WEEK 30 RACE WEEK & IMWA 2014 RACE REPORT

Bikes at the Transition the day before the race

The view from my front door at Siesta

Swim Start line on Thursday

Press Conference

 

2 First Timers at the Carbo Night

My Bike 1457

On the course ...Pic from Exceed Tri Club

Running by the Exceed post on the run course...Pic from Exceed

On the run slowly .Pic by Paul Heyes

Molly with the Finishers Medal

Trying to eat it

Another Ironman done and dusted. 2014 has been a tough year for many friends and acquaintances. A not so good year generally with disasters and Terrorism . Lots of  illness and just sadness and lives lost. In that perspective and the fact that like Ironman Melbourne I came to the start line quite under done . I started out with the best intentions of training hard but as I have blogged before life did get in the way . There are many I know who have surpassed their own personal PBs and their own boundaries . They should be congratulated and they should justifiably be proud. Any race is hard and fraught with the the possibility of the unknown elements of racing...punctures, nutrition issues , weather and just pure bad luck.

I have seen and been down the path of what it takes to get every ounce of the best performance possible. It takes a lot of consistent training and desire. But as much as I love to improve, sadly I have not put in the work needed and more importantly the consistent work needed. I did survive an Ironman race on minimum workouts and cross fit . In fact the lack of any large volumes of run training and biking are critical but it is the choices we all have to make.

My final week was pretty relaxed despite the mild panic at the lack of swim practice. I rested on Monday and did attend a light Cross fit session ,missed swimming on Tuesday , ran with Molly on Wednesday and drove down on Thursday.

On Friday I swam at the Jetty and the water was perfect. It was flat and not too cold. Got to attend the press conference which I hadn't attended until then . The Female Pro list was impressive and I thought there would be a good race on Sunday. Jason Shortis was racing his last Ironman before retiring and he was there at the conference. He had done 82 Ironmans and that was impressive for someone who held the course record of 8.03:56 in 2006 and generally an all round nice guy. I did want to ask the pros about the new system of restricting the number of qualifying races and races with prize money for the pros but decided that they may not be too forthcoming at a WTC press conference.

The days leading up to an Ironman are pretty much relaxing for me theses days . I have a routine and this year other than not doing any activity on the Saturday morning I stuck to the routine. I did ride the new section which was a 30 km addition to make the bike course a 2 lap course.

The day came by quickly enough and I got up at 3.45 and I was down at the Start line by 4.15 am. Got everything I needed  to do including pumping the tires , putting my nutrition on the bike and my wetsuit on fairly early. Headed down to the beach talked to Richard Kelso-Marsh who did Mandurah and turned out to have a pretty good race .He was training for Rottnest and is a good swimmer anyway. (he finished under 12 hrs ) I saw Rusty at the bike transition as he is always next to me and he also had a good race as it turned out going sub 10 for a new PB and 5th in my age group .

I did manage a quick warm up no issues with the goggles and the weather was perfect and the water was great. The men and women pros were soon off and all too soon the hooter was off .The start with 1900 triathletes is always spectacular when watching from the top. I started at the extreme right heading straight for the end of the jetty. I managed for the most part to avoid the crowd of swimmers and stay on someones feet. I did not push too hard on the swim and other than at the turn around where there was some shoving I had a lot of clear water. The return after rounding the Jetty was always slow. i tried to stay on someones feet and for the first time felt pretty relaxed and had no cramping in the legs. I stood up on the beach at 1.22 and the swim time was logged at 1.23 which was about the same time I had last year. The only difference was the total lack of swim training this year.

I took my time at transition and then on to the bike . I found it pretty windy on the course and crowded. I admittedly wasn't always the regulation 12 meters as there were clumps of cyclist and passing or being passed was tiring. I did the first lap in about 3 hrs and the second a little slower. At about 107km Lindsay who does cross fit as well passed me. I managed to stay with her and we passed each other regularly for the remaining 70kms till the end. I had a slow bike time of 6.11.

The run was always going to be tough this time round as I had managed one 21km run and lots of short runs. I struggled through the first 6km and then just had to walk from the fatigue setting in .But after the 8km mark I managed to jog slowly and as Rod Atkinson was riding by and supporting Exceed triathletes stated , it was better to have a system of run/walk and sticking to it. I had planned on doing just that. I managed to run 10 minutes and walk 2 minutes.As slow as I was that seemed to work. The legs were hurting and I had about 6 Nurofen and 2 Panadol . The quads were  still  hurting.  The support on the run course is always good. In the past 8 years of  being in this sport I have come to meet lots of people . I kept up the run/walk routine .Lots of people were sick and/or walking. John D was ahead of me by about 2 or 3 kms and that remained  for the rest of the 42 kms as I was never going faster . I managed to survive on water and Gatorade at the aid stations with some water melon till the 24km point when I started taking coke as well. 

