Five weeks to Busso

After the Long Course World Championships last Sunday , I felt really tired but other wise pretty good despite the bad hay fever.I think the volume of Telfast and Claratyne was kicking in with a vengeance .I had a slight fever and was a bit delirious in the evening , mumbling myself to sleep about the world champs.

I had a bit of a cough and chest infection and eventually saw the doctor on Tuesday and got lots of antibiotics which had an immediate effect .I wasn't able to train for 4 days and went back to swimming on Friday morning and did a run along the coast on Friday evening ...it was pretty windy and cold.

Spoke to Ross re the bad swim and the funniest comment was there was nothing wrong with my stroke per say but I was just slow. DOH as homer Simpson would say ! I will need to improve my swim which was the intention this year and there has been an improvement with my Busso half swim time but overall I will have to knuckle down to a more systemic system of improving my swim times and possibly some gym work and long ocean swims.

I do need to work out next years plans for the major races I intend to do and have a long break to improve my swim.

On Saturday I did a long ride .Left at about 5.30am and thankfully it is nice and bright .The winds wasn't too bad in the morning but after fremantle it was beginning to get stronger .I made reasonably good time to Mt Henry but with traffic stops and the rolling hills I was still averaging under 30kph. I was also trying a new Carbo source , condensed milk . After Mt Henry down the Freeway bike path it was hard going and after Baldivis the wind was gusting and at some points I was pedaling at 20kph.

At the 105km mark I turned around glad of being out of the headwind.It was about 15km short of the end .The legs were really feeling smashed but after a quick few minutes off the bike and a banana , gel and a powerbar I was feeling better.The return ride was lots better and managed to get up to 50kph but mainly at mid 30s to 40 kph .The wind did turn from time to time as the bike track meandered.I tried to keep up with some stronger riders but didn't last .one of the riders jokingly said he was hoping I would drag them along but they disappeared strongly at over 45kph.I passed a guy riding with a water bladder strapped on his back but he passed me twice , once after a pee break and at the narrows when he mumbled as I passed him not you again.The last 10km I rode with a group to Mt Henry before heading to the narrows and then home .Got home at noon averaging just under 29kph .Ran off the bike for 15 mins.

Last long ride of 180 km for the year. No cramping issues and the weather was good bar the wind.It was like a 6 hour wind trainer session . My legs felt really like jelly .I tried to do 5 x 20 km stints on aero at threshold but I think I wasn't able to get my heart rate up to threshold that often. The nose was still a problem with the hay fever.