Thanks to all the superstars who joined me on the latte ride on Saturday.  It was a sensational morning to be back on the bike, and we certainly worked on our handling skills taking to the bike paths, gravel tracks, boardwalks and even a boat! All under the glorious Autumn sunshine.  We’d love to have a bit more of that hanging around please!  And if all that sounds like fun, then there’s more to be had this week with the social latte ride heading towards the Yarra for a scenic river ride.

It’s really important during this recovery month to break the cycle of intensive, same-same training.  You need to give your body a rest and also your mind.  That’s why we like to get off Beach Road and take our rides somewhere different.  We also slow down the pace and encourage you to mingle and chat and remember one of the important parts of squad training – socializing!

We can’t stress enough, the respect you need to show to your body and the sport, by embracing the training phases.  You simply cannot function at full throttle all year round and expect not to get burnt out or injured.  We’ve seen many athletes train through the long months of lockdown over the past 2 years, finding solace in the routine (#awesome), but you cannot underestimate the toll triathlon takes on your body.  So, if you have just finished the 2XU series, and have been going strong for a while, then now’s the time to reset.  You will not ‘lose’ everything (very common worry)!  You will actually be able to come back stronger if you embrace the downtime.  If not, then perhaps you really will lose everything by getting yourself to a point where you cannot train anymore (#injuriessuck).

And you know what’s a good way to embrace recovery month????  With a little bit of partying at our end of season celebration!  Remember it’s happening on May 7th, so keep that night free.  We will send you out a formal invite as soon as we’re ready to take payments, so keep an eye on your inboxes for that.

In this week’s edition, we have segments on:

• Save the Date – End of Season Party
• Function Strength Training – Resistance Bands
• Training Updates – Recovery Month
• Training Phases
• Great Ocean & Otway Classic Ride
• Welcome Packs
• Timetable

Enjoy the read and enjoy the week ahead.  We also want to wish everyone a very Happy Easter!!!  We hope you get to enjoy some time with family, take a break and probably eat too much chocolate – it’s all about balance!  We’ll have a little pause on the main days (no sessions Friday, Sunday and Monday), and see you back at it for Tuesday night wind trainer.

We are planning on hosting our End of Season party on May 7th this year.  It is one of the biggest social events on our calendar and gives us the opportunity to come together as a whole squad to celebrate the achievements on us all, individually and collectively.

We'd love for you to join us, so keep this date free.  More details to come, but safe to say you can start planning your outfits now which should most definitely include dancing shoes!

Resistance bands are simply a tool that helps you replicate any functional movement, while applying strength-enhancing, muscle-building resistance. As a result, resistance band training will make movements and muscles stronger while simultaneously improving movement coordination.

But...now you need to know where to get your hands on them.  You can check them out on eBay or anywhere really.  Even better if you can find suppliers offering deals for 2 sets (highly recommended as 1 set is only 1 length and you need double to do both arms at the same time). 

It doesn't matter where you get your bands from - just make sure they have different tensions (colours) and MUST come with handles.  Shop around!

As April is our recovery month and transition into the May technique block, the timetable begins to look and feel a little different.  This is sometimes confusing to those who are used to the routine of the past couple of months.  Even more so when we blend the final build to Port Mac into the equation.  So, let me give you an overview to help you know what’s going on.

A key date in our timeline is the Queen’s Birthday long weekend. This is when we traditionally hold our Winter Training Camp and when we build on from base & technique training, to add endurance to our technique.  So you will changes from now up until then, including: 

• No Tuesday or Thursday morning sessions until mid June.
• Thursday night combo sessions will become Fun & Fitness sessions for the month of April. 
• From the beginning of May, on Thursday nights we move to The Tan or Essendon for winter run sessions.
• Saturday riding will be social latte rides for April, followed by endurance rides for May and onto hills after Queen’s Bday (mid June).
• Sunday long swim and long runs will remain at Elwood for all of April.
• Sunday long runs will begin from May 15th at Fairfield.

For the majority of our athletes, April is the month to recover and have some time off from triathlon. Recovery at the end of a racing season is extremely important and will have a direct impact on your training and more importantly - racing, over the next season.

WHAT IS THE IMPORTANCE OF A RECOVERY AND TRANSITION PHASE?

• Physiological Recovery
• Psychological Recovery
• Immune System Recovery
• Recovery from recurring or niggling injuries

We will be looking to put together a line up of activities for the month of April, which are aimed at allowing you to have a break from ‘normal’ triathlon training and have some FUN while still maintaining fitness.  Keep an eye out on the socials for further details.

This year, we have group set up for the Great Ocean & Otway Classic. So if you would like to give it a go and enjoy a 15% discount for your Annual Membership, then select TRI-ALLIANCE when you sign up.  It'll prompt you for a password (the request comes directly to me), which I'll send right back to you.  Check out all the details of the event below.

We're so lucky to have lots of new members joining us recently!  Welcome aboard everyone.  It's time to get your welcome packs sorted.

If you haven't received your pack yet, can you please send me an email, confirming:
1/ What size t-shirt you would like
2/ Which session you would like to pick your pack up from