1 cardio to just move and focus on some deep mobility.

Weds
6:45am – Coach by Colour Indoor Cycle Class (as Coach)
*Week 9 of the 12 week Program = My favourite week of the program. It’s called Le Tour and is basically an homage to my favourite stage of the 2019 Tour De France. It was an Alpine stage so lots of heavy, heavy climbs and a bit of fast racing in between.

No brick run today as my foot has been a more tender than usual so had to cut it. Already by this stage of the week I was getting a little concerned that my training activity had dropped from it’s usual level, which as contributing to the dark mood I described in the opening of this blog.

In reality I’d missed a session on Monday (which is an added bonus if I do it anyway) and a 20 min run but today was the day my PMS kicked in and my mood dropped as a result of a hormone change but I wasn’t being rationale at this stage and mentally berating myself pretty damn hard.

12:45pm – Pool Swim
1 mile for time – was the plan but the world had other ideas (or, I let my mindset slip and get the better of me so I quit!)
*I have been saying in every other IM blog so far this year that my swim karma was seemingly a bit too good. Well, today it all changed. I was already being down on myself. When I arrived at the pool the changing room was loud, busy, chaotic and everything about it just rattled me. Then I went to put on my swim hat and it snapped. I was stood, in front of the mirror with my swimsuit on, watch set, googles in hand staring at my now useless swim hat thinking “well that’s that then. I cant swim today” Ridiculous maybe, but I have long, thick dreadlocks which do nothing to aid buoyancy or aerodynamics and weigh a ton when wet. I did tell myself I was being ridiculous though, pulled my hair into something i thought might work in the water and hit the lane. It was a DISASTER. My hair fell out of the ponytail/bun thing I had tried to secure it as, it pulled my head and neck down in the water. I retied it and tried to keep going but it kept slipping and threw my whole swim off. My feet were hitting the bottom of the pool, I was over-rotating, everything was just wrong. I persevered for 400m and then gave up. Another contributing factor to my dark mood and building sense that this week was going to shit.

I teach my athletes three key things when it comes to mindset;
1 – Control the controllable
2 – Find the positive
3 – Learn the lessons
I tried to apply these to this situation, both in the moment and after. Doing this is one of the main reasons I pulled myself out of my funk.
Instead of not swimming I thought “what if this happens on race day, what if you end up having to swim without hat” – actually, this is not only unlikely but would probably secure you a disqualification as generally, all swimmers must be wearing the issued swim cap so they can be easily identified, and I would have spare hats so that if one split or snapped when putting it on, I would just grab another.
The positive was that at least I tried. I managed 400m. Ok, it wasn’t much in the grand scheme of things but it was something.
Lessons learned – buy a couple more swim hats (I need a special size swim hat because of my hair so couldn’t even just go to reception and buy one) and keep spares in your bag.

Thur
11:30am – Mono-structural Cardio Conditioning Session
45 Min; 5 Min Row, Assault Bike, Ski – Each 5 min starts with 400m run
*I pulled my head out my ass and decided that if my main concern was my lack of activity this week, find some space and add a session in. I had 60 minutes spare before the CF class so went in early and got some shit done. I could have stayed at home and done this session in my own gym but I like going to the box. Its separate to my work and my home and if I’m going there, it’s for the purpose of training (or to drink coffee, but thats usually only ever after training!)

12:30pm – CrossFit Conditioning Class
42 Min EMOM (Min 1 to 4 40sec, Min 5 60sec)
1: Alt Devil Press, 2: Goblet Squat, 3: Sit Up, 4: Box Step Up, 5: Row, 6: Rest

6:30pm – Coach by Colour Indoor Cycle Class (as Coach)
*Same as Weds am.

Fri
12:30pm – CrossFit Class
Part A: For Time 
10-9 -8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1  2xDB Front Squat + Bar Facing Burpees  At minute 10: 
6 mins to establish a heavy complex for the day; 1 x Clean, 1 x Front Squat, 1 x STOH
*This was a variation of an Open workout from 2018. Part A was an exact copy so we got to test ourselves against our previous best. I was really pleased as I beat my score by over a minute. Happy Liza! The complex was new as in The Open it was only a 1RM Clean. I was strong with the Clean and Front squat but as usual my confidence in/fear of pushing a heavy bar over my head let me down. Once this Ironman is done and dusted I am going to spend a few months focussing mainly on overcoming some of the major weaknesses in my CrossFt repertoire.

2:00pm – Work on your Weaknesses EMOM with Head Coach Toby
30 Min EMOM
1: 1 Snatch, 3 Bar Muscle Up Progressions, 2: 16 Box Step Over, 3: 6/6 DB Hang Clean & Jerk, 4: 2 x 16kg KB 100ft Farmer Carry, 5: Rest

Sat
7:15am – 4 Mile Run

8am – CrossFit Class, Partner WOD with my husband
25 min AMRAP; Run 400m – Together (row for me)  30 x Power Cleans, 20 x Box Jumps (Steps for me, Stoopid foot!), 30 x STOH 
20 x Pull Ups 
TeamSmith got to train together today as my usual CF Partner was out with a bad back. Carl and I don’t often train together so it’s really fun when it happens. We both agreed to push ourselves with a heavier barbell weight and go hard on the run/row. We both tried, and we both succeeded. Go Us 🙂

Sun

9am – Coach By Colour Indoor Cycle Class
* as a participant rather than coach.

