triathlon training diary

The Week In Training

2012-02-11T21:52:00.000+08:00

Thursday 9 February

This is one of the harder days along with Tuesday on the programme. I was up at 4.30am and down at City beach just after 5am.

Got my bike and gear ready .It was a Bike /run session of 1 hour. A bike for 10 minutes and run for 10 minutes x 3 . Sounds easy and I had a similar programme on Thursday last year but getting back into it was hard. just the extra weight I am carrying made it hard.

I had my Garmin but it was not set up to multi sport function so the whole session was just timed as a bike ride.

I did manage the run sections at just under 5minute pace which is a start to build on. The ride is still weak.

In the evening I had my first wind trainer session in several months. It was a hot 35C day in Perth and at 6.30 in a Factory in Osborne Park in did not feel that much cooler.I had 2 bidons of water and after the session another 2 bidons . It was hot and sweaty.

A tough but good work out especially when everyone is there and you just can't slack off. My legs were jelly . Brad had his choice of music but when I was that light headed it did not matter , I was just counting down the minutes.

Friday 10 February

I had a swim session and a rest in the evening. Swim was a 1000m warm up easy and 400 m of 25 fist 25 free . The main set was then 10 x 100m at various pace and 50m x 6 and a 100 m cool down .A total session of 2.8km .

Saturday 11 February
First longish ride with a run of the bike.It was suppose to be 70km with a 6km run off the bike.I was up and out of the Door before five in the morning and headed to the meeting area.I just got the wrong spot .I waited at Point Walter before calling Brad at 10 to six and being told it was Deepwater point.I parked at the Raffles and rode as quickly to the freeway Cycle path as they were off already.i managed to meet up with them at Murdoch . Once we had got clear of the construction area we started 5 minutes of above threshold workouts with 5 minutes recovery building to a maximum effort for the last 5 minutes session. It was then a tempo ride all the way back. I struggled after the 70km mark.Either my fitness level was still not up to the mark or the lack of nutrition was a factor. I had a bidon of Gatorade and 3 Power sweets . I had another bidon of water but really suffered as I felt pretty light headed when I got back and the legs were hurting.

The wind wasn't so bad and it was a good first ride. I managed to keep my HR at a pretty steady level and probably at about 75% MHR.

The afternoon was spent at YOGA which definitely helped the tight muscles everywhere.

The first week of training is done and 12 to go.

Service

2012-02-10T20:06:00.000+08:00

On Tuesday , whilst travelling back from home from run training I was listening to 7.20 AM ABC radio .It was a discussion on training , retaining staff and the retail industry.

I am not a big fan of fast food ( I like the stuff but not the weight gain and unhealthy fat) ,but on the radio programme the radio host gave an example of walking into a McDonald's in the US and asking for a coffee and an apple pie only to be told the apple pies were not ready and would he like a muffin.He had a muffin and the coffee but was told by the 15 year old serving him that because he did not have his first request , the apple pie , the coffee was free.

The story highlights how the McDonald's philosophy and level of training they provide to their staff to make sure as best as possible no one leaves the store unhappy. The guy recounting the story said , the 15 year old was well trained to deliver the message but understood the importance of the message McDonald's was trying to relay to their customers .You are important and we will do everything we can to serve you . He said he would employ that girl anytime because product knowledge can be taught but critical in the world is people skills and good communication skills.

This brings to mind a quote :

"Win or lose you will never regret working hard, making sacrifices, being disciplined or focusing too much. Success is measured by what we have done to prepare for competition." ---John Smith

What does this have to do with triathlons ?.It is the same discipline and attention to preparation and organised training , good time management and positive mental attitude that we have to develop as Triathletes that easily carry over in our daily lives. We always hear the oft quoted line bring your A game. Well we can always strive to bring our A game in what ever we do.

So the challenge is each day as training sessions present , I will try to apply that same enthusiasm and will to push my training to the next level , to be organised so that I have that life balance and apply that to all other aspects of life each day be it at work and interacting with colleagues and clients and just anyone.

Week 1 Ironman 70.3 Training

2012-02-08T20:41:00.000+08:00

Capucino from Metriole after swim training ...Pic by Meredith. with her phone camera

WEEK 1
MONDAY
Monday morning was a swim session at Terry Tyzacks pool .i got there early and so started swimming 15 minutes earlier. It was cold , a change from the hot weather of the past 2 weeks.

The session comprised :
Sloe easy warm up of 200m with PB, 300m easy FS and then a further 200m FS .

The session was drills with
50m zipper , 50m free , 50m finger drag , 50m free x 2
100m free and 100m medley x 1

Main set:
400m easy to fast
300m
200m medley
100 fast
repeated
with the 400m and 300m again

cool down 100m easy

total; 3km

In the evening , I ran 9km at a comfy pace which meant running at a pace which i felt comfortable at and could run at indefinitely. It was about a 6.30 minutes per km pace. it was nice and warm but at that pace I was able to run the 5-8 kms I had to do on the first day without much difficulty.

Tuesday
On Tuesday , I was up at 4.30 am and out the door by a quarter to 5 .First day of group training out at Hillaries on the coast .it was a warm up ride of about 14-15km and then 6 hill repeats on a short sharp climb of 400m on 5-6% gradient .I was riding my first bike an Al raceline pave bike with tribars as the requirement was to do the ride on a road bike and that is my only road bike .It was hard and getting the gearing right was a trial and error activity.i dropped my back light and so on the way back from the warm up loop i picked it up and got dropped from the main group and the fast guys lapped me on the hill repeats.but i had to ride to my capability.

It was windy and I felt the extra weight i was lugging up the hill. That will be the routine for the next few weeks.

In the evening it was run training and it was hot .we did a warm up and then a 3km time trial .i ran a 14.19 which was 1.26 slower than last year in August. again lack of fitness and weight were decisive but I now have a base to run from.

It is quite a large squad and as I said it helps to have to be somewhere at a fixed time .It motivates me to turn up and train and try my best.

Wednesday
Back to the pool. There was9 of us in lane 1 . i started a few minutes earlier and did 600m warm up with a pull Buoy and paddles .Then a kick board for 100m and 100m Free style (FS) .The main set comprised 400m at threshold pace , 300m medium , 200m medium , 400m medium ,300m threshold , 200m medium and a cool down I did a kick board 100m and 100m FS.

Total was 2.8km .

Had breakfast at Metriole which i think is better than the other cafe . They make beautiful coffees with nice designs on the top.

In the evening was a rest period .But I will need to do some core work on Friday and again Yoga on Saturday.

Training Lessons

2012-02-06T21:14:00.000+08:00

Some useful advice just as I commenced my Training programme for the Busselton Ironman 70.3.

I found this short and succinct article on firstoffthebike titled training lessons.

It is mainly commonsense stuff but a timely reminder.

In summary and much repeated advice :

Consistency trumps all
Set goals
There is no easy way
Make rules and deals with yourself
Don’t think, just do
Don’t travel to training for longer than you’ll be training for
Don't judge other people's training

In addition I am back doing core work as part of the programme and I plan to mix up the core work with just general strength work .

This piece on the Livestrong website was useful:

The 20 Best Fitness Tips of All Time

Rivers to Cross

2012-02-05T21:56:00.001+08:00

Many Rivers to Cross- Harry Nilsson..a great singer who won a Grammy for the song Everybody's talking from Midnight Cowboy.

Week One commences tomorrow and I have been reading and re reading the details for week one. It is light and hopefully will kick start the commitment and routine of the past.

I enjoyed Chuckie V last posting on nutrition a re post. I know what needs to be done but the commitment to a strict diet is a little further down the path I am taking presently.Chuckie is always right . I read his earlier piece on commitment. It is all so true and a further piece he did titled Potential Pretense

Like a dark cloud, potential hangs over the heads of countless numbers of talented athletes. Plenty of people are filled with potential. We all have potential. We are potentially capable of anything. I'm a firm believer that anyone can go sub 9:30 in an Ironman, if they only spent the time to prepare themselves accordingly. But few do. I also believe anyone (possessing enough digits) can learn to play the piano. It might not sound all that good, but I'm sure we could all play the thing if we took the time to learn.

But here's the thing. We don't.

There is the fable about the chicken and the pig:

A Pig and a Chicken are walking down the road. The Chicken says, "Hey Pig, I was thinking we should open a restaurant!". Pig replies, "Hm, maybe, what would we call it?". The Chicken responds, "How about 'ham-n-eggs'?".

The Pig thinks for a moment and says, "No thanks. I'd be committed, but you'd only be involved!"[1](WIKIPEDIA)

The two characteristics run hand in hand. Making a commitment is the first stage but we all have caveats and "get out of jail"cards which I wrote about a few days ago under the heading the fifth discipline.It is our excuse to not be committed when the going gets hard. I wax and wane with my capability primarily because of my mental capacity and commitment .I learnt that from my training last year for IMWA 2011 compared to my preparation for Lanzarote which was more committed . The results will follow with the commitment , the knowledge and the hard work.

As Chuckie adds , we all have the potential to do a 9.30 IM time. Most don't realise that result simply for the lack of the factors above.

It is harder for an age grouper working and with a young family but its hard for everyone. Lots of people still don't understand why do it.I can't answer it other than an inner drive to want to achieve a goal. How hungry I am now at this point is what I am going to find out in the next few months.

Iam several kilograms heavier and pretty unfit. So I have a few months to turn it around but I am coming back with a few years of solid training and commitment.I 've paid the money and I have to Commit.

Fundamentals

2012-02-04T12:10:00.000+08:00

The last week of a very ambulatory training sessions and a lack of direction.

I have hardly done any training to speak other than swim and a run again. Work , a lack of focus and more importantly a Plan. Nothing to panic about. It is 13 weeks to the Half.Enough time to get into gear.

Like all the ills in the World there are many lessons to be drawn from many levels in the World.

At Family , village , country and regional levels ,from the perspective of an office or company and from the eye level of a human being in each corner of the world , there are complex and even insoluble problems at first sight but there are fundamental truths and basis for all difficulties.

Get the fundamentals right and it is a start.Have a plan and have a goal. , break down the problem, and most importantly be in the right mental frame. Simply put there has to be a desire.

Most humankind greatest achievements are from individuals not necessarily with the greatest intellect, that helps but the greatest desire.

I listened to a conversation between Thomas Friedman , an author and New York Times columnist with Orville Schell at the Asia Society ( Video of discussion) Aside form the rather significant topic of the emergence of China and the perceived decline of America, there are many lessons to be learnt.

My Take:

Fundamentally without a yearning and a desire , there is no drive .
Get the fundamentals right
Learn and be educated

Bigger problems need a collective desire and unified drive and Country goals and great Leadership. China is a case in point , not for the communism but the unleashing of this yearning in the Human spirit pent up for a century.China is capitalism cloaked in authoritarian rule. With all the benefit of Capitalist free market play.

The 3 simple ideas cover huge aspects of life. Take the simple line "where there is a will , there is a way" .It is simplistic but surely if there was a united view to the US deficit , unemployment , the Palestine problem/solution , the Middle east , the rise of fundamentalism , and so on then surely these insoluble issues will be resolved. But clearly in a dynamic planet of several billion people and many countries , there is no will and no united view.

Will isn't sufficient alone , there must be knowledge and the fundamentals , the petri dish with the right culture to nurture and develop. Be it a single individual , a single task or a whole economy.

With so called development of society comes a descent into a vagueness about desire , goals , fundamental values ,and skills and ultimately a lost of the edge and strengths or success. Being a caveman had its disadvantages but there was one goal, survive. To do so , learning to hunt , finding shelter and reproducing.Very fundamental and probably built in desires in early man.

At the person level , I am learning that renewing the desire to train and compete is just as critical as getting back to basics and building the fundamentals properly. All not easy ideals . to bounce back from a difficult race , a balancing act of work , family and training is the conundrum I will confront for the next 13 weeks as many others do. some more successfully .

I start the journey again with a programme from brad .There was a introduction on Tuesday night . A large group of fellow triathletes . For me it is the challenge to improve and the issue is whether there is enough desire to pull it through I am hoping with a the collective force of coach , training group and the rekindling of the desire from the environment, I will get the fundamental right and the perfect race. Sixth Discipline

The Fifth Discipline

2012-01-28T21:39:00.000+08:00

I have slowly but surely started to get back into a routine.The emphasis is on slowly but the honey moon ends this week .

I sound much like the spoof clip on Shit Triathletes say doing the rounds on Facebook. Seriously it is very hard to be motivated when the race is 4 months away and it is hot. I have started my swimming and did 2 runs in the hot weather... but no cycling this week despite the best intentions. Laying in bed at 5.30 am was a much more attractive proposition.Not for long though.

I have put in 7.5km of swimming and 17km of running.I also did my Yoga session today and sweated a bucket. I have had to slow down a little with a strained back from my monday evening run.

There is lots going on this month and next.There is the City of Perth Olympic Triathlon tomorrow , Rottnest swim 10km trial , ATTA time trial and WAMC run race and a run trail race as well.All tomorrow.I am just trying to get out of the naturally lazy unmotivated phase which I will get out of as I start my programme for Busselton Half in February.

The main focus is getting fit and losing the weight I have gained.I am beginning to feel better in the water and so that is a good start.

Today at Helen's Yoga , one of the newbies to Yoga mentioned that she had heard my short talk at North Coast New members evening last year and she felt very inspired and motivated. Felt good as I had at least reached out to one individual.. You cannot fake genuine interest and desire.

Triathlon can be infectious and fun and all encompassing.At times a little too saccharine in taste when you are in a room full of enthusiasm . Its not bad just too much is not a good thing. So I have tempered my joy of the sport so that I don't bore to death the next unsuspecting individual.

The other singularly frustrating part of any activity is the sayings that go . It is inspiring but sometimes just again too much.

In preparation and in keeping with all good Triathletes around, I have managed to prepare not only for the 4 disciplines of racing but the fifth all important one. The excuse.

In no order of importance after the Busselton Half Ironman 2012:

I was sick
I over trained
I under trained
I did not taper enough
I tapered too much
Everyone was drafting
I got my nutrition all wrong
I did not have enough Nutrition
I had too much nutrition
It was too hot
It was too cold
The injury flared up
I had a mechanical problem/punctures etc
I did not do enough course specific workouts
I didn't have the right coach
I trained alone
I trained in the wrong group
I was too heavy going into the race
I was too light going into the race
I did not take enough salt
I took too much electrolytes
I could not keep anything down
I don't know what happened
I just had an off Day
I had a new programme
I didn't have a programme
I can't swim , bike and run
I just blew up on the run

But all this is irrelevant if I win my age group , restore some respect to my performance , and don't get chicked by every female age grouper. ( and pigs will fly)

But if I don't I will definitely be using one of these lines .It is in the psyche of a triathlete. Like the off the Internet specific tailored training programme for the triathlete , these great lines will be available at the end of each race . I know I will be hearing them lots of times before the season is over.

Chinese New Year

2012-01-22T21:57:00.001+08:00

Today is Chinese New Year Eve. It is the year of the Dragon , the more powerful of the chinese zodiac animals and hence more babies , at least in Chinese culture usually a good year and the Water Dragon signifies a calmer animal.

This week has been a rather slow start to training . I had 3 days where I was very busy with work but otherwise , this past week marked my return to training.No runs but 2 bike rides , 2 swims and Yoga.

On Monday I had a hard swim session doing 2.6km with a 900m and 700m and 600 m swim with a warmup of 400m. On Tuesday I joine Exceed riders out at Shelley where it was a flat hour ride with groups of 3 and 4. I hung on to bryce and Stuart and could only take my turn in the front on the return leg of each loop . That was a 2 hour ride with just under 60km .
I had no training for the next 3 days and then on Saturday I did my first longiah ride .A 90km ride with coffee at the 80km mark. Rode to the narrows where Exceed had its photo session with the new gear and a driver watching us ride along crashed into the rear of a car stopped at the roundabout . The guys rode round the river and at Cottesloe took off.I could'nt keep up and bryce was behind and I maanged to stick to him an dhe dragged me back into the group. I got dropped again at Point walter a few kilometres further and I was on my own for about 45minutes till i got to Shelley where 2 of the guys had bad falls (one with a broken collar bone). I then rode with the remaining group back to the coffee shop but lost some of the riders when they went through a road closed section and I went round . Managed to get back although it was pretty hot by then.

Exceed tried a new coffee place on Angove Street called Matrio .Great coffee although I was too done after the ride to eat anything .

After the ride , I watched the Wanaka race on the internet and saw Gina Crawford cross the line winning her fourth Challenge Wanaka title and after having a baby 6 months earlier. I had Yoga in the afternoon and it is helping with getting more flexible and working on my core. Saturday night was the first night i just crashed and did not get up at all. I slept till 6am and then drove to tonys where we drove to Coogee for a swim.It was overcast and as he described it Sharky weather. We still swam .Ran 1.5km down the beach and swam back .It was alittle choppy and unfortunately there were lots of stingers .i got it on both arms and torso. I swam the whole way .

Breakfast was coffee and muffins at Daisies in Cottesloe. It is back into the routine next week.

I now weigh 76kg and training will be gearing up with running back on the menu.I got the January issue of Triathlete Magazine (US) and a timely article after yesterdays crashes , titled "Bouncing back from a bike Crash " There were 5 pointers , the first AVOID A CRASH . How funny .

The other interesting piece was from paul newsome who is local to perth and he wrote a pice for the magazine called "DO YOU KONW YOUR APE INDEX".That is the difference between the length of your arms and your height. I have a difference of 2 inches , my arms are just 2 inches short of my height. It means that I pretty much have to swim with a higher /faster stroke cadence. See Arm length and the Ape index .

Finally a piece on A Physiological View Of What The Human Body Goes Through In An Ironman again from the Triathlete Website:

http://triathlon.competitor.com/2012/01/training/a-physiological-view-of-what-the-human-body-goes-through-in-an-ironman-2_46170/2

It's obvious and I have read several articles prety much saying the same . In an ironman , the body is put through a lot but having said that , with proper nutrition and rest , the body equally can recover . it is like all else striking the balance.

The Road less travelled

2012-01-14T20:41:00.000+08:00

The Road Not Taken by Robert frost 1916

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less travelled by,
And that has made all the difference.

The holidays are over . The 5 weeks of doing mainly nothing are over . It has been a complete rest bar the Inter club race on the 18 December and a short swim and run session with Tri Fam Tri buddies in Singapore.

It was a complete change of routine and I slept lots.

I also put on a lot of weight and Iam about 7kgs more now. But the preparation for the Busselton Half Ironman begins next week with the proper training starting in february.

I believe it was a much needed break after IMWA . I am hoping to be able to refocus and set some achievable goals for the Half.

The priotrity will be to get back to base fitness and drop weight.
The next goal is to get to a level of swimming competence I had pre May last year. that will mean a commitment to swimming for the next 4 months.

Then there will be the meat and potatoes of triathlon , my bike and run . Still alot more work on just getting to a level of consistentcy.

This week I started with a short run and a swim on Wednesday.I was pretty much out of shape and struggled . I did a 6 or 7km run followed by a 2.5km swim session. Today it was my first Yoga class. Again I am more inflexible then flexible but we all have to start somewhere.

I will be more consistent with my eating habits and training for 2012. There doesn't have to be major changes , just minotr but critical changes. I am looking forward to the year and the rides and runs and swim sessions.

Starting the year off , I stumbled on a blog titled Mark and Angel Hack Life with many and varied list of wisdom. One such list is 30 things-to-start-doing-for-yourself .

the website Mark and Angel Hack life

The goals are simple , it is the application and commitment that make this road , a road not often travelled . I hope I don't lose my way .

The Year In Images

2011-12-31T18:39:00.002+08:00

Not a review for 2011 but just a cool song to sum up yet another year.

I have picked these 2 You Tube clips put on my facebook from a friend . A little commercial but I like the colour , the images and the sentiment.

The year in pictures from Reuters.

A multimedia showcase of some of 2011's top stories, including Japan's tragic earthquake, the Arab Spring, the demise of Osama bin Laden and Muammar Gaddafi, the shooting rampage in Norway, famine in Somalia and the Royal Wedding. Multimedia editing by Jillian Kitchener.

Happy New Year

2011-12-31T12:35:00.001+08:00

I have been on holiday.I have been sleeping lots , reading and just relaxing .It has been a drastic drop off of training but one I think I needed after Busso .

Whilst it is a good time to reflect on the year . my results and performance for 2011 is probably an accurate reflection of the World in 2011.Very turbulent and lacklustre with some near misses. The world seems to be lurching from disaster to disaster and 2012 , the Year of the Dragon which usually heralds a successful year .Iam not so sure.

What is certain from the many economic writers is that 2012 will be a tough year to predict. On top of the uncertainty of the economic future of the world , there are sufficient doomsayers predicting the end of the world according to the Mayan calendar at 21 December 2012 exactly at 11.11am . So much so the Mexican Ambassador to Singapore wrote in to the Singapore Straits Times stating the Mayan academics interpret the Mayan calender as a odometer ticking over into a new cycle not the end of the world.
(see Wikipedia for one interpretation of the Maya_calendar )

If anything the world of nature is one of cycles , we humans try to run and move against this natural order but we never succeed.Be it our body clock or seasons , the reality even our calender is just a reflection of the cycle of seasons .As such it is important to recharge and rest . Even though I do lose some strength and fitness ,it has been necessary for my mental endurance .

What is important is to reflect on the past to plan a successful path for the future. Whilst there is always uncertainty in the world , my view is that the economic and even natural disasters are partly reflected by the globalisation of the world. we are now a nanosecond from every news breaking story and every story is news breaking these days . There can be like overloading training probably overloading the senses . there is only so much the brain can process in a news day .It has become cursory and news bytes with the bare minimum of information .Sadly we become immune to the content however tragic. The major events of the year , the Japanese Tsunami , the Greek economic crisis , the many famines in Sudan and Africa , the many elections around the world ,the Middle East people movement, all reflect a human face and the resilience of the human race.With the globalisation of the world and democracy true the Internet via you tube , facebook and tweeting comes the overload of information lots not accurate and irrelevant. I am a recipient of the good and bad of this globalisation. I learn so much but i have to be more discerning .There is the immediate access to news and information personal to myself and friends.

But in the final day of 2011 , I do reflect on the year closing.from my training and races , I can at a glance , identify the highlights.These are

despite the slowest time ,IM Lanzarote was a great adventure and a culmination of a very strong training period
Getting my weight down in the lead up another indication of the need to focus on my eight a lot more
My Singapore 70.3 race despite the swim was a solid effort in the heat.
My city to surf marathon was a good solid effort and a new PB

The not so great moments are many but I hope I learn form them.Most important lesson as obvious as it may seem is that most of the training programs are quite similar but for some slight changes in emphasis but no program is really going to make a difference without the right mental approach and desire .Secondly , learning to adapt the program as external factors intrude is vital.

The new Year is one I approach with more hope . My holiday reading helps, Have a Little Hope by Mitch Albom and Why the west rules for no by In Morris.New York Times Book review In addition the many news stories for 2012 The economist

I hope the many who stumble into this blog have a Happy New Year in 2012.Despite the cliche , the journey has so far been much more exciting than the destination.

