WORD FROM THE COACHES
We hope you all enjoyed your long weekends, some athletes used it as a chance for a little extra downtime, and others enjoyed some easier sessions in the sun. Either way we hope you are feeling refreshed and ready to tackle the next couple of weeks in the sun.
Well done to those athletes who completed one of the handful of Australia Day Weekend Swims over the weekend including Portsea, Brighton and Williamstown. An awesome weekend to be getting out there and enjoying the magnificent bay areas that Melbourne has to offer.
We want to stress again the importance of being smart with your training, hydration and nutrition during temperature that exceed 35+. Most athletes cannot complete quality sessions at temperatures of this extreme, and you need to ensure you are hydrating sufficiently before, during and after sessions. Please also be aware of signs of heat exhaustion if you are training and back off intensity if/when needed. Coaches will monitor and modify sessions accordingly if needed, but if you are unsure please speak to a Coach.
This weekend is the Inaugural Challenge Melbourne Long Course event at Green Point, Brighton. we have just on 50 athletes racing, either as their A race, first time over the distance, and a large number who are using the event as a lead in to Ironman Melbourne. So if you are in Melbourne on Sunday, make sure you get down to the race venue to support those competing. And on what is going to be a supper hot day – the support will definitely be appreciated!
Next weekend is the Geelong Half Ironman and Olympic Distance Race. We will have around a dozen athletes racing in these events which will be another great days racing so if you want to watch so fast racing, maybe plan a trip down to Geelong next weekend. 🙂
A FEEL GOOD STORY
We had a feel good story over the weekend with Coach Sarah coming to the aid of a newbie triathlete in tears at triathlon Pink who didn’t have a bike and she kindly loaned her GIANT Bike to use to complete her first triathlon. If you missed the story you can catch it on our facebook page here.
On the flip side, we had one athlete who had an experience of the opposite nature during his training ride on the weekend.
One of our long course athletes was unlucky enough to have three flats on Saturday’s ride between Elwood and Mordialloc and he had to resort to walking his bike a couple of kms to Mordialloc in search of a bike shop or another rider who could assist him with a spare. In his dismay though, on his lonely walk (bike shoes in hand) to Mordi, a number of Tri Alliance athletes passed him on the bike (he was in full TA gear also) but not one stopped to see if he needed a hand or even shouted out to see if he was ok. As a Coach this was disappointing to hear. Even though we know sometimes things happen on the road and sometimes ‘it’s just not your day’, but we would expect our riders to look out for each other, as we know we would expect the same in return. So next time you see one of our rider on the side of the road give a shout out to see if they need a hand, the gesture may just be returned back to you at some point during your own training…
CHALLENGE MELBOURNE – THIS WEEKEND
All the talk at training at the moment is around the conditions set for this weekends Challenge Melbourne. With temperatures forecast to hit 40deg in the afternoon, contingencies are being put in place by SuperSprint to ensure every athlete has a safe race. So please keep an eye out for communications this week from the event management team.
- 5 VOLUNTEERS NEEDED:
Tri Alliance will be manning an Aid Station on the Run Course just 1.7km from the run turn around. We thank the following athletes and coaches who have offered to donate their time to ensure athletes have enough hydration and fluids on course.Sarah Grove, Emma-Lise Donati, Anne-Marie Cooke, Scott D’Acourt, Des Minton, John Watts, Sinead Collins, Kristine Hopkins, Mike Oneil & Mieke, Dale Robinson, Suzie Latta.
We still need 5 more volunteers to assist anytime between the times of 8.00am and 2.00pm. So if you or your family/friends can lend a hand it would be greatly appreciated. The favour will be returned at your next race! 🙂
If you can help please email [email protected] so ore details can be provided. - ATHLETE DETAILS:
Please note we will send a separate communication around in regards to details for this Saturday and Sunday for athletes racing, including course overview and athlete list. We are waiting on final confirmation from SuperSprint as some times have changed.
