Olly Freeman Talks about training, nutrition and triathlons
Thursday, January 1st, 2009
By the age of 19 Olly Freeman had already achieved the title of Double European Junior Triathlon Champion, now 22 at the end of the World Cup season he managed to remain comfortably within the top 10 at number 6 and has recently been voted Sussex Sports Personality of the Year.
Many of us start the New Year with a resolution to get fit, however after a few weeks the boredom starts to creep in and many give up. Olly's advice is to have goal "It is always better to have a goal to aim for and a Triathlon is a great sport to get started."
A triathlon, to many conjures up the image of elite athletes, rigorous training regimes and super fit individuals highly skilled in swimming, running and cycling. But Olly points out that you don't need to be an elite athlete to take part. Events like the Mazda London Triathlon are geared up for beginners right up to athletes like Olly. They have different distance entry levels and you can even enter as part of a team, so if you can run, you just have to find someone else to swim and another to cycle and then enter! They even have a great website with lots of tips and advice www.thelondontriathlon.co.uk
Olly likes the variety of the Triathlon, "you can go to your local pool to start swimming, most people have a bike and even if you don't have a race bike, a mountain bike at this time of year can be a great way to get outside and start training. You just need a pair of trainers for running, but just like any sport you can dedicate more time and invest in better equipment as you start to compete."
Olly advices to join a local triathlon training club, "there is great camaraderie and can definitely help you focus, set goals and work together as a team, which is great fun"
"If you don't have a goal to aim for how do you know when you are fit, just going to the gym doesn't always give you a goal and having a sporting event to aim for can be really help you to focus" As well as the fitness aspect I asked Olly about his views on nutrition and supplements. "Supplements are really important, especially at this time of year. Keeping the immune system strong to avoid colds and illness means that you can continue training through the winter months, if you have a cold the last thing you want to do is go for a run." Olly takes a good multi-vitamin from Herbalife, along side plenty of fruit and vegetables which he recoomends as a great way to keeping healthy. Protein and carbohydrates are also important and to get extra protein into his diet in the morning he adds protein powder into his morning porridge and then adds a dollop of jam.
Leading up to a race means discipline and focus and I wondered what Olly's eating habits were leading up to the race. "For a triathlon you need lots of energy, 2 days before the event I eat more than usual, then the day before I eat slightly less as I don't want a full stomach. In the morning of the race I need plenty of energy for the day but suggest not eating anything at least 3 hours before the race, you need plenty of fluids and lots of carbohydrates but cut back on wheat and eat rice instead of pasta. I also suggest keeping hydrated and take energy drinks leading up to the race and if you feel a bit hungry then a protein bar may help curb the hunger."
Asked how he prepares mentally for the race, his advice is simple "Relax". The night before the race he will think about the race and look at the map but staying calm and relaxed is very important to him.
Having been injured in the passed I asked him about the therapies he uses to avoid injury. " I have a sports massage once a week every week to avoid injury as this helps to clear lactic acid from the muscles. Also having a good physio and osteopath on hand is important. A physiotherapist is a good choice when you first start training as they can do a bit of everything including massage. If you get a bit of pain in the knee or elbow, it is probably a result of the back so a good osteopath can also help"
At moment he is in winter training and then will be focussing on the World Series throughout 2009. Last year he ran 14 races but none were in England, so he is looking forward to taking part again in the Mazda London Triathlon in August, as it's one of his favourite events and most local so family and friends can come and support and cheer him to victory.
Why not set yourself a challenge for 2009 and enter yourself or a team in next years Mazda London Triathlon which takes place on 1st - 2nd Aug 09
For information and registration details please visit www.thelondontriathlon.co.uk.
Olly's nutritional sponsor is Herbalife, to find out more about the supplements Olly uses for his health and wellbeing look for your local Herbalife distributor.
