Fourteen

Numbers can be funny, and for some of us, may hold special meaning. For me, it's generally been a time - 12:34.
Thirty-four minutes past the mid hour only became relevant for me when my first born arrived in the world at this tick of the clock and I commented that she must already be able to count. Since then, I tend to notice this time on a regular basis, in the middle of performing my daily activities I might glance at the clock in the lower right corner of my monitor only to notice the sequential sequence of four digits is displayed. Sometimes it'll be whilst burning the candle at the other end I'll look over at the clock radio and note that special time (that and it's well past my bed-time). On other occasions I'll check my Garmin only to see I'm twelve minutes and thirty-four seconds into the current interval. Sometimes it appears as the serial number of my race id band.

I am aware that I must look at a clock face at all different times of the day and night, but the number of occurrences it turns out to be 12:34 just feels to be unusually high.

Continuing the numerical theme, a new number has been popping up with unnerving regularity. Enter, the number fourteen.

I first became aware of this new number because of an ironic link to the band Guns N' Roses. Allow me to take you back to my youth. Whilst in high school I was a big fan of the "Gunners" with their album "Appetite for Destruction" being the fist CD I ever bought. When they toured Australia whilst I was in University it was the first concert I ever bought tickets for. It was the "Use Your Illusion" tour and they played at the Calder Park Raceway. The day was incredibly hot to begin with, then massive storm fronts approached from both the east and west of the venue. The show's promoter came on stage and informed us, if the winds got much stronger they would have to move us to the infield, away from the stage and remove the huge banners from the either side of the rigging to ensure they didn't pull the whole thing down on us. We were also told that the storm had tipped a plane over on the runway at a nearby airport!
The rains came, the winds threatened but the support acts played on and just before the headliners were to take to the stage, the skies cleared and the show went off. It was an epic day.
A day I later came to discover my wife had missed out on as she hadn't been allowed to go at the time.

The Gunners didn't last, they released another couple of albums, none as successful as the previous three and that was it - until many years later when another tour was announced!
Ok, so the lineup was slightly different with Slash (and the rest of the original band!) absent but Rose Tattoo was returning, as was Sebastian Bach (if not with his original band Skid Row) but this was as close to the original show as we were likely to get. I got us tickets, it was awesome.
At the time I mentioned to my wife that I thought it funny that it took Axle 14 years to get back to Australia and this was also the name of one of the tracks from the last tour's album.

Fast forward to present day, good, now go back a month - there you go, it's mid November and we are in Shepparton for the half Ironman on Kialla Lakes. This is my third go round on this course, the first was a disaster when I didn't properly hydrate on the bike and literally blew up on the run with leg cramps and spasms the whole way. Year two was much better, resulting in a PB by almost an hour. Today was going to be the tie-breaker between the course and I. Things hadn't begun well as the wife discovered the day prior I had forgotten to pack my bike helmet with the rest of my race kit! A visit to the race expo and $150 promptly fixed the problem and we got through the day unscathed. It's unclear whether it was the new lid, the favourable conditions, or improved fitness but when I crossed the finish line I had taken a further nine minutes of my previous time.
It wasn't until the following week that we discovered that I'd left something behind, during the swim leg of the race, my wedding ring had slipped off my finger and is now hiding somewhere at the bottom of the lake. The same ring that my wife placed on my finger 14 years before.

Rolling forward in time again and we are at my first interstate race. We have packed up the family and road tripped for 9 hours (lots of rest stops) to arrive in the Nation's capitol territory for the Canberra 70.3 Never fear, this time my bike helmet was safely placed in the car days before we left and has therefore made the trip with us. I have everything I need for the race - except triathlon shorts... Crap
So, a quick visit to the race expo and $65 later I have shorts and some extra hydration tablets for my water bottle. The night before the race I lay out all my kit, check over it a couple of times, pack my gear into the race bag and prepare my water bottles with the tabs I've picked up early today. The aero bottle that mounts on the front of my bike tends to leak if not upright so I pack it empty and fill a disposable bottle to take into transition. Very early Sunday morning, as the sun is rising I'm in transition setting up my bike only to realise that I've left my filled bottles back at the hotel room - all I have is the empty aero bottle to mount on the bike. A quick shout to the wife, a visit to the expo and another $15 I have the required fluids to get me through the race.
The swim in Lake Burley Griffin is reknowned for it's poor water quality but today it's clear (as it gets) and the visibilty is not as bad as Shepp (I can almost see the top of my arm in the brown water) and the sighting is great with large landmarks directly behind each turn buoy. Despite the earlier hiccups we are off to a good start and I get back to dry ground in under 40 minutes (a first for me) and into T1. With all of the mucking around before the race I remember that I have forgotten to have my pre-race gel/bar so I grab one of my emergency ones as I'm stripping off my wetsuit. Tearing off the the top foil and squeezing the package I brace for the sickly sweet onslaught of mixed berry goop - only to find I've been a little too hasty and just squirted half of the contents directly into the wetsuit at my feet. Curses!
Correcting my miscalculation and consuming the remainder of my meal I finally kick out of the suit and head out onto the bike course.
Not wanting to be unprepared, I had ridden the bike leg on Friday so I knew off the hills at the back side of the lap and also how "dead" a lot of the roads were, what I hadn't planned on was pushing too hard on the first ascent only to cause my rear wheel to begin rubbing the brakes (the irony here is that, before the race I had swapped in my race wheel and reduced the pull for the brake action too make sure they worked well. Upon dropping the bike off a technical officer asked me to engage the brakes to display their proper working order I thought how it was lucky I had tightened them up)
Three laps of a brutal bike course and the sun came out for the run. A friend and fellow competitor later remarked how there was "total carnage" on that run course as she had never seen so many people walking, or trying to work out various cramps. In my previous races I have taken to try to run light and not carry a whole bunch of extra stuff. To this end, I generally try to utilise the aid stations, grabbing drinks and gels as I run through. This was the final problem of the day, none of the numerous aid stations stocked any gels. Bugger!
I was able to snag one cup of lollies and fortunately I had stashed a couple of gels into the rear pocket of my tri top so I was able to fuel a little conservatively and get through the day - somehow still managing a sub two hour half marathon.
My Canberra race was complete, but more than that, the event itself is done. They were saying there will be ab event of some description occurring, but that was the final edition of the Canberra 70.3, it was the also the 14th edition.

We are back home now after another marathon drive - the time is 12:34 am (really) and I find myself reflecting over the past events. The number of times the number fourteen has popped up and how it generally related to the end of something. I am also increasingly aware of the fact that, no matter how bone headed I am, the woman I married those same 14 years ago, whom delivered that little girl in the same year, is still by my side and still my greatest supporter. As I race, she cheers the loudest, when I'm training, she's there to get me where to or from my session, she is always prepared back my aspirations and to generally save my sorry ass from the stupid situations I tend to fall into.
Without her, I don't know where I'd be.

For the past 14 years, and many more to come.
I thank you Jo Jo

ps just noted, the first and last digits of my special time are also 1 and 4...