WEDNESDAY SWIMS AT MSAC:
JANUARY: sessions on Wednesday night are 7.00pm, OUTDOOR Pool
FEBRUARY: sessions on Wednesday night will be at 6.30PM, OUTDOOR Pool.
SWIM STROKE CORRECTION COURSE
Swim Stroke Correction starting Mid Feb – Sessions will either be Friday evenings or Sat afternoons. More details here. Express your interest to [email protected]
MEMBER BENEFITS
Do you know about the fantastic benefits you receive simply through being a Tri Alliance member? Check out our great offerings from our affiliated partners, including Giant Bicycles Australia, Mizuno Running, Lakeside Sports Medicine Centre, Fuel Right Nutrition, Rocket Science Sports, plus more!Click here to read more!
DO YOU KNOW YOUR BODY COMPOSITION?
‘Racing weight’ is just one of the many areas that athletes con work on and improve to gain improvements in their training and racing. If you have been interested in knowing what your body composition is (body fat/lean weight) then keep reading – as our Dietitian Margaret is looking for athlete volunteers to have their body composition measured. This includes the sum of 7 skinfolds through the caliper pinch test method. Margaret needs to complete the body composition profiles of 20 athletes to complete her final project of her ISAK Level 1 Anthropometry course. Results will be sent to the ISAK course coordinator so athletes can be kept anonymous if they so wish. Athletes will receive a copy of their report and the opportunity for a follow-up skin fold assessment in 4 weeks with Margaret.
Please contact Maraget directly via email [email protected].
LOOKING AFTER YOUR BODY: NUTRITION / HYDRATION / MAINTENANCE
You only get one body in your lifetime, so make sure you take good care of it. And this is even more important for you as triathletes/athletes as we continue to push our bodies to the extremes.
Nutrition: Staying on top of your nutrition, hydration and body management/ maintenance is key to staying injury free and improving. Our qualified Dietitian Margaret Mielczarek has already been working with a large number of athletes, from those wanting to lose weight, make race weight, improve their eating habits, to those with intolerance. So if you need to speak to someone about your nutrition, then contact Margaret today for a consultation.
Hydration: During the warm/extreme weather that we can get in Melbourne is also a big key in backing up from sessions and putting in quality training sessions. So make sure you hydrate before, during and after sessions and all throughout the day to ensure you stay adequately hydrated. This includes with electrolytes such as the Shotz Tabs – which have NO sugar unlike most other electrolyte drinks you will purchase.
Maintenance: Body maintenance for athletes is crucial to reduce the risk of injury, and/or manage injuries and to reach peak performance. Make sure you contact the team at Lakseside Sports Medicine Centre for regular massage and/or physio to ensure your body can continue training at it’s optimum. And also ensure you include regular self massage and rolling into your training week. Never under estimate the power of a foam roller! 
NEW TRAINING LOCATION IN BAYSIDE!
Tri Alliance is excited to announce our expansion into the South-Eastern Suburbs and Bayside area of Melbourne!
Our newly structured program will offer swim, bike and run sessions based out of Bayside Aquatics in Mentone and is an ideal location for those living or working in the south-east and bayside area.
Sessions in Mentone will include Monday and Wednesday PM Swim Sessions, Tuesday AM Run, Tuesday PM Windtrainer, Thursday Combo at Elwood plus our regular weekend sessions.
Any existing athlete in the area are encouraged to join these sessions and we are also offering a special of 1 month FREE training to any new athletes joining the Bayside squad. For more information click here.
*If you plan on attending these sessions – can you please email [email protected] so we can gauge numbers.
IRONMAN MELBOURNE – SEARCHING FOR VOLUNTEERS!
After the huge success of our ‘Aid Stations’ at Ironman Melbourne over the past two years, we are again putting a call out for athletes, friends, family who would like to volunteer some of their time to help at our Tri Alliance Aid Stations on the Run Course of Ironman Melbourne. With around 50 Tri Alliance athletes competing in Ironman Melbourne, it’s going to be a huge event again for Tri Alliance and so we are looking for your support!
What we need!
