Recently, my running coach, Ben Pulham, the founder of heart rate training programme Coached, had organised a breakfast session with professional triathlete Andrea Hewitt.
During the breakfast, which had taken place at the Kith Cafe outlet at Millennia Walk, we had two hours to pick Andrea’s brain and ask her any questions about running and triathlon that we had wanted.
And here are some of the more interesting questions that came out during the session.
How do you recover after a race?
Usually I eat something with plenty of proteins and carbs. I Will also do a recovery swim as that is a great way to warm down the muscles.
I will go back to training but will take it easy, with low intensity sessions for two days before I begin to go out harder again.
I don’t really do ice baths for recovery myself though I have heard that these are good for the muscles. I think this is more of a practice in Asian countries where it is hot and humid.
How hard do you push at training?
I would say quite hard but I will never go all out at race pace. I would always leave my hardest effort for the race itself.
What goes through your mind whenever you race?
I don’t actually know. I am generally quite focused, probably to continuously push myself till the very end of the race and to never give up no matter what.
How do you know how hard to race?
For the first part of the swim, we will go all out and then we will settle into a rhythm.
Our racing is very tactical as how we race depends on how our competitors are performing and who is in front. If you race purely by your own effort, your race is over. You cannot let the front pack get too far ahead.
Some people like to hang on to the lead pack but others like to run in front and they get annoyed if someone is running next to them, so you have to manage your competitors in that way as well.
When you are tired, how do you keep your form during running?
Even when I feel exhausted towards the end of a race and am tempted to shuffle my feet, I always make sure that my body is upright and feet are landing the same way. As well, I constantly think about my arm position and I keep my shoulders relaxed too.
What was your longest ever break from training?
That was for three weeks in 2014 when I broke my collarbone. I did three weeks of absolutely no racing, though I did some light training during that period.
But I regularly take three days off training every now and again, in order to allow myself to recover from races.
What triathlon tips can you share to improve?
The biggest tip that I can give to improve is consistency with training and not doing too much too soon. You need to build your training gradually, for example, if you are just starting out and you can only do a 1km swim or a 20 minute run, just go with that.
Then the next day you can either do the same thing or you can try something else. That is what I personally love about triathlon; there is so much variety in training that you are never doing the same thing all the time.
What are some of biggest mistakes that triathletes are typically making?
They go out too fast, too soon and they get injured. They may go into a race thinking that they have done all the training for it, when in fact, they have overestimated their fitness levels.
What do you eat? Do you typically have a strict diet?
I travel around a lot, so my food depends on where I am. I believe in eating everything in moderation and I do not abide by a strict nutritional regime.
Before a race though, I make it a point to never take anything spicy or meals that take too long to digest.
Normally, the safe options for me would be chicken, fish or pasta for dinner the night before the race and for breakfast I have bananas, bread or porridge.
At one stage, I used to be anti-fat to the extent that I would take the fats off my bacon but now I eat good fats such as those found in meat, chicken and bacon, and I think that these help me with my racing.
What is your go-to snack?
I eat everything but I particularly love cheese on crackers whenever I am feeling peckish in the afternoons before dinner.
Conclusion
I would definitely say that the two long tables of runners and triathletes had learnt a lot from Andrea during the session, chatting to her and socialising with her.
It was interesting, informative and educational at the same time and I would say that I had enjoyed my time with her.
As well, we also got a glimpse of what Andrea sometimes eats for breakfast; at Kith, she had picked an omelette with Mixed Capsicums, Mushrooms, Cherry Tomato, Mozzarella, Baby Spinach, Borlotti Beans and was served with toast.
I thought that it had looked pretty filling at first glance, but Andrea finished off her plate.
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A Training Session with Andrea Hewitt
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