Triathlon Camp in Bangalore by Ironmen Kaustubh Radkar and Nagaraj Harsha
Before I venture out onto my next adventure, I realized it is time to take a back seat, learn from the experts and then plan it....
Triathlon as a sport has been gaining popularity in the past
few years and with brands like Ironman making this sport exciting, interesting
and brag-worthy. The title of “Ironman” has become a dream for a lot of
athletes across running, swimming and biking, as well as other endurance
athletes trying their best to get this title.
In India, though we don’t have Ironman events as of now, we
do have a lot of triathlon events – pool, lake or sea based. The most popular
open water triathlons are held in Goa, Chennai, Thonnur (near Mysore), Kolhapur,
whereas the Pool based ones are in Hyderabad, Gandhinagar, Delhi and smaller
events in other cities.
And hence, there is a need to undergo proper training under
expert supervision as the sport requires you to train across multiple
disciplines – Swimming, Cycling, Running, Transitions, Nutrition, Time
management, Balance, Flexibility, Agility, Strength & Conditioning.
In February, I came across a post by Ironman Dr. Kaustubh Radkar
(20x Ironman finisher with 2017 Kona world championships on his resume, fastest Indian Ultraman Florida 2017, and at Comrades Ultra 2016, left his career at Johns Hopkins Hospital to create a healthy community in India) about the Triathlon Camp being
held in Bangalore. The venue for the camp was Nisha Millets Swimming Academy –
Ulsoor Pool, the place where I train and learn swimming. Looked like a killer
combination. And at this stage where I have not done much in this sport but
aspire to train well and see how far I can push, this was a perfect idea to enrol
and understand the sport better w.r.t time, physical requirements, nutrition,
budget, etc.
If you are in Bangalore, this is the most beautiful pool you will even train at. 50mtrs length, Depth of 4ft to 16 ft, and next to the Ulsoor Lake.
If you are in Bangalore, this is the most beautiful pool you will even train at. 50mtrs length, Depth of 4ft to 16 ft, and next to the Ulsoor Lake.
So here is the posters that were shared by the two ironmen, along with the agenda, which made me join.
Following are the topics we will be covering in the camp:
1. Swim - Theory and practical [Includes open water
technique].
2. Bike - Theory and practical [Includes right position on
the bike, how to execute different workouts indoor/outdoor i.e execution of
intervals/tempo/easy/endurance rides].
3. Run - Theory and Practical [Technique/Form/Execution of
different workouts i.e tempo/intervals/easy/long/hill workouts]
4. Gears [Different gears planning/selection for
swim/bike/run/stength]
5. Race [Selection/Planning/Execution]
6. Recovery [Nutrition / workouts / Stretching]
7. Nutrition for endurance sports
8. Handling race mechanical failures [How to fix
punctures/assembling wheels / basic maintenance]
9. Strength and conditioning for endurance athletes [Learn
from Mr. Anand Date current Indian U - 19 Cricket trainer/ National Cricket
Academy Trainer/ Past Indian Senior Team Cricket Trainer]
10. Q&A [All Related to Triathlon]
And so, we had the camp on 24th and 25th
March, 2018, in Bangalore at the Kensington Pool.
On 21st, I had a minor sun stroke. And had to
rest and sleep more than 15+ hrs for 2 days, rely on fluids and medication to
recover. Finally convinced myself to heal quicker and did everything possible
to get in better shape.
So, finally on 24th, we all assembled at 545 at
the venue. There were 7 participants – some ultra runners, some marathon pacers,
a couple of triathletes (one had done a half ironman at Colombo last month) and
some aspirants of the sport, like me.
The day started with introduction to each other, some
greetings, basics of Triathlon as a sport – with distances, cutoffs, etc
All of us had to fill a form that had a bit of our fitness
history, food habits, conditioning routine, etc along with the expectations
from the camp.
Most of us had
mentioned better technique, need for structured planning, targeting a certain
race, and training requirements as our primary expectations from this camp.
The most memorable moment was a selfie with KR, the triathlon legend of our country. He has completed Ironman 20 times (3.8km swim, 180km bike, 42.2km run), and is amongst a few in the world who have managed to do it in all 6 continents.
