The secret to performance running

Intro:

Did you know that just in our two feet we have 38 muscles and tendons, 214 ligaments, 52 bones, and all wrapped up in this amazing ‘stuff’ called fascia?

We are a fantastically well-put-together machine, designed to do things in ways to optimise our natural gifts.  So, when we are looking to improve our running and we search for ‘the secret to performance running’ we find it in the phenomenon known as the Stretch-Shortening Cycle (SSC).

SSC:

The SSC occurs in the muscles and tendons (and possibly the fascia) of the lower limbs, by contracting quasi-isometrically.  This simply means that they produce the power for the foot to hit and lift almost simultaneously on each strike.  This whole contraction happens in around 0.5 of a second and is one of the key reasons elite runners have such high strike rates (98 steps per min).  Moreover, this contraction can produce nearly 50% of the forward propulsion in running when athletes are strong, fit, and at optimal weight. 

To explain this ‘quasi-isometric muscle action’:

·      Isometric muscle action - the muscle contracts without any joint movement, so it is held static while under load.

·      The quasi (partly/ almost) means we have a sort of static or stiff contraction but only almost so…we still have a limited, but not a great deal of joint action – understandably, not the easiest concept to absorb!

To experience this quasi-isometric contraction, try;

1. Putting the weight on your heels and jumping up and down

2. Put the weight into the balls of your feet (the place you would land if you were skipping) and bounce up and down quickly (see video below).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=947ZuH10R_M&t=7s

I came across this thinking when speaking to the late Professor Craig Sharp while doing my postgraduate degree at Brunel University.  Prof Sharp originally came from a veterinary science background and later became a leading figure in Sports Science.  This unique background gave him great insight into the human and animal sciences.

In running it was traditionally thought that muscles lengthen ie. work eccentrically as the foot hits the floor, and muscles shorten ie. work concentrically as the foot pushes off.  However, Prof Sharp pointed out, “recent evidence from human research, and experiments on animals show that muscles contract quasi-isometrically during the propulsive phase of many stretch-shorten – type movements”.

The same ‘air time’ seen in animals can also be seen in elite runners.

Why the balls of your feet?

You would never contemplate doing plyometric work or skipping, bounding, and landing on your heels, right?  This type of strength work is key to increasing tendon stiffness, which is also a key part of the SSC and thus performance running. So, this brings us to foot placement.

Taking the thinking on the SSC to a vision, it is beautiful to watch elite runners, especially in a group (watch the track or triathlon videos), they are like poetry in motion but more importantly, you will not see any bouncing up and down (vertical oscillation) as the quasi-isometric muscle contraction is at play.

The same air-time is seen in humans and animals when running.

We can see the old way of thinking about muscle contraction in running when we look at recreational runners. If they have a lower strike rate (cadence) and hence they are over striding.  Therefore, the foot is on the ground for longer, thus rolling through from the heel and loading through the mid-foot before toeing off, thus producing more of a bounce up and down or side to side. 

Heel striking:

We know the debate on foot strike has raged on now for many a year and I am not saying there is only one way, however, I am saying there is one way to optimally utilise the SSC.

I have read many a paper po-pooing ‘fore-foot’ landing and arguing for mid-foot landing or heel striking or this or that. So much conflicting chatter out there. For example, studies from the IAAF that set up cameras during the 2017 World Championships showed many of the marathon runners were landing towards the rear of the foot (see below). Maybe a little more use of the SSC will see the sub 2hr marathon and not the reliance on carbon shoes or pogo sticks?!

https://www.worldathletics.org/news/press-release/2017-world-championships-athletics-biomechani

Nevertheless, I can also show you from the very same 2017 competition that the 10,000m or 5,000m runners are landing on the balls of their feet (forefoot). The same applies to a large percentage of triathletes at a world-class level, with varying degrees from male to female.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C93qwVmBseE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L9DkIaW6ZiQ

I don’t have the answer to the question of why they are landing towards the rear of the foot in marathons, I wish I did. Maybe partly it can be explained by the marathon runners’ still very high strike rate and landing predominantly under their center of mass.

The old days:

Historically, we never really saw heel strikers in running, possibly because the only runners were ‘serious’ runners on cinder tracks and later tartan tracks with just spikes or even using racing flats in road running that have little or no support.  Maybe the birth of the recreational runner and the development of the over-engineered running shoe (and over-marketing / overpricing) has facilitated the relatively recent heel-striking phenomenon. I’m not speaking about Vapour flies here, more the air-zoom et al.

It would be interesting to go back and look at the same marathon runners and look at them when they used to run over 5k and 10k on the track. What sort of foot strike did they have then?

So, the take-home messages are whether elite or age grouper;

• The biggest bang for your buck; if you have a low strike rate, to increase the strike rate (cadence), find out how to do this here. 

• Ensure your foot is landing under your center of mass (under your hips)

• Improve your lower limb SSC strength, through plyometric work through skipping, hill training, or traditional bodyweight plyometric work.

Word of caution:

If looking to transition into utilising the SSC by landing more on the balls of your feet as you run, then ensure that progression is done sensibly and gradually or look to get a recognised coach to help.

We will be looking at the strength element of running in our next blog.

JB

How to improve your running

How to improve your running

Whether training for an Ironman or short course triathlon or simply looking to get faster over 5K or 10K, there are some important pieces of the running jigsaw we need to put in place, to become optimal. We will be looking to cover these in this “how to improve your running” series, over the coming weeks.

When looking at a checklist of ways to improve our running, strike rate for me is top of your list.

OPTIMAL RUNNING CADENCE (STRIKE RATE)

In this first article of the series, we look at running cadence or, as I like to refer to it, ‘strike rate’. Both terms refer to the number of steps (or strikes) you take per minute while running. It can be counted on both feet (i.e. 180 steps per minute), or one foot (i.e. 90spm).

