A brick session is a form of triathlon training where you go from one sport straight into another. It’s a particularly effective method of training, because it prepares your body for the specific race-day rigours of a triathlon. The problem is most people only entertain the notion of doing them in the springtime, with the race season just around the corner.

At the moment, I’m guessing you train for triathlons by doing individual swim, bike and run workouts. Don’t worry if you do, it’s no bad thing. After all, if you improve at swimming, cycling and running, it stands to reason that you’ll race a faster triathlon.

However some pro triathletes look at it slightly differently. One such person is the American professional Andy Potts. In 2012 he had a brilliant season, winning four tough Ironman events as well as the Escape From Alcatraz triathlon. And he did it off the back of a training regime consisting of regular bike to run sessions.

He trains in Colorado Springs, and is known locally for doing most of his run training directly after his long bike rides. So a typical workout for Potts would be a three- or four-hour bike ride, followed by a one-hour run. It may sound tough, but Potts has built his endurance up over a process of years so that he can handle it. He does this by incorporating his brick sessions throughout the year, not just in the spring. In races, he is known as a fast swimmer and a strong biker, but in 2012 he held strong on the run too. This is despite not necessarily being the fastest solo runner in the field. It shows that during a triathlon it’s not just about how fast you can run, but how fast you can run after a tough swim and bike.

Another benefit of his training method is time-efficiency. If you struggle to fit your training around your job, your family and several other commitments, brick sessions may help you. By doing most of your runs directly after cycling, you can potentially fit seven days’ training into five. Individual training sessions involve a certain amount of time-wasting too – getting changed, showering, driving. Brick workouts allow you to batch your sessions, and cut down on the time-consuming logistics.

Before you embrace the Andy Potts Method, it’s important to plan and build your training carefully. If you launch into daily brick sessions now, there’s a good chance you’ll end up over-tired or injured. The key is to build up gradually, by no more than 10 per cent per month. These sample workouts should help get you started.

• TRAINING ADVICE

OLYMPIC – DISTANCE TRIATHLETES:

> Weekend workout:

Bike 90 minutes to two hours at steady chatting pace, into run 30 minutes at steady chatting pace.

>  Midweek workout:

Bike one hour (including 2×20 minutes at target race pace), into run 20 minutes (10 minutes at target race pace, 10 minutes easy jog).

IRONMAN DISTANCE TRIATHLETES

> Weekend workout:

Bike three hours at target Ironman race pace, into run 45 minutes at target Ironman race pace.

>  Midweek workout:

Bike one hour (including 2×15 minutes consistently hard riding) into run 30 minutes (20 minutes at approx half-marathon race pace, 10 minutes easy jog).

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It can be hard to get out for a ride when the weather’s cold or wet. In these instances it helps to have your training session pre-planned, so all you have to do is get on your bike and ride. Doing this is more effective than just plodding along, and makes it easier to stay motivated. To help you out, below we’ve given you three of the most effective bike workouts you can do this winter. If you only ride three times a week, make sure you ride these.

Why?

There’s been plenty of research on the effects of short sprints on overall fitness and endurance cycling performance, much of it compelling. It stands to reason, because your maximal power is an important component of the power output you can sustain for longer periods. One of the proposed benefits of this type of training is that it results in increased muscle fibre usage.

Warm-up: 10 minutes (5 minutes easy/steady, 3 minutes at tempo, 2
minutes steady).

Main set: 2×15 minutes alternating (20 seconds flat-out hard, 40 seconds easy spin) +5 minutes easy spin recovery.

Warm-down: 5 minutes steady/easy pedalling.

Take it to the next level: To progress this workout over time, you must focus on maintaining the same high power at the beginning of the session as you do at
the end.

Why?

This is becoming the most important ride of the week for professional cyclists. The idea is that you train at your sweetspot, which is an intensity that you can just about maintain consistently for one hour. Breaking this up into 20-minute blocks forces your body to adapt to race pace, without giving your legs the next-day soreness that you might experience at higher intensities.

Warm-up: 30 minutes easy, building to a steady pace.

Main set: 2×20 minutes at the highest consistent intensity that you could hold for one hour (plus a five-minute recovery in between reps).

Warm-down: 30 minutes steady, gradually easing down into a light pace.