Passing the torch

The 2012/13 race season was a bit of a whirlwind, 10 triathlons,  two half marathons, one full marathon, several training camps and capped with my first Ironman race. Since staring this blog I have gone from racing in the Clydesdale category with no fear of the possibility of an impromptu qualification weigh in to an ink carrying Ironman athlete. The numbers I am seeing on the bathroom scales now are lower than I can ever remember and, though there is still work to do, those figures have remained below the mark required to step out of the age groups.
The new race season has already commenced and this year I am shifting my focus. I have entered fewer events this time, only five triathlons and two runs, but they are all long. Last time we touched base I wrote on  the eve of the first of my races, the Sandypoint marathon. This past weekend I completed the second event on my calendar, the Melbourne marathon. The plan for these two races was firstly, to get a good run under the belt early and to experience the inaugural event for Sandy then have good crack at Melbourne, hoping to finally stop the marathon clock under four hours. Strong headwinds and a bit of rolling course greeted us for the Sandypoint race yet I ran fairly comfortably throughout and several times made a conscious effort to ease back off the gas to ensure I didn't push too hard and blow up. Despite the conditions, course, and being the first hitout I recorded my second fastest marathon to date, holding an overage of six minutes per km from start to finish. (Also, I did follow up with a short six km "cool down" run with Shane Hutton as he and a small entourage completed his epic 230km circumnavigation of the bay)
My build back in preparation for the Melbourne marathon had me realising that a sub four hour marathon was not likely in my immediate future as I found I was unable to hold the required pace during my long weekend runs. On race day, the predicted rain was late and the winds stayed fairly calm. Saturday had been rather warm but Sunday was pleasantly cool and when the overcast day did deliver upon the meteorologists' promise I only had eight km left to cover and I almost welcomed it. Again, I ran comfortably, didn't get caught up in the temptation to match others' pace as they ran past early then spent the back half of the race overtaking more than being overtaken. As I turned onto the MCG and into the final straight with my usual big finish I noted the clock over the gantry was showing only just over four hours had past since the gun had started this race. How long after the pistol shot had I actually started, a minute, two. Was the time difference enough to put a "3" in front of my official race time?

I was close

Both my Garmin and the congratulatory email I received told the story,I had missed the mark by less than a minute. Though I missed the goal I am stoked with the outcome as, based upon recent training, I had thought I was well off my best form, finally considering I hadn't allowed sufficient recovery between the two events. I am now further buoyed that I might actually be able to meet the demands my hectic and demanding race calendar requires. (two marathons, three 70.3 race, a long course race called "Sufferfest" and another Ironman)

The Melbourne marathon also served as a bit of a swan song for me as it was my final race as the Tri Alliance male ambassador for Victoria. Later today (as I note it is now after midnight) I will be handing the role over to another member of the club. Like I said at the outset, the season gone was a whirlwind and I was honoured the have completed it carrying the team flag throughout. Generally I am a fairly quiet person just getting the job done but I have had the opportunity to get involved more deeply with the group and tried to put myself out there much more. It's been a blast and I have gained so much from the experience, whether it be from working with some of rookies, sharing knowledge or a meal with other team members, volunteering at races or simply supporting from the sidelines. I don't know who will carry the torch next but I wish them all the fun I had and more.

See you out on the course some time soon, remember to smile more, thank the volunteers and high five the kids!

It's time

They tell us that "time flies when you're having fun" but as I sit here on my bed in the dark, listening the the wind whipping through the trees outside I am also very aware that enjoyment is not the only factor that seems to minimize the passing of time.

Sure there have been some good times in the past five months since I wrapped up a very successful race season, but I find it hard to believe that almost a half year has ticked by already!

This coming Sunday brings with it my first scheduled event of the new season - The Sandy Point Marathon. The full distance race is a new inclusion to the event this year and it also means there is a new venue to host it. To find enough road, the organizers have reversed the direction of the out-and-back loop, and shifted it further out. The course incorporates probably 10km of the Melbourne IronMan run leg for the should provide an opportunity to test the legs on this track, Also, the small change of location means the majority of the difficult terrain is covered (twice) - it should be a good hit out!

Whilst using cliches, here's another one - "Control the controllables"

I have focused on building my run volume over the last couple of months in order to prepare for this weekend - Check. 

My diet has been good, I've lost at least five of the off-season kilos and reduced my waist by an equal number of cm - Check

I am still ensuring I run with my compression calf guards so as to not aggravate my existing injuries and to allow the muscles to heal. So far, no breakdowns - Check 

With the above boxes all ticked and the knowledge that I've also been holding a descent pace throughout my long weekend runs things are looking good.

That is until you look at the forecast for race day - currently the bureau of meteorology is predicting Sunday to have an 80% chance of rain and winds of 35 to 40km/h - Yikes!

When you then consider the entire course follows Beach Road with much open directly to the bay we are likely to be in for some tough going.

Oh well, it is was it is and I do enjoy a challenge.

Hopefully I'll have some legs left after crossing the finish line as I'd like to be able to support a mate of mine as he completes his big challenge sometime Sunday afternoon.

Most find running 42.195km is quite a test of stamina, riding 230km around the bay is equally difficult. Running that course is a whole new level and is awe inspiring and that's just what Shane Hutton is undertaking.

Jump onto the below link to for a little background 

http://www.theultralife.com.au/run-around-the-bay.html

and here to follow his progress via facebook updates

https://www.facebook.com/theultralifeaustralia

Good luck mate!

Putting my foot down

Time for a brief anatomy lesson with a bit of trivia from the "Happiest Place on Earth" thrown in.

One of the classic rides at Disney Land is the Hall of the Presidents. Visitors to the park are seated in a theatre where the players on stage are animitronic representations of the US's greatest leaders. When the attraction was being developed by the imagineers they initially had difficulty achieving natural motions for the creations. They could move in a given direction OK but to stop, change or reverse direction of this motion the illusion would be lost as a limb would have to decelerate first. Where a real person could initiate a move then immediately stop, the robots just couldn't. They found they could overcome this short-coming by adding opposing motors that would act to brake the motion as they applied force in the reverse direction.What they had done was actually replicate the function of opposing muscle groups we all have. 

When you make a move the action involves tensioning one group of muscles and the relaxing of the opposing muscles. 

As I've written about previously, I've had an ongoing issue with my calves. With annoying regularity,and at odd occasions I have experienced sharp pain down the centre of this group whilst running. When I say "odd occasions" I mean that it does not seem to have a predictable trigger. It has struck during both easy jogs and hard efforts, sometimes it's at the start of a run whilst warming up, several times at the end, running downhill, and once immediately after a swim (on the beach during IronMan Melbourne earlier this year). Regardless , it seems that if I run whilst wearing compression calf sleeves I tend to be able to avoid the strain. 

So, with my amazing knowledge of the bodies muscular function and armed with my vague understanding of what the hell was going on with my own, I finally made AND attended an appointment with the physio to get a second (read "professional") opinion. Following a short interview and massage of the effected area I was referred to have an ultra-sound done to get a definitive (third?) opinion. He had his assumptions but was perplexed that my calf guards were proving so successful. Some improvement could be expected but to be able to cover such a high volume of running and remain pain free didn't sound right.

The result - there is another type of muscle that I was not aware of, the unnecessary kind.

Running from the back of the knee and under the two main calf muscles resides the plantaris muscle; well, it does in most of us... Apparently evolution is phasing this particular muscle out of our anatomy as it is not functionally required. Somewhere between 7 and 20% of the population have already relinquished it. I am told that, if you were to ever require a muscle graft this is the muscle they will remove to use.

The nice man with the gel and the ultrasound wand tells me that, not only do I still have mine, but also, I've actually found a way to "fray" the muscle I don't really need - in both calves...

When you damage this muscle, it doesn't hinder your leg's mechanics, just hurts. (well, the limp resulting from the pain might hold you back a little)

A return visit to the physio with this outcome and weighing up all of the causational evidence we have we came to the following verdict - continue to run, keep monitoring it and always wear the compression sleeves. 

At some point my plantaris muscles will likely heal themselves but there's no telling how long that might take. After the last race of the season I took a full two weeks off running but first light hit out following and it sprung again. So, in the meantime I'll just have to stock up on sleeves to avoid having to constantly wear the same pair, and also find a way to abbreviate this and still explain the strange tan lines I'll inevitably develop.

The magic wand

As I alluded with my last post, I had finally thrown in the towel and decided to recruit some extra, expert assistance with my training. After two years in the game of triathlon and just plodding along by myself I joined Tri Alliance to add some guidance to the effort I was putting in.
Since then I have seen plenty of gain but again was happily plodding along. Admitedly I am seeing plenty of improvement and have exceeded many of my original goals there remain a couple that have remained elusive.

