The South Western Sydney 70.3

Race weekend didn't start out the best. I had a short 30min easy ride and then a 10min easy run to do on the Saturday. All at a slow pace. I had the bike setup in full race mode with the carbon wheels etc. I assumed this would be a good chance to make sure everything was running smooth and I am glad I did. I left the house and headed up the hill. I could hear a little rubbing from the front brake. Not a big issue really so I stopped and checked everything was in place and lined up ok. Moved the brake across a little and started out again. Shortly I had to brake for a corner and once again the brake started rubbing. This time I moved it while riding and kept going. This went on for a couple of km's when I got annoyed and knew something just wasn't right. I have never seen this before. I stopped and had a closer look. Then I noticed it. It seems that when I crashed the other week I had damaged the front left caliper. It was not releasing like it should. Maybe the race wheels are slightly wider or as they are carbon you hear it more but either way I had a problem.

I headed back home without completing my training for the day and pulled it apart to see if I can fix it. I had bent the spring so I was out of luck. I tried the local specialized store but as with all bike shops in my area they don't stock the TT range so no spare parts. I had no way to fix it and didn't know what to do. I decided that I would just have to make sure I didn't use the front brake. I mean its a race so I shouldn't be braking anyway. 

With that small set back as sorted as it was going to get I waited for Adam to show up and we went to check-in the bikes and go through the registration process. Getting there a little before rego time we had a chance to look through the ironman store. I had a feeling that if I didn't get my shopping done that day I would not have a chance on race day. I found some cool stuff. They had towels and shirts with all the competitors name printed on them so never having my name on a shirt or towel I thought that I better get those.

The names are in the m-dot logo

After we registered we racked our bikes. I don't know what it is with some people but they just don't have any real care about how they rack their bikes and how it will affect other people. The girl across from me racked her bike so it was basically sticking out my side and my bike no matter how I positioned it would not fit. A quick chat to the marshal and they swapped her bike around. While not required we thought that we would take the transition tour. It gave us something to do. I knew I would not be winning so I knew I could just follow the crowd on the day. With that complete we headed over to see the compulsory race brief video and then looked through more of the expo. After that we went home to relax and make sure we were sorted for the race.

Race day was an early start. We were up by 3:45am. Having to be there by 5am we needed to be on the road by 4:10am. That makes it a hard day to begin with. But it does give you time to have something to eat and know it will be digested before the race starts. Lucky we left close to the time we wanted as just before the entrance we hit traffic. Loads of it. Everyone trying to get in. While it was moving reasonably time was ticking away. We only have until 5:45am when transition would close to get our setup complete. We made it in there but didn't have long and time seemed to fly by. Before I knew it they were pushing us to leave. Lucky I have everything sorted. All I needed now was to drop my bag off and have one last bathroom stop before heading to the start line. Yeah I should have done that earlier also. Damn line was long. Because of that I just made it in time for Adams start group. They were already in the water and moving to start position. I knew I was 22min behind is group so I had time to warm up still. No rush. They moved through the groups reasonably fast and before I know it I was in the water waiting for my start.

I don't know what happened but 30 seconds before our start there was a call for assistance and a rush of people to help someone in our group. I didn't get to see much apart from them pulling him into the boat as our race started. I guess the race waits for no one. We were off. I held a nice steady pace for most of the swim. I was happy with it in the end. Yeah not the fastest I could have done but I got out of the water feeling like I had done a good swim. 

In transition I could see that Adam had gone so I wondered how long it would take me to catch him. I had hoped I had taken a good chunk of time from him in the swim and hoped I would see him not to far down the road. Anyway I jumped on the bike and got into a nice pace. Not to fast but I could still feel it in the legs. As usual some guys came blasting past and others I caught. I tried to keep my mind occupied knowing that it was going to be a long ride. I started to eat my food early on as I had planned and knowing the day would be hot got more drink in me than I normally did during training. Not long before the first turn around I saw Adam heading the other way. We called out encouragement and kept going, At the first turn around I made sure I didn't use the front break and headed off after Adam. On my way back I saw Mike who had started 3min after me was closing in as he normally does on the bike. I knew it would not be long before I was seeing him pass me. By the second turnaround before heading back to complete the first loop I had not seen Adam nor had I heard him call anything out. Strange but it can happen. So I didn't know how far he was ahead of me. Heading back Mike finally caught me. Later than I thought he would so I felt pretty good. Actually I was feeling good about almost all of the ride. My heart rate was down most of the time. Sure my legs and hips had some pain by the end but then again I knew I had good pace. Finishing the first lap you get to see the crowd but its not long before you are back out and relatively alone. It did take about 60kms but I did catch Adam. I know I should have not been concerned with it but as always if you have someone to chase you will. Adam must have had a good ride for me to take so long to get him and yes his results showed he had. Nothing much happened for the rest of the bike leg really. Coming into the finish of the bike I felt a small twinge in my leg where I had experienced cramps before in Husky. I knew I had some tablets for cramps and took them as soon as I could on the run.

Transition 2 and I get to my position. I did have a space to my left where some guy had not shown up so I put my gear close to my bike on that side to give myself a little more room. Unfortunately I found the jerk next to me had his swim gear all over my runners etc. I threw his gear to the side and changed. The run started well but the temperature was picking up. I didn't go out to hard which made for a nice change. About 4kms in and the heat was getting to me. I started to take on as many fluids as I could but that gave me what felt like a stitch but not a bad one. So from that point on I was trying to manage my intake of fluid so that I could keep going on. I knew in the heat and the way I was feeling I was not going to run the whole way like I had hoped. I had gone into survival mode. I wasn't alone. Almost everyone around me was doing the run/walk/run technique. The heat had really picked up and I was trying to run all the way between aid stations and walk while I took in fluids. As the run went on it became slightly longer walks and a lot harder to motivate the body to start running again. I found I had a standard process at the aid stations as well. Grab a water in one hand, then grab the ice and shove it down the tri suit. Grab a coke or electrolyte drink and take a mouthful. Dump the rest of that and grab a water at the final aid table. Now with the two waters dump the warmer of the two over your head and then take a few sips of the last one before dumping that on my head as well. I don't know if that's how I should have done it but it was all I could think about. Having ice melting around your junk while running is rather interesting the first time but soon I was only thinking about getting to the end and not where the ice was. I did find that if you tip the ice down the back of your suit at some stage one piece will work its way to your crack and running with ice in your crack is not that fun.

One thing about the run is you did get to see other people on the two and a half loop course that doubled back on itself a few times. This can be good as you get to say hi but when Adam is running with a smile on his face and you are struggling you kind of wonder what you are doing wrong. What really happened is Adam was also having a great run. Damn him. Finally I made it to the last 2kms and really the final aid station I was going to use before the finish. I could see the end. I walked about 100m to the hoses they were using to cool people down and that was my mark to start running. I was determined not to walk any longer. As I got closer I could feel I was going to make it all the way without having to stop but I knew I didn't have my normal ability to speed up at the end. I just kept the same pace and finished it off. Making the finish carpet was great. Sure I was in pain but I was happy I had done it. It might have been ugly but it was done. I got my medal, took my shoes off and jumped into the lake to cool off.

While I know the full ironman is going to be harder I have been told we will not have the same heat which will be nice. :)

Race week (70.3)

The week of the 70.3. Not a bad week at all. Still only one rest day but all sessions have reduced in time and effort. Sure its not like I am walking around town as training. It still has some pain but nothing like it was. The body is recovering nicely. Kind of a shame as my excuses are dwindling. I am trying to do as much stretching and rolling as I can. I want to get as much of the tightness out of my body as I can.

