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Dan's Blog - April '15

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Summer is on it's way and Dan's training has taken a step up. His first race on the horizon, catch up with his ever-entertaining document...

I flippin’ love triathlon training. The constant variety keeps it so much more interesting than any other sport I've ever half-seriously committed to. By comparison, single sport training can be mind-numbingly dull - doing the same thing again and again till boredom or injury eventually gets the better of you. 

But there's one thing about tri training that gets old pretty quickly. It's not the late nights and early mornings, nor the grannies doing head-up breaststroke in the fast lane. It's the constant getting changed. 

As a rather typical bloke, getting dressed and ready is something that I consider should take no more than the bare minimum amount of time. I'd normally spend somewhere between 30 and 60 seconds a day getting showered and dressed, but thanks to triathlon that figure can now be measured in hours. 

One double training session day last week I got changed eight times. Eight times. It's ridiculous. Beyoncé would complain about that many costume changes in a single day. I think I spend more time taking clothes in and out of my bag than I do actually training. Perhaps it'll make me faster in transition...

Despite my changing room woes, training has been going pretty well this month. The track sessions with Leeds & Bradford Triathlon Club have yielded results - I added around 100m to my six minute time trial the other day. Swimming's ticking over OK though I do need to keep my focus on it - I'm trying to find a way I can join some of LBT's group sessions. And the bike is decent too - it's been a joy to be on it so much as winter finally succumbs to spring. The lighter nights, warmer sun and ability to go for a ride without being in full scuba gear is a genuine joy. I'm so lucky to live where I do - there is no finer place on earth than Yorkshire in the spring. 

Of course as spring comes along thoughts inevitably turn to the business of the season - racing. Skipton Sprint Triathlon is first up on April 12th and it should be a good benchmark as I did it this time last year and have my timings down on paper. By the time this blog is posted, I will hopefully have some good results to report on!

With nowhere to hide I've had an eye out for some 'quick wins' to earn me a few extra seconds. Would an aero helmet help? Deep-section wheels? A proper time trial bike? But a post on the LBT Facebook page soon stopped me in my tracks - I'm a 35-year-old office monkey not Ali Brownlee. One comment on the thread threw it all into focus - shiny toys count for little compared to proper training, proper nutrition and proper recovery. So instead of shelling out on carbon bling I've decided to get serious about food. I've found a couple of excellent sports nutrition recipe books that make eating well a delight rather than a chore. 

As I type, there's a pan of quinoa on the go ready for tomorrow's lunch, and the fridge is packed with healthy goodness. Might have been cheaper to go for some Enve rims actually..

Dan's next blog post will be on Wednesday 13 May. To read his previous post, visit here.

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