After five years of racing and recently adding the badge of Ironman to my list of achievements I am still struggling to shed the extra weight I carry into each race I complete. Let me tell you, 98kg is a lot to carry over 42.2 km. There are a couple of reasons I am wanting to trim down as well, I mean, aside from the obvious, I am interested in getting closer to the pointy end of the field rather than hanging out in the middle of the pack. My Kona shot may be years away but I don't want to end my racing days without experiencing that day. So, with all that in mind I am using this "off-season" to make some changes.

This is my new To Do List:

1 - Get the body right and take care of the niggles
2 - Educate myself about nutrition to finally get into shape

Part one is underway - kind of.
Calf strains have been an ongoing problem for me. I've said it many times, if something is going to go, it'll be my calf. This has been a true statement for some time and I've been managing the problem fairly successfully via the use of compression sleeves. More recently however, a stabbing pain in my heel has proven my assumption false. A little Google search this morning has lead to a self diagnosis of Plantar Fasciitis. Looks like my tight calf problem has gone and dominoed on me.
The plan is (and has been for a few weeks) to make use of my blue ribbon extra health care and begin a treatment regimen. Unfortunately I haven't made the planned phone to set it up... I know, I know. What I have done is sign up for a series of strength and conditioning sessions with a view to improving the mechanics and efficiency of movement. One of the greatest improvements I saw last season came from the run training I did, it was only six weeks, two sessions per week but it gave me the tools I needed. With the S&C sessions I'm looking to identify any issues and again, develop the tools to correct them.

I'm going to give this point a half tick and make a phone call on Monday - promise

Point two's work has begun, last Monday evening after work I visited the offices of my new Sports Nutritionist; Margaret Mielczarek (Sometimes known as "a girl on a bike") for my much anticipated first appointment. We discussed my diet and current exercise load and therefore what I should be eating. Turns out several of the "healthy choices" I had added to my diet weren't as healthy as I assumed. Not that I have been eating poorly, more that I'd been eating the right things but in the wrong proportions. Too much fruit - back to two serves a day; nuts and seeds - instead of daily, a couple times a week; salad veg - as much as I like, I just need to "like" more I guess. We discussed the good nutrition plate and what to fill the sections of it with. One week has passed and at times it's been difficult to adhere to and I do believe I've already consumed my annual quota of carrots but to reach my goals, it's gotta be done. Initial consult is done and I already have booked three follow-up sessions to check and correct my progress.

There mightn't be a magic wand, but life's too short not to tri..

    

I give up

It's been five years since I started this triathlon gig and almost 10 from the time I began trying to get back into shape. I've just completed another race season and I've finally come to a conclusion - I'm done.

For two seasons there I raced as a Clydesdale before shifting my focus to long course and ultimately the IronMan distance. For the lead up eight months (or so) I busted my ass across countless kilometres, both real and virtual on my windtrainer. During this time I raced another triathlon series, but against competitors of similar age rather than weight. I took 20 minutes off my marathon time and almost an hour off my PB for the 70.3 distance. I even started this blog, naming it based upon my design to transition from the weight class.

At the end of all of that, I started the IronMan Melbourne with an official weigh-in of 98kg. Yes, that was done whilst in street clothes and without first emptying my pockets, but that is also 3kg safely qualifying for the Clydesdale's wave.

So, that's it.
I give up.

I am tired of fighting the power to weight ratio from only one side of the equation.
I'm done trying to shift this extra weight on my own, and so I have bitten the bullet and made an appointment.   That's right, I've reached the conclusion that I'm not reaching my goals on my own so I'm bringing in an expert. Kinda helps that this expert is not only a sports nutritionist but also a mate of mine, a training buddy and supporter in my journey. My first appointment with A Girl on a Bike is scheduled for Monday week. Margs knows my goals and having just completed her first IronMan as well, she shares some of them (well, maybe not the weight loss part!)

I'm keen to get this new journey kicked off, to learn what I've been doing wrong and make some real progress finally.

Giddy up!

The End Is Nigh

The end is nigh

The last races of the triathlon series have been run and won, fun month is also done. That just leaves one thing to do, the EOSPN.

End Of Season Presentation Night (although the P could could be for Party) is tonight, a formal do where the lycra is replaced with more formal affair and we celebrate the achievements of the past few months. I have been with the club now for four seasons but this will be my first EOSPN. It's a terrible record, and I got in trouble last year when the wife realised she missed a chance to dress up and socialise so I mean to make amends for that transgression. It will be an interesting and likely,eventful night! Perhaps more to report next time, or maybe "Vegas" rules will apply...

May not be an accurate representation of the EOSPN...

In other news, I found another way to throw away the wife's spending money AND stack the end of next race season. Win Win!
The Challenge brand has returned Down Under! Teaming up with SuperSprint Events they announced the introduction of three new 70.3 distance races, Melbourne, Forster and Batemans Bay. 

The Melbourne edition is about 6 weeks out from IronMan Melbourne and is on home grounds so I was excited to enter, and when the wife wasn't overly vocal against the idea, I jumped at the chance.

Stoked!!

My race calendar for the 2013-14 season looks like this:

November 17 - Shepparton 70.3

December 15 - Canberra 70.3

February 2 - Challenge Melbourne

March 2 - Warnnambool Sufferfest

March 23 - IronMan Melbourne

In the mean time, there are a couple of run and ride events I may look at doing, Kinglake ride with SuperSprint is a must as I haven't missed one yet, and the Melbourne Marathon as I continue to punch my loyalty card towards qualifying as a Spartan (10 x Melbourne Marathon finishes, I have three notches on that belt). Also on the agenda, I am finally going to get my dodgy calf treated, since I now seem to strain it each time I go for a run and I don't want to get too deep into the build carrying this issue.

There is only one final question to answer regarding events to add to my off-season season. I don't yet have the answer, but I will leave the question to be asked by one wiser than I.

Reflections

It's been almost 6 weeks since I completed my first Ironman, enough time to rest up, to add back some hard lost weight, for mates to get their commemorative tattoos (and a couple photoshopped of my own). Also, time enough to reflect on what it is we did that last weekend of March.
It's probably time I put some of those thoughts to "paper".

As usual, I think I need to start this a bit earlier, right back at the start.
When I first discovered they were finally going to actually hold an Ironman event in Melbourne I was excited. There had always been talk and rumours but this time some one in the know confided in me during a training run that it was really going to happen this time. I had signed up for, but not yet attempted, my first half Ironman event, yet immediately wanted to be involved in the Melbourne race. I figured I could at least do the 70.3 version, then they announced the course and the inclusion of a point to point run meant there would be no Half. A little disappointed I found a different way to be involved, I signed up to volunteer at an aide station instead.
Table captain of the first water table of run station number 20, I arrived early to set up, waited nervously as our supplies seemed horribly delayed, unloaded the truck when it did arrive (in plenty of time), watched the approach of the helicopter along bay that announced the imminent arrival of our first customers, served the entire field (bar a couple of bathroom breaks), cheered them all on, then repacked the truck and headed for home. I realise that was just a really long sentence but I've used it to illustrate the long day the wife and I had that day. I remember a few things clearly still from that day, how sore my feet and back became from standing there for 10+ hours, the smiles and gratitude from the competitors that came through, and the decision that I would be experiencing the race from the other side next year.

We were the second to last aide station of the race, we were seeing these people at the very end of their journey. They had already covered over 250km of racing and were now just around the corner from glory. they were tired and sore but so many were still smiling and many took the time to thank us for being there to help them. During my shift there were a few that urged me to take a break but I kept saying, if I hope to actually do this event, I should be able to stand here for the time these people were racing.