Tomorrow is registration day and then its the race. I know my start time and have confirmed my name is on the list...

Race number and name confirmed.

I have my bike setup and bags packed. First thing tomorrow I have a 30min ride and 10 min run brick session so it will be a good last chance to make sure the bike is still running smooth with the race wheels on. Nutrition is sorted so there is not much more to do but have some good dinners and sleep.

I think everyone has been watching the weather. Its been a little strange this week. Started out very hot last weekend. Since then we have had rain, winds and colder days but they are saying it will be hot again on Sunday. Not going to be a pleasant run if it is but then again I don't expect by that time in the race that I will be enjoying it anyway. :)

I believe that anyone can track me during the race by going to ironman.com or ironmanlive.com. We will see on the day. I guess my next post will be a post race recap.

Taper time. :)

Something I have been looking forward to is the taper. After some tough weeks its nice to see the plan have a few shorter sessions. Sure they still have some intensity in them but now they only hurt for a short period of time.

Last weekend I tested some new nutrition ideas during my long bike ride. Vegemite sandwich, snakes and chicos. The sandwich was ok. I decided I need to cut the crust off to make for less chewing. Sure its only bread but its harder than you think when you are breathing a little heavier than normal. The snakes are fine but you have to hold it and bite as you go. Not that bad but if its hot I think I might get sticky fingers after a while. The chicos seem to be good. They are bite sized and they are not sweet so with all the other sweet gels etc they are a good change.

I think that I am ready to tackle the half ironman on the weekend but the usual thoughts go through my head wondering if I will make it. How hard will it be. But I know I have done the training so I should be ok. I started packing the tri bag last night. Checked off most of the items I knew I would not use between now and the race. Put it all aside. I will prep the bike one night this week ready for a short 30min ride on Saturday morning. Just to make sure it is running smooth as silk.

After my test ride I will be heading to the course to check the bike in and do all the registration and mandatory tasks. Hopefully get some time in the expo to look around and check out the items in the ironman store. I am not fast enough to finish the race and shop on the Sunday so I will get my shopping done early. That way Sunday is just a relaxed race day.

Lets hope the weather will not be 45degC like it was yesterday.

Injury and recovery

So we are getting into the final stages of training before the ironman 70.3. I am looking forward to it in a way. I was into the final hard build week trying to make the most of it. They say the better you train the easier the race will be. So not wanting to interrupt my training I decided to skip the club race, train like I should and marshal during the club event.

The week had been hard but nothing that I had not expected. Saturday came and I got up early for my run. I had a 110min run to do. I assumed that I would get close to the 21km mark. Everything started off well. My heart rate was sitting nice in zone 2. I was running faster than I thought I was going to but I was happy with how I was feeling. About 50min in I started to feel a bit of a pain down near the achilles  or lower part of the calf. At first it wasn't too bad so I thought it would go away. Another 5min in and I knew something wasn't right. I started to walk and run when I felt better. I soon realised that wasn't going to work so I made a call and got picked up. How disappointing. Only three weeks from a major event and I can't run.

Back home I waited for the physio to open and called to get an appointment asap. Luckily my usual physio was available that morning. She said it was good I stopped as it was only a small tear. The only issue I had was she wasn't sure if it was the achilles or calf. She hoped for the calf as it would mend faster. Knowing I had a 110km ride tomorrow she said do a test ride that night to see if I had pain. If I did I was not allowed to ride and if not then I was good to go on Sunday. She also strapped it and recommended using a calf support. I was told that if all goes well I should be ready for the next race. Lucky for me there was no pain on the test ride.

Sunday I went out for the long ride. No pain so that was good. Well no pain apart from the usual pain from the ride itself. That night I told the coach about the injury and my recovery week got even easier since I was not allowed to run. My usual runs became walks. While that's good I felt like I wasn't doing enough.

At the second physio appointment on Wednesday my leg was feeling better which probably means it was the calf. I had been resting it as much as I could so while it felt better I still did not know. The physio checked me out and was happy with the progress. I was told that I was allowed to test run but not too much. Basically doing some easy strides during my walking sessions. Also I was given some exercises to do. Thursday would be my first opportunity to test it out. The walk / run started out ok. Nothing special and reasonably slow. I don't know if it was in my head or not but I kept thinking is that pain I am feeling? Hmm I was obviously worried about it. All that afternoon I was testing it and checking for pain.

 Saturday Adam and I did a special trip to ride the 70.3 bike course for one lap. The real thing is going to be a two lap event but as it was an easy week one lap fit in well. Its a reasonably flat course with only really one small hill. I think its going to be a fast paced ride. I am so glad I don't have to navigate during the race. The night before I had taken note of a few turns that we need to do. The far end of the ride course which I did know is kind of a Y shape. You head out to the left before coming half way back and going out to the right. I don't know if that was well explained but anyway. Riding along looking for the first turnaround point and well all I can say is I missed it. We ended up getting to a town we didn't think we should see so we stopped and checked Google maps. Sure enough we were 5km past the first point. Well done Stefan. Well we did find the turn point on the way back. The rest of the ride was pretty uneventful really. We did see a bunch of people riding the course.

Today was the longer run day. Well this time it was a 60min walk / run. I did think about just making it a slow run and found it hard to convince myself to do what the physio said. Lucky for me I stuck to the plan. I just thought that if I screw this up I am an idiot. Well when I say plan I guess there was nothing set in stone apart from take it easy. In the end I decided to run for 1km and then walk till I get to the 10min mark. So I knew I would do 6km plus whatever I walked. All I can say is walking when you feel you should be running is so hard to do. I got through it and felt good that I had no pain.

So two weeks to go..

The Nepean triathlon

The Nepean triathlon is Australia's oldest triathlon. The current distance is 1km swim, 30km ride, 10km run. Second week into the race season and this is the second event. A little longer than the club race but not a heap. Held at the regatta centre again. The difference with this race and the club race is the ride heads out on the streets and the run is laps around the lake. An advantage of this race heading out on the streets is it follows a similar path to the 70.3 ride I have at the end of November.

It was another early start. Everything going as planned. At rego they printed your age group on your calf so you know who you are competing against. It was another wetsuit optional race. My wave was once again about last to head off. I started a little slower than normal hoping that I could get into a more controlled pace than last week. Soon I was back into my normal pace but I was close to the end of the swim so that was good. Once again I was hoping I was ahead of Mike. I jogged out of the water a little faster than last week.

Getting into transition I could see Mike's bike was still there. Woohoo I am in front. I do what I need to and get out of there as fast as I can. Out of transition I jump on the bike and start to peddle. I try to keep a good pace without overdoing it. About 1km into the ride I have Mike passing me. Damn it that's way too soon. I duck in behind him and get a little draft happening before I decide I should let him go. From there on I am trying to just keep a good pace while keeping the heart rate down. Sure it was little disheartening to see a hill half way around the ride. Lucky it wasn't that big. Apart from some guy not knowing how to stay to one side when being passed and almost running me into a cone it was a pretty uneventful ride. I had lost touch with Mike and the others I knew competing were also nowhere to be seen. But as I was feeling good I was happy so far.