Around 80 athletes/friends/family who can spare 2-4 hours on Sunday 23 March (Ironman Melbourne Race Day) to assist on one of two aid stations, handing out drinks and food and generally providing support to athletes as they run past.
We are also in search of two people who would be willing to help us with the organisation of the volunteers. You don’t need any experience – just some good organisation skills! Email [email protected] if you would like to volunteer OR be an Volunteer Organiser and we’ll provide more information! Thanks, Sarah
ARE YOU UP FOR THE CHALLENGE??
Mark ‘Sharky’ Smoothy founder of Smiling for Smiddy has a Challenge for YOU!
“I began an adventure, one that was infinitely bigger than even I could have imagined, my Oz 7 in 7 trip around Australia. Seven years in the making, this epic trip will conclude with two legs, covering over 2300kms in total.
You’ll cycle leg one travelling from Melbourne to Sydney via Canberra (3-9 Oct) or leg two
finishing it all off from Sydney to Brisbane (12-18 Oct), or maybe both! (There will be two lay days in Sydney included between the legs for recovery) – and I would love for you to join me!”
Stage 1, 1300kms
Departs Melbourne – 3 October 2014
Arrives Sydney – 9 October 2014
Stage 2, 1200kms
Departs Sydney – 12 October 2014
Arrives Brisbane – 18 October 2014
Read the full tour brochure here>> Registrations are now open, with places strictly limited (ONLY 30 PLACES). To register please follow this link>>
Let us know if you are keen, as we already have one athlete joining stage 1 – so who else is up for the Challenge???
FACEBOOK – more than a ‘social network’
Tri Alliance utilises Facebook on many levels (like millions of other businesses / clubs /groups) and one of the reasons, is it allows for direct communication to our athletes in an instant. Any changes to training, updates in sessions, new events etc are all delivered via the Facebook medium. We also use it to share pictures, stories and allow athletes to interact with each other.
So if you have yet to embrace Facebook, we encourage you to at least set up an ‘alias’ account and follow Tri Alliance so you don’t miss out on any important or noteworthy information directed to our athletes which may not communicated on email. And make sure you ‘like’ each of our pages to ensure you are getting the relevant information you need.
Happy facebooking…
- Tri Alliance Triathlon Training – for all global news, information, advice plus more
- Tri Alliance Victoria – specifically for our VIC Athletes
- Tri Alliance Queensland – specifically for our QLD Athletes
- Tri Alliance Running Group – join our FREE running group
- Tri Alliance New/Beginner Athletes -(group) this group is for anyone new to Tri Alliance/triathlon and can feel free to ask ANY question that our Coaches will happily answer.
TRAINING THIS WEEKEND
SHORT COURSE
Saturday: 7.30am Elwood Beach. Bring all swim, bike and run gear. Will be an awesome morning for training and Coach Emma has a big session planned, so see you there!
Sunday: No Coached ride due to Challenge Melbourne. Please also note that Beach Road will be closed from Brighton through to Mordialloc.
LONG COURSE
Saturday:
Due to the anticipated weather conditions, and registration time changes for Challenge Melbourne, please note the following changes to sessions for our long course athletes. Please ensure you read the following:
- Ironman Athletes racing Challenge: 6.00am Elwood Beach, long ride. 90-110km ride, returning no later than 10am. Rego at race venue 7-12noon. (rego also available sunday morning)
- Ironman Athletes NOT racing Challenge: 6.00am Elwood Beach, long ride. Follow program distances 130-160km.
- Half Ironman athletes NOT racing Challenge: 6.00am Elwood Beach, long ride. Follow program distances 90-120km. (ie Geelong athletes)
- Half Ironman athletes racing Challenge: Pre Race session at race venue 7.00am, followed by course overview and transition walk through 9.00am. Meet Coach Sarah.
Sunday: Challenge Melbourne. Racing or follow own program long run.
TRIATHLON TRADING POST
FOR SALE: Zoot Ladies Ultra TT 6.0 racing shoes
Size UK 6.5 (slightly too small for me,I’m size 9)
From Wiggle $147.57, For sale $80.00
Contact Sarah: [email protected]
