Weekly Transition 8Jan2014

WORD FROM THE COACHES
Welcome to the first ‘Weekly Transition’ for 2014! We trust you have all enjoyed a small (or long!) break and are firing for the second (and arguably the biggest) half of the triathlon season. There are some big races ahead – which means some big training ahead also!

Our Hell Week Challenge was a great success and great fun again for all those who took part in some way, so well done to you all. As long as you ensure to allow the body to adapt and recover from the training during Hell Week, you will see the benefits of your hard work in the coming week/s. And even at worst, if it allowed you to keep a routine over the Christmas/New Year Period – OR in other cases, kick start the training again, then you are on a winner! So well done again everyone. 

For the next few months there are races a plenty including this weekends Race 2 of the Gatorade Series incorporating the Melbourne Olympic distance, world sprint/Olympic qualifying racing, Melbourne Corporate Triathlon, the Inaugural Challenge Melbourne and who can forget Ironman Melbourne….. The list goes on! So now is not the time to become complacent. A tough job for both athlete and coach is to manage you through the season and peak at the right times for your key races. So those racing the Gatorade/Active Feet Series should really start to be hitting their stride, those aiming for World Qualifying races will be putting the finishing touches on their preps and Challenge/Geelong/IM Melbourne contingent will really start to hit the big km’s in the next month. If you feel you are not on track, make sure you speak to a Coach before it is too late.

So with a big couple of months training ahead for our Long Course athletes, and plenty of upcoming races for our Short Course, it’s going to be a busy but exciting few months ahead!

We have our current crop of Tri Challenge participants graduating at this weekends race with their first triathlon, and we have another eager group of 20 ready to start their 6 weeks this weekend also. So our Beginner Coaches are going to be busy again over the coming weeks preparing these participants with everything they need to know to enjoy triathlon.

If you haven’t already, make sure you check out our January Training Timetables – with sessions in the Melbourne CBD/Bayside, Bayside/Mentone and Northern/Western Suburbs. There is sure to be a session close to you.

RACE 2 GATORADE / ACTIVE FEET TRI SERIES
This weekend we will again have a large number of athletes racing over the mini, sprint and Olympic Distance races. Our short Course athletes have had a sharpen up over the past 2 weeks post Hell Week, and a large number of Long Course Athletes are using this race as a primer for their upcoming Half/Full Ironman Campaigns.
If you are a long course athlete racing, please speak to a Coach regarding your training around this race, however it will essentially be a train through race.
Did we mention there is a BBQ approx 10.30am? 🙂 So come down even if you aren’t racing and support your fellow athletes.

CAN YOU HELP?? RECEIVE A FREE RACE ENTRY!
Have you thought about life on the other side? Have you considered those “Event Angels” who keep you safe and on track at every Triathlon or Fun Run you enter? This is your opportunity to be one of those incredible “Event Angels”
Come along and volunteer for SuperSprint Events as a Marshal and we’ll offer you a FREE ENTRY into one of their events. If you’re competing ask a partner or family to volunteer on your behalf.
Register your details here and don’t forget to enter your Tri Alliance Membership Number when registering to receive a race entry of your choice.

SWIM SESSIONS – STMICHAELS/MSAC
Please be aware that over the coming weeks, we will be ensuring that swimmers are swimming at the correct swim sessions based on their level/abilities. Our new swim sessions at StMichaels are designed specifically for our new athletes or those at a very beginner level to help develop their swim stroke and swim fitness, or those returning from injury and need a technique focus. If you have been around the squad for some time now, we ask for you to attend our MSAC sessions on Tuesday AM and/or Wednesday PM so as to ensure we have sufficient lane space at StMichaels for our new athletes coming through. If you feel you need to discuss your swim training, please contact our coaching team in the office.

NEW TRAINING LOCATION IN BAYSIDE!
Tri Alliance is excited to announce our expansion into the South-Eastern Suburbs and Bayside area of Melbourne!
Our newly structured program will offer swim, bike and run sessions based out of Bayside Aquatics in Mentone and is an ideal location for those living or working in the south-east and bayside area.

