Race 2 Gatorade Elwood

Race 2 of the Gatorade series was held on Sunday with a full contingent of triathletes. Over 1200 people participated in the Gatorade race. 500m swim, 20km ride and 5km run is a great distance for all athletes. Not too far for newbies and a great hit out at max pace for the more experienced.

 

The morning was nice and cool (15 Degree C) the almost perfect conditions for racing. There was some wind on the bay causing making a small swell so the swim wasn’t going to suit pool swimmers. Fairly tough conditions with many people commenting that they got smashed in the swim. Get more open water swim practice. After race 1 swim was called off due to rain, it was good to have the swim back.

 

Even though I have done many of these races, its still fueled by nervous energy turning up to the start line. Starting on about the third last wave it was a long wait. Good chance to warm up by running the beach. Beach starts are always frenzied and this was no different. Luckily competitors spread out down the beach which makes it easier.

 

The swim through the waves was great fun and surf skills came in handy on the way back in.

 

Hit the transition and felt I was slow in getting my wet suit off. Something to work on – in fact I was about my usual pace so maybe not to bad.

 

The ride along the bay into StKilda is a great course as its almost flat but with some great views. The wind played some part in the ride and as it was often from the side, had to be careful of the deep dish carbon wheels.

 

Hit the run and the heart rate was up and legs like lead. Yep normal so just pushed through it. With only a 5km run you cant afford to spend long getting your heart rate and running rhythm under control. By the 2km mark starting to come good an pushed the pace. 4km mark on the mark and pushed it to home.

 

Overall it was a good race. Got my head into racing which I don’t think I had in my last race at Noosa. Completing the course in 1:05 I came in 5^th in my category and 70 overall. Not my fastest time for the course but close and best ever category result.

 

The next race is after the XMAS training on the 10^th Jan and is the Olympic Distance at Sandy.

 

Training Load

The amount of training you do depends on three factors. Frequency, Duration and Intensity.

 

Frequency – How often do you train? Once, twice a day?

Duration – How long do you train for?

Intensity - A slow jog is different from interval training.

 

You can track the number of kms per week and it will give you some guide, but it does not tell you the true picture without taking into consideration the intensity.

 

When you are increasing you training load and concerned about over training, keep in mind each of three factors.

 

I am aiming for an Olympic distance Tri and then a 70.3 (1/2) Ironman.

 

For this my plan is to

1. Work on endurance base – Longer durations and lower intensity
2. On the way I am doing some Sprint Tris so I also need to fit in some speed work. Lower duration but higher intensity.

 

So when I am planning my training month and week, I try to consider all three aspects and fit it into the plan.

 

My First 70.3 Geelong 7 Feb 2010

I start this entry by saying that I have signed up for my first 70.3 or ½ Ironman event. Geelong 70.3 on 7^th Feb 1010 is the date. I am very pumped and have a bright new date in the future. Its going to make training all the more sweat. I am going to do the Gatorade Sprint Triathlons but will not tapper for them but use them as good training sessions. The Olympic Distance Tri is 10 Jan 2010 which makes for a great preparation race for the 70.3 in Feb. Yep I am excited, really excited. I am not sure I have been this excited since starting my first NOOSA. None Tri-athletes can not understand my obsession.

The question that I do ask myself is what distance should I race? Is the goal to do a full Ironman or should I stay with the shorter events? I suppose that this is a vey personal question and must be answered by the individual. Many magazines and web sites hold out the Ironman as the pinnacle of the sport and something to be strived for. For sure it’s the biggest endurance event going but should us mere mortals really aim for this? My reasoning below just applies to me.

I first started my new religion (Yes Triathlons are a religion) only a few years back and before that open water swim races. Thinking back to the first open water swim race that was 1.2kms long, I wonder how I continued. Half way through the swim after being in the washing machine for 10mins I thought to myself “this is crazy, why am I doing this”. When I remember by first sprint triathlon the memories were almost the same when it came to the run. Even my first Olympic Distance Triathlon I was questioning my sanity during the run.

So what has changed and why would I want to do a 70.3? Well as the years go by and I get faster, stronger and more endurance and I suppose more experience, each of these events is not longer as scary. Yes hey are hard – if they weren’t I wasn’t pushing hard enough, but I suppose I want to see if I can do the next distance up.

Do I win my current events? No I don’t win but are within the top 10% for my age group. The strategy that I hear from many people is that they want to concentrate on one distance and be as good as they can for it. Its much easier to train for one event than many different distances. I can understand this and fully support the idea. But how do you know what event or distance is right for you? Who says that the current Sprints or ½ sprints are the one for you? I could stay with the ODT’s and train just to improve and probably would see some improvement. That would be full filling and give me some good goals.

Time to train might be one factor in the mix. On limited time then it logically follows that you would concentrate on the shorter distances. I find myself training for 10hrs a week and feel that on the back of this I can hit the ½ Ironman – not with the chance of placing or even in the top 10% for my age but give it a good showing. That’s as long as I can make a few changes to racing. Pacing and Nutrients are the key. Both I am not that good at but have 3 months to learn.

On reflection my favorite distance is the Olympic Distance Triathlons and until I do a 70.3 I suppose it will stay that way. It suits my combination of speed and endurance well. OK so lack of real speed but can keep going.

Will I eventually do an Ironman? Its not in my plan at the moment but its not a NO either. I would like to say that I have done one. But to do this I would need to up the training a level. The training volume is probably my biggest problem.

I am looking forward to the new challenge of the 70.3 and it is my personality type to want to try new things and challenge myself in new ways. I think its more important for me to be doing something new and different than to be the very best. It adds excitement and some mental thought process to say how do I go from a ODT to a 70.3. With this in mind you might say – one day you will do a full Ironman.

