News

UWATC Update - April 2020

Published Sun 05 Apr 2020

IMPORTANT NOTES

  • Face to face training sessions suspended
     
  • Online alternatives coming next month
     
  • The AGM is happening online - 23 May 2020


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Gaby Villa📷

The Presidential Platform

Hey team!

Things have changed very qucikly since we sent our March newsletter. Including me sending a couple of special newsletters in between announcing our face to face training sessions pausing for a while.

"One who gains strength by overcoming obstacles possesses the only strength which can overcome adversity" ~ Albert Schweitzer.

If anything, triathlon has taught us about resilience and the situation the world is living in certainly demands it. I encourage you all to stay active and connected, we may need to be creative to achieve this and we are also lucky to have technology to support us.

A few ways we can achieve this are:

  • Zoom. Grant has been delivering windtrainer sessions via Zoom on Wednesdays and they've been very successful. Get in touch with Grant if you'd like to join.
  • Strava. In case, you don't know, we have a Strava UWA Triathlon Club. This is another good way to stay motivated checking how you are going compared to other club members. Congratulations to Cassia for her first place on last week's leaderboard!
  • Facebook. Our facebook group is very active and always available for a good debate on gadgets, equipment and even less triathlon-specific topics.

The committee is having a virtual meeting in the next few weeks to discuss the training plans we can offer in this environment. We will message as soon as these are available to officially start with them in May.

We are still going ahead with the AGM which will happen online on Saturday 23 May. We will have to leave the windup for another time. We will send through the details and meeting invite before the end of April but save the date in the meantime.

Stay safe... I'll see you on the screen!

Gaby Villa
President UWA Triathlon Club

 

What does the science say? 邏

 

Don't stop moving

Being in isolation without access to gyms and sports clubs should not mean people stop exercising, according to a new study from researchers at the University of Bath. Keeping up regular, daily exercise at a time when much of the world is going into isolation will play an important role in helping to maintain a healthy immune system. Read more

If you have any recent discoveries you would like to share with the club just send them through!


All about... Nathaniel Wells!

1. Tell us about yourself

I’ve floated around the UWA tri club for around 4 years now. I did my undergrad and honours in Psychology at UWA and decided that I wanted to become a Sport and Exercise Psychologist, so I pursued a degree in Sport and Exercise Psychology at the University of Queensland and moved to Brisbane in 2019 to finish my studies. Nowadays, I tend to make a bi-annual appearance back at the pool and at running when I make it back to WA.

I’m very passionate about mental health, performance psychology, and the mental aspects of triathlon. I used to teach and coach swimming at UWA Uniswim and have always been passionate about seeing the progress of athletes that I both help through work, and those that I train with myself.

Lately, I’ve been working as a provisional sport psychologist with para-athlete swimmers with Cerebral Palsy, elite dance performers, elite e-sports athletes, and elite athletes from other sports including netball, volleyball, swimming, and cricket to name a few.

2. How did you start in triathlon and when did you join the club?

It’s a bit of a funny story. I used to be a state swimmer when I was younger and ended up leaving it behind when I was about 15 because I lost the drive for it. I returned to swimming when I was in my third year of Uni and didn’t miss a session for nearly 4-months; I couldn’t believe how much I missed being in the pool. Imagine how gutted I was when I found out that they didn’t do training over the Uni break… until I heard of the triathlon squad. I soon joined the swim squad at UWA tri and didn’t look back.

I don’t think I had been there more than two weeks before Phil told me I was “only doing half the day’s session” on a Wednesday, and he convinced me to come to running that afternoon, despite my constant repetition of the statement “I’m not a runner!”. It didn’t take much to get me hooked from there – turns out all you need to do to be a runner is to run. I joined the club straight after in what I think would have been around June 2016. I really fell in love with the sport, and all its disciplines, from there. It didn’t take long before I had done two 70.3’s, my first marathon, my first full distance Ironman, and the Rotto swim solo.

3. What do you enjoy most about the sport?

There’s a lot to this answer! I think what sticks out the most is the overwhelming amount of support and solidarity that you can find in the community. There’s nothing better than rocking up to swimming on a cold winter morning at an outdoor pool – it’s hard, but it’s made much easier when you can see everyone else there in just as much discomfort as you. The same goes for those people cheering for you and each other all through the laps of an ironman. It’s an amazing sport where I think we tend to focus much more on what’s the same than what’s different about each other, whilst focusing on challenging and pushing ourselves in our own ways.

