October 13

As October rolls by , it inevitably means many things , the last quarter of the year. Spring is truly ensconced in the Southern Hemisphere although we are not quite sure in Perth yet. It has been a mixed bag of weather. But for triathletes it also means  Kona and the Big Dance in the Hawaiian Islands .

The pros are mostly there and training .The Perth Triathletes are slowly leaving with in Kona already.

I haven't been to Ironman Kona and as the website address reveals it is on my Bucket list if the body doesn't fall apart and i get my Lottery Ticket .

Having said that it is a dream and fantasy which I rather enjoy from a distance . It possibly will be spoilt as the reality may not measure up to the dream . I enjoy the glossy texture of reading and seeing the race from a far with sound and music dubbed into the excruciating pain and stress that builds for each person racing.

It is a perspective that is so different to actually racing . To those who  I know will be racing Kona they will savour the moment . I enjoy the Facebook entries from the pros  and the pictures .It is enjoyable to live vicariously those who have live the dream ....especially now with the spirit not quite overflowing with enthusiasm.

I came across a different perspective , that of the parent following their pro son Luke.( Peter and Vicki Mckenzie's travel Blog )  It made for a change of the usual blog entries. Great pictures and I enjoyed watching Kona from a different perspective. A non triathlete. It looks like a great place that becomes a busy "look at me " Triathlete Mecca in October. I hope I don't become that person if I ever get that far .It is hard as those gathering at Kona will be the best of the best in the sport. They have every right to strut along Ali'i Drive . I will enjoy the spectacle from a far . Since 2007 Hawaii and in particular Kona has taken a whole different meaning for me from the days when I holidayed in Waikiki with my wife . As the late Israel "IZ " Kamakawiwole'le , a great son of Hawaii ,sings Somewhere over the Rainbow ...And the dreams that you dare to dream Really do come true.

Pear Shaped

Cottesloe Calm complete with Girl meditating 

Pear Shaped

The third meaning is mostly limited to the United Kingdom, Ireland and Australasia. It describes a situation that went awry, perhaps horribly wrong. ... The origin for this use of the term is in dispute. The OED cites its origin as within the Royal Air Force; as of 2003 the earliest citation there is a quote in the 1983 book Air War South Atlantic.^[1] Others date it to the RAF in the 1940s, from pilots attempting to perform aerial manoeuvres such as loops. These are difficult to form perfectly, and are usually noticeably distorted—i.e., pear-shaped.

Not quite but the week didn't go as planned with work and the wet weather.

Monday I did my long run in two legs .A run at lunch time on the treadmill with a 30minute session at marathon pace or slightly faster and in the evening a 55 minute session with another 30 min block at marathon pace.All up a total of nearly 18 kms . The next day I missed the morning ride and did my evening run session on my own , which was a 3km warm up and 10 x 1km at threshold and then a cool down of over 2km , a  total of 15.5km

Wednesday , I missed swimming and did my wind trainer session at Kings Park riding round the park and doing hill repeats in the rain. On Thursday it was a busy work day and I was just tired . Friday I did manage a short 30 minute run and a swim . The arm is feeling better .

Saturday I did not feel too good and decided I would skip the long ride . I did manage to get to Yoga and that helped.

Royal Show 2012

On Sunday , went down to Cottesloe for the first swim since Busselton in the Ocean. It was nice and calm but very murky .could not help wondering what was lurking around especially with the number of GWS sightings along our coast. swan to the Blue duck cafe and back with Les. I struggled at the start as it was cold but felt a lot better coming back.The left arm is weak but I managed to hold the stroke. On the way back , saw the rescue helicopter hovering near  the front of the Tea House and wondered if it had spotted a shark ? Obviously not . It turned out to be a beautiful warm day today as I headed for the Royal Show with Jonathan after coffee at Daisies Cafe and the swim.

Can't Stand the Rain

Dedicated to my wife for her perceptive response when I said I can't stand the rain ....Then why did you go out.

Why indeed. No I can stand the rain especially after this week with 3 out of the 4 rides in the wet. I am getting use to the wet weather.My car has taken on a new smell and everything feels damp and alive with some organism , which is scary. The bike needs a good clean as well.



I woke up at 3.30am with the sound of light rain thinking this is not good .I may need to do an indoor wind trainer session. Anyway 2 hours later I was out the door and there was a light drizzle and a stiff breeze. Met up with Bryce and the first thing I said  ," it doesn't look good , I am thinking of just doing a wind trainer session." He said it's up to me but the rain isn't going to last. I didn't want to look like a wimp even though I was one. So off we went in the light drizzle and pretty breezy conditions.It was the first time we had a tailwind for the start of the ride at parts. We met up with Andy , another Exceed member and rode for the Hills.

First big hill and my chain comes off so I am struggling to catch up and it happens again with the monster hill near Helena Junior School on Ryecroft Road. I eventually get to the top and Bryce and Andy are waiting and we then head down to Glen Forrest and follow the road to Mundaring.