Take it to the next level: To progress this session you should bolt on another five minutes in your sweetspot per session, per month. Only do this if you are managing
the 2×20 minutes and still feeling ready for more.

 3. The Strength Ride

Why?

There are two things that determine your power output when cycling. One is how fast you pedal, and the other is how hard you pedal. When you’re at the peak of your capabilities and you need to find an extra one per cent, do you spin faster or push harder? If it’s the latter, this bike-specific strength ride could potentially help you ride more powerfully.

Warm-up: 15 minutes at a steady all-day pace, normal cadence.

Main set: 90 minutes alternating (15 minutes normal steady riding, 5 minutes riding at a low cadence) at your all-day steady pace throughout. During the low cadence bits, either ride at 65-70rpm (approx two gears heavier than you would normally ride).

Warm-down: 15 minutes at a steady all-day pace, normal cadence.

Take it to the next level: To progress this workout over time, gradually increase the length of the low cadence sections.

We give you the low-down on these night vision socks from Altura.

Altura night vision socks
£9
www.zyro.co.uk

Why an idea as simple as adding reflectivity to running socks has taken so long to reach us is a mystery, but we’re glad Altura figured it out. If you do your running in low light you’ll know that you can never be too visible to other pedestrians and especially motorists. The Night Vision sock is constructed out of a bright yellow Coolmax yarn. Orange is also available, but the yellow is the one for us. The colour is bright enough to stand out on its own, but Altura have added a flash of reflective material across the rear of the sock cuff, though we’d have liked there to have been more, and there isn’t any on the front which is a shame. The socks are thin with a reinforced toe and heel but no other padding or tech features. Added to the reflective found on most modern running shoes and clothing, the Night Vision socks are the final element in ensuring your nocturnal running safety.

Verdict
Light, thin, fast-wicking socks with added low-light visibility .

Performance 3/5
Value 3/5
Overall 3/5

Click the links on the left to download our winter plans and stay warm in the cold

When the nights draw in and darkness greets you in the morning, it can be hard to find the motivation keep up your fitness levels. Using training plans is a great way to help get you out the door and on your way to your best ever fitness.

If it’s a specific distance you’re looking to train for, check out our Olympic-distance training plans, sprint triathlon training plans, 70.3 half-Ironman training plans or duathlon training plans.

Click on the links below to download the plans to your computer.

Active Recovery Plan
This triathlon recovery plan will help keep your fitness improvements up over winter, boosting core and swim technique. View the Active Recovery Plan.

Build Winter Foundation
This triathlon winter training plan is designed to build fitness for a solid off-season after a break from racing. View the Build Winter Foundation plan.

Boost Your Swim Over Winter
The off-season’s a great time for making the most of the pool so this triathlon swimming plan will help your master your swim ready for next season. View the Boost Your Swim Over Winter Plan.

Winter Prep Training Plan
This triathlon winter training plan will help prepare you for the race season and have your best ever training sessions during the cold spell. View the Winter Prep training plan.

Indoor Triathlon Training Plan
This indoor training programme will help you train for your next triathlon from the comfort of your gym. View the Triathlon Indoor Training Plan.

Get Ready For Winter Training Plan
This triathlon winter training plan will help prepare you for the race season and have your best ever training sessions during the cold spell. View the Winter Prep training plan.



These training plans were originally published in Triathlon Plus magazine – subscribe now to get the magazine delivered to your door every month.

You’ll find loads more triathlon training tips, workouts and nutrition advice in triradar’s online Training Zone.



Athletes enjoy the training camp (Photo- Ryan Bowd)

Richard Allen Fitness’s, RnR camps have launched an October version of the highly successful May Camp, running October 14th to 21st at the idyllic Neilson Beach Plus Resort, The Retreat, Sivota Greece. The camp has been designed as a winter training and 2013 planning and preparation triathlon camp.

The coaching and support team include; Richard Allen, Pro Triathlete and head coach; Ryan Bowd an experienced Ironman, coach and camp manager; Tonya Allen, swim technique coach and Alison Rose, the camp sports physiotherapist who has just returned from being Jessica Ennis’s physio at London 2012.

The week at the camp is split between the opportunity to train hard with expert advice and to relax and enjoy the resort with family or friends who may accompany you to the resort.  The program covers all essential elements of winter training and technique development and will finish with a fun race at the end of the week to finish off most athletes’ seasons. In addition guests will get a coached 1-on 1 swim/run session and a coached 1-on 1 training/lifestyle consultation to help review 2012 and plan their 2013 goals and programmes.