Finishing a race is always a relief. I was glad to cross the line . I had caught up with Nick Crane towards the end and whilst it was my slowest time at Busso , I had no set times and no pressure on myself to beat any particular time. I crossed the line with Nick Crane in 13.21 hrs . I was glad and relieved to finish . Trevor , who introduced me to triathlons ,  was riding the run course and followed me for the few kms before the end. There are many emotions racing through the day but this time round despite the lack of race fitness,  it was one of immense gratitude I was able to race and finish. What has been a difficult year for many makes the race pale into insignificance. I am a finisher ,  an Ironman , a triathlete but it isn't everything I am . I am a Father , a son , a brother , a husband , a colleague and friend . 

Ultimately , winning and doing ones best is important , I strive to be competitive. Not so much this year . But in the context of everything in life , there is a bigger truth about what it is that is important about training and racing , it is are we having fun. The race organization of an Ironman is very good and they put on a show but over the years I have felt that it has lost a bit of its soul, that edgy , grassroots atmosphere of just everyone getting together to do a race because we can. It is slick and the President of Asia-Pacific WTC shakes your hand ,you get a medal and a picture taken and a towel and you are herded to the recovery area . All this was great at my first Ironman and what makes WTC so successful is that cookie cutter recipe of a successful show .You know what you are getting. With Challenge on the scene , there is at least an alternative to racing Ironman .

Post the race I tried to have some food but could not hold anything down. I did have a massage and usually after the race I would be cramping badly .For the first time I had no cramping issues through out possibly as I did not race hard .  I slept well and again no screaming cramps in the middle of the night. I struggled to walk on the Monday but by Tuesday aside from the general fatigue I was fine .Life goes on .

Week 29 Stay Calm You are an Ironman

Relaxing with Molly

ATTA Time Trial Tuesday at Kings Park

Cottesloe beach Sunday Swim

Sorrento Monday's Swim

Wednesday Sorrento Beach

After Saturday's Ride Playing with the Dog

Two weeks out to Ironman WA on 7 December 2014 at Busselton .My eight Busselton race in as many years . I missed the first to third races as I had not started on this Triathlon journey back then.

This has been one of the more relaxed and enjoyable training period leading into an Ironman. I did wish I had swum more but time and energy conspired against that . Having said that , I will try and enjoy the experience . The female Pro list is very impressive and I hope I get a chance to meet a few of them. I particularly hope Pip Taylor does start as she has a long Triathlon Pedigree and as a new mom it will be nice to see her back in Triathlon as will Beth Gerdes who raced IM Langkawi some 5 months after giving birth to a baby girl . Luke McKenzie will be with her cheering so I hope to say Hi. I still have his little hand scrawled note transferring his Kona slot after his IM Japan win .(can't cash it in unfortunately) . But they make the race a little more special and it will be sad that there will not be pros in the field this time next year.

With 2 week to go , not a lot I can do to get stronger or faster , just maintain what I have and hope for the best . I started out the week with a swim at Sorrento in the morning. It was a lot calmer and Lindsay and I and Dennis got in a good 1600m swim. I felt slow but more comfortable in the water . In tha afternoon a slow 7km run in my Hokas .

Tuesday I did the ATTA time trial at Kings Park .Hard work as I was really slow on the ride up Lovekin Drive even though it was not steep . I managed to keep at Threshold pace on average and did the 17km loop in about 38 minutes .Pretty slow but good baseline level for future rides at Kings Park. In the evening did a short crossfit session , about 30 minutes and I did not push hard.

Wednesday , another swim at Sorrento and we did about 1400meters .It was a good and flat ocean day.

Thursday  I did not ride in the morning as it was thundering and just did my cross fit. A solid session of 45 minutes .Friday , I swam again , lots of stingers but we managed about 1400 meters.

Saturday , Lindsay , Alan and I rode from Sorrento to Rous Head at Fremantle and back .A distance of 55km and we averaged just under 30kph. It was hard work going down in the headwind but we got the tailwind coming back and made good time. It was a short 2 hour ride and then took Molly out for a walk and run .In the afternoon , cross fit with 150 push press , 150 squats and 50 push ups for time  . I managed it in under 30 minutes .

