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Thanks

Nic

One Boat, Six Months, 13,000 Islands, 25,000 Bintangs, The Infinite Search…

Presented by Rip Curl

Now I don’t usually post much personal stuff but today I’ll mix it up a little for you.

It’s been a busy season and I have made some serious progress. My running is finally where I need it to be and although it could be better I know that I can be competitive on the run now. This did take time with a lot of focus on my running form and some help from Saucony getting me into the right shoes. Finding a mid-foot strike, increasing my strike rate, reducing contact time and lifting my knees higher were all part of how I set out to get running faster.

On a competitive note, most recently I competed in the Cape Town leg of the BSG Energade Triathlon Series held at Brandvlei in Worcester. I raced in the elite category and realised that racing elite is another ball game altogether. The gap between the slowest elite and fastest age group racer is quite significant. Having said that however, I do personally feel that that gap is 80% experience. With more racing and perhaps more opportunity, there are several age group athletes that could make the jump. Unfortunately, being a sport that does not involve a ball, there is not much support or opportunity. It would be good to see a mentorship programme established. I have no idea what that involves though so it may just be wishful thinking.

Finishing the run at BSG Energade - Image: Chris Hitchcock

As far as my race at Brandvlei went, I lost the pack from the start. My swim splits would suggest that I can exit the water with the big guns, but I guess that swimming alone or with 2 or 3 other guys at the front of an age group race is not ideal preparation for setting off at the frantic pace set by the elite athletes. Unusually for me, the run was the best part of my race and although I did have the second slowest run split, I was only a few seconds (less than 10) off the pace of a seasoned elite triathlete, which was fairly comforting.

As for now, I have only been doing pilates, surfing and some gardening. I do plan on setting things back in motion soon but there is no date or any specific intensity level set. Right now, I find it fairly comforting to know that things will happen as they need to.

See you all soon, if not before Christmas, please enjoy and be safe.

“An incredibly innovative and forward looking design. No other wetsuit in the world has that.” – Chrissie Wellington

To read more please click here.

Limits will fall.

Polarized lenses have a specific film applied to them which contains Dichroic Crystals. Dichroism has two specific meanings in optics. A dichroic material is either one which causes visible light to be split up into distinct beams of different wavelengths (more commonly known as colours; not to be confused with dispersion), or light rays having different polarizations are absorbed in different amounts. The latter is most applicable when talking eyewear and the former being more applicable to photography.

Dichroic basically means two-coloured and refers to any optical device which can split a beam of light into two beams with differing wavelengths. Such devices include mirrors and filters, usually treated with optical coatings and are designed to reflect light over a certain range of wavelengths, and transmit light which is outside that range.  Thus the effect of polarization is dependent upon the orientation of the polarized light.

In summary, some light is let through, while other light is not. In the case of sunglasses, it depends on the angle of the light penetrating the lens.

All polarized sunglasses allow only vertically polarized sunlight though.

The rule is that the polarization is tangential (from the side/angled) to a circle centered on the sun. For example, if the sun is in front, behind, or high above, road surface brightness will tend to be horizontally polarized and the filter of the sunglasses will provide some help.  However, if the sun is to one side, the polarization will rotate vertically, the more so the lower the sun happens to be.

The best way to understand this is to get a pair of polarized sunglasses, hold them out in front of you and look through the lenses while rotating them. You will notice that objects and reflections vary in brightness and tone as you rotate the sunglasses. See below an image taken from http://polarization.com.

Now some people believe that polarized sunglasses are not a good idea for cycling, especially if it’s damp out. The reason for this is because reflection is minimised, puddles and moisture (ie: wet road markings) are not seen. I have tested this and not had any problems. If anything, polarization helps reduce glare and increase visibility.

Every single pair of Glider Eyewear sunglasses is polarized. They look good, they work and they extremely well priced. For more on Glider got to http://www.glidereyewear.com.

I very often see people swimming as fast as they can, displacing water in all directions other than backwards. If your technique is poor then going faster can only be sustained for a short period. Efficiency is a key ingredient to swimming success.

If you think that swimming 1.5 – 2km per session 2-3 times per week is good enough to get you through the swim of an Olympic distance triathlon, then you would be right. But to improve you would quite literally need to double your efforts.