Merry Christmas

2011-12-25T15:36:00.000+08:00

It is Christmas Day. I head into a short break over the next 10 days . I also headed out on my first ride in 2 weeks yesterday. Legs were still sore from the blisters on the sole of the feet . It was a hard ride and I got dropped really early but I wasn't about to try and keep up .There weren't any coffee places open on Christmas Eve in the city as well.Our usual haunts were all closed. I ended back at the city early and had coffee and then rode back home for a total of 73 km . legs were a little tired after the inactivity.

I was glad I did go out and I enjoyed the ride round the river .It was a nice summer day in Perth. There wasn't much traffic about but lots of cyclist around .

I did put out a short tongue in cheek message on facebook :

Wishing all the Important People who are my friends on facebook a very merry Christmas and a Safe and Wonderful New year .I am thankful I survived the cars , loons , drunks , madmen , sharks and the wife (just kidding dear) . I am truly blessed.

The sentiment though is heart felt. Despite the stresses of balancing life and work and training as everyone else has to do , work ,family and training , I am thankful that I was able to train and race this year.

Despite the wet winter and the not so great results , I have had some really awesome days on the bike and in the ocean and pool , and running around Perth.These are the memories and even the bad races , have great lessons to take away and learn from.

Time to kick back and relax and reflect on the year with an eye for 2012.

The top stories from Triathlete Magazine's perspective was :Top Triathlon Stories for 2011

Purpose and Purposeful

2011-12-21T22:50:00.000+08:00

It has been a period of self reflection as I rest and plan for next year . As always , it is the time of the year to reflect on what has happened , could have and hopefully learn some lessons from.

With down time and no training (which is a little extreme) I have managed to attend to other matters . It has certainly helped to be away from training and racing. I am committed to the Busselton Half 2012 and will commence my training in January .
I am undecided as to whether I will be doing 2 Ironman races next year . It may be counter-productive and it will be something I will give serious consideration .

Lesson1:
It is time to change routines and do things differently. I also have to take the issue of my diet and nutrition more seriously . Having said that I read a short report on IM Cozumel by bored@work and it was a reflective piece of a 7 time IM racer about priorities, purpose and balance. We all come to a point in life where we must ask ourselves what is more important ?

After 7 Ironman races & the last 3 being a real let down. I decided the problem was all mental.

I needed to find the love of the sport & what I wanted to get out of the sport & why I was really racing IM.

It was so simple I just couldn't see it & needed a break from racing.
I don't want to be the guy that sacrificed everything for a sub 9 /10hr time. I want to be known as they guy who was the best father, husband & friend he could be & still managed to finish an Ironman race. I removed a lot of the things from my life that caused stress - so called friends, car loans, visa cards & stopped wasting money on crap that we really didn't need

Bored@work on IM and Cozumel

I felt the same way but as I have stated before there is no easy way and it is a journey of experience and constant learning.

Lesson 2 : I learnt on the weekend as I went flying on a beautiful Perth afternoon, (I get to do things I don't normally do when I am not training) As we waited to get up , I watched as my friend went through a checklist in preparation of the flight .There was systematic thoroughness but it was necessary. like all important matters , there is the mundane necessity of routine to derive the benefit. How great the want will determine the execution . The second half of the year has been difficult as my preparation has been sub optimum as far as putting in the desire and commitment.

Jonathan enjoying the view .17 December 2011

Lesson 3:

Love what you are doing and know why . At IM Cozumel was another unfolding story I stumbled upon reading mailto:bored@work%22s piece. It was about Maria Plummer .There is some vagueness as to whether she had already decided to quit the race or she quit the race to give her bike to a fellow racer who only had 10 miles to ride when he had a flat he could not repair.

She said in an interview:

My self-worth is not determined by a clock or whether I finished," Plummer said. "The look I got from that man when I gave him my bike? There wasn't a shadow of a doubt that I had done the right thing."

Her story ::Winston Salem Women swaps ironman to be a good samaritan

Sometimes it is easy to lose sight of what is important and why it is important . Knowing why is probably more critical in Endurance racing as it is the basis of the foundation for the mental strength needed when you ask all those hard questions on the cold dark mornings at training and in the middle of the race.

Bits and Pieces

2011-12-17T21:57:00.001+08:00

Ironman WA 2011 by Delly Carr

Pictures of ironman WA 2011 by delly carr

Andreas Raelert, 35, Rostock, Germany. Third place overall; 8:11:07 New meaning to sleeping with your bike
(pic Andrew Herrington )
outsideonline Kona special

This whole week I have done nothing . Just allowing my self the rest and letting the body recover from the flu and chest infection. I have been scouring the web for interesting articles and pictures . There was a great collection of pictures by Delly Carr which I have put the link to above. Someone posted the Ironman World Championship link and I have also received the Ironman Lanzarote CD and watched it last night. I think Lanzarote has one of the most scenic cycling courses going. Watching it did inspire me for next year after the rather flat race in Busselton.

Another piece in firstoffthebike is: Building an Injury resistant Body .

Finally i read an excellent piece in the Outside Magazine by Elizabeth Weil on the World championships.

Especially the quote below:

Yet the event is filled with unlikely apostles: mothers of young children, three-limbed amputees, octogenarians, all ticking Kona off their otherwise divergent bucket lists because of a fascination for what’s difficult. Because marathons have been ruined by people who think it’s fine to walk. Because life is too easy and Everest is too far away.

It is a little disturbing reading about the level of commitment by some triathletes in getting to a World Championship and whilst I acknowledge even in Perth there are many talented athletes and determined athletes I hope one are too blinded in the pursuit of getting to Kona at the expense of everything . It is a challenge , a very worthwhile challenge but it isn't and shouldn't be the only focus in a life at the expense of everything . I have enjoyed the ups and even the downs and I relish the challenge to learn from mistakes and to try and improve but it is in the context of a race against me and with my limitations.

In Lanzarote , a 69 year old Triathlete is interviewed about his ironman Journey and he talks about the triathlon family. He came from a car racing background and contrasted the amazing friendships he has made in triathlon .there is a shared camaraderie not found in too many other sports.

The dream lives but enjoy the journey as well.

Getting back on the Horse

2011-12-13T21:30:00.000+08:00

Bouncing back after the Ambulance Ride

There is never any easy process after an Ironman Race .It is especially harder after a disappointing race . I have now had the full effect of the flu and it has added to the tired legs and the painful blisters on both soles of my feet . It has been quite a different post Ironman feel to Lanzarote and Busselton last year . I had soreness and stiffness but none of the blisters I have copped this year and much greater fatigue than normal and the dreaded flu.

I am carrying more weight though. I did nothing for a whole week as the blisters did make it difficult to walk. I was signed up for the inter-club Championships and up to the day before I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to race.
I have managed to sleep longer but I am still getting up in the morning at 4am so.Old habits are hard to stop. I had my office Christmas dinner the night before the inter-club race and only managed a short 4 hour sleep. I then drove down to Mandurah for the race .I got there really early , before 6am . The race was at 7.30am. Got set up and I forgot my wet suit so I was swimming without one.

It was hard going barefoot with the raw feet . Racing for the first time for Exceed , my new club.

The guys started 15 minutes after the girls and it was relatively calm waters with a slight chop. I swam a15minute 750m race which was about right . I hobbled to transition as it was hard running on the blisters. Got my socks and bike shoes on.This was not a race where I was going to try a fast mount on the bike with the shoes clipped in. I kept my ride as consistent as I could and passed a few cyclist along the way. Finished the bike course of 17.5km in about 33.31 minutes. Got the runners on and did the 5km run in 25minutes exactly.

All the times were down from last year which indicates the state I am in presently. I was four minutes slower despite a good start to the year relative to last year. I finished in 1.13:56 .

Exceed won the Presidents trophy ( Inter-Club Championships). Fastest Tri Club second year in the row.More importantly , Exceed's catering manager Rob Parry cooked up a storm of food for the exceed athletes. I was just too sick to eat much after the race .Just Coke zero and water. we had 34 athletes and had the best average and we were 700 points away from North Coast who had the biggest field.

It was great seeing everyone out on the course.Not so great being slow.

I think I do have the touch of the IM Blues or the flu and/or just the touch of the burnout / lack of motivation I have felt for a few months is still lingering .

Despite those feelings I did manage to register for Ironman Busselton 2012. I will now take a break and start planning and making some decisions about how I approach next year. It is the OC syndrome ( Obsessive compulsive behaviour)

My racing weight and nutrition is going to be the major area I will need to focus on .

I did read a short piece how-to-bounce-back-after-a-poor-performance with the penultimate paragraph :

If all else fails, I like to call on the Jamaican bobsled team for their words of wisdom. Look yourself in the mirror and say, “I’m a bad ass runner who don’t take no $#@% from nobody”. Hey, if nothing else you will feel ridiculous saying it and whether you like it or not, you will smile. Go find a mirror and say it NOW. You smiled didn’t you?

I did.

Ironman Busselton 2011 Photos

2011-12-07T20:08:00.001+08:00

Bike check in Saturday 3 December 2011

Not too many places this active at 4am

Transition at 4.15am

Starting the Bike leg

on the run...how many more laps did I have?

At the end ...everything was hurting

Pictures from finisherpix

Ironman Busselton 2011 Race Report ....Searching for the Promised Land

2011-12-06T20:20:00.000+08:00

As I sit at home 2 days after the Busselton Ironman 2011 was done and dusted , it is a different world. It is raining , actually , hailing. It is cold and wet .I now have the full blown symptoms of the flu and a hacking cough .

I finished the race and it was my slowest Busselton time of 12.47. No excuses and as I have blogged , the race is very much a microcosm of life .You can be prepared , train and life is such you will have curved balls thrown.Obviously the better prepared you are the better able you are to face these curved balls.

I reflected on the past year of training and what I learned. As esoteric topics such as Ironman training/racing go and not to get too philosophical , I knew it was always a hard race for me by the nature of my training , my lack of race weight , up and down motivation and difficulties with my asthma .But like most triathletes , come what may you want to be standing on that start line after all those hours of training. I did what I could to get there .A DNF is just not something you want to contemplate or consider after the effort. Better to crawl and have the most miserable day but say I have finished.

That attitude is not necessarily the correct one but it is part of Ironman Folklore. As Courtney Ogden , last years winner with an injury walked the run course in 6 hours and finished in a time of 11.50.Not for anything than the respect to fellow athletes and himself. But I don't think any less for those who did not finish . Any Ironman is tough and Busselton throws up its own demons on the day.

On Friday I got the sniffles. I downed as much flu and panadol tablets and vitamin C. I felt OK but my voice could not hide I had a cold. I did my usual race preparation on Saturday and fortunately Rod Marton had come down to cheer the Exceed athletes . As the family were not coming down I had a spare bed and he was a great help after the race.

It was a 3am wake up. I slept well and set about getting ready . I got to the transition early and whilst it was still dark it was warm suggesting a rather hot day ahead. The water was nice and was at 22C .Got everything set up and with wet suit on chatted to everyone I knew . There is a raw level of anxiety. I am always excited and a little nervous but I have learnt to be comfortable with the nerves and enjoy being in the moment. After the pros started off , I warmed up and felt really good in my wet suit , I literally ran into Rusty Cook , a guy who for the past few Busselton races was next to me in transition before moving up an age group.

A handy triathlete , he went on to finish the race in 11.10 . We chatted for quite a while till suddenly everyone started off . No fanfare and off we went. I tried to draft behind various swimmers and thought I was going fairly well.There was a little swell further out at the end of the jetty .Then came the turnaround and I think I went a little too wide. The swim back I thought was slower and as my Garmin suggest I swam 4.05km in a slow 1.25 . I am not sure why as I felt good and possibly I was not pushing myself and drafting behind slower swimmers . I was not taking the most efficient route and my lack of discipline in keeping up my swim training did not help as well. I was clearly not as swim fit as I was in Lanzarote. Lesson learnt . Practise , practice and more practise for someone who is just an average swimmer.

I came out a little disappointed in the time. I had to refocus on the race. Got through transition and out as quickly as I could ...still slow in 5 minutes. Once on the bike I tried to just to get up to speed and start my nutrition. I knew the course and I had my plan. Within 20 minutes I was just not finding any strength and I was really struggling to get in an average speed of 32kph which I had to maintain. I did the first lap in over 1.50hr and after that the second and third laps were slower. I just did not have the strength and worse by the third lap I was cramping a little. It was not for the lack of salt or electrolytes .I had far more salt this year than last year.

I suspect my cold and the diarrhoea I had leading up to the race were indicative of the weakness .The cylinders were just not firing on the day.Not a lot I could do .I had no nutrition issues and kept taking the gels and water at every aid station .In all I had nearly 10-12 bidons of 500ml of water . It was hot and windy but I could not say the condition affected my performance. My general level of health and preparation for the race had more to do with how I was performing on the day. I came off the bike again disappointed with the time . A slow 6.08 hrs. I was also in alot of pain.I had huge blisters on each foot and my quads were just hurting so much . The run was a battle of attrition and survival. There was no chance of salvaging a good result. Every step hurt from the start .To make it worse as I grabbed a drink at Transition I started running down the swim to bike chute. I had to run back and out the correct way . A wasted few minutes . I started off just feeling good to be off the bike but each step hurt and despite the gels and Gatorade and water and coke and salt every hour , 6 km into the run and I was already walking the aid stations and contemplating a walk run regime.On the 2nd lap I was doing just that and by the third and final lap I was walking 2 minutes and running 800m . It was a slow marathon for me . I finished the run in just over 5 hours.

The disappointment was that I really could not control the cold I had and to what extent it influenced my result I do not know. I think it had been a long year with training and that too may hours of training have been counter productive for me.

The pain blurs the recollection , but with the support around the run course , quitting was not an option. For one , I made a commitment to do this race for myself and fund raise. Secondly lots of people were having great races and many others were struggling with their inner demons. I was not alone.

The disappointment is that another Busselton race was over with a less than optimum result. Having said that , as I finished , it was relief .I was struggling and with Rods help got home and my bike out of transition.
After each race , I have these huge negative thoughts about why do you do this. It hurts and I seemed to be going backwards. For everyone , there are setbacks , Giving up is an option. I think at the core I cannot keep doing what I am doing but giving up is not an option. It was not a good day for many reasons and some more that I may not figure out. I am not about to over indulge in too much analysis now.

I can say I am disappointed but I also gained a lot from being out there. Lots of support from the volunteers and friends who cheered as well as the strangers who were out there for 10 over hours. Many first timers who blitzed the course and many friends who had Pb's .

I admit a sense of selfishness in what I do . I want to improve and I want to get to that Promised Land. Invariably we all know where that is for each of us .Whether in careers , sports , love or life.

What I don't know is when and how long it will take me . At the moment it has eluded me . I have spoken about it many times the sweet spot . It is unimportant to others because it is no measure of success for them but everything for me. It is not about beating others . You know when you cross that line and laid it all out and got to that goal you set for yourself and achieved . It may never come and I will not be any less a triathlete but that is the joy of the journey , the planning the execution and hopefully the joy of a result well deserved. For now I enjoy the results of the many who finished what they started and draw from them their strength and inspiration.

I don't usually go to the draw downs where the Kona slots are allocated . I went after breakfast on Monday morning with Rod . Sadly there are never enough slots for the many I know who deserve them and there is always a tinge of envy for those who have got them but they are all deserving winners of these coveted slots. I envy their strength and athleticism .For this is what it is about . From my very myopic view point for 3-4 days of the year , life is about Ironman and about achieving such goals and the Promised Land. I don't worry about work , or life or world affairs.
I had a brief chat with Kate Bevalaqua , last year's winner at the cafe we were having breakfast . She didn't have the race she wanted and she felt it was just more the mental preparation and a long season. Time to have a break and refocus for next year.

It is a wonderful sport and has wonderful inspirational people in it.

I will recover and get better and reset myself for next year.For the many who did achieve their goals , congratulations and well done . For those who did not , don't be disheartened , sometimes , we need adversity and testing outcomes to strengthen our resolve . I would rather TRI than falter and lose all hope at the first hurdle.

Busselton Ironman The quiet before the Big Dance

2011-12-03T10:09:00.000+08:00

Just a short update. I drove down on Friday morning and made it into Busselton by 8.45am .I had left Perth at 6.30 am .I had picked up a slight head cold but I don't think it will make a huge difference. I had a short swim on arriving and the water was nice and cold , at least without a wetsuit. I got registered and had a quick stroll round the Ironman store .Not a lot of gear that I would buy.I will get a cap for the run though.

The rest of the day I just rested at the chalets. In the evening there was the carbo loading dinner and the race briefing .This year they had a sought of reception area with everyone getting their meal in a box plate and sitting on the floor to eat .Everyone then was ushered into the main staged area with chairs for Pete Murray and Simon Beaumont to interview the pros and Pete Jacobs who was 2nd at Ironman Kona 2011.The women's Hockey team was in the audience to launch their preparation for the London Olympics.Nothing terribly special and after the usual video clip of last years race , we had the race briefing.No new issues .The main point as always the 12 meter drafting zone.

On Saturday morning , I did my usual 30 minute cycle with efforts and 15 minute run.

It is now just a long wait for a 3am start to the day and a swim start at 5.45am

Helpful Hints and Words

2011-11-29T22:06:00.000+08:00

Anything is Possible"

Ironman Motto

Other motivational quotes

Taper week is always fun. The load is much reduced and I am just soaking up the excitement . It would be nice to just get down early and enjoy the atmosphere. the pros are either there or on their way. the other thing is going through the list and making sure I have everything organised .

In addition I have been trolling the Internet for inspirational quotes .there are lots and when the chips down it is better to have a few in the back pocket and just pull them out. I can't do much about my swimming as I know my weaknesses but I have not put in as much swim time as I should . But I am a better swimmer than I was last year .

The key points are:

Swim

Get to transition early and have enough time to get the wetsuit in and warm-up.

Make sure the wet suit put on properly as the tightness around the shoulders will fatigue the shoulders.I have had that happen to me and I will try and get help to get into the wetsuit.

Don't panic....it is better to slow down and always breathe .Sounds basic but I have done that to.

Try and catch a swimmer and stay on his legs or side but don't impede his stroke as it will slow him and you down.

Try to keep straight .my biggest problem . Paul Newsome did state in his blog that swimming straight tends to be easiest when someone is strong at bilateral breathing. I have had a relapse and tend to be strong breathing on my left

( see his helpful hints : Racing Tips for Ironman )

Bike

get the nutrition right and do the maths as to how much you need to eat on the bike before hand.
Eat and eat
drink at least a bidon an hour or a litre if it is hot.
keep the pace as constant as possible for each lap.
(everyone tends to slow down on the last lap) If you can keep a constant pace there should not be a huge difference in lap times.
Its OK to go hard but know when to pull back so you do not suffer on the run.It is a triathlon .No prizes for the fastest bike time ...well there is but I am not in the running and I would rather have a new PB for my Ironman than a PB for the bike leg and bonk on the run.
Stretch every hour by getting up off the saddle.
Be aware that the draft zone is 12 metres
Again have a few mantras or happy thoughts when your mind begins to drift as it will on a 180km bike ride.

Run

It is the last leg .don't go out fast
Drink at all the aid stations
try and take in some nutrition preferably gels
again keep the pace steady.
Have a plan and a pace in mind
Have a Plan B
Run all the way , if you can't walk the aid stations , if that hurts follow a walk and run regime.
But if it hurts walking or running than its better to just run
Absorb the atmosphere and the energy from the supporters.
Have shorter goals or break the race up into bite size portions. Have various milestones along the way to achieve.

Transition.

Always visualise the transition and go through as many times as you can what needs to be done.
Get in and out as quickly as you can.
Don't rush just go through everything that needs to be done preferably like a checklist you have practised before.
Keep your sunglasses and anything else for the run in a zip lock bad which you can take out and use as you get on the run course.just one bag to carry and then distribute the items once on the course.
Use sunscreen

Finally the 25 most common mistakes in an ironman ....read Ironstruck article: Common Ironman Mistakes

Most of all Smile and enjoy the day.

The Final Countdown and all things Tri

2011-11-27T22:19:00.000+08:00

A Quitter never wins and a Winner never quits - Napoleon Hill

Coach Brad Hoskings (Centre Standing) Tuesday run session

The last Saturday Ride before Busselton. It is now 7 days before the race. Not a lot to do. I rode with the Exceed group and it was a 2 hour ride with some efforts a long the way. A cyclist joined us at some point near Cottesloe. We rode and did our first effort along Cottesloe and Leighton's beach. The next was along Point Walter road and 3 of us surged ahead of the rest of the group. Did not see the group till the coffee shop.

At Bicton , a group of cyclist were riding past us when one of the cyclist touched the back wheel of the front rider and he went crashing down. He wasn't injured but it was a silly thing to do as there were several speed bumps and we were all slowing down as we approached them .I was just behind and to the left of the cyclist who fell and just missed riding over his head.

Tineke , our guest rider and myself continued on to Shelley and we rode back to the city from there via Curtin and our guest cyclist turned around at the end of the Shelley effort.

I got to test my aero bottle and everything was working fine. I was happy with the morning effort . I ran for 23 minutes off the bike and that felt comfortable.

On Sunday , it was a short swim at City Beach .No one felt like a longish swim and it was a little swelly out there . I should have swum longer but I will be doing all my swim sessions this week before Sunday. Looking forward to Sunday .It doesn't have the sense of anxiety and worry it used to have but more a sense of Adventure . But lots can go wrong and the trick is to be able to be positive whilst making sure I will be able to foreshadow any and every eventuality. Have a back up plan . I am hoping that I don't have a puncture but if I do I will only be carrying one tubular. If its two , I will be walking home.

Started collecting all the gear together. The advantage of a local race , I have more stuff to cart down to the race.

Swim : 1.5 hrs or 3.8km
Run: 2.25 hrs or 23km
Bike: 158km or 5.2 hrs
total : 9.15 hrs

Thanksgiving

2011-11-25T22:18:00.001+08:00

Happy Thanksgiving graphicsfairy

The week has flown with a much lighter workload . I skipped Monday more so as I just felt tired. On Tuesday , I did the morning ride with a 1 hour session and managed to stay with the group .I had to catch up to them first as Ross told me after the group I was suppose to be riding with had left the car park. I managed to take my turn at the front more often and felt very strong on the ride as it was only an hour session. The average pace for the ride was just under 35kph.

In the evening , we had Brad's session and it was a good lighter session with 8 x 400m at " Ï" pace which was 1.44 minutes per 400m. I ran about 8.5km and it was a good session. the wheezing wasn't as bad today. I ran into Kate Bevalaqua and had a short chat with her. Sadly a day later , the news of the fires in Margaret River were all over Perth and unfortunately Kate's parents who have a house down south was affected and did not escape the fire. All in 37 homes were damaged or destroyed. Fortunately no one was seriously injured. The weather has been hot .My thoughts have been with those affected especially Kate's family whom I met at Lanzarote when she was racing earlier this year.

On Wednesday , I did a run in the afternoon before my Board meeting at EDAC it was a short 55min run and whilst it was hot ,it wasn't so much the heat but just feeling sluggish . I might have been a little dehydrated as the office air conditioning has not been working well.I did my swim in the morning and felt strong .Swam 2.6km.