Sunday , I swam with Les at Cottesloe .Managed about 2.25 km and again I was slow but got more comfortable as I went. Tim came along and Trevor was suppose to come but he got burgled that morning .

Tim is fighting a recurrence of his cancer and so life is put in perspective. You can get ill, bad things happen and great sporting heroes die suddenly (as in Phillip Hughes tragic death this week) but life goes on and there is more to be thankful for then sad. Despite the lack of preparation and training , I made it to the other end , I am not stressed and I am glad I am here . I have printed my checklist and I have started getting ready for the race. Lots can go wrong hence I always revisit the basics. (see my blog on  Helpful hints and Words )( Coping with pre-race nerves )

In fact it is chalk and cheese how I recall my first IM race in 2007 and now. Watching the first timers prepare , it isn't sufficient to tell them it will be alright the work has been done and time to just enjoy the day for what it is ...a long training day.The sun will rise the next day and no one else will notice but you will be an Ironman. No matter how the race pans out , your race doesn't define you.  It should hopefully make you stronger for having tried .

Week 28 Tapering & Living On A Prayer

The in joke about my Training for an Ironman is simply that I haven't . Life somehow conspired to get in the way of a perfectly good training programme or simply put I just got distracted .As in all journeys there were lots of detours , false starts and just plain laziness. Its been the most laid back relaxed preparation since Ironman New Zealand which was just a case of being mentally exhausted from too much training.

This time round it has been fun and relaxed. The dog takes some responsibility for the rather slack attitude as I have spent far more time with her and the Family . Even when training this year she has been by my side whilst I do my wind trainer sessions and she has been on some runs.

This past week with 3 weeks to Ironman WA at Busselton , I put in a decent effort . I did have a few rest days as I needed it . I got my weekly massage from Adele and that helped at least get my legs back to some level of not feeling sore all the time. Thursday , I got in a cross fit session , Friday , a run with stairs and ramps along Sorrento. Not a lot of distance but just lots of climbing for an hour.

Saturday , another 112km ride down the freeway bike path and run off the bike .It was a little wet and windy at times . Lots of friends and fellow triathletes were out . Managed a reasonable pace around 30kph and I felt reasonable comfortable.

Not the fastest but for the little training I have done. I think I am where I am . Sunday , I was down at Sorrento , the old stalking grounds . We all swam but it was a little swelly and I struggled .We did about 1200 possibly 1600 m before calling it a day.We then all ran 10 , I did 11km in just over 1 hr so felt like a good pace.My swim training has been non existent and for a not so strong swimmer it will be he leg I would be worried about .

It has been a good week .The training has dropped down , not that I had any hard weeks this time round. There were far more issues to get stressed about and an Ironman Race is just not one of them .

Week 26 & 27 Getting close

Sunday's recovery walk with Irondog ..duck watching

A month to Ironman Busselton , still not stringing any consistent training. It was a week of easing back after no training last week.

I managed to run on Monday and did Cross fit on Tuesday , then on Wednesday I ran again doing a 10km run with 6 x 1km at 5 minute pace at lunchtime. On Thursday I did a hard cross fit session, no riding and Friday had an easy run . Saturday I missed morning training ending up sleeping late but made it to Cross fit. I did ride on Sunday when everyone else was racing Mandurah 70.3.I was planning on watching the race but had to put in a long ride training session. I managed to get in 105kms in 40C heat . I ran out of nutrition and water so had a coke at Metrio and my wife picked me up as it wasn't really worth riding the rest of the way home in the heat. Only the 2nd time ever she picked me up but I suspect more out of concern that I was riding in noon Perth traffic then the heat. In the afternoon I ran 10kms in the heat and the legs were well and truly cooked.

Cross fit 3hrs
Bike 4 hrs or 105km
Run: 40km or 4hrs
Total 11hrs

I had the next 3 days to recover as everything was very sore.I had a massage on Tuesday and that helped but could not bend or walk let alone run. In hindsight not the best Sunday training day especially as the legs were sore from cross fit the day before. There were only a few riders out on the course so it felt pretty quiet on the bike path . I had a good strong wind on the way back and the heat . My next training session was Thursday 13 November with a cross fit session , I then did some stairs with Boris and crew on Friday and on Saturday we rode the freeway . I missed them at the Narrows start but eventually we all made it back . I had a puncture near Paganoni Road and wasted 2 cannisters as I kept unscrewing the valve as I tried to disconnect the gas connector from the valve. Had a fellow triathlete stop and help me. Rode the rest of the way with no cannisters and no pump. Hard day but the legs felt a lot better this ride than last Sundays . My garmin switched off after 21kms so I had no idea how slow or fast I was going .I just tried to keep it as consistent as I could. Lots of people calling out but they were so fast I could not really tell who they were but obviously everyone was out on the freeway bike path. I even got touched up by someone on the BYL crew riding past. Not sure but they were motoring back at near 40kph.

