EMMA SOMERSuses relaxation as a training tool as she goes into week five of her triathlon preparation programme
AS A YOUNG’N, two things were guaranteed to get my goat. One was a bizarre taunt beloved of our family – “Don’t cry for a piece of pie” – delivered with derision and a hand gesture that was, presumably, the international symbol for a piece of said pie. The other was being told to “relax!” in a tone particular to Irish people that would incense the Dalai Lama himself.
Many moons later and I’m regretting not taking that advice sooner (about relaxing, that is; good pie is always worth a tear or two).
In the sea, relaxing makes you more buoyant. On the bike, it takes the tension out of the lower back and shoulders. And running, it turns drudgery into delight. Frankie knew what he was talking about.
Like anything, if you do it often enough it becomes second nature. When panic strikes in the sea, having swum too far out and knackered myself for the return journey, the first thing to check off the list in my head is: relax. When fatigue kicks technique to the kerb on a run and that old knee starts its yapping, relaxing rather than getting revved up takes me the extra mile. When fury takes over on the Stillorgan dual carriageway and a chase ensues to catch up with a cycloptic bus driver, I think to myself: relax (get his registration number instead).
And it doesn’t end with training. This relax-the-cacks attitude moseys its way into everyday life, so that all the exercise comes with the triple benefits of getting fit, having more energy and being just a little bit more Zen.
All that said, it’s not simply a matter of letting everything hang loose. Caitriona McKiernan’s advice to keep the core muscles engaged while relaxing everything else can be difficult to follow but is worth mastering – for all three triathlon challenges.
I’ve been doing pilates for three or four years and I’ve yet to figure out exactly where this core muscle is. You ask the first few times and then, failing to quite grab the subtlety of it, smile and nod and hope for the best.
But I must be engaging something or other because it seems to be doing the trick.
And there you have it, a mantra for life: engage with the world, but stay relaxed.
A WORD ABOUT DIET
Any changes I’ve made to my diet so far have been influenced more by recently-fitted braces and a newly-converted pescatarian in the house than by training. Crusty bread and leafy salads have given way to porridge and mushy anything, because of the former. Red meat and chicken have been all but replaced by fish and delicious sinus-clogging cheese, because of the latter. In a city that should be teeming with fresh fish, it can be hard to get decent seafood. Luckily, there are fishmongers on both sides of my family. Nick’s Fish in Ashbourne is 20 minutes from Glasnevin, with a branch in Newbridge too. And George’s Fish Shop in Monkstown is handy for the southside.
Before there was time to find out that our northern hemisphere climate is no use for growing chia – the food of the Tarahumara running people – the people at Chia Bia got in touch with samples of their (delicious) Chia chocolate bars and bags of Chia seeds, which are good stirred through porridge. After a week, the superpowers have yet to materialise, but watch this space.
READER’S TIP
At the early stage of the season, especially if you are facing the Hell of the West in Kilkee, Co Clare, triathletes go mad and upgrade their wetsuit in search of better performance. Hence there are many good secondhand wetsuits available. Get to know your size by trying on a new one or going on the advice of an experienced friend. Then go online through your club or the Irish Triathlon Association and request a purchase. Word of mouth also works.
If you have any suggestions to make about Emma Somers’s training programme, send them to: esomers@ irishtimes.com. Seealso twitter.com/ auldtriathlete