On Thursday , I had a shorter slow ride . Riding to work and Kings park and then riding home.I rode about 45km and it was again just hot and slow.

Friday , I was meant to swim and run but by the arvo I felt sick with a headache and opted out of any training.

So it has been quite an easy week . Not a lot I believe can be achieved now anyway so I have taken a more cautious approach rather than pushing myself .

Whilst , there is no tradition in Australia to celebrate Thanksgiving , I think it is appropriate to be stop and be thankful for what we have. This week , I am thankful for the opportunity to train. There were some close moments with trucks that don't seem to notice you on the road . I am thankful for my family and friends. I am thankful that the fires in Margaret River are now under control and no one lost their lives.

I have read a few more articles and interviews Chrissie Wellington has given .I have linked a few as they are very much inspiring and so true.

Here is her answer to 2 questions in an interview on Triathlete's World :

I've read that you take a copy of the poem If by Rudyard Kipling with you when you race, is that still true?

I write it on all my water bottles. I take the copy that Brett [Brett Sutton, Chrissie's former coach] gave me, the dog-eared photocopy and I take it everywhere.

Why does that poem mean so much to you?

I think it encapsulates everything it takes to be a good person and a good athlete. Often my biggest disasters have been bigger stepping-stones to future triumph and that's what Kipling means by seeing triumph and disaster as one and the same. I like the line, "If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew, To serve your turn long after they are gone." To me that means using your mind to overcome any bodily discomfort you may be experiencing and to retain self-belief and confidence. That's what I try to do whenever I race.

Lava Magazine did a piece on Jordan Rapp and Chrissie overcoming disappointment and using them as stepping stones but more importantly how important the mind is .Lava Magazine - Mind Games .Another interview of Chrissie Wellington : A piece on Wellinton by Kathryn Bertine

My happy Place , the mental game and a Checklist

2011-11-23T22:35:00.001+08:00

Checklist

Like everything in an Ironman race , it comes down to the preparation.
There is the training , the equipment , nutrition and transitions . In addition it helps to have a Checklist. I am now putting my gear together and this weekend will be the final check and packing in preparation . Testing the equipment and preparing for all aspects of the race is crucial even for the regulars.

In addition I have worked off a checklist from the Internet and for those super keen , there are even better super list. my-ultimate-triathlon-and-ironman-checklist

Swim
sunscreen
body glide (for back of neck)
triathlon jersey
cycling/triathlon shorts
wetsuit
goggles x 2
swim cap
Garmin Watch
heart rate monitor strap

Bike
tire pump (pump tires up day before, adding a few psi to compensate for overnight pressure loss)
chain lube (apply day before)
Profile Aerodrink bottle
2 water bottles
Sweets and dates
Gatorade
6 gels
socks
cycling shoes x 2
race belt w/ race number
helmet
sunglasses
gloves
seat pack with tubular, tire irons, multi-tool, and CO2 inflation system
bicycle

Run
running shoes x 2
gel belt with 4 gels in flask
cap
sunglasses
cramp-stop spray
Ventolin
a change of run top (in case)

Others
ties
Photo ID
Salt Tablets

The next crucial aspect of preparation is the mental aspect of racing. All the hard work is done but as Chrissie wellington said on her website in a piece titled Peak Performance

“It amazes me how little time people spend on mental training. 30K into a marathon on race day is too late to figure out that you need to train your brain. There are many different tools you can use. Have a bank of positive images and songs. It doesn’t have to be related to sport at all. That way, when the going gets tough—and it will get tough—you can draw on those images and have peace of mind.”

Heather Wurtle , who came in Eight in Kona and has two Ironman wins this year , Placid and St George talks about finding that happy place in a piece she wrote about The mental game .

The race is hard but with clear thinking and strategies in place , we can do our best. In her piece on the Mental game , Heather goes on to comment :

So much about success is about belief, and so much of what I love about sport is the ability to overcome: injury, doubt, your own mental hangups, fatigue, negative factors/people in life that seem to want to drag you down or make you feel like you can’t achieve your goals.

I think that one of the hardest things about tapering before a big race is that you actually have more time in the day and mental energy – our brains are glycogen burning machines after all – to reflect. This can lead to confidence and to doubt, and you wouldn’t be human if you didn’t harbor negative thoughts.

I love the sentiment she portrays. That is what it is about , not the tortuous training sessions and the runs and ride in the rain , the number of hours of training . it even isn't about winning for me . We are all competitive and it is great to be in front but more importantly it is about over coming all that is put in front.

As Chris McCormack in his book "I am Here to Win" states , at some point it is going to hurt and embrace the suck ...whatever that means I hope I will be in my Happy Place.

Delusional Optimism

2011-11-21T22:45:00.000+08:00

Taper begins. For many doing their first Ironman , there is an uneasy feeling and doubt ...have I done enough.

Invariably , I was one of them. It is natural in the human psyche to question and doubt. But when all is said and done , it is what it is. I may not be at race weight or done enough long runs or fast speed work or taken enough vitamins or watched my diet but there isn't much i can do now.So there isn't any point worrying about it.

For most , they have done the training and the day will fly by and all their fears will be unfounded. Like any journey there is the fear of the unknown.

It is also the end of the training and a very taxing part for most triathletes . Gone are the juggling and management of training , the tiredness and the endless guilt at missing sessions...at least for me. But I have mellowed a little in the short years I have been training. I see this as part of a bigger journey .

But there are 2 short articles I have read that have helped make sense of all this madness. A piece by Antonio Neves. Neves is an award-winning broadcast journalist and the founder of THINQACTION titled : delusional optimism

For those who dare to dream the unthinkable is just one step forward , the next is to realise that dream by making it happen.For all those who dare by taking that first step , the next is when they stare out with 1600 others on the beach at the start of an Ironman race. Consistent action with a goal in mind as Neves described it.

The other piece is by Balsam in his blog with a piece called grit-cakes

He states eloquently:

Progress in life is directly proportional to the dirt under our fingernails. Success comes from the strife we endure and the effort we exude. Life is made up of peaks and valleys. Stay humble in the highs, stay hungry in the lows.

It is said that we are at our happiest when we are attempting something difficult but attainable. It is that unknown, yet reachable territory that excites us. When we hit that territory, it’s magical. However, even after hours, days or months of work, we don’t always get there.

But it’s OK to eat a face full of grit cakes every now and then. It keeps us level. We always learn something along the way so no honest endeavor is ever a wasted one. It didn’t work out as planned? You’re life isn’t going according to your “If Everything Were Perfect” memoir? I say good riddance! There is no substitute for busting your butt.

Struggling when chasing a dream reminds you that you need people to lean on, that we need to vent, regroup, relax, reset, rethink, retry, and get ready to fight all over again. Our story will be a much better read when it’s all said and done. Moments of clarity in my life have always presented themselves after periods of uncertainty.

Embrace the suck. Enjoy the grit cakes. It’s good for us. It will make us better. And if we’re not trying to get better every day, shame on us. Always Be Better.

Anyone eat their own fair share of grit cakes recently? What did you learn from it?

It is hard and nothing worth chasing is easy .I seem to remember the hard sessions and the workouts that did not go so well , the days when I really was low and tired and fed up but I also recall the sense of completing all those hard training sessions .There was a sense of completing and enjoying the day for what it was. No great triumph or medal. just knowing I did what I set out to do.

For me , the experience is a metaphor of life itself .The highs and the lows and how we handle it all. For those who contemplate the journey there are just two considerations , they are Embrace the suck and be delusionally optimistic. You owe it to yourself.

Week 16 ... Done and Dusted

2011-11-20T21:36:00.000+08:00

Tony at the end of the Swim at Coogee Beach

Coogee Life Guards

The weekend turned out to be great weather wise. I had my last longish ride down the freeway. I drove down to the Narrows Bridge and rode for 40 minutes before I met up with Jason and Jamie and 2 other exceed riders and followed them down the freeway .They rode for just over an hour before turning back . I initially just drafted behind them and then as we got into the ride I began to practice keeping a 12 metre gap. It was hard .

My Garmin died at the 45km mark and after they stopped I continued for a further 30 minutes before turning round . I did not get attacked by the magpie . I rode by myself for a further 40 minutes before I got passed by a rider and again tried to stay on his wheel but couldn't till I passed a cyclist in Running Centre gear and he eventually passed me and I just tried to keep at their pace . They eventually dropped me just 6km from Mt Henry Bridge.

I rode back trying to keep the pace steady. there was a bit of wind going down but the return journey was fairly easy. I averaged 32kph on my cycle computer . I did 117km in 3.38 . It was a quick change and a run along the river to UWA ( University) and back about 6km in 35 minutes. saw a couple of cyclist I knew as I was running back

I had time for a coffee at Tiger Lil's but I really just had a lemon juice as I was just so thirsty. I then went to Tony's to change and got to my massage appointment at Running Centre. The massage felt really good if not a bit painful . But the legs were feeling pretty good. I was not in much discomfort and the massage definitely helped after the workout.

On Sunday , I just did my open water swim at Coogee with Tony , Les and Hanna. We swam between the jetties and I think it is 3 kms in just under an hour. I had lots of issues with my goggles and I kept stopping but the swim back was a lot better and felt really comfortable with no stops.

I skipped my Thursday ride and Monday run but with the legs hurting I was conscious not to make things worse . I think it was the right decision .On Saturday I felt very comfortable on the bike and not tired at all. It is always hard having to decide whether to miss a session.

With 2 weeks to go , it is just a question of keeping safe and turning the legs and keeping up with some fast and short sessions. it will be a very interesting race for me with my first race without a proper programme from a coach .

Total training:
Run: 36 km or 3.50hr
Bike: 5.38 hrs or 177km
swim: 8.5km or 3.10
Total: 12.38 hrs

The Countdown Begins...Walking On Sunshine

2011-11-18T22:01:00.000+08:00

It is approximately 17 days to Ironman Busselton. The hard weeks are done and I have just one more longish ride before the Taper begins.

It was a hard week last week and I opted for a rest day on Monday. my programme had a 2 hour run but I was really only going to do a 90 minute run but in the end I did nothing. The quads were pretty sore from the weekend rides and I knew with Tuesday super session of hard ride and interval work out it was going to be worse.

On Tuesday I got out to Nedlands running a little late and rode hard from the City so I effectively started my session at 5.20am. I did one lap of the Nedlands loop and saw Mike Kent .I tried to hang in behind him but got dropped after 3 kms when I hit a slight rise. I did the first lap on my own and it was just pain in the quads. On the next lap I began to get into the Exceed groups and by the end of that lap I was with Stuart Phyllis group and just rode behind them . They were averaging at between 35kph and 42kph. It was a good work out and I had my Zipps so I did manage to keep up and took a turn once or twice in the front.At the end of the ride I had an average of 34kph which wasn't too bad for over 50 kms.

In the evening brad had us doing 20 x 200m at "R"pace which was 51 seconds for the 200m for me. I did all the runs at about 40 to 43 seconds. it was a total workout of 7.5km only for the hour. On Wednesday I swam in the morning , I managed only 2.5 km with a short 100m warm up and then we did a 200m , 100m , 100m and a 100m medley repeated that and then a 200m and then another set of 200m , 100, 100m , 100 medley , followed by 2 x 200m and 2 x 100m and a cool down. I just swam behind Glenda as my legs were really tired after the Tuesday run session.

In the evening , I did my run starting off with the slow group from the Running centre . I passed them within the first km and ran alone for the next 5 km when I got passed by the faster group . I ran through the University of WA and then headed to the river and ran back along the river back to the City. It was a total of 13.5 km in about 72 minutes.

I was suppose to ride on Thursday but with the legs being really tired , I again chose to skip the session. On Friday I ran for 50 minutes and did about 9km and in the evening swam for just over an hour doing 3kms without stopping. The day turned out great and it was nice and warm in the afternoon.

I had my Bike in for a service on Thursday evening with Bespoke. cycles. It was a full service and I mentioned the funny noises from my crank and the feeling the chain was touching the derailleur . It turns out when I rang them today that my bottom bracket had broken and was in several pieces. I had been riding over 240kms on a broken bracket.That explains the tired legs as well. They are going to have to get the part and hopefully I will have my bike by Monday. At least I discovered the problem early.

The rest of the training rides will have to be in my Shogun Bike.

Newbies Information Evening

2011-11-13T22:00:00.001+08:00

At the Information afternoon , Sorrento Surf Club 13 November 2011 Pic by Dennis Tan

Today , North Coast had its New members Evening. I said a few words about my experience in triathlon. As a Tri junkie and I can now spot one as I am unashamedly one myself , I have tried to convert the uninitiated and the unsuspecting .

No matter what , those who join and participate in the sport change not only their physical appearance but their whole outlook to life. It is a life changer. I believe , with the training and the social aspect of the sport , I have grown more in self belief of what is possible. I am surrounded by a positive can do attitude . I have seen and been part of great stories of perseverance and individuals setting and finishing goals they could only dream of.

I hope my little talk imbued some of the passion I feel for the sport. It isn't about the distances or time spent ....more so about the discipline , camaraderie and support in the tri family.

As I recounted my story which like many before and after me , is a similar one of faltering steps to learn how to swim and cycle properly , lots of falls and panic attacks along the way. But if you pick yourself up and keep at it , eventually you will succeed.

I did not in the short talk acknowledge the advice and support from the more senior members of the club who would guide and advise the newbies. They were an invaluable part of my tri journey and for which I am always grateful. I hope the new members took away from the talk , the uniqueness of the sport and that more than just an activity it is very much a lifestyle.

Each day despite the soreness and the self doubt and the early morning sesions , I am thankful , I am healthy , and I get to see another beautiful sunrise. Sometimes the soreness and pain and even injury and illness are markers of how much more we have to appreciate.

Today I learnt I am surrounded by more like minded fellow triathletes . I have a common bond with many who swim , bike and run . I have a larger family of friends . I joked that all the sayings about triathletes are true..I have a different wardrobe mainly tri gear and T-shirts and my car is filled with 3 bags for different training sessions and my bike on some days, I spend more time on my bike than with my wife. ...the list goes on.

But in the final analysis , despite all that is difficult , what triathlon teaches is with belief all is possible. A small example is the story about Trish Dowling , a paraplegic who did an ironman race, which I came across on Dennis Tan's face book page .Dennis is doing his first Ironman and he said today despite the training he could not help smiling. Dennis also put up a really good piece about being ready for an Ironman . Here is a similar version Am I ready .

At the bottom of Trish Dowling's webpage is a very apt line.... "Are you winning your Human Race"

A Big week

2011-11-13T20:41:00.000+08:00

Wednesday 9 November

Morning: Swam 3.1 km comprising 600m free warm up followed by further 400m free . 8 x 50m made up of 25 fist and 25m free .Main set 300m, 250m, 200, 50m x 2 at threshold pace.cool down 2 x 50m backstroke and free. A relatively hard session.
In the evening I got home late from work so i ran from home and did approximately 9.3km it was dark and it was slow.

Thursday : I managed to get out by 5.20am and rode round the river with 3-4 efforts . I had breakfast at Ekka where the Exceed group met up. In the evening i rode home making a total of 68km .

Friday : I got up early and went to the pool and began swimming before the session started. I managed 3.2km with a 1000m warm up and then 200m of medleys and then the main set was 9 x 200m building to the last 100 m being fast. Then just did a 200m cool down.

In the evening I did a 10km run but it was very slow.There was a strong headwind and I was travelling very slowly. I did a 10km run in just over 1 hr. My slowest run but I felt quite lethargic at the end of the busy day.

Saturday: It was my longest ride for a while. I left at 5.45 am and rode from home .It was slow going with lots of traffic lights which made for a lot of stop /starts . I struggled a bit on the ride down and finished 86 km in just over 3 hours. I then pushed harder on the return leg. Finished the ride in 6.17 .It was slow going but I am happy with the pace on the Freeway bike path. I felt pretty comfortable on the ride and only around 60km did  I start getting a niggle in the back but it settled after 30kms and   I  was pretty comfortable on the way back.  I seemed to feel that the ride down was tougher . There were not as many riders on the bike path as in previous weeks .Presumably everyone is starting  to taper with 3 weeks to go.

The ride into the city and back were slow as there were lights and a pedestrian bridge to get over , but once I was on the Freeway bike path I managed to get into a good pace. There was a fair bit of wind about and I just had to remain focused.

It was a slower ride by comparison to my rides earlier in the year but I got off the 180 km ride feeling pretty good possibly because I ate a lot  on the bike . A whole bag of sweets and dates which would have been about 200gms , 4 gels of 160 gms of carbohydrates , I bidon of 70 gms of Gatorade and 3 more of water with salt and electrolytes. No cramping issues and I did not bonk. I had a few issues with the bike as it was making some real weird nosies and felt like the crank was not funtioning properly. It may have been the chain coming into contact with the front derailleur during the ride .

I was a little sore the next day but did an easy 30 km recovery ride on my way to Tony's . We were going to do a swim but in the end he had pain in his hip and there was no one swimming at the Cott so I did not fancy swimming alone . We had coffee and I rode home  and swam at the Inglewood Pool . I did a leisurely 2.1km swim.

It was probably not critical that I finish every session this week. It is 3 weeks to the Busselton Ironman and I must say mentally I have been tired of training especially in the rain. I am not quite at race weight and the wheezing and asthma issues will be something I have to just work round for the race. But overall , my preparation has been good. I have not had any injuries and just 1 or 2 colds. Despite the wettest training lead up to an Ironman , I have been lucky. I see these past 4 months as a real build period for a stronger 2012.

It has been more a mental challenge this time round and more about the Heart . Just grinding out the sessions has been counter productive and I think the weeks I change the programme and ditched some of the activities has helped. My swimming has suffered a little and I will have to refocus some of my energy next year towards getting more efficient. It isn't a large component of a Tri but it would be great to be efficient .

Swim: 3.15 hrs or 8.4 km
Run: 5.10 hrs or 55km
Bike : 12.10 hrs or 333km

Total : 20.55 hrs

Change the world

2011-11-08T22:13:00.000+08:00

Last weeks training flat lined with a head cold and just a flat attitude. It had been a good rest and I have refocused .It is the constant theme this time round , motivation but I am comfortable with the work done. It has been about right and kept me sane.

A Brief summary of last weeks training before I succumbed to my head cold and coughing fits.
Wednesday:
In the morning it was back in the pool .Did a 500m warm up with fins and then drills for another 800m and then the main set was 3 x 200m firm , 100medium and 100 firm .Cool down I did a 100 free , 100m kick and 100m free .Total was 2.8km

In the evening I ran with the Running centre although I started out with the slow group and ran by myself before I was overtaken by the fast group at the 5km mark. I continued running through the University and then back via the river pathway. it started to rain about four kilometres from the end .Another wet training run . managed 13km in about 1.10 .A little .

Thursday: I struggled to get out of bed and kept trying to get a few more minutes in bed .Eventually got out of bed and out of the house. It was a river loop and did just over 50km .Then to coffee and a breakfast tart .Rode home making it about 68 kms

I have since learnt that all the coughing was just my asthma playing up with the high pollen count and my training rate increasing especially the running and the lack of taking my Ventolin medication.

It was pretty bad and I was coughing in run training and struggling to keep up the pace.

On Monday this week it came to a head when I ran at lunch time I had another attack and just could not stop coughing. I finished the run but I was really tight around the chest . I started to take my Ventolin and it made a difference .I ran again in the evening and did about 22 km altogether.I did get pretty wet in the evening with the rain coming down at the 4km mark .

Tuesday was a good day with the weather holding in the morning. i did a 2 hour session with about 1.20 at hard pace. I rode mainly on my own and the wind was really hard. I managed to keep a good pace and averaged about 31kph with the ride back to the city. I Did ride with the exceed group for 1 lap and then jumped onto one of the faster exceed groups but could not stay with them . In the end I just rode on my own and finished the session still feeling good. I could have gone harder but I think it was about right. Managed about 60kms.

In the evening it was run training with Brad Hosking. It rained again. We did a 1km easy warm up and then 2km comfy run before starting 3 x 12 minutes at threshold pace which was 4.38 minutes per km for me. This was followed by a 2minute comfy run for recovery between each run. I ran about 12.5km Not as much coughing.Legs are pretty tired after Tuesday's double session.

The next 2 weeks are the last 2 hard weeks so I will just have to put in the effort.

This is Your Life

2011-11-03T22:06:00.000+08:00

Trolling through Facebook and the various tri related websites , I came across a short piece on the San Diego Triathlon Challenge , fundraising for Challenge triathletes. . Like many motivational clips this hits the spot.Feeling down and sorry , Had a hard day , training not going as planned...the list goes on. We all have our ups and downs. Well just have a look at the clip. If these kids and challenged triathletes can give it a go , then who am I to complain.

Which leads me to this interesting collection of words called the Holstee Manifesto ( Holstee )....

A jumble of words to live by .Life is Short and Share your passion ....Have a passion. This is mine. What is yours?

A Tumultous week

2011-11-01T22:04:00.000+08:00

Perth was the centre of attraction for the past few days with CHOGM .It was over before it started and I am still not sure what was achieved other than a great get together of Commonwealth leaders and the Queen came to Perth and we all had a traditional sausage sizzle on the front lawn of the city.

The weather was good as well . I had a good break from training .By Sunday , Australia was in the grip of the QANTAS debacle. Everything in the world today is escalated manifold by the manner the press reports and re -reports everything instantaneously .We don't get news once but a multitude of times and versions.Every iota of information is squeezed out of a story and with it peoples sense of perspective. We are jaded with death , war , casualties , disease and famine because we see so much of it everywhere. Same for the QANTAS lock down and stopping its service.

I enjoyed the Chasers QANTAS parody put up on face book again even though it was from the series Chaser 4 years ago. Very apt.

Monday: I slept in as usual but did my long run in the evening.It was pretty warm at about 5.15pm and I ran to Nedlands about 11km and ran back. it was undulating and managed a 5.30 pace for the first 11km and then got a little slower as it got darker .partly as I did not drink anything till the 17 km mark . but the legs held up and managed a 22km run. The longest since the marathon. I just need to focus on keeping the pace steady . I was a little erratic with my mind wandering and the pace dropping off.

Tuesday : Always a hard day following the long run .I was up and out of the house by 5am .I had a 1.5hr hard speed work ride at Nedlands. Did not quite do 1.5 hrs but overall did just under 2 hrs of riding with most of it at speed. I averaged just under 32km overall and probably was just above 33 kph for the nedlands loops. I managed 57kms. The legs were sore at the end. As everyone else had an easy week I was alone doing the loops. Tried to chase down some cyclist and I managed to catch up with them before they would take off up an incline and leave me behind. But is was good to be doing some speed work finally.

In the evening , I had interval sessions with Brad at the WA Athletics Stadium. It was a warm up and then 3 , 4, 5, 4, 3 min intervals at "I "pace which was now 4.12 for me with the same amount of recovery accept with 1 minute of the recovery time spent in the Plank position to strengthen the core . I was OK for the first 2 interval sessions but struggled with the next 3 recording at just above I pace of 3 secs ,9 sec and 6 secs for the last 3 intervals. It was then a slow cool down .I ran a total of 10kms. I was tired and my throat was very sensitive to the air and I was spluttering and coughing a bit.