I ran a short run ,just under 3km off the bike , then had coffee with Lindsay and JD . In the afternoon it was cross fit ladder of exercises with weights .Iam glad I used 20kg especially with the overhead squats as the legs were sore. Managed the full workout getting up to 9 repeats for each of the 7 exercises we had. On Sunday got to City Beach for a mini triathlon but with the Open Water swim happening we ditched the swim and did a 32km bike ride and a 10km run. I have not had any Ocean swim training since the Half Ironman in May. The ride and run brick went well. I felt pretty good on the bike and managed to run at least 5-6 km at 5.30 pace and the rest at  under 6minute pace. Despite  the slow start to the week I managed a few good sessions.

Cross fit 2.5 hrs
Run 2.5 hrs or 20km
Bike 5.5 hrs or 144km
Total: 10.5 hrs

Nimal having a rest

Saturdays ladder session staring with one of each exercise followed by 2, 3,4,5 and so on

Week 24 & 25 CAPE TO CAPE

Cape to Cape MTB 2014 - Day 1 - Leeuwin Lighthouse to Hamelin Bay from Cape to Cape MTB on Vimeo.

At the Start

Finish line first stage

With NCTC tumbleweed riders on the 2nd day

Like all great plans , this was hatched early in the year with the intention of a more diverse training plan and a bit of a mini training camp similar to the few days I spent at Margaret River last year riding .It was fun .

This year I thought the Cape to Cape MTB , a 4 day event would be good preparation. I managed to convince Tim to tag along and be driver , bike mechanic and support crew. I did forget that it was a MTB race and my one ride on single track probably was not enough preparation. It was not technically challenging accept that there were lots of scary bits , lots of steep climbs (which weren't climbs because everyone I was riding with got off their bikes and walked up the hills) , and I fell a lot.

Overall it was a great experience, another subset of the endurance fraternity and some definite lunatics.

The Cape to Cape started of on 23 October 2014 at the lighthouse at Augusta. By the Thursday morning , I had already done one wind trainer session of 40km , a run on Monday of 9km .On Wednesday I did not manage any training leaving work and heading straight down to Margaret River .On Thursday it was a late start so I got in a 7km run on the beautiful trails around the town, then drove with Tim down to Augusta .Great day with a short 42km stage .Was told it was the toughest section. I started out at the back and my aim was to finish. I had a great bike , a Giant XTC hardtail MTB which I picked up second hand .A great light bike , the rider was quite a different story.

The race started close to 1pm and it was an immediate 4km ride on bitumen up hill and then down through a steep sandy trail . It was constant undulation with a number of climbs through the bush being so steep I saw everyone dismount and walk up . I came off the bike more times then I care to remember and had my heart in my mouth on a number of the downhill sections as I was just so worried about coming off .

The beach scene was spectacular but again walking over a km was tiring (see 1.14 on the vimeo footage )

In the end I was covered in dust but made it through the first day without any injuries.Just pretty tired after 3hrs 40min . I did a short run after the ride and the legs were feeling it.

 Day 2 , A new experience backing up the first day on the Mountain Bike with another MTB ride. Today was a 57 km ride less taxing than day one and lots more trails and single track in the Boyanup Forrest .It was a great day of riding and there was some limestone tracks and lots of sand as well but I got through it feeling a lot more comfortable. Every time we hit a road or fire trail I got better and more confident then the true mountain bikers . I enjoyed the day a lot more and we finished at Xanadu Winery . I finished in 3.25 and rode back to Margaret River another 6.5km ride.In the morning of Day 3 Tim and I rode to Xanadu for the start. We had a mass ride through the town and then a start from just outside the town. This was the more technical of the rides with more single track. It turned out to be great but I came off at the start on gravel and took a fair bit of skin off.After the technical sections and with just 2-3 km left to the end I came down hard on a sandy downhill track hitting my neck and right shoulder and again more cuts on the right side. I finished really slow and hurt . It was a hard night as I could not turn or move my sore and stiff shoulder. Finished in 3.40 hr at the Colonial Brewery just outside Margaret River.Day 3 Garmin Link

