Interview with Emma-Kate Lidbury: Professional Triathlete
Marc Pro Athlete Spotlight: Emma-Kate Lidbury
Take a look at the finishers for various USA Triathlon events over the last few years, and you’re likely to see Emma-Kate Lidbury at the top of the leader board. In 2012, she brought home First Place honors in the Ironman 70.3 Raleigh, Ironman 70.3 Vineman, and the Santa Barbara Triathlon – Long Course. She followed up in 2014 as champion of the USA Triathlon’s Half Distance race and came in first in 2015’s Memorial Hermann Ironman 70.3 – Texas.
Emma-Kate has transitioned her triathlon talents over to the coaching realm as well. She’s a world class trainer for these events, with a special emphasis on swimming. She’s able to fit in quite a bit of time in the water, as she currently calls sunny Santa Monica, CA home – almost a world away from her birthplace in Wiltshire, England. As a coach and triathlete, Emma-Kate focuses just as much on her post-workout muscle recovery as she does the training itself. We wanted to hear more about what “Eccles” does after a workout to make sure she can get back to swimming laps the next day.
Sitting Down with Emma-Kate
1. How do you recover after a tough training session?
Good nutrition – I eat protein or take [an] Osmo Acute Recovery drink immediately post-workout. Sleep, rest and relaxation are also key, as are compression gear and recovery protocols such as my Marc Pro device… [It] is a key part of my recovery protocol. It is simple to use and helps expedite recovery after tough workouts… Even just a half-hour session with it can help me recover better from one day to the next; it certainly helps reduce DOMS [Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness].
2. Do you have other advice for aspiring triathletes?
I think the most overlooked – and biggest value – recovery tool is sleep. Crack this and you’re on the right path! Even just try getting to bed an hour earlier than normal for a consistent amount of time and see what a difference it makes to all aspects of your life, not just your training and performance.
3. What does your workout schedule look like?
I am a professional triathlete so I can often be training upwards of five hours a day. My weekly schedule typically includes five swims, four bike workouts, two strength sessions in the gym, and five or six runs. This is a lot of physical stress, so it needs to be offset with adequate rest for the biggest gains to be made.
It is important for me to be able to train, rest, recover and then train well again – and the Marc Pro helps facilitate this process. I tend to use it for 30-40 minutes at a time, placing the pads on whichever area of my body feels most fatigued.
4. How did you first hear about the Marc Pro device?
[I heard about it] through Dr. Craig Liebenson at LA Sports & Spine. The guys there would always wrap up each of my sessions with the Marc Pro on area(s) of my body that were tight or tired. I loved it! It helps me recover faster and feel better – so I can get back out there the following day and keep up good quality training.
Pro athletes and coaches like Emma-Kate Lidbury know the importance of proper recovery to restore muscles and avoid injury. Marc Pro makes it possible for Eccles to swim, bike and run her way through the toughest Ironman events, as well as the even- tougher training sessions.