Fast forward almost 12 months, I have now completed a few long course races, my most recent ones went really well. All of the training is done, my over-confidence is firmly in check following the last long course recon run (hitting a wall through the hilly section) and the race plan is set.
Now, since I've already posted my race report I'm going to skim through it here to get to the follow-up
Swim was slower than I'd have liked, might have spent too much time fighting the current to get to the swim exit rather than using it to reach the beach and run a bit further.
Bike was really good, however, my feet and lower back were cramping late. The good news was that, at least my form off the bike and into transition gave the spectators a chuckle.
Run was excellent. I had worried about hitting that wall again but the hills came and went and the wheels never fell off. It was a solid, steady run from start to finish.

Crossing the finish line was incredible, meeting up with my family afterwards was probably more so. The pride and joy I found in their eyes for my achievements is something I will carry with me. (Dad has since tried to teach my nephew to call me Tony Stark...)
I'm generally a bit of an introvert, I tend to keep to myself, reserved and therefore my emotions tend to be hidden. Through this journey I've most certainly come out of my shell somewhat and have made stronger friendships because of it. I don't know that I'm yet comfortable with being called an "Ironman", not due to any concerns about the distances we raced, it's more that I still struggle a little with being held upon that mantle.  Nuts huh?

After it's all said and done, I had a blast and only really had one regret.
Two days after collecting my finisher's medal/towel/tee I was back on my bike at a team windtrainer session.
Two weeks later I punched out a pretty solid sprint triathlon.
In the past six weeks I have continued to train pretty regularly, as if I'd just come off a regular season. This was not a regular race season however, this year I had reached the pinnacle distance of this sport and breezed though it. If I could recover so readily, how much did I have left in the tank? I had planned to race conservatively but I expected to be fully spent by the finish. My only regret is perhaps I could have pushed a bit extra. I don't know how fast I really could have gone.

Fortunately, I'll get my chance to answer this is a question on March the 23rd, 2014

You didn't really think this was a one time deal did you?

Ironman

The seas were angry that day my friends...
Hey! I've been writing this blog for like a year now, I'm entitled to one Seinfeld quote, besides, it's appropriate.

Race day had arrived finally, it's just before 6am and pitch black outside the pools of light cast by the venue spotlights. In transition, my bike is finally loaded up with the all I'll need to keep both myself and it rolling for the 6 hours I plan to be on it. Today, for the first time the rear wheel's spokes have been covered by two polycarbonate shields to cut the turbulence and create a more aerodynamic profile. In normal race conditions, a disk wheel can be a real advantage, in high winds however, the wheel can catch the cross winds and make it very difficult for the rider to hold their line. Today, the winds are up.

There had been news the previous day that the swim course had been altered due to the dangerous conditions so we were prepared for the change. Waiting in the port-a-loo line I heard another announcement that the swim was changing again, the plan B of a two lap triangle swim was now now reduced to a single lap. The water was deemed too dangerous for athletes to be in for the full duration.

As I rested, the team are ready

As I met up with the rest of my training group and listened to the further announcements about the race alterations and the adverse weather I laid down and rested. From all accounts, it was to be a tough day out and as the wind whipped the various branding flags around I noted that this was the calmest I had ever been before any race. I was ready to do this.




On the sand and in the water before the start I caught up and chatted with many of the people I had met and trained with since joining this sport, many about to begin their first Ironman and again it struck me that none seemed nervous. Standing on this precipice should be a daunting thing but the time and sweat we had put into the lead-up had given us all the confidence to stare it down.

More than 2000 of the fittest athletes were launched from the shallow beach, not with a cannon nor the traditional air horn, instead, Mike Reilly shouting over the PA system "Go Go!"
Almost immediately, two things happened. Fellow athletes tried desperately to disprove the laws of physics that state that no two bodies can occupy the same space; and the seal of my trusty goggles proved to be less trust worthy. Unable to see with my right eye and only partially with the left I gave up trying to spot the directional buoys and instead blindly (hah) followed the thrashing feet of the multitudes ahead of me. The plan work fine until we all reached a complete standstill at the top of the course. Treading water in one - two metre swells 800 metres of shore against a wall of like-minded (and increasingly grumpy) competitors was never in my race plan, the experience did have the happy bonus of allowing me to investigate and fix my goggle problem.

Half an hour after entering the water I was back on the sand with a bit of beach to cover due to the strong currents on the return. More the past several months I had been successfully nursing a repeating strain to my left calf. Every time my program called for a run I would wear a compressive calf brace. The injury had not returned for months - until I started running off the sand. Within the first few strides I felt it begin to tighten up again and I'm not too proud to admit that I dropped the F-bomb. I could not believe that I had done everything right to get here, when it had given me trouble I had rested it. I had taken precautions to reduce the incidence and the week prior to the race I had followed the program and tapered to be ready. Now, with all of my friends and family here to support me somewhere along the 220km route ahead I was facing the very real prospect of dumb luck bringing me undone. Smiling as I ran through the crowd and into transition and out onto the bike course I tried to put the potential failure of the run out of my head and just focus on the task at hand.

I love cycling.



I don't know what it is, the freedom to fly perhaps, I just know it works for me. Facing a possible 6 hours in the saddle might be daunting, but at least this time I was going somewhere. For almost a year, the only times I have accomplished this feat it has been in the garage with the bike mounted on a stationary trainer. There was no blockbuster movie to watch today, but the was scenery  and a bit of a blockbuster headwind in my face.

Heading out of T1

Conscious that this was a long ride and reminded of the coaches words that the key is to get to the run fresh enough to run I never once checked my pace on the ride. Instead, my Garmin was set to tell me about my cadence and to remind me to eat every time it calculated I had burned 350 calories (Ollie tells us to set it for 300 but when I trialled that I just couldn't stomach the volume I was consuming - 350 is my compromise between the coach's instruction and my tummy's ultimatum) Keeping to a high cadence and a mid range perceived effort proved rather difficult due to the sheer number of cyclists on the course. Triathlon rules prevent drafting, for this race, the illegal draft distance to the leading bike is 12 meters and you have 25 seconds to close that gap to complete a pass. To avoid riding illegally I was constantly having to drop back (and hope the cyclists drafting off me did the same) or speed up to overtake groups of cyclists, each time worrying that I would pay for that extra effort somewhere deeper into the race.
Near the bike turn around point there is a tunnel that goes under a river, due to the depth it must reach to navigate below the river bed the roadway becomes rather steep. Descending into the yellowed light the first time had me wondering if I should have reached for the bike's base bar instead of remaining n the aero extensions. As the speed increased and I flew passed others I just gritted my teeth and held one.

It. Was. Awesome.

I have no idea of what speeds were achieved as my watch was relying solely on a GPS signal, all I know is that my bike descended like a demon.

My support crew

Back towards Frankston with the wind at my back and again the ride became fun, until the crosswinds picked up, with many gusts catching the solid disk on the back of my bike The bike course is a two lap affair so as I rolled back into town and the cheering crowds I knew I had two more 45km straights to complete, the first into the wind, the final one with the wind. I had noted a number landmarks on the first trip around, this time I tried to remember them to give mean indication of how much of the track lay ahead. At this task I failed dismally as at many of the undulations I thought I spotted the ramp to the tunnel only to approach and find another hill. Finally on the final 45km and ready for mother nature to assist me home I discovered that the wind direction had changed, it would again be a battle. Half way back and into the crosswinds again and I was ready to get off this bike. Feet and back tightening up I had to stop peddling a number of times just to stretch them. I was a very grateful camper when I was able to hand the machine over to the catcher and run back into transition.

As I indicated, my back was in spasm and the arches of my feet tight, however, the 180km on the bike turned out to be just what the doctor ordered for my strained calf. 5:44 of cycling had done the trick, a few stretches in the change tent for my back I was off on the final leg of this journey.
If you've read some of my previous entries you'll know that running is not my strongest link and my last recon run of this course showed that I need to conserve plenty in the tank for the 3rd 10km section where the hills kick in. This day, as I began the marathon I was still feeling pretty good, especially when I spotted a number of family members who had come out to support me on the day. Holding a decent pace I ticked of the kilometres and just lapped up the energy being dosed out by the crowds. It was amazing the number of people out there cheering us on and a good many of them took the time to read our race bibs and personalize their encouragement with our names. The marathon course is dotted with 20 aid stations and my goal was to roll through each one, grab a drink at each, ice when I could, a gel at every second one and thank the volunteers.

