ONE STEP AHEAD: Salad dressings. WORKOUT OF THE WEEK: Winter swimming. See our Fitter Swimming squads at http://www.fitter.co.nz/fitter-swimming.htm HOT PROPERTY INTERVIEWS - MATTHEW RUSSELL & VANESSA MURRAY: Matt Russell was born and raised on a small farm in Lisbon, New York. With a background in duathlon he only turned to triathlon in 2010 and it was then that he learnt to swim. Since that time he has won and podiumed at numerous iron distance races and shown an intriguing ability to perform well on no taper and being able to race back to back long distance triathlons. Having recently performed well at both Wanaka (3rd place) and Ironman New Zealand (5th place) he has a busy season of racing ahead of him with a view to heading back to Kona. 

Vanessa Murray, New Zealander, now living in Melbourne, qualified for Kona in 2013 after winning her age group at the 70.3 champs in Auckland. Kona was her first iron distance race and she podiumed. Last year Vanessa decided to turn pro and last month raced to 10th overall female at IMNZ in what was a powerhouse line up of pro female athletes. Her next race? The Ironman Asia Pacific champs in Cairns, June 12 2016.

GEEK OUT: This week our geeky contributors ‘The Plews and Prof’ revisit HRV - Heart Rate Variability. CONTACT US: Go to  http://www.fitter.co.nz for show notes and links. Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/fitter.co.nz for the latest news and information. Mikki Williden can be found at https://www.facebook.com/mikkiwillidennutrition