I jumped off the bike and ran into transition. I could see Mike had left already so I took some extra time to put my socks on for the longer run. It didn't take much longer. The run started and once again it was faster than my normal pace. I slowed down a little during the first lap so I could make it to the end. The sun was out and it was now really hot. The drinks stations became a mouthful of water and the rest of the cup tipped over my head. After the first lap I started to think about if I could make it at the current pace. It was still fast for me and the heat was taking its toll. That's where I try to convince myself that 5km is less than 25min running. I can do that. Its not even half a training run. I remember with 3.5km to go thinking I should be done in about 18min. Easy you can do this. Just keep the legs going. I ran for what seemed like ages, looked at the watch and thought damn it I have only run 500m. This is going to be harder than I think. But then I see something that cheered me up. Not far ahead of me was Mike. Yay I can see him and I seem to be catching him. I get right behind him with about 2.5 km to go. We had just past a drink station so there is a small group of people. I start to consider what to do. Do I say hello and have a chat. Maybe he will speed up to beat me if I do. Do I follow a small group past him and hope he does not see me. If I do that he might still see me and then I am just rude and he still might speed up. Either way I could be in trouble here. I don't want to leave it to late in case he kicks at the end but I also don't know if I have much more in me.

Well I decide to say hi. We always high five as we pass each other and try to cheer each other on so I decided not to be sneaky. We have a little chat about how we are going and soon I hear him say he will see me at the end. I was pulling away. Don't look back I kept thinking to myself. I might give it away that I am hurting. Knowing that we are close and that we only have a short distance to go I push even harder. I can see the line down the end of the path. I am just hoping that I have made enough of a gap to keep him away. I cross the line, grab my medal and get out of the road. I can't talk as I am done. I need a drink and to get out of the heat. Walking to the drinks I see a guy using a hose to fill the drink buckets. Lucky for me he was willing to hose me down. It helped. A few drink and a little sit down in the shade and I was feeling a lot better. Damn it was hot.

With a time of 1:53:53 it was the fastest race I have done. The bike was super fast at 37.54km/h average and a pace of 4:38 per km on the run I was really happy. Now I just need to slow that down a little and get through the next race which will be the longest race I have ever done.

Race season has started

Yep that's right the racing has started. Two weeks and two races are now done and dusted. Lucky for me the first three races I am doing this season are at the same location which I am very familiar with. Based at the Sydney international regatta centre in Penrith which is the home of the Hills tri club.

The first race of the season was a Hills club race. Distance is a standard sprint. 750m swim, 20km ride, 5km run. Shouldn't be a big deal with all the training I have been doing. Normally our club races are in the afternoon once the heat of the day has gone but this one was early morning. I like that as it gets it done and you have the rest of the day to do what you like. With my bike stripped down to the bare essentials for a short race I was ready to go.

Ready to race

View of the swim leg

It was a perfect morning for the race. It did feel a little cold at the start but no wind and with the sun coming up it was going to get warm later. The wetsuit optional call went out while we were setting up which always makes me happy. With the bike racked it was time for the long walk down to the start point.

This race is a straight swim. So the long walk to the start and looking all the way down to the finish can be a spirit buster until you get used to it. Its not as fun as when you have a few turns to think about. Anyway soon we were in the water and racing. My group being the older males is always the last to leave but soon we were catching some of the slower swimmers. My race typically revolves around trying to see if I can keep up with my old trainer Mike. We like to start a bit away from the rest and get a good run down the lake. I took off at the start trying to make sure I did not fall to far behind Mike. But I lost him. I didn't know if he was ahead or behind but he was gone. Half way through I was hoping that I didn't go out to hard. I find it hard to pace myself on the swim. I just swim stupid and feel it when I get to the end. I tried to calm down and swim relaxed but that's easier said than done.

I exit the water puffing away as always. I don't run right away. I walk out of the water undoing the wetsuit and make sure that I am not the guy that falls over as they stand up. As I start to speed up to a nice jog into transition I see Mike run past me crossing the timing mat 1 sec ahead. He made sure he gave me a little crap as he past me just to rub it in. We both strip down and grab our bikes and head off. This is the first time I had my shoes set on the bike and was going to try a flying start. Being closer to Mike than I ever have gave me some hope that if I could just get close enough I might finally beat him. Well I jump on my bike get both feet in and peddle up a small hill. When I get to the top I do up my straps and look up for Mike. Yeah 20m ahead and leaving me behind. The guy is a beast on the bike. My heart is racing, I am short on breath and I start to realise that my hopes of catching him and maybe cheating a little off him is rapidly becoming less of an option. But not to worry if I go hard enough I might be able to get him on the run. Well thats what I tell myself. By the 5km mark I start to wonder why am I doing this. Whats wrong with me. I question my training and wonder how am I every going to make the full ironman if I can't even complete a sprint without this much pain. I do everything I can to slow my heart rate and get myself under control. Yeah maybe I should have slowed the legs down but knowing I was falling behind that's not an option. I never said I was smart.

Soon the ride came to an end. No I had not been able to calm down but I thought that if I get into a good run then it would all work out. Looking in transition I see the normal view. Mikes bike neatly racked and him gone. Damn it. Oh well I rack my stuff, put on my shoes and head off for the run. It's a two lap run up and back on a path. So you get to see everyone a few time. The run starts off a little fast for me. It tends to happen as you try to keep up with people. I try to slow a little which does work but its still hard. I push on and see Mike as he passes going the other way. I then try to work out how far behind I am. The state I am in I wouldn't have been able to count to 10. The rest of the first is pretty much the same. Some people pass me and I pass others. I look at my watch and I am still travelling at a fast speed for me. I just assume that if I just put my head down I could make it to the end like this. I actually start to feel better for a while. Then I hear someone catching me. As he gets along side me some guy says "you are a hard man the catch 47". Yes that was my number. We chat for a moment about how the race is going. While I am being nice on the outside all I can think of is you bastard why do you sound so fresh. If I was hard to catch why don't you sounds like you are struggling. Anyway he soon continues on and leaves me to push to the end. I come across the line with nothing left. When I finally got myself settled I checked out my time. Faster than last years times by about 6min. That cheered me up a little. I later found out that I was only 49 seconds behind Mike. Yes he beat me again but I was getting closer. My run really help out.

Build phase 1

Wow its been a while since I can added anything in here. So whats happened the last few weeks. Well the build phase. Everything is harder and wow can I say some of it was very hard. As I don't have a lot of extra time on my hands than what I am already doing we just do the same timings but add difficulty.

I remember one swim race prep session I struggled to even keep the timings. Well I say struggled to keep the timings. I actually didn't. I had to have a couple of longer breaks than I was supposed too. I made it to the end but man was I in pain. I will say I was happy that the coach had a go at that session and also found it very difficult. Made me feel better about my effort.

The magpies are still out and about causing trouble. It can't be much longer till they bugger off. Our club organised an open water swim at the regatta center where the 70.3 will be run. It was good to get in the water and have more time in the wetsuit. The water was a little cold but not to bad. I am back there this week for the clubs first race of the season.

Last week I spent four days in Malaysia. It kind of ruined the normal weekend training. I had to use a spin bike and treadmill for the Saturdays brick session. Wow what a pain that was. Hot, boring and just not right. I don't know how people do that sort of thing all the time. Then Sunday I didn't do anything as I had a big night out on Saturday. Monday after I got in I missed the swim as I couldn't keep myself awake. But all up I guess I didn't miss a heap. I tried to get as much in during the start of the week as I could. Even went for a run at 5:30am the morning of the flight out.

Training in Malaysia

This week is another recovery week before the next build phase. Time to take it easy with training and let the body recover. So it should be fun. Plus with the Hills tri club race one on Sunday its going to be a good week. Then next week we have the Nepean triathlon which is in-between a sprint and an olympic distance. Then its the final push to the 70.3.

