New documentary about starting out in triathlon on Outdoors TV

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‘Trading Up’ is a new documentary, exclusive to Outdoors TV (www.outdoorstv.tv), that follows a club level runner converting to triathlon, something hundreds (if not thousands) of people are doing every year.
 
The programme is aimed at people who are already amateur athletes or who are active in all kinds of amateur sports & who would like to take up triathlon or train for a one off competition.  This first series is also particularly suitable for female competitors, with many of the training tips of specific relevance to women.
 
‘Trading Up’ follows Aleksandra Burlinson (who has previously competed with her local running club up to half marathon distance) over a six month period until the completion of her first race.

The series shows Aleksandra discovering new skills & learning about equipment with a number of special guests including double World Aquathlon Champion - Richard Stannard, Beijing Olympian - Emma Davis, ‘Norseman’ Triathlon winner - Jenny Gowans & top swim coach - Dan Bullock. 

All the key elements of starting out in triathlon are covered, such as swim technique, open water swimming, wetsuit fitting, transition skills, bike handling, gym training & the race itself.

Given that Aleksandra is a runner & has ridden mountain bikes before, this series of Trading Up has a significant focus on swimming, which is often the aspect of triathlon that is seen either as a barrier to entry or a major difficulty to many interested in taking up the sport.

Aleksandra is mentored throughout the programme by Richard & Joanne Iles of Race New Forest & the New Forest Triathlon Centre.  Richard & Joanne are both Ironman finishers & they guide Aleksandra through her training, so she can take part in one of their races - the Beaulieu Sprint Triathlon held at Bucklers Hard.
 
Anyone who is starting out in triathlon or has an interest in participating in one, whether it be a pool based race or open water, will get invaluable information & tips from the programme. 

Trading Up delivers two hours of material dedicated to training for your first triathlon & runs over four episodes, each of which is sub divided into three parts, making subject selection easy. 

It is hoped that Aleksandra’s experiences throughout the programme will help others find inspiration to take up this superb sport!
 
The series is running exclusively on Outdoors TV  - www.outdoorstv.tv & is being shown in four thirty-minute episodes. The series will remain on Outdoors TV until the end of the year at least, free to view & with no registration or membership required.
 
To watch Trading Up, simply go to the Outdoors TV home page & either click on the programme image or select ‘Now Showing’ from the main menu.

Programme Detail
In episode one, Aleksandra meets up with Richard & Joanne to discuss her background & base fitness.  She then goes to Swim For Tri in Canary Wharf to undergo a swim analysis with Dan Bullock, who quickly identifies some major problems & sets about addressing them with specific drills & training advice. After the swim analysis, Aleksandra has her riding ability judged by Joanne to complete the start out assessment.
 
In episode two, Aleksandra travels to Open Water Swim UK, near Heathrow, to learn about wetsuit fitting from Sean Hayhow of Sailfish. She meets Olympian Emma Davis, takes the plunge for her first open water swim & takes part in a mass start training drill with Richard Stannard.  Coming as she does from Croatia in the northern Mediterranean, her first taste of cold water swimming is highly entertaining!  Also within the programme, Sean Hayhow explains how to choose, fit & care for a wetsuit & Richard Stannard gives advice on starting out both in triathlon & open water swimming generally.
 
In Episode three, Aleksandra gets advice on gym training & Pilates for triathlon, takes delivery of her road bike from Cube Bikes & meets winner of the infamous Norseman ‘extreme’ iron distance triathlon – Jenny Gowans.  She also gets to grips with clipless pedals & takes her first spin on the new bike.
 
Episode four sees the culmination of her training with the race itself but before that, she learns about a critical aspect of triathlon – transition & takes part in a transition simulation exercise.  At the race, Aleksandra has to confront her fears about swimming in the Beaulieu River, which is flowing fast at low water. Other than that the conditions are perfect for a first triathlon! After the race Aleksandra talks about her experiences & reveals whether she is a convert & has ‘Traded Up’.