The Home Stretch - IM Programme for NOVEMBER

2011-10-30T18:45:00.001+08:00

BUSSELTON JETTY BEFORE THE START

FINISHING IM BUSSO 2010

How good are you

2011-10-29T18:33:00.000+08:00

Lance Armstrong ,once said that endurance triathletes are always running away from something. not necessarily true . they may be running towards something.

It is nice to be able to have taken time to reflect and sit back. This is my easy week. I get to take it easy and recover .

I rode on Thursday and Friday and it was easy rides with a bit of heart pumping bits in it. A little different to the programme .but I kept to much of the core work outs. Saturday was a rest day as I rode on Friday and I will swim tomorrow as well.

The next 3 weeks will be the next hard block of work and then it is the Taper. It is great to reflect back on a not so perfect preparation but see the pit falls and issues of the past 6 months of preparation. Primarily it is a long training year for me with other stresses and I have had to dig deep for motivation .But I have kept to my core work outs and I have been fortunate to have had only a few near misses with accidents and injuries but survived so far.

I don't think I am running away but always towards something....chasing a goal and a destination. I haven't quite arrived.

It is to have prepared and raced the perfect race . And the journey there has been to learn , to absorb and to try and help where I can. Hence this Ironman at Busselton is for a purpose . To help the group I am involved with EDAC and I will be making another push in the next few weeks to fund raise again.

The long weekend has been a great pause in the preparation. The question is Not How Good YOU ARE But Are YOU Prepared to Step Up and be Counted.

Economy

2011-10-26T20:27:00.000+08:00

The Economy of Happiness

I have an easy week of training this week . Thankfully . I needed it .Although on Sunday as we relaxed after the swim and joked about training I recall my wife berating me for being a gym junkie and spending everyday at the gym doing classes. In those early days of working out, it turned out the maximum amount of physical training I was doing was a whopping 5-8 hours a week .Nothing like the 15 plus hours now and certainly not the 27 hours a week in my first IM programme.

The easy week is not such a feature in many programmes and for me the only real difference will be the long run and ride are dropped. Otherwise it remains just as heavy. The only difference this week is with the wet weather we are having I may miss a few sessions and move them around.

On Monday it was a light day with a swim in the evening. I did a 2.4km swim with 600m warm up followed by a 600m, 500m, and 400m and medium pace and then 300m cool down . I did not swim with the squad today as I started early.On Tuesday it was a wet rainy morning so I skipped the ride and ran in the evening. I had a hard session with a lot of coughing from the chest probably from the hay fever and lingering infection. We did a warm up and then 1 km , 2km and 3km at threshold pace of 4.38 min/km . with a 1,2,3minutes recovery after each run. I did about 11km all up.

This week Perth is the centre of attention with the CHOGM ( Commonwealth head of States meeting) Lots of dignitaries and the city in lock down. There are lots of activities being hosted and I may go to the barbecue for the Queen on Saturday if the weather holds up . But I will be working my training schedule round the activities .

Having said that , After today's session , as I listened to the radio discussion on the economy and Australia, in particular the protest in New York and Europe , we do have a lot to be thankful for. The uncertainty of the economy in the United States and Europe will impact on the world and these next 6 months can be a significant turning point of how this whole sad situation will play out.

What is evident and is reflected in training for endurance sport. ,sometimes being frugal and economic with your energy is critical to performance. It is not the biggest engine that wins but the most efficient engine that wins. Similarly , why work and why have debt. The crisis we see unfolding in a simplistic way and I have stated before is a combination of greed , lack of regulation, and living in a state of accumulating debt or simply spending more than we have. In some situations that is necessary.

I am not an avid fan of pure market capitalism with no regulation. The unevenness of information demands state control of the capital market to make it work properly. The lax regulation and the many countries like the United States and some European States having huge deficits will and does come home to roost.

Only 50 years ago , in my parents generation , it was never the norm to be in debt and whilst the past 25 years has seen significant growth in the value of housing , I somehow don't see that happening in the future and so our main asset is not going to keep up with our rising depth if we spend more than we have.

Which leads to the question why train to be economic with energy because by being efficient one can complete the race with the least amount of energy. (which is a finite resource in a race) Similarly why spend more than you have ? Why do we work and live a stressful and unhealthy life.? If we have no valid response , we really are not living an efficient economic life.

Should we measure the State of our lives like the Country of Bhutan , a happiness meter .Although Bhutan is not a model country of happiness with its share of a dark history of treatment of Nepali speaking Bhutanese.

How happy are we each day and more importantly what makes us happy are the questions. Somehow how wealthy we are or how many worldly goods we have may not really cut it.

I work and train and spend time with my family because I am passionate about what I do. I enjoy it and the money is important but secondary. I strive to be good and to achieve a good result. It is a race , a race to win. Winning is measured not by finishing first but having done the best I can. That in turn makes me happy.

Fortunately , a lot of what I do does not cost a lot relatively. Well the bike does but when I take the number of hours I use my bike it is actually very economic.

What is the point . Simply , in the turmoil of modern life with competing pressures and the huge gulf of wealth between rich and poor, learn to distill what makes YOU happy and strive to achieve your true potential .

For me it isn't about the dollars , it is about satisfaction and the moments you cannot buy, the memories of collectively what we call your life. The more it is filled with these treasured moments , the happier I believe you will be.

There are somethimg's money can't buy
For everything else there is......

Week 12 - 6 To Go

2011-10-23T20:47:00.000+08:00

3 Shark Attacks in 2 months of the WA Coast ?

Week 12 draws to a close with an easy ride of 35plus km with Kings park thrown in for good measure. The legs did not feel as sore accept on all the climbs between home and Shenton Park. I had a good dead tired sleep but got up at 2 am and then went back to sleep for a few more hours .It was another early rise and I left home at 6 am to cycle to Tony's place. The news this week like 2 weeks earlier has been the death of a diver off Rottnest island due to a suspect shark attack . Despite the fear of swimming in the ocean , we had all decided to get back in the water .It was decided we would swim at Coogee beach .A little further than Cottesloe but a sheltered shallow bay with 2 jetty's exactly 1.5km apart.

I rode to Tony's place via King's park , doing a loop and a slow hard climb on the City side of King's Park. It was a great Perth morning with little traffic about. Just did not like the hills dotted along the route. Got to Tony's place and with Hanna drove to Coogee about a 30 minute drive.

Trevor was not swimming with a sore back and so it was just the 4 of us.Tony , Les , Hanna and myself. I had issues with my new goggles not getting a seal and had to stop several times to adjust the goggles. The others were moving further away. I did eventually manage to fix the goggles and claw back into the group and finish past everyone . We then decided to swim back at least as far as we could go .Hanna swam part of the way and the rest of us swam back . It was pointless getting out so I swam all the way back. I hugged the shoreline and it was really shallow. The Coogee Beach Life Saving Club were running the children's training sessions on the beach so it was looking pretty active by the time we got back. I felt better swimming back and it was the first 3km swim in the ocean since Lanzarote.

We headed to Daisies at Cottesloe for the compulsory Coffee and Muffins. The cafe at Coogee unfortunately did not have muffins. It was then back to Tony's place and my cycle home. The legs were really hurting on the short climbs.

I take away some comfort in the last 3 weeks of training with some steady improvements despite the mental motivation roller coaster.

The positives are:

I have managed to compress 3 days of nearly cycling 250kms this weekend and my legs feel better than last year.
I have not been too rigid with my training and not felt too guilty. Life is too short to stress the small stuff.
I have had a few good solid runs and feel much better running off the bike.
My weight is hovering at 70kgs.

With 6 weeks to go , I am comfortable with progress. I have lacked the structure and speed work on the bike but it has been a long season and I think the body was just getting a little worn down. I am looking forward to the easy week and hope to consolidate the small gains.

Week 12
Bike : 249km or 8.28 hrs
Run: 50km or 4.35 hrs
Swim : 8.6km or 3.35 hrs

Total : 15.98 hrs

Life is a Lottery

2011-10-22T21:19:00.000+08:00

My last hard week before a break and I have shuffled my programme. Monday was a complete rest day as I was just sore from the weekend workout. I have learnt to not fret when I drop sessions. There is a fine balance between gritting your teeth and getting on with the training and just giving the body a rest.

I continue to grapple with the push and pull factors of training and racing Ironman .It is tiring but rewarding . Full on and inspirational . The latest impetus had been the preliminary announcement that World triathlon Corporation (WTC )will be giving priority to triathletes who have done 12 or more races a chance to race Kona with those who have done the most getting a slot and then those who have entered the lottery getting the number of entries for each year they have entered. I have 5 more IM to complete before I have done 12 but it is something to aim for.

Life is a lottery in many ways . But don't hang out for the luck. Make your own. and where it is an unfair hand , make the best of it. As they say , corny as it seems , when you get dealt lemons make lemon juice.

This week has been no different. Monday was an off day .Tuesday it rained in the morning and I am paranoid about falling off the bike so it was a non starter .I did my run training in the evening and It was a good easy session. I did a long warm up of 5km and then had the usual build session and 4 x 800m at " I "pace of 4.21 min/km .We had the same time for recovery between each 800m.

On Wednesday , I swam in the morning at started a little earlier and swam 3.1km.With a 700m warm up followed by a long set of 200m , 400m and 1000m , 400m and then 200m and then a cool down . At lunch time i ran 10km at a rather slow 5.30pace and in the evening i ran with the Running Centre group although it was mainly just me on my own. i did 13 plus km and really ran harder .The legs felt a lot better than at Lunch time . I managed a faster pace .

Thursday turned out to be a rest day s I was just feeling tired. I decided to make Friday a more solid training day especially as I felt rested .

I rode to swim training and did a solid session of 2.5km.A 900m warm up with drills and then 150 easy, 100m medley and 50m fast x 4 and 50m x 2 fast and a cool down. I then rode to work and in the afternoon at lunch I ran 8km .At 3.30 I rode to my Fremantle office and then rode home in the evening from Fremantle.There was lots of wind about so there were parts where I was flying and other sections really working against the wind .Rode a total of 65km

Saturday was a struggle and I started late but once out on the freeway bike path , I settled into a good pace. There was a detour in place because they were rebuilding a section of the bike path so I got a little lost but once on the straight sections I managed to keep at the pace and build .I kept my nutrition regime and had 2 Bidons and lots of dates and lollies and 4 gels.

The legs were tired from yesterdays ride but I managed to keep at a comfortable pace without getting the legs too tired. The wind was pretty favourable today and so that helped.The rain didn't .I got caught in a light shower and then towards the end a really heavy shower with lightning in the distance. I felt pretty cold and tired at the end of the freeway but I had no choice but to ride back. I forgot my toolkit and spare tubes so I rode the whole way without any repair kit. Although not my fastest effort , I was largely alone and even spent a few kilometres talking with Richard Kelso-Marsh and on a few occasions got stuck behind groups of slow riders. I passed 5 riders on the way back and one cyclist training for the IM on a Felt caught up with me 30minutes after I had passed him and I managed to pass him again . The legs felt pretty good at the end. I did get passed in the last 4 kms by a rider on a fixie but he was doing 37kph . I hung on for a short while but after 140km I decided it wasn't worth the effort. I got the bike back in the car and off for my 30 minute run along the river. Again felt pretty good and managed a good pace for the 6km.

WHY TRI

2011-10-18T16:22:00.001+08:00

Ironman Busselton 70.3 2011

There are as many varied and different answers to this question as there are individuals. I ask myself this question from time to time as I struggle with my self imposed regime for training for an Ironman.

But at the core there is really one real answer. Like no other sport , it is more than an activity . Firstly it is 3 sports rolled into one and therefore takes up much more time. It is an outdoor pursuit and requires time and effort outdoors. It does attract a different type of person. One who wants a challenge and it fills in most a need , a desire , a demand , or a thrill.

The stock answers are :

Because I can

It keeps me healthy

It relieves stress etc

These are all reasonable explanations but as Ben Greenfield in a piece on his website ponders , the true reasons are irrational fears if we are brutally honest (Ben Greenfield )

“You do triathlons to prove something to other people. I really am that good, that fit, that motivated, that focused. If my neighbor did it, I can do. I’m better than them. I’ll beat them this year.

You do triathlons because you did just one, this one time, and then you got sucked into the vortex and you had to keep coming back and trying to beat your performance from the previous year. In other words, you want to prove to yourself that your body is getting better, not worse.

You do triathlons because all your friends are doing it and who will provide your social support if it’s not the triathlon club?

You do triathlons because running is boring and you don’t have that kind of attention span.

Dare I say, some of you do triathlons because you want to look good naked?

What are some types of irrational and emotional motivators for triathlon? Here are some examples:

Being able to wear your Ironman or triathlon race t-shirt in public to impress people.

Wanting to be able to eat whatever you want, but not having the control, so finding a sport where working out too much is OK.

Being able to fit into whatever style of clothes you wish.

Having nice legs and feeling confident when you put on spandex.

Telling people at parties that you’re an athlete, maybe even an Ironman.

Comments like, “You’re really slim. Do you workout?”

Not dying early so you can travel with your grandchildren.

Having an honorable excuse for not doing yard work on the weekends because of your “training”.

Contrast these with logical motivators for doing triathlon:

Improve your health.

Less stress.

Good role model.

Balanced lifestyle.

Clothes fit better.

More energy.

You see the difference? Sure, the irrational wants (compared to fears) are conceited and superficial. I get it. But guess which individual gets better results? The person motivated by irrational motivators or logical motivators? Irrational, hands down every time. The secret to achieving success in these type of sports is to figure out the true WHY – which is some always an irrational desire, fear or want.”

It is important to know as unlike any other sport I know it is a life changing exercise.

From a personal perspective , my lifestyle and the way I live changes. My perspective changes , my friends change and my routine changes. Training is more a meditation , an exercise in learning to conquer all my fears. Fear of losing , failure , overcoming the unknown , anxiety and doubt.

I have seen more sunrises and sunsets as a triathlete than in my previous 20 years . If anything there is an appreciation of being out in the open. There is the enjoyment and the sociability of training in a group .

I like many stumble into this sport. Sports generally teaches us and test us over and over again. Triathlons and its training has many life lessons .

I have learnt many life lessons from triathlons and training . As well and foremost it makes you feel so alive.

You learn Time management ,Commitment and most of all Enjoyment and fun.

Sally Edwards a great Triathlete and Triathlon Hall of Fame inductee , in her book on triathlon wrote:

"It hasn’t happened often

It doesn’t last long

Sometimes it last no longer than a lingering moment

Sometimes days

If it were to last forever it would not be sweet

It is the sweet spot in sports

It is a rare feeling of being alive in every cell of your body , in every corner of your mind , in every sense and sensation."

For me that is the experience of competing in a triathlon for the first time.

It was the sense of crossing the line and finishing something I never thought I could do.

My experience is a common emotion for the average triathlete.

My first triathlon was in 2006 at the Corporate Triathlon at Fremantle.My preparation comprised a few swim sessions at the Bayswater pool and riding my brothers mountain bike. I had to be rescued from the wave pool when they turned it on in one of the practise sessions and I could barely swim 25 m freestyle. I breastroked the 250 m swim . I had huge panic attacks. To the point that I sought help from a friend who was studying psychology . The ride round the Fremantle Esplanade was slow and I finished the 5km run utterly exhausted but something got me excited about the sport.

I got a bike on eBay ( a Raceline ) with ultegra gears and probably not quite the right size. I started riding round the river and around my home. I fell off a few times as I could not unclip in time much to the amusement of motorist coming to a stop at an intersection.

I then signed up to join a club.I picked the North Coast Tri Club because someone suggested I join them as they did Aquathons and I knew I needed to swim. I joined a swim class. And I began to ride with the North Coast group on Tuesday's, Thursday's and Saturday .

By 2007 , I had signed up to do the Half Ironman and got a Programme. I went on to race the inaugural Half Ironman in Singapore and did my first Ironman in 2007.

In that period I have become fitter , I have made lots of mistakes, and I have learnt a lot .

Great experiences and not so great experiences.

1. My first flat tire . I did not know how to change a tire and fortunately I was on the coast a few kms from Sorrento and Mark Hoffman was running by and he helped me change the tire

2. Crashing into the side of the road with no vehicles in sight

3. Crashing into a parked car whilst training (more tired than training)

4. Standing at the start of Ironman Busselton

5. The friendships I have made in the club and the sport

6. Trip to Ironman Japan and Austria and Lanzarote

7. Riding in the hills on a Saturday or Sunday morning as the mist rises in winter

8. Sunrise over the river on Tuesday mornings

9. Swimming at Cottesloe on Sunday mornings

If anything triathlon is a sport that encompasses life . In Japan as you race the spectators shout

Gambarre which means Fight On or Do your best .

The first kanji, 「頑」, means 'firm' or 'resolute'. The second part, 「張る」, means 'insist', amongst

other things. So the whole word literally means something like 'be resolute' - hence 'do your best'.

So whilst it may for many be truthfully irrational and emotional motivators , why do I do triathlons. Simply because it is fun and IT is to find that sweet spot in sports.
I hope you find it as well.

Hills and watching the wheels go round

2011-10-16T11:46:00.001+08:00

Watching The Wheels - John Lennon

Garmin Map of the Ride in the Hills 15 October 2011

It was slow , hot and painful. But I survived. Saturday I did a 150km bike ride but in the Hills.
I ended up with 1700m of climbing , the most I have done in a training session . (2000m for the weekend)
I started off just before 6am from home and headed to Guildford and then Helena Valley , Mundaring , Kalamunda and Pickering Brook. There was a constant succession of hills both steep and gradual. I had a short break at Kalamunda after 85km and then rode the same route back which was hard . One of my slower rides but with so much climbing it was unavoidable.

I had four bidons including 1 of Gatorade and 1 Powerade (bought at the Petrol station) . Food was 5 gels , sweets and dates .
I consumed about 400 calories. I did not have any issues with cramping or soreness. I was just slow on the climbs and faster on the flats. I hit 51km on one of the downhill stretches and after Mundaring the road had a slight downhill gradient and I managed to average over 40kph .

It was a hard session but I think it was worthwhile . There wasn't too much activity on the roads ...just lots of motorcycles on Mundaring Weir Road. I had done the route once before but not as far . It is a good ride but can be demoralising for the fact that the averages are so slow. I had no one to draft off today as there did not seem to be that many riders about. Just before Kalamunda , two groups caught up and passed me. They had just finished their ride and I wasn't even half way through mine.The positives were that again my nutrition was spot on and so were the electrolytes.It was hot by 10am and I was holding up . I was comfortable on the flats and even at 130km mark I was able to ride stronger on the flats. it gives me some comfort that I think i can maintain the pace on the flat courses.

Having said that , after 6 hours I was tired and opted to skip my run and do the run on Sunday.

Sunday , turned out to be a really nice hot day. I was out by 6.45am and the legs were feeling tired this morning but managed a nice easy ride to Cottesloe and then back through the city . I ran off the bike for 30 minutes but I was just slow. I only managed 5km and 48km on the bike.

The focus is on the last on the 3 week cycle with emphasis on speed work and building on the base over the last 2 months. My weight remains just under 70kg and so hopefully I will drop a few more kgs before December. The hay fever is bad at the moment and still feel very wheezy and heavy in the chest .

Time for recovery and the Beach as Perth gets a feel for the first real day of summer.

Training for the week:
Run: 5.5 hrs or 59km
Bike: 11hrs or 275km
swim; 2.10 or 5.4km

Total : 18.6 hrs

Working Through

2011-10-15T18:33:00.003+08:00

Working through the Hard weeks.

The second week in the cycle did not start too well.The hay fever was really bad and by Monday I had an infection. I managed to get antibiotics and had a half day off work which allowed me to just rest .I missed my long run and bike session but I was in no state to train. By Tuesday evening I was feeling better just weak and tired.

Did a 12km interval session with the usual warm-up and then 1 km x 5 at "I "pace which was 4.21 pace for me . I managed to keep within the I pace and whilst it was hard , it was good to be back training.

On Wednesday I was back in the pool and had a longish session doing 3km. I started early and did a 1km warm up , followed by the main set which was 300m fast, 200m fast , 100 easy and 50m x 2 fast repeated twice and a further 200m fast .
Followed by a 400m cool down. It was a hard session. At lunch time I ran 10km and then in the evening i did a 11.5km run. The run at lunch time was slow and I was really feeling sick . Probably an empty stomach with antibiotics was not a good idea.. I felt better in the evening run but I was still on the slow side averaging 5.30 per km.

Thursday morning I was back on my bike and rode form home to Reabold Hill .I only did the hill once but rode on the big chain ring for all the climbs I did and there were a few as i rode on to Fremantle and then back to Perth. i managed just under 60 kms . I rode home in the evening as well and at lunch I ran for 55 minutes doing about 9km . The ride home was enjoyable and overall I had managed to ride 75km for the day doing all the hills on the big chain ring and seated .

Friday morning , I struggle out of bed for swim training. The water was a little colder and we did a 600m warm up and then drills for 300m and then a main set of 100m x 10 with the first 3 fast pace and the Fourth at medium repeated 2.5 times. Again I was lagging behind but feel stronger on the bilateral breathing and more comfortable breathing on the right.

Ended up swimming 2.4km .

In the evening I went to watch the first Aquathon for the North Coast Tri Club and ran along the coast. I did a 55min run with at least 10km.The ocean was not looking good. There was overcast skies and a swell. Not fun conditions to swim in.I was glad I was running .

Still on antibiotics as the hay fever is still bad .

The week has been dominated from my perspective with the unfortunate missing swimmer Bryn Martin who is feared to have been taken by a shark on off Cottesloe Beach .I was swimming with my mates the day before and the weather was definitely not good for a swim.. It was definitely shark weather. having said that , it is a large ocean and they do live in it. We swam without incident . The peak period for concern will be November when the whales will be swimming past the WA coast and the great Whites will be following. I will need to keep swimming in the ocean if I am going to be comfortable in my wetsuit and swimming the distance at Busso.

Whilst it has been a hard week ,it has been good and George Harrison's song sums up the week for me . No big leaps of improvement or performance . Just steady and thankful.

Rescue crews scour Cottesloe Beach for missing Mosman Park man. Picture credit: Richard Polden Source: PerthNow

Read more: http://www.news.com.au/national/man-missing-off-cottesloe-beach/story-e6frfkvr-1226163485333#ixzz1aqVBk4DV

KONA GLORY

2011-10-09T18:00:00.000+08:00

The Ironman World Champion 2011 Craig Alexander Picture from Lava Magazine Lava Magazine
Picture by Sammy Tillery

I have finished week one of my 3 week block.I am feeling a lot better than 2 weeks ago and hopefully I can continue to build on this weeks gains. As I slept through the night ...I was dead tired .Literally I was out in five minutes. Ironman World Championships was starting in Hawaii , Kona. I missed the winners running down Alií Drive . But Kona is the epicentre of Endurance triathlon and its MECCA . That is what thousands of athletes aspire to qualify for . Myself included but realistically it will be via a lottery spot given the times posted this year . The winner in my age group posted a 9.14 time and nearly 1000 competitors were under 11 hours. But it is more than just the time , it is about the focus , the dedication and sacrifice. Each athlete has a story to tell .I am privy to a glimpse of the training my friends who went to Kona put in to get there . They are all earth moving , mountain shifting and inspirational. That is why watching these races gives you goose bumps. They are what I aspire to be .

