Week 26 & 27 Getting close

Sunday's recovery walk with Irondog ..duck watching

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

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

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

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

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

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

Nimal having a rest

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

Week 24 & 25 CAPE TO CAPE

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

At the Start

Finish line first stage

With NCTC tumbleweed riders on the 2nd day

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Redbull downhill on Friday Night

Day 3 Morning Coffee before the ride

Tim

Cape to Cape Pin For IronDog

Week 23

After Saturday's ride all tired out

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

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

Thursday's session

Sunday I decided to just have a rest day.

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

Week 21 & 22

Sharing the Road

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

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

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

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

Week 20

Guardian of the Galaxy - Spirit in the sky

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

Monday

A run of 8km easy at Lunchtime.

Tuesday

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

Wednesday

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

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

Friday

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

Saturday

Saturday's Cross fit session

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

Sunday

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

Week 19

After wind trainer session

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

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

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

Tuesday

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

Wednesday

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

Thursday

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

Friday

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

Saturday

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

Saturday's WOD

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

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

10 lessons from My Dog

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

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

These are:

Loyalty and Love Unconditionally

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

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

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

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

Exercise/ stretch/ smell the Roses

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

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

Forgive

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

Compassion/Empathy

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

Trust your instincts

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

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

Love unconditionally and you will be rewarded 10fold.