Julie – racing Immortal, training with Masters

December 27th 2018

By Linda Hill
Categories: Triathlon Training

Julie – racing Immortal, training with Masters

Early in 2018 we, Masters of Tri, partnered with Immortal Sports, event’s organisers based in the South West of the UK. As part of the relationship, we provided slots to our camps in Spain for Immortal racers.

Rather than these camp slots being awarded to race winners (the traditional approach), Immortal entered ALL finishing athletes name to a raffle!

Athletes needed to finish an Immortal Half at Stourhead and/or Wimbleball in 2018. To add a twist, finishing both events doubled the chance of winning – names were added twice!

One of the lucky winners was Julie. She won a place on one of Masters of Tri’s TriEscape weekend camps, a long weekend of triathlon training / coaching in Spain!

Julies Background and Immortal Experience

Here is an introduction to Julie, her account of the race, the excitement of winning the camp and time in Spain:

“I entered my first triathlon – a pool-based sprint triathlon – in 2013 in Frome, my home town; with only a small amount of training I did quite well, and I loved it!

 Over the years I have progressed onto the longer distances, completing my first half Ironman in 2016. I prefer the open water events & swim all year in a lake.

 In 2018, I trained for an ultra-marathon then got itchy feet and went back to triathlon and I entered the Immortal Half at Wimbleball.

Wimbleball is my favorite Immortal event so far; it felt like such a challenge, especially the bike (not another hill was what I kept saying) and it was a really hot day, yet very memorable. The marshals were very friendly and supportive.”

The Shock of Winning

“I´ve never won anything before and was very shocked to hear I had won a prize to attend a TriEscape triathlon camp with Masters of Tri, in Spain (close to Alicante airport).

When I first listened to the answer phone message from Immortal Sport, I thought it was a hoax. It wasn’t until they tagged me in a post on Facebook that I actually believed it. I was so excited when it finally sank in that I was going to Spain to do what I love to do most… swim, bike run.” 

Training with Masters of Tri in Spain

“It was my first time in Alicante and I had heard that the roads were a lot nicer to cycle on than ours here. I certainly wasn’t disappointed! The smooth roads and the spectacular views are amazing, and I wished I could have stayed for longer to explore more.

The mix of training, coaching and seminars were a good balance at the camp. It wasn’t too much to get too tired, with time to learn and relax (swim in the cool outdoor pool was great).

 I thoroughly enjoyed my weekend in Alicante. It was nice that the coaches also stay in the hotel, have meals together and time to share stories – and get extra tips and advice. Martin and Matt are excellent coaches and very nice people, very helpful and encouraging.

 In summary:

  •  I learnt so much at the training camp, especially how to train like a triathlete. I never really have a plan with my training, I´d just swim, bike and run but I now know how to plan it all.
  • I am now doing strength training in the pool and on the bike using the right muscles and getting strong for each discipline, and I am now doing brick sessions!
  •  My training is now more focused and with a lot more at low intensity.
  •  A big shock to me was all the things I had been trying to change in my swim can be forgotten!
  •  It was a nice surprise that my training didn’t have to be so intensive or time consuming and I am training a lot differently for my first Ironman in 2019.

I would really love to return to Masters of Tri in Alicante and would highly recommend their camps and coaching to other triathletes. 

 A note on the hotel, I cannot fault Bonalba at all; the food was delicious and varied and the room was spacious and very comfortable. I was also very impressed with the location of the pool; new, modern and clean; a great pool.

 Final thought: as a swim coach I also took away a lot about swim coaching and am also progressing on to become a triathlon coach after all the motivation from this camp!”

Going Forwards – Immortal events and Masters or Tri revisits?

“Hopefully I can now put what I have learnt at the camp into practice and continue with my training for the 2019 season.”

It was great having you, Julie! Have a great 2019, keep us up to date on your development / race outcomes and we may see you here again!

Training with Masters of Tri