In addition to the camp programme, The Retreat, which is one of Neilson’s luxurious Beach Plus Club resorts, offers four-star accommodation with spectacular sea views and delicious cuisine. There is a swimming pool, two floodlit tennis courts with tuition included, children’s clubs for all ages (pre-bookable), and a terraced bar area making it perfect for athletes and their partners and friends to enjoy. There’s also a chance to enjoy a whole range of inclusive activities with tuition such as sailing, windsurfing, waterskiing and mountain biking.

Because of the diversity of the coaching staff and the resort the camp caters for everyone from complete novices to experienced Ironman triathletes, male or female and any age.

The price of the camp includes; flights, accommodation, Greece airport transfers, healthy buffet meals (less 3 dinners), inclusive Neilson activities, full technical coaching support, massage, race entry, camp t-shirt and pack.

The camp will cost from £783** per person! Tri Camp Cost £399 and Neilson Holiday cost £434 (based on 2 sharing and including bike carriage. £42 single supplement for the week). Please see www.rnrtricamps.com for full details and to register or email richardallenfitness@gmail.com with questions.

**accurate at time of release, subject to change with respect to the Neilson portion.



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Keeping warm in the cold can really benefit your running (Photo: /\\ \\/\\/ /\\ (Flicker))

Training in bad weather is a necessity for most British triathletes during the winter and knowing why you get cold and how it affects your training is essential knowledge if you want your training to count. After all, the more optimal training sessions you can accomplish during the winter months, the better your condition will be when it is time to get race fit. So in this feature I want to talk about the impact of training in poor weather and suggest some great ways to overcome it.

From a physiological perspective, the cold significantly reduces our capacity for exercise and subsequent performance. Research has shown that the maximal power output of muscle is reduced by three per cent per 1°C fall in muscle temperature, hastening fatigue, reducing the speed of movement, dexterity, strength and mechanical efficiency. All are very good reasons for ensuring that you are fully warmed up prior to training and especially before tough sessions or races.

One of the advantages of being a triathlete is that you probably carry less body fat than your sedentary counterparts. However, when the temperature tumbles you are immediately at a disadvantage when it comes to trying to keep warm. Body fat is a very effective insulator against the cold. If you are tall as well as lean, then it just gets worse. Short, heavy individuals will always lose heat more slowly because they have a lower body surface area to body mass ratio – think Eskimos versus Kenyans. The tall, lean triathlete putting in the winter miles at relatively low intensities will struggle to produce enough heat to counteract the heat loss. This becomes a real issue when cycling because the more quickly we move through the air, the higher the rate of heat loss from the body – otherwise known as wind chill. What feels like adequate clothing when the wind speed is zero can result in uncontrollable shivering on a long descent.

Getting the right balance between maintaining core temperature and skin comfort is critical. Too much insulation leads to sweat production which in turn leads to wet clothing. Because water is 25 times more conductive than air, heat loss is increased by as much as 400%. Equally, too little insulation leads to sub-optimal training sessions due to the muscular inefficiencies mentioned previously.
Fortunately, there are various measures we can take to ensure that every workout can be performed as intended. This not only leads to consistent training, adaptation and progress but it also makes winter training a lot more fun!

Five Ways to Beat The Big Chill

• 1. Eat Enough
  Winter training is not the time to experiment with low glycogen or fasted state training sessions. Our bodies produce heat as a result of a series of chemical reactions which drive energy metabolism. From resting to maximal exercise your metabolism can increase by up to 25 times and at its peak requires around 20kcal per minute. That’s a lot of food!

• 2. Warm Up
  The reason a warm-up is so important is that it elevates body temperature and increases bloodflow to the muscles. A warmed-up muscle is much harder to injure than a cold one.

• 3. Layering
  Clothing works because air gets trapped between the fibres, warms up and, in turn, keeps our body temperature up. Because both air and materials used in clothing conduct heat poorly, heat is lost slowly. Therefore, several layers of light, close-fitting material are much more effective at trapping heat than one bulky garment. Base layers worn against the skin wick moisture and considerably reduce heat loss.