On the injuries front everything seems to be pretty good. Nothing stopping me from doing what I need too.

Now for something crazy. I left Australia and it was 33°C. I come back four days later and its low 20's. The second night I am back and it snows in the mountains an hour away from home. We don't have that much snow there even during winter. Just crazy. I think last year we had bush fires in the mountains. The world has gone crazy. :)

Bye bye base phase

What a great week. Nothing like the joys of having a recovery week. I would have to look back and see if it was an easier recovery week or the same as normal but to me it felt the best. It could have been that the week before was really hard. I don't know but I am happy with this week. I was reduced to only doing two of everything this week. woohoo. With that I see the end of the base phase. Its hard to explain so here is the plan.

Well there it is the full 40 week program that is going to get me to the finish line. Well that's the plan anyway. :) Next part is the build phase. I don't know what that means for my days yet until tomorrow night when I get my new schedule. My assumption is that it will be longer, harder and faster sessions.

I have started receiving countdown emails for the 70.3 in November. Only 10 weeks to go. So exciting. This is the first time that they have held a 70.3 in Sydney so it should be fun. The course has been published online and as it is only 30min drive from home it looks like we will be making a trip up that way to ride the bike section. The swim and run I already know as its where my club holds its races but the ride heads out into the streets so I have not done that part yet.

I have been going over the race schedule. They seem to have a nice spread of activities over the three days. I have to rack my bike the day before so that will give me some time out there looking at the store, expo, transition tour and race video. I might try to get out early enough to watch the ironkids race as well. May as well cheer the young ones on. Then Sunday the race is on at 6am. That will mean I can finish before lunch and have the rest of the day to moan about how much my body hurts. haha.

Apart from that excitement I have entered the first club race in four weeks time followed by the Nepean Tri the week after. Both are shorter distances but should give my gear and transition a good shakedown.

Last week I purchased my new wetsuit. I have been looking around for some time at what I want to get. In the end it came down to fit and the service of the people at the Aquashop in Gordon. I don't know if the top down zipper is going to be a pain or not as you can't do it up yourself but we will see. One thing is it stops someone from undoing my wetsuit during the swim so that is a good thing.

I am taking it out for a test run in the ocean this weekend so we will see how it goes. I don't know why I am heading into the water this early after winter. Doing an IM makes me think I have lost my marbles so maybe this confirms it.

All up the weather has been changing for the better. Warmer days are happening. The magpies are still swooping but I have worked out that if I ride with a mate they don't get us. Maybe he is my lucky charm.

On another note a good friend Amy is doing her first ever triathlon this weekend. She chose to do the olympic distance which is crazy for a first crack but I know she will do well. I am kind of jealous I am not joining her or even getting to cheer her on from the sidelines but seeing as I am nowhere near San Diego it makes it hard to get there. haha. So on that note I end this entry with my final words being.. Go Amy!!

Winter is over.

Last week marked the end of another winter. Not all bad really. Lots of sun to keep the training pleasant. Sure it was a little cold at times but at least it wasn't always raining. Yes the last couple of weeks has been almost non stop rain but I guess we needed it so it all works out in the end.

My physio sessions have been going well. We are down to fortnightly sessions although I did run and ride this weekend without any pain so I don't think I will be needing the physio for much longer. Yay. Always a win in my books. I also believe that I found a good masseuse. She seemed to know all the right places to prod and poke. Also she explains what she has found and what I can do to prevent being so tight. So that was a win as well.

The easy week didn't turn out to be as easy as I had hoped. I don't know what I was looking for. Maybe a couple of days of watching movies. :P Anyway it was easier than the previous week and the weeks that have followed. Training generally is going well. I am still eager to get out there and do an event though. My biggest pain about the training right now is the magpies and plovers. Damn stupid bird breading time. I might have a backwards sense of caution or something as we are supposed to have most of the worlds deadliest snakes and spiders but what I worry about while riding and running is getting pecked on the head by some stupid bird. So far I have been swooped twice while running and had three birds chase me while riding. I find if you go fast enough they can't get a shot at you and will just follow from above. Either way I get out of rhythm and it annoys me to have to look over my shoulder. I can only hope that the next eight weeks go by fast so they will stop. If they don't they might find themselves on the wrong end of a piece of lead.

The training is getting harder but nothing that I wasn't expecting. I now have to do three sessions of everything. In total a little over 11hrs of training for the week. Weekends have been hard to do anything after training. I get so tired that I tend to want to sit around and watch some sport on TV. But with the first of the races around the corner it will be more fun soon. Sunday was another group training session. It was fun as it was different. I don't know what you would call it but we sort of named it a transition session. We got ready like we were leaving T1 and headed out of the coaches driveway where we mounted the bikes. Then did about a 20min ride at reasonable pace out and back to his place where we had to dismount, complete T2 and run off for about 5min. We did that four times. Yes it got a little competitive each round as the pace and talk started to pick up. But it was fun. I started doing different styles of flying mounts which I have not really tried before. I am happy I never fell on my head and I think that I have found something that will work for me. I have to practice a bit more and get everything right before I really feel comfortable but it will get there. Not that I think I will be doing that in the IM.

Well I guess its time for more training..... Swim, bike, run, repeat...

So far away yet so close

Well its been a little while since I updated here. What been happening is a good question but probably easy to answer. In short just training. :)

So I have been going to the physio once a week for my knee issues. Its getting better but not there yet. I really look forward to the day I can run again and the only pain I have is muscle pain because I used them. I hate the pain here or there because of some stupid stretching I wasn't doing enough of or something similar. Anyway I think we will get there one day. So for now its more stretching and strength work from the physio.

IM training is going well. This week is a hard week. The weekends 3.5hr ride and 100min run are going to be tough but I know that next week will be an easy week in the rotation so I look forward to that. All other training is just moving along as expected. I am tired a lot of the time and days are almost blurring into each other. I guess that's what its like when it is non stop.

I did get a chance to change it up last weekend. I got to run in the city2surf. For those who might read this and don't know what it is then basically its 70,000 people running from the middle of Sydney 14km's out to Bondi beach. I have done it three times now and this is the first time I have not had to walk. Its strange how the mind works. There was a few sections I remember being very painful and long. I had images in my head of roads that I hated in the past. But when you feel good while running those same sections seemed short. Anyway I was happy with my result of 66min. I took almost 20min off my previous best time. I would have liked to beat my mate Fil who I work with and is known as the flash but he is just a little too fast for me. Maybe another time. I guess it shows what real training can do.

Well while the IM is still 206 days away I started thinking about some of the other events that I have signed up for. Really I have 2 months till my first triathlon event. After that I will be doing at least one a month until the big day. So I guess we are not far away until I get to change it up and see how my training has been going. I guess I am looking forward to that time of year. It is the best time. I am not a great trainee but I know it is needed.

Stupid injuries

So its been a sad few weeks. I started to get some pain in both knees. So much so I couldn't do all the training that I wanted to do. So I thought I should go and see the physio. Yeah maybe I could have gone sooner but I usually just try to get through it and hope that whatever is annoying me will go away.