The following videos show some of the best in action, either on the track or in triathlon:

Checking in with the best

If we look at the best middle-distance runners or triathletes in the world racing, whether male or female they will have a strike rate of around 98 steps per minute (one foot touching the ground per minute).

When we analyse elite runners concerning their strike rate (SR), it is important to do so while they are ‘racing’ and not pacing or being tactical on the track, or even switched off in a triathlon or you will see a slightly lower cadence from that seen when racing and in-form because when the athlete is not fit or strong again we will see lower SR. This way we can see and analyse the optimum strike rate. Of course, we will get the odd outlier, a very tall or short athlete with a slightly higher or lower cadence, but on average the best hit-and-hold 98!

The following videos show some of the best in action, either on the track or in triathlon:

Female:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aKGfcIpaOn4

Male:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C93qwVmBseE&t=334s

Triathletes:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBgzMgob5Gw

Age groupers

When we look at age-group athletes, some may have an SR of low 80s, some middle or front-of-pack athletes have up to and around 90+ steps per minute. It is worth asking: What are their injury rates like? Are they over-striding? What is their economy like? Do they oscillate side to side or up and down wasting valuable energy?

Even for this group of athletes working on a higher strike rate will reap the rewards of better economy and lower injury rates and more importantly, age group athletes report back to me that “they feel like a runner” once they up their strike rate.

Why is strike rate so important?

It all starts when we examine our alignment or kinetic chain;

A lower strike rate often means over-striding, that is when our foot is landing outside the ‘optimal strike zone’ and therefore not under our center of mass. As a result, we do not switch on or fire the correct muscle groups. Moreover, as we can see from those runners who ‘over-stride’, they can have a ‘pendulum’ running gate, where they are using primarily their quads and hip flexors to kick the leg forward.

As opposed to the optimal running gate which is more cyclic with the runner primarily using the glutes, hamstrings, and hip flexors. These are the biggest, most powerful muscles that can generate maximal forward propulsion/distance per step, making us faster and more economical.

Moreover, when striking within the optimal strike zone (under the center of mass), we can start tapping into the amazing elastic energy with which the human has been naturally gifted (more on this to follow in upcoming blog posts).

When you watch the above videos or look at the still photo below, you can see that coming from the higher strike rate is a greater stride length and the float or hang-time the runners generate is enormously impressive (poetry in motion).

Another impressive element comes from the higher SR when watching the elite runners, especially if you watch live when they are in group formation. Is how beautiful it looks, moreover how very little oscillation there is like you could put a cup of tea on their heads and not spill a drop!

Increasing your running strike rate

Most age-group runners can benefit from increasing their strike rate, either to reduce the risk of injury or improve their running economy.

Try calculating your strike rate by counting one foot hitting the ground for one minute when running at or around your race pace. Some GPS devices offer this reading automatically.

WHAT DID YOU GET?

One can start working on increasing the SR immediately; Try a session like running for 15 seconds (25 steps) - or 30-seconds (49/ 50 steps) say 10 x counting steps and trying to increase to start with, to get a feel for it.

Running with a running partner who already has a high SR and getting into sync with them works well, as this stops you thinking about what you are doing (thus tightening up) and utilizing the best learning sense, visualisation, like a metronome or if on your own using a metronome is also highly effective.

How long does it take?

It will take some time to get used to the higher cadence/ strike rate and initially it can feel like you are taking piddly little steps. It is important to understand this is not an easy fix; it can take a while (possibly up to 6 months) to develop the neural pathways to naturally hold a higher SR overextended endurance (5 – 10k). Importantly, as fatigue sets in your body will want to revert to old habits (lower SR). It is key at this point to mentally focus on something positive and SR is a perfect tool.

Similarly, in ironman running, we can lose focus at times and drift back to a lower cadence. What a great psychological tool, to have something so positive such as SR to focus on and help stay in the moment.

Expected improvements

Just this simple but effective change in your running will naturally start to strengthen your running muscles, tendons, fascia, and ligaments. This in return will increase your distance per step resulting in running faster and more economical running times.

Remember one of the biggest limiting factors in white endurance athletes is a lack of strength…

Until next time when I will take you through the ‘secret to running performance’…

JB

Pre-Hab for Triathletes

Do you like being injured? Do you look after the little things as well as you could? Massage, nutrition, sleep, relaxation, balanced lifestyle etc?

One of the key areas outside of training & sleeping to enhance performance for me is something called ‘Pre-Hab’.

What is Pre-Hab?

Pre-Hab (Pre Habilitation or doing things to prevent injury) is often low down the list of priorities for most people trying to balance training with the rest of their lives.

This is normal; we have jobs, families, and lives and are simultaneously trying to get better at three disciplines (and transitions). However, as a coach one of the most difficult scenarios I come across is the athlete struggling mentally due to long-term and sometimes short-term injuries.

Numbers

One of the biggest problem areas for triathletes is the lower limb; calves, shins, Achilles and feet. Why?

Because our lower limbs are the only weight bearing area we have in triathlon (ignoring saddle sores for Ironman athletes!). A 75kg athlete will have 13,500kg (180 steps per min x 75kg) coming down through their legs every minute, so if it takes them 40mins to run 10km that’s 540,000kg going through the lower limbs. The numbers get significantly bigger over the Ironman marathon, of course.

SSC

Some of the body’s natural counters to this force coming down through your limbs are the fascia, muscle, tendons and ligaments throughout the body. These amazing structures provide elasticity to our running and will generate nearly half the energy required to provide your next foot strike. This is called the Stretch Shortening Cycle (SSC) and you will see this in action with most elite runners/ triathletes.

