The Double Paganoni - Not Quite

Breakfast at Noon at Metrio

It is a new tradition in exceed for those doing Ironman to do one of these at least once.You have to ride 200km and run for an hour off the bike all before 12 noon.
It is a long day especially when you have to be up at 3am.I had a six hour ride and an hour run off the bike .

Started off at South Perth and we rode through Shepparton and Whelspool Road to Roe Hwy and then on to the Freeway bike path all the way to the end.It was easy in the beginning with a group of us and just drafting off the group.After Roe Hwy it quicken with everyone doing Threshold efforts and again i just stayed in the group till about an hour from the end , I went out with bryce and then for the last 45 minutes on my own till the end of the freeway .I turned around and met the group of Mez , Johnny and Bryce and rode on thinking they would eventually catch up . they did probably when I turned off to Safety Bay Road for water . There was a good tail wind on the way down but that meant a headwind all the way back. I was struggling after the 4 hour mark and probably did not pace myself too well.Got back to South Perth for a quick transition and then an hour run.I managed 10km and stopped. I was glad that was done.Kevin Siah was riding past in South Perth with break your limits group after I later learnt was a 180km ride in the hills. So my 185 km ride wasn't that bad in comparison other than the headwind on the return trip.

It was a good learning curve and the bike felt good after the repairs and will just have to get the hydration and nutrition right for the race and not go out too hard.

Post recovery

Last week was supposed to be a week of continuing training but unfortunately my recovery was slower and work and just falling into a rut made it a week of little training. i did turn up for run training on Tuesday but had great difficulty running with my wheezing and i suspect hay fever.

I have put that behind as I must to focus on the last big week of training . It started with the usual Monday of not exactly wanting to get out early for a 2 hour run. I ended up running at lunchtime on a treadmill for 1.25 with 2 x 40minutes at Marathon pace which for me was at about 5.20 or just under.It was hard but I managed to finish the run .I ran 16kms .In the evening before swim training I ran a further  50 minutes and just over 8kms at a recovery pace . I then did my swim session which was all in about 2.3km with the usual warm up and cool down but we had to do a 400m time trial which was hard as I kept cramping and then 100m x 10 . I was swimming pretty slow but glad i made it through.

Tuesday was a long day.Had the 90 minute hard session on my own on the circuit.I did try to hand on to some of the groups riding but couldn't.After the 130minute session I found I had been riding in the small chain ring the whole time. my legs were wasted and it was hard trying to keep at a higher pace in the small chain ring.The run session was interesting.i was tired and the legs were hurting but did not have to many issues with the set.Did a 2km warm up and then 8 x 800 at threshold and a 2plus cool down.managed over 11kms .the pace for the threshold efforts were under 4minutes between 3.39 to 3.49 .

Wednesday .It was a good swim session .i got there for a start.We had a 400m warm up and then 200m of medley and the main set was 2 x 300m at medium and medium plus , followed by 200m and 150s and then 100s with a cool down at the end .I managed 2.3kms again. No training in the evening so it was a good day to rest the body.

Thursday.Another long day starting with a 2 hour plus ride with 8 x 10 minute efforts and 5 minutes recovery .at least i was riding on the big chain ring , felt a lot better . Did 62km all up. In the evening it was an hour on the thread mill at an easy pace finishing with 10 plus kms.

the only real big session is Saturday with a long ride/run.

The Great Chocolate Bar

Race briefing in the Sun

Anabel Luxford after the race with me

It was a good weekend especially when I  won the official Great chocolate Bar.

Rob had booked a house for the weekend of the race which was just a few minutes from the start. We had 2 rooms so when there was a request to host a professional triathlete who needed  a bed at Mandurah ,  Rob volunteered. It turned out well as we got to chat with Anabel Luxford , a former ITU triathlete now stepping up to half Ironman racing.

The night before the race , Rob joked that the winner in the house would get the chocolate bar the owner had left on the table as a welcome to us.

Unfortunately , Rob was ill with a bug on the morning and couldn't race .Anabel got a puncture and pulled out .  I won by default .

Trizone piece on Annabel from 2011  ( Her website is down at present as it got hacked into)
Interview with Anabel Luxford

It was a better prize having the opportunity to spend some time talking about triathlons and racing with a very experienced triathlete. As we said in our sport the professionals are probably very approachable and welcoming and great fun to be with .That was a far better prize and reward for finishing the race.

Mandurah 70.3

Pictures of the Mandurah 70.3 Inaugural Half Ironman .All Pictures with permission from Dennis Tan who was roving photographer for the day .

Every race is an interesting experience. It is mixed with the expectation versus the reality of results.

Mandurah 70.3 was the inaugural event at Mandurah and I didn't really approach the race with the exact detail of preparation it deserved. Partly as it was a full training week and it was a training race. But having said that it always helps to check out the course and make sure all the equipment is working and there are no unforeseen issues arising.

