Zone3 in conjunction with the Triathlon Centre @ Advance Performance are sponsoring a triathlete throughout 2016.
Our Zone3 Local Hero for 2016 is Andrew Diplock, has been into store at Cambridge for his gait analysis and running shoes, plus a VO2 Fitness Test and wetsuit fitting, his suit is now on order. He’s updated us on his training and race plans.
Andrew after his gait analysis with his new running shoes
I really enjoyed my visit to the store - Mike was great to work with; you can tell that he is really enthusiastic about sport and the information that he was able to give me was really helpful and informative.
We did a wetsuit fitting and I’m really pleased with the wetsuit, it looks like a fast suit and it fits well too. You can tell it’s much better quality than my current wetsuit and I’m confident it’s going to help a lot this year! Its a Zone3 Vision 2016 Triathlon Wetsuit.
I’m also glad Mike was there to help, as he gave me some tips about putting the wetsuit on correctly and it made me think about how that could save a few vital seconds in my swim split in forthcoming races.
The gait analysis was next and it confirmed my suspicions - my right ankle rolls inward slightly, unlike my left foot which has better form. Mike explained which type of shoe would be beneficial in order to correct this which was really helpful; it’s made me realise that more thought process needs to go into choosing the right pair of running trainers, not just which pair look the nicest!
Andrew with Mike during VO2 fitness testing
Next up, the VO2 Fitness Test!
I was really looking forward to this, and it didn’t disappoint! Like many of my fellow triathletes, we can sometimes be a bit analytical about our training and the VO2 test provided me with a bit more science to analyse!
Mike pointed out to me that I can input the test results into Garmin Connect, in order to calculate my heart rate zones. This was really useful information, as I train with heart zones quite often and it should now give me more confidence that the zone bands are accurate.
I’m glad I got the test in before the start of the season, as it’s given me a good idea of where I’m at in terms of my level of fitness, and how much work I’ve got to do between now and May! In essence, it’s given an extra level of sophistication to my training.
Below is also a run-down on what I’ve been up to during March.
I took part in my first race of the season, on Saturday 12 March. It was rather last minute, but a friend suggested we go out for a 50 mile bike ride on the Saturday morning, before racing in ‘The Roman Road Race’, which is a 9.5 mile cross-country race, starting in Horseheath and finishing in Cambridge. It was really muddy on the day and I almost had a spectacular fall, but I managed to remain on my feet and complete the course in 62:56. As soon as I was home I had to sit down, and fell straight to sleep!
On Saturday 19 March, a group of us set off from Cambridge to Nottingham for a stag do. We stopped off at Rutland Water on the way for the first event of the weekend - Park Run! Surprisingly, after a heavy night before, I managed a 30 second PB and finished the course in 17.14! I had a close battle with my friend Millers, who just pipped me to the line, but I’ll get him next time!
Saturday 26 March saw my longest bike ride to date - 144.8km! It was a very lonely 5 hours, but nice to make the most of the spring weather.
I decided to keep the momentum going with my longest run to date on Sunday 27 March - 26km! Thankfully, I had company for this one! A few of us caught the 8.52 train from Cambridge to Ely, and then ran along the river cam back to Cambridge. Apart from the strong headwind it was another sunny spring day, which makes training much more enjoyable!
We look forward to further updates from Andrew and photos of him in action especially in his Zone3 wetsuit.