Monday, August 26, 2013

Easy Week... WEEK 4

City View From Mt Henry Bridge Saturday Easy Ride
View of the City from Point Walter On the Morning Ride
Saturday's Session
Working out at BorisFit
The first of the easy weeks in the programme . It was nice to have Monday off as I was pretty tired after the weekend of rides and cross fit and running. I was down to swim but just could not get up on Monday morning and my legs were still tired even in the evening.

On Tuesday I did my own ride , cycling the loop in King's Park for an hour and ten minutes and then running for 4 km off the bike . I had cross fit in the evening which made it a tough day. On Wednesday I ran in the evening for 4.5km and the swim session which was 2km all up.
Thursday , bike session with Exceed at Nedlands. I have switched my wheels with some heavier Shimano wheels I picked up for $40.00 .They are heavier but strong and great for training. The morning session was 5 minutes efforts at threshold , fast and easy repeated 4 times for the hour session. It was 50kms with the ride out and back from Nedlands.I managed to stay with the group I was riding with and took a turn in front .

In the afternoon I ran 5km on the treadmill and then did my cross fit .Another tough day for the legs. Friday I was tired and so elected to swim as the run was only optional. It was another 2km effort with mainly 100 metres at different speeds. Saturday , I had a break from the hills with a 3 hour easy ride round the river. Then coffee with the rest of the Exceed group and a ride home. I ran off the bike and did an easy 4km with Molly .In the afternoon cross fit.

Sunday was a slow easy run .I did 16 km with coffee at Metrio's at the mid point.

The week:
Swim; 2hrs or 4 km
Bike: 5.10 hrs or 150kms
Run: 3.45 or 33kms
Cross Fit :3hrs total: 13hrs
(Molly did close to 8km of running)

Monday, August 19, 2013

Week 3


Training partner
Despite a cough and a mild dose of the flu I have soldiered on ...thankfully.

Monday  Run in the arvo and evening for a total of just under 15kms with 10km on a treadmill and in the evening 3km on my own and 2km with Molly . I also had an hour swim on my own. Did a 500m warm up with 200 with paddles and then 500,400,300,200 and 100 free with a 100m cool-down breaststroke and backstroke. felt a lot better in the water but a long way to go.

Tuesday .Got up at 4.30 am started driving down to the city when it started to rain and turned back as I wasn't prepared to risk getting wet or sick again. Ran at lunch on a treadmill with some speed work (7.2km)and in the evening did a hour wind-trainer session with 3 x 4minutes threshold efforts and ran 2km off the bike with Molly .

Wednesday. Missed swimming with work but ran up to Kings park and back just under 10kms . It was a slow and hard 10km run with the coughing and spluttering from the remnants of the flu .

Thursday was another wet day and decided not to ride int he morning. I did get to Cross fit and it was a good session and I ran 2km for a warm up.

Friday .I had my bike fit session with Al Nichols and then had a 6km run at yokine and a swim .It was raining but stuck at the swim training with the emphasis on technique.swimming is the toughest discipline at the moment as I try to get back to some form. Swam about 2km with lost of drills and technique . The arms were sore from cross fit  and worse after the swim .


Mundaring Weir 17 August 2013 Morning Ride


Saturday .It turned out to be quite a pleasant day. I headed for the hills and it was wet and there were few riders about . I got to Kalamunda feeling pretty good and focusing on my cycling technique and with a new set up the neck and back did hurt a  little.On the way back I struggled with the lack of nutrition and will need to take gels from now on .I did not get wet till the last 30 minutes when it started to rain. I did an easy run of 3kms with Molly off the bike .

In the afternoon it was  a pretty full on cross fit session.We had to work in teams and ours had four so we managed to do all the rounds which included 600 wall balls and  400 push ups 300 ring rows 500 push press and 1500 m rowing . The arms and legs and everything else is sore.


Sunday was going to be a ride and run but I ended up just riding to Fremantle with Tim and having breakfast at daisies and then cycling  back .

If there is a lesson in training it is

be sensible
Make the training fit around the schedule called life
Don't sweat the small stuff

read a piece by Mary Eggers in XTRI called Meaning
Just don't get caught up in the hype of training and beating PBs and others

Week 3
Run:  45km or 4.40hrs
Swim: 2 hrs or 4km
Bike: 184kms or 7.30 hrs
Cross fit : 2 hrs
Total 16 hrs

Monday, August 12, 2013

Katy Gibb Triathlete of the Year 2012/13

Katy Gibb , a member of Exceed Triathlon Club has had a great year crowning the 2012/13 season with the title of Female Triathlete of the Year . The Award by Triathlon Western Australia was  for her " consistent podium results throughout the year".

For the record the results are at TWA TOTY Winners. Here is another insight into Katy and what makes a Champion Triathlete.
     