Well it seems that the cause of the pain was the kneecap not being in the correct location (groove) as it should be and is rubbing against some other part of the knee that it shouldn't. Yes I am very technical with my explanation I know. Anyway the reason its not sitting correctly is the muscle in my legs in the front of my hip that go down the leg and attach to the kneecap are very tight. So with a little elbowing into some tender part of my leg I seemed to have a bit of relief. But unfortunately I wish that one session of pain was going to be enough but it wasn't. I now have to spend many hours of the day rolling my legs and laying with a tennis ball on some tender muscles. Lucky Dee has lent me the use of her elbow most nights while watching TV. She might even enjoy it as it brings me pain and when she laughs about something the slight bounce in her body pushes her elbow into my leg even more.

The good news is it seems to be slowly getting better. It has fallen into line with the end of a 4 week training cycle so I get to have a more relaxed week this week and the coach said I can miss a couple of sessions here and there without any real set back.

Apart from the injury I have been amazed at the stupidness of some of the shops around here. On the weekend I went for a drive to look at a tri wetsuit. It was an hour away as they are the only people anywhere close by that has the brand that I was looking at. I could not fault the lady at the Aquashop in Gordon. She let me try it on. Talked to me about some of the cheaper options and generally listened to what I had to say. So far out of three brands I have in mind they are now on the top. A lot of that has to do with service and I will drive the hour to buy it instead of purchasing online or anything like that. So when I went to leave I thought about dropping past a triathlon specific shop and looking at some tri bike shoes which I had read about. Once again this is brand that not everyone stocks and the tri shop is the closest to home that have it. This is where the good service of the day ended.

Knowing I have to almost pass the shop on the way home it was a good excuse to have a look. I remembered the shop was closing for renovations so I gave them a call first to see if they were around still as a store or now only online. The shop owner said that yes they were seeing people in his wife's yoga studio and he would have the shoes I was after. So I turned up to the shop, tried on the shoes. Had a bit of a chat as you do but nothing special. He said they should feel snug but not too tight as the foot will swell. Nothing I have not heard before but always good information. The shoes were ok but nothing special. My current ones are more comfortable but as these can be molded to the foot so they could be the best shoe ever I don't know. Anyway I was not ready to purchase as I have other things I want to do and look at first so I thank him and go to put my shoes back on. He says so are you going to take them acting like its a done deal. I said I was going to look at others and if I decide to buy them I would be back. He then told me that he should have said on the phone that there was a $50 fitting fee. I told him that yes he should have told me and its unfortunate that he didn't. He explained that I was going to order them online like so many people do and he would be out of business if he didn't charge these fee's. I thought that's sad but really its not my issue. I told him that I was not out to buy shoes today and I only came past to have a look as it was on my way home. I did explain this a few times on the phone and while trying on the shoes. I said that if I spend $200 on shoes without talking to my wife about it first I would be in trouble. Yes a slight joke but honestly as a couple you should discuss these things first. He replied with if he let me out of this shop without getting his $50 his wife would not be happy either and that he would have to call her and see if that was ok. I said well you have to do what you have to do. He then said that if I can't afford $200 shoes then I am in the wrong sport. I really don't think that he understands the full story. Its not that I can't afford to spend $200 but I do like to talk to my wife about it, look at all my options and also not be pressured into it. He also tried to use the guilt trip of him having to get the shoes out of wherever they were so I could have a look. I mean is it my fault that he is renovating his store. Really he tried every tactic to get me to pay him some money. So anyway I walked out without paying a thing thinking what a f@#k head.

So if anyone ever is in Oatley NSW and wants tri gear DO NOT go see The Triathlon Shop (trigearonline.com.au) as he is a jerk and should be out of business with that kind of service. While you are at it you may as well boycott Gracefully fit yoga as if his wife runs her business the same she can go to hell as well. I hate to see a triathlon shop go out of business as we don't have many around but if you are going to run one like he does then screw that shop.

So that was stupid shop one. The next is where I get my gels from. They are cheaper than the rest but they have no idea how to run an internet shop. I have made a few orders and delivery is fast and good when they get it right but when they don't pray to god as he is the only one that seems to be able to help. I have learned never to call the 1800 number for them. You get a answering service but no matter what option you select the phone just rings and rings. If you call the interstate one they answer but when you ask for who you want they are always in a meeting. No matter what time of day. I think they just have meetings. Anyway I was informed they would call me back and as they have new staff because the last guy left as he was a joke I would actually get a call back. Well sure enough they called me back this time. Yay. I was basically asking why my order had the status as part paid when I did select that option. They said that they could only supply half the order so only charged me half the amount. I was cool with that and sure enough I got what I had paid for. So far so good. Anyway a few days later I get a call from them asking if they can have my card number again to charge me for the rest of the order. They told me that they sent the complete order when they realised they actually had all the stock and now wanted their money. I informed them that I did not receive my full order and I don't believe that they sent it and relayed my conversation i had with them a few days before. They said they would find out when the extra stuff was sent and get back to me. So far I have not heard from them again. If I do get the extra stuff I will call them and let them know but its just crazy they are so messed up for the professional business that they say they are. I mean where is the online store that checks stock from a database etc like most online stores have. Just crazy. Anyway I have ranted enough.

On a brighter note while the mornings are cold the days here are really nice. Maybe not if you were a farmer relying on water but for me and my training its wonderful. Even last night I got off the train after work and I noticed it was brighter than a few weeks before so I can start to tell that summer is coming. Woohoo.

Pyrmont bridge in the morning

My bed is warm.

This is why it is so hard to get up and train in the mornings. Yes it is in Celsius.

Ok so some of my US friends might call me weak and think that this is warm weather but I don't. And today is a swim day. :(

34 weeks out

So another week down and 34 to go. My body is feeling better than I thought that it might. What I have found is that using a roller and stretching is important. I have fixed many pains that way. I have never been one to stretch much especially before sports so I find it hard to remember to do it.

Swimming has been good generally. Probably still the hardest to look forward to doing now that the cold has settled in. Its not great fun generally but putting on jumpers etc to go to a pool to swim is kind of wrong. Swim technique is not a bad session. I can leave that feeling relaxed but the race prep session is hard and is only getting harder. Lots of solid paced laps with timings to be within. I find I go out a little fast and have not found my happy pace yet. One day I am sure I will get it.

I got to have my first brick session of on the weekend. I had a 2hr zone 2 ride with a 15min zone 2 run. The ride was the fastest zone 2 ride I have ever done. I averaged 32.5km/h for the two hours. I even got back so early that I had to go around the block to make up the extra time I needed. Getting off the bike and running still gets me. The body likes to tell you that your done and you should sit down for a while. Then you realise that you are going to fast. Slowing to a normal pace feels like your almost walking but eventually everything gets back to normal. Something that did give me a chuckle at the end of the run was the icecream truck following me up and around a couple of streets. I must have looked like I was hungry. Well then again I probably always look like I am hungry and yes I can always eat if there is food around. This weekend I have a 2.5hr ride which has to include some hills so that will make it more interesting. Its not like my current path is flat but I guess it is not hilly enough.

The running is probably taking the biggest toll on the body. I sure do feel it after 1.5hrs on the go. I don't feel like I can't keep going its more when you stop the legs just kind of say "here feel this ya bugger and don't think about starting that again any time soon" as my legs feel heavy and done. :) Adam came up for the run this weekend. Its kind of nice to have someone to chat to while you run. I will enjoy it while I can as I know most of my training will be alone. He did comment that we had just completed the city2surf distance as a training run. That kind of got me thinking about when we did train for the first city2surf we did a few years back. We would do 5km runs as training and slowly build up to 10kms. If you did make it that far on a training run everyone would think your crazy. Ok back then most training was done in the pub so getting out for any training was a big deal.

So with five weeks completed of my actual ironman plan I have done the following.