Tri Boy

Noosa Triathlon 2009 - how it was

A new bike case means finding a good way to pack the bike. As this takes some time I packed my bike into its bag a few days before the trip. The POD that I invested in is a hardish case bike case that only weighs ~6kgs. Good to avoid going over the flight weight limit. It packed up nicely and was well protected the whole trip.

We arrived into Brisbane on the Thursday morning and after hiring a large car to hold four people, luggage and a bike, we headed off to Dreamworld for the day. It was a good start to the trip as the whole family had a great time. From the Goldcoast to Noosa was an easy 2hr drive on some great freeways.

In Noosa we stayed at the same apartments as last year. The Metso is right on the course and an easy walk to either Hasting street or Noosaville. The two bedroom apartment gives us lots of room to spread out. The pool is also good to cool down and relax in.

Read More

http://trisports.com.au/Noosa_2009home.htm

What to Expect at Noosa

Its only 2 days until we leave for Noosa and I am certainly excited. My family is coming on the holiday and they are also excited to go away – not that interested in the Triathlon itself. The Triathlon is on the Sunday and we arrive on the Thursday before. It is probably not enough time to really acclimatize to the heat, after the cold Melbourne winter, and next year I would like to come up earlier.

USM I am sure will do a great job in organising another great event. The main difference to the triathlon setup from the Gatorade series is that you need to rack your bike the day before. Transition is open from 11:00 to 4:30 on the Sat.

My plan is to go to the registration tent on the Friday and pick up all of the stickers, tags etc. Saturday morning we will then go to Eumundi Market where the muffins are great. That gives me Saturday afternoon to put my bike into Transition.

Last year I suffered from the heat in the run. This year it is forecast to be hotter in Melbourne than in Noosa. Go figure. Still the forecast is still much warmer than I am currently used to.

Sunday
Mostly sunny
Min: 16°C Max: 26°C
UV: Very High

Web site for latest

So what do I take to Noosa

Swim	Ride	Run
Goggles x 2	Bike	shoes
Tri suit	Race Wheels	Talc
Wet suit	2 spare tubular tyres	Vaseline
	CO2 canisters	Hat
	Sunnies
	Biddons x 3
	Tools

Cycle Route Map

http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/Noosa-Tri-Bike

Shopping Bike

Around the bay 2009

What a great day it was for the annual Around the Bay in a Day social ride. The temperature was a brisk 8 degrees in the morning but warmed up to a sunny 18 by around 2:00pm. Once again 15,000 riders took part and I hope that everyone had a great day.

 

Congratulations to everyone for completing the ride. Myself, I went Sorrento return. This was the first time I had chosen that route and was pleasantly surprised. The ferry trip and delays bugged me last year so this was a great solution. I sat on the grass for a drink in Sorrento, and then hit the road to return home.

Run the Tan - Melbourne Victoria

All runners who live in Melbourne must at least run the Tan once. It’s the iconic running track almost within the CBD. It goes around the beautiful botanic gardens and has lots of water fountains. The course itself is 3.82km in length and has a steep 500m section up Anderson street hill and then it gradually undulates for the rest of the loop.

 

http://www.mapmyrun.com/route/australia/south-yarra/161303412

 

It’s a great place for those of us who work either in the city or close by, to go for the lunch break run or a walk. All hours of the day you will find people weaving their way around the course.

 

I like it for training as it has a nice hill for strength, long enough to be a good work out, short enough so you can do multiple loops, lots of water for those summer days and lots of other people to watch/train off or talk to. If you like solitude while running the tan is not for you.

 

My best time is not a real sizzle at 14:25 but still I am hoping to improve.

 

Other who have raced the Tan

Steve Moneghetti 10:41

Craig Mottram :10:12

 

 

 

Grumpy and not running the Melbourne Marathon

What a grumpy weekend it was, sat at home while the marathon was run. The cold going through my family took me down most of last week. I ended up spending most of Friday either in bed or on the couch. Saturday felt OK but really not a wise move to run 42kms the next day. Sunday – Race Day – Spent it being very GRUMPY but over most of the cold. If only I had one more day to get better I would have been in it. Read about the marathon

To get me through it I have to focus on Noosa in three weeks. If I did run the marathon and blew myself up, I may have risked my Noosa campaign. Better to live to fight another day in Noosa.

How to change from endurance to speed

Its now less than two weeks to go until my second marathon and I am starting to get nervous and think past the event. All of the training and planning for the last 4 months has been focused to the marathon. My first Olympic Distance Triathlon comes only three weeks after the Marathon – and Noosa is a big event.

 

I haven’t thought about when to start the next event training. The change from the marathon to the Olympic Distance Triathlons and then the Sprints Tri’s here in Melbourne is large. I am going for a pure endurance event, the marathon, to events that still need the endurance, but also require speed.

 

For the marathon I want to cruise along at 5min/km or (hopefully) just less. The ODT I want to do the final 10km run in close to 4min/km. So to do this I am using the tapering 3 weeks to introduce lots more speed work. Then post the marathon I will focus on recovery and speed work. The three weeks from marathon until Noosa is not going to leave me much time so my only choice is to go speed.

 

All of my family has come down with colds ranging from sniffles to a temperature – so I am doing everything other than move out to avoid catching it. Of course it might be too late already. As long as I don’t get it to bad I should be OK. I had not planned to do much from now until the event so a force quiet period will not hurt me.

 

See you all at the Melbourne Marathon.