Running well

https://www.jamesbeckinsale.co.uk/2011/02/23/the-secret-to-performance-running-2/

Progression and overload

One of the other key training principals for lowering injury rates is the correct progression and overload used throughout the year. For example if you are new to running and you chose to go out and run every day for the first month due to your new found love of running, it’s highly likely you will get injured. At the other end of the spectrum, if you are an elite athlete and you decide to take your running from 100kms per week up to 130kms per week without progressing slowly with around 10% increments per week, again guess what?

Running surface

The type of running surface can also make a massive difference to the lower limb injury rate of athletes. I don’t know how many runners I have spoken to who swear by the cross-country season ‘strengthening’ their running for the summer. I agree with this, however not only does it strengthen them, it also enhances their proprioception (your sense of where you are in the world) and balance as they struggle in the mud, up and down hills and through wood/ forests etc. Importantly keeping them off hard running tracks, roads and paths and on softer fields and grass areas.

If you can get to it sand is also a great surface to run on

https://www.jamesbeckinsale.co.uk/2016/02/29/sand-running-why/

Clodhoppers

The type of training shoe can also increase your risk of injury not only through turning an ankle if you are wearing thick/ cushioned trainers (clodhoppers!), but this type of training shoe also lowers your feeling for the ground and reduces your proprioception. If you run well, some more natural shoes or light racing flats will enhance your feel for the ground and improve your running.

Importantly, they are not overly cushioned so don’t allow you to slam your heel into the ground when you run. Heel striking sends masses of force through your bones, not through the ligament, tendons, fascia and muscles as it naturally should.

Weak signals

Weak signals are things like that tight calf you had the other day after your run, but you didn’t think it was bad enough to stop and it felt ok the next day so you didn’t get it treated… sound familiar?

MET’s

Muscle Energy Techniques describes a broad class of manual therapy techniques directed at improving musculoskeletal function or joint function, and improving pain. These are simple techniques that can be applied by a therapist/ physio or can be done as self treatment or by a coach/ parent.

https://www.jamesbeckinsale.co.uk/2016/05/13/release-tight-calfs-triathletes-coaches-parents/

Rolling

Foam rollers are a great addition to your pre-hab routine, but in my opinion the effect is not as specific as using the MET’s especially on the calf area. Moreover, I feel very uneasy when I see athletes rolling up and down a muscle because we know that veins have valves to stop back flow of blood and this rolling back and forth could cause damage to the valve.

Stop stretching (so much)

It was always my routine years ago; back from a run, spend 20mins stretching and not just regular stretching but ‘developmental’ stretching i.e. taking the muscle group to its fullest range and holding the stretch for 30 seconds+. This form of stretching can take functionality/ elasticity away from the muscles. Therefore if you run again the next day or more importantly if you do static stretching pre-event/ workout this could lead to muscle damage or injury as you start to run.

I am not saying DON’T do stretching but it needs to be strategically placed into your training week and 100% doing more ballistic movements pre event/ workout will help lower your risk of injury.

Flushing

I have been working with flushing since the early 2000’s and there are two key benefits to flushing.

1. It gently puts the muscle fibers under tension for four to six seconds around three times, to ensure they are elongated and re-aligned (muscle soreness arising from micro tears).

2. Putting the circulatory system, for that particular muscle group, say hamstrings, through vasoconstriction/ vasodilation. The thinking behind this is to increase the blood flow into that specific muscle group, thus increasing healing properties (new blood).

Importantly flushing is all done while walking back to your car/ home after a hard session and so you are never static/ still getting cold in winter or reducing your time to post-event fuelling.

https://www.jamesbeckinsale.co.uk/run-triathlon-training-videos/

Happy training

How to release tight calfs for Triathletes

Releasing your calfs using muscle energy techniques (MET) I find much more specific than using rollers or a ball on your calfs.  Please have a go and share if you like it or you have found it beneficial. Tight calfs can lead to shin splints, achilles problems and plantar fasciitis. It's imperative for the triathlete/ runner that the calf is kept healthy, supple and free from pain.

This video shows you a very simple but highly effective technique for pre-hab of the calf.

Can Mental Toughness Be Trained?

Is one of your limiting factors in racing not knowing what you are really capable of? 

WHAT DO I MEAN BY, NOT KNOWING WHAT YOU ARE CAPABLE OF? 

Here are some examples: 

You may have been in the sport for a while (older athlete) and during harder training, you navigate yourself away from going really hard as you don’t want to feel the pain (one of the key reasons I believe performance slows as we get older). 

Did you slow down during your last ironman/ 70.3 run, not knowing how to get that running speed back to your optimal pace? 

What about a young athlete or an athlete who is new to endurance sports and doesn’t understand how to get through tough patches?  

With all these scenarios (and there are hundreds more), do we just admit defeat and back off trying to race to the best of our ability? Or do we learn that all performance athletes have gone through this and learned how to get to the other side?  

Then and only then do we know our true potential. 

SOME DON’T NEED IT: 

Some people don’t actually want or need to deal with this and be ‘mentally stronger‘ - some people just want to be healthy, have fun, chat with their mates on the way around a race, and are not in the slightest bit concerned with where they finish or how they perform. If it hurts, they will just slow down or walk. In some cases, if they are in ‘no man’s land’ (the midpoint in a race or halfway on the run) they just, sit on the side of the road and/or quit. 

BOXING: 

Boxing is a sport that most would agree requires mental toughness…  

In training, boxers will spar (fighting in training), they will get hit with good shots, and learn to deal with it. They will become physically exhausted and still have the mental clarity to make smart decisions about offense and defensive tactics. However, unlike endurance sports, there are consequences… getting hit in the face! Through their training/experience and sound coaching, they learn to build their mental toughness. 

