Running Ranger

Look on face when we reach cake 🍰 pit stop 👆 ⁣ ⁣ Cycling is all about adventures and experiences with friends 🚴🏼‍♂️🚴‍♀️⁣ ⁣ This weekend’s ride turned from a sunny ☀️ 160km to a down-poured 🌧 72km with one long banana loaf stop, another Gails sourdough stop and finally a post ride brunch with @mrjamiesparks @olymatski & @lucycrowther. Most definitely resulting in a post ride calorie surplus 🤪😂⁣ ⁣ Not quite what we intended but a lot of fun none the less! Bring on attempt 2 this weekend 😆🤞⁣ ⁣ #cakestop #cyclingforcake #cycling #bike #teamlivcycling #livcycling #livroadbike #livenvie #livenvieadvanced #cycle #getoutside #explore #adventure #rainycycle #experiences

Some days you just need to put your face in water and blow bubbles 💦 #openwater #openwaterswimming #owswimming #thorpelakes #lakeswim #lakeswimming #iloveawimming #blowbubbles #bubbles #waterbaby #goprohero8

Thursday Tip 💦 Hydration 💦⁣ ⁣ You might have heard me moaning on my stories about the heat 😬 Soz but I am just one of those people that just can’t stand it. I sweat profusely and end up feeling zapped of all Danger Ranger energy 🥵⁣ ⁣ When you sweat, you lose sodium. Sodium is good for a lot but namely it maintains your body fluid balance i.e. it helps your body retain water. It’s also important for muscle contraction and absorbing nutrients as you eat ✅⁣ ⁣ Everyone sweats at different rates and everyone’s sweat has different sodium levels. As the body can’t produce sodium, it’s important we replace it 💯. The most effective method is by drinking electrolytes that have sodium content but you can get it from foods too. ⁣ ⁣ I have an electrolyte tablet or sachet in water with between 500 - 1,500mg of sodium depending on the level of intensity, volume and heat during and after exercise. On hot days and in the lead up to a race I’d have this throughout the day too🥤. I mainly use @precisionhydration and @high5sportsnutrition tablets. They will tell you how many mg of sodium is in each. ⁣ There are tests you can do that determine how much sodium you are losing and therefore need to replace (have a look at @precisionhydration for this). Although you might already know if you’re a big/small sweater!⁣ ⁣ Check this - I just read in ‘science daily’ 🤓that a study on athletes who added supplements to their hydration strategy in a middle distance triathlon took on average 26mins quicker to finish! Now if that’s not a reason to pay attention to electrolytes then I don’t know what is... ⁣ ⁣ 📷 @benedict_tufnell

Summer Solstice was truly The✅Longest✅Day✅ of the year. ⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ 03:00 ⏰ Wake⁣⁣ 04:00 🚙 Drive to Hampstead ⁣⁣ 05:00 🚲 Watch @mrjamiesparks & @taylorchristaylor start their Everest Summit cycle challenge up Swain’s Lane (123 loops to reach the height of Everest in under 24hrs) 😱⁣⁣ 05:30 🏃‍♀️ Run Leg 1 of the @ultraxco & @the_tribe_way Relay⁣⁣ 07:50 🏊‍♀️ Lake swim with @lucycrowther ⁣⁣ 10:30 🚴🏼‍♂️ Back to Swain’s Lane to support the boys⁣⁣ 11:30 🚴🏼‍♂️ Still supporting... water and food refills every 8-10 mins⁣⁣ 12:30 🚴🏼‍♂️ Still supporting...⁣⁣ 13:30 🚴🏼‍♂️ Still supporting...⁣⁣ ...⁣⁣ 23:00 🚴🏼‍♂️ Still supporting...⁣⁣ 12:00 🚴🏼‍♂️ Struggling but still supporting⁣⁣ 01:00 🚴🏼‍♂️ Yup, still supporting⁣⁣ 02:00 🚴🏼‍♂️ Cheering the machines and true champions in for their final lap⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ Humongous congratulations to @mrjamiesparks & @taylorchristaylor for completing their truly savage Everest Summit challenge. Absolute champions and machines. Seriously... I don’t know many people that could do this (and they annoyingly make it look easy!). ⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ 🏆 295km, 8,856m up, 19 hours 08 mins 🏆⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ And a 🏆 for me too for being a champion supporter 😉 ❤️⁣⁣

Today’s tip on reflection... 💫⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ Reflection is an opportunity to learn from the past, move forwards and grow by understanding what worked well, what didn’t and why 🤷‍♀️⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ In training, I see reflection as a chance to review progress of my short term goals, enabling me to keep on track for the big goal 🏆⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ I do this by looking back at my weeks training every Sunday. Here are some thoughts to consider:⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ 💡Did I achieve everything that I was set to do? If not, why and how can I change that for next week?⁣⁣ 💡Did I find any sessions harder or easier than usual? Why?⁣⁣ 💡There was this one session I was trying to avoid, what can I do to get myself to do it next week?⁣⁣ 💡Did I have all the kit I need? ⁣⁣ 💡How did I feel in comparison to previous weeks?⁣⁣ 💡How will this weeks training volume and intensity affect me next week? ⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ These are super generic but hopefully you get the gist! Point being, if you want to move forwards, don’t neglect looking back to help you get there 👊⁣ ⁣ 📷 @benedict_tufnell