Amongst the competitors lining up were a number of West Aussies . Hats off to them . Their results are:
Jason Nuttman 9:49:06
Alistair Press 10:12:16
Rodney Marton 10:22:58
Michelle Duffield 10:54:45

Cottesloe looking like a big storm was brewing

Back to reality , I got up at 6 and did my optional easy ride to Cottesloe for a really short swim . I had issues with my goggles again and I am getting a new pair. I swam a short 1200m and then had coffee at Daisies before riding home. The day started with the sky looking not too friendly with dark cloud's gathering over the sea but it has turned out to be a nice day.

The legs held up well on the ride but I did struggle a bit with any short climb . Its been a big week , The highlights in a way were the ride down the Freeway with a Magpie attack .Its the same bird each year but he helped me pick up my speed for that stretch anyway. Getting home on Saturday and Sunday and having to ride again with my son Jonathan . Fortunately a short ride but on a steel bike with the wheel touching the side of the bike made it a hard ride yesterday . i fixed the problem so today's ride round the Park and the neighbourhood was more relaxed.

Training Week Summary

Run: 5hrs 10 mins or 56 km
Bike: 11hrs or 313 km
Swim: 2.5hrs or 6.2km
TOTAL: 18.6 hrs

With a Little help from My Friends

2011-10-08T20:13:00.000+08:00

Promise Yourself

To be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind.
To talk health, happiness, and prosperity to every person you meet.
To make all your friends feel that there is something worthwhile in them.
To look at the sunny side of everything and make your optimism come true.
To think only of the best, to work only for the best and to expect only the best.
To be just as enthusiastic about the success of others as you are about your own.
To forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the greater achievements of the future.
To wear a cheerful expression at all times and give a smile to every living creature you meet.
To give so much time to improving yourself that you have no time to criticize others.
To be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear, and too happy to permit the presence of trouble.
To think well of yourself and to proclaim this fact to the world, not in loud word, but in great deeds.
To live in the faith that the whole world is on your side, so long as you are true to the best that is in you.

Christian D. Larson

Ride down the freeway

Run off the bike

Saturday is always a hard day with my longest ride and training session. Lots of my friends are out there training as well .

Today was no different. It has been a busy week training wise and with work. It has been hard marrying the two and then being time efficient with everything else such as Family and my voluntary work.

Despite the pressures of life , I will not have it any other way . There are just days where life and being in it is so sweet. You know that just being well and alive and doing what you enjoy is a gift . Look at the glass half full not half empty.

Today is just such a day. Kona starts tonight and I will try and watch a bit before bed and follow the rest tomorrow . I got up at 5am and got out of the door by 5.25am , heading for my ride down the Freeway Bike path via the city . It was slow going with traffic lights and having to cross the rail tracks on the pedestrian bridge .But once I got on the cycle path it was much better. I had a 150km ride .

It was a nice day with overcast weather and some drizzle about. I saw Brad's group at the South Perth car park just before 6 am as i passed .They were presumably just about to start their ride down the freeway . i did not see them after that. Got into a comfortable rhythm and after an hour got passed by a rider. I tried to stay with him and follow his pace but he kept pulling away. I then got passed by 4 riders and decided to stick on them and managed to quicken the pace drafting behind them for the next 35km before they pulled off and I continued till I hit the 76 km mark and turned around. There was wind about and had a good tail wind with the guys i was following and I was doing 40kph at one stage and as high as 50kph for short burst.

I was on my own at the turn around for the next 1 hour and then 3 cyclist passed me and i hung onto them and decided to take a turn in the front I did that 3 times and in the final turn up front the others did not follow me and I was alone again. Finished up at the narrows and had a drink before heading home.Once home it was a quick 36 minute run off the bike.I managed 7km and felt a lot better than the previous session 2 weeks earlier. i ate throughout the ride and consumed close to 300 calories with gels , Gatorade dates and lollies. I only had 2 bidons but it was sufficient as it wasn't hot.

I must say that there was a lot more riders out today and it was great to be able to ride with other cyclist. They were gracious enough to allow me to draft behind and even take turns in front. It made the training ride so much more interesting with a little help from my friends.

A Week in Maps

2011-10-08T19:09:00.000+08:00

First week of a 3 week hard cycle started with me sleeping in .Mondaynitis is hard to beat . But I did do my long run in the evening with a 1.50 just under 19.5km run.the garmin was playing up and I don't have an accurate moving average. I ran at medium pace and was comfortable so I am happy with the longest run so far since my City to Surf marathon several weeks earlier.

Tuesday morning I was planning on a hard hour ride but Ross decided on a time trial so I decided to just do the time trial.it was hard work even if it was a 20km ride and really only ended up riding for just over an hour. Not my fastest time trial but will do as my quads were sore from the previous nights run.

Backed up the ride with run training in the evening at perry lakes. It was a hard session without Brad there .Did 45 minutes at Threshold pace which for me was 4.43 min/km .I managed to stay at the pace or under it for the session.I ended up running about 13.5km with the warm up and cool down and recovery sessions between. The legs were like jelly after the run. The last bit on the map was me driving off with my Garmin still on so it doesn't count .

Wednesday morning made it to swim session. I had a 600m warm up but only did 500 and then some drills with 25m fist and 25m free x 6 and then the main set was 200 at threshold and 200 at medium x 2 followed by 100m at threshold and 100m at medium x 4 and 50 m at threshold and 50m medium x 3 for a total of 1500m and then a cool down of 3 x 50m breast and 50 free for a total of 2.6km . The legs were not feeling too bad but my arms were sore.

I was not able to run in the evening as I had a meeting from 6pm so I ran at lunch time .I did a steady but slow 10km. The run up to Kings Park was a little painful but I managed to get comfortable all the way to the University and then back .
It was a solid run and I was just trying to keep the pace at about 5.30 .

Sunrise at Reabold Hill Thursday morning hill repeats

Thursday morning , I was up early enough and drove into the city as I had appointments outside the office so could not ride to work. i then rode to Reabold Hill and did my hill repeats .saw Joe at Shenton Park . I managed 5 climbs before riding round the river via City beach and Fremantle . It was a nice day but along West Coast drive there was a lot of traffic and a couple of large trucks whizzing along.A tanker came within a foot of me and really seemed totally oblivious . He did not try to keep a wide berth but actually seemed to try and get as close to me to just give me a scare .the other truckies at least veered round me safely.

From Fremantle it was Point Preston Road and a lot safer with less traffic.I sat behind a group of cyclist and one of them was just cycling with pedals and joggers . I enjoyed the ride round the river and took a turn in the front of the pack .

Managed to get round and do the Hill work in 2 hours.

Friday was a relatively easy day .i cycled to swim training and it was a hard session simply because there was lots of back and brushstroke in it.Did a 700m warm up with 100 free and 50 back and 50 breast x 3.5 times then drills for 300m and the main set was 50 back easy and 50 free fast followed by 50m breast easy and 50m free fast x 4.5 and cool down was 100m kick x 2 and 100m back and 100m breast.I just did the kick and a 100m free for a total of 2.3km . Cycled to breakfast and work.In the evening i ran along the river with an easy 30 plus minutes .i did about 6Km. It was a calm windless day. I then cycled home .It was dark by the time I got back which was not the best given that drivers tend to be tired and less observant.

Did not run or cycle with my Garmin on Friday. These next 3 weeks will be the fun part of the training.

Moment to Pause

2011-10-02T17:15:00.000+08:00

The Perth Royal Show

Royal Show 1 October 2011

The weeks are rolling by quickly. The week just passed was my easy week and after a horrid busy work week I did not religiously follow my programme. I did not do any running and just had a single swim session. I rode on Tuesday , Thursday and Friday .

I had a bad dose of hay fever so gave Saturday a miss . Thankfully it was an easy week.

The weekend was spent at the Royal Show with Jonathan . It is the first day of the Royal Show . A Perth tradition of city people getting a glimpse of Country WA .It has been around since 1902 and is run by the Royal Agricultural Society of WA . The show is packed even on the first day .It is a tradition to take the kids to the Royal show and it is a bit cheesy but Jonathan always has a good time.

Check out the link to The Perth Royal Show

I have completed my October Programme and the hard weeks begin . it is becoming a very long season and with the work load a lot harder to juggle the training each day.

On Saturday evening watched Ice age 3 with JJ and had a real oldie in the sound track....Alone again Naturally. Liked the version by johnny Mathis. Enjoy...

Sunday Morning at cottesloe

Sunday despite the weather forecast for rain which was really early in the morning it has turned out to be a nice day .I rode to Cottesloe and swam with Trevor , Tony and Les. it was overcast at the Beach and not ideal swim weather.A bit of a surf and the water was very murky with seaweed about. i had lots of problems with my goggles filling with water as well .Did a 30 minute swim to the OBH Hotel and back . About 1.2 or 1.3km .

Easy week:
Swim: 1.5hrs or 4km
Run: 0 hrs
bike: 6.75 hrs or 166km
Total : 8.15 hrs

October Programme

2011-10-02T11:54:00.002+08:00

"To dream anything you want to--

That is the beauty of the human mind.

To do anything you want to--

That is the strength of the human will.

To trust yourself, to test the limits--

That is the courage to succeed."

The Next 8 weeks before IM Busselton are the meat and vegetables of training. The hours and distances all start to become critical to preparation. Hopefully the weather continues to improve. My motivation this past month has been mirrored by the wet weather .

Feeling Groovy

2011-09-25T18:16:00.000+08:00

Some of the world's greatest feats were accomplished by people not smart enough to know they were impossible."

---Doug Larson American cartoonist

Daisies of Cottesloe

Whilst Sunday is usually a rest day , today was a beautiful day and I had decided I would take an easy ride down to Cottesloe Beach for the first swim in many months with the usual swim group . It was an easy 1 hour ride down to Cottesloe and the water was perfectly calm . I did a 30 minute swim to the first buoy between the OBH hotel and Blue Duck cafe ...I believe about 6-700m and then swam back. We had coffee and muffins at Daisies of Cottesloe Cafe .Better coffee and great muffins . Especially good after a swim and ride on a beautiful day like today .

The legs were a little sore on the short climbs but otherwise I felt good. The swim was slow but short and I just wanted to get back into swimming with the wetsuit. Water was murky again .

Whilst chatting away , Tony mentioned the impressive channel swim report by Paul Newsome .I have added the link here as it is well worth a read. . Paul Newsome's Channel Swim Report .

The elite triathletes from around the world are finishing up their training and heading to Hawaii this week. Tomorrow after the swim we say goodbye and good luck to the 4 intrepid WA triathletes that I know who are all leaving for Hawaii and all racing Hawaii for the first time. They have done the mega miles and hours and all look very CUT .

May the Kona Tri gods smile on them .

Summary for the week

Swimming: 2.5 hours or 6.4 km
Running: 4.9 hrs or 52 kms
cycle: 225 kms or 8.6hrs
Total: 16 hrs.

Week 8 ...A Stressful Week

2011-09-24T20:47:00.000+08:00

Jonathan amongst the flags at Kings Park

Concert In Kings Park 24 September 2011

The Narrows Bridge where lots of my training rides start from .
The Swan river on a beautiful day 24 September 2011

Week 8 Begins with last week being a bit of a disaster just in terms of work , stress and injuries and motivation. I am glad I had a rest. I felt a lot better on Monday despite not swimming for a whole week or cycling much.

Monday morning , I actually made it to swimming .A first after several weeks of sleeping in on a Monday. I managed 2.7km .It was a 200m warm up but I did 300m with another 200 with a 100 free , 50 back and 50 breast .Then 200 with 50 m drills x 2 .
The main set was simply 100m, 200m , 300, 400m,400m,300m, 200m, 100m with a 50m kick and 50m back in the 400m and a medley in the 300 m which I skipped. No PB and the arms were feeling a little tired from the lack of swimming for a week but otherwise it was comfortable.

In the evening , I had a 1.5hr run and managed just over 16km . It was pretty nice with no rain an a light breeze. I ran along the river to Nedlands and then back through the University and Kings Park .

Tuesday Morning : the days are getting warmer and the sun is rising earlier . We can actually see the road before 6am. it was the usual hour of power and I rode with Michelle and Rod . One of the guys in another group joined us in the 2nd lap .

It was hard but I hung in there .The legs were a little tired from last night. Unfortunately with a very stressful week at work I wasn't looking forward to the training . At run training with Brad in the evening I got an early start and did my warm up and we then did some drills for a further 4 laps before the main set which was 4 x 1 km at "I "pace and active recovery ie. running at a slower pace for the same I pace period with a 1 minute plank as well. Did all my Ï"pace runs at below the pace and it felt a lot better than last week. Did exactly 10km of running.

The rest of the week was extremely busy at work and I was exhausted at the end of the day.I ran fairly late on Wednesday night starting at 6pm and did just an hour run. I had a big rest day on Thursday again as I was just feeling too tired mentally.

By Friday I was feeling better and ran 9.5 km and swam in the evening. Ross was back and we did an easy 2.3km swim with a warm up of 300 m drills with flippers for another 600m and then the main set was 200m x 5 with two 50m at fast pace and a 100 cruise. The followed bu a cool down. Friday turned out to be quite relaxing after a busy work week.

On Saturday , I managed to get out of bed and started my long ride at 5.30am . Got to the Narrows and saw Jason and Jaimie who were riding the Freeway. I continued down the Freeway cycle path and Jason caught up with me at Mt Henry bridge and I followed him till they stopped before Murdoch to wait for Jaimie. I turned off at Roe Highway and headed for Welshpool Road . Been a few months since I rode this route. It was slow but my legs felt pretty good till the end when it did begin to tire. I was still pretty slow on the climbs but I managed to pace myself and not get the legs burning on the climbs. There were 2 occasions when at the end as I passed cars on side roads where they were just oblivious to my presence and I was just careful in case they proceeded out as I passed them.They were just not looking out for cyclist .I could tell as they were just looking past me. On Mundaring Road I passed some cyclist including I presume someone from Exceed as they shouted out my name. there were lots of friendly cyclist about today ...everyone waved back as i passed and said hallo.
Did 125 km in just under 5 hours which was painfully slow but I felt good and ran at just under 5.30 pace. Legs were holding up well .

The afternoon was spent enjoying the best Perth weather for a very long time . Took Jonathan to his Sunday school picnic at Kings Park .

Taking It Easy

2011-09-23T22:03:00.000+08:00

I am getting old . I feel it in my bones especially in the morning. I have for the past few weeks struggled with the discipline of getting up early and training and working and then training again in the evening .

Something has to give. I am tired and I think suffering from over training .

My fall last Thursday in the wet did not help .The heavy work load this week has not helped . Family commitments and all the usual family responsibilities has made me re assess my training. I have had to pare back some of the sessions. When I had a long day in the office , I have just had to skip sessions. i feel guilty but I don't think it is worth an injury or getting sick.

The weather has not helped .All the riding in the rain and training through winter has made me tired.

I lie in bed and wonder why I am putting myself through this. At times I am just too tired to want to get out of bed. It is better to lie there and just feel comfortable.

As a result I have put on 2 kg and now have to try and get the weight back down. I do know all that I feel is a reflection of where I am mentally more so than physically. It unfortunately has its desired impact. I am exhausted with work and training .

It is hard ....not to be putting the desired hours in but unfortunately work takes precedence. It isn't fun if it becomes a chore and taking it easy is the hardest lesson to learn. I am struggling to learn it.

There are clues in training . There is logic and science in divining what works .The problem not everyone can work it out and I certainly struggle. But as in Brett Sutton's piece Looking For Clues...there are some nuggets of wisdom. Similarly not all sessions need to be done at hard pace. there is some benefit in easy and there is some benefit in an easy week.(Easy Explained by Emma Bishop)

This week i learnt lots about my own body clock and indirectly about the impact of workers on night rosters and the effect that can have on the body. Hence the highest risk of accidents on the road is between 1 am and 6am when despite being quite alert on finishing work , where the individual is active and busy and in a light environment, once in a vehicle with darkness and no distractions it is possible for a person to dose and the consequences can be devastating.

The other fatigue is just being dead tired. You can gain a sleep deficit but you cannot build a sleep bank. I recall my tragic forays into training in my first year and falling asleep on a bike mid training. Fortunately the consequences were not disastrous. Just bruising , a broken helmet and a slightly dented aluminium bike.

I think if I am going to remain for the long haul , a few lie ins's once in a while won't hurt .

Getting Motivated

2011-09-17T19:32:00.000+08:00

A slow ride

Ride Home

Lunch time run

The week begins as always with Monday Blues. I skipped swimming as I was just tired and felt good enough to run on Monday evening doing a 75 min run with about 12-13 kms very easy pace.

It was another great evening and there was little traffc on the footpaths and it was still light at 6.30pm and best of all two dolphins were playing in the river near the Boat shed off Stirling Highway.A cyclist stopped to watch them and I watched them gliding gracefully around till they disappeared.

Tuesday was a non starter .I had a slightly sore throat and skipped the morning ride as it rained for a short while and I just went back to bed never to get up till it was too late. I should have but I didn't . I did show up for run training and it was a relatively hard session .All up i did 11km with 6 x 800m at "I "pace which was 3.28 per 800 metres .It was hard as I was feeling quite tired and I struggled to keep at that pace which was different to last weeks session. I had great difficulty breathing and was spluttering around the track and breathing heavily . unfortunately my sports induced asthma was getting worse or I was having a bad dose of hay fever given it is spring. In the end i got through the session.

Wednesday was swimming and a 2 hour run. But I bailed. I was pretty tired and so just decided to skip the sessions.

Thursday , I felt alot better and despite the early morning rain started off at 5.20 for my ride and hill repeats .Unfortunately with the wet and oily road , I fell about 20 minutes into the ride . I had a few bruises and a sore right wrist but fortunately nothing was broken and it was quite early in the morning so there wasn't much traffic. I then saw a 200m trail of oil on the side of the wet road so it was either the oil being washed into the side of the road or a car leaking oil on the road earlier. Whatever it was , it made the road really slippery. I managed to gather myself and still got to Reabold hill at about 6 and did hill repeats till 6.40am and then rode off to my breakfast appointment at Applecross .I got there at 7.45 on the dot . It was slow moving with the traffic .I then got a lift to work .

At lunch time I did a 10km run at 5.30 pace and the legs felt pretty good .I did not push it . There were quite a few runners about. I rode home in the evening making it a pretty long training day with 3 hours of riding and just under an hour of running.

The last 2 days have turned out to be a non event . Skipped training as I was feeling a little sore after the fall.

A Perfect day

2011-09-12T22:05:00.001+08:00

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At the Beach ... A perfect day

Yesterday beside the importance of the day was also a busy weekend of racing. There was the Ironman 70.3 and the ITU races in Beijing and the mega -tri event in Singapore.

Many friends were participating and it was great to hear of the successes. Many deserved because I know personally of the effort put in . Congratulations particularly to fellow Exceed club members and my coach Ross Pedlow who came in 12th in his age group in Beijing in the Olympic Distance and James 45th in his age group . I believe Ross was the fastest Aussie in his age group. Not too shabby for an old bloke.

The Australians dominated the Ironman 70.3 with Alexander and Rollison winning the Ironman 70.3 World championships.

Devashish Paul in the Xtri piece , Ironman 70.3 Vegas , wrote of the dominance of Aussies .

But here in Sep in Nevada, the Aussie world champions, extended a podium sweep at Ironman Championships, that started last October in the lavafields of Hawaii with the wins by Macca and Carfrae. There appears to be an endless supply of amazing Ironman Champions coming from a country that in population is barely bigger than a large American state!

The Sport in Australia is looking good at the moment.

I had spent the morning sleeping as there was no swimming . I did eventually go swimming as Jonathan wanted to go to the beach so I managed a 40 minute swim at Cottesloe. It was a beautiful spring day and there were lots of people on the Beach. I decided not to use the wetsuit and the water was pretty cold despite the warm weather. It felt good after warming up I had issues with my goggles so stopped lots and whilst it was slow I enjoyed being back in the water.Could not help thinking about what was lurking around as the water was very murky and there was a lot of sediment in the water .But with the bright skies it wasn't really shark weather yesterday.

In the evening took the family out to East Perth for a Korean dinner and to celebrate our 19th wedding Anniversary. After 19 years of marriage the great thing is that she has learnt all my foibles and tolerates me and my obsession. It is about tolerance and being accepting that not everything is going to go my way. I learn to be flexible. There is no I in We . I have enjoyed 4 plus years of a tri lifestyle. I recall when I was first going to the gym and she complained about the number of hours I was working out in the Gym . On reflection it seem quite insignificant to the hours of training these days.

Overall for the week :

Run: approx 44km or 4.20
Swim: 6.5km or 2.40
bike: 225km or 8.10
Total : 15.10 hrs.

A Reflection

2011-09-12T20:55:00.000+08:00

I am always a day or so late . I was planning on blogging a short piece on Sunday about the importance of the day . It was the 10th Anniversary of the attack on New York and Washington DC. I watched the footage and the numerous docos on Australian TV . I become numb to the real impact as I remember watching live 10 years earlier the Second plane crashing into the South Tower of the World Trade centre.

I had been up on the viewing deck 15 years earlier on a beautiful New York summer day.Better and wonderful memories of a summer spent in New York and Connecticut in 1986 .The 100th anniversary of the Statute of Liberty. I watched an interview of a young Australian who survived the attack even though he was on the 92nd floor. The many families who lost loved ones and those still badly scared by the attack. The young Australian interviewed only felt sadness on the day .

No one spoke of hate . Most refocused their lives to honour those who died. They do not forget , they remember but as most said life goes on . There is an endless cycle and the human spirit seems to have an unquantifiable ability to absorb all that pain and suffering and move on. It is not a boundary anyone readily wishes to test . But each day we are possibly confronted with that ultimate test and our mortality.

Whilst I prefer not to be introspective and self absorbed by the hype of TV commercialism of such a serious event.It is personal , it is private and so individual to those who have lost loved ones . I prefer to give them that privacy .I do not need to intrude or gawk at the spectacle. It is tragic and sad . There is an over hyping by media for the sake of TV numbers . Having said that , I do reflect on what it is to be a citizen of this world and to ask , a simple question. After a decade of the end of the cold war , the reduced tension of global nuclear annihilation, what and how can a group of individuals feel so aggrieved that they resort to such a horrific degree of violence.

Having said that , 3000 lives lost in New York and countless more wars and violence in Africa and Cambodia and Gaza. What draws us and our attention. Whilst taking life to justify a cause is wrong . We do have a myopic view of justice and causes . The Palestine problem remains and does not attract the attention of the World as 9/11 does . The insoluble problem in the Middle East remains the catalyst because no one is prepared to invest the effort required . The United nations remains divided . Similar to the climate Change debate . It remains the greatest threat to world security. But indecision and self interest remain paramount.