     
     
     
  1. Full name: Katey Gibb
  2. Age Group: 25-30 or Open
  3. Profession: Marketing
  4. Years in profession: 7 years
  5. Brief backgound :Where you grew up and were you into sports when you were younger?
I grew up in the hills of Perth on a large hobby farm. From a young age I was involved in a variety of sports, from horse riding, netball, soccer, cross country running and swimming. I pretty much did any sport I could!
Swimming was my main love which I have been involved with since I was 7, when I joined my first club at ‘Mt Helena Swimming Club’. I didn’t leave the club until I was 18.
  1. How many years have you been participating in Triathlons. 4 years
  2. When did you realize you’d been bitten by the triathlon bug? When I won my first triathlon at the Women’s Triathlon in 2008
  3. Triathlon experience: As long or as brief as you like
Triathlon is one of the most well rounded sports I have been a part of. There are very few sports were you have access to elite athletes and people of all levels, skills and train together.
I love the sport because of the variety, you get to train with the best in each discipline. I also like the fact that guys and girls train and race together so you always have someone to push you. Triathlon is also a sport that brings people from all walks of life together, there are very few sports that do that. I have met people through the sport that I would never have met otherwise.
  1. Walk us through your active lifestyle.  What is an average day when you are training for a season and/or  70.3 ironman: My average day mid-season would look like –
5.00am – Wake up
5.15am – jump on the bike for a 2 hour session. This may vary from 30min warm up and warm down with an hour of power in the middle or a ‘brick’ session
7.30am – home for a quick shower and jump of the single speed for a speedy 10km ride to work
8.30am to 5pm – work in the office, luckily I sit down most of the day
5pm – jump on the single speed and cycle to running training
5.30pm – Running interval session, either with triathletes from my squad or with a group of elite runners from the ‘Running Centre’
6.30pm – Jump back on the bike for a slow ride home
7.15pm – Home and tuck into a big dinner
9.00pm – Pass out in bed
  1. When taking on such an event, how do you maintain your balance of work, life and family?
I always try to maintain perspective. If the sport is affecting your family relationships it is not worth doing so back it off. I always make sure I put in effort at work and plan my weeks in advance, at the end of the day I wouldn’t be able to do the sport if I don’t have a job!
I have been doing the sport long enough now that most of my friends know that I am MIA during the week, but on the weekends available. I think it is vitally important that you put your family before the sport because at the end of the day, family is more important than another trophy on the shelf. It can be hard during the season but it is always good to have a step back when it gets too much to really evaluate your priorities and how they are affecting the rest of your life.
  1. How does an active physical lifestyle tie in to your work ?( if at all)
Well I have a job that involves sitting on my ass all day so not much. But I find that doing physical activity helps me concentrate, feel better and not be as tired. I can pull the long hours at work a lot easier than most and this is down to being fitter and healthier.
  1. Tell us about the one or a few inspirational moments of your Triathlon career. Are there any standout moments  or memories or accomplishments you are most proud of?
My first was representing Australian in the ITU Olympic World Championships in 2010. I was still pretty new to the sport, but I had worked so hard to get there. It also helped shape my goals for the following years.
Another would be my 2nd Open placing last year where I was the only non-professional in the top 3 in WA.
  1. What do you enjoy the most about our sport. The physical challenge and the people I have met. It makes you realize you can pretty much push yourself to achieve anything.
  2. What is your favorite race and why? All the regional events in WA, Bunbury, Albany and Karri valley. They are all tough races in beautiful locations. Generally the athletes who do them are the top, so there is good competition and camaraderie. I also just like the chance to get away!
  3. Who or what in Triathlon inspires you? The fact that the sport is possible to compete in at all ages. No matter how young, old, fit or unfit anyone can do it.
  4. Do you have a favorite workout and if you do what is it? Fartlek, hill rides and brick sessions. They all hurt, but you gain so much from them!!
  5. What’s one unique thing we might see if we peeked inside your training bag? Don’t really have anything unique, but I guess amongst all the swimming caps you will find a bottle of shampoo. This isn’t got getting all pretty after the race but to de-fog my goggles.
  6. What’s your favorite pre-race or mid-race fuel? My definite must have pre-race food is a shot of Nitrate Max beetroot juice to give me that extra boost of nitrate during the race. Also my essential 2 pieces of toast with Nutella on top (extra thick), which I have 2 hours before from a race. During racing I use the 32Gi endurance drinks along with Carbo Shots Gel’s, if it is a long race I will add in a 32Gi energy bar.
  7. Do you have any rituals or good luck routines you do before a race? I don’t have any good luck routines, but I never do something out of routine before a race. I always eat and do exactly the same thing as I would usually do. This gives me peace of mind and helps me not forget anything.
  8. What’s your favorite triathlon discipline to compete at? Definitely running!! Not only because it is the last leg of the race, but because it is the easiest thing to train for.
  9. What music keeps you motivated during training? I don’t use any music during training as you can’t use it during racing and you lose a bit of focus. I am scared I will get dependent on it to do well, so I just listen to the voices in my head hehe.
  10. What’s something people might be surprised to find out about you?
  11. When you are not training or competing, people can find you: Out in the sun reading a book.
  12. What’s the one race you haven’t done yet that you like to do someday. Probably Cairns 70.3, this is something I plan to do in 2014 if I can fit it around work.