Day 4 was one of just trying to stay upright .  I managed that for the 65km but was really slow. It was a great ride but for the sore muscles and painful neck and shoulder. I enjoyed the more open trails and some of the single track with great names like middle earth . I had 2 punctures the last just a few kms from the finish line at Dunsborough Country Club.Lost a fair bit of time changing the flat. The volunteers on the course suggested I use a tubeless tire next year. In the end I was glad I survived , had a ball with Tim and the great people we met along the way.Saw my old Boss Pino who was spectating on the course.We had some great dinners at Xanadu and Colonial Brewery.Day 4 garmin link

It was a great week of training and but for the falls and lack of MTB skills,  turned out to be good week of biking. I had nearly 15 hours of riding and a bit of running at the beginning of the week and on Thursday .

Unfortunately the next week was spend recovering from the cuts and gravel rash and sore neck and shoulder.I had a Doctors visit , antibiotics , pain killers and anti inflammatories. So week 25 was a forced rest week with no training .

Redbull downhill on Friday Night

Day 3 Morning Coffee before the ride

Tim

Cape to Cape Pin For IronDog

Week 23

After Saturday's ride all tired out

A little late as it slowly draws down to Ironman Busselton.I have had a mixed and far from perfect preparation largely put down to just motivation. Everything aches and hurts and I have been feeling my way through a mix of sessions trying to get the right amount of rest and recovery with specific workouts mixed in with cross fit .It has been largely hard as the sessions have all overlapped into the next and made trying to get the most of what I had planned done difficult.It had been a little hit and miss and primarily this years race has not been such a priority . I have succumbed to everything else in life being important and so sessions have been missed due to just a lack of motivation to push through. It is a balancing act and mentally I have not been as focused.

This past week I have done my usual run on a Monday at lunch . just an easy 9km run .On Tuesday I did my wind trainer session 40km in over an hour using the Sufferfest DVDs. Wednesday had a run at Lunch and a swim in the morning ,one of my rare morning sessions covering 2.7km . On Thursday skipped the ride and did cross fit .I was pretty sore the next day but swam in the morning again doing about 2.5km and ran at lunch an easy 7 km .On Saturday I did a long ride tagging along with Exceed riders doing the freeway ride . Got dropped and rode mainly on my own for the 130km ride .Wasn't fast and felt quite tired at the end. I wasn't exerting much power as well so may have just been tired . I did manage to get to Cross fit in the afternoon .

Thursday's session

Sunday I decided to just have a rest day.

Overall:
Run : 3 hrs or 26 km
Bike: 170km or 5.46hrs
Swim: 5.2km or 2 hrs
Cross fit :2 hrs
total: 12.46 hrs

Week 21 & 22

Sharing the Road

These past 2 weeks of training have been very light as I tried to recover from a sore left knee and just general fatigue and tiredness. Rather than just recounting my sessions that I did do , the past weekend gone by ,  usually filled with activity and following friends and triathletes online at the Ironman World championships took a very steep dive emotionally with the news of another death of a cyclist , a triathlete and someone I knew in the triathlon community.

I did not know Brynt personally but I knew Katey his girlfriend and had seen him on many occasions at triathlons , at the cafe and with Katey riding in the hills on my rides earlier in the year before Ironman Melbourne and right at the beginning when Exceed (even before Exceed was a Tri Club) we would meet up at Tiger Lils Cafe and Katey and Brynt would be having breakfast there . It hits home how vulnerable we are on the road. I use the same route , less so now , when heading to the hills and so do all my friends and club mates ,  and I am sure many other cyclist ride the same roads on their way to Kalamunda and the Hills . I felt tired on Saturday and opted to not ride and take my dog to the beach. On Sunday I did the ATTA time trial as 2000 triathletes were racing in Kona and as I checked my Facebook page , news of Brynt's death was being posted.  

The rest of the Sunday just felt numb . I didn't really feel like following the World Championships and everything else felt less important . Whilst I can't pretend to express or know the pain his family and loved ones are going through , it was closer to home than the stories I read of cyclist or motorist killed each week on our road. I blogged about the senseless deaths of cyclist last year ( Cycling: the beauty and the tragedy 17 May 2013) and the need for at least some laws to ensure motorist give cyclist the space to avoid tragedy .We always come off second best . Any law won't prevent all deaths and particularly the stupidity of people driving and breaking the current laws be it texting ,using their mobile phones or drink driving . But I believe in more protection because lives are being lost through senseless and dangerous driving . Education is certainly a factor and the aggression of some motorist vs cyclist needs to be stopped by both sides . I have seen motorist and cyclist acting badly . I am a car user and I am conscious of cyclist because I have and I am in their shoes. I wish as the blogger Kristy Muir in her piece Clip into Our Shoes ( http://theperformanceproject.com.au/clip-into-our-shoes/ ) expressed it , we only want to share the road and we all want to get home safely .