Late in the run, still feeling good - Thumbs up!

So much of my focus had been to get to Brighton (indication the end of the hills and a flat run home) that when I got there and found I was still running and it was still daylight I was pretty excited. This was home ground here, territory I had run many times and, with the curvature of the bay it was fun to try and spot where exactly the finish line was in the distance.

Approaching the finish line, still running well and though the sun was low in the sky it was still tidily above the horizon. Ten hours and forty-seven minutes after the chaos of the mass start I heard Mike Reilly calling out over the public address system again. Ironman. I had not only achieved what I set out to do 12 months ago,I had smashed my goals. I had wanted to finish within 12 hours, even accounting for the reduced swim I had done this easily. More over, I wanted to finish on my terms, I wanted to take the course on, to beat it and I had done this too. According to my race stats, during the final leg of the race I had actually run down over 100 competitors, 30 of them from within my age group, and I had loved every moment of it.

So, that's it. It's all over.
I guess that just leaves one thing to do...

Do it all again next year!

A Word from the wife

Well I guess it is almost time for the big show. I think back to last year,  volunteering at the aide station with Andy, the kids and the rest of the amazing TA crew. I remember watching Andy every time a runner came past from Crowie to Barney, the look on his face said it all, I knew then and there we would be back again the following year but I also knew it wouldn't be as volunteers. I must admit I had some reservations....... although not all of them centred around the sheer cost of this mission (luckily for us and thanks to Tri alliance Andy won his spot) The rest of my reservations centred around the distance. Over the last 12 months my amazing husband has more than proved to me and everyone else that he has got what it takes, not only that but his sheer determination and unyielding stubbornness is sure to see him through.
    Our journey to IM Melbourne is almost over, I say ours because I wouldn't want to be
 anywhere but by his side as he pushes himself to his limits to make his dream come true. I can't speak highly enough of the awesome team at Tri Alliance. They have encouraged and guided him and their faith in him has never wavered.
    A few months ago for our anniversary Andy wrote a blog all about us, well now its all about you. Go out and take the glory that you have worked so hard for, swim like a fish, ride like the wind and just remember one foot in front of the other all the way to the end. No matter what I will be there at the finish line with open arms ready to celebrate your amazing achievement with you. You are an amazing father, a wonderful husband and an exceptional human being, but above all else you are my hero. I love you.

The eve

Well, that's it.
Today we checked the bike into transition and dropped off both the run and ride bags. Although both bags appeared to be quite lean on contents I can't think of anything else that should have been added. Perhaps the discrepancy is the omission of bike shoes from the bag as I've clipped them to the peddles instead - at least, this is what I'm hoping. Others have packed piles of nutrition and bottles in their kit but my plan is to use my gel flasks and I'll load them and strap to the bike during the final prep tomorrow. Also, I am looking to run light, meaning not carrying excess with me - I'll have a spare bottle cage on the bike to pick up emergency fluids and during the run I'll be surviving off the aide stations. As a precaution, I've packed a pair of caffeinated gels in my tritop in case I start to feel flat or drop one of my main fuel sources.

Since getting home I've now also packed my "street clothes" bag for after the race, set aside my kit for the  race and transition set up. My flasks are filled and ready to go and I can't tell you how much I'm looking forward to consuming that volume of syrupy sweetness (mainly as the appropriate language for that description is not appropriate for this family timeslot), water bottles ready to be filled and hydration tabs tucked in the side pocket.

So, that's it.
As far as I can tell, all of the boxes are ticked, there's nothing left to do but rest.

Well, there is one final task, and it's an important one
Over the past few days, and especially the last 24 hours we've received so many words of support and encouragement from friends, family, fellow team mates, and fellow competitors whom we don't even know. It's been an amazing journey and I would just like to reiterate to all of you - without you, none of this would have been possible.

So, thank you.

The finisher's photo tomorrow evening may be focussed on me, I may be the only one in the frame and it'll be my name called out by Mike Reilley but it'll be your support that has carried me there.

Thank you

Discipline

Triathlon is a sport of multiple disciplines.
There are the obvious three, swimming, cycling and running and many people speak of a fourth - nutrition.

In order to successfully navigate from the start line on the beach to the finish line of any triathlon you need these basic skills, when you start to look at longer events, nutrition becomes more relevant. If you are planning on tackling an Ironman the order of importance may actually be reversed with how you fuel your body being most important. Get your food plan wrong and you're in a world of trouble.

Whilst I agree with the above I believe there is another discipline that I have not seen anyone else note, one that precludes these others (IMHO). For mine, the first discipline of triathlon is getting off your ass and doing it. That's it, that's the basic requirement. If you want to be able to complete an open water swim, you'd better get up and do something about it. Thinking about having to ride your bike then be able to run, get out of the house and do it. The event you're facing will be challenging, granted, but by getting moving early and consistently and the hard work is done before the starter pulls the trigger.

In my pathway to the race on Sunday I have had to make many compromises.
I have a full time job, I have a wife (an amazing understanding, supportive and beautiful one who tends to read these musings - but I digress...) and two kids. I also have had a training program that dictated sessions chewing up countless hours per week, recently up to 8 hours for a single session. To be able to fit all of these requirements into the hours we are all allocated I've had to be flexible in what I consider to be waking hours. Because I wanted to spend my weekends with my family, instead of joining the rest of my training mates on long rides and runs I tended to rise well before the sun and churned out the miles in the garage. My alarm set based upon how long I needed to ride and what time the family's activities were scheduled I would get in the few hours of sleep I could. Before the final long session preceding this weeks taper my phone was sounding at 2am.

Let me just put it out there - I'm not a fan of morning. Period.

I do have my goals set and I love my sport therefore I had to get off my ass and get the job done.
The same principle applies to winter training - if you want to arrive at the start line ready to roll and enjoy the day you had better have done the work when the opportunities were presented.

Five years ago I signed up for my first triathlon, a mini "Fun Distance" race with a 150m swim, 5km ride and a 1.5km run. I survived the swim, rode my converted mountain bike and peddled in my runners and knew nothing of sports watches or elastic laces.
In summary, I had no idea what I was getting myself into - I loved it.

Fast forward and I'm now on the brink of starting the big show, chasing the footsteps of the sports elite (we are giving them a 20 minute head-start after all). We will be launched in the early hours of Sunday morning and are presented the challenge of reaching the finish line, 140.6 miles distant, within the time limit of 17 hours.

 They say that good things come to those who wait; I say, if you want something awesome, you'd better get off your ass and go get it.

This finishing chute for Ironman Melbourne, 2013

Mission Accomplished...

Well, that's it then right!?
Two weeks out from Ironman Melbourne and over this past weekend we've completed our final long training sessions. Saturday was a 6 hour ride (of the stationary trainer in my garage) followed by a 10km run-off-the-bike, then Sunday we carpooled to the race venue in Frankston for a long open water swim and a long run along the IM course. Next week is taper week meaning no more weekend long ride or run so I guess that means we're done now - right?

This was kinda the feeling I had leading into the weekend, rising from bed at 2am in order to complete my ride/run sessions early and still be available to the family for the rest of the day. It was difficult, but it was just one more time.