We seem to always move closer to the cliff face of annihilation . I hope we pull back in time . I hope we learn the lessons of history . I hope we learn respect and tolerance. I hope we have wisdom before it is all too late . It is on such a day good to reflect , I am safe here , a beautiful spring day in Perth .

Finally , A short poem by Brisbane Poet Rupert McCall called A Fire Fighters Dream:

A FIRE FIGHTER’S DREAM

His voice boomed like a beacon and it echoed in my soul

From the land of opportunity, reverberations roll

All across the mighty sea to where the Southern Cross stars gleam

I was listening…and I heard it…when he said…I have a dream…

And the dream I had was beautiful – what more could someone pray

Than to wake up in the middle of a perfect summer’s day?

An aqua blue-like canopy pays tribute to the skies

And there I see this young kid with a hero in his eyes

The hero is a humble man and not the type to shirk

A proudly spoken fire-fighter on his way to work

His profession is his passion, his adrenalin, his spark

The hat he wears to battle is his way to make a mark

And waving from a window, now the boy begins to cry

You see the hero is his father…and he hates to say goodbye

And the dream I had was terrible, from nowhere they appear

Monsters in the New York sky that choke the day with fear

It can’t be real – the questions burn with why and who and how?

Go and turn your TV on…please…just do it now…

An evil cloak in plumes of smoke replaces freedom’s gown

The flames reveal their secret truth – the world is falling down

Falling, sprawling, screaming, calling, crying as they go

A fire fighter grabs his hat and flies to meet his foe

Forward into battle now – he hears a church’s bell

Forward into no man’s land - Forward into hell

And the dream I had was powerful – the best of humankind

Courage is a heartfelt word not easily defined

It doesn’t equal ‘fearless’ as some sideline experts claim

No…courage is ‘to be scared…but to go on just the same’

To rally in the moment then to rise and climb the stairs

To save as many people as an act of courage dares

To dig and dig then dig some more – to be there for your mates

To look your leader in the eye and know the end awaits

Underneath the carnage, when the count is done and said

The only thing recovered is his hat of ‘firey’ red

And the dream I had was personal – I’ve put my kids to sleep

But the images still haunt me and reality cuts deep

I see the faces of the fallen – the tape forever runs

I see the mothers and the brothers and the sisters and the sons

And the comrades and the colleagues, they are never to return

But for every face, a candle…and tonight, that flame will burn

It burns for something precious – something every hero gave

It illuminates ‘ground zero’ and commemorates the brave

Of religion, race and rivalry, it burns across that scope

It is pure in its simplicity – tonight, it burns for hope

Yes the dream we share IS hopeful in our darkest hour of hours

Beams of light now kiss the sky where, once, we saw two towers

Of this, be strong and steadfast - Of this, stand tall and say -

There are some things that an enemy can never take away

I can feel it through the flag that flies, defiant in the gloom

I can see it through the window where a boy waits in his room

He is waiting for his hero, still, to walk back through that door

The hat he holds is scuffed and scratched but this, he knows for sure

One day he will wear that hat and pride will reign supreme

Because his father’s gift was freedom and for that…he has a dream…

Rupert McCall 2010

Week 6

2011-09-10T15:02:00.002+08:00

Some of the world's greatest feats were accomplished by people not smart enough to know they were impossible."

---Doug Larson

Somewhere in the weekly blog of interesting thoughts and ideas , I do have to report the mundane , the regular and downright boring bits of what it means to be in training for an Ironman .

It isn't all Beer and Skittles. There is a serious, intentional ,slow and painful build towards the Race . Week 6 is a stark reminder of the training.

Bret Sutton , the all too infamous Tri coach for many Champions including Chrissie Wellington is always accused of pushing his athletes too hard .But what is interesting is Brett started life as a swim coach and a horse trainer.
He often says horses can't tell when they are tired or injured.It is an intuitive way of coaching .

There is a summary of his views on 3JC Triathlon. Worth a listen to the interview Brett gave on IMpodcast last year . Even the horse trainer for Black Caviar, the fastest short course horse in Australia and just 1 win from equalling Phar Laps all time record of 14 wins , says that coaching a horse is no different to coaching an elite athlete. It is an innate understanding of the animal and when and how to train them. Peter Moody in the Australian Story broadcast on Black Caviar speaks about the endless hours of track work at 4am.

Besides ability and desire , there is the volume of quality work that goes into making or reaching the pinnacle of your ability.

This week , I had a slow start with recovery from my Sunday ride. I only managed a 7km run and skipped the swim.On Tuesday it was the hour of power but as everyone had an easy week , I was alone and rode for over an hour ...more like 1.10 hard. On Tuesday evening it was an especially hard session with Brad. I did a 4km warm up and then some sprints and the main set was 400m , 800m and 1km x 2 with a recovery after each run of the equivalent time for the interval session. With the cool down I did just under 14km .

On Wednesday I got to swim training in the morning and ran 11km at lunch as I could not run in the evening. Thursday , I rode to work and did hill repeats at Kings Park .Stayed on the big chain ring and tried not to get out of the seat. I then rode home in the evening.

Friday, I did a 10km run at Lunch time and then swam in the evening managing 2.5km with a 500m warm up and then a 700m , 600m, and 500m set before a cool down.

Saturday , the legs were feeling quite sore but I finished the long ride.I wasn't at my best but got through the ride and 20 minute run off the bike. Sometimes I am not so sure if it is over training or just having to fight through the pain barrier.

My nutrition was fine and had enough to consume. It was a great day but towards the end the legs were hurting . I managed a short run off the bike and I hope the legs are recovered by tomorrow.

A Cold Wet Fathers Day Ride

2011-09-04T17:57:00.001+08:00

Jonathan's Fathers Day Card

Bike after the 4 hour ride in the rain

Poor Bike Having a lie down in the car after the ride

Wet Sand Coated Jelly Legs

Today , was an optional training day but I decided that with Saturday being a wet morning to do my long ride on Sunday , hoping the weather would be kinder. I was wrong . Started off from the Narrows Bridge for a 4 hour ride and got a slow steady drizzle from the word go.

There wasn't too many riders about so it was a quiet ride with just the wind and rain . I did make one big mistake . I had one electrolyte tablet for my bidon and assumed with the cold weather that would last a 4 hour ride .I now know that was the dumbest idea ever. At the 2 hour mark my quads were screaming.I wasn't really pushing hard and had been consuming Gatorade , and jelly beans and Gu Chewie's. So the nutrition was pretty good. I usually have crushed salt tablets in my 2 bidons which provide my electrolyte requirements and whilst I didn't cramp the legs were hurting. It could just be the legs still recovering from the run last weekend and the first long ride in 14 days. Whatever it is , I think the salt intake needed to be higher . I was still perspiring in the rain. Had 20 jelly beans and 45 g of carbohydrate chewie's and a further 45g from the Gatorade. It was probably not quite sufficient but I did not feel lethargic or a loss of energy , just miserable for the whole ride with my spectacles just covered with rain droplets . The legs and the back of my jacket were caked in sand .It even got into my Bento box and I was eating sand with every jelly bean I was biting into. The freeway ride is an out and back cycle path alongside the Kwinana Freeway and was just boring . Nothing was moving. I saw 4 riders on the way down and a lot more as I got back to South Perth at 10am when the recreation riders were coming out.

At least as I did my 4km run along the foreshore , it was nice and sunny but for the first 2km I could not feel my feet. Strange feeling running with no feeling from the cold.

On Friday I did my swim training in the evening again to avoid the rain .There were only 4 brave souls at training so I had a whole lane . Ross got to watch my swim stroke and he was quite complimentary about my stroke. Just have to keep my legs up and coming from a non swimming back ground my balance and positioning in the water just needs to be worked on. I hope to be back in the ocean again from next Sunday .Could not find anyone willing to swim today but given I was riding in the morning that worked out well.

Unfortunately a body surfer was taken by a shark today a Bunker Bay about 3.5 hours from Perth. The weather and overcast conditions were definitely ideal Shark weather so maybe today was not the day to return to the ocean.

Shark attack at Bunker Bay...story at Perth Now

Searching The Universe

2011-09-04T12:34:00.000+08:00

When you stare at the night sky it looks lovely....It holds the untold history of the universe. Every Tuesday evening as I travel home after run training I listen to Richard Fidler on ABC 720 radio as he interviews an interesting guest.Last Tuesday it was Bryan Gaensler , an astronomer and Professor at Sydney University .

Radio Interview of Bryan Gaensler

I enjoy these quiet moments and the depth and breath of characters being interviewed . Professor Gaensle's profile :

Broadcast date: Tuesday 30 August 2011
Former Young Australian of the Year and NASA Hubble Fellow Bryan Gaensler specialises in dying stars, interstellar magnets and cosmic explosions.

Bryan is now Professor of Physics at the University of Sydney, and Director of the ARC Centre of Excellence for All-sky Astrophysics.
His first book was handwritten at the tender age of seven and still, as far as he knows, sits in his school library.

Bryan has now written his first published book: Extreme Cosmos, published by UNSW Press.

Another interesting article I came across was a piece in the competitor magazine on Siri Lindley , Mirinda Carfrae's current coach . Siri trained under the great Bret Sutton and have similar philosophies and i very astute at reading atheletes . it is the one skill or intuition that sets a great coach apart from a good coach.
At times I have difficulty understanding myself let alone others and that is what makes crafting the training programme round each athlete such a great but difficult skill . the cookie cutter programme will get everyone to the line but may not produce the best results.

Despite her lack of experience training anyone in an Ironman race Siri Lindley seems to have got it right with Mirinda in only her second outing in Kona . She says:

Mirinda Carfrae . photograph by John Segesta

“What I knew is that this was a strength race. You’ve got to be strong from start to finish. So the most important word that came to my mind in every area was strength in swim, bike, run. It was all about building up her strength to go out on a six-hour ride or a two-and-a-half-hour run.”

The Making Of a World Champion Written by: Kim McDonald

September's Training Programme

2011-09-01T19:24:00.000+08:00

Start of the September Training Programme

After the marathon on Sunday , I was planning on getting back to some training . At least a light work out and swimming. But on Monday the legs were quite stiff and I decided to skip a day of training . On Tuesday I decided I would just do an easy ride whilst everyone else had the 1 hour of power session.It was raining at 5am so I decided it was just not worth the risk and getting wet but as it turned out it stopped by 5.30 so I missed another session. I did do the run training on Tuesday evening.It was an interval session at the end of it my legs were really sore.

I managed to get to swim training on Wednesday and swam with a Pull Buoy .It was a relatively good session with 2.3km .In the evening I ran 13km and whilst the legs were again sore at the end it was muscular soreness and I felt pretty good. I got to wear my Marathon Finisher T shirt . Although as we were running in kings park a lone runner who looked like a martial Arts/ body builder was running along and I had a hard time keeping up with him.I got dropped by the main group and saw Cody's group who were several minutes behind pass me after UWA as i was heading back. It was a hard run with my legs taking a bit of a pounding on the pavement.

The programme has flexibility and whilst i was due to ride today i decided the legs were just too sore and it is better to have a Rest Day. I do now have to start building the cycling strength and next week is the start of another build cycle.

Fortunately , I have no injuries and despite the soreness I have had a good recovery to date.

Ross had a look at the programme and did think I was still pushing too hard but I do have the flexibility of knowing when to skip sessions and I have missed a few so far which has made the programme quite tolerable.

Today is the first day of Spring and I am hopeful for better weather but as a triathlete Mental toughness means training in all weather . I just seem to feel I have had enough of running and cycling in the cold and rain .

The Perth Chevron City To Surf Marathon 2011

2011-08-28T19:11:00.000+08:00

City To Surf Start of the 12km race Picture from PerthNow

My last few days have been given up to this one event . But despite the wheels falling off at 25km which was expected I did finish in 3.45.55 although my Garmin shows a distance of 42.5 km . I admit the training was not ideal as I skipped a few long runs and a 5 week programme wasn't the best but it was always going to be a training run at the start of my IM programme.

I was at the start line with 10 minutes to spare despite leaving the house at 5am . But it was enough and there seem to be only 1000 people doing the Marathon. I was fairly close to the front and Robert de Castella started the race . It was a great day weather wise and the run started off at the usual fast pace .I was doing a 4.30 split but immediately eased up and managed the first 21 km with a toilet stop at under 5 min pace. The first 20km were flat and I managed to maintain my pace although there were lots of runners passing me. One guy as even running pass me and then walking every 2 km's and Í would pass him again. This cat and mouse situation continues for 30 km. The stronger runners pushed on after 21 km staying at the 5min pace. Once I got back to St Georges Terrace and the run up the hill to Kings Park , the pace started to slow. I was still managing a good pace of under 5.30 but once I got to the 25 km mark the lack of any long runs was showing. It was all mental from there and I found it easier running up the hills then down so I was passing the same runners who would pass me on the downhill. There were a few runners who got their pacing right and were picking up the pace in the last 10km .I definitely got chicked by lots of girls who seem to push on at the same consistent pace towards the end. I did manage to stay ahead of one runner who kept passing me on the downhill runs but slow up on the climbs .I lost her at the 39km mark.Good runners came in all shapes and sizes so you really can't pick the fast runners. It was a sure test of mental toughness in the last 7km with the hills on Hay Street and then Oceanic Drive. Just kept at it but the times were getting slower. I wish I had done at least one 30km run .Not having done a run longer than 1.45 had an impact at least in the way I paced my self in the 2nd half of the Marathon.

But there just wasn't enough hours to fit everything in without getting too tired or injured. .The nutrition went well and I had 5 gels and lots of water and Powerade at the aid stations. I have improved significantly since my last attempt 2 years ago with a new PB by 20 minutes. I have done 3 Stand alone Marathons and the first was in 5.02 . So despite not being able to maintain the pace of 5min km for the entire race I am heading in the right direction.

Just need to get the IM training out of the way to focus on a Marathon.

The Difference Between Pleasure and Pain

2011-08-26T20:32:00.000+08:00

This is suppose to be a relatively light week . I decided rest was better than a run on Sunday after a relatively hard Saturday bike /run combination of 4 plus hours. The legs thanked me for it. I spent Sunday driving to York and spending time with Jonathan as my daughter performed in a musical. It was a beautiful day .

Monday I slept in and missed my swim .As I was unable to attend the evening session it is a missed session.I did run in the evening for just over an hour.

Tuesday was the start of my hard day. I got to Nedlands and Ross put me with a faster group .i unfortunately rode with a different group but it was just as hard .I tried to keep up my turn in front and largely succeeded .It was the hardest session since my training started as seen in the stats on the Garmin. The legs weren't completed wasted. I did have a bit of a coughing fit at the end from my sport induced asthma .

In the evening it was down to the track for an interval session. It was a 2km warmup and then a 400m and 800m set at "I " pace with a similar recovery period done 3 times .Everyone had to plank for a minute at the end of each set but I just ran and did a plank at the end with a cool down. A total of 10km . I was running a little faster than my " Ï"pace unfortunately.

Chuckie V has again espoused wisdom in triathlon. he speaks of the top in the field learning from many sources, having the desire , the guidance and direction and the right genes help. Chuckie says in Chuckie V's blog : Seek and destroy :

In all sincerity, desire, or a dearth of it, isn't usually the reason an athlete fails to achieve what they've set out to do. It is more common that he or she…

•Lacks proper direction

•Sees no use in training well

•Has little or no incentive to train well

•Finds training more aversive than gratifying

•Gets easily distracted from his or her goals

•Is inattentive to the purpose in/of training

"Strength does not come from winning," he says. "It's the struggles that develop your strengths. And when you go through hardships without surrendering, that is strength." And that's exactly what it takes to fulfill your potential (meaningless as though potential is): a never say die attitude. That, and an unquenchable thirst for better understanding.
Of the sport.

Of your competition.

Of the science.

Of "what it takes."

Of yourself.

On Wednesday it was the usual swim session in the morning although i struggled a little and in the afternoon I ran 10km at lunch time . Thursday was suppose to be a ride to work day but I decided to just have a good rest and with work Friday became a rest day as well . With the Marathon on Sunday it didn't seem useful doing anything heavy.

Got my Bib for the City to Surf on Sunday . Will have an easy Saturday and use Sunday as a good long training run.

Finally had a quick browse on Chrissie Wellington's website and her favourite quote is:

“Be the change you want to see in the world” (Gandhi)

Taking Responsibility

2011-08-23T21:25:00.000+08:00

“Freedom is the will to be responsible to ourselves”

Friedrich Nietzsche

I have a confession . I unfortunately as a lawyer purvey in the exact opposite .Trying to place some responsibility on others be it a driver , an employer or third party for the ills of my client.That is my job and there is a sea of grey in between the black and white of truth .

However there comes a time when I have to advise that it is no other persons fault or there is no fault just fate , pure mischance, an accident.

Similarly the latest financial and economic turmoil does have culprits who must take responsibility or blame ( if they are ever called to account). Loosely it is the financial institutions in the US who packaged toxic products and misled the millions of institutions and individual clients/customers.The clients themselves for not making the necessary enquiries and trusting the advice they received.Many themselves were retirees and individuals who were not in a position to read the voluminous prospectus and even if they did they probably would not understand what they were purchasing. The whole chain of free market economics where people were misled with valuations and the whole economic dream that you can get something from nothing.Valuations were always going to increase and no equity was necessary. If it is too good to be true then it is. The financial crisis in USA can also be squarely pointed at the liberal conservative view of market economics will sort itself out.Without regulation the market will always find the lowest common denominator which is always a recipe for a mess.So governments do have a responsibility to safeguard their citizens.

Buffett once said he never bought into a company he did not understand . Meaning he knew what they made or sold. He did not understand the Internet so never invested in the start up companies on the Internet. Similarly ,most people do not spend the time and energy looking at their finances and understanding them. In Australia, the majority of workers who have a superannuation fund do not take the responsibility to understand what their fund is doing.

I came across an interesting piece on the SMH titled , If you don't care about your investments , noone will

The bottom line is that you cannot avoid responsibility for your own financial affairs. You have to be involved because, as any financial professional will tell you, ''If you don't care, no one will.''
Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/money/investing/if-you-dont-care-about-your-investments-no-one-else-will-20110819-1j1zu.html#ixzz1VlarNrlJ

Like all things in life a hard lesson to learn .In my training , I can lean on a Coach and I can get all the advice in the world but what I make of that advise , what I do each day , how I train and apply myself are all decisions I make.As they say the buck stops with me.

Mundaring Weir Ride

2011-08-20T20:46:00.000+08:00

At Mundaring Dam Picture by Hannah Highfield

At the dam midway thru the ride (Pic by Keith Hickey)

On the way to Kalamunda for Coffee Taking the scenic route (Pic by Janna Highfield)

Another week of training over .

On Wednesday I had my morning swim session and before that I ran 5km easy .It was cold and dark but a fair number of runners were running .I was pretty warm after the run and that made getting into the pool lots easier .We did a warm up and some drills with the main section 6 x 250m and then a cool down I did about 2.4 km all up.I was last in the lane but only about 50 m behind the group.

In the afternoon I did a 11km run at threshold pace which was about 5.11 to 5.15 per km. I could not run with the Running Centre group this week unfortunately as I had work. On Thursday , it was riding to work and 4 loops of Kings park and the slow climb on a fairly gradual gradient. Friday was a light day with a swim and a run but I had a whole day seminar and so had an unplanned rest day .

The Seminar was organised by the Australian Lawyers Alliance of which I am a member and opening the Seminar was none other than the WA Governor Malcolm McCusker . A great example of an individual trying to make a difference in the World .

I had to get up early on Saturday for the ride in the hills.I rode to Loftus Street in the city where we met up and then rode to Great Eastern Highway and up Greenmount Hill. Keith led the way and was strong climbing. We then rode through Glen Forrest and headed for Mundaring weir road and rode it to Kalamunda .We had coffee and croissants at the French Cafe at Kalamunda called Le Croissant before heading down via zig-zag hill. I rode a total of 110km but lost my Garmin data whilst downloading the data.I was quite happy with the ride and felt comfortable on the climbs and strongest on the downhill sections.

I got home at 11am and ran off the bike for 30 minutes and did 6km . I felt pretty comfortable and the weather was really good. I was a little overdressed so it was warm for me in the hills. I swam in the afternoon but stopped after 1/2 an hour as I had a earache. My throat was a little sore yesterday so they may be related but it did not seem to have affected the training.

This weeks training:

Swim ; 1.5hrs or 3km
Run: 4 hrs or 40km
bike: 8.00 hrs or 210km

Finally , I have attached the link to my interview on 6EBA a few weeks ago on "EthnicAbility"

John Cooke & Suresh Rajan - Triathlon and charity

http://www.edac.org.au/bcast/r072511.wma

The Ethnic Disability Advocacy Centre presents "EthnicAbility", a half-hour radio program on disability, ethnicity and everything in between.
The program is funded predominantly by EDAC with some sponsorship from the Disability Services Commission of WA.

Its a Sad, Sad World.

2011-08-19T21:57:00.000+08:00

Nirvana 20 years on

The World is sadly a real mixed up place.

This past 2 weeks there has been Global Meltdown in the financial markets , Europe and the United States are facing huge economic disasters, Japan and the nuclear issues remain unresolved , Famine in the Sudan and Somalia , London riots and New Zealand is snowed in . ...It almost makes me feel like curling up in a ball and just staying in bed. It is a miserable , wet and sad landscape of affairs.

The Press reports more negativity and our politics is the politics of picking the holes in the policies. Be it carbon tax , refugee policy or the mining tax.It is one big whine .My ears hurt from the constant noise from the press and the politicians . It is sadly a popularity poll driven political landscape that does no good for the people or the country.

No one has the best interest of the country or the people because it is just not popular. No one can do the right thing anymore because it just isn't popular or we are all blinded by the 'glitter or trickery of packaging we see in the news presentation we can't tell what is right and what is wrong anymore.

It used to be simple. Teachers and coaches tell us to keep it simple. Somehow the whole world just can't.

Its is a complex and crazy place . Sanity comes from staying focused and putting one foot in front of the other.

Each Tuesday as I complete my cycle training , park my car and walk to Tiger lil's along Hay Street , I pass a guy in his fifties who sells The Big Issue , a magazine with general interest articles costing $5 .It is usually sold by homeless people who get half the proceeds. I have generally bought a magazine most weeks and chatted with the man .I don't know his name but I am considered a regular. He did disappear for a few months but he is back . He ask how I have been and where I have been. I said I haven't been cycling till recently and so haven't been going down to the cafe on Tuesdays.

I wonder often what sort of life he has had and how it has taken a wrong turn somewhere to lead him where he is . Or can I really ever know and really can I even judge . He may be happier than me.

The Big Issue has lots of great articles. One I enjoyed was a piece by Simon Castles, former editor of the Big Issue, about Nirvana , the Band , 20 years on .In particular the song written by Kurt Cobain titled ...you guessed it , Smells Like Teen Spirit.