 

3 Weeks to go to Marathon - Tappering

With only 3 Sundays to go until the Melbourne Marathon, the pressure is on making sure my training and tapering are just right. With some sore feet last weekend curtailing my running, I will make this week my last long run before the race. Probably 30kms now that my feet have recovered.

So my planned training for the next few weeks are:

3 Weeks to Go – 60km total run with 30km long run, 180km bike, 6km swim

2 Weeks to Go – 50km run (20km long run), 120 km bike, 6km swim

1 Week to Go – 10km run, 60km bike, 3km swim

I am still a keen triathlete so cross training is important and also keeps me fit for the marathon while reducing the body stresses. Swimming is especially good. I did learn not to swim hard the day before a long run as the arms get sore while running.

Virus protection

PC virus protection is important for all of us to have. I have been an early user and loved VET when it was the latest and greatest. It did me well and kept me safe without any hiccups for year. Now I run Norton 360 which is well regarded (I assume) with full subscription and kept up-to-date.

 

Well last week it would not perform a virus scan. So I chatted to the on-line help to fix my problem.

The first guy suggested I needed to upgrade to the most recent (by days) patch. This the system would not do. He then disconnected

 

The second guy wanted to reboot in safe mode and do a virus scan. He then did this but of course as he was remote he couldn’t connect as Windows safe mode doesn’t allow internet connection.

 

The third guy spent more time trying to update etc etc and then announced that I had a security problem and if I wanted they could help to fix it. Oh yes and there was a cost involved.

 

So to summarize, Norton 360 didn’t do what it was supposed to do, protect me from viruses, so to fix my PC they wanted to charge me money. All this after chatting to them for at least an hour over three days. I am not saying that Norton 360 is worse or better than any other virus software but it does make you think what help you get for your money.

 

Of course I wasn’t impressed and didn’t take up their offer.

 

Snake Oil and Cadbury

Well Cadbury have finally backed down on the addition of vegetable oil or more precisely palm oil from their chocolate after the increased backlash from chocoholics. To me this shows that they are just arrogant and more interested in their bottom line than consumers. If there was a good alternative in local shops then Cadbury would certainly have lost lots of market share. Me I will not be buying Cadbury again in the near future.

 

Go People Power.

Marathon Training

This year is my second marathon that I am training for. I hope to improve not only my training but marathon time and recovery this year. To recap what I learnt from the first marathon.

 

1. Put more time into long run training

2. Pace the race better. 4min/kms for the first 10km is not a good idea.

3. Take time to stretch mid run if you need to.

 

After some interruptions, I am back into my long runs on the weekend. I have regularly done the 15-22kms so a long run at the moment means 30km plus. And the difference seems to be huge. I will reduce the week day run distance slightly to keep the weekly kilometers to 40-70kms. I hope this will keep my legs and feat in good order.

 

Stages for me usually go like this

0-5kms – settle down and get into a rhythm

5-10km – nice and easy. Although I do have tendency to go to fast. Heart rate monitor really helps

10-15 – If I am going to have an energy low it usually happens around here

15-20 – legs start to loose the kick

20-25 – legs are now starting to be the limiting factor. Energy system nice and steady. Motivation to continue starts to dissolve.

25-30 – legs now feel like jelly. Staring point of leg pains.

 

Last weeks 33kms run was hard work but easier than I remember pre-marathon from last year. I hope it did anyway.

 

With 7 more weekends before race day I have the chance to get in 3-4 more 30kms plus runs. I am hoping this will be enough to push my jelly legs to beyond the 30kms. Will update to let you know how it goes.

Why I stopped buying Cadbury Chocolate

I love chocolate. No better source of carbs if you ask me. Great for carbo loading and really for anything else.

 

So why has Cadbury been so under handed. Did you know that without telling us they have!

 

1. Added vegetable oil to there chocolate – Don’t need it.

2. Put it in a stupid cardboard packaging – who needs it. You can’t reseal it without lots of trouble and who has left over chocolate anyway.

3. Reduced the size from 250gms to 220gms per block – price didn’t go down. Probably a cost saving to pay for the cardboard packaging.

4. Kept the price the same. 1cent per gram used to be the discount price to buy it for.

 

So for me I have stopped buying Cadbury chocolate. Even the choc chips for cooking are not Cadbury in our house any more.

 

From a poor chocoholic

 

 

Can you train optimally for three sports at the same time?

This is a question that has always eluded me as to an answer. There are few points that I believe need to be considered.

 

1. Time pressures. To train optimally you need enough time in each discipline to train. If you combine all three disciplines with a normal life/work then you become time poor.

 

2. The bigger question is – Does training in one discipline hurt another? Does cycling trash your quads to the detriment of running?

 

The one thing I can say that is putting all three together makes it much more enjoyable as it gives variation while keeping the cardio fit. So unless you are an elite athlete the question should probably be – How do I train best for all three sports.

Melbourne Half Marathon

The run to Melbourne Half Marathon was held last Sunday on another cold Melbourne Morning. The day was fine and turned out to be sunny but at 7:15am it was a cold one. 5-6DegC is cold for me to run in. Not was brave as the Northern Hemisphere guys.

It’s a great half marathon as the course weaves its way around the Royal Botanic Gardens, across the Yarra with views of the Melbourne Sky line, then for an up close and personal lap of the MCG (outside) and then one slightly further out until it heads back into the city for the second lap. No hills on the course and only a few ups.

The other shorter runs head off after the ½ Marathon is completed. A 5 and 10km run is also held on the same day which would have been much warmer. Me I started the run in my beanie and mitts and only had to take off the beanie.