 In other parts of the world it isn't a tough ask. This past week here in Perth , One family , a Partner , a Community can't say that for one of its own .

Week 20

Guardian of the Galaxy - Spirit in the sky

An easy week  beginning of September 22 as I skipped a number of session this week just from fatigue and work.

Monday

A run of 8km easy at Lunchtime.

Tuesday

Ran again at Lunchtime an easy 7km and then did a wind trainer session with the suffer fest DVD for 1.15 doing 40kms .

Wednesday

I ran in the evening a round Kings park but did not do intervals just kept the pace up just above threshold. Ran 10kms

Thursday
 Missed the bike session and just did my Cross fit session .It was a hard work out.There was an interesting piece on building atheletism with such workouts ( Why You Need to Be Doing Burpees from the Outside Magazine ) Anything with burpees in it is hard. I was quite sore the next day .I managed a run at lunch with an easy 7km run as well and a short 4km run with Molly before Cross fit.

Friday

An easy run of  8 km and then a swim in the evening .I had an easy 500m swim and another 500m then 800 with PB and then 700 without  and 500 to finish .Total 3km.

Saturday

Saturday's Cross fit session

I decided to skip riding.The weather was foul and just had a rest .Did attend the cross fit session.

Sunday

Rest Day ...weather wasn't the best so just caught up with Trevor and Les for coffee.

Week 19

After wind trainer session

The time is rolling by quickly. I have had two lighter weeks partly just out of circumstances and feel .

The week beginning 8 September was week 19 since I started preparation at least for Busselton be it at a very informal and relaxed pace. Little swimming and a bit more bike and running but nothing like the hours from past programmes as the blog will attest. This is a very uch minimalist approach to training for my sanity , health and probably well being and longevity in the sport. grinding out miles and hours may help but probably in the long run it will lead to injury and for me just turning away from the sport.

Monday
 as expected an easy run at Lunch time of 8 km . Kept the HR to under threshold and ran at about 6min -6.15 pace.Not fast but I wasn't struggling either.

Tuesday

I ran again in the afternoon just 7km and then in the evening did a session on the spin bike for 1.10 - a sufferfest dvd trying to keep my heart rate above threshold.I did take the breaks offered but by and large kept the heart rate going .Rode 40km

Wednesday

I ran an interval session and did 10km with 5 x 1km and 2 x 500m at below 5 minute pace. In the evening I swam by myself finishing a steady 2.5km with a 500m warm up and then 700,600 , 500 and cool down 200m .

Thursday

Rode in the morning at Kings Park doing a high cadence session for about 30 minutes and then managed just 4 climbs on lovekin before I had to head back to the city for work. In the evening it was a hard cross fit session .

Friday

Got a short easy run in of 7km and then decided to skip the swim.

Saturday

Had a hard 2.5 hr wind trainer session with the sufferfest DVDs . 85 kms of sweating as it was warm . went through 3 T shirts and was pretty tired after the session. cross fit in the evening was  just that little tougher with the legs tired.

Saturday's WOD

Sunday
I was supposed to be swimming but the weather was not ideal so I ran earlier , an easy 7km along the coast and fortunately we skipped the swim as the rain came as we were having coffee at Daisies in Cottesloe.

Total
Swim: 1hr or 2.5km
Bike: 5.5 hrs or 150km
Run: 4 hrs or 40km
cross fit : 2hrs
Total: 12 hrs

10 lessons from My Dog

In life as in Triathlon/Endurance sports, there is a journey of discovery and many lessons to learn and mistakes to make along the way.The often used cliche.

Having a Dog at this point in my life has changed if not skewered the way I see life and  my training , sport and fitness. Even an animal such as a Dog , non communicative , for many a lesser being then humans , can teach us valuable lessons .Lessons they don't set out to teach , but are instinctive in their nature.

These are:

Loyalty and Love Unconditionally

First and foremost Loyalty to the group they are with , her family. They do not know mistrust and hate , but are loyal in their time and  their instinctive ability to know when to be there and to just be themselves to comfort and care. They love unconditionally and repay the warmth of home and family tenfold.