BACK TO TRIATHLON: 

One of the toughest parts of our sport, whether you’re an age grouper racing Ironman (a little less so with staggered starts now!), a junior or  an elite athlete racing WT, is getting to and around that first buoy on the swim. 

Some back off and some take the outside line or stay at the back. It is brutal and even more brutal in elite short-course racing when they know their position around that first buoy will greatly determine their exit position and therefore the race outcome due to the nature of draft-legal racing. 

What about during your next Ironman (you know it’s coming!), you’re about 20 - 25k into the run, it’s hot, your legs are heavy and you’re still a long way from home… are you backing off your pace, thus missing your Kona slot, podium or PB? 

What about a 16-year-old girl, new to triathlon, 3k still to run, and she starts to get dropped by the small group she is running with… does she allow this to happen and then just decide… ‘I’m not good enough’?’ 

Or the age grouper whilst out on the Olympic distance bike course and some chap comes flying past with a very snazzy bike, disc wheel, and nice aero position looking strong… does he try and take pace (not drafting!) or just judge the book by its cover and say… “nope, too good”? 

The scenarios I have described, I think you will agree rely heavily on mental toughness… but, is it trainable? 

I hear coaches, psychologists, and athletes discussing this often and mostly they feel it is something innate. However, I fundamentally disagree, and here’s why... 

We all have good and bad days but my background in a sport where one must "dig in" when caught with a good shot (boxing), as a physical training instructor in the military and being involved in endurance sports since the mid-’90s,has taught me that by giving people the tools to master their headspace, mental toughness can be taught... but how? 

CONVENTIONAL V EASTERN PRACTICES: 

Conventional sports psychology will look to give you tools that help distract you from the discomfort (counting to 100 etc.), but when our fight, flight or freeze mentality kicks in, the lion we initially got scared of is still there… or put more simply, you still have 20k to run! 

Firstly, it is quite easy to just sit on the sofa and watch TV, entering a race/ event that is going to physically & mentally challenge you takes courage, so give yourself a pat on the back for that step. 

We know from studies, acceptance of and leaning into pain is more powerful than trying to distract away from pain when trying to endure discomfort. We also know pain is generated by the brain, not at the source i.e. if you cut your finger the brain gives it a pain score say 1 a little scratch to 10 sliced off! It is not generated by the nerve endings at that part of the body. 

Therefore, taking this into the discomfort we feel when training or racing, it now becomes very controllable and from this position of control, we gain confidence we can deal with an impending wobble! 

Therefore, with basic preparation and interventions, we see that in the same situation in which we may have scored as high as 7 or 8 with training/ practice we can get this down to a 1 or 2 over time. 

Before we look at the interventions, we need to go back to that fight, flight or freeze. One of the first steps is to ensure our internal conversation remains calm. Think about it -when we panic, the internal conversation is quick and hurried, and this doesn’t allow for good decision-making, we re-act instead of act. 

For example, when you first try hypoxic training in the pool, as you are getting close to running out of oxygen, panic sets in and you rush quickly to the surface (hypoxic work is a great arena in which to practice what is being discussed here). Over time, you can double the distance you cover underwater with awareness and calm control (picture free-divers). 

The first step in developing our mental strength is awareness. You have to set yourself up, deliberately knowing what is going to happen and the process you will implement when you hit the tough patch. 

FINDING A WAY THROUGH: 

• Acceptance; Calm conversation in the mind, acknowledging the discomfort and pain that are here and building, 

• Breathing; Focus on the out-breath as you breathe (this ensures you take in as much O2 as possible and gives you something positive to keep you in the moment and stay calm) 

• Self-compassion; Think of a positive self-statement, i.e.  ” It's okay, I’m going to lean into this, good work” 

• Physical; Know technically what you need to be doing i.e. when running, running tall, or checking your cadence. Something that keeps you in the moment and focused on the task at hand.  

• Observing; By this, I mean really looking at the beauty that’s around you, the trees, and flowers… but consciously looking and taking it in. 

• Finally - smile; Proven to release good chemicals in the brain! Even if you don’t feel like it - have you seen Eliud Kipchoge at the last miles of a marathon? Do you think he’s not in pain? 

NB; the pain I am discussing here is not the type of pain like a stress fracture or a twisted ankle, it is muscular endurance pain or mental fatigue discomfort. 

IN PRACTICE: 

While racing, you are mindful that the situation will arise at some point (awareness) and then, calmly, as you hit the tough patch, you accept it and with real interest and wonder, start your intervention. 

Focusing on the out-breath three times (this quiets the mind), say something calmly and compassionately, (this is very individual), “Ok, this is what I have been working on, I know I can handle this, I know I am stronger for it” (keep in mind here if you have not practiced this in training how do you know you can do it, don’t try and bluff your way). Then, think of a technical element of the sport you are doing - this ensures maximum economy of motion and may actually make it feel easier. You may lift your head and really take in the natural beauty around you. Then you smile!  

This is not a smile of arrogance, as this would be the ego (more about this in a further article) this smile is saying “I am mastering something”. 

Just like swimming, biking and running, the more you practice good technique, the more efficient/skilled you become. Slowly, increasing the intensity of the tough scenarios in training is the only way to become mentally stronger in racing. 

Different scenarios, races, and race distances will require different approaches. However, I guarantee you – if you put this simple process in place during training, you will feel a million dollars for breaking through a tough patch.  

Only when you put this into practice during racing, will you then start to realise your full potential. 

It doesn’t matter if you have quit before, it doesn’t matter if you have slowed down or walked… Becoming mentally tougher is TRAINABLE. 

JB 

Sand Running & why

Why is sand good?

