- Huh. Where is everyone?
What's this?
Huh. Dear Mark. It's Heather and Frazier here.
Merry Christmas.
We're sorry we can't be with you today.
We're both a little busy.
That's odd. I swear I just saw them.
- Oh, yeah.
- We've left an outfit here for you to present
our GTN Christmas wish list. Enjoy. Heather and Frazier.
Santa. I'm always Santa. Why do I have to do this again?
Alright. See you in a second.
Ho ho ho ho.
Well, actually to be honest,
I am probably the ideal person for this
because, if you're anything like me,
you've probably left all your
Christmas shopping until now.
So, we'd thought we'd help you with
a few present ideas for that tri-athlete in your life.
We'll just view it now.
This first one is quite small, but really quite useful.
It is a tempo trainer.
It is almost like a metronome for swimming.
The whole idea of this is you clip it
onto your goggles with this little clip here
and pop it under your hat
and then swim to the beat.
So, this is really handy if you're trying to
improve, or increase, your stroke rate.
For instance, if you're trying to get rid of those
dead spots, you just set it to a slightly faster beep
and, therefore, a slightly faster stroke rate.
Another mode on it is it's lock mode.
So, this is really handy for someone like myself
that is horrific at pacing.
You can set it to beep on each lap
so each time that you hit the wall
and therefore, hopefully improve your pacing.
So you don't go off too hard
and hopefully don't die halfway through a session
or halfway through an event.
Another small,, yet essential one, is a multi-tool
like this one here.
Now, every tri-athlete and cyclist should have one of these.
They're perfect for making any adjustments,
doing some maintenance, and really handy for
travelling because they're just so compact.
I think this is a really neat one from Park Tools.
It's got everything from one and a half mill,
to an eight mill hex key.
We've got a torque key on here, a couple of
screw driver bits, so really quite neat.
The perfect stocking filler.
These guys can be extremely useful.
Foam roller does have a tendency to inflict
a lot of pain.
But it does help to keep needles at bay,
and helps us to keep performing well.
Now, we do a lot of volume intensity as tri-athletes
so our muscles can take quite the hammering.
So, being able to roll around on one of these
quite quickly and easily from your own home
can be hugely beneficial.
Now, they do come in a number of different sizes.
I've got a large one like this size I like to use at home.
But, they also do come in these smaller sizes.
You don't have to get pink like I did.
But, these can be really useful for travelling.
How about getting yourself a head torch?
Now, for some parts of the world
running the run work may mean having to run in the dark.
So, to avoid having to run on a treadmill for
every single run, why not get yourself a head torch?
That way, you can head out on your usual routes
with a well lit path.
I see something that I've absolutely loved doing
for years, but they do come in a number of different sizes.
So, you can get a smaller one like this which does
perfectly good job.
But if you are going to be going really off road
into very dark areas, then you might want to
get one which has got a very light weight
external battery pack and they're normally positioned
on the back of the strap here.
And that will just give you a little bit extra power.
Now then, Christmas is a great time of the year
for friends and families to play some games.
So, why not introduce them to a triathlon board game?
Yeah, you heard me right.
A triathlon board game.
Now, I'm going to be honest, I'm still to get my
head fully around all of the rules here.
But essentially you are an amateur triathlete
struggling to find time to do all of your training.
But, you progress and you advance
as you play the game and compete against others.
And there's dice, there's cards,
there's a management phase,
a skills phase, a sprint finish,
a transition phase.
There is everything in here.
So, if you are missing triathlon over
the festive periods, then get yourself
the triathlon series board game.
Food is fuel.
Now, to be able to train our best and perform
at our best in triathlon events,
we need to be fueling well.
I know you've all heard of the phrase
"You don't put diesel in a Ferrari."
And our bodies are exactly the same.
Now Renee McGregor, she's the UK's leading
nutritionist and clinical dietician.
She's advised everything from our amateur athletes
all the way through to Olympic athletes.
She's even featured on GTN sharing her advice.
Now this is a cracking book from her
"Fast Fuel: Food for Triathlon Success."
It could make a great Christmas present.
It's got advice, really practical advice actually,
for nutrition plans, meal plans,
based around a busy life.
Which, let's be honest, most of us do have as triathletes.
Now, this is something that I've only
just started using.
It is a running foot pod.
It simply attaches through the laces on the top
of your shoe.
Personally, I've really enjoyed just the extra bit of
information that it can provide.
Now, if you're someone that enjoys analysing your data,
or you're looking to improve your run,
then you may also find this really useful.
Simply, it just gives you much more enhanced data
in regards to your cadence and your stride length.
Or, if you really want to take it to the next level,
then there are devices like this one here from Stride,
that measures your power per stride.
A good place to use these foot pods is on Zwift.
Now, Zwift has quickly become the go to place for
cycling indoors in it's virtual world.
And that virtual world is now open to runners.
So, you can now cycle, or run, in it's virtual
on-line world by using these foot pods
or a blue tooth enabled smart treadmill.
You can now get involved in it's new development
of Zwift running.
And the nice thing to know, is that if you are
after a cheap Christmas present,
Zwift running, is in fact, completely free.
But, if you would like to treat someone,
then you get them the Zwift cycling version of Zwift.
And that would allow them to get involved
in group rides, group training sessions,
and even races.
Or, how about a chain lubricant?
But not just any old chain lubricant.
This is a wax on, coloured chain lubricant.
And yes, it is pink.
It is, honestly, just a coincidence.
I normally don't buy pink.
But, in all seriousness,
wax based chain lubricant has become
increasingly popular because you can rub it on your chain.
It keeps the chain cleaner.
It helps to reduce friction.
It helps to reduce noise.
And makes the chain more efficient.
And, the beauty of this, is that
it can come in an array of different colours
and very vibrant colours.
And finally, why not enter yourself in for a race?
I mean, you've got to do something with all this
new kit that you've got yourself over Christmas.
So, why not enter yourself in for a small, local race?
Or perhaps, even a big oversees event that takes your fancy?
Just do your research and find an event that suits you.
Or perhaps, enter your partner or a friend
secretly into an event and watch their
surprised face on Christmas day.
Now, do let us know what you are after for Christmas.
Drop that in the comments section below.
Or if that's a new wheel set unlike me,
or a new bike.
You know the new M Plus 1 and all that.
Alright, if you like this video hit our
thumbs up button if you'd like to see more from GTN,
just click on the globe and subscribe.
If you'd like some more ideas for Christmas presents,
why not watch one of our in-boxing videos just up here.
If you'd like to see how to avoid junk mall training,
then just click down here.