Tri FIT Coaching

Very much onwards and upwards for after .

Initial thoughts when crossing the line, was disappointment, due to the performance not meeting the ever high standards Graham sets and usually hits in races.

Not every race will be your best race, so to understand the reasons why the legs haven’t shown up, is important to progress forward to when you really aim for them to be in the best shape to perform to peak ability.

Well done Graham, it takes races like this to achieve the highs of a performance best.

has had a similar run up to his main event (Challenge Roth) as last years build. Covid stricken, a few ni**les, resulting in the same dull effects of being restricted working at the higher aerobic intensities.

The run has felt sluggish for the build back to fitness and coming off the back of some high volume, the race at Half, resulted in a performance without the sparking edge to see a result that we have been accustomed to seeing when crossing the finish line.

Graham has the experience to understand that there is a process to peaking for the main event and we are confident the performance will come good at Challenge Roth.

took on the Outlaw Half and proved there’s great fitness foundations in place for taking on her main race at Challenge Roth.

Kona 2022

Ste being committed as he is, he arrived in Kona 3 weeks prior to race day. Already been through and extensive heat prep plan, Ste arrived after some lengthy travel and a couple of easy training days, ready to get 10 days of productive race prep, with some very positive key sessions ticked off, to then settle into a short taper to freshen up and be set for leaving his best out on the challenging course of IM Kona Hawaii.

The key to performance in Kona, is to race within your own limits and hold solid throughout, without the occasion taking control and likely leaving you as a completer rather than a competitor.

After many debates on which race suit he would wear, the decision was made based on comfort over performance.

The swim being Ste’s weakest discipline, it lead to a forward focus after a successful swim, making up places throughout the bike, with a race plan of making the last two hours a point of increased concentration.

Onto the run, Ste is very aware of perceived effort in relation to power and aerobic effort. Pacing is a massive attribute and to have patience in this special race will be rewarded in the second half of the run.

Going back to the root of Kona qualification, being there with his brother was the main motivation, and it just happens, they started the run together on race day.

Ste ended his Kona journey with a very respectable result and performance, finishing in a time of 9:14hr and 22nd in an extremely competitive 40-44yr age group.

Massive well done Ste, it’s been a pleasure to coach and learn from you.

Being your best

Ste Cordiner did nothing short of everything to be his best when standing on the start line at Kona, the Ironman World Championships.

5 hour turbo sessions week in week out, 20 mile runs done on a 1 mile loop, strength and conditioning, swim analysis, swim coaching, run analysis, muscle maintenance, nutritional coach, detailed heat preparation, specific races.

The biggest changes I made with what was already a high volume of training, was making the training more specific to achieving the end goals. 5 hour steady state turbo sessions, become race course specific. Key sessions become progressive. Structure become balanced.

The highlight for me of Ste as an athlete, is his ability to self analyse, his clear interest in understanding what the purpose of sessions are, and the feedback after sessions is second to non, with every relevant detail noted to help make training as knowledgeable for me as a coach to then progress forward the best with following days, weeks and months of training.

Onto the big dance, fit, healthy and primed to be the best he can be…..

Next post race day..

Stephen Cordiner

Ste Cordiner first made contact about coaching back in August 2022, coming off the back of a serious injury, result of a collision with a car in the final prep from IMuk.

We arranged a meeting and there was an instant vibe of professionalism, with the effort and commitment Ste had shown towards getting back to a level to be training again post accident.

With a clear focus and goal of getting to Kona to be racing alongside his brother at the World Ironman Championship, my philosophies and belief as a coach, formed an athlete coach relationship which would see knowledge, trust and and progression on both parts. With initial review of the training Ste had been doing, it was eye opening at the level of commitment and dedication he was willing to go to, all to be the best he can be.

First stop, qualify for Kona ✅

Not content in just qualifying, we delved into past race data and set the goals in terms of power, pace to be competitive when finally on the epic island of Hawaii.

See next post for insight on the journey to race day….

POST RACE & RESULT
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The aim was an automatic Kona slot, even though it was decided prior to the race, that a slot would not be accepted this time.
The result on the day was achieved with a Kona slot.
The performance wasn’t achieved to the capabilities overall, yet the positives to take away are ones that will for sure progress Graham as an athlete for future races.
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It’s only after reviewing the race and analysing what could have been the cause of feeling weak on the bike, Graham came to the conclusion that he forgot his electrolytes, so opted for event fuel, which at the time he thought was electrolytes, but turns out it was carbs, meaning he was taking in around 120g calories per hour, way above what’s tolerable from practice. We think the result of the over fuelling, meant blood was being directed to his stomach and away from his demanding muscles and limiting the level they would work.
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Well done Graham, keep on striving for success, keep on learning and enjoy the process. Proud coach.
www.trifitcoaching.co.uk

IM Wales 2022
SWIM
After racing IM Bolton, it was decided that more volume was required with the swim to bring more speed and leave less to do on the bike to be in a position to be competitive.
This work showed on race day and Graham came out of the challenging sea swim with a best IM split.

BIKE
This is the place Graham looks to bring himself into the the pointy end of the race.
There was a race plan in place, which was based on optimising effort and speed around the demands of the course.
Although Graham was in peak fitness and fresh for race day, there was a situation of not having great legs on the bike.
There was a feeling of nauseous and a fight to remain motivated as the targets disappeared further into the bike.

RUN
Starting the run with a lengthy T2 due to a toilet stop, meant the biggest battle was staying positive.
With the focus switching to completing the race, Graham got into a rhythm and energy levels come back and with a continued build of strength, the miles got ticked off, which saw race position improve as most start to struggle and fade.
This was the best ex*****on of a Ironman run from Graham, which is credit to his belief that his race was not over just because he didn’t feel great.
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Post race in following post….

Graham Rands
IM Wales 2022
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It’s not often racing goes perfect and Ironman Wales was far from it, but the take away from this race will help keep striving towards that performance which represents the best you’ve got.
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Graham is an experienced athlete who I have coached for many of years, with continued progression, working on unlocking different elements to succeed year after year.
The last 12 month provided some big challenges to overcome, mentally and physically, dealing with issues which meant training needing adapting on a daily basis, to try and find a way to build back to a level which would see Graham ready to achieve his goal of his best ever performance.
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check out how the race went in following posts….

Motivation.

The situation of no racing, no goals, no motivation has affected everyone differently. Most athletes thrive off having a goal to train towards and .kraemer was finding it tough and the mojo to keep grinding away with uncertainty of racing got tested.

We discussed what races to target, and choose to take away the pressures and bring the enjoyment back, we all started in the sport, crossing the finish line with a smile, maybe a grimace, but definitely on a high.

Well done to Adrian for a top 5 finish at Dorney Lake, it was so good to read his message post race.

“I loved it, thanks for the help” 😊.

*I N J U R I E S*.

It’s hard to take when an unfortunate injury means no training is the cure.

Triathlete live by structure, work, life, training, many find it hard when structure is taken away and it’s natural to feel that all the training done pre injury is just a waste.

Fitness takes a long period of inactivity to dwindle away, so a few weeks out to fix your body is often a better option tha pushing through a persistent ni**le which could turn into an everlasting problem.

has waited 12 months to race her new TT and test out her speedsuit, Id say both went well with her smile 😃.