Having spent over 3 decades in daft outdoor pursuits I have seen ( and made) probably every mistake in the book. There isn't a week goes by when someone does something to limit progress. Without thinking about it super analytically here are my favourites. In no particular order 1. Not being consistent and doing the boring stuff. Being distracted by the fun stuff - fine now and again but i its a feature it will limit progress. 2. Under Fuelling. Not just in sessions but every day. One that popped up for me personally simply not eating enough protein. 3. Doing the hard sets too easy and the easy sets too hard. This links to number 1...I just joined the boys for a chain gang..next days Vo2 session couldn't do it. 4. Skipping the sessions that target your weakness and always playing to the current strong suit 5. For triathlon - viewing it as 3 sports rather than a 'linked system'. If your weakness ( see 4) for example is the swim and you fail to address it, there will always be a limit on how well the whole system improves

I seem to have started getting wetsuit rash/friction burn on the back of my neck after open water swim sessions. So far I’ve always used Daisy’s Surf Cream to prevent chafing on my neck- but it feels like it’s maybe not cutting it any more. Looking for ideas: what do others do? It’s worse in salt water obviously, but I also had some in fresh water.

3 interesting chats on ths topic so a wee piece on the key differences. Most amateur triathletes record slower times in OW than in the pool ( there are always a few exceptions to prove the rule). This time of year the main issue is rubber overload. Winter suits, rash vests, gloves, hats and booties are all needed when the water temp is sub 10 but basically the more rubber the slower you are. Hats and rash vests provide more buoyancy the wrong side of the hips driving the back end down. Add in boots and the water fill and reduction in ankle flex adds a nice draggy anchor. Strip those away and the wetsuit often produces a positive impact on body position for most. Gloves are interesting. If you have smaller hands and can get tight fitting gloves without them filling up with water then you are swiiming with paddles. If that gives you a hold on the water and lower more powerful pull that can actually be a benefit..which is why they arent allowed in most races. For most though gloves kill your feel for the water and get heavy when wet or full of water. Lets say its 100g per hand...at 60 strokee per minute thats a fatigue inducer right there. So as the temp comes up..shed the rubber. For me thats around 20 secs per 100m. In the pool some people are super slick at button pressing and in short intervals with plenty of recovery...thats 'fake fast' so as the rep distance goes up..the speed is more realistic. When in the pool we are at our fastest when coming off the wall and if you turn well and maximise the momentum that will always be quicker in a pool. If you turn like a supertanker the difference out and in will be less marked. If you think your pool speed is say 1:30 in sessions with reps and you do ow with 500 or 1k stretches and thats 1:40... try swimmimg a 1k in the pool and the times will be closer. Then we have stroke imbalances. If you have a pull to one side then having to correct means more frequent sighting and more disruption to the bodyline. If your sighting technique is poor..thats a double dunt!

Last week we had 2 combatants at the european duathlon champs Powerman Alsdorf. John managed a 15 min course and distance PB and Nathalie ( yes her again) took Gold in her age cat. This week Andrew heads to Challenge Gran Canaria and the yoofs are heading to the first round of the British Super series. That has us looking at the lead in to the races and every athlete asks what is the best taper? As with all good coaching questions the answer is 'it depends'. There are multiple factors to consider ( and the science is not definitive) so we have to look at: 1. The demands of the race 2. The importance of the race - A, B, C 3. Where it sits in the overall season plan 4. How the individual reacts physically and mentally to a taper ( this will be influenced by age, conditon, recovery needs, nerves..etc) Very much not a simple thing like reduce volume and maintain intensity. What works for one person may not fit another and what is good for say a 5k run race like Fast ad Flat vs IM Lanzarote are completely different things. The single stand out tip for heading into a race is make sure your nutrition and hydration ar topped up - regardless of the severity or length of the race. A nice little 'cheat' on hydration we use medical goods. If you hit the medical tent post race in a state of depletion they generally hook you up on a drip with a nice saline based hydration fluid. Essentially it is the same as the rehydration sachets you can buy in the pharmacy so prevention is better than cure so a sachet a day 2-3 days out and the muscles at a cellular level willbe fully hydrated on the start line. In the UK it is called diorylyte!

We are once again partnering with the team at Still Going Strong to deliver coaching and support for this and this year the Go Swim series. If you fancy a hit at any of their events let us know..discount codes incoming.