WaldenTRI coaching news

8^th November 2020

Considering this year’s extraordinary circumstances we had a very active Spring and Summer of training & coaching activities within the club. These benefited from participation by a fresh wave of enthusiastic new members and it’s been very heartening to see how generously the club’s experienced members have welcomed them.

Over the past couple of months we’ve expanded the club’s standard weekly schedule of activities so that training sessions take place on six days per week. I’ve been hugely encouraged by how positively our club members have got behind the new programme, and how participation levels have been growing continuously.

But then “Lockdown 2” arrived, of course! That means all of our face-to-face activities have had to be suspended during the new period of tighter restrictions.

In the meantime we’ve introduced several replacement activities & special events to help keep everyone engaged. As with all WaldenTRI coaching & training, it really doesn’t matter what level of fitness or performance you have – the most important thing is simply to take part and to have a good bash at it! Take a look at the schedules below and then just get involved in any of the activities that appeal to you.

I want to take the opportunity to recognise the WaldenTRI club coaches who lead our activities so energetically: Ben Bely, Craig Dyce, Brendan Moran, Mael Bely, Phil Doel, Phil Trevillion, Derek Jones and Sasha Vail. Coaching hasn’t been straightforward in the current environment and there has been a huge amount of work behind the scenes to comply with Covid restrictions and allow the club to operate. The team has simply got on with the job of delivering top-class sessions. Everyone in the coaching team has a share in a couple of recent Triathlon England East Region awards: Craig was awarded Coach of the Year in recognition of his WaldenJNR work and his contribution to WaldenTRI coaching; and I was awarded Virtual Coach of the Year. Now we go through to the National awards on behalf of East region.

I’m very keen to recruit new coaches to the team. If you get a kick out of helping people learn new skills, rise to their challenges, and enjoy their sport then you’d probably enjoy being a triathlon coach. You certainly don’t need to be a high achieving triathlete, swimmer, cyclist or runner to be a good club coach: it’s much more important to have the ability to encourage others and to communicate effectively. If you might be interested just get in touch to find out more (with no obligation!).

As always, keep an eye on the club’s private Facebook group for latest updates:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/WaldenTRI. And just drop me a line at
headcoach@waldentri.co.uk any time.
Mark Fraser
Head Coach

Training Schedules

All sessions are suitable for any club member regardless of experience, fitness or age.

i) Temporary schedule during “Lockdown 2”

Monday: N/A
Tuesday 6:00 – 7:00 pm: Online group turbo training with Ben.
No need to book in advance, and no special equipment is needed -
just a simple mechanical turbo trainer.
See https://www.facebook.com/groups/WaldenTRI/permalink/3180881608701713 for full details.
Wednesday: N/A
Thursday 6:30 – 7:30 pm: Zwift turbo training team time trial.
A great workout and a lot of fun, with various WaldenTRI teams for every ability.
Sign up details are published every week at https://www.facebook.com/groups/WaldenTRI/
Friday: N/A
Saturday 10:00 - 11:00 am: Lem's Leisurely Lockdown Ride (Zwift).
A very sociable, chatting-pace “no drop” club ride that goes at the pace of the slowest rider.
This acts as a replacement for our usual Saturday social ride for the time being.
See https://www.facebook.com/groups/WaldenTRI/permalink/3233217313468142
Sunday: N/A

ii) Standard (post-lockdown) schedule

Monday 7:00 – 8:00 pm: Run coaching with Craig.
Meet at Lord Butler Leisure Centre.
Tuesday 6:00 – 7:00 pm: Online group turbo training with Ben.
No need to book in advance, and no special equipment is needed
– just a simple mechanical turbo trainer.
See https://www.facebook.com/groups/WaldenTRI/permalink/3180881608701713 for full details.
Wednesday 7:00 – 8:00 pm: Coached swim session at Lord Butler pool.
Choice of technique-focused or physical session.
Book in advance: https://forms.gle/87gVkNBmJQTfWyQ48
Thursday 6:30 – 7:30 pm: Zwift turbo training team time trial.
A great workout and a lot of fun, with various WaldenTRI teams for every ability.
Sign up details are published every week at https://www.facebook.com/groups/WaldenTRI/ Friday: Rest day!
Saturday am: Club social ride.
A choice of two speeds/distances.
Details published every week at https://www.facebook.com/groups/WaldenTRI/
Sunday 2:00 – 3:00 pm: Swim at Lord Butler pool.
This is an uncoached session: the club has arranged a private lane for members to use.
Book in advance: https://forms.gle/Bigxq4dwWsW8vYti7

Special Events

November 5k Run Challenge

Lockdown 2 may be upon us but thankfully we can still run individually. So here's your WaldenTRI November 5km Strava Run challenge!

Club members simply need to sign up to the challenge on Strava: https://www.strava.com/challenges/November-5k-2020. and be part of the WaldenTRI Strava Club: https://www.strava.com/clubs/WaldenTRI

Run 5k (or more) anywhere you like whenever you like and upload to Strava.

Check where you are on the 5k Challenge's leaderboard (My Clubs >> WaldenTRI) and look out for updates at the club’s Facebook group during November.

You can make as many attempts as you want and your fastest 5k effort will be shown on the leaderboard. Male and female winners will be announced at the end of the month.

It's not just about winners though, so challenge yourself to get a 5km PB in November!
Emma Williams

Lockdown 2 Zwift Time Trial Championship

6:30 pm Thursday 19^th November

There'll be no Zwift team time trial on Thursday 19th November… because we're holding the Lockdown 2 club time trial championship instead!

I'll provide full info nearer the time. I'll also assign time handicaps to everyone as well, just like we did in the July event, so everyone will have a fair chance of victory in the handicap event.

We had a lot of fun with this event during Lockdown 1: Dan Rockliff won overall on fastest time, with Lem Lawrence and Craig Dyce joining him on the podium. Georgina Dunlop was fastest woman. On handicap time, Steve Bunce won with Derek Jones second and Lem on the podium once again.

Since then, though, the club has gained quite a few more Zwifting members, so July's heroes will have even more competition this time… Keep an eye on the club’s Facebook group for more info.

Zwift Hill Climb Championship

Monday 23^rd November

This hill climb race won’t just be for the slender, anti-gravity WaldenTRI members: we’ll have a handicap system too so that everyone has a chance of glory. Look out for more details nearer the time at the club’s Facebook page.