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Dell Corporate Challenge 2014 – Initial timetable

Dell Corporate Challenge Team & Personal Objectives

We are very grateful to GB triathlete and coach Mark Whittle of www.Whittlefit.com for preparing an 8 week training guide for this years event on 27/28 September in the Brecon Beacons National Park – DellCorpChallengeTrainingGuide2014

1 Tell us about the MBA – why do it, how is it going?

After retiring from my racing career I wanted to set myself up for the next phase of my life and an MBA seemed to be the ideal way to learn a lot in a compact one year course.  It’s going really well, I enjoy the course at Cardiff Business School and have made some great friends.  It’s been challenging at times, particularly not having done exams for many years, now I’m looking forward to September and hopefully start putting what I’ve learnt in to practice.

2 What aspects do you enjoy most and least?
I enjoy the wide range of business modules that we have covered  – Group work and presenting as well as discovering the academic world and just browsing through the library

 What have I enjoyed least?  Everything has been really positive, I can’t think of any bad bits.  It’s true I don’t have much free time due to the work load, but it is just for one year and it’s all time very well spent so there’s no complaints.

3 What cycling are you doing currently? Any plans to do any events?
I ride to university five days a week from Wick, that’s about 25 miles each way so I’m doing a fair amount.  Some days I’m quite tired if the lectures finish at 6pm, but I tend to do a lot of thinking when I’m on the bike so it’s a great way to finish the day.  In August I will be taking part in a  pro-am charity event.  There will be three stages in the Pyrenees, taking in the Col du Tourmulet which is where I clinched my second Tour de France victory in 2007 so it will be wonderful to return there.
4 What aspects do you miss about being a pro-cyclist and least?
I think back to the great moments, the races and successes and I’m really pleased of what I achieved, but I don’t wish I was still racing.  I’m happy that I gave it my all for 15 years and achieved more than I dreamed of and now It’s nice to move on and look to the future.  It was sad seeing a lot of opportunities present themselves to take women’s cycling to higher levels, and to see them being missed or the door slammed shut. While there is some progress, it’s about time a minimum wage was put in place for female cyclists, like there is for the men, and to bring back the women’s Tour de France after it sadly ceased to exist in 2009.

 5 Will you be watching Le Tour in Yorkshire this year? Your predictions for a winner? 
I will be in Yorkshire catching up with friends as the Tour, or a world championships is always a great time for meeting people. On Sunday 6^th, I will be at the Yorkshire Festival of Cycling at Harewood House presenting the Street Velodrome event where the public can take part, set a qualifying time, and then if they are in the top 4 men/women, they can race against the pros on the pop-up outdoor velodrome. There’s still a few rounds left in the series this summer if people are interested, and the series will be shown on Channel 4.

The Tour looks like a head to head between Chris Froome and Alberto Contador, given the confidence as the defending champion I think Chris Froome will finish first.

 6 What are your goals for the next 1,2,3 years
Right now, I’d like to finish the MBA well and then settle down in to the next phase of my life.

 7 When does your autobiography come out? What can we expect in terms of content – any clues?
The book is being printed and will be released on 31 July.  There will be a mini tour of book signings around Britain at the time of the release and it would be great to meet the fans and people who have supported me all through my career. In terms of the content, here’s a flavour from journalist Brendan Gallagher who has followed my career from the early days.http://www.tourofbritain.co.uk/news/9771.php#.U7RelLE6v3B

 “Women cyclists were scarcely tolerated and the British cycling world certainly wasn’t ready for an athlete of her exceptional calibre when she burst on the scene at the end of the 1990s. The incompetent support and occasionally outright hostility her rise to prominence sparked off was extraordinary. Broken contracts, broken promises, unpaid wages, Machiavellian plots against her, Cooke often had to overcome all that before she even reached the start line.

In her training methods, approach to racing, tactical awareness and appreciation of equipment and technology the schoolgirl prodigy from Wales was way ahead of most of the male coaches she came into contact with. No wonder Cooke could occasionally appear a bit chippy or strident, she was living her life on the front line, not only fighting for herself but battling for the integrity of women’s cycling generally.”

