THE LAWYER
WITH A TRIO OF KONA SILVERS, SHE’S ONE OF THE MOST CONSISTENTLY IMPRESSIVE IRONMAN AGE-GROUPERS ON THE PLANET. BUT SHE ALSO SPENDS HER WORKING WEEK AS A LAWYER. SO HOW DOES ALISON ROWATT BALANCE WORK AND TRI?
With an Ironman World Championship record that reads 2nd, 15th, 2nd and 2nd in the cauldron of Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, Alison Rowatt is one of the most consistent age-group iron athletes on Planet Earth. But this age-group success, which includes being the overall AG winner at the Ironman 70.3 World Champs in 2010, is part of a balancing act with working full-time at a busy law practice in Edinburgh.
So how does the former Scottish international hockey player and partner of top British pro triathlete, Fraser Cartmell, continually produce the podium-straddling goods? Over to Alison to find out…
TIME-CRUNCHED ADVICE
Planning is key! I look at the week ahead, plan what training I’m doing each day and how it’s going to fit in with other commitments. I’m lucky that I live only 15mins from work so little time’s wasted commuting.
I find motivation during the winter especially hard. It’s cold and dark and the race season seems a while off. But making short-term goals really helps. For example, during November myself and a number of others in Team Freespeed joined in with the 30/30 Challenge – 30 runs in 30 days. It was great motivation to get out and run when you didn’t really feel like it, and it was good knowing that others were doing it, too.
In the build-up to a big race, weekends are mainly taken up with training – a long ride on the Saturday and long run on the Sunday – with some family time squeezed in too. It’s hard work at the time but really rewarding to see the training pay off and knowing that you’re preparing well for the race.
RECOVERY TIPS
I’ve found that regular massage is crucial. It keeps on top of any niggles and irons out any potential issues before they become problems. Consistency in training is key for a strong race performance and, particularly in a heavy training block, a massage really helps to minimise injury risks. In the lead-in to a big race I try to get massage once a week after a big weekend of training. My massage therapist knows me well now so he can tell if something is unusually tight and can find all my problem areas.
ULTIMATE NUTRITION
I don’t follow any specific diet but I have a lot of salad and vegetables, meat, chicken and fish. I snack on fruit and nuts, and try to stay clear of processed foods or anything that’s been fried.
Thinking ahead to what you’re going to have for dinner after training each night – or breakfast after an early swim – is important so that you can eat as soon as you’re done. This helps to ensure you recover well so you can do it all again the next day.
If I have a long drive after a training session, I’ll keep dried fruit and nuts in the car and I’ll always try to have a latte for the journey; not just because I’m a coffee addict but because milk is a great and simple recovery drink.