10am – 1650m Swim
* yep, thats right I redid my swim session and it was fine. It was better than fine. It was good.
It also helps that I’m on restricted running right now as normally I’d run on Sundays but rather than sulk about not being able to run, find the positive. No running means time available. What sucked this week, what can I put right? What can I try and fix?

This biggest thing this week I re-engaged with my Nutrition Coach, Demi @ Deep Health Nutrition, as I’m still dropping weight quite quick due to the 75Hard and the increased training levels that come from IM training. I’m hitting protein goals (30% of daily intake every day) and I am still losing fat and building muscle but I just need to ensure I’m eating enough, at the right times etc to maximise my performance and not let all this hard work go to waste.

I definitely had fat and weight to lose so I’m not at all concerned about dropping weight, but 5kg in 6 weeks is quite fast and if I had done it any other way I would know its not sustainable. It just shows that my calorie deficit was a little too aggressive, although occasionally in the very short term, this can be ok. I PB’d a couple of lifts in this time and both my running speed and bike power has improved so all signs show this was all perfectly ok. But, I know it wont last… soon, if I’m not careful I will lose performance due to being inadequately fuelled and that cannot happen.

Now, I could absolutely sort my nutrition myself but a) I don’t want to have to think about that as well as program my own training etc b) I want to be accountable to someone and c) I am smart enough to know what I don’t know and would rather lean on another expert to help me get this right. You should all know that one of my biggest beliefs is that the best coaches are ultimately coachable and have coaches. I stand by my beliefs.

And with that out of the way… on to the weeks activities.

Mon
6am – CrossFit Class
2k Row for Time – A classic cardio test
* I equally love and hate the 2k row test. I love it because rowing is something I am strong at but man the 2k hurts. If it doesn’t, you didn’t do it right. No PB today but I was too conservative in the first 1000m. Still 5s off isn’t too bad.

Tues – Rest Day
6:30am – Active Recovery Session at CFID
*Once again my coach Kerry let me crash the early morning class, hide up the back and just do my own recovery session. 5 minute rounds of 3min easy (Z1) row or ski and 2 min mobility. I have had a few people ask me what sort of mobility I do here and it standard stuff; couch stretch, pigeon stretch off the box, lizard stretch, back extensions using the GHD, deep squat holds etc. Nothing fancy, just basic shit that works.

Weds
6:45am – Coach by Colour Indoor Cycle Class (as Coach)
*Week 8 of the 12 week Program = Get Stronger, which basically means climbing week. One of my favourites as I much prefer to climb than race.

7:30am – 2 Mile Brick Run

10am – Pool Swim
1 mile for time
*Still got good swim karma. One mile, no stopping and it was both easy and enjoyable. Surely this enjoyment of swimming can’t last. I don’t ever remember liking it like this, or finding it so easy. I am also aware that I have not even hit half distance of what I require on race day but leave me alone, let me enjoy this while it lasts 🙂

12:30pm CrossFit Class
Back Squat Day
Lift every two minutes: 5 reps, 5, 5, 3, 3, 3, 2, 2, 2, 2
*My squats have never felt so good, or looked so good according to Toby, who was coaching the class. I think the Yin Yoga is paying off. Who know… oh right, almost anyone who’s done any amount of decent yoga.

1:30pm Post CF 4 Mile Run
* This run sucked. I felt so tired, which is completely justified after everything else I had done today. I would normally only Cycle, Run and Swim on a Weds but I had no clients after 10am so I took full advantage and snuck in a couple of extra sessions. Let’s face it, being able to run tired, on fatigued legs is a skill all Ironman and potential Ironmen should develop so as much as it sucked, it was also great.

Thur
12:30pm – CrossFit Conditioning Class
42 Min EMOM (Min 1 to 4 40sec, Min 5 60sec)
1: Plank DB Taps, 2: SA DB Thruster L, 3: DB Box Step Up, 4: SA DB Thruster R, 5: Assault Bike, 6: Rest
*As per last week, I used this class as active recovery so easy intensity all the way through, a med weight DB, not too heavy but also not crazy light.

6:30pm – Coach by Colour Indoor Cycle Class (as Coach)
*Same as Weds am.

Fri
11am – Conditioning with Head Coach Toby
60 Min AMRAP
5 can Row, 5 Cal Bike, 5 Cal Ski, 2m Burpee Broad Jump *add 5 class every round.
* The goal here was to keep Heart Rate in Zone 3. This meant having to pull back on the bike but push a little harder on the Ski. 60 minutes passed fairly easily.

12:30pm – CrossFit Class
4 Rounds for Time
400m Run, 50ft SA DB Overhead Walking Lunge, 25 DB Push Press
*Not a lot to say about this one. It wasn’t as horrific as I thought it would be so happy days… move on.

2:00pm – Work on your Weaknesses EMOM with Head Coach Toby
30 Min EMOM
1: 1 Snatch, 3 Bar Muscle Up Progressions, 2:2 x 16kg KB 50ft Farmer Carry , 3: Alt 8 Pull Up / 30s Active Hang, 4: 8 Toes to Rings 5: Rest

Sat
Boxercise Refresher Course

Sun

10am – 6 Mile Run

5:30pm – Yin Yoga Practice