 ~ Chris is questioned about his first experience of swimrun racing at the end of a superb course ~ My new favourite BRECA race, report to follow...
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 ~ Appropriate time for a waltz? ~ It was great to be racing at the home of swimrun once again, this time with brother-in-law Paul. We placed somewhere in the top half, which was a welcome surprise given are cumulative weight. One thing stood out this time, in 2015 it was the waves, in 2014 it was the after-party, this year it was the emphasis on environmental impact. Have you ever been annoyed by the amount of wasted cups or plastic water bottles at marathon, triathlon or other events? Well several swimrun race directors are leading the way when it comes to cutting down on waste using a method that is becoming more common in the world of long-distance racing. Ben at BRECA Swimrun started the re-usable cup initiative for swimrun in 2017 at the BRECA Wanaka race in New Zealand and all subsequent races. So it was great to see OtillO get wholeheartedly on-board at Uto by giving out collapsible, re-usable cups to use at this race and beyond.  ~ The first two aid stations provided paper cups ~ There were paper cups at the first two aid stations to avoid congestion in the early stages, from then on in it was use your own. In addition there were no gels at the aid stations, the nutrition was provided in pre-cut mouth-sized chunks, so none of that wasteful individual packaging. The collapsible cups were made of silicone, you could easily stuff them in to your wetsuit no problem. We both stuffed ours up the leg of our wetsuits and they stayed put throughout the race. I'll certainly be re-using mine on future races and on long mountain challenges such as the Welsh 3000s to fill up from streams.  ~ The collapsible cups were very versatile ~ Well done to BRECA, OtillO, and to loveswimrun who have adopted similar approaches in their races. I've noted that in 2018 the Malvern Hills Trail Half Marathon opted for a re-usable approach at their water stations. The times they are a changing - as event participants we can influence change by embracing the reduce, re-use, recycle mantra. If the races you enter aren't doing this then ask some questions. #worldoceansday Here's some video highlights of the actual race day, can you spot team 110? Further reading... this informative article from The Guardian.
 ~ The first OTILLO Isles of Scilly Race ~ With the continued growth of swimrun races on UK shores the swimrun format is becoming recognised as the most engaging way to journey across our landscape.
There’s swimruns on dramatic coastlines (Anglesey, The Gower, Jersey, Isles of Scilly), inspiring lakes (Snowdonia, The Lake District and the Lochs of Scotland). There’s even a swimrun version of the Bob Graham Round (the Frog Graham). So with all these challenges there's lots of scope for cramp to set in... Avoiding Leg Cramp One simple practical measure you can take to reduce the chance of getting calf cramp is to use a pull buoy (standard practise on swimruns), or just don’t kick your legs as much. General advice is to eat foods that contain potassium, a mineral that helps your body break down carbohydrates and build muscle. Suggestions: dried fruits; tomato juice, citrus juice, milk; melon, an orange, or a banana. Drink a lot of water too: It maintains circulation and helps flush cramp-causing waste products from your muscles. It’s definitely worth testing which foods work for you in your training schedule. Also think about which of these foods you can eat just after a 5k run and just before a 1k swim. During races the aid stations are normally sufficiently stocked with enough of the right stuff to see you through to the end. On longer training swimruns I would carry some jelly-babies/gel, some salted nuts and an electrolyte drink. Electrolyte Drinks It’s a good idea to spruce up your water bottle with some electrolyte replacement. The major electrolytes in the body include: sodium, potassium, chloride, calcium, magnesium, bicarbonate, phosphate and sulfate. You can make your own or buy some dissolvable electrolyte tablets - I can recommend High 5, tube of 20 for £2.79 from wiggle. Make Your Own
Or the simple version - mix water, sugar (or cordial) and salt in your water bottle. Why Are Electrolytes Important? Electrolytes are important because cells use them to transmit electrical impulses across their membranes and to other cells throughout the body. These electrical charges regulate nerve impulses, heart functions and muscle contractions. Leg cramps can be really debilitating, follow the advice above and hopefully you'll avoid them.