SUCH a good 130km cycle in the Surrey hills yesterday with @lucytriphysio & @mrjamiesparks 🚴‍♀️🚴🏼‍♂️ ⁣ ⁣ Still battling my love/hate relationship with hills (unlike the mountain goats I was chasing) 🐐⁣ ⁣ Personal hurdles will always get smaller as you get comfortable with being uncomfortable ✅ (unfortunately the hills won’t 😩😂)!! ⁣ ⁣ #surreyhills #cycle #bike #triathlontraining #longcycle #bikeride #surreyuk #cyclelife #hillycycle #triathlonlife #getcomfortablebeinguncomfortable #longride

TIP... sharing the love 💕⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ Today I’m sharing the love for some of my favourite go-to accounts that help me become a better athlete by improving my knowledge and understanding in areas I don’t specialise in but know are super important for an athletes performance: ⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ 🏃‍♀️Running form from @runrx - I’ve been paying much closer attention to my form recently after learning about the ‘pull’ and ‘release’ pose to improve speed and reduce any pain. I’ve immediately noticed an improvement and suggest a check out!⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ 🤸🏼‍♂️Stretching and mobility advice from osteopath @just.one.body - Super useful foam rolling and stretching exercises for anyone with problem areas to target. ⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ 🏋️‍♀️Strength, mobility and body physiology from Physio @lucytriphysio - Really insightful posts about typical injuries and how to combat these through suggested strength & mobility exercises. ⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ 🦵Running drills and warm up exercises from @emmakirkyo - I love her warm up drills and exercises that target the areas needing activating pre-run, to strengthen and prevent injuries.⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ Who do you love learning from? Share the love!👇⁣ ⁣ 📷 @benedict_tufnell

Open water swimming 💙 not much beats that feeling when you step out the water after a good swim. My face says it all...😝 I’ve been exploring the surrounding London lakes and feel super lucky to be able to! 💫 I know ‘wild’ swimming can be scary for many but once you break those mental barriers and hold back the fear, you’ll feel a sense of freedom and calmness like no other! Persevere if you’re not there yet, it will be worth it. OW swimming is my meditation 🙏 it can be yours too 🌊💙 #openwaterswimming #owswimming #swimmer #swimming #swimbikerun #triathlete #marlowswimming #lakeswimming #triathlon #huubatana #huubwetsuit #huubdesign #ironman #meditation

Tip Thursday 🍰 Feeding vs. Fuelling 🔥⁣ ⁣ What you eat plays an important role in your energy levels, particularly if you’re exercising. However, many don’t realise the difference between feeding and fuelling, or the importance of this. ⁣ ⁣ For example, you might wake up and eat bacon and sausages for breakfast, which is feeding your body but won’t be fuelling it, especially if you plan to exercise. You wouldn’t fill up a car with water would you? The same applies to our body. Just because it’s food, doesn’t mean it’s fuel. Bodies are like engines and need fuelling properly to sustain energy levels. This of course, is if you’re looking for the best performance and recovery results possible. ⁣ ⁣ Now, I’m not a nutritionist so can’t tell you what the perfect fuel is for exercise but what I know is that everyone is different and the answer mainly lies with you. Try and test what works for you. I now have the same breakfast EVERY morning (porridge, yogurt, honey and strawberries) because not only do I love it but I also know it’s what gives me the energy I need for training. ⁣ ⁣ Please DON’T be afraid of carbs. I used to be massively and now I’m leaner than before and perform better. Pre workout, in terms of macronutrients, try and aim for 50-60% of calories from carbs, 15-25% from fats and 15-25% from protein. This should sustain energy levels and create a steady rise in blood sugar and insulin as opposed to a big spike and drop. ⁣ ⁣ Some other examples I like pre workout:⁣ 🍞 peanut butter on wholemeal toast or a bagel⁣ 🍯 porridge, banana and honey⁣ 🍌 banana and nut butter ⁣ 🍫 energy bars like @the_tribe_way for example ⁣ 🥤 if you’re pushed for time, carb drinks like @scienceinsport beta fuel for example are great ⁣ ⁣ Fuel is your friend so go and find out what works for you 👊⁣ p.s. hope you like my banana smile. ⁣ #runningtip #endurance #runtip #runner #triathlon #triathlete #fuel #runningfuel #foodvsfuel #fuelyourbody #fuelyourbodyright #runningmotivation