The signage is appearing around town

Running along the race course on Sunday was again going to be tough, but it was also the last time (until race day!). Due to a required bathroom stop between the swim and run I missed the group I was supposed to start with, in fact, whilst trying to organise myself I watched the next group leave as well. As I finally did start to run, the only guys remaining in the Frankston carpark were those who were carpooling back to do a shorter run, them and the Tri Alliance support van. The whole point to the staggered starts were to ensure everyone running today could meet the van at the scheduled stops en-route and minimize the gaps that would naturally occur between the fast guys and those of us - um, not so quick. The last time I had done this run I had also been the last to leave but, since my running has improved markedly, I had been able to catch up and finish in the middle of the group. Naturally I figured I would just have to work a little harder this time but it would still work out. Besides, last time I hadn't carried any hydration, using only only van and the various water fountains along the trail - today, I had my new race belt with two water bottles loaded with concentrated electrolyte solutions. No problem.

The problems began when I arrived at the first drink stop and still hadn't even seen another runner yet. Not wanting to hold up the support van from those ahead who would need it I ran through without stopping. Some time later, as I approached the next drink stop I was still the tail end of the group by some distance so again I waived off the van, this time, as I ran past I called out to not wait up for me, I had the hydration I needed.
By now I was finally seeing other guys ahead and was slowly catching up but it was taking a lot longer than I had expected. 17km in fact before I was in the group, almost exactly half of my long run had been catch up and we were just about to enter the rolling hills of the course. I had been holding a good pace and feeling comfortable. This was how I'd run this track two weeks earlier, but this time, as we got to the hills the effort I'd put in early came back to claim its price.
The final third of the run was completed at a pace almost a minute slower per km than the first half. Come race day, there will be a further eight km to cover...
Before that run yesterday, I've been travelling beautifully, completing all of my training and build, including an awesome result at the Sufferfest last week. The last long run turned has just delivered one final lesson - don't get cocky!

Just when you think you're done, BOOM, wake up call.

Luckily this discovery came when it did, instead of during the race. It's given me a chance to revise my plan off attack as now I know that I need to leave reserves to cover the third 10km section of the run, start slowly, get through the hills and then, depending upon what's left in the tank, upon up for the final stretch home.

Finish long run at BBQ with no energy to eat anything...

The time my mother stole a car and then went to jail

It happened many years ago when we were living in Melbourne's far northern 'burbs.

My brothers and I were at the Stables shopping centre with Dad, I can't remember what we were there for, groceries or perhaps a couple serves of minimum chips, what I do remember is what happened next.

Back in the day, my Dad didn't drive (sound familiar?) so it wasn't too much of a surprise when Mom appeared and offered us a ride home. I guess we were tired or just full of deep fried goodness as we jumped at the chance to avoid having to walk home. As we walked across the car park to where she had parked our old Mitsubishi Magna Mom spotted another vehicle, one she really liked. It was a green Toyota Torago and as she made a bee line for it she exclaimed;“I always wanted one of these!”

It was bad enough when she decided she wanted a closer look at this dream car, worse when she next began peering in through the windows , oohing and ahhing at the fittings and upholstery. When she thought she should try her car key in the door lock we all thought she had finally lost it.

Ok, so the jury is still out on that point, but what is undeniable is the shock we experienced when the Magna key unlocked the Toyota!

I remember backing away from the scene as Mom brazenly used her amazing luck to open all the doors and then start the engine as well, and then called at to her retreating family that we should take it for a drive.

That was the day my Mom stole a car.

Ok, so she actually didn't steal the car, she had traded in the Magna and purchased the Torago earlier that day and had arrived at the shopping complex to surprise us with it. And she had us all totally convinced.

I remember this little prank to this day, the fear of getting caught and the trouble that would follow. It was terrible so of course, I couldn't wait to do it to my kids!

Only this time, the prank was filmed

Enjoy

Oh, about Mom going to jail, that part is true but happened much later when she accepted an administration role at Port Philip Prison.

Suffer in your tri shorts

I always like a challenge and I'm generally overconfident in my abilities so, when I first heard there was a triathlon officially branded “Sufferfest” I was immediately interested. We were at one of our Ironman program meetings and lead up race options were being discussed, most at the the table were targetting the Geelong Long Course which was scheduled 6 weeks before the Melbourne IM. As per my last blog enrty, my plans were to act as cheer squad at that race so I wouldn't be joining the field, then Ollie mentioned the Sufferfest and added that, being three weeks out from IM Melbourne,, it was just about the perfect timing. As he continued to talk and about race prep and the training load going forward I was already making use of my smartphone's web capabilities and looking up the event. On the way home I told the wife the good news, holiday in Warrnambool!

To start this report I will skip past the – let's call it discussion – that preceded the aggreeance that this was a good idea and begin with the road trip.

Friday before the race:

The plan was to take some time to enjoy the trip so the wife and I out in for leave for the Friday preceding and the Monday following and booked accommodation accordingly, initially figuring, even if we didn't stay over on the Sunday night, it would be good to have a place to crash and clean up at after the race. To ensure the kids didn't miss too much school, we would pick 'em up after the bell on Friday and head out. As luck would have it though, The Boy had his Year 7 camp on the same week and would be returning on the Friday afternoon. This was a mixed blessing; one- he would already have a bag packed and ready to roll, however; two- he would be buggered and faced with another long drive. Fortunately, this second point made for some quite funny vision in the back seat as he doggedly fought with the sandman whilst we crossed the Westgate bridge. (I have footage, may post later...). Unfortunately, due to the school camp buses returning late, we found ourselves leaving town with the entire population on Melbourne...

We arrived at our destination close to 10:30 pm Friday night.

Saturday morning:

Over the course of the previous days and weeks I had spent a bit of time checking out the literature being sent by the Sufferfest organisers, including course maps and profile. The most recent one included a link to a “MapMyRide” page for the bike course which illustrated the hill we would need to climb on each of the four laps. On either side it was a little over a kilometre long with the front side being the steeper, but, from the summary it was ranked a category 5 with an average gradient of 2.1%. No problem.

After the sun had come up (because I left my bike lights at home) I went out to ride the course and become familiar with it. That's when I first encountered this:

That's not 2.1% (later someone told me they believed it to be 8% at least)

I had just purchased a pair of gel flasks which I plan to use during the big race so would trial them here. I had added a couple of gels to one and strapped its holster to my top tube. The first time I used it I found it was a little fiddly to get back in whilst rolling and also, the gel was a little too thick to easily access via the spout. I made note of these facts and decided to try to water down the gels slightly and, upon returning home, apply a velcro patch to the flask and holster the ore easily place it before restrapping it in.

Ride done – difficult but manageable so happy – returned to our apartment for a few hours.

At the race briefing, that race director rated the return side of this hill to be “where we sort the men from the boys” as it's a gradual but solid climb for about 1.5km. He also warned of the severe crosswinds that are likely to hit as you're descending at “easily over 70km/h” which will push you over to the other side of the road. Oh, we also can have wild rabbits darting across it so be careful. He continued by informing us that the run starts with a pretty brutal hill climb then back down to the beach where it's flat out to the breakwater and back (read this as, there is a nasty climb on the return trip aswell) oh, and there can be snakes out there on the run course – it's not ideal but we'll just have to deal with it.

Now I get why it's called Sufferfest, little less happy but now excited to see what I can do.

Sunday – Race Day

Nervous, excited, ready (?)

Let's start with a question, when was the last time you were at a race and ,upon visiting the portaloos, you found there to be no line and plenty of toilet paper. Great start! Especially since this would be the first time I raced in my new wetsuit and, due to its tight fit, I'd been worried about the time I would need to get into it vs the time available minus time stuck in bathroom queues. One tick for race organisers, second big tick for the sunscreen stand, complete with two 1L pump bottles and mirrors to ensure completely rubbed in.

Job done suited up with time to spare!

2km swim – things I learned. It's very hard to spot a predominantly white banned placed on the side of a white bridge (these were to be used as guides as to where to swim under the bridge; I never did see the one on the return trip)

Find a landmark for the swim exit before the race – by the time we were heading back to the beach the sun had risen directly behind the swim exit which totally cut visibility to silhouettes of the skyline.

