Leanda Cave has been competing in triathlons since 1994. She began her triathlon career at the Olympic distance and gradually made her way to dominating long course triathlon. In 2001 Leanda became European Under- 23 champion. A year later she would break through at the international level as she won the silver medal at the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester. She won another silver medal at the European Championships, then had greater success when she took the gold and the World title in Cancun, Mexico in November 2002. In 2002 she was nominated for the Welsh Sports Personality of the Year Award, a feat that she repeated in 2012. In 2012 Leanda was also named as one of the “World’s Fittest Women” by CNN. This is quite a recognition as 2012 was also an Olympic year.
Women Fitness joins the superbly talented triathlete for an interesting conversation!
Namita Nayyar:
You were the 2012 Ironman Triathlon and Ironman 70.3 World Champion, the first woman in the history of the sport to win both titles in the same year. What attracted you towards triathlon as a sport, if you were to sum up in a few words?
LEANDA CAVE:
It was a combination of an organic progression from the sports I was introduced to as a kid (swimming and running) as well as seeing my sister compete in a triathlon. She was a my role model and I kind of tried everything she did. When I beat her, she decided to do a different sport and I kept up with triathlon. At the time, I was also exposed to triathlon on TV in Australia, and like any kid, I wanted to emulate these professional athletes.
Full interview is continued on next page
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Namita Nayyar:
You have won 4 World Championships and in 2012 were named as one of the “World’s Fittest Women” by CNN. Were your eyes always set on this goal? What inspired you towards these goals?
LEANDA CAVE:
I wanted to make it to the Olympics and my goals along the way were always geared for this. However, I realized after 2 attempts, it didn’t matter if I was the best athlete in the world, getting selected was based on a whole different set of criteria written out in a selection policy. I fell short of for various reasons which left me in a very low place in life. I decided to shift my focus and compete for titles that did not come with a selection criteria. The most prestigious event in triathlon was the Ironman World Title in Kona, so that’s where I chose to direct my goals.
Namita Nayyar:
How do you kick start your day. Share with us your first meal of the day? 2 ways to detox?
LEANDA CAVE:
I’m a fan of good coffee. If I am doing a short and easy aerobic workout, I just have coffee to help burn some extra calories. If I have something longer with some punchy efforts, I will have oatmeal with a scoop of almond butter to fuel up. I’m a firm believer that you can not put in more than you put out, so I do not diet, I just keep note of what calories I consume verses expend. Maintaining a healthy weight and lifestyle is easy and fun if you apply this simple rule. Diets are complicated and not sustainable. Seasonally I put on weight (in the winter) and lose it in the summer. I also feel small fluctuations are good for the mind and body.
Accepting that you can be a few pounds heavier, while at the same time, lose these excess pounds takes the stress out of always being in tip top shape. I do not drink any magic potions or do a detox routine. I like protein shakes after a workout to help with recovery.
Namita Nayyar:
Before kicking off triathlon training, what are the key points a beginner needs to keep in mind? 5 key essentials.
LEANDA CAVE:
- Be mindful of what current fitness level/shape you are in. Doing too much, too soon can cause injury and burnout.
- Find a good coach or training plan that is adaptable and can accommodate your lifestyle and other commitments. I like Peakers.ai.
- Get the right equipment. It can be a landline out there of what shoes, bike, swim goggles, etc. you should buy. The best thing a beginner should consider is comfort over performance, this way they are likely to enjoy the sport over being irritated by ill fitting shoes, clothing, bike, goggles, etc.
- Train with a friend. This could be a beginner or someone who has a experience. But in both cases you can learn as well as keep each other motivated and accountable to turn up to each workout.
- Practice open water swimming at least once before you do your first race. This is the most intimidating part of a triathlon and with other swimmers in your space, there can be a lot of body contact that can cause an athlete to panic.
Namita Nayyar:
Three components that are a must in a fitness regime to prevent injury? 5 exercises to build full body strength and can be followed even while travelling?