Another thing I see all too often are coaches who put good sets together for their squads, but provide little to no technique specific coaching. If you are already in a squad make sure that you ask your coach give you some technique correction. I cannot emphasize enough, the importance of developing good swimming habits.

If you’re not in a squad, find a coach. If your budget is tight, I would then suggest going for 4 lessons every alternate month for 4 months. Thereafter a once a month check-up would suffice. This is the bare minimum if swimming is not your strong point.

Make sure you understand how to do the drills correctly. Drills make for a great pre-speed set warm-up or as a good recovery session after a big race.

Below are several links which should help you gain a better understanding of why technique is so important, what makes a difference and how to go about it.

http://onceinspired.co.za/trainingracing/swimming-kick/

http://onceinspired.co.za/trainingracing/swimming-kick-secret-tip-legs-video-series/

http://onceinspired.co.za/trainingracing/using-a-pull-buoy-while-swimming/

http://onceinspired.co.za/trainingracing/swim-less-swim-faster/

http://onceinspired.co.za/trainingracing/swimming-technique-7-tips/

http://onceinspired.co.za/trainingracing/swimming-technique-understanding-it-all/

If you have any question regarding swimming I will be glad to assist. Keep an out for my open water swimming piece coming soon. Follow me on Twitter @NicMuhl or find me on Facebook – Nic Muhl & Once Inspired.

Happy Swimming

Nic

Built on the same platform as the Kinvara, the Peregrine boasts a 4mm heel drop. Traditional running shoes or the type of shoe that most people run in or are familiar with have a 12mm heel drop. Trust me, the 8mm difference is epic and I am loving life in my flatter shoes. I only run in 4mm heel drop shoes or complete flats.

The Peregrine won the Runner’s World Editors Choice award April 2011, and that’s up against some big names including Brookes, New Balance, Asics, Adidas to mention a few.

The Peregrine has unbelievable traction. The sole is pretty stiff and these shoes are certainly not for the on/off road kind of race. These are serious trail racers that will give you all the grippy confidence of flat out hiking boots at a fraction of the weight. Having said this hey are still responsive and deliver enough feedback but the soles and the lugs were certainly not developed for the urban warrior.

If you steer clear of the tarmac and head for the rugged, not-for-sissy-boys stuff the Peregrine will be hard to compete with.

Involving a 4km swim, 120km bike and a 30km run; Brendan talks to me about his preparation, equipment, motivation and the people involved in making all this possible.

Hey Bren, let’s start off with “How are you?”

I am in a good space, recently married as you mentioned, to a lovely girl! Looking forward to the new season as well…

Talk us through your equipment and any tweaks you have made and where to give you added comfort and more importantly, speed.

In the water, I am currently using an Orca Apex 2 wetsuit, probably due for an upgrade soon, but it keeps me honest (and hopefully like an arrow through the water).

On the bike, I ride an Argon 18 E112 TT bike, what I enjoy most is the transfer of power into the frame which is in proportion to the output of speed…In other words, I don’t lose any power that I put into the bike due to the bike being too flexible, etc. It’s very stiff which promotes added speed.

On the run, I am fortunate as you enjoy yourself, with racing in Saucony’s lightweight personified… I use the A4’s for sprint and standard distance races whilst opting for the Kinvara’s for the longer runs and training.

As far as comfort is concerned, ensure that you have had a professional bike set-up, to avoid injuries down the line. I have had niggles with calf strains in both legs so I know how frustrating these type of persistent injuries can be.

Now every season any competitive triathlete tries to improve a specific area or discipline of their race. What area or discipline have you worked on the most leading into this race?

Definitely my swim! You are quite right, the last two seasons I have concentrated on my run and bike respectively… This year I thought I would try and work a lot more on my swim so as to be a little more competitive, especially at the start of a race.

Congrats on the marriage by the way. Surely balancing the married life with triathlon isn’t easy but I know Carole is no slouch herself around a triathlon circuit. Just talk a little about the wedding, training and the “new’ life in general.

Thanks! Ja, the more I look back on things I realise how important balance becomes in your life. It’s easy to get too absorbed into something, especially a phase that works well for you, without knowing that suddenly you have blinkers on and become oblivious to things happening around you – this can lead to being self-absorbed and a bit selfish.

So I am enjoying the balance and in Carole, I have a constant reminder of that. She is really talented herself, probably more so than me with ultra distances where I tend to prefer sprint and standard distance.