80km bike – things I learned. Check your Garmin. I looked at it upon completing the second ascent of the hill to guage how long I could expect the ride to take. Apparently the first lap took 39 minutes, fine, this'll be a 3:20 bike leg. Completing the second lap I checked again to see if I was maintaining my pace, 39 minutes still displayed... Crap, that's the swim time, must have hit Stop instead of Lap in T1, fine, hit Start and continued. 3 laps down, interested to see how long an actual timed lap took, Garmin tells me 39 minutes – AARGH! I hit a bunch of buttons and finally get it to start timing, then another button or two to get it to be timing the bike leg and continued the final lap of the bike.

Nutrition – have a back up plan. I had thought to pack a couple extra gels in either my spare flask, the food box on my bike, or in the pocket of my tri top. In the end, since I had successfully tested the bike mounted flask the day before and had addressed the flow rate problem I decided to keep it simple. As I returning from the cycle turn point the first time I took my first portion of gel and returned the flask to the holster and when to strap it down only to watch it leap out and hit the ground. I swore loudly but continued forward, switching to a new plan to focus on ,hydration and grab the electrolyte drinks from the aid stations instead of the water I had planned on. Not really a great plan so, when I spotted the flask on the side of the road in lap two I actually stopped and grabbed it, this time, placing in my front food box instead of the traitorous holster (it had one job!)

Loose tri tops – I guess I've lost more weight/size than I thought. I'm wearing an XL Elite (read athlete cut) top, yet in the wind at speed the neckline and chest area of the suit flutter. My evidence that it might be a little too loose came in the form of a butterfly that inadvertently crossed my path a little too close and was gobbled up by my neckline! I had the unzip briefly to clear it. (Aren't you supposed to get butterflies before the event!?)

20km run – things I learned

Check the course before race day. They were not kidding about that hill! It just kept rising, turned a corner, then rose again.

Careful what you wish for. When a group of kids at an aid station ask you if you want a splash, be prepared. Almost 19km in I said to the them “yeah, go on” then got hit solidly by about 8 to 10 cups of water courtesy of their young enthusiasm and the fact they were all holding 2 cup each. I felt for the dude following me as I doubt they had a chance to reload in time to offer him a drink or splash.

Wrap up

This was the inaugural event for Sufferfest, there was only a small field and yet it was an exceptionally friendly one. At most of the races I'm at I know a lot of people, on course as well as off, so there's always been great support. Today, there were only a handful of familiar faces, yet a surprisingly large number of fellow competitors on course were encouraging each other, or at least popping a thumbs up when fatigue made words difficult. There were apparently 153 volunteers out there, meaning the ratio to competitors was very high.

The course was tough but fun with just the right level of difficulty and, upon crossing the finish line the support was great. I was immediately handed a bottle of water, box of chocolate milk and an electrolyte drink, I was given a Sufferefest necklace (like a small dog tag I guess) and someone found me in the crowd to hand me my finishers t-shirt. Fruit salad and ice cream devoured whilst soaking in an ice bath and the day was done.

The plan coming into this event was to roll around the course and trial the nutrition plan – I finished by giving it a fairly solid crack and, according to the race commentator, finished in a time of 5:18.

Hopefully I've learned the lessons I needed to today, I fix the problems I encountered and, in three weeks from now, I'll have a new medal to add to my growing collection.

Can't wait to go around again next year!

Payback time

As a triathlete I spend a lot of time focussed and working towards my goals. I am paying closer attention to my diet and am spending a lot of time on various race courses. Each time I'm out there, or whenever I hit a tough patch, there has always been someone there to provide support or advice.

Being part of a team has really helped me achieve the level of success I have to date.

Now, it's payback time.

If you'd have asked me mid last year about racing the Corporate Triathlon again you would have received a resounding No. Even as late as August I was still holding firm that I was done with the race. Don't get me wrong, it's a great event and the team aspect adds a whole new, cool dimension to triathlon. It's just that I was not feeling up to the challenge of finding staff members to fill the team spots and again, trying to secure a budget for company branded race kit. The year before, delays in the approval process were compounded by Chinese public holidays and mailing address errors, and that was before the parcel got held up in customs! We actually took delivery of the kit on the Friday before the race weekend.
No, I had a rematch with the Shepparton 70.3 and a little thing called Ironman to focus on, I did not need the added stress of recruiting and negotiation to add to my plate. Therefore, it come as a little surprise that last week we not only fielded and completed the Nissan Corporate triathlon with more teams than ever before (5 in the main event, plus one in the Sprint) but also brought our largest contingent of first-timers to the sport.
In the lead up I worried that I hadn't provided enough info to the rookies, every time I spoke to one I would remember about ten new details I hadn't discussed before. Many an email was sent with snippets of tips, discussions of the rules and links to articles on what to bring and what to expect. Having been doing this for a few years now, though, I'm sure there are things I take for granted as common knowledge but aren't obvious to everyone.
Race day eve arrived and I still had the headcount to fill all the team spots (although I had become the cyclist for the sprint team due to an injury to the original owner of this position). I was still making phone calls to set meeting points and timings for people the arrive and get set up.
Race day was met with a bit of nervous excitement and I was impressed that, not only did all my guys manage to complete their race, they also said they'd enjoyed the experience! So much so that a number of them already have their sights set on suiting up again for race 6 in St Kilda.
I'm glad they enjoyed the race and stoked we were able to achieve the results together. Though this race was firmly in the "too hard basket", I'm glad I pulled my head out of my own little siloed world long enough to support these guys.

A weeke earlier still was the Geelong Triathlon Festival. The vast majority of the group I'm training with for Ironman Melbourne were using this long course race as their lead up to the big race. I was not going to be suiting up for this event, almost a year ago I had made a different commitment. One of the girls from the club had confided in me that she was going to debut her long course in Geelong so, the family and I were going to be there to support her.

Pam-Tastic T-Shirt!

Early on race day, we drove up to the Geelong foreshore in our supporter tees and arrived in time to catch up with the crew. The wife and I dropped off the bags in the tent, deposited the kids with the other teens and tweens in attendance and settled in to a day of playing spot the speeding triathlete and work out who it is in time to call out their name. I must admit, I got better at this game as soon as a I gave up going for bonus points by trying to capture their photo as well. The added difficulty of spotting them, then finding them in my phone's view finder and then following their movement to get a clear pic was a little above my ability. I settled instead for calling out the names I knew and clapping for as many of the athletes as I could, whether I knew them or not. As I watched and cheered there were moments that I wished I was out there with them (actually, mostly whilst watching the bike leg) but mainly, after an hour of cheering, I wished we'd remembered to bring the cowbell. Note - constant clapping is hard work; rewarding, but hard.

It was a great day out, the sun shone brightly, we were repeatedly thanked by participants who received our support and I even gave out a few high-fives. My friends were rewarded for their efforts with another achievement, some knew lessons learned, or at least the fortune of knowing, it was better to break spokes here rather than 45km down the Eastlink freeway. It's good to give back sometimes; and my mate that we went to support?
Let's just say, a picture tells a thousand words...

That moment when

We were promised there would be a moment.
We'd be in the middle of a long ride or perhaps whilst completing a key run set, maybe it would happen after battling through a tough patch to "come good" again.
It was different for every one, but the moment would come, the moment when you knew you were going to cross the finish line. When you knew you were going to be an Ironman.

We were told this moment would happen for each of us putting in the hard work on this journey.
Ironman Melbourne is now 44 days away and I'm not sure the promise has been fulfilled yet.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not nervous about finishing the event. I don't worry that I'll find myself lacking somewhere along that 140.6 miles of racing. To date I have remained fairly consistent in my training, Our swim sessions are regularly close to, if not longer than the prescribed 3.8km of the first leg. In the past I have completed a 5km open water swim in under the Ironman's cut-off time.
The thought of a 6 hour bike ride does not scare me as I've proven to myself I am capable of spending that time in the saddle many times before. Several long rides in the various steep grades of Victoria as well as training rides in the garage on the windtrainer have shown this.
I'm not a great runner but I am a fairly efficient runner. I may take a bit longer but, since working on my run technique I've become a lot more comfortable with the final discipline of triathlon.