8 Quick fire answers

• Froome or Wiggins – pass
•  Emma Johansson or Marianne Vos – Marianne Vos
• Dragons Den or Apprentice – Apprentice
• Boris or Cameron – Boris
• Campag or Shimano – Shimano
• Water or isotonic drinks – water
• Apple or Microsoft – microsoft
• In Europe or out of Europe – out of the EU parliament, in the European market
• Mountain riding or flats – Mountains
• Alps or Dolomites – Alps

Nicole Cooke MBE will be speaking and undertaking a Q and A session at the Dell Corporate Challenge on the 27^th September in Brecon. This event will support the Action for Children Charity (main beneficiary charity) as well as the Duke of Edinburgh Awards.

www.corpchallenge.co.uk

twitter @corpchallengeww

See Business Wales website for another article of Dell Corporate Challenge

 Prepared by Mark Whittle, GB Tri-athlete and Coach. Fitness Advisor to Dell Corporate Challenge

If you need to reinvigorate your running training and give your running a boost, try these 3 quick fixes to make an instant difference!

To break out of a running rut you need to change up your training and add in some different types of running. If you always run long and slow, you’ll become very proficient at running long and slow; which means when you try to run faster your body is simply not used to it, which results in fatigue and potential injury.

Here are my 3 quick fixes to turn around your running fortunes:

 1. Interval training: 

Ditch some of your long slow runs for faster interval sessions. These interval sessions involve adding in some faster efforts into your longer slower paced runs, 30 to 60 seconds works really well. Some studies have shown that runners can improve their speed by up to 7 percent by cutting their running distance in half and adding in 50 to 100m faster efforts into their running program.

2. Progression runs: 

A progression run, or a build run, starts off at a slower pace and then continually picks up the speed of the run until you finish your chosen route. So you may run 10 minutes really easy, then 10 minutes easy, then 10 minutes steady, then 10 minutes hard, etc, etc. This is a really good way of adding in some faster running without absolutely killing yourself in the process!

 3. Increased flexibility: 

Stretching and increasing your flexibility helps with injury prevention and recovery, thus allowing you to train more consistently, and as we all know, consistency is king when trying to improve at anything.

I hope these things help you get started on your training for the Dell Corporate Challenge and  a new life of physical fitness. Life is filled with making decisions, knowing your commitments, getting information, planning and execution. Try these approaches for yourself and you will see that having your own workout and nutrition program is not as far fetched or complicated as you think.ends

 About Mark Whittle, of www.whittlefit.com

Mark is a GB triathlete and coach. Following a long and distinguished career with the RAF maintaining fighter aircraft he is now purely focussed on triathlon and running coaching as well a personal training. Mark’s contact number is 07947  010276.

About Dell Corporate Challenge www.corpchallenge.co.uk

The Dell Corporate Challenge is a unique competitive format which has running for 9 years involving teams from leading brands such as GE, PwC, Toyota, Deloitte. The event involves teams of 6 members (plus 1 support member/ substitute) competing against up to 30 other teams in a 2 day adventure race which encompasses canoeing, trail running, hiking, mountain biking and map reading.

Event partners Cardiff Business School, a top 5 UK Business School, will be delivering the management and personal development  aspect of the event. This will involve a presentation on relevance of teams to organisation which will draw parallels between the world of elite sport and business.  This will involve a key note address and  Q & A with former Olympic Champion Nicole Cooke MBE.

In summary, the Dell Corporate Challenge event comprises:

•  A two day adventure race  (canoeing, mountain biking, running, hiking, map reading)
• Management  and personal development element delivered by Cardiff Business School
• Q and A with former Olympic Champion  Nicole Cooke MBE
• Networking opportunities with Senior Executives from major UK and Global corporates
• CSR and charity fundraising challenge
• Unique team building opportunity to deliver a range of business benefits to the returning workplace

For more information call Hywel Loveluck, Head of Organising Team on  07899 998864.

How to kickstart your fitness training program with a 5 point plan

Prepared by Mark Whittle, GB Tri-athlete and Coach. Fitness Advisor to Dell Corporate Challenge

I hope this simple plan will assist you in preparing for the Dell Corporate Challenge, specifically the 2 day adventure race element of the challenge. You have plenty of time to prepare your body and I will be sharing lots of relevant information with you over the coming weeks and months. I hope you find it all useful.

The most common challenge that people I talk to face is how to incorporate fitness into their lives. They know they have to do something to get in shape but they really don’t know how. It can be quite off-putting because of the abundance of information out there. So much so that you may not know where to begin.

Our society has so many food choices that it is easy to pack on the extra pounds. Also our day to day jobs are far less physical as they where 100 years ago so we have more sedentary life styles. We know there are benefits involved when we exercise and clean up our diet, however, most of us don’t know how or where to start.