Sunday, August 11, 2013

Week 2

Saturday's Wind Trainer session with Molly


Week 2 started well but the dreaded Flu resurfaced with a persistent cough and was made worse with the rain through the week.

Monday .I managed to run at Lunch time and in the evening doing about 12.5km .I ran with Molly in the evening and she was pretty tuckered out at the end. No swimming as I was already feeling a little  funny on Sunday evening. 

On Tuesday I thought I was well enough to venture out and 2 big mistakes , one was getting out and  the other was heading for Nedlands with everyone going to Shelley. Well at least it was me and one other Exceeder at Nedlands and I did my full hour as hard as I could .It was raining all the way through and I got soaked. Made it to cross fit and did the hour but had to rush home . I had a really difficult night coughing and so Wednesday was a rest day.

Thursday's Farewell to Jenna

With the weather on Thursday not much better I skipped the ride and did go to cross fit with a warm up run on the thread mill . It was a good hard session to farewell Jenna heading to Canada .I managed all the stations and got to 145 Air squats with high knees. The arms were still sore from the Pull-ups. 

Friday again was just running after work and did about 12km and 4km with the dog .Saturday was slight wet and decided to just do a wind-trainer session which was 1.40 with 2 x20 at Threshold and 5 x 1minutes at hard and the rest at recovery. molly slept by the bike for the most part and kept me company whilst I watched the 2012 Kona DVD. I then ran for a bout 2.5km  easy. In the afternoon it was a ride to cross fit and back for 30kms and a relatively shorter session but intense ending with 75 snatches with a 15kg bar. 

The week turned out shorter than planned but at least the cough is improving and I wasn't as sick as a month ago. 

Whilst no where near as strong as 2 years ago I do feel I am getting better.

The week:
Swimming : None
Running : 3.20 or 30kms
Bike: 4.30 hrs or 125km 
Cross fit: 3hrs
Total: 10.50

Monday, August 5, 2013

Week 1


Sunday's Ride round the river

Tim at breakfast in South Perth

A good start is when you step out and make that first step.

This week , I managed at least to make a start . Monday was running at Lunch up to Kings Park via the Kokoda Trail which for me meant walking it as the steps were just too steep. It was a good 7.5km and in the evening I ran another 6.5 to make about 14km and then swam for 1600m .It was the first swim in over 3 months so felt weird. Definitely felt that the body needed to get back into a more correct position so there will be work to do to be more streamlined and efficient.

Tuesday . Back on the circuit at Victoria Avenue in Nedlands . Did a 30minute fast , 15 minute recovery and 15 minute fast with the girls. Just managed to hang on and not get dropped. The cold morning air was hard on the throat and I was coughing and spluttering and gagging .I will need to bring my Ventolin puffer. Cross fit in the evening with a 3km run on a thread mill.

Wednesday.Was supposed to be a swim and short run but my sore back and work made this a good rest day.

Thursday was a full on day with an early start getting to Nedlands . Rode 10 minute efforts with a 5 minute recovery and managed about 3 and a bit  before the hour .All in a good effort and I tried to stay at threshold but every rise meant some effort above threshold. Got back to the office by 7.30am and 46km . At lunchtime I did a 35  minute session on the thread mill and ran 6.3 km with efforts along the way.


In the evening it was a cross fit session and that really was hard. Did the full session and finished all the exercises for the first time . One long day .

Friday . Again a thread mill session at Lunch time and ran 6.5km and swam in the evening . Was the first proper swim session with 2km all up but lots to work on .

Saturday : I was riding on my own .Headed to the Hills for a 3 hour ride. Got as far as Mundaring Weir Road and then turned back . I was riding back the same way. It was cold and there was fog on Darlington Road as I descended to ride to Mundaring Village . Managed 76 km in a slow ride.

After the ride it was a short run with Molly covering just 3 kms. Then in the arvo it was another cross fit session of 45 minutes. The legs were tired but managed to do 5 rounds of 11 stations although the arms were still sore from Thursday .


Saturday's crossfit session
Sunday was suppose to be an hour ride and run but I ended up doing a a ride with Tim on the MTB for 45 kms .It was a beautiful day although I had a slight cough and decided not to push too hard in case I came down with something.

All up it was a good first week .

Crossfit approx 2.30 hrs
Run :  33kms or approx 3 hours
Swim: 1.5hrs or 3.5km
bike : 215 km or 8.5 hrs