• 4. Wear a Hat
  Despite the myth, only about ten per cent of body heat is lost through the head. However, that’s no excuse not to wear a suitable hat. Wool or synthetic, a hat will go a long way towards keeping you warm.

• 5. Be Organised
  Check the weather forecast to make sure you have the right clothing when you need it. Also try to organise your training so that you get it done when it is warmest and in daylight. Simple planning like this will give you an advantage over time: a fit and successful triathlete is always an organised one.



This article was originally published in Triathlon Plus magazine. Save time and money by having every issue delivered to your door or digital device by subscribing to the print edition or buying digitally through Zinio or Apple Newsstand.

You’ll find loads more triathlon training advice in triradar.com’s Training Zone section.



Maintaining running form over winter is crucial to success in the new season

If you’re anything like me, your natural instinct every time you go for a run is to trot along listening to music, looking at the scenery, avoiding dogs and thinking about what to have for dinner.

It’s a great way to unwind and there’s nothing wrong with it once a week. Just don’t rely on it to make you a faster runner, because it won’t. Your body needs something more specific and stressful to force it to adapt, so I’m going to suggest some good training sessions to help you achieve this.

At this point during the winter, the general thinking among coaches and sports scientists is that you should work on your base endurance, speed skills and muscular endurance, all of which I’ll explain below. The theory is that once you’ve spent a few months working on these areas, you’ll be in a better position to absorb the higher intensity training and racing that you’ll do in the spring and summer. So try to make these three essential winter workouts a regular fixture and soon you’ll be too focused on the run to think about the scenery or what you’re going to cook when you get home.



The Base Endurance Run

• WHY: These runs have a number of benefits, including improving your muscles’ ability to use fat as a fuel source, and converting some muscle fibres from slow twitch to fast twitch.

• HOW: This is also known as a long run and involves running for a relatively long time at a low intensity. The distance of your run depends on a) what you’re training for and b) the maximum distance you can already run comfortably. As a ball park, it could be anything between 40 minutes and two hours but ultimately it’s down to you. If you’re racing sprint, Olympic or Ironman 70.3 you need to work towards being able to run at least the distance you’ll be racing over. For Ironman athletes, work towards running for up to two hours 30 minutes during training sessions. Try to run with a heart-rate monitor and aim for 65 to 75% of your maximum heart rate. You should try to progress the duration of your run over a period of months by no more than 10% per month. If these sessions leave you feeling sore, tired and grumpy for two days afterwards, take it as a sign that you need to shorten them or back off the pace slightly.



Speed Skill Run

• WHY: Speed skills are something that well-known coach Joe Friel discusses in his Training Bible books. He believes that until you can move with great fluidity and skill there’s no point in doing harder, faster types of training. So speed skill training is all about learning to run efficiently at high speeds. These sessions shouldn’t feel too tough, because they’re more about technique than cardiovascular fitness.

• HOW: Warm Up 15mins at 70% of maximum heart rate. Main 15mins at 70% of maximum heart rate, incorporate the following:Technique Drills 2x20secs running with an exaggerated high knee lift, 2x20secs. running with exaggerated high heel lift Sprints 6x30secs as fast as you can, while maintaining good form. Jog for a few minutes between each one, until you’re ready to go again. Warm Down 10mins at 65% of maximum heart rate.



Muscular Endurance Run

• WHY: These sessions are about teaching your body to delay fatigue while holding a fairly high pace. The key is to maintain the same pace throughout.

• HOW: This session is best saved for the late winter or early spring, when you’re a couple of months away from your first race. The duration depends on the races you’re training for and your experience level. If you’re unsure, start off with 15 minutes and progress gradually over a period of weeks and months. Warm Up 10mins gradually building the intensity from 60% to 80%. Main 15 minutes to 1 hour at 80% of maximum. Warm Down 5 to 10mins at 60% of maximum.



In Conclusion
There are no cast iron rules when it comes to training, because we’re all different. The advice here is general and will work well for most people. However, if you’re already brilliant at long runs you may be better off using the winter to work on your speed skills and muscular endurance.

Whatever training you do, the important thing is to break it down into periods where you focus on improving the areas that limit your performance the most.


This article was originally published in Triathlon Plus magazine. Save time and money by having every issue delivered to your door or digital device by subscribing to the print edition or buying digitally through Zinio or Apple Newsstand.

You’ll find loads more triathlon training advice in triradar.com’s Training Zone section.



