A lot of people are lucky enough to learn how to ride a bike as a child and grow up taking it for granted as something that you just do. But if you didn’t get that chance and are now an adult cycling can seem pretty scary. It’s common for adults to think that the reason they can’t cycle is because they lack balance, strength or fitness or are too old to learn. These are all myths and anyone can learn to ride given the right teaching methods.
I’ve been on a wide range of cycling trips over the year and some of them have been better than others and I’ve learned a few things along the way. As I’m spending my hard earned cash and using up some of limited annual leave quota it’s important to me to get it right so that I have fun and don’t feel like I’ve wasted my time or money.
The weather is warming up, the water temperature is rising and lots of open water swimming venues are starting to open for regular swim training. So now is a good time to check your wetsuit still fits, or to think about buying one if it’s your first season. I’ve just been through this long winded process, so here are some simple tips to help you make it easier.
I’ve just finished reading Grit, by Angela Duckworth.
This was an incredibly easy and enjoyable read and is well worth picking up. There are lots of references to other researchers and thinkers so the book is well referenced but also shows connection to some of the other books about success and practice in the popular press (such as Peak, by Anders Ericcson and The Talent Code, Daniel Coyle).
Many triathletes and open water swimmers never bother to swim the other stroke focussing solely on front crawl and never learning anything else. However, all of the strokes can help to make you a better swimmer and here are some reasons why.
I often get asked about leg kick in front crawl. Common questions are should I kick harder to go faster, how many times should I kick to every arm cycle or concerns that their kick is too gentle and isn’t doing anything. In this blog we’ll try to answer some of these questions.
An endless pool is a small private swimming pool that we use for lessons and coaching. It’s 14 feet long, 8 feet wide and 4 feet deep and uses a current for you to swim against, rather like running on a treadmill. It sounds like an odd and difficult thing to do, but it is incredibly easy to swim in an endless pool and has many advantages over a regular swimming pool. It’s also a powerful and efficient way to learn.
We are delighted to introduce YouCanCoaching athlete Gary Smith who has been working with us over the last 2 seasons. He tells us a bit about himself as a triathlete and how he has benefit from triathlon coaching.