Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 54, January 2014

Dare to Tri 70.3 man Iron ere! lly H s Fina i The Modern Athlete Dare to Tri team is ready to conquer this month’s epic Ironman 70.3. The training is done and all that matters now is conﬁdence leading up to race day. Coaches Derick and Georgie as well as the athletes share their expectations and advice for January’s big one! – BY LAUREN VAN DER VYVER Coach’s Corner SWIM SPEAK Tips from Georgie Thomas, Head Coach, Total Immersion Swimming SA With a few weeks to go: • • A word from Dare to Tri Coach Derick Marcisz W Images: Chris Hitchcock, Ironman SA, Lauren van der Vyver & Courtesy athletes hat a huge success DTT has been! With 90 triathletes signing up, we had 50 ﬁnishers at both 5150 events, and the group training has been fantastic – great camaraderie and friendships that will last a long time. To all 70.3 triathletes out there, the training is done... You cannot change anything or make up for lost sessions, injury or illness, but you can still plan to have a good event. Hopefully you have trained consistently. It is now a mental issue, and that splits the good athletes from the great! Be excited, be nervous, but be conﬁdent! There is no space for negativity. Be conﬁdent in what you have achieved to get to the start line. Be conﬁdent in your ability and the training that you have done. Think of the 70.3 triathlon as a delicious 3-course meal… • Starter: 1.9km sea swim – nice and easy. Finish with lots in reserve. Start on the left or right hand side of the main swim pack, depending on which side you breathe. • Main course: 90km of hilly cycling at a good strong effort, taking in lots of liquid and food. Go hard, but leave space for dessert! In the last 10km of the ride, use a very easy gear, spin the legs and mentally prepare for the run. • Dessert: A 21.1km run. Start slowly, build up to a comfortable pace and enjoy the crowds on ‘Bunkers Hill.’ Finally, enjoy the ﬁnish and celebrate! 32 ISSUE 54 JANUARY 2014 / www.modernathlete.co.za • In your last few training sessions, visualise the race, the conditions, the people – imagine yourself swimming calmly through the crowds. Make lists of what you need to take well in advance. Think through the process as part of your race visualisation process. Check your wetsuit, cap and equipment for holes or weak spots. On race day: • • • Wear your goggles under your cap to avoid them getting pushed off by other swimmers or waves. Stay relaxed in the frenzy. Remember, other swimmers are not deliberately trying to attack you. Expect to be pushed and bashed on the head – don’t ﬁght it, roll with the punches. Don’t hang onto the buoy or just tread water. Rather roll onto your back, or do some breaststroke. Focus on getting back into your rhythm as soon as possible. Go to www.totalimmersionsa.co.za to ﬁnd out more. ACADEMY EXPERIENCE Our Dare to Tri members share their expectations for 70.3. Simon Smith: “I am so looking forward to my 70.3 adventure. It has been made all the more exciting knowing that I have had the support of a great coach and fellow Dare to Tri athletes. I’m quite nervous, but my training has gone well and I feel I will be well prepared.” Carli Venter: “As a novice in all three disciplines, the desire to compete was driven by the desire to teach myself to ﬁnd comfort in an uncomfortable situation. My goal is simply to compete, prove to myself that I can complete an event which is entirely foreign to me, and enjoy the inherent personal transformation.” Nico Walters: “Since this will be my ﬁrst attempt at 70.3, the goal is just to reach the ﬁnish and get that shirt! I am expecting a very tough bike course, which will deﬁnitely test my strength and endurance.” J-P van Staden: “I’m nervous about the challenge waiting for me at 70.3. My main objective is to ﬁnish without feeling like I’m about to die. I’ve been following Derick’s training schedule and I’m pretty conﬁdent that I’ll be adequately prepared. Gonna dig deep and enjoy every minute!” Jacques Le Roux: “It is my ﬁrst 70.3 and only my second tri event ever. I am excited about participating and have enjoyed becoming part of the DTT community. As far as race day is concerned, I will have the utmost sense of achievement at ﬁnishing before the cut-off time… anything faster than that would be a very big cherry on top!”

Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 54, January 2014 | Page 32