What I did not know was a girl Tobi Vail was going out with Kurt Cobain at the time and her friend wanted to taunt Kurt by suggesting she was marked with Vail's scent so she spray-painted the words "Kurt Smells like Teen Spirit" on Cobain's bedroom wall. He didn't get it and Teen Spirit was then a popular cheap deodorant for American girls .Cobain later used the words as a title to his song and the rest is history. The song writes Castle was in the Triple J's hottest 100 of All Time songs.

It is an article worth reading .Castle says in his piece this song is a Gen Xers anthem and marks Nirvana's place in rock history even without Cobain grasping the significance of the song.

Castle writes :

" By being a song of protest and rebellion , but also resignation and defeat , "Teen Sprit' expressed a sense of being stuck that most generation-Xers felt instinctively : a generation that had grown up with the Utopian dreaming of baby boomers , all the hopes of rock'n'roll revolution , had come of age as neoliberalism swept the west and ideals were traded for stock options .Gen-Xers had the desire for change , but also a cynicism about the likelihood of its success"

It seems that the Utopian dreams of my generation are fast dissolving into this sad , sad mess of a world. Just remember to keep putting one foot in front of the other and try to walk straight.

The Importance of Rest

2011-08-17T19:46:00.000+08:00

"The highest reward for a man's toil is not what he gets for it, but what he becomes by it."

John Ruskin

I fortunately or unfortunately did nothing on Sunday.Had a few stomach issues and so could not do my long run .Probably had something I wasn't suppose to eat and just did not feel well on Saturday night with a very sore tummy.

Coincidentally , I read Chrissie Wellington's blog and she put up a piece she had written earlier for 220 Triathlon magazine previously on the The Importance of Rest . It is difficult as I do need to have a few long runs but as the City to surf is not my major race I am not too fussed by the gaps in training especially as I need the time for recovery . All I did was my core exercises.

You don’t know how to rest your body and mind. Unless you can learn to do this you will never be a successful athlete’. Headless? He was right. I was that proverbial chicken.
I am sure those words are as alien and scary to many of you as they were to me. We are creatures of habit, we love routine, some of us are obsessive compulsive perfectionists, who come out in hives at the thought of an easy session, a nap or, heaven forbid, a rest day. But I cannot say this clearly enough. It is not the swim/bike/run sessions that will make you fitter – it is the recovery – the adaptation and regeneration – from the stress caused by those activities. As Lance Armstrong said “Whoever recovers fastest does best.” And it is not just about physical recovery, its mental recovery/relaxation too. That’s why I say that I train 24/7: recovery IS training my body to be the best that it can be. Chrissie Wellington

Chrissie Wellington (Picture from her Website)

On Monday I skipped swimming and did my run in the evening. It was a pretty wet day and it began to rain almost as soon as I started. I didn't get drenched but I was wet all over.It was an hours run and I did just over 11 km.

Tuesday morning was no better with wet and squally conditions. I was late to Nedlands but did my laps .Getting there was tough with the wind .At a point along the river I was pedalling hard but I was not moving at all.That was a wind trainer session for real.

I managed about 42km and it was a slow ride by comparison so I have a long way to go in building strength again . In the evening , I did my usual run training. with Brad .I have my "I"pace now which is 4.21 min/km and we had to do a warm up and then run 9 x 400m at I pace with an active recovery in between. Did a total of 21 x 400 laps .After the 3 , 6 and 9 I pace laps we had to do a Plank for 1 minute. It was an enjoyable exercise .Completed 10.5km for the session. Felt pretty good and I like running on the track.It is a lot more comfortable .

I did the whole session with Geoff who was only 2 seconds behind me on the I pace chart. So it was easier to run with him .

Finally whilst on training Chrissie wellingtons top ten tips :10 Tips from the World's Top Female Triathlete
What I did learn this past 2 weeks are that the best laid out plans are changeable and flexibility is critical to a well thought out plan when executed.

Just Can't Get Enough

2011-08-13T18:18:00.000+08:00

Depeche Mode : I CAN'T GET ENOUGH , Great Memories of a misspent youth

Week 2 of Training is nearly over. I have kept to the routine accept for a rest day on Thursday deciding not to do a wind trainer session.

Monday I skipped my swim session after the Sunday run but I did do a 10km easy run at lunch time .It was a little wet with a drizzle midway through the run . Legs were still hurting a little. In the evening it was the final NCTC Committee meeting.

On Tuesday it was up early and down to Nedlands for a 20km time trial .It was going to be hard and it was. I was passed by Julianna after 2km and just stayed on her wheel for the rest of the ride.My legs were screaming and full of lactic acid. It was a hard ride. I did just over 34minutes which doesn't count as I was drafting. Not one of my better time trials. In the evening it was off to Perry lakes for the run training.It was a really nice evening and we all had to do a warm up and then a 3 km time trial.legs were just tired but not hurting as much. I managed a 12.53 time which was pretty good . It does mean that the Interval pace that i will have will be greater than last seasons training.

On Wednesday I did make it to swim training and we did a 2.3 km swim session.I felt slow even with the flippers but my arms are slowly feeling stronger. I am still lagging behind the group in lane 1 . Breakfast after swimming at TXTSHOTS . I had a large breakfast of french toast and bacon and maple syrup .It was just too much.

In the evening it was a run starting at the Running Centre.Lauren was back from IM Switzerland and was running that night . Lots of familiar faces.I started off with the 10 km group and soon led the way .The legs were feeling good and I did not get passed till about the 5km mark and then I could not stay with the fast runners .I turned back after passing the University at Jojos Restaurant on the river about 7km into the run . I then ran back along the river and did a 14 km run at under 5 minute pace.If the Garmin is to be believed it was at 4.31 pace although my HR rate was way above norm which can't be right.

Thursday was suppose to be a wind trainer session but I decided the body was due for a break. The legs were pretty tired with 50km of running in 4 days. I had a rest day and swam again on Friday morning.

Getting up is the hardest bit but I felt I was a little stronger in the water this morning. There is a definite difference in the strength of my right arm to my left and it makes my action of breathing on my right a lot more disjointed and cumbersome as my left arm is outstretched as I am trying to breathe through on my right. I feel more confident and smoother breathing on my left when my dominant right arm is outstretched and my balance is better. I am hopeful that as I get stronger the swim will improve. We did a 1000 warm up with various drills for 500m and then 20 x 50 m at 1.10 pace with rest and then a 300m cool down .It was a good session and I stayed with a group of 3 swimmers.After the swim session I had breakfast at TXTshots with the usual suspects . Just toast and coffee this time , could not have a heavy breakfast .

In the evening I did a 35 minute easy run and felt really comfortable. I skipped my core workout .I will have to do that another day.

Saturday , I had a good sleep in. I just fell asleep on Friday night by 10pm and slept till 7am .The exhaustion of the week catching up with me. I had a late start for my wind trainer session but possibly just trying to avoid the 3 hrs on the wind trainer. It was going to be a Coach Troy's Spinerval session aptly entitled Tough Love.

Greatest Torture Known to Pea brained Triathletes

I had issues with the sound from the DVD but otherwise it was just a hard mind numbing exercise. I could not do some of the stand and climb exercises for the duration required as the legs were just hurting so much. I had jelly beans and water and had to change my top midway from the perspiration. My cap was just soaked through.. I had a short break to change my top again at the end and then ran for 30 minutes .I did about 5km and I was really feeling light headed at the end , probably from the lack of food or a realisation that my rather small brain had shrunk and was bouncing around in the brain cavity.My legs are refusing to communicate with the other parts of the body.

Not so sure about the run tomorrow.

Swim: 2 hrs or 5.5km
Run: 4.25 hrs or 40km
bike: 4.45 hrs or 140km

TRIBES

2011-08-11T19:08:00.001+08:00

Is this My Tribe Image from remote tribes website

This week I had some time to read my Triathlete magazine ( August Issue) which I have subscribed to .

What I enjoy about the magazine is that it is colourful (after all my retention and concentration power is limited) , lots of great pictures of Triathletes , bikes and Gear.Some interesting articles catch my eye from time to time and this week the piece by the Editor in Chief Julia Polloreno .

She wrote about her first job in George Lucas' creative company . It was a tribe ...a family as it collected a group of like minded people with a passion. That passion showed through in the production of great films and the length of time people stayed in the company. When she moved back to the East coast of USA she said she left that sense of community .She found it again when she started doing Triathlons.

Tribes are a group of people who share a passion , a mission , a leader or an activity. Human beings like what other human beings do in their tribe.Their habits and language. Seth Godin wrote a book about Tribes .Here's the book

Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us

by: Seth Godin
Amazon Price: $12.63 (as of 05/03/2011)
Tribes is a book about marketing, apparently, except it's actually about leadership.
We see Tribes behind every successful brand, organization, politician, non profit and cause. And yet it seems almost impossible to attract a tribe. In this book, I try to explain that the challenge is leadership, not marketing or hype.

Seth spoke at a talk in New York on Marketing , the example of the Grateful Dead a Rock band with a single hit but they created a Tribe . They attracted a following. People on the Internet can now easily create their own tribes .Triathlon has its Tribe .It is unique , fiercely passionate and very distinct .All traits of a tribe. As Julia writes in her piece , I have never felt in a tribe in any other sport , Triathlon has galvanised that passion and I see it in the triathletes I train with and meet all round the world. What is the attraction ?. They share my passion for the sport.

Posted on my face book this week is a piece 50-ways-to-identify triathlon obsession It is rather stale as I recall 4 years ago stumbling over these list and having a good laugh. Sadly I identify with many of the traits .I am in the tribe.

This week I identified with my tribes. I am in Exceed .I ride with a group of Exceed riders. I swim in Ross's swim squad .I am in lane 1 .I run on Tuesday with Brad Hoskings running group and on most Wednesdays I run with the Running Centre group .These are my tribes. I am connected and identify with these groups .

I race Ironman and triathlons .That is my tribe.

Some are easy to join and others not so easy .Like Hari Krishna's , you have to wear orange , be a vegetarian and meditate and chant and devote your life to belong .On the other hand watching 2 hours of Oprah each day qualifies you to be part of the Oprah tribe says Seth .It provides a sense of belonging , a purpose and the benefit ,health , mentally and physically and possibly a longer more productive life.

My thoughts are echoed by many . It isn't new . In another blog ,The Branding network Cal Jackson says :

The members of your tribe are your allies on your life journey. When you're creating or expanding your tribe, look for people who will lift you up, help you grow, recharge you, inspire you, and celebrate with you, and who are willing to lend a hand when you need it. In addition, always remember that as a tribe member you have responsibilities toward your tribe. You need to give back to the tribe and offer other tribe members your support, just as they support you.

Now get out there and start creating or expanding your tribe.

Be it work or play . I hope to create my Tribe.

Perth Half Marathon 2011

2011-08-07T17:08:00.000+08:00

run along the river (but pic from Perth marathon 2011)

I ran my first half marathon since the Fremantle Half in 2006 in 1.43 hr .I am happy with that as I was aiming for a 1.45 . My legs were fairly tired from the ride/run yesterday and it was always going to be a bit of a struggle for me on Sunday morning.Yesterdays ride was not hard and I did have coffee before riding home .It was windy and even hanging on behind the main riders was tough at times. Especially when I was on the back wheel of Alistair at Shelley .Alistair took off and I just stayed with Johnny and then rode behind the Plan B cycle group all the way back to Perth . I did about 87.5km all up and then ran off the bike for 30 minutes when I got home.

I slept pretty well on Saturday night. I went to the TWA AGM which was the shortest ever. Not a lot going on accept that there is an effort to slowly lift the profile of the sport in WA in the media. There is a possibility of membership fees coming down next season and there will be a conference for all clubs and TWA will be helping clubs send a member over . Triathlon remains a periphery sport and it will be a while before it makes it into the top 20 sports in Australia.But like anything , a journey starts with the first step.

Like all amateur sports , the organisation is run by volunteers with a few full time employees. It is hard and there is a lot of criticism but like all organisations it is always easy to comment , lot more difficult to change and improve.Considering where TWA was 6 years ago it has come a long way. Hopefully TWA grows as the sports grows here in the West . This past year , every event has been a sell out. I hope the entry fees and membership fees do come down as participation increases or more race Directors put on more events .

Sunday , I got up early and the legs were stiff but I slept like a dog . The best medicine for insomnia is to run your tail off training. The week has gone pretty much as planned.

The weather was great and the race started promptly at 8am.I ran with Craig for the first 6km and it was a fast pace for me at sub 4.50 .
I slowly began to move forward ahead of Craig and saw Sue L about 50 metres ahead and tried to keep my pace at about her pace but that did not work and I soon lost her at the 10km mark. It was then just keeping an eye on the Garmin and making sure I could keep it at a sub 5 min pace. I had my gels and took one at the 48 min mark and the next one at about 1.15. Coming into the finish line I felt good with another 7km loop to do. I did slow down a bit at the back loop where we crossed the Swan river at East Perth before picking up the pace and taking my last gel. The Garmin lost the satellite when I was crossing the bridge so I think the moving pace and average pace were different for that reason.

The last 3km were pretty hard but I just kept behind another runner and then sprinted to the finish in the last 100 metres. Felt a little sick after that. I was suppose to run 9km but as I was walking back to the car , the legs were really stiff and I decided to just rest.

It was a good course to do a PB and the weather was good and not too cold either.The last half I did was in 2006 , the Fremantle half and I finished in 1.46.19 .I did weigh a lot more but I was only running and hadn't quite got into Triathlons yet. I noticed a few names I didn't know back them who are all doing triathlons . Anna Wodehouse who did IM France recently was 47 seconds ahead of me in that race. Perth is a small place when you want it to be.

Week One is done and despite the wet weather I have largely finished without too much soreness or and no injury.

Its All about the breakfast

2011-08-07T11:37:00.000+08:00

Breakfast after swim session on Wednesday 3/8/11

Ross after his bike/run.Training for ITU Beijing and he enjoys smashing James

The bikes lined up against the wall

Breakfast at Tigers after Saturdays ride

Alistair ...Kona Bound

I am humbled by the concern shown following my blog with my programme.

It is tough but on balance I have built in sessions that aren't terribly hard and more recovery .In addition I don't expect I will be able to start some of the sessions given the weather currently. But the concern is appreciated and I will try not to run myself into the ground.I am deeply conscious of how most triathletes believe more is good.

It is a useful experiment early in the programme to see if I can get some solid base with emphasis on my running.

That said my attention was drawn to a very interesting radio interview of Gerald Stone on the ABC on Tuesday night ( 2 August) as I drove home after run training.Gerald was a producer on 60 minutes in Australia and a journalist for over 40 years.

He has just written a book about his life here in Australia, being a recent migrant from the USA this past 40 odd years. His book is about his career and Australia of the 60s and 70s.

What is clear. Australia was a mono culture with rigid rules .In less than 50 years it is now a multi cultural , pluralistic and diverse society .

Interview of Gerald Stone by Richard Fiddler (ABC Radio)

What lots of Australians in the Fifties and Sixties according to Gerald Stone may not have quite appreciated was how great a country they were living in. He moved his family to Australia because of the cold war and the real threat of a nuclear attack on the US and what he had heard about Australia from family who had served in the US Navy during the war.

A remarkable journey and life .

The week started off with the first swim in the morning for 3 months . It was a good return although I am struggling with my swimming at the moment. I have de-conditioned a bit and I favour my right arm and breathing on the left as I believe I am not as strong when I am swimming with my left arm outstretched and my balance and core is of. Will need to work on it more. I am looking forward to getting back into the ocean in a months time.

I did a 2.6 km swim session and ran on Monday evening on my own. Did 11.5 km with a reasonable /moderate pace . ON Tuesday it was back to cycling at Nedlands and breakfast at Tigers. The weather was bad and got pretty wet as I struggled to put my rain jacket on. I then had run training at Perry lakes with Brad .It was fortunately a light session .Did about 6.5km .

Wednesday was back into the pool and another 2.6km session and I ran at lunch time as I had a meeting in he evening .I did a loop of Kings Park and returned along STIRLING Hwy. It was a nice day and again ran about 11km .On Thursday morning it was cycling to work with lops round Kings Park grinding up the hill getting passed by a group of cyclist who may have been from Stadium Tri Club.
I rode home in the evening and it was an easy ride

On Friday I decided to just do my 30min run with some core work .It was a very light day .I could not make the swim session.

Saturday was cold but fine weather wise and I rode with the Exceed Club round the river and Shelley .It was a little tough in parts and with the ride to the city and back I did about 88km. I ran off the bike for 30 minutes very easy and probably did about 4.5km.

Overall the week hasn't been too hard . Tomorrow isthe Perth Half Marathon and I will know how tired my legs are.

Bike : 7hrs or 188km
Swim : 2 hrs or 5.2km
Run: 3.45 hrs or 38km ( not including the long run tomorrow)

The Plan Begins

2011-07-31T21:06:00.026+08:00

The training begins .No excuses .

I am inspired by Chuckie V 's recent blog post and McCormack's book :

I can only be as good as I can be .That is what I aspire to with the limitations of everything within and outside my control.

Chuckie V says in :Happiness , Ambition and Pursuit

Of all the goals an athlete might possess I believe the most noble is that of reaching our ultimate potential, or at least giving an honest attempt in reaching our ultimate potential. Basically, making the most of our capacity. By the way, capacity is what we're capable of; capability is what we actually accomplish.

Its not about winning . McCormack is right about one thing ,the title in his book .I am here to win .All I have to do is Win. Winning for me is to reach my ultimate potential. It is that journey that I have blogged about and it is that walk we take each day that sets us apart from those who meander . It doesn't make one journey better than the other. It is a different experience.

Chris's other notable quote for me is:

The process of being a triathlete – training, surpassing limitations, developing strategy, finding the strength to endure the suffering – is transformative. You become a better person when you manage to do something as insane as swimming, biking, and running 140.6 miles in the same day.

I had a look at the masses of paper and information I have gathered in 5 short years .I have a picture of me biking and running my first triathlon. I was big and I was slow but it was transformative.

I have designed what I hope is a helpful and instructive plan to training for an IM .

Ross's response:

Well I got to look at your program and these are the figures I got from it on the first few weeks.

7 days a week and no break within the first month

Swim 3 hours per week, but I know you want to swim more

Bike 7 hours but that is at minimum and would increase more i think if you are riding to and from work as you say

Run is 7 hours per week with 2 interval sessions back to back and one long run.

Totals hours is 17 hours per week with increases to 20+ if the extras you told me about take place.

It is a lot of hours so early in the 18 weeks. It will not kill you but it seems a bit over the top. Good luck with it and keep me informed as to how you feel.

I think you will not be able to sustain it for 18 weeks and I think you will go into Busso really tired. I know you would love to go to Kona, but are you sure this will get you there.

Keep me informed as to how you are feeling along the way.

Good Luck
Ross

As I responded to Ross the hours are a little high but not as high as some programmes I have done or seen and is a result of the preparation for the City to Surf with a recovery week after each 4 week cycle and a rest day on the Sunday after August .Further Thursday is a relatively light day as it is really an hour of efforts , either hill efforts or windtrainer with the rest of the riding at an easy pace. Well time will tell.

To paraphrase Macca .Why did he continue to race after so many failures at Kona . Simply because "I am madly in love with the journey of being an triathlete. I can't wait to see what's to come around the next turn".

I feel the same way . Let the journey begin.

The Dream

2011-07-31T20:20:00.000+08:00

Perth's wild stormy weather here to stay

Perthnow.com

Running on Wednesday night was a new experience.Perth was on a weather alert with gale force winds and rain due at about 5.30 .I ran up to the Running Centre and the group took off at about 5.30 with a 12km run .

It started to rain soon after and it was quite dark.About 4km into the run in King's park it started to belt down and my spectacles got really fogged up and running in the dark was hard.I started with the slow group but the re were 4 of us ahead of everyone and it was a 4.40 pace which was hard going for me .The two front runners and the fast group just pushed on ahead. I ran by myself for most of the way after the university turn off which was about 5.5km into the run. It was then along the river and the rain was just coming down with the lightning and the cars with their bright lights blinding me . There were a couple of times I got drenched by the car spray from several vehicles . It was an experience. Two of the girls running , passed me and I soldiered on. It was really not a night to be out .My wife was berating me for running in the rain with the weather warning. "You are not only obsessed ,you are stupid as well". Loving words of concern. Well I wasn't the only dumb one .There was fellowship in stupidity with 15 others .

I only managed a 10km run and I was soaked. I don't revel in the exploit. It was just a training run and it was good to be out despite the conditions . It was cold and wet but it made the day all the more complete. I recall my epic ride to Toodyay 2 years back and coming down Redhill in the rain. All these memories go into the bank of experience and makes the race all that sweeter.

I sat on my wind trainer on Thursday and tried out the Hills DVD from Carmichael. I did another wind trainer session on Saturday with a half hour run as well.On Friday I managed a swim session but little else .I was suppose to run on Sunday but just fell into a bit of a lazy hole with the weather and went to watch Harry Potter . I know ... I do need to get a life outside triathlons and training.I did have time to finish up my Programme and will post it on the blog.

I am happy with it and there is room to fine tune the daily workouts.

I am finishing McCormack's book and beside the great quotes its a simple read with his insight .I don't take a lot away from the book as far as how to improve and it doesn't quite get deep into his psyche and what makes him tick.Maybe it does scratch the surface and proves what I already knew ,he is a great athlete with a very tough mental attitude. I don't quite buy the mental games he played but if it worked for him that's fine.

I do take away a simple fact . A Goal is a Dream with a Plan ( chapter 14 of his booke). I now have a Plan.

Training Start : The edge of ......

2011-07-30T22:50:00.001+08:00

My training is starting with earnest.I am back on the treadmill .

Monday I did a 15 plus run with 7.5 at lunch time and the rest in the evening with a short swim of 35 minutes .

I had a short radio interview at 6 EBA Etnic Ability , a radio programme in Perth run by EDAC about Triathlon and my fund raising campaign for Edac .I hope to promote the campaign again in the next few months in the lead up to Busselton.

On Tuesday I was up early .A first after many weeks of sleeping late. I rode with the group from EXCEED and it was a relatively easy session with 4 x 5km sprints.I rode a lap of the course before the start as I was up pretty early and saw Michelle training with an hour and half of laps in her preparation for Kona.

This will be the toughest preparation leading to an Ironman Race with my commitment to work and family and my other activities taking up a lot more time than previously. Juggling all these commitments is going to be interesting. I have finalised ,y programme with minor changes allowed for with life getting in the way of a good programme.

I will post the first month for anyone interested in a guide for IM training.The mistakes are mine to make . That is the uniqueness of Triathlon . There is so much to learn and whilst I can't do much about the genetics there is a diverse view about optimizing methods of training , nutrition and the psychology of racing.

Finishing my read of Chris McCormack's book " I am here to win" with many good quotes.My favourite presently is: I am Not much for affirmations , but the one thing I say to myself before every race is , "EMBRACE THE SUCK" Because no matter how much you love being a triathlete , at some point a race is going to really , really suck.