Sleep
Try to have as much rest and sleep as possible .It is good for the body and it is good for the soul . Watching Molly sleep , her lungs inhaling and exhaling air and her diaphragm moving in rhythm is relaxing in itself and it is vital to getting the best out of ourselves.

Food
She loves food and is not a purveyor of all that is good for her. But in retrievers with a very high incidence of cancer in the breed , the lesson is sometimes we have to set the standards of what is healthy and good for her . Being firm and strong is hard and having the discipline to carry through on maintaining a healthy and balance diet is important. It is caring and taking responsibility

Play
We must all have time to relax and play .Downtime and just not having a plan or a goal or doing something is constructive. the world is complicated ,busy and technology filled to the point where every second is driven with absorbing information or doing several tasks on the go. Whilst as wonderful and efficient as it is compared to 20 years ago , just not doing anything probably helps the grey cells recharge. Molly does lots of this and dogs never lose their innocence if owners allow them to be themselves.

Exercise/ stretch/ smell the Roses

Retrievers were born to run , and chase and swim and retrieve .They aim to please but also they love it . She seeks out puddles to sit on them,  she drives towards the waters edge dying to jump in , she chases seagulls on the beach and swims across rivers. She stretches when she gets up and shakes her body and wiggles on her back . She sniffs and picks scents on her walks. She lives life to the full . If only I did more of the stretching and smelling the Roses .

Don't fight
She retreats and is friendly to all other animals . Gets along with all dogs and avoids the ones who growl. Her disposition is to avoid a fight.

Forgive

Dogs forgive. Or maybe they don't harbor anger or ill feeling at all. If only we could cut away the cancer or hate and anger each day from minds and live in the moment and day and move on.
 

Compassion/Empathy

If there was one great attribute it is  Compassion and Empathy .They know when you are sad and unwell and when you are happy . They are alive and tuned to every sound, smell and vibe.

Trust your instincts

We probably  lose ours by the time we are five. Dogs never do.They leap at it as only dogs know how
without fear .They trust their instincts and gallop full on . If only we could live as they do . 

Things don't matter
Dogs don't care about material things .They want your company , your attention and devotion. that is all that matters , being and living in the present and enjoying the moment.

Love unconditionally and you will be rewarded 10fold.

Week 18

Coffee at Metrio after Saturday's ride

The weather has been steadily improving despite a few showers in the morning and I have not totally escaped getting wet. After the sore left knee stopped any serious training for a few days I was keen to get back

Monday

A good easy run at lunch time running 8km @ 6.30 pace and then in the evening swimming at Terry Tyzacks on my own. I did 3 x 1km at just under threshold to medium pace. First time I felt OK in the water but still slow .

Tuesday

Cycled in the evening and did a 1.45 session with high cadence riding around Nedlands and then just riding up and down Lovekin Drive in Kings park. Not too many people about finished in the dark .Rode about 45km with 6 repeats up Lovekin drive.

Wednesday

Ran at Lunchtime doing my intervals .A little slower with a sore knee but managed to do 5 x 1km @4.50 pace . ran about 10.0 km . In the evening swam again with a 500m warm up and then 700m ,500,400m, 300, 200 m swim and a 100m cool down for a total of 2.7km .


Thursday

I did not ride in the morning as planned but ran in the afternoon an easy 6km  and then got to cross fit a little late so ended up doing the last bit of the workout on my own. The pull ups are always the hardest for me.

Thursday's WOD

Friday

Molly and Sufferfest

I ran in the afternoon another easy 8km run @6 15 pace and in the evening rather than swimming did a wind-trainer session for 40km with a Sufferfest  video .It was a hard workout trying to keep my HR above threshold

It is always hard trying to keep the heart rate and legs at that level. Pretty much shattered at the end of the session.

Saturday

I managed to finally get out at 5.30am and rode to the Hills on my usual course

Saturday's Ride up in the hills via Mundaring . There weren't too many cyclist at the start but up in Mundaring there were a few riding the hills. I rode back via Metrios where I had a quick coffee with the Exceed crew and Ross before riding home .Dropped Jonathan off at Karate and then took Molly for a run.It was a short run of 3.5km as she seemed tired and did not want to run the 5km I had planned.

In the afternoon it was a good cross fit work out with 6 rounds of exercises lasting 8 minutes including a work out on the rower . 

Tired after Saturday's run off the bike

Sunday

I managed a really good nights sleep and rode from Deep water point to Wandi for the time trial.it was just enough of a distance to warm up the legs .the time trial was hard as the legs were pretty tired after the Saturday ride and cross fit. I was a little slower than my previous attempt as expected. managed a 33kph average and missed a turn on the first lap. The heart rate was struggling to get above 145 bpm so I knew I was tired and the legs were not firing.