My goal like always is to better my previous time. This was 1:31 in last years Run to Melbourne. If you read my blog, last year I had not done a great deal of running before the race. This year is different as I am averaging 50kms per week with some long 30km runs on the weekend. My concern would be that I had lost speed.

The interesting point to note is where you go down Anderson street hill back to the Yarra, I found that I passed quite a few guys that cruised down the hill. I thought to myself – fast leg speed and let the hill do the work. I hit the bottom after overtaking many people and the heart rate had dropped. I suppose this demonstrates that you need fast leg speed for running. Towards the end an older guys ran past me with really fast leg speed. Just another example to sticking to what works.

Unlike the full marathon where I really need to change my plan, the half marathon last year went to plan. So this year the plan was the same. Hit a fast but steady pace early and then hang on to the end. Any it worked for me. Just about even splits on the half to half and steady on the 5km splits was a great result. The last 5km was 1 min slower than the same section on the first lap so it did drop off. Overall I was 4 ½ minutes faster than last year which put me 11^th in my age group (Oldies) and 90 overall.

Noosa is on again

Yep, registration for Noosa are over 50% gone. I have entered but the entry system seemed to make a mistake. It said I was over 40. Last year I wasn’t and I don’t feel any older. It must be them and not me.

 

See you all in Noosa.

Winter Training

Yep its coming into the cold part of the year here in Melbourne, the Tri season is all but over and its time to start planning the winter training. When its warmer I find it so much easier to get outside and do some training. As it starts to get cold and the days are shorter, then its much harder to keep he motivation going. Well that’s winter for you so unless you live near the equator – you will have to get use to it.

 

When the Triathlon season is over I turn my attention to another goal that will keep me going for winter. I still cycle to work ever day so that keeps my cycle fitness up. I still keep swimming – indoor pools are great all year. My winter goal is to do the Marathon again.

 

Yep, even after all the pain from last time, I am going to give it ago again. The first goal is the ½ Marathon on the 28^th June here in Melbourne and then for the Sydney or Melbourne Marathon latter in the year.

 

I see my marathon as a good goal for the Next Triathlon season for a few reasons. Firstly in keeps me motivated through winter. Keeps the training going and the fitness level staying high. Secondly the run is still my least favorite and weakest leg so I do need to improve. Thirdly it helps build the base fitness level.

 

I don’t mind running in the rain but will need to get better at running in the cold and rain. I will read with interest my posts from last year on what I did wrong for the marathon.

 

So the current plan goes like this.

 

1. Keep the long weekend run going. Up it to say 25kms before June every alternate weeks at least.
2. Keep the weekday running going. Aim for 30-40 kms during the week in 6-15km sets.
3. HAVE REST WEEKS.
4. 28^th June race the ½ Marathon. I am not sure I have got quicker but I do want to go faster than my 1:31.
5. Slowly increase the long run to 35kms for August.
6. Keep the weekday runs going. Add some speed work.
7. Increase the long run to 38kms in September
8. Compete in the Marathon.
9. Drop the distances back and build up strength and speed for the Triathlon season.

 

At the same time last year I am a lot better off. Before the ½ marathon I had not run more than 15kms!!! This year the distance will not concern me as I have regularly gone more than the 21kms so will just need the speed.

 

The second half of the plan is designed to help me with not only getting use to running the distance, but pacing myself. I will have to make sure I mark out some distances so I can know my pace.

 

 

 

 

How much or far should I train?

This is also dependent on what your goals are, how much time you can spend and what level of fitness you currently have. You do not want to increase your level of training dramatically week to week. The usual figure of no more than 10% increase is a good rule of thumb but let your body tell you what is right for you. Its important to train only to a level that will not injury yourself. When you are on holidays it might be tempting to go on more runs, spend more time on the bike or do the extra swims. As I would encourage this a good way to step up the training to a whole new level, it should be tempered with making sure that you can train another day. Its not use putting in two runs on one day if you strain a calf and cant run for a week. Running is the hardest of the three legs on the body with all of that constant impact, so take the most care when increasing the your weekly run total

Specific training for any event is the best to improve performance. Nothing can beat time running to make your running stronger. There is no quick way to get better on the bike other than to spend the hours on the road. Yes cross training is good but if you want the best bang for your training effort then make the training specific. There have been studies showing that other than for elite athletes (and that’s not me and probably isn’t you) then you are better off to go out and run/ride/swim rather than do other training such as weight training. Yes strength is important but you can build this during the training rather than in a gym and you get better results.

Having said that specific training is the best to get faster at triathlons, lets face it that might not be your only goal in life. Building muscle mass and definition may be other reasons to go the gym and this can be combined with Triathlon training.

The types “A”s out of which I am one of them will try and not listen to our body and just push more and more training into the week. More must be better, it’s the only way to go faster. After a fracturing my foot from too much running I can only say be very careful. I suppose as a type “A” you will not listen – I am not sure I would have either.

Casual Cyclist

Heading back to Melbourne through Carrum the other day I stopped at the lights beside the most casual of cyclist. Let me paint you a picture.

• Work style cotton pants,
• high vis vest,
• cap,
• no helmet,
• mountain bike
• VB (beer) and smoke in the same hand

He must have good balance to be able to drink beer, smoke and ride at the same time. Now this guys was very casual so I chatted about cycling. Yes I was in lycra. “No mate, only doing this crap as I lost my license. Got done for drink driving”.

 

Needless to say I didn’t push the point that you can get done for drink cycling as well not having a helmet on.

 

Now this is not the first time I have come across a cyclist that has been forced into it by loss of driving license. They seem bitter by the experience.