There weren't too many cyclist on the road but it was a very overcast and dull day. We got to Kalamunda and I managed to get a coke to fill the empty bidon and then we did the Pickering brook loop. Andy again took off once we got to the hills and it is a 25km loop. The second climb up Mundaring  Weir Road to Kalamunda was a bugger. from there it was down Kalamunda Road .I got up to 68kph and it was a fast ride back .I managed 113 km . The legs were not too bad . I ran off the bike for 36 minutes easy doing just over 6km .

Aside from the swimming which i haven't been doing to give my shoulder time to recover , it has been a full week.

Back to The Grindstone

A Grindstone

After my uber easy week aka doing nothing , it was back to a full week of training. I am reminded it is nothing like the hours of training the pros put in and still no where near some of the heavy weeks I had in years past.

But it isn't about the hours or distances .Difficult as it is to rationalize this view it has a lot of merit .
Having said that the latest edition of the Triathlete magazine has a series of articles on Kona and how to get there. Well there are many factors and starting with good VO2 capacity and possibly a strength in one of the 3 sports always helps.But one of the pieces was Lance Watson 7 week training programme. It was impressive an had loads of hours on it. At present not really my way of thinking  and certainly I don't think I can carry a very heavy load with all the other activities in my life.

Monday skipped swimming and did a long run in the evening 1.30 with 2 x 30 minutes trying to run at marathon pace. that was hard and the legs were cactus .I was struggling in the second block.

Tuesday , had the morning Nedlands session.Rode form my office in the city and was out on the course at 5.40am .I did a lap of the course and the skies opened up.I was drenched and just kept going .There were a few cyclist out . Joined the 6 am session and was teamed with Tineke and Julianna , lasted a half lap before I got dropped. That was it and I just struggled on for 3 laps and managed to jump on a few cyclist for short burst .The legs were screaming by the end of the session. I had difficulty walking and I did cramp on the ride which was a rare event. In the evening it was a run session.I did a 3km warm up followed by 1500 at threshold , 1000km at marathon pace and 500m fast and 500 , 1000 and 1500m again. Cool down was a further 2km and a bit.

Wednesday I was aching and stiff and missed another swim session. I was able to do my cycling session at Kings Park .It was a nice day and did hill repeats till the rain came as I finished my session. Approximately 1.15 with 7 hill repeats . I am glad I missed the rain today.

Thursday , it was up at 4.30 am and I was at the office car park pumping my tires and riding down the ramps for 5 levels out to the quiet roads. Perth like any other city is a very different place at 5 am . I see the homeless man lugging his suitcase about and I see him again a few hours later on my ride back. The sad part of a city.

I headed out to Nedlands , it was overcast and looked like a shower was around the corner...the roads were wet. Got to Nedlands and set up for the brick session.I started early and  started about 15 minutes ahead of the main group. Did a 5-6km loop with a 1km run .Did that 4 times and then rode back to the city for coffee at the Venn at  Queen's street . Always a hard session and especially harder in the wet.I got a bit of rain on the first brick session.The bike shoes and runners got a little muddy and clipping in was a problem on the last round.

In the evening I did an hour easy run and the legs were tired but it was a slow run. Couldn't go to the Triathlon WA launch at Perry lakes.just not enough hours in the day with work and training .

On Friday morning I managed to get to the pool and did a pretty fun session.I had a 600m warm up with fins and did not do the medley .Then drills for another 800m and 4 x 200m in a relay which was fun with everyone swimming from the middle of the pool . Followed by a cool down of 125m. I did about 2200m. It was then of to PIHC for treatment on the shoulder.

A triathlete's Journey

Scott Tinley

 Let us run with endurance the race marked before us.” Hebrews 12:1-3.

If you wanted to know what it is about Ironman that captivates thousands of people around the globe and drives them to extreme of training , stresses in their lives and relationships , then read Scott Tinley's article Haven't we met . For me it encapsulates the feelings of striving to do this race and to reach Kona .

For many it is a struggle within and around life, and for some it is an escape from a troubled history  . I struggle with the purity of the race , the endurance , the training and yet the over commercialisation of the brand and all that it attracts. There is the money , the bikes , the equipment , the training aids , celebrity and just that Hollywood gloss so many find so very distasteful and unbecoming  when measured against the benchmark of a race in 1978 .No publicity , no support , just pure test of the individual and the elements.

Unfortunately , I arrived into this sport at a time when  with the growing interest comes the hype of the nanosecond news world. Everything is instantaneous. For that , I am thankful for my stumble into a sport where a 6 hour ride is 6 hours , there are no real short cuts (maybe good genes for some)  . Time is standing still for the most part. That is how you embrace the race and the challenge both physically and mentally.

I love Tinley's articles for capturing that feel and  for the sentiment it expresses . He sees Ironman and the people who venture into it for what it is , warts and all .For me it remains a dream , now further away , with the competitive nature of the sport and the fast times , but it embodies what I love of the sport , the  training , the ups and downs , the people I meet and the lifestyle it manifest .I may never win a race and I may never race in Kona  but I am beginning to learn it is the twin sons of approach that Scott speaks of , attitude and appreciation. Ironman does not make us or even define us , it may shape us but we are all so much more for having taken the journey. We just need to know within ourselves why we are on this journey.