Swim: 23.5km
Bike: 450.51km
Run: 151.78km

I think I need a sleep. :)

Prep stage is over

So the first four weeks of training is over and with that we see the end of the prep stage. Next twelve weeks will be the base stage. Three sets of four week plans that get increasingly longer. Looks like I am going to start to have to put in some long days. Also it seems that my optional bike session will no longer be optional.

So what did I learn from the first section of training. Well I know that I am always a little tired. Nothing crazy. I feel good but not 100%. Anyway its all good. I also found that I am running faster in zone 2 now than I did at the start. Also to get to zone 3 I have a reasonably fast pace. So I hope I can use that later as I race.

My swim training sessions have also ended. They were ok. I didn't like the early starts and having to get in an outdoor pool during winter but I got it done. I have a few things that I need to work on. Head position is probably the main thing. Making sure I don't cross over in my arm stroke and pulling directly back and not across my body are probably the other big things I got out of it. If I get that right the rest will be strength.

This weekend we got to have our first group training session with the coach. We worked on run technique and drills. Boy was that hard work. I was questioning if I would make it to the end of that session but I dragged myself through it. We had a lot of short sprinter type drills which will be incorporated into our weekly plans. This is to help get a little more speed into our stride. One thing I do like about training with our coach early Saturday morning is the breakfast his wife makes us. Hmm pancakes and fruit salad. What I nice way to end a training session.

We hope to do a group bike training session soon which should be good. My rides of late have not been that bad but there has been some issues. Stupid Samsung S4 stopping my music after 30min, blowing a tyre but not just a puncture but slicing a nice hole in it and some annoying wind today that just didn't seem to ever be behind me. It always seemed to be a head or cross wind. No matter which way the road turned even when it should have been behind me it wasn't. I guess it was a character build wind. :)

So more fun times ahead. Woohoo.

Plan week 2

So the plan has been going rather well. Not easy but not over the top. Being the easier of all the weeks I am glad that it is not over the top right now.

Monday swims are race prep so they are reasonably hard. trying to swim over race pace is not easy. I usual get out of the pool with sore arms and wishing I could have a nap. By the time I get home at night its hard to get on the wind trainer to do the 45min ride that's needed. But I have managed to motivate myself enough to get it done. Wind trainers are not the most exciting things. Yes you get to watch TV while you do it but still its not the most fun way to ride a bike. :) I think it also hurts a bit more as I have just come off my long weekend run and ride so my legs are not as fresh as they could be.

Tuesday runs are going well so far. Basically a zone two run with a group of six strides in the middle. It breaks up the run and I find I run faster after the strides in zone two than I did at the start of the run. Strange but that's good. Its all in there to get some pace into my running while keeping the heart rate down so it looks like it could be working.

I have been meaning to go Tuesday night to the gym for a weight session but its pretty busy until 8pm so I have been heading down at 5am Wednesday. Its not a bad time to go. Not many people around and you get it out of the way before really starting the day. You just have to remember that if you are following some form of session in an app on your phone that you might want to keep the phone away from the gym equipment. I didn't do this and found that balancing a calf extension machine on the corner of the phone does not end well. I would like to blame Samsung for not labeling the phone with "Not to be used as a leveling device" or something similar. Other products get crazy warnings. How was I to know that mobile phones are so delicate. :P Anyway the rest of the Wednesday is for swim technique which is not hard but necessary.

Thursday runs have been the same as Tuesdays for the first two weeks but this week they have changed and I will be introduced to extended zone three running it seems followed by the usual wind trainer session. There is a bit of single leg work on the bike to make sure I am peddling correctly and I am going to need a lot of practice at that after a lifetime of stomping on the peddles.

With Friday being the rest day I definitely have a rosier outlook on that day. It might be that or just the end of the work week. Either way its a good day.

This week will be the final week of "swim school". The eight week early morning swim training will be over. Yay. Not that I have not liked it but its getting cold. What have I learned.. Hmm probably more than I can think of right now. I don't know how far off from having a good stroke I was when I started but I have had more things explained to me about what should be done so as long as I can remember all the parts I should be able to work on it. I know I have to keep my head further down than I am used to. It weird changing that part. I don't get to see what I am about to hit. My head wasn't that up at the start but now I have been told to look directly down. I am sure I will get used to it but for now its hard. Swimming is not an easy thing to do for us land based animals. I find thinking about my head position will cause my arms to cross over or do something else silly. So you think correct the arms and the head or hips or something else goes funny. I will have to figure out a chant that will remind me to check everything all the time.

After the swim session Adam and I have been doing 1.5hrs of running along the paths that are parallel to the beaches of Wollongong. Its a good run. Nice view means I am not thinking about much else and before you know it the run is done. I see the pace picking up while keeping in the correct zone which is good.

Sunday rides usually hard. I think I might have to change the run day to Sunday and the ride day to Saturday. At the start of the ride my legs are tired and I think that if I run Sunday then they might feel a little better but that's something to try next week not this one.

Now since I have not named any posts like this for a while all I can say is 264 days to go..... Woohoo...

The plan has started

Had a long chat over the weekend to plan my life to be with my coach. We looked at how many hours I have and how much training will increase before the big event. Just talking about it makes me start to think its going to get hard. But in a sick way I am looking forward to it. I have a belief that if I just do what I have to at the start the longer days will just work themselves out. Its not like I am going into the longer days from day one.

On Sunday I received the first week of the official plan. This is the preparation stage. Looks like I have 9hrs of swim, bike, run plus I need to add some weight sessions. Not a bad start. More than I have done before but not a lot more. Two swim sessions totaling 3km's, two 45min wind trainer sessions, one 60km ride and three run sessions making up about 35kms. Then I am still doing a few more weeks of swim technique lessons.

So day ones workout has been ticked and I am about to head out for day two's run. Yay for me not missing anything yet. haha. Already looking ahead to the Friday rest day.

40 is just another number

I can't believe that it is a week out from winter and I am wearing shorts and t-shirts around. 26deg for the last few weeks and some reports say that it will continue. I am not going to complain. Makes it a lot easier to get out and about.

Training on the bike has been nonexistent the last two weeks. Sickness last week and then my 40th party this week made sure I didn't get on the bike. Yes 40 years old now. People keep saying happy birthday old man. Hmm old man. I guess I am. hehe. I know the body feels older especially after Saturday night. I have not stayed up till 3:30am in a long time. Was a great night. Friends, drinks and a fire. How could it go wrong. Well last time I tried to cut my finder off with a saw while cutting wood so this time I had a lot of wood already prepared.

I still have been out training. Swimming laps, weight sessions and easy runs has been the name of the game. We have made it to swimming technique session 4 of 8. So far I have learned that I need to keep my head lower, pull directly backwards through the water in a single motion and I can reach a bit deeper with my stroke. I feel that some of what I have been told is how I used to swim previously. Over the last year I have been reading and told so much that I think I changed my normal swimming style a lot in a effort to get better. Now with actually lessons some of what I have changed is being changes back. Not all of it which is good but some key points. Its been mentioned we will get videoed this week so I will get to see how I look underwater etc. I think this will be good as I don't really know for sure what I am doing under the water. I assume that I am getting it right but who knows. If I get an efficient stroke happening then I know it will just be strength work which will make me faster. But then no one wins a tri in the swim.

