Karla Boddy – The Love for all things SPORT!

WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNT AND ACHIEVED DURING YOUR SPORTING JOURNEY?

Discipline and consistency are your most important ingredients. That mindset has allowed me to achieve most the things I’ve wanted in my sporting career; whether that’s winning bike races, these days staying sharp to be able to ride in the faster club rides, run PB’s or just to be fit enough to have options and choices in entering events like the Swiss Epic!

I’ve also learnt you’re never as tired as you think you are, and if training feels arduous and exhausting you’re probably doing it right! If it feels fresh and easy then…..well, you’ve guessed! This approach has allowed me to win a fair amount of bike races; from Prem Calendars, stages of international road races, through to running a 1:21 half marathon and a very painful 3:04 marathon (!) later into my endurance journey. Being disciplined is a decision and requires absolutely zero talent.

What OTE products have you been using during this time?

I’ve used OTE since 2016 when I raced for the UCI World Pro Tour Team ‘Drops’. And since leaving competitive cycling I’ve continued my relationship with OTE which speaks volumes as when you’re no longer a sponsored athlete you have choice; an easy choice, given I find OTE’s range of products unparalleled in what is a saturated market. I am a huge fan of the Duo bars; texture, taste, CHO content and ease of eating/digesting has always come out top. Even now eight years in I genuinely look forward to eating a Duo bar when I am out riding! Super gels are also incredible and have seen me through a fair few half marathons and a marathon. Being able to ingest and digest 40g of CHO in one gel is game changing when you’re trying to fuel for a marathon and don’t have a huge amount of space to carry nutrition. The Super gels are also a really good consistency which means you can actually run with it, open in hand, whilst sipping over the course of a few hundred metres. There actually isn’t a product I haven’t used or tried and can confidently say OTE is my first choice across every range from gels to recovery powder.

Any lessons learnt, in terms of training or nutrition?

All the time! Even now! It’s a long apprentice being an endurance athlete with no end date to your ambitions! Those ambitions have changed over the years but the learning is still a part of the process. Early on in my sporting life I’d say I failed to eat the right things, then when I did eat the right things I fuelled too late, or not enough…..it took me a while to find the balance and even now I get it wrong. In a race; fuel early your burn rate will be exponentially higher in training so whilst it may be what you’ve trained with you will likely need more come race/event day.

How do you juggle your sporting ambitions with your everyday life?

It’s so habitual now that the juggling comes with relative ease; at the peak of my competitive cycling career I was on a train at 0630 and not back till gone 1900 and still fitted it in. I think most of us are incredibly fortunate that the corporate world has changed somewhat and we have the benefit of WFH more. It still means early starts, the alarm is often set before the sun, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. I’ve never understood people who say they don’t have time as it’s never about time, its about priorities. There are times I’ve also travelled extensively with work and I make sure my accommodation either a) has a gym, b) has good running options c) out of a city so if I can take my bike I will! Fundamentally I make training a non-negotiable. If you really love something you will make it work.

TRAINING AND NUTRITION TIPS

Always apply structure; it doesn’t need to be complex but keep yourself honest. The paradox of training is nothing you do today makes much difference but missing today will mean you may underperform against your goals in the future. The quantum of training is what makes the difference.

And don’t neglect fuelling structure too; don’t let the one person you may know who ran a marathon on a gel be your beacon; that is unlikely to work for the majority of people which is why you must carve your own path and figure out what works for you; be that gels, energy drinks, bars or real food. And of course; don’t practice your cycling fuelling strategy or any fuelling in the middle of a race!

Fuel is your friend and a well fuelled athlete is far more productive than an under fuelled athlete. Both on and off the bike/trainers!