I’d also have to say that I love how you can really foster a love for each disciple of triathlon individually as well. Triathlon helped me get in touch with a passion for open water swimming and got me all the way to swimming to Rotto solo. It also got me into running, such that now I can’t imagine a life without pounding pavement. And cycling… Well, I do love it. Sort of.

4. Favourite leg and why?

I’m a swimmer through and through. There’s something freeing that I really love about it. I actually used to be shit scared of the open water and all the things I had heard of being out there - sharks, stingers and the like. Something clicked with me early in my budding tri career that you shouldn’t struggle against those things, and not let them go, but to accept them and let them through. The stingers will sting. Worrying about the sharks only makes you more anxious and doesn’t help you enjoy your swim. All you have to do is trust yourself to the water, accept everything out there, and connect with it. It’s just such a shame that the swim is so comparatively short compared to the rest of the race!

5. Best triathlon tip?

Training your mind is just as important as training your body. If you throw in the towel because it’s too hard to get up for training, or too hard to finish the set, then you can’t expect yourself to not want to do react the same way when things get tough at a race. Consistency is key with mind and body – so train it to be just as rigorous to challenges.

Get in touch with what makes you want to give up and why. Evaluate if it’s conducive to your performance and take responsibility for your improvement. You’ll be paid back in dividends for your commitment to yourself. Being in touch with yourself like that and being aware of your own responses to challenges can really shape how you experience any part of a tri, or just life in general.

Overall, though, make sure you recover well. Choccy milk is the best way (obviously).

6. What’s your next goal?

Prior to COVID-19, I was going to compete in the Woodman Triathlon in Hiroshima, Japan, and do Goldcoast Marathon. Given that’s all been cancelled, I have a few new goals:

  • If we get locked down and can’t outside run anymore, I’m going to run a marathon by running laps of my house. I’ve got a solid 50m lap scoped out and only need to do 840 laps of my crib to finish. Could be boring!
  • If we don’t get locked down, I’m going to run Brisbane marathon virtually, because they have a virtual run organised where you run solo and submit a finish time. I’m going to raise money while I’m at it too.

7. Best triathlon memory?

The marathon in Busso Ironman in 2018 was the hardest thing I have ever done, and my mind went to places I’ve never been to since. The memory of running past the club tent each lap and hearing everyone shouting my name sticks out above all else, though. It gave me a lift every lap that felt unique to anything I’ve ever felt. That’s probably my best memory, next to crossing the finish line.


TriDot Podcast: Adapting your training routine for COVID-19

As Coronavirus continues to impact nearly all areas of our lives, many athletes are working to navigate this strange and unprecedented time. Not only has COVID-19 caused the cancellation or postponement of numerous races, but it has also caused a shut down of most local businesses, including gym and pools. The TriDot team addresses athlete questions about how to adapt your triathlon training in this unique environment.

Listen here

 

Latest race reports

Mooloolaba/Triathlon UniGames - Nick Thompson

Thursday
After catching a morning flight, Jonney and I arrived to a pretty wet and dark Brisbane afternoon. Soon after we landed, we bumped into Oggi before catching a ConXion bus through the traffic up to the Sunshine Coast, transferring into a smaller minivan for the last part of the trip. It was a pretty long trip in the end, as we ended up arriving at the accomodation at around 6pm. We were pleased to find that it was right next to the start of the bike course, and was only a 5min walk to transition and the event expo. The balcony also overlooked the ocean, so we got an early glimpse of the rough swim conditions we were to expect on race day. Later in the night, we were informed via the event Facebook page that disc wheels had been prohibited due to the potentially damaging wind conditions. After some frantic messaging the event page, we ended up calling Grant midway through his dinner. Thankfully he was flying out the next day and was able to bring myself and Jonney over some non disc race wheels.

Friday
The day mostly consisted of some easy swim, bike and run miles just to get the body moving again after the flight. Grant and Channa arrived in Mooloolaba on this day, so we decided it was time to head down to athlete check in to register and collect our race packs. The race expo was pretty lively, with many apparel stalls set up within the marquee area, including Ironman Champion Luke Mckenzie’s company WYN Republic. We spent some time on our foot, walking around the finishing area to try and figure out the technical parts of the course. In hindsight it may have been a bit too much walking, as my pesky quad injury was starting to rear it’s head. Jonney came to the rescue with his magic painkillers which worked a treat. The next day Oggi and I tried to get some at the pharmacy but we needed a prescription 😂.

