Swim school - A Weekend in Loughborough! 🏊

It’s the 24^th October and the weekend has finally arrived I was travelling up to Loughborough ready for the Swim for Tri technical weekend and I was very excited. Although I have been told that whatever I was doing in the water was working, I still want to improve, I know my technique was and still is very unique and I didn’t have a clue how to improve it! Next year I don’t what to be up there as I’m exiting the swim; I want to be first out the swim, set myself up to smash the bike! So having returned from Canada and with the advice of Simon I booked on to the Technique course. Meeting up with some of the equally crazy guys that I had met in Canada I knew it was going to be a good weekend.

Arriving at the pool, with maybe not quite as much sleep as what I should have had! I instantly saw that it was an amazing venue, 50m pool (although the wall was up in the middle at first!!) With many elite swimmers training there, it was the perfect place to be to allow myself to zone into swimming and spend the weekend learning as much as possible. I didn’t have a clue what to expect, but I was hoping that my stroke would be pulled to pieces and that many areas of improvement would be found. Wanting to take 75 seconds off my swim, I needed as much as possible to take away and work with.

Sitting in the weights room, it became clear very quickly that Dan had what seemed like an endless amount of knowledge and he spoke with such passion. At that point I knew that I would be able to get a lot out of this weekend. He started to explain the stroke in such depth, yet broke it down so it was very easy to understand. I had never thought about the stroke in this way before and now I was ready to get into the water and get going – but first a load of pool side exercises to get warmed up for a swim??!! I can only imagine the sort of looks I will be getting completing these on pool side at Nuffield of an evening. I’m sure it will give many a great laugh! But if it helps make me better and therefor faster I’m up for it!

Standing on pool side ready to get in there was a sea of brilliant multi coloured swimsuits/jammers, the award for most awesome jammers has to go to Paul though, those puzzles ones are brilliant!!

Jumping in the pool the first session was spent on body position and the kick. I did not realise just how much of a difference what feels like a slight movement can make to the whole stroke. Completing exercises where you watched someone else swim and perform kick was really interesting and gave me the chance to give feedback. Which was excellent as it meant I was learning how it should actually look. We finished the session with some filming; swimming along for my lengths I thought ‘I’m already better than an hour ago!’

Grabbing a Starbucks on route we were ready to watch our videos back. Everyone swam so different, some much more elegant than others. I would have to put myself in the not so elegant category as I watched my arms spin round, which would later lead to the new nickname – The windmill. I was glad to see how all over the place my stroke was, this will give me a lot to improve upon. But still I could not believe just how different I was swimming compared to what my head was saying I looked like! I really was a swinger, with my arms practically taking up the whole lane as I swam – almost a single armed butterfly!

With Becky taking us through some exercises to help with stability and movement in the water, we learned an exercise with what can only be described as having the best name ever! The bird dog, hoping that we would find out it was something different online later that night lead to a few good laughs!

Heading back into the water for the second swim, knowing what I now looked like and what it should be really helped. I was spending my whole time focusing on rotation and the kick, mixing up the drills really helped too, it was already starting to come together and I could see how it would fit into the full stroke.

Chill out time! It’s amazing how much swimming takes out of you even if you’re not going full pace and after a day in the pool, using different muscles I was tired! Yet following a couple of relaxing hours back at the hotel it was time to head out for dinner with a few of the equally crazy/like minded guys! We ended up in a Loughborough style Nandos. It was not the fastest service but did give me chance to make full use of the unlimited diet coke! And the chilli chips were amazing!! Only to be out done but the warm cookie dough with ice cream, something which I may need to re produce at home one evening! It was good to spend dinner talking to people with the same interests and share experiences from over the past year (while researching bird dog!). After dinner we found a bar with a really nice/quirky upstairs. Great place to continue chatting and share experiences over a cocktail (or manly beer!!), it is the off season after all time to enjoy the things I will give up in the new year to help me achieve my goals. Plus I think I bit of bad is good for you in moderation!

Day 2 came and with an extra hour in bed I thought there would be no issues making the 10.30 start, but munching my way through the fruit and yogurt at breakfast at 10.15 I was glad that the hotel was only a couple of minutes’ drive away!

Watching the video analysis back from the afternoon before I could already see such an improvement in my stroke. I gave me great confidence and a massive boost to keep pushing forward. If I can see that much of a difference in a few hours, imagine the difference over weeks/months.

I spent the rest of the day, trying to gain as much knowledge as possible. With new drills being introduced all the time, I knew there would be a lot to work on when I got home, but this was something that excited me and was the exact reason I had booked onto the course in the first place. We spent some time looking at the catch too, and didn’t even use a pull buoy?! Yet it all made perfect sense and I could now see what it was that I needed to aim for to create a more efficient stroke.

Having finished the course and been given my own individual drills to work on it was time to head home. It had been a brilliant weekend learning new skills, gaining a lot of knowledge and spending time with amazing determined likeminded people. Driving home I was so excited to keep practicing what I had learnt so much so I could not resist as short pool session (with drills!) Monday night! I would recommend this course to everyone! The amount of knowledge I have gained in such a short space of time is amazing, it has given me the tools I needed to improve my swimming.

I am now more determined than ever to keep practicing/training/working hard towards my goals. I am a strong believer that you get out what you put in and now is the perfect time to get the winter training in (which I didn’t have for last season!) and improve my technique. Next year is achievable but the hard works starts now to get there. I am very focused and will always look to keep pushing those limits……………….

Next stop, learn to run!!!

So now I'm a Triathlete??!!! - An Overview of the 2014 Racing Season

120k bike this morning, I'm soaked and its official winter training has begun and I’m going to be very sore it the morning! 2014 racing season has gone so fast seems only yesterday I was standing next to the pool in Abingdon waiting to start my first triathlon. A Little did I know at this point that the race I was about to compete it would change the path I was on and be the start of an incredible journey which is still only just beginning.

