10 Questions with….Your Training Officer

As well as being a kick ass runner, as Training officer,  Rory O’Sullivan is the man responsible for organising WWT, all our training sessions and much much more.

Here he shares with us the secrets of his success, how he got into Triathlon and why he hates sprinting!

So Rory…..

1. How did you get into triathlon?
My now wife joined the club and at the time it was just easier to get up and go swimming with her than try to sleep through her making a racket!

2. Who (male or female!) puts the glamour into triathlon?!
Greg Campbell’s headband

3. What one or two things do you currently do in your training that are keys to your success?
Haven’t had any success to speak of but training wise we are very lucky with the coaches we have and the all the club sessions we have. The coaches are very experienced at planning out the years training so if possible try to consistently go to those sessions. It means you will be doing the appropriate training without having to over-think things and it’s also more social and enjoyable.
Doing the slow, easy stuff properly i.e. slow and easy is just as important as doing the fast stuff fast.
Also, consistently training sensibly always beats doing sporadic loony over-training, inevitably followed by injury, followed by more loony training to make up for time out injured, followed by….. you get the idea!

4. What would be your ultimate achievement?
At the moment I am seriously focused on getting R-Patz and K-Stew back together. We all make mistakes but those kids belong together and I won’t hear any different.

5. What was the best advice you were ever given?
Once told before a schools soccer match against a ‘rough’ team – “if you have to mix it……mix it”. Never 100% sure what exactly it meant but I found it covers most situations in life.

6. Favourite triathlon and why?
Crooked lake or Top of the Mourne. Not too crowded, great settings and hard.

7. Least favorite training session?
Anything involving sprinting (especially my interpretation thereof in the pool!). I feel sprinting is un-becoming in a man over a certain age and therefore should be banned!!

8. Relaxing on the beach or hiking in the mountains, what’s your ideal holiday?
Bit of both. Had great trips hiking particularly in Nepal and Ethopia and equally great holidays reading on a beach in Spain for a week. The ‘ideal-ness’ of a holiday is probably more to do with the company than the place to be honest.

9. Do you think you will ever race 70.3 or Iron Man?
Ironman?- Absolutely not a chance I would say. Can’t see the attraction al all to be honest.
70.3 distance I have done twice before. Didn’t enjoy it at all and said never again yet signed up to do Groomsport this year. Am a man of many contradictions!

10. Any advice for anyone new to triathlon?
-It’s a great hobby with huge health, fitness and social benefits but it is only a hobby so keep it in perspective and keep a bit of balance
-Lycra sportswear definitely has a time and place and compression wear possibly has a time and place. However, before you leave the house to go down the shops ask yourself- “is now really that time or place?”

Thanks Rory!