After swimming on Saturday morning I came home and went for a 2hr run. I knew I would sleeping Sunday after the party so I wanted to get something in. I was happy that I did it. I feel pretty good running about this long. Usually I make it to 20km or so in that time. But is that my limit. Near the end I start to think can I do that again right now. Hmm no is always the answer and that's when I started off fresh. Damn the 42kms is going to be hard but that's something to worry about later. lol

Well I guess I am off to continue the usual swim, bike, run and weights routine. The real plan starts next week with the prep phase. This is the first 4 weeks. I don't know what it involves but I am sure I will find out soon. Probably more of the same. :)

291 days

Its been a busy week. Apart from work which is normal to be busy the training has been pretty much constant. Always the usual swim, bike, run, repeat as per the plan. I have been taking the training easy as the coach has told me so I don't overdo it.

On Thursday Jetstar had a big birthday sale with cheap flights to different locations. I read the sale email and it mentioned cheap flights to New Zealand but not landing in Auckland so I was a bit bummed about that. I ignored it for a while until one of the guys at work was checking it out and said they had Auckland listed on the sales webpage even though it was not supposed to be part of the sale. The best part about it was the sale was for the dates of the NZ ironman. I jumped on and found a few dates that worked for our trip. I ended up getting flights for $200 return per person which I think is a nice little win. So now the flights are taken care of. It looks like we just need to find one nights accommodation in Auckland and car hire and I think our travel plans will be complete.

As part of my usual training I need to do some weight sessions so I took myself down to the gym and signed up for a membership. I have never been a gym person. I don't know what it is. Maybe because when I have been there is always a bunch of blokes trying to strut their stuff around acting like they own the place. I am not into the body building thing. Well since I don't have gym equipment at home and don't live in the forest where I can cut down a tree and carry it around rocky style I had to sign up. It looks like they have a few quiet times so I am going to hit the gym then.

Unfortunately I got a bit of a cold on Thursday night so by Sunday I didn't do my usual long ride. Instead I headed to the gym and did my first workout. It was ok. I bumbled my way through the machines reading all the instruction labels to make sure I was doing it right. It must have done something as I was feeling it afterwards. A few weeks of this and the pain will go away.

With the gym membership I get all the classes for free so knowing I need to work on my core and also get more flexibility. I decided that since I was not swimming on Monday I would do an yoga class that evening. I don't know anything about yoga apart from what I have read on the net about it being relaxing and good for flexibility. Well I headed into the room and as I suspected there was not another bloke in sight. A couple of older ladies, a couple of middle aged ladies, a young girl and then me. It seemed they all had their favorite spots on the floor so I was directed by one of the ladies as to where I can place myself. I grabbed a mat, put it in my spot and waited. Soon the instructor came and we were off. Well they say its relaxing. I don't know. For the next 50 minutes I bent and stretched and reached for the stars. Twisted myself into knots. Held poses and stood on my head. I don't know why but I looked around and I seemed to be the only one sweating. I had to towel myself off a couple of times and here these ladies are doing the same thing but obviously better and not even looking like they had warmed up. Crap I thought this is no good. But then the last 10 minutes was relax time. We got to lay there and feel the goodness of the workout. Well yeah I guess I did feel good after all. I still have to see what Pilates is like as I read that's good for you also and they have a body balance class which is a mix of yoga and Pilates. Once I have tried them all I will decide whats best for me.

299 days

Wow I have less than 300 days to go now. Hmm doesn't seem like long at all. My coach called me last night to talk about a few things and mentioned that it was almost 6 months out from the 70.3. That's not a long time.

Over the last couple of weeks I have been taking it easy. Trying to slow the training down and do more work in zone 2. Its hard to do really. I don't feel like I am doing enough but I know that I can go longer and I am not that much slower so I think its a bonus. I will just have to get used to it. I know that the hurt is coming in training soon so I should be happy with what I get away with right now.

The last few weekends have been filled with rides and runs. I was involved in a ride around the lake in Wollongong to raise money for homeless kids. While it was not a race it was good to cross the line in front with Adam. Now I am famous as we made the local paper. :)

Mike suggested that I only finished so fast as there was an ice cream shop at the end. when I found one I took a photo and sent it to him. In all honesty it was Adams fault. I started the ride nice and slow. Staying with the family. Then I thought I would ride up to meet Adam who I thought was just up ahead. Little did I know he had taken off. By the time I caught up with him I couldn't be bothered stopping for everyone else so I just kept going. Apart from the cold and rain it was a good ride. Even Julian made it the 40kms. I also started my swim training. I get asked if it helped. I don't really know how to answer yet. It has only been one 1hr session. I don't know how much I can take away from that. Maybe in a couple of weeks I can answer it better. I remember all the things that the instructor told us but I don't know if I am doing it right. I think I am but who knows. Hopefully she will bring her camera in that she talked about and video what I am doing under the water.

So my week looks like it will be something like this for a while. They call it building a base. Well since i am in the basement its a good place to start.

·         2 Swim Sessions

o   One steady swim for 30mins

o   One swim session for 45mins - with some slightly faster intervals included (say 4x100m or 2x200m with 30sec rest)

·         2 Bike Sessions

o   One longer ride for 2 – 3 hours

o   One ride or wind trainer session for 45-60mins

·         2 Run Sessions

o   One longish run between 1 – 2 hours

o   One moderate length run for 30 – 60mins

·         Try to include 1 or 2 x 30-40 minute gym workouts focusing on muscular strength work

·         1 easy day or complete rest day

Sounds like fun.. Yay... oh yeah the weather is getting colder.

314 days

Monday was a public holiday and I took it easy. I convinced my son to go for a run. I think that was the first time ever. I wanted to see how far he could go. He took off like he had stolen something. I was digging deep to keep up and get into a good stride. Lucky it was over not far around the lake where we were running. He was gassed. We walked and talked for a while and then started again but this time a lot slower. He went ok for the first run. He needs to do it more.

Tuesday I spent time working around the house getting stuff cleaned up so no training that day. Well that's the excuse I am using. When Wednesday came around I knew I needed to pull my finger out. So I headed out for a run. I had no real plan so I thought maybe I can just run for 2hrs and see where I end up. I have never run consistently for that long before. Ok I had to stop for a road crossing at one stage and something in my shoe but apart from that it was constant. In the end I made it through just over 22kms. So I am half way there. Holly crap I am only half way there and I was fresh at the start of the run. I guess I knew this was not going to be easy. They say mind over matter...

Thursday was lap swimming. Boring as always. Not a bad view that day but it is hard to perv when swimming laps. I guess that's why the dirty old blokes hang near the spa and stand around. Looks like I am doing it all wrong.

On Friday the coach called about the plan and a few things. He said all my training was to fast. I need to slow down and do more in heart rate zone 2. Also I need to relax and enjoy myself for a while before the hard work begins. That doesn't mean I get to stop. It seems I still need to do 6 days a week but I just don't have to smash myself. I have never considered training to be fun but ok I am willing to give it a go. :P

Saturday I went for a run with Mike. He said it would be shorter than last time but he never mentioned it was going to be faster. As we were running what ended up being 13kms I made sure that I passed on what the coach had told me that it should be fun, slower and more relaxed. He didn't seem to slow down at all so I just kept up.

Sunday I was on the bike doing the usual 60km out and back ride. I took it easy and just tried to enjoy it. I guess I kind of did. The time seemed to be faster than I expected but my heart rate averaged in the right zone. I might have to keep that pace going as I could get used to it. Looks like the coming week is going to be wet so that's not going to make it fun.