Chris McCormack

And finally in the week of preparation for me :

"The will to win means nothing without the will to prepare." Sun Tzu, "The Art of War"

Do We Need Heroes

2011-07-27T13:47:00.002+08:00

Just when they said it couldn't be done ... a happy and triumphant Cadel Evans and friend on his victory parade in Paris on Sunday. Photo: Getty Images
Read more: Sydney Morning Herald

Viva Cadel . The Tour De France is over and Cadel Evans, the true blue Aussie has conquered all and become the first Australian to win the Tour De France and the oldest winner in 88 years to boot.

He is a Hero or is he? Well for the purist he probably isn't but for many in Australia he is. He embodies the qualities we desire, secretly wish we had or aspire. He has reached the pinnacle of his sport. He has triumphed in the face of the competition, the weather and the terrain. He reflects what it is to be a Sportsman and a Human Being. He is a clean skin in a sport that tragically has lost its moral compass at times - blinded by the pursuit of success at all cost.

Gone are the days of sports in the unadulterated pursuit of result and achievement but with integrity.Money has sullied the thrill of watching and participating for the glory and nothing else.

A hero in normal parlance means (Wikipedia):

A hero (heroine for females) (Ancient Greek: ἥρως, hḗrōs), in Greek mythology and folklore, was originally a demigod, their cult being one of the most distinctive features of ancient Greek religion.[1] Later, hero (male) and heroine (female) came to refer to characters who, in the face of danger and adversity or from a position of weakness, display courage and the will for self sacrifice—that is, heroism—for some greater good of all humanity. This definition originally referred to martial courage or excellence but extended to more general moral excellence.

Stories of heroism may serve as moral examples. In classical antiquity, hero cults that venerated deified heroes such as Heracles, Perseus, and Achilles played an important role in Ancient Greek religion. Politicians, ancient and modern, have employed hero worship for their own apotheosis (i.e., cult of personality).

It takes many forms and is probably overused. Following Cadel's win there was both the cry of joy and championing of our hero Cadel. Even a call for a public holiday to honour his success. There were the, I presume largely non sporting commentators and public who just wondered what the fuss was about. He just won a cycle race. On talkback radio on ABC in Perth there were even callers who rang to voice their disagreement about the use of the term 'Hero'.As one caller pointed out, a hero was someone who saved a life, fought in a war or put his life on the line for someone else ...you get the meaning. But winning a cycle race that ain't a Hero.

I don't plan to add to the dichotomy of views. Just mine. In my eyes I have people I admire and aspire to follow. Mahatma Gandhi , Nelson Mandela, my Father and many others for their moral fibre, their resilience and unfettering faith and belief in what is right. If only I had an ounce of the conviction and strength of great men in the ages gone, particularly in the complex world where all is not as it may seem. How would I act in a crisis? Will I be up to the challenge?

And I have my sporting heroes. They are a different breed with different qualities. My earliest memory a a young boy playing soccer in Singapore with the neighbours brings back memories of my favourite Club Manchester United. I think everyone supported them . They rose above the tragedy of losing an entire Soccer team . Sepp_Maier the German Goalkeeper was another hero. George Best for his skill but not his alcoholism. In more recent years I admire the triathletes such as Alexander Crowe, Chrissie Wellington, Macca and loads more. They are my heroes for the qualities in the sporting field. Their single minded strength to take the fight up to the competitor, their inner demons and the conditions.

I come from a sporting family and I learnt a lot from being on the sports field. I had good and fair coaches. who taught me to do the right thing, not to cut corners and to be fair yet hard. It was simple and morally easy on the field but it was my training ground. In 15 years of hockey I had never been sent off .

What has all this got to do with the title. Well, simply we do need heroes. It could be your dad or mom or the person next door, your child, the local policeman or woman. The kid who stood up to the bully. The man who went to the aid of an accident victim. But they inspire us to be a better human being. To reach for what we thought may not have been attainable.To make the world a better place, to leave it just a little better for having us in it.

I still recall in my initial foray into the sport of Triathlon and how I was awe struck at the fact that some triathletes had completed an Ironman. My one wish at that moment was to try and complete an Ironman. My heroes were the guys I swam with and ran with and cycled with and they are still my heroes.They were not super human. They were everyday people doing extraordinary things. Would I have aspired to push myself without heroes. Maybe. But they made the journey easier by the markers they placed in forging a path for me. My heroes have been a compass for my aspirations and achievements. I believe it has made me the person I am.That I wish to be.

A Tiring Week Doing Nothing

2011-07-24T22:38:00.000+08:00

Perth Celebrates Cadels Win

Time is rushing by as the weeks start rolling by. Its been a terribly quiet week training wise with lots of work and long days and little sleep with the TDF.. I got in a swim on Monday evening and that was about it.
The rest of the week was spent at work and by the end of the day I was just too drained to get out into the cold and run. Having said that it was just nice to have a change of pace and not be under any strain but my run training has suffered with the lack of it.

But it was an inspiring week watching the TDF with Cadel Evan winning the time trial.

Followed the TDF on the SBS TDF website and the Official TDF website.

I have spent lots of time reading especially drawing up my programme for next month and had my parcel from Wiggle with my runners and a DVD from Carmichael training on Climbing.I hope to have a mix of riding my wind trainer and working on the road especially with the weather now.

It also allows me a little more flexibility and a more balance allotment of time in training and staying at home.

It is shaping up to be an interesting experiment in training as I try and put the jigsaw together . My lack of running fitness is always going to be an issue as there is always going to be difficulty in making the improvements I want in the limited time I have with the commitments I have presently.The work load this year will get harder and as such it will be more trying making up the training hours I need to do fit into the rest of my life.

I am enjoying the calm before the storm.

Finally I console myself in my lazy week as in all things always try to aim for balance. Extremes on anything is bad. It also doesn't allow you to achieve the best you can be. I came across the article
I read an article Ten reasons exercise is bad for you by Ben Greene.

You Might THINK

2011-07-17T19:36:00.001+08:00

Weezer - You Might Think (The Cars cover) by Cover Me

I had a quieter weekend but the start of a productive one.

Managed a hard wind trainer session.A first for several months as I return to my bike on the wind trainer.I followed one of Troy Jacobsens spinervals and did 2.5 hrs before hopping onto the thread mill to run for 15 minutes .This was coming off a 17km run the previous night so the legs were sore.

I just didn't know how sore.My son was my domestique although he would only bring me Starburst snakes which are really just chewy sweets shaped liked snakes and would not get me any water so I had to have one water stop. He did begin to tell me all about Pokemon characters he collected . That was a long bike session.

It was especially hard having to ride standing with the cassette at 23 .
That really hurt as I was practically running on the bike and my quads were just burning up.

I made the fatal mistake of assuming I would recover by Sunday and did a long run.The plan was to try and do 30km but I was really slow and tired and managed 20km in 2 hours .A very slow run.The reality of compressing 3 days of fairly hard sessions without any build and rest.

Had to cut the run short because I had to take Jonathan to watch Cars 2 .My weary bones got a rest and my brain could switch off . The music and animation was good but it was after all a kids movie so don't expect a major storyline. If anything it had a simple story. Be yourself and don't expect your friends to be anything other then themselves. Or don't judge a book by its cover .Everyone has their talents if you can get past the cars talking bit. But Jonathan enjoyed it .

Finally starting on my programme for Busselton which will be up in August.
Welcome comments and criticisms.

And finally I had a read of some interesting and not so interesting articles;

Niki Gudex : Mountain Biker

Wayne Goldsmiths piece on the Top ten effective habits of a Coach
Mens health : Sexiest Female Athletes in the World
Hamburg ITU Race Report
Bike rack as Art Competition at the Power house Museum

And if a wind trainer session isn't mind numbing enough, in one of my more delirious moments whilst trying to remain focused on the session I thought it would be nice to get a group of triathletes together and do my own spinerval .Beats a calender any day.

Lazy Days In the Spotless Mind

2011-07-14T21:26:00.006+08:00

Watch this video on VideoSurf or see more Jim Carrey Videos or Kate Winslet Videos

The weekend was relatively easy with me sitting at the computer monitoring races .There was Roth which had live coverage and 2 world records set. Raelert and Wellington both smashed the current Ironman world records for both the men's and women's event.

The men's record is now 7.45 and the women's is 8.18. Did not see them cross the line but the atmosphere at least from the live cameras looked great .Its a race on my to do radar in the future.The other race on the weekend was Ironman Switzerland with several triathletes from perth doing the race.

Other than staying indoors I did ride on Saturday morning with the Exceed group but got dropped at Point Walter Road and then caught up with the stragglers just before the city.It was a cold overcast day and hard just trying to find my cycling legs.

I was meant to run on Sunday but just slept in and in the evening the weather was just looking miserable so I gave it a miss.Others with greater fortitude did venture out for their long run. I decided to run after work on Monday and it was just damp , cold and dark as well.Managed 17km in a reasonable pace of 5.18 just above my Vdot pace of 5.11.

At breakfast after Saturdays ride I had a lengthy chat with Ross and will show him my programme which I decided I will design myself . I have read enough and done had sevral programes I think to be able to manage my own plan. I will put it up on my blog as I roll it out for anyone who wants to have a look at an ironman programe . I will continue to ride with the group but a large part of the training will be on my own.

The new financial year has started and I have to renew my membership with TWA . Unfortunately I have to join a Triathlon Club and given my training arrangements , just the practicality of the location , the group I am training with and Ross I will probably be joining Exceed .Although after 5 years , 3 of which as a North Coast Committee member , my heart is very much with North Coast and I will remain as a social club member for the sake of continuing to have a connection with the club.

Read a good piece on the competitor website by Torbjorn Sindballe :

The mental Game of Triathlon

It is so much a mental game .
The rest of the week has been a daze of work so no training .Need to get out of this rut soon but no pressure yet.

Nothing Really Matters ....accept the Commitment

2011-07-08T22:19:00.003+08:00

Mad Bastards - Pigram brothers

“Only one who devotes himself to a cause with his whole strength and soul can be a true master. For this reason mastery demands all of a person.”
Albert Einstein

The week rolls by.I have had a very easy week of mainly running.I had a rest day on Monday after a Sunday of morning and evening runs totaling 21km .It was a fast morning run at 4.31 pace and a slower 6min per km run in the evening. On Tuesday , my first morning start with an hour of power ride with Exceed. It was cold and I rode with the girls and felt comfortable.did not push myself and in the evening I did a 13 km run with 3 x 1600 m at hard pace. I managed the first 1600 at 7.15min pace and then slowed for the other 2 1600m runs.But I will do the 6 x 800 m runs next week to see if I can maintain them at 3.30m pace.

I had another rest day on Wednesday and on Thursday I was too lazy to get out of bed to ride to work so I just ran in the evening.It was dark and cold. A couple of people said hi to me in Kings Park but I have no idea who they are.I managed a nice easy pace so I was happy with the run. I started with a hill climb and ended with a series of runs up the hill and did just under 11km.I unfortunately lost the data downloading it .Not quite sure what happened.

Whats important in the world this week . Roth turns 10. There are loads of races on . Marino Vanhoenacker smashed the Ironman World record time this past weekend in Austria in a time of just 7:45:58.Breaking the previous record of 7.50.
Craig Alexander smashes the record at Coeur D’Alene and books his ticket to Kona.Kate Bevilaqua won Ironman Korea at Jegu and is also on her way to Kona.

The week for me has been a lazy one as I meander thru winter planning and doing more planning , with work being a priority.But eventually the preparation and contemplation and study must stop.I am definitely overwhelmed with the information I have managed to read on Triathlon and training on the Net . But cutting through all the issues ultimately its about commitment and getting on with it. Chuckie V has written another great article :

Routine Training Programme

A timely slap in the face reminder that lounging about in winter is good for the soul in small doses but in the Endurance world if you want to get as good as Chrissie , you do have to put in the effort. Chrissie wrote on her blog recently about Nutrition the fourth discipline in triathlon. Its your body is your temple so'watch what you eat ....something I find hard to follow .there goes the commitment .

Meditation isn't enough . Chuckie adds that most of the triathletes running past me probably trained harder and longer than me. But with work and family , sacrifices and balance and planning all come into the equation. Get it right and it can be done.

Free Triathlon training programme

I am now pouring over programmes and articles on training as I start my preparation for Busselton.Accommodation is booked and the effort , sweat and tears and most of all the adventure begins again.

Enjoy the ride.

Going Fishing : A matter of Principle

2011-07-02T21:53:00.001+08:00

“Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after.”

- Henry David Thoreau

I have started a slow build back.I had the king of the Mountain run on Sunday and I was sore so Monday was a rest day .I ran 12 km on Tuesday with 3 x 1600m at threshold pace .I was doing about 5min per km pace accept for the last 1600m when I fell apart .Managed the 12 km in about 1.15 although I am not sure if the Garmin was accurate at the start as it was still locating the satellites. I somehow lost the data and so did not have anything to download.It was a gruelling slow run in the dark around kings park.

On Wednesday , I hiked up to the Running Centre to join the group.It was a large group and I took off with the slow runners and we were quickly overtaken by the fast runners and I stayed with them . They were running 4.30 min per km pace and it was hard to stay with them I struck up a conversation with one of the guys who is heading over to Switzerland this Sunday for IM Switzerland . He sounded real fast so I presume he will be hunting for a Kona spot.

As the Garmin will show it was a fast run for me despite the slow start.Averaged under 5minutes in respect to moving pace.

On Thursday I was meaning to ride to work but just slept thru and instead I ran in the evening a slow recovery run around Kings park. It was cold and dark again .Did about 6-7 km in 45 minutes.

I did another run on Friday .It was suppose to be with some hill repeats but I still felt slow in my left hamstring and did one hill and the rest on relatively flat terrain . It wasanother 7-8 km run but it was really slow probably from the fatigue and it was a lunchtime run as I wasn't able to run in the evening.

I had done approximately 56 km since Sunday with a long run on Sunday again. I had a quiet day today and no riding or swimming this week. Iam still trying to work through my plans for the preparation for Busselton.

Which leads to the 3 pieces of reading. The piece by Lindsey on firstoffthebike , Chuckie V blog and Maccas book. All with pearls of wisdom.

firstoffthebike.com - Blog - Fishing and triathlon

A matter of Principle

The message I take away from the two pieces above are simply , it is a slow journey ,learn patience, it has to be fun , don't repeat past mistakes, it is a marathon and rest is equally important , and learn how to read your body. The last is extremely hard for me.

Iam now trying to piece together a different nutrition regime and working to a different plan as my body has definitely learnt how to adapt to the old training plans . It need a new impetus to build upon. Will be trying to be open to new ideas and adapting older ones. I do know it is a slow process for me and rest is going to be critical to avoid any injuries.

Finally , the Tour DE France has begun and IM Austria and Korea are on in a few hours. Will be following closely .Wongstar a TBB athelete is racing her final race as a TBB athelete at IM Korea and she has in the 4 years improved her IM times from a post 12hr race to a sub 10 hr race. She has announced her departure from professional racing The Wongstar; Most exciting news and Looking for clues : TBB Milestone. Brett Sutton 's short message about what the Wongstar has achieved is an inspiration for all .

It is very cliche in Endurance racing to see the metamorphosis of the everyday non athlete into an Ironman .But each has its own story and each its own trail or journey. It is no less inspiring and so enjoyable to watch from the sideline and thru following her blog and others like her. These are the gel moments to energise my own conviction to do my best , to improve. The time does not matter , only knowing what you have done.

As Lindsey Corbin in her short piece alluded to. I am no fisherman and cannot comprehend the joy of fly fishing. Yet is it really about catching the fish ? Yes it is but it is also about how we all go about it . Isn't that it, in the end. Did you have fun and did you do it right?

Finishing a race in a PB time is wonderful. But knowing the effort, the mistakes and lessons learnt make it all the more sweeter.

Results do count

2011-06-28T13:40:00.000+08:00

Going for Gold

I am not sure who reads my blog .It is a record of my training and my experiences these past few years on this Ironman journey.It is indulgent and self centred . For that I hope that it does not cast the wrong impression but as I have said before the sport is by its nature a tad self indulgent .Anyone who spends so much time training has to be a little indulgent.

Following from my conversation with Rob on Saturday we both agree there also are Triathletes who can be very egotistical or at least give that impression.it is said in the nicest possible way as I have equally met and chatted with Triathletes who give their time and wisdom freely and have no airs about their capabilities so I again emphasize these are generalisations. But I do believe there has to be a little of that ego .a self belief and arrogance to be a winner . It may irritate and rub people the wrong way but it is a necessary evil.

On the other hand I know some really accomplished triathletes who are just all round nice people.Two i will mention are Kate Bevilaqua and Bill Scanlan.Kate I know only briefly following from my cornering her at Spore 70.3 (I still think she felt a little unsure about some guy talking to her before the start about Lanzarote) but she was very helpful , inspiring and generally nice to be around. yet she is a good triathelete. Bill I have known now for a few years having swum at Bayswater in the same squad .

It took a few months before I got to know him and given he worked in the city I would often meet him for coffee at Borders to talk Triathlons .He fed my hunger and need for information. He was an elite triathlete and I was a novice ...more than a novice a nobody . But he had the same passion and definite capability. I have followed both their tri careers with more than passing interest because they are West Australian home grown and our paths have crossed in more ways than one. With Kate , her first coach wrote my very first training programme and suggested I do Lanzarote. And Bill has been a great ambassador for the sport and a true inspiration.( see his bio on his webpage)

This little walk down memory lane stems from my little search of my results these past 5 years . The advantage of the Internet has been the ability to google anything and everything and get instant results. I got a short mention in the Exceed end of Season report despite not being a member and a current member of North Coast . There were a few strange results as well.My record of racing Ironman japan has had a name change and country change as well but I have claimed my races especially the Ironman races I have done and they are all listed in the results section of Athlinks. Its useful to have a look back to know the progress made as a reminder that whilst it is a lifelong journey the results are markers of that journey , the milestones of progress. Not all improvements and many signpost of the numerous hiccups and twist in getting there.

But in the end results do count.....

King of the Mountain

2011-06-26T19:48:00.001+08:00

With Norm Black before the start

The start of the race

Crossing the stream

climbing after the stream

Running along the trail

The trail along the pipeline

The last km

I ran my first King Of the Mountain race organised by WAMC (the West Australian Marathon Club ) today.I did a 1.28.27 time for the 16.1 km event despite nearly missing the start as I went to the wrong start line .It was at Helena Primary School and I went to Mt Helena Primary school some 16 km away. Got there with 5 minutes to spare and register and get a number.

Started the race with a sub 5 km pace which was too fast and my legs were still sore from the past 2 days of activity after a week of none. But I soon got into a comfortable pace despite the fatigue and passed some runners.I had a gel and water about 3kms into the race and there were a small stream to cross and so the shoes did get wet ...and that did lead to a blister eventually .

I tried to keep the pace at below 5.30 and did largely succeed accept for the last 2kms which was mainly uphill. Given the sore legs before the run it was about what I expected. Will try and do as many runs as possible in the hills in preparation for City to Surf in August.The Garmin had my moving average and overall average at quite a significant difference even though I did not stop at all so I can't explain the difference but I think when the results come out it would be at the 1.28 mark.

The rest of the day I spent resting and taking JJ to the WA Museum .Walked around and he chased the seagulls and enjoyed the sunshine that did come out in the afternoon . Ironman France is on and have been trying to follow the progress but there is no live feed just updates which are slow.

Thank God Its Friday & Saturday

2011-06-25T19:59:00.003+08:00

Having Abs like the Jock at 2.23 would be nice

Well not quite TGIF .Another quiet week but the training is now cranking up.Start training for the City to Surf from next week so lots of running
planned.

Friday was a really wet evening and I did a slow hour run before my swim .Got a little wet with the rain coming down at the end of the run and there was lightning but it seemed miles away .Then had the swim training , the first since Lanzarote. Felt comfortable if not slow. It was belting down and it was warmer in the pool then out of it. It really rained for the whole hour in the pool and managed a 2.5km swim despite the slow pace. I did a 500m slow cruise , then another slow 400m and 400m of drills before a 500 session of 50m build to fast pace and then 200m cruise and 100m medley doing that 2.5 times .

On Saturday I rode round the river with Rob .We followed the Exceed group part of the way but we then dropped off the back of the group.Rob is on his way to Ironman South Korea which is on next week.He was originally due to do IM China but it was cancelled so he has opted for Korea. A race I may consider next year.

Robs returned to racing after a few health issues but is looking fit and strong . He has posted a 9.37 time in Busselton and we went to IM Japan a few years ago.So hopefully all goes well especially as there are better prospects of securing a spot to Kona.

But despite the nature of the sport especially endurance races, we both agree it is all the better to have tried and enjoyed the journey then get too self obsessed about analysing everything about a race as some would such as working out everyone who is a possible competitor in your age group etc as some athletes do. I am not in that league so I don't have that worry. We chatted about suicide and depression which has no common denominator , it hits everyone including triathletes...maybe more so as there is such a compulsion to achieve that it gets in the way of everything and failure is almost soul destroying. Possibly the pain and long lonely hours of training are a form of pain relief even. All generalisations but reality is , depression seeps through all individuals from all walks.

Had breakfast at Tiger , Tiger with the Exceed group after nearly 2 months away from the group.

I plan to run in the hills tomorrow if the weather holds. And then DO it all again....

The Mystery

2011-06-19T11:36:00.001+08:00

Yesterday is history , Tomorrow is a mystery but Today is a Gift Grand Master Oogway , Kunfu Panda

It has been an uneventful week ...absolute,ly no training and lots of sleep. Did a ride this morning to the hills with Keith and Tony ...struggled up Whelshpool Road to Kalamunda . It was a slow ride in the cold and a bit of drizzle . I did get wet at the end when it started to rain fortunately I was a few kms from home.

Vidoe of riding Zig Zag hill a few weeks ago and we rode down Zig Zag again yesterday

The rest of the week has been spent just relaxing and planning for the start of training.I am reading " I am here to win" by Chris McCormack .Half way through the book .I have also listened to the Brett Sutton Interview on IM Talk Podcast .Its long but quite an eyeopener about his background and experience. Basically he trains the athelete in the sport of Triathlon not 3 separate sports and doesn't believe in periodization . Having said that I am no more the wiser as to the ideal training plan for endurance racing or is there a coach who can understand and guide an age grouper who is time poor and has limited resources. That remains the perpectual question even in McCormack's book , how to train smart and make improvements with a systematic plan to build on the training. I still feel I am floundering around with the plans I have been following. Most coaches seem to be following a similar pattern .It is unfortunately not personalised sufficiently and to be fair it can't unless you are a pro.It is difficult without step by step instruction. I did know one thing its not about the technology or gagetry.It does come down to hard work but there are many questions and plans.How many brick sessions , how many runs , how long , how do you know what is easy and what hard is. How do you maximise getting the best results from a swim , bike and run combination.

It is all a mystery. That is the intrigue about Triathlons .It is a sport ,not 3 different sports . It is fitting the 3 disciplines together is what makes it difficult. The conundrum.

But as McCormcak said in his book , " For the general competitor the most important thing you can do is listen to your body......Most important , get some perspective .You're a triathlete.Thats an extraordinary thing no matter how old you are - whether you finish an ironman in 8 hours or slip over the finish line at 16.59.Its worth accepting your age and your limitations if it means you can keep training , keep competing and keep being part of such a fantastic fraternity".