ATTA TIME Trial Wandi 14 September 2014

Wandi ATTA Time Trial Start Line

After the time trial I rode back and had breakfast at Georges with the Boris crew . legs were tired . I was suppose to run in the afternoon but after various family commitments , time just ran out.

Total
Swim: 2 hrs or 5.7km
Bike: 240 km or 9h20m 
Run: 36 km or 3h50m
Cross fit: 2hrs
Total: 17h10m

Week 17 A little Sore

◄ Aug 2014	~ September 2014 ~					Oct 2014 ►
Sun	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat
	1 AM  SWIM PM RUN	2 AM BIKE !hr Threshold effort Zone 4 142 to 154 PM Cross Fit	3 AM SWIM PM RUN INTERVALS	4 AM BIKE Hill repeats PM Cross Fit	5 AM SWIM	6 AM LONG BIKE 4-.5 hr bike with 3 efforts @30m Run off bike 30minutes easy PM CROSS FIT
7 AM LONG RUN/MTB	8 AM  SWIM PM RUN	9 AM BIKE!hr Threshold effort Zone 4 142 to 154 PM Cross Fit	10 AM SWIM PM RUN INTERVALS	11 AM BIKE Hill Repeats PM Cross Fit	12 AM SWIM	13 AM LONG BIKE 4-.5 hr bike with 3 efforts @30m Run off bike 30minutes easy PM CROSS FIT
14 ATTA TIME TRIAL WANDI	15 AM  SWIM PM RUN	16 AM BIKE!hr Threshold effort Zone 4 142 to 154 PM Cross Fit	17 AM SWIM PM RUN INTERVALS	18 AM BIKE Hill repeats PM Cross Fit	19 AM SWIM	20 AM LONG BIKE 44.5 hr bike with 3 efforts @30m Run off bike 30minutes easy PM CROSS FIT
21 AM LONG RUN/MTB	22 AM  SWIM PM RUN	23 AM BIKE!hr Threshold effort Zone 4 142 to 154 PM Cross Fit	24 AM SWIM PM RUN INTERVALS	25 AM BIKE Hill repeats PM Cross Fit	26 AM SWIM	27 WTF ULTRA MARATHON (possibly)
28 AM Recovery	29 AM  SWIM PM RUN	30 AM BIKE!hr Threshold effort Zone 4 142 to 154 PM Cross Fit	Notes:

September Prog

The beginning of September and the start of stepping up the training a notch or two.

I still dislike the cold and wet conditions and try and avoid it for the sake of injuries and accidents.But the week did not go as planned.

Monday

An easy run of just 8km and pretty relaxed.Did not do anything else for the day.

Tuesday

I rode in the morning and there was no rain at least whilst I was out.It was a pretty lonely ride and did see the packs of riders about on Birwood. The HR was jumping a fair bit but did get the Heart rate above threshold for the hour .All up did ride about 50km .

In the afternoon got a massage at lunchtime from Adele Richards at Northbridge. Needed it but with very tight calf's and quads , it hurt a lot.

In the evening it was a cross fit workout with weights .


Wednesday

Again been skipping my swimming and  I do need to begin to be consistent and start swimming regularly.

I did my interval running at lunchtime.A hard session with 5 x 1km at threshold or higher.managed to keep at 4.45min/km pace for the 5 and then did 2 x 500m at about the same pace. Unfortunately at the last run I jarred my left leg as I slowed down ,unfortunately as I have torn the ligaments in the left leg a few times in my previous life as a hockey player it was an occupational risk when training .As I was slowing down I jarred the left knee. The leg was sore and just got worse but I did not think it would prevent any training.

Thursday

Picture of Mount Street : site of many a fitness session

I ran at  lunchtime doing a 7km easy run.In the evening I had a very short ride at Kings Park with  9 repeats of Mount Street .Legs hurt especially the knee.The heart rate jumped a fair bit and I was crawling up the hill. Saw only one other rider doing the repeats as everyone else rode home or were involved in Boot camp work outs .

Unfortunately the rest of the week was a non event with the knee swelling. I managed the cross fit on Saturday but decided not to run or bike  and just have a rest. I did manage to get to cross fit on Saturday.

A little disappointing I did not finish the week of training.

Bike:70km or 3 hrs
Run:   25km or 2.35
cross fit : 2 hrs
Total: 7.35