Elwood Triathlon

Another great day here in Melbourne for Triathlon racing made Sunday at Elwood the place to be. Flat bay to swim in, almost zero wind on the bike course and a great run along on beside the beach made it three perfect Triathlons in a row this year. Compared to the wash outs we have had last year, this was a welcome relief. There was some smoke haze from all the fires around Melbourne.

 

The field was a big one with 2400 people doing either the Brooks fun Tri or the Gatorade Sprint distance. The Elites were down on numbers due to a clash with a Tassie event but us age groupers were out in numbers.

 

This race I wet suited up. Let me tell you that it’s much easier to swim in a wet suit. After my test at Port Arlington of going no wet suit, I have put the question to bed – Wet suits are faster, just practice getting them off. This time my T1 was a scorcher (for me) 1:32. I must be better getting the @!#$ suit off.

 

This being a sprint distance and the run only 5kms long, the plan to take it easy of the first third, hit the second third hard and hang on probably wasn’t going to work. Went out at race pace for the first half and then tried to step it up on the second half. Seemed to go OK and kept the heart racing all the way. Still the run is my weakest leg.  No one past me on the bike but I had three guys run me down. At just over 4min/kms I am much faster than I was last year but still need to go faster. I would love to be able to consistently go under 4 min/kms.

 

Overall it was a great day of racing and I was over the moon with my result. 47^th overall and 8^th in age group. If you read my original blog entries, I started off in my first few Tri at 500 to 700 place mark and I was just as happy then.

 

I love to train so it’s back to some hard training and hopefully get quicker. I am going to do another marathon this year so need to plan that as well.

 

Happy racing – Go Tri’s.

Port Arlington Gatorade Triathlon 2009

A great day for racing at Port Arlington with one of the premier triathlon courses in Victoria putting on almost perfect conditions. It’s a great location for Triathlons as the small town has great facilities, clean bay to swim in and the course is a single loop on both the bike and the run. The distance is a strange one, sat between the Olympic distance and the Sprint distance.

Port Arlington is the most family event of the season with lots of partners, kids and dogs coming along to join in the event.

The swim is an 800m bay swim around the pier, the cycle is a 26km loop around past St Leonards and the run is an 8km out and back along the cliff top. I suppose that the longer run favors the runners over the cyclists.

The water temperature was a balmy 22Deg C so the elites could not wet suit up. Us age groupers however can wear wet suits up to 24DegC and most took the opportunity to do so. As the water was nice and warm I took the opportunity to see if swimming without a wetsuit really makes that much difference. The conditions were very similar to last year and I feel I have got faster in the swim so I should be slightly faster without the wet suit than last year if it does not make a difference. In the end I was 20seconds slower than last year. I would thus say that the wetsuit would give me 30-50seconds benefit over the 800m. Now the clincher is that T1 (without the wetsuit) was 1:10mins faster and in fact the 16^th fastest of the day. OK I am not good at getting the wet suit off, so my T1(wet suit) times can be improved but it shows that even though I lost time in the swim, overall I was probably faster going non wet suit.

Having been the second last wave in the last race meant that I would be one of he first to go this race. My wave was the first to go after the elites. The elite men and ITU juniors go in the first wave, Elite women in the second wave and then two minutes later us age groupers hit the water.

It’s good to go out early as you get a nice clear road and run course. Less people to go around means you can focus on the ride and less about the road.

With my blistering T1 I caught come of the faster swimmers in the first few kms on the bike. After about the 5km mark the order was set. There was a strong head wind on the way out which didn’t seem to make up for itself on the way back. The way back to Port Arlington has some rolling hills that I especially like. Two steep but short sections that can be blasted through if you keep up the pressure. Passed three of the Elite women and had the bunch of the front 4 in sight as I was approached the transition area. Still being new to the carbon wheels I took the braking down the hill into T2 easy.

Port Arlington has a great start to the run course. Straight up the cliff via some stairs – makes keeping the heart rate down very difficult. The course is out and back, into the head wind and then a tail wind to bring it home. The worst part of the tail wind is it makes it harder to keep cool. I caught up to two more of the elite women but the first two disappeared on me. With 1km to go an age grouper (same age group as me) passed me but I couldn’t stay with him. I upped the pace for 500m but couldn’t keep it going.

Overall it was a great day of racing for me. 9 minutes faster than last year at Port Arlington was a pleasing result and came in 97^th overall and 14^th in age group. It felt like a hard race and I haven’t yet worked out why. Bike leg was a slower average than Sandy but in position overall it was much better. Run leg was just over 4mins per km, so considering the steps and hills a great result.

The next race is in two weeks at Elwood. It’s a 500m swim so I should be faster going non-wet suit but should I practice the T1. Strategy to ponder as Olympic distance I definitely am faster with wet suit, especially if I can improve T1.

Training Thoughts

With a few short weeks between triathlons, the question always comes to me how is the best way to train? I would say that there is no correct way to train but a variety of strategies that work for different people. Some strategies that work well for me! In no particular order.

 

1. 90% of your result on the day is due to mental attitude. It’s not just about telling yourself to go faster. It’s not just about the pain locker and its not just about keeping the piece of mind to put a race strategy into action. It’s the combination of the above.
2. Variation, variation and variation. The body is a wonderful learning machine and will learn to deal with the stresses that you throw at it. If you don’t give it some variation the benefits will start to reduce.
3. Plan for race day. Practice the nutrition and transitions.
4. Focus each season on Strength, speed or endurance as all are important no matter the race distance.
5. Train in all weather conditions. Race day might be hot so don’t always train in the cool of the morning. Very topical as its 40DegC here in Melbourne at the moment.
6. Don’t make excuses for why you are not training.
7. Don’t train through injuries.