LEANDA CAVE:
Strength, flexibility and massage. I recommend incorporating each one of these into a training plan at least once per week. 5 exercises I like include:
- crab walks with an exercise band
- clams with an exercise band
- single leg squats
- plyometric step jumps (double leg or single for more advanced)
- planks (holding 10-60sec depending on ability)
Namita Nayyar:
Define Women Fitness website for our viewers.
LEANDA CAVE:
Women inspiring, empowering and motivating other women.
Namita Nayyar:
As a sportswoman, what skincare and hair care routine do you follow to combat the stress of the sport? 5 skin care tips we often tend to ignore but should follow at any age?
LEANDA CAVE:
I do not have a routine as such, but every morning I apply sunscreen and I always have a hat, sunglass and spare sunscreen in my car. I’ve been exposed to the elements for over 20 years as an athlete, and I do have signs of skin damage and I did have a skin cancer removed a few years ago. I love being in the sun, so I do not want to stop, but protecting my skin is very important to me. My 5 tips:
- Apply sunscreen every day, even if you are not out in the sun, you can get exposed to UVA & UVB rays when you are sitting indoors or driving in your car.
- Moisturize daily. I don’t spend a lot of money on expensive brands, as essentially all moisture creams do the same thing.
- Wear a hat. There are some cool hats these days so have fun with it. I have about 20 different hats that I switch out daily. Be subtle or make statement, but the ultimate goal is to keep the sun off your face and neck.
- Avoid doing an outdoor workout between the hours of 10am – 2pm when sun is at it’s strongest.
- Get your skin checked by a reputable dermatologist at least once a year. I get checked twice as I have had a skin cancer in the past which makes it more likely that I will have another.
Namita Nayyar:
In February 2013, you were diagnosed with skin cancer. How have you been able to battle this life-threatening disease? A message for those out there who are facing cancer?
LEANDA CAVE:
I should have read this question before I answered the last one!!! Unfortunately I have very fair skin and chose a sporting career at an early age where being exposed to the sun was part of the job description. I actually expected to get skin cancer under the conditions these sporting conditions, but even then it was a shock at the time and I was very lucky that my doctor discovered the cancer in it’s infancy. It was safely removed and I had not further problems from this incident. For me, early detection and being proactive about sun protection is the only way to combat future skin cancers. Unfortunately my mother’s doctor did not remove all of a skin cancer she was diagnosed with a couple of years ago, and she ended up having almost the entire skin removed from her left shin that required a skin graft and 9 months of painful healing. This was a HUGE lesson to me to be even more aware of sun protection and early detection.
Namita Nayyar:
Resolutions or goals for 2020? Motivational quote you live by?
LEANDA CAVE:
Live by choice, not by chance. People get caught up in the “poor me” mentality and think they can have a great life because they have very little means or recourses. But if there is anything I have learnt after meeting people from all walks of life is that we all deal with the same shit. The only difference is how we respond. Money does’t make us rich or poor…….our choices do.
Namita Nayyar:
Three things that thrill you the most and the three things that scare you?
LEANDA CAVE:
I love trying new things. I took up snowboarding as a 40 year old. Besides being the hardest sport to learn, pointing that board down an icy slope was one of the scariest, yet most exhilarating things I have ever done. Now I am learning to wake surf, which is not quite as scary but equally rewarding when you can actually figure it out! I also have always loved riding my bike. I probably take too many risks when descending, but it’s such an amazing feeling to feel the wind blowing by while navigating turns. I put these two things, scare and thrill together, because anything that scares me, is also thrilling and there is nothing that make me feel more alive!
You can follow Leanda on:
- https://leandacave.com
- https://www.facebook.com/leanda.cave/
- https://www.instagram.com/leandacave/
- https://twitter.com/leandacave
All content on this site is copyright of Women Fitness and no part of any article found on this site may be reproduced without an express permission and highlighted, do follow link crediting http:// www.womenfitness.net/ or preferably the original page as the source. This interview is exclusive and taken by Namita Nayyar President womenfitness.net and should not be reproduced, copied or hosted in part or full anywhere without an express permission.
All Written Content Copyright © 2019 Women Fitness