The wedding was a great day – friends and family from all over! We laugh at times looking back on the day, wishing we could have spent more time in the moment, but it passes by so quickly.

Is Carole going with you?

Unfortunately not. She will be holding the fort back at home so to speak. The cost of getting to such races is probably the biggest burden we have to deal with as athletes, even over and above the training required. So after having recently bought a house and having just had a wedding, the budget did not allow for both of us to travel.

Give us a little insight into the race course. Is it your kind of course?

Honestly, it is probably not my kind of course in distance, although it is cleverly positioned between a 70,3 distance and a full ironman. If I break the course up, I reckon I will be competitive on the day, however Las Vegas is notorious for its heat and that could squash any ambitions of good positioning if the thermometer goes through the roof!

The swim is pretty straight forward (out and back), whilst the bike ends with some serious climbing over a pass called the “3 sisters” and the run is 4 laps with some rolling hills which should help break up the monotony.

Having said that, I realised that this race and the training involved for it would give me a great platform for the rest of the season and hope that results that follow this race will be indicative of that…

Are you staying on afterwards and doing a little sightseeing; perhaps a little visit to Vegas baby? You can give the world your version of “The Hangover”.

A little sight-seeing would be great, so fingers crossed time will allow for that. I think my version of The Hangover will be the condition I will be in straight after the race -  knackered, slow to react, possibly dehydrated and not making much sense… I see the similarities!

 So the USA isn’t all that close and getting there isn’t all that cheap. Who helped you out, who is looking after you?

I am very grateful to my company (Everite) who have shared in my passion and desire to be competitive not only in the workplace but also out of the office. I have also forged a great relationship with Cipla & PVM, ensuring I am fit and strong as well as healthy in mind and body. Saucony, Glider Eyewear & more recently 2XU have been fantastic from a product perspective and without their assistance, my scope to think and achieve big would be that much smaller.

You’ve also got a blog. Where can we find it online?

Yeah, I have a blog, simply called Tri-Bren. It’s essentially a link between beginners and seasoned multi-sport athletes. Of late I have been a little slack, possibly from winter hibernation, but it will be far more active as the season progresses.

http://www.tri-bren.blogspot.com

Any final comments? Words of inspiration perhaps?

I am a strong advocate for the word “performance”. Whatever you may be involved with, ensure that your performance is one you can look fondly back at!

Thanks for your time Bren. Best of luck. Fly the Saffa flag loud and proud.

The Saucony ProGrid Peregrine received the prestigious Runner’s World Editor’s Choice award in their April, 2011 Trail Shoe Guide. This was ahead of the likes of the Asics Gel-Trail Attack 7, Brooks Cascadia 6, New Balance 915 and 5 others. To read more you can click on the previous link.

These are truly special trail shoes. If you want more info or would like to know where to find a pair contact me via my contact page.

Happy running

Nic

Massage serves several purposes, namely injury prevention and treatment, reducing muscle tension thereby improving range of movement, reducing delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) and it improves posture and alignment.

During heavy workouts muscles experience what some call micro-trauma. Micro-trauma refers to tiny muscle tears and even an increase in scar tissue if left untreated. Massage also helps stimulate lymphatic flow thereby removing metabolic waste.

It is important to stay with 1 therapist for your regular massages. They get to know your body and when something changes or something unusual appears they will be able to possibly forewarn you should you be heading down injury lane.

Massage should be periodized, and when you integrate it into your yearly plan, it will really reap huge benefits.

Massage should be scheduled before a day off or the day before a light “active recovery” session. This is how to effectively use massage as a key component in a microcycle. A deep massage the day before a key track session or bike interval session will leave the athlete feeling sluggish.

For self massage, foam rollers are effective to roll out the quads, IT bands and calves while a smaller ball such as a tennis ball are perfect for getting into glutes, adductors and soleus muscles. Just be careful not to exert too much pressure. It doesn’t mean that the more it hurts the better it works.

One of the real advantages of physical therapy that I find helpful is that it gives the athlete chance to reconnect body and mind.

Personally I see Melanie Brand. If you are in Cape Town and can get to Milnerton Medi clinic or the UCT Sports Science Institute be sure to give her a call. Her enthusiasm and talent has helped me tremendously. Her trigger point therapy is also a must.