 

So in the lead up to Sundays race I have been running through my strategies to make sure I am prepared. Keep tri-ing.

Olympic Distance Triathlon - Sandringham

Sunday was the best weather I have had raced a triathlon in Melbourne so far this year. It was a great 15Deg in the morning with some light cloud. By the end of the event it had reached 20Deg and still the cloud. And there was no wind, no rain and the swim was on.

I am starting to like the longer distances and the Olympic Distance is the longest I have raced so far. I am seriously thinking of trying the ½ iron man. Hmm more on that for another post.

I always run through my check list of what I need to take to a Triathlon. I would hate to turn up and not be able to race as I forgot something. Here is my list:

1. Bike – setup with race wheels and brake pads
2. Goggles
3. Towel
4. Bike Shoes
5. Run Shoes
6. Helmet
7. Water bottles x 2
8. Lubricant for wet suit
9. Talc for shoes
10. Pre-race food – Gatorade and powerbar.
11. Sunnies attached to the bike - Optional

The bay was a warm 19.5 degrees so great swimming conditions. It was still cold enough for the elites to use wet suits and defiantly for the rest of us mere mortals. With a slight breeze, the water was not completely flat so straight pool swimmers would may have found it slightly tougher but no waves like last year. Read my post from last year for more.

The swim course is a rectangle with a beach start. A nice swim and you get the swell coming at you from every side. I went in the second last wave start. The waves started two minutes apart so everyone would have been caught by faster waves or caught some themselves. I saw caps from at least 4 waves in front of me and also saw a few of the only wave that started after me come past. I tried to slip stream the faster guys but couldn’t keep the pace going. My tip for other swimmers is to focus on the turn buoy and head for it. Don’t get to stuck on following other competitors as they may be lost or going near the pink guide buoys. The guide buoys are just a guide and you can go which ever side you like.

The run out of the water and up to transition is a long drag up the cliff – 500m or so I think and it’s a hard run up the hill. As usually my transitions are not great. Note to self – WORK ON TRANSITIONS. I have trouble getting the wet suit off the feet.

The bike course is a nice undulating course along beach road with two laps. The hills (OK not real hills) are good to break up the rhythm and keep it interesting. The longer course makes water on the bike essential. I went through 1 liter – a bit gluggy by the end but better than being de-hydrated. Its really hard to burp when in the aero tuck position. With the sprint distance starting close behind the Olympic distance makes the roads and paths very busy. It slowed me up slightly in a few places on the bike but really it is not a problem.

Once again I hate transitions. I got turned around getting back to rack my bike and wasted 30-60 seconds finding my rack. Yep that’s the penalty for being stupid.

My plan for the run was to go out at an easier pace than I had in previous races and then come home stronger. The shorter sprint distance don’t really give you the chance to do this but the 10km Olympic distance means you can work in the negative split a bit more. My stuck to my plan and by the 4km mark was feeling strong. Still beating myself up for the poor transition. The run course is a nice course and it goes out down beach road toward Melbourne. At 2.5km mark it turns around and comes back beside the beach. It then heads up where you turn around and do it again. I had drunk so much on the bike that I hadn’t needed to drink on the run.

At this point I told myself to focus on the race and put the transition behind me. I upped the pace and just focused on small goals. The path was busy but I was only blocked a few times and normally it was fairly wide. If others can remember not to block the track when waving to friends and family that would be good as well. I kept up a higher pace until with 1km to go I gave it everything. The legs were heavy but I felt really good.

Super Sprint put on a great event but I am sure they must have got my times wrong. I can’t believe I went that fast. 10minutes better than my Noosa time. 30minutes faster than last year in a time of 2hours 24minutes. Put me 21^st in my age group and 109 overall.

The learning that comes out of this one are:

1. TRANSITIONS – practice them.

2. The run pacing works so, do it again. Start at an easy pace then fire it up at the end.

3. With good pre-race eating I don’t need a gel during the race.

For another article on this race click here http://firstoffthebike.com/races/547-gatorade-race-three

ODT up next

The XMAS and New Year cheer is over and the Triathlon season continues. I hope that everyone has had a good break from work and found time to catch up with family and friends.

 

As the weather wasn’t great for the beach here in Melbourne my goal of spending lots of time in the water and getting in some swims turned into one of lots of trail runs through the hills. I clocked my longest week of running (140kms in a week) but 0kms on the bike as I did not take it away with me. It was great running though the forests on a variety of surfaces and seeing all the wild life. Just had to keep an eye out for snakes – not that I saw any. My legs, knees and feet were up the challenge of the longer weeks running and I came out of the week with only some minor tiredness.

 

The next race is the Olympic Distance Tri at Sandy so this week finds me winding back the training to make sure I am in peak energy state. Just a short taper to make sure the energy levels are good and the legs are not too fatigued.

Great Vic Bike Ride 2008

Great Vic Bike Ride 2008

Friday 28th November to Sunday 7th December 2008 This was the second time that we have been on the Great Victorian Bike ride and me, my son (13) and father in law were really looking forward to another great week of cycling, meeting new friends, catching up with old friends and the great Victorian scenery. If you want to read my log from last year then please click here. This year the route was a loop starting and finishing in Ballarat. There seems to be much discussion around if this is a good idea or not. For me it just meant that as it was close enough to Melbourne to drive to, my wife could drop us off at the start line. More

Gatorade Race 1 2008/2009 Triathlon

The big news for the first Gatorade Triathlon on the 2008/2009 series was the weather. St Kilda puts on a great venue except when its rained a bucket the day before and the wind is gale force. The swim was forced to be cancelled due to the poor water quality so the race was back to a run / ride / run. Having never done that format before it was going to be an interesting day. The forecast was for rain easing to showers – forecaster speak for wet.