Saturday
The day started with a bit of a splash and a body surf on the swim course. The conditions weren’t choppy at all, but when the set was in, the waves were quite sizeable. As we had seen much calmer conditions cancel swims, it wasn't a surprise when later on in the day, it was announced that the swim was shortened and moved towards a more protected area of the bay, around 1.5km further down the beach. After a final spin in the bikes and a short, sharp run afterwards, we checked our bikes into transition, the rest of our equipment would be set up on race morning. The day finished with us spectating the elite ITU Males and Females racing through the streets of Mooloolaba for the opening World Cup of the season. It was great to watch and motivated us to go just as hard and fast the next day,

Sunday
We woke up at around 4:45am in order to get to transition at around 5:45-6ish. My leg was pretty sore but I knew I had one painkiller saved for 30mins before race start at 6:45. After a contested set up in transition with over a thousand others, we started the 1.5km walk down the beach towards the new swim course. I got there with around 10 mins to spare and found Jonney, Oggi and Channa all in the zone. After a short dip to get the mind and body ready, we were on the start line. I was right behind Jonney’s big frame when the gun went off, but the pace was too hot to handle. He led out of the swim and ended up monitoring the bike, averaging close to 50km/h in the first 20km. He was leading a small pack of 3, while I was chasing solo. We both paid for the hard work on the bike but managed to get through a tough, hilly run leg. He ended up finishing in 3rd (and was also Australian University Champion) while I was a couple minutes back in 4th. Although I didn’t experience their respective races, I do know Oggi and Channa had smashed it as well. Oggi clocking a 18 min PB and Channa powering through on the run after some pain developing on the bike. It ended up being a really festive event despite all that was happening in the lead up; the winds, the waves, the coronavirus. Although I was quite annoyed at the disc wheels call, credit to the event organisers and team for putting on a great race. Post race went something like: collect bike, pack bike, load bikes in Grant’s minivan, drive to airport. Other than Channa who was staying back with Denny for a few weeks, we all had flights that evening and were back in Perth before 9:30pm. Thanks to Grant for volunteering his time to come along and keep our heads screwed on straight and also thank you to Shannon Eagland from UWA Sport who sorted our accomodation, travel and uniform.

 

New

Alberto Puccini - Bunbury Olympic Distance

Older

Tony Smith - Great Southern Ultra Challenge

Gaby Villa - 70.3 Los Cabos 2019

Alison Smith - ITU Lausanne 2019

Justin Ghosh - 70.3 Philippines

Rahul Jegatheva - Aquathlon Nationals

All race reports


📷Tony Smith

Have your own race report to share? See the website for some instructions on how to send it through.

 

 

UWATC 2019/2020 Training Sessions (on pause for now) 

 

SWIMMING CYCLING WEDNESDAY RUNNING - MAIN SESSION MONDAY RUNNING - SECONDARY SESSION
Mon/Wed/Fri
5:30-7:00am
Tuesday
5:30-7:00am
Wednesday
5:30-7:00pm
Monday
4:30-5:30pm
UWA Pool (run by UWA UNISWIM) Carpark under UWA Sports Science Hall UWA Sports Park, Mount Claremont Lake Monger
"TriFit Squad"
No swimming on public holidays
Bring:
bike (any), helmet, shoes
(prefer tri shoes, bike shoes / runners okay), towel
Bring: water, running shoes, towel Monday intervals is only for those already attending Wednesday intervals.

 

Training payment details

Running/cycling: Visit the UWATC website to get all the info and sign up.

Swimming: Visit UWA Uniswim for more information and register/sign up here.

To discuss personal programs, speak to Charles Biddle or Grant Landers.

 

 

HELPFUL PLACES TO FIND INFORMATION

** See official UWATC Facebook page for most up to date information

** See swimming Facebook page for swimming specific info

** See the UWATC website for training and payment information and season calendar

** See Facegroup group 'Who wants to go (for a swim/ride/run)' for uncoached/informal group sessions

** See UWATC Strava group to check what training everyone is up to

** Any queries/feedback, message via the official Facebook page or email committee@uwatriathlonclub.com.au

 

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