Haven't we met by Scott Tinley
An athlete's journey into the place of his making.

If you participate at Ironman only a few times you might be able to walk away without rehab or counseling. But after a decade it’s too late. Life without parole, it can suck like it blows. You tell the same tales, frequent the same coffee bars and return to see if your mai-tai-induced initials are still carved on the back bar at the Kona Inn. Ten will get you twenty. Twenty will hold you down and commit you to some endlessly-looped film of the infamous ‘82 Julie Moss crawl-to-finish. That Ground Hog Day milieu where you can check out but you can never leave? It is the solitary confinement of one-too-many trips up and down the Queen K.

The Ironman is nothing if not an extended negotiation. One makes deals with themselves and family members and bosses and loved ones and unloved ones and in the end, some kind of dealer from higher up. When simple breathing is a challenge and sleeping makes you tired, you will go down to the Crossroads to make your deal for that finisher’s medal. The finish line on Alii Dr. has become its own its own Valhalla. No one travels it unvanquished.

The ideal of becoming an Ironman is not unlike an addiction to something we submit to. We talk about the grand benefits of endurance sport--self-awareness, personal challenge, the chance to rise above the white noise of modernity--but it mostly comes down to our
desire for love, to be more than simply accepted. Heroes are loved. In somebody’s eyes, an Ironman finisher is always heroic.
Somehow, we carve out the costs and the pain and suffering under that guise that we will somehow stand taller after that sprint down Alii Dr.

More than a Triathlete by Scott Tinley

The same is true with athletics, especially individual endurance sports. You and I may have the same finishing time, but what it represents to us may be as different as wheat grass and Twinkies. One man’s exalted victory is another man’s shameful defeat. So much has to do with the twin sons of approach: attitude and appreciation.There was a short quote handwritten in faded pencil on the back. It said, “Let us run with endurance the race marked before us.” Hebrews 12:1-3.
I turned the card over. It belonged to my new friend, the minister of a church in New Mexico. His name is Scott. He is a triathlete, but he is so much more. As are all of you.

Courage

There would be nothing to frighten you if you refused to be afraid. Gandhi

I often think of a quote by the Jewish-Austrian neurologist, Victor Frankl, from his book, Man's Search for Meaning, written after he was released from a concentration camp in 1945. Mel and I first became aware of Frankl's work while visiting the concentration camp museum at Dachau in Germany. Even in this place, the first of Nazi Germany's death camps, the human spirit could endure.
The quote is: "Everything can be taken from man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms – to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way."

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/national/health/a-sixpack-of-courage-one-mans-surrender-to-a-terminal-disease-20120908-25l26.html#ixzz25ysJIIbf

In a relatively easy week it became easier as work dominated the week. It also allowed me to rest my shoulder which had been sore from training and particularly from swimming.

I managed a really lazy week training wise but enjoyed catching up on all that was not physical.My shoulder was not as sore and I was feeling more rested physically and mentally.I had the chance to read up on the 70.3 Championships last weekend .

Hot difficult conditions and there were the successes but many who had races that didn't go to plan.
Miranda Carfrae with nutrition issues , Lindsey Corbin with a puncture  and Raelert with a drafting penalty ....see  The 70.3 Worlds Races that didn't Go to Plan THE COMPETITOR

Then Chrissie Wellington the ultimate exponent of conquering all with her strength of commitment and determination. What it takes and yet in the bigger picture it  is so trivial , a race in comparison to the  life battles many face. It is still with  great admiration  and  inspiration I find these stories of getting on with the battle and facing down the illness or the race with great single minded quiet determination no matter how insurmountable it may be. Mind Over Body battle

Hills

Despite the rest day on Friday , unintentional as I was at work till late, I was still tired as I set off with Bryce for the Hills. It was a 5 hour ride and I wasn't looking forward to it. There was a stiff headwind at the start and I was just tired.Bryce was strong and pulled ahead at each hill climb ,patiently waiting for me to catch up. We rode up to Kalamunda , our usual Mundaring Weir Road route before heading for the Pickering Brook loop and doing the climb into Kalamunda Town again. As we came into Mundaring weir Road for the second climb a group of 4 cyclist passed me and headed up the road  , passing Bryce on the climb. it shows how slow I was .

We met Mez and Johnny at the top and had a brief chat before they headed down Welshpool Road and we rode down Kalamunda Road and back home via Reid Highway.It was 113km .I ran for 45 minutes off the bike.It was a slow , a very slow run doing 7km only.

It was down to Metrio for Brunch and Rods Epic feat of 200plus km and hour run before noon.

Then off to swim for an hour.

I did a 400m warm up with PB and the main set was 100m threshold, 200m medium , 300m threshold , 400m medium/easy , 500m medium , 400m threshold , 200m easy and 100m threshold and 100m cool down ,A total of 2-6km .

I was thinking of doing my Tuesday session  on Sunday but decided my body needed the rest more.

For the week:
Run; 36km or 3.35 ( I missed a session)
Swim; 3 hrs or 7.6 km
bike: 7.40 hrs or 190km ( I missed 1 session)
total: 14.15 hrs.