An event which I really enjoyed despite not having a clue what I was doing, transition how hard could it be??!!  Not quite so straight forward I thought, as I found myself flying backwards into a poor unsuspecting man trying to put my socks on, Sorry!! Or as I ran back into T2 with 1 shoe on the bike and a 1 on my foot, a few funny looks from the spectators were coming my way! Yet despite all of this I still managed to cross the line as the 1^st woman. Munching away on the Easter egg we were given at the end I started thinking this is what I want to do, how good could I become??!!!

My love for triathlons grew over night entering another. And as the time came to compete in my 2^nd triathlon I was filled with excitement. Watching everyone around me get ready for the race I was soaking up the atmosphere. Picking up hints and tips from other competitors, I got myself ready…….. If I can do one thing better this time that would be amazing, continuous improvement was what I was going for. And staying upright in transition I was over the moon, even more excited to find out I had finished 2^nd – amazing!!

Subscribing to 220 triathlon magazine and joining England Triathlon was the next step, I just wanted to learn as much as possible. This is where I saw it Age Group Worlds qualification races and there is one in 10days time………….

Reading on all I could think about was the incredible experience that was representing Great Britain in Rowing back in 2006/07, what if I could do this again. Visit amazing places; meet brilliant determined people while competing in a sport I enjoyed.

So I entered the Big Triathlon in Nottingham, it was a qualifier for both the Worlds 2014 and Europeans 2015. The plan to see where I came so I could see how much work would need to be done to qualify at the Big Cow event in September for the Europeans 2015. I gave it everything, with what can only be described as a comical race, involving falling over on the run and rolling around on the exit ramp from the swim. I had no idea that I was 1^st to cross the line in my age group – I had qualified for be Worlds 2014 and Euros 2015. Unbelievable, bring it on I thought!

I better get myself a bike……….!!!

Having been riding on poor old clunker, a bike which was too big, that you could hear me coming from a mile away with all the squeaks coming from him. It was time to invest; I didn’t have a clue on bikes still don’t now! So I put my trust into the guys at Boutique Cycles, and what an amazing job they did. When the day finally came to pick him up I was so excited, Carlos was and still is an incredible bike to ride. And following the advice given to me by Dave I was ready to go practice my new cycling position, I felt like I was flying!!

With only a short space of time between qualifying and racing in Edmonton I put everything into training. I added more structure and started to time myself during sessions. Changing my diet, making the 90min round trip to the lake, running across the fields and taking Carlos out whenever possible this had become my new lifestyle. One which I was enjoying more and more by the day, I felt like I was back to my old competitive self. My motivation and drive increased by the day, I wanted to be a fast as possible in Edmonton. I wanted to push myself and see what is possible in a couple of months.

So as you may have seen from my previous blogs Edmonton was an incredible experience. One which I was lucky enough to get to share with some amazing likeminded people all of whom achieved great things during that weekend. Travelling out there I would dream of getting a medal but never thought I would be able to achieve it after being in the sport for 5months. So returning with the Silver medal was unbelievable and has driven me forward…….. next year I will be the one in the centre of the podium, I will drive myself to be the best that I can possibly be. With what will be a full years training behind me, I know I can become the World Champion.

So what did I learn this year…………. More that I could ever list, and I know I will continue to learn. I’m sure I will make many more mistakes along the way but as long as I can learn from these I will become a better, stronger and rounded athlete.

 My top 5 learning points:

1.       Always make sure that I have applied body glide or Vaseline before racing and training, the chaff marks and neither pretty nor comfortable!

2.       Nail taking feet out of shoes before trying it in the race, my poor north wave Tri shoes will never be the same again since bouncing along the road for at least 300m!

3.        Kick your legs really hard in the last 100m of the swim; this is to get the blood back into them! And means your legs will stand up upon exiting the water!

4.       Use elastic laces, but make sure they are done up before racing!

5.       Give the bike a last check over before starting the race, just think what you could do when the brakes are not on nor the handlebar pointing to the ground!

Most memorable moments from 2014:

1.       Edmonton – the whole experience, but especially being told in the age group village I had medalled and collecting my medal at the closing ceremony. No words could describe the sense of achievement and excitement I felt that weekend. Getting share the experience with some amazing triathletes all of whom I’ve learnt so much from and I’m sure will continue to learn from in the future.

2.       Crossing the finish line at my first ever triathlon Try Tri Abingdon – I had completed the race! The Easter egg was great too!!

3.       Running into an empty transition for T2 at my first standard distance race – I was winning??!!!

4.       Nailing T1 at big cow, getting my feet in the shoes while they were already on the bike!

5.       Overtaking a male age grouper on the bike at the Thames Turbo Sprint Tri – only my 2^nd triathlon. I didn’t know they were an Age Grouper at the time, so was telling everyone I had beaten a man with his name on his bum!!!

Moving forward I am now looking to the future and training hard. My goals………….well I am pushing myself to become the 2015 Age World, Euro and British Champion.

To help me achieve this I am currently looking sponsors and support for the 2015 season. I am completely self-funded at the moment and am looking for funds to help with training, technique courses, kit, equipment, race fees and travel. I have set up a Go Fund Me page (www.gofundme.com/stephmottramtri) to help with this which can be found on the right hand side of my blog, where I can also be contacted. I am able to promote companies through my blog, social media and on my kit. Any support will help enable me to complete the training I need as well as travel to and compete events. This in turn will allow me to develop as an athlete and achieve my goals for 2015.

Thank you to everyone who has supported me this year and moving into 2015, there are too many names to mention but you are all amazing - keep pushing those limits ..................