In five years’ time, I will be:
Hopefully, somewhere up the ranks in the British Triathlon Team.
Career highlights:
Winning the first open water triathlon I had entered in.
Competing for the GB Age-group team at the ITU Age-group World Triathlon Championships in Gold Coast (Australia) after only being in the sport for 1 year and 4 months.
Competing for the GB Age-Group Team in the ETU European Multisport championships in Ibiza.
What does your standard training week involve?
Monday – 3km swim, Gym (strength session), 20 mins stretching
Tuesday – 1 hour spin set, 1 hour run, football training
Wednesday – 3km swim, 1.5 hours running training, 20 mins stretching
Thursday – 1 hour swim session, 1 hour 15 spin/turbo on the bike, 20 mins stretching
Friday – Rest day
Saturday – 1.5 hour ride on the roads, 1.5 hours running (football game), 20 mins stretching
Sunday – 3km paced swim, 1 hour run, easy 30 min mountain bike ride, 45 minutes swiss ball exercises.
Where is your favourite place to train?
For swimming I train at my local pool not necessarily my favourite; however, it’s my only option. For cycling I prefer going out on the roads in the Buckinghamshire and Northamptonshire countryside where there is more of a thinking/danger element to riding the bike as opposed to an exercise bike or turbo trainer. Finally, for running I like going to Woburn Woods as the terrain is softer, the routes are more interesting and the hilly area makes it a good challenge.
What is your favourite race?
My favourite race that I’ve competed in so far was Worthing Sprint ETU qualifier 2018, the course was amazing!
This is my favourite product as it is so versatile. From running, cycling, pre and post-race and casual recovery time, the effects it has are huge. Its temperature regulation technology is really recognisable, the fit is extremely comfortable but most importantly its ability to improve recovery is the best factor!
I use the core shorts mostly when running, especially during colder weather as they keep your upper leg muscles warm, which reduces the chance of injury.
Finally the fleece, it’s great for post training warmth.
What is your favourite training accessory?
My Garmin Forerunner 735Xt Triathlon watch as it perfectly records information from all 3 disciplines and I can access loads of training data straight onto my phone.
What has been the toughest experience in your career and what did you learn from it?
The toughest experience so far has been attempting to swim the distance of the English Channel in my local pool in one day having done no training sessions of over 3km and not having done much swim prep in the month leading up to it. I only had 196 lengths left however I didn’t manage to complete it which is massively disappointing but physically my body had shut down, my lungs were on fire, my joints and muscles numb with pain and I was almost blacking out; I couldn’t have done any more. The chlorine was burning my skin, the wetsuit was chaffing my neck and the boredom and mental challenge was insane! I Swam 1220 lengths // 30.5 Km, burnt 8219 calories, completed around 14,110 strokes and had a total swimming time of 9 hours 26 minutes and 33s! I learnt that your mind has primal levels to it that you can push into, some people call it a “dark place” and in this mindset I realised I could push so much further and ignore the pain I had endured all day.
What is the most common training mistake you see? Any suggestions on how to avoid it?
I think the most common fault that I see people do during training is conserving their energy until the last rep or last drill of the training session instead of pushing yourself from the beginning and letting your body strengthen and learn from the stress it has to go through in order to maintain the high intensity. Too many keep at a comfortable speed in whichever discipline and don’t challenge their boundaries enough; therefore, not getting any faster.
What motivates you to train and race harder?
Competitiveness and wanting to be the fastest. I hate the feeling of losing and knowing that you can go faster.
Describe your diet/meal plan leading up to a big race:
The evening before the race day I’ll try to have pasta or noodles as neither of these are too “heavy” and both have a decent amount of energy in them. On the morning of the race; I’ll have 2 pieces of toast with Nutella and a cup of tea, followed by another piece of toast 15 minutes later (it’s a strange ritual but it works; even though I get told loads that I should be having porridge or oats). I find this easier as swimming on a bowl of porridge is not a pleasant experience!
How do you balance your training and racing life with life outside the sport?
Normally I’ll get my training plan sent to me with specific activities for each day; for example, a bike and swim on Monday however its normally down to me as to when I complete these sessions in the day and how I fit them in with my work schedule.
What type of nutritional supplement do you find most helpful?
Whey Better Protein by Bio-Synergy.
What is the best thing about being an athlete?
Getting to race in awesome places around the world like Australia and Ibiza and meeting loads of new people on the way.
What is the worst thing about being an athlete?
Getting a puncture on your bike mid ride.