The race itself was  great .I enjoyed having an easy Saturday catching up with Rob and we had the opportunity to host a Professional triathlete,  Anabel Luxford. It was enjoyable talking to her and learning about the life of a Triathlete who raced at an elite level in ITU races for aboout 10 years.

She was stepping up to the Half Ironman distance and this was her first race.

It was a fast race for the professionals with Tim Berkel winning in 3.39.59.  Berkel, Hauschidt conquer the inaugural Mandurah 70.3

In terms of preparation ,  had my training bike which was fine and got it checked in on the Saturday before the race, attended the race briefing and registered . On the day itself the swim was in the Mandurah canals. I was in the second last wave and it was a long wait. I found the swim difficult only in that I had very little open water swim time since Busselton and found it difficult . I would have mini panic attacks and have to breast stroke for a minute to get comfortable. The tightness of the wetsuit didn't help. Sighting was another problem .I eventually got comfortable and managed to finish in 36mins which was about where I am with my swim experience . It was a fast swim as there was a bit of a current to assist.

The transition was good and I took about 3 minutes.There are areas I can improve and work on. The bike leg was a little of a struggle .I had a good first leg with a split of 1.23 but faded badly in the second with a 1.30 One of my slower bike times but again reflects where I am fitness wise at the moment. I had some issues on the bike losing my straw for my aero bottle just after transition so I had to adapt and used one bottle of electrolyte from the aid station and water which I took at each aid station after taking a drink of the Gatorade concentrate in my other bottle. i did have a few stomach issues but nothing serious given I was hoping that I had enough water to dilute the concentrate as it went down my tract. I had  jelly beans and snakes as well and I think I got the nutrition about right despite the set back. I had 4 gels on the bike and 2 on the run with coke  and water. I didn't have any cramping The run was a little undulating and hot but nothing too difficult. I just had tired legs and could not maintain my Marathon pace. I finished with a 2.05 which was 15 minutes slower than my run leg in a half.

Swim 00:36:02 HH : MM : SS Overall : 658 Gender : 540 Category : 74

Cycle 02:53:12 HH : MM : SS Overall : 552 Gender : 479 Category : 61

Run 02:05:24 HH : MM : SS Overall : 432 Gender : 370 Category : 36

Finish Time 05:39:33 HH : MM : SS Overall : 500 Gender : 428 Category : 50

Over all I am satisfied with the outcome. It would have been nice to finish at about 5.20 but I just don't have the speed on the bike at the moment.It seems with 30 Kona slots up for grabs next year it will be an attractive event for many hopefuls. I just enjoyed the chance to be able to finish the race without too many issues.

Pre Race Week : Mandurah 70.3

Monday . It starts with the best intentions but I never manage to start the week well.I skipped my swim and in the end with a busy day I only managed a run in the evening. It was slow and easy for 1hour covering just under 10km.



Tuesday ,always a big training day with a 90 minute all out session and riding to and from Nedlands. I started a few minutes late and there were Exceed cyclist out on the course. The rest started at six am and after the turn around in the circuit they passed me and I managed to jump on Julianna, Michelle ,  & Katy and just hung in there .I wasn't strong enough to take a turn but I managed to hang in there which several weeks ago was not possible. The legs were strangely feeling quite good (possibly as the previous day was not as taxing) They were going hard for 30 minutes and then they slowed so I continued on and got passed again on my 3rd lap and again I stuck to them till they finished and I went on for a further 10 minutes to finish my 90 minute session.

In the evening we gathered at Yokine park for the run training .Ross had the session on grass ....so much harder . Did a 3km warm up then some exercises and the set was 2km at threshold , 2 x 1km at threshold and 5 x 400m at threshold with a minutes rest and 30 Sec rest for the 400m set.Finished with a cool down of over 2km for a total of 12km.

On Wednesday , I was tired but got to swim practice and had a fairly light session.We did a 500m warm up and then 6 x 250m at threshold , threshold and medium pace.Finished the session with a 300m cool down .

I was going to ride on Wednesday evening even though it was not on the programme but at Kings Park as I was riding , my front derailleur bent and broke my chain. That ended the session and the bike is at the work shop getting fixed .The bike mechanic at the Specialized Store in the city couldn't understand how it could happen. I was having some problem on Tuesday morning and the gear wasn't as smooth so possibly it may be the alignment and I should have had it serviced sooner. I think it will be an expensive lesson  but better now than on race day and so I will have to use my training bike for Sunday's race.