Basically, if you don’t already run economically or you are prone to high levels of running injuries, sand running does not teach you to run well and hold good form (even when tired)… it actually forces it. Over 15 years of experimenting on hundreds of athletes tell me that if your strike rate is low (under 90 steps per minute), if you over stride, if you are a heel striker or if you oscillate… you will sink into the sand, finding it very difficult to run well. Another benefit of the low impact - on the whole, the age groupers I coach will run 3 times per week, but I can double their running frequency using sand without negative outcomes and still maintain freshness for the bike and swim sessions.

The science

The force/load generated during ground contact time (GCT) is obviously where most running injuries occur. Don’t get me wrong, I want to train and make the stretch-shortening cycle in the muscles, ligaments, and tendons strong, but the sand is working for the antagonist muscles groups on strike. You are training the body to lighten the strike/to pull the foot off the ground quickly before it sinks too far and you lose friction. Moreover, you are teaching/forcing the body to hold good form from the hips through the shoulders and head, because if any part of the body is not connected thus working with/through the kinetic chain, again you will sink into the sand and lose the feeling of running well.

Outcome

Those who have never used sand before will always comment, post running back on the hard surface how they feel like they are ‘floating’. I like to mix the sessions up and have a rep or two on the hard path beside the beach for contrast.

If you have ever had the privilege of running with a good elite running or observed them running, you will see that they float across the ground (even triathletes after a 40k hard bike). The air-time they achieve is incredible (time neither foot is in contact with the ground). But next time, also observe how quiet they are… you won’t hear hard thudding on the ground of the poor runner and as I like to say to the guys I coach… “Silence is deadly”.

JB

Enthusiasm vs. Desire

What does it take to get to the next level?

I have always loved the word enthusiasm, ever since I ran the London marathon in 1996. On the back of my medal was Ralph Waldo Emerson's famous “Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.” And I could not agree more.

In the past few years I've watched some very ordinary* young triathletes become very accomplished juniors; and a 29 year old city Lawyer take 19th in the London Olympic triathlon after only 18 months as a full-time athlete. Then there's the 40+ age grouper who sits on the turbo for up to five hours and then achieves a sub 9 hour ironman, a feat he never thought possible four years earlier.

There are many more stories like these, but is it enthusiasm alone that allows them to achieve so much?

Lately, surrounded by these very high achievers, I have pondered what takes them beyond what would seem possible, what gets them to the next level.

Enthusiasm is normally enough to get an athlete out of bed when it is raining and to tick off the training sessions set by the coach. It can get you round your first marathon or 10th ironman. I see enthusiastic athletes every day accomplishing great feats that the man in the street only dreams of. The weekend warrior, fuelled by enthusiasm, is a breed apart and one that I would happily have in the trenches with me.

I see enthusiasm flowing through triathletes all the time, elite and age group. The sport becomes their lifestyle. Many spend a small fortune on the next gadget or piece of kit; put a little more into their training than their families would like and even take time out of work to “see what they can do” in their quest for personal greatness. It keeps them fit, young, competitive and loaded with stories for dinner parties and they (we) love it!

(*No youth athlete has come into my team with national standard times in running or swimming).

Enthusiasm may not be enough:

With enthusiasm alone however they may not dig deeper on those gut busting middle reps (no mans land) or they may allow the voice in their heads to slow them down… just a little, until the pain subsides… Yet we know they had a little more to give, because their final rep is just a little faster than the middle ones.

The flipside is that they probably do the easy training a little too hard, as this feels like “training”.

Enthusiasm will not always see off the voices of doubt: “you're too old” or “you're not national standard” or “you're a bit skint, its time to go back to work.” All of the conversations that stop you going that extra mile, rep or lap and stop you becoming better than you ever thought possible.

Don't get me wrong - climbing your personal Everest is not for everyone and as I've already said, every one of the athletes I have encountered has achieved more with enthusiasm than the vast majority of the population ever dreams of. But if you do seek to take that step up to the next level it will require a dedication that can and will feel very lonely at times.

If you have the desire to achieve the very best of yourself, everything else must come second. You have to be selfish, and for what? Normally for little or no money or prestige.

The Dark Side

But enthusiasm also has a dark secret; it may be responsible for the journeyman boxer who loves his craft, consistently turning up at the gym for sessions. He likes putting his body on the line, to see if the next up-and-coming young punk can get past him and onto greater things… The ring and all that goes with it is his identity.

We also see a type of journeyman in elite triathlon, where the sport becomes a lifestyle: they have gone off the boil, training day in day out… but the fire seems dimmed and when they race, they do ok, but not close to their potential.

Summiting your Everest

So what is it that marks out those people we truly admire in sport, those who go on to (relative) legendary status?

Often, during their sporting careers we only really see the winning, picking up the gold's, having a bad day and coming back stronger and winning again. Until retirement that is, when we flick through their autobiographies and learn of the heartache and pain they endured to achieve success. We didn't know about the darker-than-dark periods of injury that would see the “merely” enthusiastic athlete listening to the “voices of reason” and looking for the door.

This is a different animal to the one who is purely enthusiastic. If you're lucky you see them at training every day, you can see it in their eyes, you can see them deliberately practicing their trade day in day out. It's not necessarily effortless and these animals may need to spend a little bit more time mastering something. But you wont see them quit, you may see frustration and low periods… but to these “every day warriors” the drives are deeper.

They must also love it, love the environment, the training, racing, battling to give the best of themselves daily.

A true legend does not just win a fight or a race. A legend is a person who through all manner of adversity, through the deepest darkest times of their lives, opens that door and brings to the table… DESIRE. A deep burning DESIRE to succeed whatever it takes.

Is DESIRE trainable?

I have had the pleasure of coaching people since the early 90's ranging from the military to “ladies-that-lunch”, children and age groupers through to elite Olympic athletes. After all these years I still ponder is “DESIRE” coachable or trainable or is it something we are born with?