Sessions will kick start on Monday 20 January (please note date change), with any existing athlete in the area encouraged to join these sessions and we are also offering a special of 1 month FREE training to any new athletes joining the Bayside squad. For more information click here.
*If you plan on attending these sessions – can you please email sarah@dev.tri-alliance.com.au so we can gauge numbers.

FACEBOOK – more than a ‘social network’
Tri Alliance utilises Facebook on many levels (like millions of other businesses / clubs /groups) and one of the reasons, is it allows for direct communication to our athletes in an instant. Any changes to training, updates in sessions, new events etc are all delivered via the Facebook medium. We also use it to share pictures, stories and allow athletes to interact with each other.

So if you have yet to embrace Facebook, we encourage you to at least set up an ‘alias’ account and follow Tri Alliance so you don’t miss out on any important or noteworthy information directed to our athletes which may not communicated on email. And make sure you ‘like’ each of our pages to ensure you are getting the relevant information you need. Happy facebooking…

• Tri Alliance Triathlon Training – for all global news, information, advice plus more
• Tri Alliance Victoria – specifically for our VIC Athletes
• Tri Alliance Queensland – specifically for our QLD Athletes
• Tri Alliance Running Group – join our FREE running group
• Tri Alliance New/Beginner Athletes -(group) this group is for anyone new to Tri Alliance/triathlon and can feel free to ask ANY question that our Coaches will happily answer. 🙂

IRONMAN MELBOURNE – SEARCHING FOR VOLUNTEERS!
After the huge success of our ‘Aid Stations’ at Ironman Melbourne over the past two years, we are again putting a call out for athletes, friends, family who would like to volunteer some of their time to help at our Tri Alliance Aid Stations on the Run Course of Ironman Melbourne. With around 50 Tri Alliance athletes competing in Ironman Melbourne, it’s going to be a huge event again for Tri Alliance and so we are looking for your support!
What we need!
Around 80 athletes/friends/family who can spare 2-4 hours on Sunday 23 March (Ironman Melbourne Race Day) to assist on one of two aid stations, handing out drinks and food and generally providing support to athletes as they run past.
We are also in search of two people who would be willing to help us with the organisation of the volunteers. You don’t need any experience – just some good organisation skills! Email sarah@dev.tri-alliance.com.au if you would like to volunteer OR be an Volunteer Organiser and we’ll provide more information! Thanks, Sarah

SPORTS DIETITIAN
Tri Alliance Sports Dietitian Margaret Meilczarek has launched her new Facebook Page and Website Fuel Right Nutrition. fuel right NUTRITION is a nutrition and sports nutrition consultancy aiming to provide comprehensive nutrition guidance to clients and athletes, maximising health, both now and in to the future, and optimising athletic performance. All Tri Alliance athletes receive exclusive deals from Margaret. Make sure you check out Marg’s Facebook page and Website and enquire today to take the first step in improving your health.

RETUL BIKE FIT – MORE POWER, NO EXTRA TRAINING
Do you want more power on the bike without additional training? The innovative Retul bike fitting system can help you achieve results. As used by 3 x IM World champion Craig Alexander Retul is the most advanced bike fitting system in the industry.

Book in today with us – call 9645 2223.
Click here to read more…

TRAINING THIS WEEKEND

SATURDAY
Short Course: Pre Race Session

• 7.30am start StKilda Beach. (Note location change due to racing on Sunday)
  Pre Race Session. Bring all swim, bike and run gear. All short course athletes racing should attend this session.
  Post session, we ask if 6 athletes can assist with set up of the TA Taj in preparation for Sunday’s race.

Long Course: Long Ride

• 6.15am start North Point Cafe, North Road. Ensure you are ready no later than 6.10am for ride briefing.
• One ride will head out to the Dandenongs via North Road for a hill ride. The following map is a 145km loop, however athletes can do variations of this based on their level/ability and where their training is at.
• Another group will complete their distance on the flat heading towards Mornington/Mount Martha/Safety Beach.
• Ensure you are adequately fueled for your ride and take money, phone and spares with you.