March 2025 Newsletter – Brownlee fitness training camp

Being sick of the mud is a valid reason to go to Spain isn’t it? That was certainly part of it, but being given the chance to train with the Brownlee brothers was a much bigger draw! As part of the Brownlee Fitness team, Jayson was lucky enough to be offered a place on a training camp in Altea, a renowned area for professional cyclists to train and a stunning part of the Spanish coast. We both enjoyed a week there before the camp, exploring the beautiful, craggy mountains as well as getting a bit of winter sun, before the work started…

We have always drawn from other sports and activities in our coaching – strength training, cycling, team sports, yoga – but with Jayson`s own training and goals being focused on triathlon for the last couple of years, he has learnt a lot about how much this multi-discipline approach can pay off when training not only for running but to optimise performance in general. This training camp was an amazing opportunity not only to spend a week away from ‘normal life’, but also to learn from some of the most revered, experienced and decorated triathletes we have ever seen. The main thing that he realised was that our coaching and training principles were reflected in theirs, which was great to know! These are just some of the transferable lessons he learnt while swimming, riding and running with the best in the world.

• Make sessions adaptable. We often plan our sessions with strict time, distance and pace goals, and this is great if everything is going to plan. But how often does that happen? Athletes that are attuned to their bodies know how to manage this better than simply sticking doggedly to a session because it is there. On the training camp, sessions were tough but ranges were given so that depending on the day and how you responded to the session as it went along, you could do more, do less, take more rest, etc. This approach means that you can get the best from yourself on a given day without burning out. But it takes discipline and being honest with yourself!

• The squad matters. Being able to train with other people every day of the week on the camp meant that it was a lot easier to go and get sessions done. The sense of community, teamwork and even purely arranging beforehand to meet people made it simple: you just went and did the session. Bouncing off other people in harder sessions, using them to pull you along or having someone tail you also provides a big incentive as well as race day practice. As long distance runners, we often train solo and though many of us enjoy that solitude, it is also great fun running with others. Even if it isn’t ideal in your plan, it has so much value to help keep things sociable, positive and has real training benefits. 

• Volume and frequency trumps everything. With triathlon, there is so much to fit in, that volume is very important. Being able to manage quite a high load of training means that when you do the harder sessions or races, you are much more resilient. Across a whole week of training like a pro, there were only two hard bike sessions and two short hard run sessions: the key focus was lots of time moving. The rhythm of the training was a constant flow too, with a focus on moving easily most of the time. Something that Emilie Forsberg, another of the greatest in their field, said when we saw her speaking in Scotland was that pretty much most of her training wasn’t about metrics but about moving in the mountains, which fits in with the Brownlee’s approach too.

Overall, it was a once in a lifetime opportunity that we have taken a lot from and to be able to share these insights with you is wonderful. Hopefully you can use these effective but ultimately quite simple ideas in your own training, or rest in the knowledge that you are already doing some of the same things as the professionals!

Have a great month, 

Kim and Jayson.