So you've probably trained for a running event before, probably trained for a swimming event or a triathlon before. The key difference with swimrun racing is that you will be racing with a partner in unusual attire, in the water, out the water, repeat.
Train with your partner if you can. If you can't then not to worry, you'll just have to treat the first third of your swimrun race as training... this can go well, and it can go very wrong. It's all great learning. The second thing to get your head around is running in your wetsuit - it's perfectly OK to cut down an old thin wetsuit and race in this. Although the first time you cut your wetsuit it feels like sacrilege, it is how many swimrunners start. You may want to invest in a swimrun specific wetsuit further down the line, among other things these have the advantage of having the zip on the front. There are many run sections that you will want to unzip your wetsuit. The easier it is to do this the faster your transition will be. We can recommend the HEAD Aero which we reviewed here. So wetsuit sorted - put it on and go for a run! An informative article on running in a wetsuit has been translated by our friends at World of Swimrun written by Swedish running coach Fredrik Zillen. Swimming in trainers is no drama. It's just like swimming, except you've got trainers on. Using a pull buoy to increase buoyancy helps. Check out our article on gear to see how to modify your pull buoy. Next up is to try swimming, transitioning and running with a tow system. Coming from a kayaking and white water perspective I was initially very reluctant to tether myself to someone else in the water with lots of other potentially crazy swimmers! The old "water and ropes don't mix" adage is forever present. It's a bit of a "fixed mindset" adage... swimrun however is undoubtedly a growth mindset endeavour. Firstly you won't be using a rope you'll be using a bungee. Secondly you will use a clip/karabiner that should break given significant forces. Thirdly your waist-belt will be releasable. So in summary don't worry about being tethered at all. You won't realise how effective it is until you try it, I'll be writing an article on the benefits of towing in swimrun (and how it can be used in swim coaching) soon. Something that might catch newcomers out is you get given a race bib to race in. This makes unzipping and peeling down your wetsuit slightly more awkward, and will add a little extra drag on your swim. Try all of the above whilst wearing an old race t-shirt to mimic the bib. Forgetting about the kit for a moment, remember the basics - hill training is possibly the most effective run training, so work it into your training schedule. Swimming sets of ten to twenty sets of 100m to 250m at 80% is a simple way to improve your swimming. One thing I did before Coniston was to write down the 8 swim distances and complete them in the pool (resulting in a great 5km swim session). After each swim distance I pulled myself out of the deep end had a cold shower and jumped back in, just to mark the end/start of each "transition". Interested in attending a swimrun workshop? Join our facebook group for updates on workshop days, and become part of the swimrun community in the UK.
 ~ photo: Wildman Media, Paul Mitchell ~ So here we were. Coniston Water. With 38km of running and 5km of swimming to come on a cool and Autumnal Lake District day it was time to take on the first ever BRECA Coniston race. The day before I had managed a quick look at the entry list and saw a couple of strong players in the mixed category, not least the swimrun legends, and World Champions, Daniel Hansson and Kristin Larsson. Every single OtillO race I have ever been to they have always been on the podium. I tried to explain to my sister (Helen) how awesome these guys were, she glazed over and thought of bed-time. Race morning came: grey, cool and moody. Neither of us had run 38km for a very long time, and in the last year Helen could count on her fingers the number of times she'd been swimming. We both agreed we just wanted to complete the course. The first swim was fast and furious. For some reason the main pack were aiming left of were we should be swimming to, I spotted this early on, cut behind and set a course for the exit. I love confusion in the water, it is so engaging. What was really helpful for sighting this exit was the bright light that someone was shining, so much more effective than flags. Well done to whoever thought of that. Three more fast runs and swims followed in and around Coniston Water, as we got out of the final swim (of Coniston) there was only one mixed team ahead of us, the Swedish legends. A true honour! Next followed a grueling 12.5km run that took us from the north end of Coniston water to Windermere. Lots of ups, downs, forests