At 7am, we started with the 1st swim session,
where the coaches gave us some tasks, checked our technique, showed us some
drills for stroke correction, breathing improvement, postural tips, and showed
us the freestyle.
This was followed by breakfast and then individual feedback
and swim analysis.
The next 2 sessions were about detailed understand of the
sport, the equipment, costs, logistics and all questions about choosing the
race as per our requirement, timelines and readiness.
Topics like cost, weather, course difficulty, temperature, different
rules & cutoffs as per country, equipment changes, transitions, river /
lake / sea, elite participation, etc were discussed.
The different training phases were explained, so that we
structure our training accordingly and peak at the right time. Preparatory (or
pre training), Base phase, Build Phase, Peak Phase, Tapering and post race
maintenance phase were discussed, explained and some examples given.
The last session of the day was about better posture,
running dynamics, individual running style – feedback, and some drills to
improve form, cadence, speed.
By 530pm, it was end of day 1.
Day 2 started off with the same energy and enthusiasm. All
the participants assembled by 6am and we started with a strength & conditioning
session.
We had Mr. Anand Date, who trains cricketers (currently
U-19, and has been with the senior team in the past). He shared his knowledge
on various topics in strength training and the importance of conditioning for
endurance athletes. What type of exercises helps in what kind of training was
also discussed in this session. The session ended with some basic drills that
are extremely essential for budding triathletes in order to improve our overall
strength, balance, biomechanics and efficiency.
At 8am, the 2nd pool session began with all the
participants working on the feedback, trying to swim with better techniques,
practicing the drills and learning drafting.
This was followed by breakfast and then the next session was
on Cycling.
The cycling session started with basic anatomy of a bicycle,
different types of bikes, positions, gearing, equipment, indoor trainers, and
more.
Cycling training plans were discussed along with some
examples of how tempo, long distance, sprints, intervals, hill work differs in
speed, RPE, cadence, gearing and time. The importance of volume vs intensity in
bike training was explained.
After the theory, it was time for practical. I had taken my
indoor trainer as well as road bike to the camp and was made to ride the bike
as per sample training plans.
A 15 min workout showcasing intervals, tempo, high cadence,
tough gear and long slow distance rides were demonstrated – with a cadence
meter, Heart rate and indoor trainer to all the participants. Using cleats +
pedals for cycling and its benefits were also discussed.
Mechanical failures – an important aspect of a triathlon, with
demonstration of fixing a flar, removing wheels, working with tools and the
various types of failures one can expect at an event.
Post the ride, we had a session on the 4th
important aspect of a triathlon – The Transitions. From Swim to Bike and Bike
to Run, these transitions are as important as the 3 sports. Videos of how these
are done by amateurs and elites, followed by demonstration on both T1 & T2,
with feedback and doubts followed.
The next session was on Nutrition and the importance of
Macro, Micro and other nutrients in our training. How Carbohydrates, Proteins,
Fats, Fluids, Vitamins, Minerals and Supplements help us in our training,
conditioning, endurance and strength.
The final 2 sessions were mostly a recap of all the
activities done, detailed Q&As, doubts clarification as well as photoshoot.
Questions like things to do for self assessment, bike fit, gait analysis,
nutritional supplements – what is good and how much, where to buy equipments
and gears, starting to plan for the events, best training methods (MAF/ Time
based / HR based / etc), books to read on triathlons, etc
We finished the camp at 4pm. All in all, this was a 21 hour camp (18 hrs of theory + practicals), covering most aspects of the sport. The only thing left now is to put the plans into action, work hard and achieve the goals.
We finished the camp at 4pm. All in all, this was a 21 hour camp (18 hrs of theory + practicals), covering most aspects of the sport. The only thing left now is to put the plans into action, work hard and achieve the goals.
am not even at 10% of whats needed to become an Ironman, so the journey is a very very long one and a Half Ironman (1.9km swim, 90km cycling, 21.1km run) itself looks a daunting task. Time to sign off, put on my shoes and run towards this dream...
You can reach out to Kaustubh at radstrongcoaching@gmail.com or Nagaraj Hashstar.m@gmail.com
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