So where do we begin? Or is the question: How do we begin?

If you feel you are out of shape you should consider going to your doctor and get their approval to start exercising. Your doctor may also provide some helpful tips as well. After you get the OK from your doctor, try these 5 points to help you get started:

 1. Make the choice to start exercising and eating right: Making the decision to do something provides a form of commitment you make to yourself. Deciding that you need to change your behaviour creates new possibilities. When you say to your self “I need to get in shape”, it means something. You should be answering these questions in your mind: When can I work out? What exercises do I need to do? What foods should I be eating? Make yourself think about the commitment you just made. Only then you can let go of the past and take steps to move forward.

2. Write down what you do: You need a reference that is realistic towards your weekly activity. Write down everything you do during the week. This should include work hours, commuting hours, nights spent with your spouse, your child’s activities and anything else you can think of that you do. You should also include what you do on weekends. You should make a list for each day of the week, as some people set lofty goals like working out for 2 hours a day. This can be due to an old saying, “More is better”. However, this is not the case. Knowing your schedule will help you set realistic goals and help you find a few hours a week to start exercising. You’ll have a visual perspective on what you can and can’t do with your routine.

 3. Research and get information: Most people do not have enough information before they start a work out program. So how do we get the information we need? The good news is we live in the information age. Take advantage of your favourite search engine and learn a little bit about fitness and nutrition. However, do not go overboard and lose focus. Find a source of information you like and take notes. Find the simplest and easiest workouts and nutrition tips. Don’t overload yourself with information. If you prefer you can hire a personal trainer for a few sessions to help you get started. Hiring a personal trainer is a great way to get started because you have made a commitment to meet someone to workout. Your goal is to have the trainer show you the basics on exercise and eating healthier, whilst also learning the safe way to perform some of these exercises when you’re on your own.

 4. Create a simple plan and set realistic goals: Keep it simple! Following a simple plan while on a hectic schedule is much easier than following an convoluted plan. You should have a plan of which days you want to work out and a goal to change your eating habits for the next few weeks. For example, “I will work out for a half an hour for 3 days this week. I will eat a little less each meal.” Keeping it simple is a major key to success.

5. Execute your plan: Now that you have a plan, all you need to do is follow it. Sounds easy! However, this is another big step. You should look at your plan every day.

You need be mentally prepared for the great day ahead of you. Having your daily schedule in hand will help you achieve your goals for the day. When you complete your workout for the day, highlight it or cross it off your list. It will show you that you accomplished something for yourself.

I hope these things help you get started on your training for the Dell Corporate Challenge and  a new life of physical fitness. Life is filled with making decisions, knowing your commitments, getting information, planning and execution. Try these approaches for yourself and you will see that having your own workout and nutrition program is not as far fetched or complicated as you think. ends

 About Mark Whittle, of www.whittlefit.com

Mark is a GB triathlete and coach. Following a long and distinguished career with the RAF maintaining fighter aircraft he is now purely focussed on triathlon and running coaching as well a personal training. Mark’s contact number is 07947  010276.

 About Dell Corporate Challenge www.corpchallenge.co.uk

The Dell Corporate Challenge is a unique competitive format which has running for 9 years involving teams from leading brands such as GE, PwC, Toyota, Deloitte. The event involves teams of 6 members (plus 1 support member/ substitute) competing against up to 30 other teams in a 2 day adventure race which encompasses canoeing, trail running, hiking, mountain biking and map reading.

Event partners Cardiff Business School, a top 5 UK Business School, will be delivering the management and personal development  aspect of the event. This will involve a presentation on relevance of teams to organisation which will draw parallels between the world of elite sport and business.  This will involve a key note address and  Q & A with former Olympian Nicole Cooke MBE.

In summary, the Dell Corporate Challenge event comprises:

–  A two day adventure race  (canoeing, mountain biking, running, hiking, map reading)
–  Management  and personal development element delivered by Cardiff Business School
–  Q and A with former Olympic Champion  Nicole Cooke MBE
– Networking opportunities with Senior Executives from major UK and Global corporates
–  CSR and charity fundraising challenge
– Unique team building opportunity to deliver a range of business benefits to the returning workplace

For more information call Hywel Loveluck, Head of Organising Team on  07899 998864.

We are delighted to announce that Christ College Brecon have become an Associate Sponsor for the Dell Corporate Challenge 2014 see link