All of the above tells me I will get to experience the voice of Ironman, Mike Reilly, calling out my name in St Kilda's Catani Gardens. My pause though is, I've been overconfident in my abilities before.

Have I already had my epiphany, is it yet to come?

You may have read a couple of my older posts entitled Tale of Seven (part 1 and part 2) which discuss my strong belief I could tackle Victoria's mountain rides. You would have also noted that, though I technically made it to the summits, I was not exactly triumphant in my efforts.
When I first started training with Tri Alliance it was as a part of their "Try-the-Tri" program. I had signed up for my third season of racing and had taken the leap to the longer "Sprint" distance events. Being eager, I had been one of the first 100 to sign up and was rewarded with the 6 week beginner program. With two seasons already under my belt I figured I'd pretty much rock this triathlon rookie crowd, perhaps extol some of the lessons I'd learned as a graduate from Fun distance racing. I'm not sure if it was whilst floundering in the pool with a band around my ankles; during a run session whilst I lagged behind again; or the skills session where it took me a little longer than most to get the hang of jumping onto a moving bike. Where ever it was, I soon realised I wasn't living up to the image I had fixed in my head.

What I'm getting at is this; I've been certain of an outcome in the past and I've been proven wrong.
How can I know this time is different?

I look to my results and they are promising, granted.
For many years I worked to break the 2 hour barrier for a half marathon - now I do so on a regular basis, in races, on long training runs and even my last half Ironman. My swimming is also improving, I'm yet to take up residence in the advanced lane but the technique is better than ever.
Last weekend I competed in the Sandringham Olympic distance triathlon. My plan was to treat it like a training day and just roll through. My swim was good and the run up the hill to transition also felt pretty strong. On the bike we got smashed with heavy rains with a storm front that literally sat in one place and pummelled the road with water. Two laps on the bike done followed by 2 X 5km loop with Coach Greg sitting at the top of the steep pinch of a climb (bugger). When I got the official results I was surprised to discover I had cut 5 minutes off of last years time. More startling was that I'd clocked in a sub 50min run.

Are these the cues I should be using?
Is a good result in a longer race indicative of what I'm really capable of?

Perhaps the real clue I need is that, for the first time I am questioning my blind faith that I can conquer the challenges I set myself.

We were also told, a long time ago; "You need to respect the distance".
I first heard the phrase as I was preparing for my first 70.3 race. At the time I knew I could do it, a month later as I was forced to walk a considerable part of the run, the phrase returned to me.

Now, as we approach March 24th, it is JC's words I choose to focus on.
I will continue to put in the effort and time and will try to interrogate the basis of my confidence and I will respect the distance because Ironman is a whole different ball park. I will not merely assume I've got it covered.
It deserves the respect.

Maybe my moment has come from committing these thoughts to the virtual page.

Five into Two

So, when does five go into two?
Mathematically it doesn't work.
If you overlay the digits you might get some funky looking 8 - so that doesn't work either.
Basically, five shouldn't go into two, but as I look forward in my calendar, this is the problem I see.

In the next two months I have scheduled in five races.

Talk about the fat end of the season!

Add to that, one of those months is the shortest we have in the year. I said it before, from the time I started this sport I was hooked, so, when the call out came for Gatorade entries I jumped onboard for for the ride again. After working the Ironman Melbourne for the full 13 hour shift and supporting everyone that passed through (from Crowie to Barnie) I knew I had to experience it from the other side of the drinks table. When entries were available, I jumped at the chance.
All through the past year I was adamant that I wasn't going to do the Nissan BRW Corporate race again this season. Organizing the teams, chasing down corporate funding, helping out newcomers, etc all sounded too much. Wasn't going to happen again, some one else could do it. No one else did and suddenly I've got 6 teams racing in the next edition, more than any other year and many more first timers than ever before as well. (besides, I do get a kick out of helping them out and achieving their goals)
The Geelong Long course event is coming up, here I put my foot down. I will not add this event to my calendar. I will attend merely to support the team and cheer from the sidelines.
After making this decision I learned that a lot of the guys building to IM Melbourne are using Geelong as their lead up race. Choosing to stand by my early decision I had some supporter t-shirts made and booked in the family road trip - and also booked an entry into an alternate long course race in Warrnambool, a race joyously named "SUFFERFEST"

The above series of events has resulted in the following set of weekends
Olympic Distance
Geelong for support
Nissan Corporate (fun distance)
No race
Sufferfest Long Course
No race
Portarlington Sprint distance
Ironman Melbourne

Admittedly, since my "A race" for the season is the Ironman at the end of this group of events I plan to treat the others as brick training sessions, and it's good to get in some practice with a mass start swim. The hectic nature of a large group of competitive blokes all hitting the water at one time is a difficult thing to replicate in training! Also, it should give me a few opportunities to trial some of the new gear I have recently acquired before the big show. They say you shouldn't do anything new on race day but I'm sure that only relates to races where you're shooting for the result. The result I'm after is a solid race, injury free, get my nutrition and gear selections right and to enjoy the day.

So there you have it. That's how you end up with two being divided by five..
Maybe next season I'll be smarter about my calendar and dial it back a bit. Given that I've just signed up again for the Shepparton 70.3 race and already have designs on the Canberra 70.3 and next years IM Melbourne, it's unlikely...

Many questions, one answer

I'm in the middle of my regular cycle commute to work and have just stopped at a set of traffic lights when I hear.

"What do you do for your legs?"

Surprised, I turn to see a fellow cyclist has stopped behind me at the intersection. He poses the question again.

"I've just been just following and admiring your legs, what do you do for them?"

ah...


It's the second Friday so I'm at the Bourke Street Red Cross with my sleeve rolled up. The machine hooked up to me is designed to draw blood into a centrifuge. Here it is spun to separate out the plasma content before returning the remaining blood cells back to me via the same IV. The first draw and return has completed but now the machine is beeping, warning that the flow has stopped. I'm due at least 3 more cycles but for some reason the machine is failing. A nurse arrives, she checks the needle, it is definitely seated correctly in my vein, the hoses are all free of kinks but the draw refuses to commence. Puzzled, she checks my arm above the needle's entry point at the crook of my elbow.

"Are your arms normally this muscled?"

um...

There are more questions I get;

"Why are you so tanned?"
"What's with the one stocking thing on your leg?"
"I can't believe you spent 5 hours on a windtrainer. Are you crazy?"

I get a lot of strange questions, but a lot of the time the answer comes back to the same thing.

"I'm a triathalete"


For the past 5 years I've been doing this, ever since a mate at work mentioned there were these mini triathlons you could do. That year I signed up, not for one race but for the entire season. My thinking was, making that initial financial commitment would force me to give it a real go. I raced on my converted mountain bike, my race attire was a pair of swimming shorts and a rash vest - no wetsuit, and definitely, no tight lycra on show. I raced in the fun distance and found it just that; fun.
Since those early days a few things have changed. I now own 2 wetsuits (for race day only!), the trusty Trek is still my main bike but now it shares the front hallway with a sexy full carbon time trial bike. Since taking up the sport I have also dropped about 15kg and converted more to muscle. I'm not the expected shape of an athlete, but I train like one, and no longer worry about being seen in lycra (when appropriate)
From committing to those initial enticer events, to entering the big show.
And, on this day, 2 months from now, I plan to be celebrating the completion of my first full distance triathlon, along side my friends, family and 50+ like minded team mates.

I'm told this moment will be life changing.
I'm quite sure I will be asked many more questions in the days that follow that moment.

"It's just what I do, I'm a triathlete, and yes, probably more than a little crazy"