“Jayzus.  What have I let myself in for?  I’ll make right tit of myself holding everyone back as they tear through the sea and around the roads of north Sligo with me trailing behind.  Why did I have to play golf for only the second time this year yesterday?   My arms are sore from hacking into the sand dunes and my head is sore from succumbing to the temptation of the 19th.”

Such were the thoughts as I drove out to Mullaghmore on Saturday morning to start into my first triathlon training weekend, with Stephan Teeling Lynch and Brian Jenkins.  Now I am no athlete, never mind triathlete, having only started really back training last year in an effort to reduce a record BMI index!!  Up to that, walking back from the pub was a good stretch for me and a transition was moving from bar counter out to the smoking shelter.  I’d never really been coached before in running or cycling at any stage of my life, so it was with no little trepidation that I set off for this weekend.  Luckily, however, the lads soon put me at ease and reassured me that the weekend was set up to cater for all abilities.

There were only about 8 of us there for the first session, from MSC Tri, Sligo City and the Liquid Motion clubs.  Unfortunately the weekend clashed with Carna and a few others were unable to make it that had intended to come along.  It all made for more direct personal coaching, however, so those that did attend benefited greatly from the small numbers.

First off was a 45 minute swim coaching session off Mullaghmore beach.  We spilt into 2 groups and the lads focused on tri-specific drills to improve on stroke, sight breathing, turning around buoys etc.  There was plenty of food for thought and plenty of drill suggestions to work into the winter pool sessions.  Next up was a run around Mullaghmore head, along what must be one of the best training routes in the country for road surface, view & challenging hills.  After warm-up, we did a number of training drills to work on pace and cadence.  Particularly interesting was the technique of high cadence running for use off the bike after T2 to counter the jelly leg syndrome.  And it works!! 

After lunch we headed off on the bikes through the quiet back roads of Sligo and Leitrim.  Again, we did a number of drills on cadence & overgearing which shall certainly be included in my own spins to break the monotony and the increase the benefit of the spins.  It should all lead to less time in the saddle with better results to show for it.  We all got a lift that eased the tiredness when Stephan got a text during the spin from Pat Touhy, who Stephan coaches, letting us know that he had just won the Carna triathlon.  It was very timely evidence of the effectiveness of good coaching so we all probably listened to what the lads had to say even more closely after that.  We finished off with a lively group spin towards Manorhamilton through the scenic Glenade valley.  We all got a good buzz from the group cycle, riding peloton style, each taking turns up front, and getting plenty of advice all the while from Stephan and Brian.

On Sunday morning we fought back the tiredness got back into the sea to recap on the previous day’s drills and to learn a few more, including extended doggy paddle, polo drill, dolphin dives etc..  We then relocated to the carpark at Summerhill College for transition practice.  It’s amazing how blatantly obvious some of the tips were, but also amazing that we generally hadn’t thought about them ourselves.  If you’re like me, and have only taken part in events and not actually sat and watched one, it would be very hard to improve the transition times without a coaching session like this.  In most events the top guys are long gone by the time I get to transition so you don’t get to see their technique.  Have you ever wondered how they can get through each transition over a minute quicker than the rest of us?  Well, having finished this session we all had a better idea how to do it, if not quite the skills to execute it.  It certainly has given each of us some new skills to practice and plenty of tips to pass on to our fellow club members. 

Brian took us through a half-hour stretching session in the gym after the transition session, which I found particularly useful, never before having been coached by anyone how to stretch properly.  Now I’ve no one to blame but myself if I can’t touch my toes in a few weeks.

To finish off Brian took a group for a 30 mins Fartlek run around the sports pitches at Summerhill.  The numbers had started to dwindle slightly at this stage as the exertions of the weekend and the call of the family Sunday afternoon responsibilities beckoned, including to myself. 

All in all, it was a great weekend’s training that I found particularly useful.  Of most benefit I expect to be the tips to achieve a more efficient and effective training programme, where I would expect more gain from less time as a result of all the advice we got over the weekend.  Hopefully, we should be able to get the lads back for a further session later in the season and I am sure that anyone that attended this weekend will be encouraging anyone that’s interested of the benefit of a weekend like this.  It was great craic and great value, particularly as we didn’t have to stay away and pay for accommodation etc.  If we do convince Stephan & Brian to come back for another weekend, I’d encourage everyone from our club and any of the neighbouring clubs to attend.  You only have to look at Pat Touhy’s results this year to see the benefit of professional advice like this.

Barry