and gates. We had known this was going to be tough and we'd be looking forward to getting it done. We were moving well, I was impressed with Helen's pace knowing that her training had been seriously hit by her one year old. At some point during the 12.5km run Team Rick & Rice overtook us pushing us into 3rd place. I knew Rice had strong swimrun pedigree as I'd seen her perform well on the OtillO circuit. At some point during this run we came across a descent on the most slippery rocks I have ever run on, so slippery that we un-tethered. It was truly remarkable how slippy they were, we embraced it as an agility test - thankfully we both passed. The next two swims and runs in/around Windermere passed quickly. We faced a 6.5km technical and undulating run to Rydal water. We were starting to slow, I had a particularly bad slow down around about the 5 hour mark... but I picked up again. Helen remained steady throughout which is testament to her stamina, maybe motherhood enhances this quality.  ~ photo: Wildman Media, Paul Mitchell ~ Rydal water. It was great to be swimming again. Unfortunately just before this penultimate swim a mixed team passed us which nudged us off the podium places. A short run after Rydal to the final swim at Grasmere. This was the longest swim (800m); the coolest and the most effected by wind. But when compared to some of the sea-swims of 2017 it was very straight forward. We gained slightly on the 3rd position team but couldn't quite catch them. It was great to finish with some lovely home-made soup, tea and a heated tent that was like a sauna. With the longest swim being last, and only a short run before the finish line, there were quite a few cold folks so the heated tent was appreciated. This showed a considerate and thoughtful approach to Race Directing by Ben, a good shout. In the end we came 4th in the mixed category and 9th overall (out of 55 teams). A superb event and a very welcome addition to the swimrun calendar. Well done to all who took it on and to all the BRECA team for making it happen.
 ~ A blistering start to the first run, we soon took the lead during the first swim - then went the wrong way ~ The hugely friendly and popular Loveswimrun Llanberis event returned in 2017 with a slightly different course to the inaugural 2016 route. With my planned partner Owen succumbing to a knee injury the WESWIMRUN community kicked in to present Matthew, last year's Llanberis winner in the solo category.
The relatively warm dry May and early June had Llyn Padarn warming up nicely. In the lead up to race day there were some stormy conditions with heavy downpours, which cooled the lake but only fractionally. When it came to race morning conditions were perfect - light winds and light clouds, and a lake temperature of 17.5. We set off at the front running swiftly, with team 122 by our sides. We soon arrived at the first swim just behind team 122 but overtook them in the water. As we got out of the first swim we saw the arrow pointing right down the train track and we set off in first place. It didn't feel quite right as we expected there to be a turn up into the woods, we got to the start of the 2nd swim too quickly but we cracked on.... something wasn't right. Matthew shouted to me half way across the lake. We stopped, looked around, no one behind us or in sight. We both knew we'd missed a turn. We briefly discussed the situation then turned around and swam back, then ran back along the train track until we found the arrow pointing up into the woods, there was a marshall there now. During the next 30 minutes of the race we were both quite deflated, compared to everyone else we'd done an extra 2km of running and 700m of swimming and we were playing catch up big time. However it wasn't long before our positive race spirit kicked back in as we passed countless happy swimrunners. In the end we came in in 5th position in the team category, the first time I've been disappointed with 5th. We both felt we could/should have won this. One thing that will stay with me is to remember not to lead at the start, particularly when racing a new course, that said it's rare I'll be leading anyway. Aside from our navigational issues it was great to race with Matthew, a strong all-rounder, who I believe has now seen the light - swimrun is better together - get lost together, fight back together! Thanks to Chloe & Johnny for staging another great event which continues to deliver on friendliness and inclusiveness, and thanks for the special "missing a turn" prizes! I'm now looking forward to swimrunning in one of my favourite places in the world - Holy Island, Anglesey. I'll be teaming up with my sister to race in the mixed category, if we get lost on this one I'm retiring ;-) |
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