It is not like learning a skill or just setting a goal, but it is the difference between a good solid performance that one can be proud of and an outstanding achievement.

Don't believe the hype:

We have heard and read about it… the reason the Kenyans / Ethiopians are such great runners is their drive to escape from poverty. Or the reason boxers are so ruthless / driven is their drive to drag themselves from rags to riches.

And this line of thought seemingly finds confirmation when we look at the repeated failures of the English football team on the world stage. Do you see desire in these highly paid and pampered players or rather do you see fear when they come anywhere near the quarter or semi-final?

A deep burning desire to succeed will transcend fear (something we've witnessed this week as Andy Murray dug himself out from two sets down in his quarter final against an opponent playing out of his skin).

And what about rowing, a very middle class sport, or even triathlon? Are we saying Redgrave et al or the brothers grim* don't have desire in bundles? Did breaking the four minute mile not require some of the deepest desire ever seen in sport… from an amateur (unpaid), Oxford student?

*(Brownlee's) I say this with the greatest respect as they make life very grim for other male triathletes!!!

This type of “fixed” thinking has stumped our middle and long-distance running for 20 years, until Radcliffe & Farah… so we should now see any runner worth their salt developing a growth mindset, not hampered a second longer thinking the Africans are better for any reason other than… they work harder.

This fixed mindset also stumps many junior athletes who have seen success early in sport. Enthusiastically getting out of bed at 5am for swimming six days a week since they were 10 years old. Now, when their competitors start doing the sort of volume they have done for years… for them to then work harder still, suffer more… requires something different, something bigger than enthusiasm.

But is it trainable? For sure you don't need to have that fire burning 365 days a year to dig deep. As triathletes you know the body needs to go through different phases of a year and you know when its time to “switch it on” and hit the hard sessions. Desire will really help you through them. You will also notice that if you have something on the horizon that you really want to achieve (a scary but realistic goal!), you will dig deeper. As you dig deeper in sessions, you will toughen up and actually look forward to working really hard and testing yourself.

Winter & injuries

Desire will also help deep in the dark winter months when you are focused on changing something or working on something… instead of enthusiastically practicing, you will deliberately practice. And we know “deliberate practice” the difference between going through the motions and mastering a task is the only way we can make long term changes.

Desire, believe it or not will be the key ingredient lurking, when you get that twinge / tightness and know you should be icing it, or get that massage, see a physio. The enthusiastic athlete will just eat dinner and put off the little things like icing, until tomorrow… alas, as Apollo Creed told Rocky… “there is no tomorrow”.

Key ingredients to tapping into DESIRE:

• Patience: knowing there are no quick fixes

• A willingness to suffer

• A scary but realistic goal / target

• A willingness to suffer more than others

• Deliberate practice

• A feeling of moving forward / progressing

• Seek out the best advice

• A refusal to listen to the excuses

• Belief in yourself & your system

• A love of what you are doing

The Athletic Road Less Travelled

To be on or ahead of the curve as a first-year Junior (15/16) you would need to be at that level as a swimmer or runner. The cycling can be picked up later on. However, it’s not a bad idea to have ridden your bike a few times if you intend to embark on a performance pathway in triathlon!

The bigger picture

If you are a junior behind the curve in triathlon, you may feel a little lost. This is accentuated as our sport develops and our Governing Body (NGB) continues to see fit racing juniors with seniors in most major national events. Thus, 16-year-olds are “lapped out” of major races by sometimes senior World Champions. In addition, in a late development sport like triathlon, Youth Olympics (YOG 14 – 17) has been introduced, meaning athletes have to specialise earlier and earlier to be selected.

I have listened to arguments about the need for 11/12-year-olds to attend selection races to qualify for their region to compete in a national triathlon event (IRC). In addition, I have listened to the arguments by management/coaches enthusiastic about the YOG format “for experience”. The elephant in the room, however, with all these child competitions in a late-development sport, is that it only works if everyone is on board with Long Term Athlete Development (LTAD).

The problem is however that NGBs and Regions start looking for “results” and therein lies the problem. Effort should be rewarded and not results. However, this doesn’t show the type of prestigious accountability NGBs/ Regions crave.

“We also know that children who do more training before the age of about 16 will likely under-perform, reaching lower levels than those who play more sports for as long as possible”

-Dr. Ross Tucker

Painting the picture

Without evidence to show these young people (or coaches/NGB), that moving along the curve can be done; it’s very difficult to think about the “Athletic Road Less Travelled” (i.e. young athletes behind the curve at 14/16 and progressing onto or ahead of it).

This is far from easy in a sport with three disciplines that require a lot of training hours to reach high-performance standards. Moreover, these kids are living through one of the most stressful periods of their lives (GCSEs & A levels), but they still obviously want to progress and see gains and improvement. Otherwise, why would competitively spirited young people keep going in a sport?

It can also be a confusing balance for me as a coach, helping young athletes improve in a sport, and building self-confidence and robustness, while some of their peers are still miles ahead of them. This is the art of coaching. Pushing the buttons in young people but knowing when to back off, allowing them to find themselves as young people, applying pressure, but not too much.

The coach’s goal has to be to give them enough development to allow the individual to make decisions in their future sporting life, either to move their sport forward or to take it down a level. This could involve going off to University, into full-time training, or off to work. At the crossroads, so long as they are happy, it’s a good dilemma to have.

I have been training and coaching since the early 90s and coaching juniors since 2005. In all this time, I have never had a national or international runner or swimmer come into my environment (outside of our NGB once asked me to help a young athlete). However, through lots of hard work from the athletes, I have helped develop a number to be on and ahead of the curve as they prepare to leave school or College.