Turbo training in the winter is where PBs are made in the summer

For all but a few fanatics, indoor riding is an evil, mind-numbing necessity compared to cycling outside. But with the right session, you can stave off turbo training depression. The following is an arsenal of training secrets to deploy against the problems of mindless boredom, lack of motivation and training stagnation.

Better than the real thing? OK, going nowhere fast in your garage, shed or back room certainly doesn’t come close to the rush of blasting along your favourite road with the sun on your back and your adversaries strung out behind you. In terms of prepping you for that perfect summer moment it does take some beating though.

For a start riding indoors is a very pure form of training. There is nothing to interrupt your progress, no traffic or road conditions to worry about and you also don’t have to think about having the right winter kit such as lights and jackets. In addition, the chances of freezing rain, fog and snow in your garage are exceptionally low and if something does go wrong, you’re already home, not stranded on a big hill in the dark.

Get Smart
There’s a vast range of stationary training equipment options, from simple turbo trainers from £80 through to top-end computer-linked trainers where you can race other people on the internet. All you really need, though, is something that can give predictable pedal resistance with enough of a workload to cope with your maximum wattage. Mobile feedback systems such as power meters and wrist-mounted heart-rate monitors that can be used anywhere, rather than fixed to your trainer, are a smarter year-round investment than a turbo trainer that does the same thing. Working out your own fitness programme or spending the money you’ve saved on a coach is likely to deliver better results than a programme from the internet or a spinning class at your gym.

Rollers Vs Turbos
Turbo trainers require minimum skill and come with a lot of optional feedback extras. However, as there’s no ‘riding’ sensation, churning them round can be extremely dull. That’s why rollers are having a renaissance. They need a lot of practice at first and max output sessions require serious skill. But if you can ride smooth and straight on rollers you’ll feel a real efficiency benefit when you hit the road in the spring. Concentrating on staying upright also adds an enjoyable challenge element that makes training time pass a lot quicker than it otherwise may do. Whichever appeals, we’ve got a grouptest on turbo trainers (p102) and a minitest on rollers (p34) to help you choose.

Motivation and Distraction
Now you’re ready to train you need to make it as appealing as possible. A heart-rate monitor allows you to use training zones. Adding a computer (with a rear-wheel sensor for turbo use) lets you compare heart rate versus speed to track basic fitness progress. Power measurement is also a useful feature if you can afford it.

While watching your own dashboard is motivation enough for some, something else for your eyes and ears can revive your inner Rocky. If there’s ever a time to play
Eye of the Tiger at full volume, this is it. Watching triathlon, F1 racing or Tour De France DVDs is also a good motivator. There are lots of computer-linked turbo or DVD/online training programmes to follow and we’re big fans of the brutal but entertaining race-linked videos from thesufferfest.com.

Preparation
Ideally, keep your bike set up ready to go, with your HRM belt slung on one side of the bars, bib shorts on the other, towel over the top tube and shoes already clipped in. Then all you have to do is fill your water bottle, check your tyre pressure, plug in your chosen distraction/motivation, jump on and roll. Even if everything has to be bundled back under the stairs after each session, try to keep it all together and ready to go. Otherwise you know that roller-ripping resolve will evaporate as you dig through the laundry basket for missing kit in a flurry of flying pants and profanities.

Technique Tweaks
As well as training, roller/turbo sessions can include drills to polish technique in the same way as swimming. Single-leg drills will show up a lazy limb. A mirror will help you stop excessive shoulder and pelvis movement or highlight any other position or pedal irregularities that might be worth working on. Because you’ve got HRM/speed/power feedback to work with it’s a great time to see how position or kit changes affect performance. Just be sure to only change one thing at a time, and only by a very small amount, keeping track of each tweak in a notebook so that you can go back to your default settings if you need to.

Turbo Lag
Finally, seeing as you’ve gone to the trouble of sorting out all the kit and saddling up, make sure you make the most of it. If you’re doing intervals, take each one to the max so you’re worn out and need to stop early rather than soft-pedaling and finishing fresh. However hard you’re going, with
20 seconds left on the clock there’s almost certainly an extra gear left. If the first set feels like lead at 140bpm, push through to your target. You’ll be surprised how often you’ll get there if you grit your teeth. If you don’t then spin out a recovery session knowing you’ve tried your hardest.