Luckily the day did not produce any rain. Wind yes but no rain. Overcast and a temperature of 11-13DegC made it a day that you might want to stay in bed for. Cold to stand around in but great for racing. Lots of Triathlete’s turned out for a great race. Many others (200-300 ish) wimped it and didn’t race.

The first run was a 2km dash up towards Port Melbourne and back. It was over before you got into a rhythm really. Just upped the heart rate and warmed you up so you could hit T1 hard.

T1 was nice and easy without a wetsuit to take off. I was wearing socks so the feet flew out of the runners and into the cycle shoes. Leapt onto the bike and headed off downwind. It took me the first few kilometers to manage to keep the machine in a straight line and I was luck the road was quiet. The wind was really strong, really strong. Hit the downwind turn around point and felt the full fury of the wind. Being by the bay there is no where to hide. Riding at 30kms into the wind was like going up a steep hill. Lots of draft busters out on the course which was good to see.

Almost at the turn around point at Elwood where you turn into the car park, I was almost taken out by a guy who thought that he was at the turning point. Missed me by centimeters. All I could hear was F###k F###k. The turn around point was another 1/2km from there and it was a great relief to everyone. Pointed the machine down the hill and headed off. 45-50km/hr downwind was great fun and less effort than the way up. The turn around to head back upwind was not going to be fun but I gritted the teeth and put the head down. Headwinds like this make the Tri bars worth their weight in gold. Also the practice on the Tri bars and I think losing a few kgs, mean I can spend as long as I want working at high rates in the tri position. Its worth the time as its much easier than it was last year.

T2 was a quick one for me and headed off onto the run. Tried to keep out of the wind on the way out by drafting other runners – yes that’s legal. Hit the turn around point and hammered it home.

Overall it was a great day. One of my best times for each leg but felt it should have been faster. I suppose if I am 100% happy then the motivation to train harder just wouldn’t be there. I came 22 in age group in 1:08hrs. Next time I will go faster.

Look forward to seeing everyone at the last Gatorade Tri of the year on the 15^th December.

 

Noosa 2008 Triathlon

Noosa 2008 Triathlon

It must have been 6 months ago when I first decided that I would do ‘Noosa’. I say decide but what I really mean was that the director of entertainment had given permission for it to be a family holiday. The Noosa triathlon is an institution in triathlon circles as one of the big races. It attracts both the big names in the business and us age group tri-bes. Emma Snowsill is the leading lady of the day and was back to try and keep her title.

My six months of training has passed with a level of anticipation for the event like no other event – even the marathon in Sydney. I had told everyone I knew that I was doing Noosa and had lots of support. Not that non-tri-bes could understand my enthusiasm.

This was the first time I have travelled with my bike so planning was important to making sure that all went well. Outline of the plan was:-

1. Flew Virgin. They take bikes and it only accounted for 5kgs of luggage allowance no matter the weight. They have since changed the rules so check if you are travelling with Virgin.

2. How to get from Sunshine airport to Noosa with four people, four bags and a bike. Hire a large enough car was my solution. Kia Carnival did the trick and was cheap as well.

3. Travel with enough time to acclimatise before the race and wind down after the race. Keeps the family happy as well.

4. How to pack the bike for the trip. A soft bike bag was my choice that came with wheels to make it easier to drag it along. Even so it was awkward.

The bike arrived at its destination along with the other 15 or so in good condition. The car was ready for us and all the bags and bike fitted inside with room to spare.

The event is billed as the biggest Triathlon in Australia. I am not sure if this is true (after seeing the BRW corporate Tri) but it’s a really big event. 2500 individual competitors + the teams is a lot of bikes in transition.

The organisation is great from USM events as the whole triathlon went off with no hitches.

The weekend starts with registration and bike racking on the Saturday. Saturday was a hot day of 30+ degrees and for us Melbournites or Mexicans as I call myself, the standing and walking around in the sun was HOT. This of course made me nervous that the race day would be hot. Coming from Melbourne where the morning are still cold at around 10-12 degrees and it only getting to the low 20’s, 30+ degrees and humid was a real shock.

Race day turned out not to be as hot as Saturday, but came in around 25 degrees. Transition opened at 5:30 and closed at 6:15 and my waved went at 7:11. The morning was an early one and I left our apartment at 5:15 for the 2km walk to the start. Chatted to the other Tri-bes and the vibe of the day got set in.

Water temperature was 24.9 so it was a non-wet suit race. Great this would suit the strong swimmers and I knew I was a good swimmer. Also saves the T1 time of getting off the wet suit. The swim is in the Noosa canals so its given that its flat. It’s a great course going around a small island before ending close the starting point. The start is a deep water start, meaning that you don’t start on the beach and run out, but start in deep water and just start swimming. The swim course is thin in places but I still found lots of clear water to swim my own race which I really like. My plan is always to go wide, if it saves my getting into the washing machine, then its worth the extra few meters.

Getting to the end of the race I felt good. Was I too good – should I have pushed harder? My heart rate had been kept fairly low the whole swim and I left the water with lots of energy left.

The transition are is tight due to the small space and large numbers of bikes. Still I had a good run through and exited with my bike quickly. It really is easier without having to get a wet suit off.

The bike course is a great course. You ease off through Noosa Ville through round abouts and across speed humps. I used this time to get the legs moving and keep out of trouble from other riders. I was passing lots of slower riders from early waves. Not all of the guys younger than me are faster than me.