This article is to help young athletes, parents, and coaches, with limited training history have a chance to think bigger and not lose hope in our sport. It’s not about knocking my NGB either, as triathlon is a young sport and NGBs are learning as they grow… I just hope they learn fast.

Navigating the choppy waters

It is not easy when you set your benchmark on World Class athletes like Alistair/Jonny and Non/ Helen/Jodie, but if you can be shown that improvements can be made over 3-4-5+ years of hard training (allowing you to get ahead of the curve or at least realise your potential), you don’t put a ceiling on your thinking.

To make the education of athletes easier, I start collecting data as soon as an athlete steps into my environment from youth (14), junior, or even future Olympians. There are many reasons for this but the most important is that it’s an invaluable teaching tool.

I have witnessed the scientists, coaches, and NGBs look at the data and make a judgment that an athlete will not “make it” (including future Olympians!). This reaction is due to their VO2, swim/run time or some other marker currently not “National or International standard”. They then get very excited when the numbers come in high on another athlete and start pinning Olympic medals on them at 14/15 years old, but that athlete invariably has a longer/deeper training history, thus a far better developed “engine” BUT… is this athlete still ready to dig as deep as the pressures of sports build at 19+?

Don’t think I’m saying that I have never made the same mistake, I have. I have studied science and I have read books. I also believed that humans have a ceiling, especially if the lab data said so or if they were not “naturally gifted”. I have seen and changed the error of my ways and now never put a ceiling on any athlete, moreover I treat them the same, apart from where attitude is concerned.

Training history and engine building

Athlete one, for example, has been swimming in a squad from 9/10 years old, and without a doubt, this develops an aerobic engine. If you’ve been coached well, you may have become national standard by 14/15. Invariably, this swimmer is fit and selected to run in a few school XC races and again does well.

Nonetheless, unlike their schoolmate, Athlete two has not been consistently training within a structured program. Athlete one is “fit” and used to working hard, even digging in training. What about Athlete two? Computer games? Some school sport? (Mostly football/ rugby or rounders?) Consistent and structured training… probably not. Hurting/digging in… probably don’t know the meaning of it!

You would see a similar pattern if the young athlete was part of a structured run club. They would fall short technically as a swimmer if they had not done both, but lots do. Nevertheless, you can take an eight-minute 400m swimmer at 14 and develop them into a sub 4.30min swimmer by 18 years old and you can also take a junior who can’t even complete a 5k without walking and in 4/5 years run sub 17mins (girls).

For the young athlete under youth age, the sporting arena that consists of lots of different activities is by far the best way to learn and develop a young body and mind. Not just swimming up and down, or running round and round.

Building the aerobic engine consists of increasing mitochondria, left ventricle size, capillary density, blood volume, etc. Combining this aerobic engine with building robustness, mental toughness, coping strategies, increasing economy of motion (swim, bike, and run), and many more key ingredients, takes the athlete further along the curve. This can only be done over time, in a wholesome environment along with sound coaching, but no one can argue, it can be done.

Fixed mindset and environment

Take athlete one, who fits the above description, let’s take a girl aged 14, who has been used to winning local or even national triathlon races. They have a minimum of 4/5 years of hard training behind them, getting up at 4 am in some cases a number of times per week and doing around 15-20hrs of training (sometimes more). Put them up against that enthusiastic young 14-year-old girl (athlete two), who has no history of structured training… Athlete one wins every time, right?

Move this scenario on two or three years and due to time constraints, athlete one cannot increase her training volume very much, even if she wanted to, especially during exams. However, athlete two gets the “bug” and has now put in a few years of consistent, structured training. She has built up her training volume to at or around that of athlete one, but has never really won anything and is just excited to be making progress and mastering her new sport.

It’s not easy, it’s bloody hard work at times, but… it’s fun and she has some great people around her, none of which are expecting or pushing her for results. Then you have athlete one who has always been a winner and stand-out performer… there is always pressure on her to win.

You may start to witness athlete 1. make excuses about her results, not just in sports but also academically. She has been so used to “winning” with seemingly little effort and being lorded by her family, school, and coaches. Doing her best is not an option… only winning or dominating the athletes who have not done the sport for very long. This is an already difficult period for most young people; can you imagine how this pressure cooker now feels?

Add into the mix a coach or a fellow athlete, suggesting they are looking a little fat/bigger and we all know you need to be slim to run well… is this why they are not winning anymore? The next step, I think, we are all far too familiar with.

Not just a dropout rate

You may be looking at British Triathlon right now and think that we are in a great place. Well, we are in many respects down to the set up in Leeds and a few up-and-coming Scottish boys and a Welsh chick in Bridgend! Nevertheless, the biggest glaring hole for me is the poor transfer rate of junior girls through to the senior level… we are actually yet to do it! Why, and should we even be trying to it?

The list of “talented” youth/junior girls dropping out of triathlon is long… very long. Lots of these young athletes are just discarded, but the biggest heartbreak in most cases, for a period anyway, is that they can also be broken, young people.

Choices

I remember when I first decided to stop boxing after nearly 15 years. I used to eat, sleep and dream about boxing, through my adolescence and into becoming a young man. I was a little lost when I stopped; it was in many respects my identity, especially during my early time spent in the Army. However, I was not discarded or injured from within a sport that had once made me feel like a “prince”. I personally made a big decision (I found teaching sports / physical education a bigger draw), and walked out the door at around 23 years old… never looking back!

As a sport, to me, nurturing young athletes is our major failing which to date is not being addressed. Research tells us that most senior females on the ITU circuit are coming into triathlon at University or beyond. We have established academies now, we have funding, can we not at least try to buck this trend?