321 days

Interesting week. Started off with the usual swim session Monday. Stupid me forgot my watch so I just counted laps. No real structure but it was good to get out. Tuesday I forgot my watch again so the run was timed on my phone. Wednesday I took my son for his first swim. He did ok. He has a few things to work on so he is more efficient and he needs to get his fitness level up. That's probably what's really holding him back.

Thursday was a bludge day but as Friday and Monday are public holidays I knew I would make up for it. Also I spent all day getting a bikefit for both bikes. Still need a few parts for the fit to be correct but they are coming soon. Thursday night I had another chat to the coach about my past training etc. He said I needed to do a lot more training as I have not done enough in the past. Good for sprints and Olympic distance but enough for anything longer. I thought I had but I guess I have not not. He said I need more long and brick sessions.

So Friday Mike and I started to increase the distances.  60km ride Friday morning was hard. I thought I had good pace at 32.9km/hr. It wrecked me. Saturday morning was a 20km run. Lucky it was not at too fast a pace but not having gone that far in a while and because of the ride the day before it wasn't as pleasant as I would have liked.

Sunday I was feeling it. I somehow convinced myself that a 60km ride would be good. I did have a plan to just take it easy and get through it. I tried to slow my cadence down and use bigger gears.  It was working but I soon found myself riding faster than I ever had for 60km. Maybe it was chasing others out there I dont know but I ended with an average of 34.2km/hr. So tonight I am in pain. Oh well tomorrow I might take it easy and sleep in. woohoo

329 days

Another week closer to the big day. The week started the same as always. Swimming laps. Not the most exciting part of the week but something that's needed. I officially selected my trainer this week so I spent a bit of time organising that and completing all the required paper work. Then I had to send him my old training plans and race results. So with that now out of the way I just have to wait until I get the plan.

Tuesday I had a good 10km run. I needed it as I went out for a drink with a friend who came over from the US for work for a couple of days. The late night and some sore shoulders changed my usual Wednesday swimming plans into 50min on the wind trainer. I did intend to also swim later with the boy but I crashed in the afternoon and convinced myself it was too hard.

I bludged for the next couple of days due to work and rain so by today I really needed to get something done. While the rain was away I went out for a ride. Wanting to change it up from my usual northern road ride I went for a trip up razorback. A nice 40km ride with a big hill in the middle of it. Going up sucked pretty hard. Worst part was the old guy I met 500m from the top. As he past he said "pretty tough isn't it?" and then powered on up the hill. Damn him... :) Best thing about the ride was coming down the hill. I took a different route down than I took going up which turned out to be pretty good.

I should get out for a run tomorrow with any luck. I don't think its going to be a good run. Its raining now and I think its supposed to continue for the next few days.

Oh the other thing that I decided on this week is a bike fit for the road and TT bike. I hope to have that booked in for Thursday next week if I can get the day off and no one else books in before I do. I had a good chat to the fitter and he seems nice and knowledgeable. Should be a fun 3 - 4hrs. :)

 

Club champs

Friday we headed off to the club champs in Forster. Being the first time to this event I was looking forward to what it would be like. A lot of the clubs in NSW battling it out to see who is the best. I don't know how all the scoring works but all I knew is if I completed it I would get the club one point. I would like to get more but you have to be a lot better than I am to do that.

Well it took about 4hrs to get there. After finding our room, collecting our club shirt and getting unpacked we heading downstairs to join the club for a BBQ. The hills club has fully booked out 3 motels in the area with the one we were in considered party central. The motel in nothing to fancy but it has everything that is needed. Had a bit of socialising that night but not a late night.

Our motel view in the morning.

The next morning we were greeted to cloudy but dry conditions which was good as it had rained most of the night. After some breakfast we headed to the beach to watch the kids do their aquathon events. The water was calm and flat which we hoped it would stay for the rest of the day. Unfortunately my race start wasn't until 12:55pm so I knew it wasn't going to be as nice as it was in the morning.

Early morning view of the swim area

We headed back to the room, changed and got the bikes sorted for the race before heading down to register. Nothing special really happened. We put our gear in transition and made our way down to the club tent near the finish line. We still had a few hours till race start so we just hung around and talked. Later we all headed up to the race briefing and then it all started. Wave after wave of starts. I was in wave 6 so it didn't really take that long to get in. By now we had a few nice waves rolling in so that made the beach start a little more interesting. I had never done a beach start through surf. Oh well I thought lets see what happens.

The signal went off and we raced towards the water. I beautifully hurdled the first rolling wave passing a few people as I did it. I looked ahead and a wave was breaking just ahead of me. Some people held their ground and shouldered it while others dived into it. With my past success I though no wait I can dive over the top of this one and look really cool. You see the life guards do it all the time. Can't be that hard. Well I don't know if it was lack of height, lateness of my leap or the fact that I kind of suck but I didn't make it. I really don't know what happened but I remember my legs and body kind of getting pulled back while my head smashed into the wave. Now I have my goggle half off my head and I had to stop like a fool to put them back on all the time trying to look cool. With that sorted I started to swim. Luck it was only a short single wave break I had to make it through or i could have really looked stupid. It was hard work for a while as we made it slowly out. I just didn't seem to be getting very far with the water moving around us.

I had stayed out to the left side of everyone so I didn't have to deal with the kicking but by turn one I was in the mix. Kicked and bashed I made it around heading to the second turn. There I looked and thought this is ok I am on target for a nice close turn. Next thing I know I am under the buoy thinking how the hell did I get here and how do I get out. With a little stop and swim to one side I became free of my home under the sea. So that was issue number two. I got through turn three without much problem and turn four was like turn one a lot of kicking about by some. Heading into the beach was good but to get to transition you had to run up a nice long soft sand hill. Oh boy the legs were burning after that.

I changed as fast as I could and headed out on the bike. The bike leg was tough. Lots of hills and turns. You never really had a good change to get down on the bars and smash out some speeds. Well I couldn't but it didn't stop some people from coming past me at a great rate. I did take one turn slightly too quickly on the first lap. I didn't know if one of the volunteers from our club was cheering me on or saying slow down but half way around the corning I thought "oh this could be interesting". I did make it but on the second lap I took it a little easier.

Off the bike and into the run I was tired as usual but I took the run easier than normal. I wanted to get into a good pace that I could hold till the last km and then pick it up for the run into the finish. It went really well actually. I was feeling pretty good and passing a number of people. Yes as usual I got passed by a bunch as well but I wasn't feeling like I was going to fall down any moment and worked on my running style a little. I have been told to change a few things as it would make my running better so I worked on that a little as a ran along.

Over the last km I picked up the pace as I wanted to and powered into the finish line being cheered on by the club members who had already finished.

For the next few hours we cheered on the club members heading out and coming back from the run. I also got to meet a few people that I knew from other clubs and talk to John who looks like will be my new triathlon coach. So I did get to do a few things done while I was there.

John works for Summit fitness studio and I had him as an option for a triathlon coach. We had a good chat about what I want to do and what I had been doing. We exchanged some details so I can get him my old training plan and race results so he can work out a good starting point for me. So the real training will start soon.

Unfortunately my lift was heading back that night so we didn't stay around long enough for the clubs annual undies run around the main street or the clubs party but maybe next year. All up it was a good little trip and race.

My results for the weekends 1km swim, 30km ride and 8km run was 1:59:22..

POS	NAME (#)	TIME	CATEG (POS)	GENDER (POS)	SWIM	T1	CYCLE	T2	RUN
424	Stefan JANKOWSKI (462)	01:59:22	35-39  (56)	Male  (355)	00:19:42	00:02:55	00:57:01	00:01:38	00:38:04