GK News & Reviews May

GKE Newsletter #005 May

May Marvels The first 2 weeks of May seemed like it was the busiest of the year. There was so many GK Athletes racing around the world and we were LOVING IT!! ITU Long Course Worlds, Busselton 70.3, St George 70.3, Mallorca 70.3, Vietnam 70.3, State Schools Championships. Ultraman Australia And there is no slowing you down :-) Make sure you follow the Facebook page for weekly updates

COACHES CORNER SWITCHING OFF The art of switching off but still paying attention? No I'm not trying to confuse you with riddles. I'm saying there is a a time and a place for everything. We have become quite reliant on gadgets to gauge effort, Power Meters, Heart rate Monitors, HRV, Training Stress Scores, foot pods and many many other tools to measure our daily stress. To be clear this isn't a post saying we should step away from all gadgets and data to perform better. This is a post to say sometimes the simple way is the best way. Listening to your body and racing or training on perceived effort can go a long way. So don't be alarmed if you see a session in your program that says "no set watts today OR "forget the Heart Rate Monitor" and just ride! (OR Run) The targets you receive are only ever a guide. Some days you will feel better or stronger. Other days you may struggle to hit those targets and this is normal. Those are the days where you should "switch off"  Rather than stopping and not doing the session at all, forget the gadgets, go by feel and do the best you can. That is still a successful training session. Earlier this year I raced an Olympic Distance and I had targets in mind for Power on the bike and pace on the run. I struggled...and had an average day (compared to what I had been doing in training) and my numbers on both were well below what I was hoping for. I was racing a Half Ironman the next weekend and mentally I was now doubting my ability and preparation. But Captain Awesome came to the rescue :-) "Forget the gadgets! No power, no pace! (They were still recording but I didn't see any of the numbers of splits) Just go out there and enjoy what you love doing. Challenge yourself mentally and physically and Go For It...nothing to lose"! And I did! The rest is history! I went on to win the race taking the lead with roughly 2km to go. The power for the 90km bike was higher than my power for 40km the weekend before ... and my run was the best I had run in the last 12 months (heading in the right direction) So if you Coach gives you a race plan that says "Switch Off" Have a little faith - because you never know what might happen!  Kate B SOCIAL MEDIA  We Want to Feature You Please feel free to tag us in your social media posts. We would love to repost Images of you out exercising or being your awesome selfs. INSTAGRAM : @gkendurance FACEBOOK : https://www.facebook.com/GkEndurance/ COACHED SESSIONS A few changes here, As we venture into the cooler months. Thursday morning TT's will be postponed until the light and warmth start to return. That doesn't mean you can't hammer the hard sessions on the trainer though!! YAY SWIM:  - Monday/ Wednesday and Friday morning from 5.30-7am at Arena Joondalup. If you are interested in attending these, please contact Janine and she'll be able to give you the low down. You will have lots of company at these sessions!!  RUN: - Thursday PM : Run session at James Cook Reserve, off Banks St behind Whitfords shopping centre. 6pm. Suitable for all levels and working on your speed and VO2 max Contact Janine or your coach if you need more info. janine@gkendurance.com  BABY SHAMPOO For the clearest swim you'll ever have Yes we are talking about baby Shampoo. In January this year Troy (one of our athletes) introduced me to baby shampoo to clear my goggles and stop the fogging. Having tried nearly everything from tooth paste, spit and fresh water in the goggles I was a skeptic. But I put a very small amount in each lens, cleaned it with fresh water and had goggles that performed better than new ones. I was so impressed the next day I went out and bought some baby shampoo and have been using it ever since. This is way cheaper than buying new goggles. The baby shampoo clean last about 4 swims. (Which I think is pretty good ) So if you want clear goggles, next time your at the shop pick up some baby shampoo and leave it in your swim bag. It will change your life!! (And thank Troy next time you see him) RECOVERY THE HYPERICE Compared to other SMR/ massage balls, the HYPERSPHERE helps to pinpoint and release trigger points faster, deeper, and less painfully using high-intensity vibration. The HYPERSPHERE is portable and only 5" in diameter, which helps to release tension in targeted areas better than any roller. WANT TO HAVE A LOOK AT MORE OF THEIR PRODUCTS CHECK OUT THE LINK BELOW https://hyperice.com/hypersphere GKE ATHLETES OUT & ABOUT!  Don't forget to send Guy your photo's, he wants to feature you on the GK Instagram page guyrcrawford@gmail.com GEAR THAT CAUGHT OUR ATTENTION 1X Drive Chains Gear that Caught Our Attention- 1x drivetrains (single chainring in the front) have fully consumed the mountain bike world and for good reason: 1x systems are simple, light, and reliable. With the release of the SRAM AXS (pronounced "access") group sets for mountain, gravel, cyclocross, road, and even triathlon we will no doubt see more 1x drivetrains in the near future. With that said, Velonews recently published an interesting article showing increased mechanical resistance on 1x drivetrains compared to the classic 2x. The extra resistance is most pronounced in the highest (fast) gear. This may not be a concern for the dirt riders in which the benefits of 1x would offset a 1-5 watt mechanical resistance loss. But for the road cyclist and triathlete the benefits are less pronounced and this may be enough to offset any gains the 1x drivetrain otherwise provides. How can you limit mechanic resistance as much as possible when riding your 2x drivetrain system? Use your front derailleur to limit cross chaining as much as possible and try to keep a relatively straight chain line. GETTING TO KNOW YOU 10 Quick Questions with Haythem El-Ansary How did you first get involved in Triathlon? I was just running initially and then I started riding to work and my colleague/boss at the time was Peter Rash (TWA President at the time). He said to me I should start swimming and see how it goes. That was 12 years ago, and has been an addiction ever since, it also seemed to coincide with the birth of our eldest son!! Coincidence? not sure! What are your goals for the coming year? First main race is Cebu 70.3 in August, aiming to qualify for Taupo 70.3 WC 2020. It is one of the first qualification races. 70.3 WC in Nice in September, then IMWA in December. What is the most embarrassing thing that has happened to you at a Triathlon, running, swimming or cycling event? Apart from the usual losing my bike in transition and standing there cursing, not a good look in Singapore. I also managed to run out of T1 with my swim skins still on!, realised at the last minute and took them off and shoved them down my trisuit before getting on the bike. What is your favourite movie? No particular one comes to mind, but have always liked the Shawshank Redemption Where is your favourite place to relax? Define Relax hahahaha!! just chilling out at home What is your best characteristic? Haythem couldn't answer this one. So I'll answer it for him: Modesty. What is your worst habit? I have many, cannot choose one! What is your favourite "go to" post race/event meal? A burger or a pizza. Do you have any pre-race rituals? Several but they involve bowl movements so will stop there What are you most afraid of? Haythem couldn't answer this one either, so I will answer for him: He's not afraid, if you google the words afraid, scared, frightened or terrified it simply comes up with a picture of his face. He's the only man in living history that Chuck Norris will not fight.