Crossroads

It’s not a failure if you get to 18 and want to stop your sport or back off and go to Uni or start work. I have a perfect example of a young triathlete who stopped triathlon at 18, studied and became a Lawyer, then an age group triathlete, and went on to be 19th at the 2012 Olympic games at 30. She is currently having a great time as a professional triathlete.

Should all young people go to University? Well for some it’s not really an option if you are not academic (yet!), but if you do get the grades, I still don’t think it’s an open-and-shut case.

There are some very bright athletes who go off to Uni and can hold down a degree, train, make progress and have something of a life. I don’t think whoever you are you can do a very demanding course and still continue to make major progress in triathlon.

If you are behind or on the curve, I would suggest possibly a year out to give the sport everything you have and raise your game. Most importantly, this means sleeping a lot more. Having two or sometimes three, releases of growth hormone (GH) and structured recovery, will do more for your performance than any training session.

You can see in case one (below), where they have been able to rest properly, there has been a significant increase in physiological parameters. This includes swim and running TTs. It’s very difficult to get this type of response from an athlete while going through GCSEs or A-levels or for that matter working full-time.

Responsibility of NGB

During this period from 14 to 19 and beyond, there is a significant amount of funding on offer in the UK for young aspiring but “talented” triathletes. There are warm weather camps abroad, funding to get to races in Europe and the wider world, funding to help with physio/doctors, etc, the list is endless and in most cases, this funding comes in very handy with three sports to also cater for. So, it is in the athlete’s best interest to gain selection to a National program.

In England, we have a number of tiers

• Academy

• English talent program

• World Class talent program

In a late development sport would you put a 16-year-old on a “World Class program”, when they are still finding themselves… when none of their peers are also on it? This is to me, a big fat target and another dose of pressure the athlete would not need.

Would you de-select a 16-year-old who loves to race and always races beyond their swim and run TT times and it is clear to see loves the competitive environment, but due to a swim and run TT result, not select them for a major triathlon competition?

To me, these are just a couple of glaringly obvious “do’s and don’ts” when working with young people. Reward effort not results from other sports i.e. pool swimming and track running… but similarly, you must know the athlete. However, this is not the first time and I’m sure it won’t be the last, in which NGBs are looking to select for here-and-now results.

Would we not prefer to have learning, mastery, a work-hard environment, and the often spoken about but rarely implemented by NGB, the concept of LTAD at the forefront of our thinking?

Shining the rough diamond

Below are a couple of case studies showing a starting point through a couple of athletes as a snapshot of then and now progressions. For non-science readers out there, on the graphs, we are basically looking for everything to shift to the right… as these do. This is such exciting work for a coach and it gets even better when the effects are even more dramatic, like swimming eight minutes for 400m at 14 and just dropping under five minutes for the first time at 17. It is super powerful motivational stuff for these athletes… building a CAN-DO attitude.

It is hard for the individual athletes, but for the coach, it is super hard work. You should be walking off deck or track mentally fatigued as you look to bring the next generation through. Not all athletes require constant coaching, for those already developed, it’s possibly just “nice work” or a pat on the back. But if you are a coach and think you can just set a session or email a workout, this is not performance coaching.

Case study 1

Athlete (male) from 15 to 19 History: swam a little at a club a few times per week, would cycle with a club, and ran at school and other school sports. Swim time at 15 around 5.20 for 400m – Now 4.30 for 400m Run 1500m 4.50 now 4.10 and around 15.30 for 5k. Bike strong at 15 and world-class now (bike)

This athlete has never been selected for any national program, as his swim and run times were never good enough. He has been very consistent over the past 4-5 years and has never plateaued in his progressions. He is not a world-class athlete right now, but can he be? The bottom line is… nobody knows so enjoy the journey.

Case study 2

Male 14 to 18 History: has done triathlon from young age and good regionally, enjoyed most school sports. Swim time at 15 around 5.30 for 400m – Now sub 4.30 for 400m Run 1500m 4.30 now 4.10 and low 15 for 5k. Bike poor at 14 now very strong internationally

The bottom line with triathlon in the UK is that there are a few males who have been mini triathletes and gone onto World Class in our sport… no females. However, there are many young athletes and coaches who need to know that for boys, just because you can’t swim sub 4.30 for 400m right now & if you can’t run 15mins for 5k… it does not mean never. Girls if you can’t swim sub 4.45 and run sub 17… don’t stop believing that with hard work you never will.

Where does this leave us?

Is there a place for these National level triathlons for 11 – 13-year-olds? Personally, I don’t believe there is. Keep it fun, no early specialisation (especially bike), and compete around local area/fun races or in aquathlons, if you want to do multisport.

Is there a place for a National talent squad with 14/15 years old in it? I don’t believe there is. Instead, look after those who look like they want to keep working hard in our sport… thus STILL progressing and looking like they want to be there in races… not scared of losing or disappointing someone else. More importantly, if someone swims fast or runs fast at 14/15 there should be a warning sign… PROCEED WITH CAUTION.

Things to look out for: athletes coached by parents (can work, but not always). Athletes in separate swim/run/bike environments (watch for pulling energy in all different ways). Athletes without a lead “qualified” coach (need to know and not just guess), pushy parents (unconditional love is your only role), and finally, coaches who don’t understand that the body weight of a female will settle in their early 20’s.

Moreover, don’t make them the next Non/ Helen/Alistair or Jonny … give them space to grow, if THEY want to, not parents, coaches, or NGB.

Finally, this is about the Athletic Road Less Travelled. There will be those who progress through our sport from being good from a young age. The job of the NGB, coaches, parents, and teachers is to guide… but personally, you must keep looking in the mirror and make sure you are still guiding and not pushing for next Friday’s win.

The road less traveled is probably the most rewarding in sport for all involved and believe me it can be traveled… Enjoy the journey.

JB