Superstar DJ Turned GB Triathlete

@GarminUK:
Hi Tom, you’re a well known DJ in the Southampton area but how did you first get into triathlons? It’s a bit different to night clubbing!

Tom:
Yes it's quite a bit different! Luckily my gig schedule hasn't been too hectic this year so I've had a bit more time to train. I did my first triathlon in 1996 when I was 17. I'd always been into cycling and started racing mountain bikes (xc) in the early 90's (at about 13/14). My dad used to drive me all over the place on Sunday mornings for races (I don't think I was ever that good though. Seem to remember crashing quite a bit). I then won the school cross-country run and could always swim pretty well, so my PE teacher said I should take up triathlon. He took me down to a local club and got me started.

A year later I was doing quite well at a National level in the juniors. It didn't last that long though as I soon discovered going out and burning the candle at both ends. Too many distractions at 18/19!

That's how I got into the music side of things and started dj'ing, eventually travelling quite a bit with it too which has been pretty cool. It's only in the last 5 years or so I've really been getting back into the sport. Mainly cycling with the local club (Sotonia CC) doing a bit of road racing, TT's and really enjoying cyclo-cross throughout the winter. I'm still heavily involved with the music, running my own record label (Alive Recordings) and producing which keeps me busy.

@GarminUK:
Tell us more about the ITU World Championships and what it takes to qualify for such a big event?

Tom:
I only did one race last year which was the Wiggle Portsmouth Triathlon in August. I won my age group which made me think I should probably do a few more. I found out about the GB Age Group qualifying events and what you need to do. Basically there are 3 qualifying events (this year they were the Little Beaver Tri in Leicestershire, The Deva Tri in Chester and the Dambuster in Rutland) and you need to finish in the top 4 of your (5 year) Age Group (I'm in the 35-39) to get selected for the GB squad for the World Championships. I finished the first race in 5th but didn't have a great swim, so knew I could improve. Then at the Deva Chester Tri I finished 4th with a time of 2:01:55 (for the 1500m swim, 40k bike, 10k run. Roughly a 1hr bike and 37/38min run). I had planned to do the third race (a week later) as well to see if I could go faster, but a bad stomach put me out of action for a few days (maybe something to do with swallowing some river water the week before!)

@GarminUK:
How does it feel to be racing in such an important competition with the likes of the Brownlee brothers and other big names in the sport?

Tom:
Well I'm still pretty surprised its actually happening. I wouldn't have thought it would be possible to get back to this level a few years ago. Just being able to put on the GB tri suit on race day is going to be a massive buzz. Then to be able to see the likes of the Brownlee's and Gomez on the same course shortly afterwards. It's going to be awesome!

@GarminUK:
How do you prepare for an event like this in the weeks/days building up to it?

Tom:
With the qualifying races being in May and June, I was looking to hit peak fitness then. So after lots of winter hours in the saddle, I started to build the intensity of the training leading up to those races with more interval work and faster sessions on the bike. I had a little set back however with a tendon injury in April that put me out for a few weeks. I've had a slightly easier month since those races, still doing a fair bit, but being careful not to over do it. With 5 weeks now until Chicago, I'm ramping things up a bit with more speed work, more time in the pool and a few TT's and road races/crits on the bike. This will be the first international race I've done, so I guess once I land, I'll do an easy jog/bike on the Wednesday/Thursday just to get the legs moving.

@GarminUK:
Can you tell us which Garmin devices you use and why they are such helpful training aids for Triathletes? 

Tom:
I use the the Edge 1000 on the bike with the Vector 2 pedals. The Edge is great for me as I do 80% of my training by myself, so being able to plan the rides ahead without the worry of getting lost is really good. I've only been using the Vector pedals for a few months, but already they've transformed my training. You really feel like you're getting the most out of each session. Also using the power data to pace yourself on the bike leg of a Tri (or a TT) is invaluable.

For running I use the Forerunner 220. I've only recently upgraded from my old 110 earlier this year and difference is huge. Loads more data and so much quicker at getting a gps signal. 

In the pool I've just started using the Garmin Swim watch. I'd never used any kind of watch in the pool and just relied on the clock. But having the splits on the watch definitely helps with the motivation. I'm swimming for a lot longer now. I always lose count of lengths so not having to worry about that is a bonus! 

@GarminUK:
Have you tested the new Garmin HRM-Tri and HRM-Swim and do you think these could help your training develop further either in the pool or open water?

Tom:
I haven't tried either of those yet. It would be interesting to see the HR data in the pool. I think it would come into its own in a triathlon race though. Just being able to have the HRM on throughout the race to monitor on the bike and run would be a big help.

We'll catch up with Tom after the ITU Championships to see how he got on. In the mean-time you can follow Tom’s training and see what it takes to become a GB triathlete:

https://connect.garmin.com/modern/profile/tombudden
https://www.strava.com/athletes/1241776