Above all, try to enjoy yourself – training should be fun. As with homebrew, garage-distilled suffering can be hard to stomach but when you’re smashing personal bests next year you’ll know it’s been worth all the sweat you put in over the winter.



Essential Indoor Equipment
These must-have items make indoor training easier, so you’ll keep coming back for more:

✔ A fan to keep you cool

✔ A towel to mop up sweat

✔ A mirror (or webcam and laptop) to let you monitor your position and technique

✔ Isotonic drink to combat electrolyte loss

✔ Chamois cream to keep your hindquarters healthy

✔ An old rear tyre or a specific trainer tyre (so you don’t ruin your best one)



Max Power In Under Half An Hour
For most of us, indoor training is all about efficiency of time and training gain. This session fits both technique and high intensity work into the shortest session possible. It’s called Pyramid Pain but don’t let that put you off.

Warm-Up

• 4 minutes of isolated leg drills. Unclip one leg, ride with low resistance and try to eliminate any jerky movements. Keep it at about 60rpm, alternating legs after every minute
• 4 minutes of over gearing. Up the resistance, drop the cadence and keep it smooth
• 4 minutes of spinning. Low resistance, high rpm, try not to bounce. Do 20-second intervals with 40-second recoveries



Main

• 10 seconds hard – 50 seconds easy
• 20 seconds hard – 40 seconds easy
• 30 seconds hard – 30 seconds easy
• 40 seconds hard – 20 seconds easy
• 50 seconds hard – 10 seconds easy
• 1 minute hard – 1 minute easy
• Complete in reverse for one full set of Pyramid Pain.



Warm Down

• 5 minutes easy



This article was originally published in Triathlon Plus magazine. Save time and money by having every issue delivered to your door or digital device by subscribing to the print edition or buying digitally through Zinio or Apple Newsstand.

You’ll find loads more triathlon training advice in triradar.com’s Training Zone section.



Get faster over winter with issue 35 of Triathlon Plus

In issue 35 – available now to buy in leading newsagents and supermarkets – we’ve got all the content you know and love as well as a focus on toughing out winter to come out faster on the other side. Here’s what you can look forward to this month:

• 15 Lessons from Ironman Champion Philip Graves
• Arctic Tri Tricks
• The Brownlees’ back yard – training in Yorkshire
• Winter overshoes mini-test
• Winter cycling jackets grouptest
• “I lost seven stone and gained an Ironman medal” – one reader’s 12-month transformation
• Race drinking optimization
• Race action from Xterra World Champs and ITU Yokohama
• The core strength secret you need to know
• All the best new 2012 bike gear fresh from the Interbike show

Plus:

• Swim: Get faster in four weeks
• Bike: Save time and race to work
• Run: Get the edge with GPS workouts

And:

• Free 2012 Ultimate Race Guide – With over 500 UK events listed, it’s a must to help you plan your season!




See an excerpt from this month’s main feature here.

Triradar.com is the online home of Triathlon Plus, the world’s best triathlon magazine, featuring triathlon training plans, race reports, gear reviews, pro interviews and loads more. Grab your copy of the latest issue in leading newsagents and supermarkets, from Zinio, Apple Newsstand or save money by subscribing and having every issue delivered direct to your door – leaving you more time to train!

Find more group tests from Triathlon Plus in our other best triathlon gear reviews.

New Balance 101

£49.99

Weight 226g

www.newbalance.co.uk

New Balance 101

There have always been thin, light trail shoes, worn by those who think nothing of hurling themselves down a scree slope. But several shoes we tested have moved this stripped-down concept on to ‘barefoot’ shoes. New Balance sent us their Minimus Trail shoe, little more than a sole, but we thought the 101 had a wider appeal; it’s still a light shoe though, with barefoot elements. The lacing loops into sturdy overlays to cradle the foot. It’s surprisingly cushioned for something so thin. Our tester found it tight around the toe, thanks to the puncture-resistant toe coating. A pattern of tough diamond-shaped spikes in the middle area of the outsole gives rock protection, while softer lugs on the outside help you paw your way over the ground. The grip on these was fantastic, whether on the mud or loose dusty trails.

Verdict

Good short-distance race shoe, suited for light trails.

Value 4/5

Performance 5/5

Overall 4/5

Triathlon Plus Top Value Award, issue 33