Thursday is always a tough day with training. I was up early at 4.30 am and it was a 2 hour session with 90 minutes of 10 minute threshold efforts and 5 minute recovery x 6. The rest of the group not doing IM were there at 6 am for a brick session. I felt good and the legs were not too sore. It was then breakfast in the city.In the afternoon I did a 1 hour treadmill session and then a few hours later ( I split my long run as I just did not have the time to do the whole session) I ran the further hour with a 40 minute set at marathon pace .

That was a hard session with 40 minutes for each hour at Marathon pace. Managed just under 21 km but the legs were again holding up. I did fall asleep at 9.30 pm .Just too tired after 4 hours of training

Friday .Managed to get to swimming and did a good session of 500m warm up 200 m medley and the 13 x 100 m at various paces with 200 easy after the first 800m.Cool down was just 200m .Total 2.4km .the rest of the day was just work and no training this evening .

I was supposed to do a  6 hour ride tomorrow but as I am doing Mandurah 70.3 on Sunday I was spared the Saturday training session. Thanks Ross .Unlike other coaching programmes , this doesn't set out to kill you .

Heading to Mandurah for the race tomorrow .

Easy Week

Easy week is always a relief but isn't so easy.

I had a good rest on Sunday and so on Monday I had my usual sleep in.No swimming. I ran on the treadmill in the afternoon for 1.15 went back to finish off some work and then ran for a further 30 minutes to make my 1.45 session with 40 minutes at marathon pace. I ran a total of 18.5 km  with the 40 minutes at 5.23 about correct Marathon pace for me.

Tuesday.I had an easy ride round the river.I got to Nedlands a little late and had to ride round by myself .It was enjoyable and  at least there was no hard session.In the evening  I had interval running and did a 3km warm up and a  2 x 1km , 2 x 800m . 2 x 600 , 2 x 400m and 2 x 200m fast and the rest were  at about  threshold pace. Did a 3 km cool down for a total of 12km .

Wednesday morning , I just had a swim session with a total of 2.7km .We did a 800m , 700m and 600 session after the warm up and I only managed a 100 m cool down. Unfortunately after the swim i was rubbing my eyes and scratched my cornea , it mean no training for the next few days and a doctors visit and could not even do anything in the office.it was pretty painful. I did manage an easy ride on Sunday to Cottesloe and that was the week gone.

It did allow me the luxury of resting and watching the lead up to the World Championships on Sunday morning .

IronMan World Championships 2012

It would be remiss not to write about the Race which planted if not galvanized and germinated the idea of this blog and the journey I am on.

Simply , Kona is the mecca of Ironman racing.

Each year I watch and follow the race with a mixture of great enjoyment and a tinge of jealousy . If I am honest , I wonder how do the invitees and the 200 lottery winners get there . Am I not deserving , have I not sweated blood for the honour. And the reality is No. For there are many who are deserving and many who do not make it. Luck will always play a role as will ability and capacity to win a spot. I sadly will never reach those rarefied levels but a lottery place is within reach one day. Till then I would prefer not to be a spectator but a participant.

But as the race unfolds with the interest of friends racing and the professional field with my favourites , there are many lessons learnt . Kona continues to throw up stories after each race. The tragic , the unbelievable and the truly heroic.

It is a long hard day like any Ironman race, just more so for the fact getting back there may be near impossible for the majority.

Lessons that I take away watching from a distance.

Believe in Yourself
I have seen what can be achieved and even triathletes from my town can be World Champions.

Mark Allen said to me a few years ago at the Kona after party ‘All you need is confidence.’ It’s one thing to know you’ve done the training and another to have done all the training and have done really well. So those two races at the end of last year allowed me to actually believe I can do it at every Ironman I race.

         Leanda cave

Be prepared /Anything can Happen

Any thing and everything can and will happen. Life isn't perfect and neither is the race. learning to adapt is probably the strongest suite of great athletes.

Learn from others

Scott Rigsby's 5 key steps to achieving the unthinkable The Riddle of the Ironman

Experience Matters
With experience comes knowledge and the ability to cope.

 All competitions – and even training sessions – are opportunities for learning. That’s part of the reason we encourage athletes to stick it out and finish races even when they face adversity or are far off their goal paces. There’s certainly a time when athletes need to stop to preserve their health and safety, but when it’s just a not-so-great day there’s a lot you can learn about yourself and about your perseverance by staying in the race. Those lessons will help you out in the future.By Lindsay Hyman Carmichael training Systems

Have a Goal and chase it
Races are determined not only by the physical ability of the individual but the mental preparation and desire. having a goal and remaining on song is so vital.

Embrace the Suck

As Macca said in his book , that is what it is all about , conquering demons in your head and facing them squarely .

If I can distill the energy and the desire and talent that flows in Kona in race week , it will make a  powerful potion . I may not have all the answers and may not be racing Kona but it is still a magical Never Never land where dreams can come true. In the mean time it remains the Mecca for the devoted waiting for the ticket to make that pilgrimage.