Heading our of Noosa ville allowed me to pick up speed and get into a comfortable rhythm. I knew that ‘the hill’ came at around the 10km mark so tried to keep the energy output low until then. Still white line fever always makes me push hard on the bike and today was no different. The turn off onto the hill is a sharp left hander and the road surface is not great. I hit the hill and found that many guys were starting to struggle. Of course as the other riders speed slowed they spread out across the road. Still I managed to weave through most of it without trouble. It was pleasing to pass the guys with the full carbon wheels and they struggled up the hills. The hill goes for around 2kms and rises 200m so its not a huge hill. Its equivalent to say ½ to 1/3 of mount Dandenong in Melbourne. Still it was the biggest climb I had done in a Triathlon before so I was nervous to make sure that I could get to the top in good shape. I started the climb at 30km/hr and finished it out of the saddle at 24km/hr so was happy with the efforts.

The hill is followed by a down hill rest and then a few more undulations before the turn around point. Its at this point that I released that I had had a tail wind all of the way out. The head wind was quite strong so there was no rest on the way back. There were also a few undulations to go up that tested some other riders. You do not go down the hill the same way that you go up. It’s a 2km climb up but the down hill route is really short. I hit 85+ on the way down – which I must say is the fastest I have been on my bike.

At the bottom of the hill I came across a bigger group and stayed together until the end. There was a fair bit of drafting involved but due to the thin roads I suppose a lot of it could not be avoided. Good excuse I suppose. One of the officials at the end of the race thought that this had been one of the cleanest – less drafting – than most other races. Still for me it I had seen more drafting in this one race than any other I had been involved in.

Transition to the run was a good one. I had dropped the heart rate on the ride into the transition as it was on tight roads, around round about and across speed humps with lots of other riders around.

Every other triathlon I had done the run was my weakest leg. This time I was sure that that all the running I had done through the year would make the run leg a good one.

Leapt off the bike and headed out on the run. Felt Ok and headed off at a 4:00min/km pace which is fast for me. 3kms in I started to get stressed by the heat. It wasn’t a hot day but the sun and the humidity really started to bite. The course is a great run along the canals and back again. There were lots of locals out to support the event with a cheer or a water hose down. And let me tell you the water was most welcome and the cheers really kept me going. Slowed down to cope with the heat and headed to the finish. The run dnded up with 4:30min/kms so was quite happy.

The cool down section is always great to catch up with fellow competitors, take on some drinks and water melon and just cool down and Noosa is no exception.

It was a great race and I will be back again next year. My goal was to go faster the 2:30 and I beat this to come in at 2:24. Really stoked.

My swim was the slowest leg (compared to others) and the bike was the fastest. This was a change from previous races where I usually went faster in the swim and then slowed down through the ride and run. Hmm whats the best strategy?

Around the bay in a day 2008

Yes it was a great day on Sunday when thousands of cyclists came out to ride around Port Philip bay in Melbourne. I always wonder where all these cyclist come from. For more read here. http://www.cyclingsports.com.au/Blog/ARB2008.htm

Around the bay in a day - preparation

Its just a few days over 1 week until ‘Around the Bay in a Day’ here in Sunny Melbourne so I hope that everyone is prepared. If its your first time to make it whole way around or just meeting a new personal goal I wish you luck. I am back for the 210km again this year.

 

This will be my eight time and I am still looking forward to it. I think I am getting more casual on the preparation each year. If I was going out for 110+ ride I wouldn’t prepare a huge amount so why is this nay different. The support is great, there is always food and water around and the ride ferry trip gives you a rest.

 

What I will take and wear.

1. Favorite Knicks – well bib-knicks really
2. Undershirt and Jersey
3. Leg and arm warmers for the morning. Remember its going to be cold at 6:00am
4. Cap or sweat band
5. Helmet
6. Two biddons on the bike.
7. Two spare tubes and tyre leavers
8. Mini pump
9. Gatorade x 2. One to drink at the start line – I ride to the start 15kms and one for the rip down.
10. Bananas x 2
11. Power bar or mars bar x 2 or one of each.
12. Mobile phone, camera, money and VISA card

 

That’s it. It all fits into the jersey and knick pockets and gets lighter as I ride. By the time I get to the ferry the food is almost gone and I replenish from the lunch provided.

 

I will taper slightly before the day – maybe -  and as my other blogs have said I am not big on carbo loading. I will probably eat more carbs 2-3 days before hand. If you want a good link to a write up – try here. http://www.ausport.gov.au/ais/nutrition/factsheets

 

It’s a great day so take it safe, talk to as many people as you can and be patient.

 

Sydney Marathon

That was the hardest event I have ever done. Harder than the firs pier to pub I swam where I almost got beaten up in the swim wash cycle, harder than the Olympic distance Tri with a sore leg and definitely harder than the half marathon.

I would like to say it all went to plan. I would like to say I ran a clever race. I would like to say I completed it with some energy left. I would like to say I enjoyed all of it. I would like to say I met my goal of 3:40 or better. In actual fact none of this happened, not one.

The day was a warm Sydney September day with the day before being the hottest September day in 40 years at 33Deg C. Yes, It was nice cruising the harbor on the ferries.

The morning started at 20 degrees which was very nice to start off as keeping warm before the race was not an issue. The sky was free from clouds and the sun was already starting to bite. Not that hot you would say but I had done all of my training in good old Melbourne weather of 11Degs or lower.

We stayed at the Vibe Hotel which overlooked the first 20meters of the race, so the trip to the start line was really short. The free breakfast that came with the room was no help as it didn’t start until 6:30 and with a 7:15 start, couldn’t really take it up. Got out of bed at 6:00am and had a normal breakfast to start with. Banana, muesli and a power bar. I took on lots to drink as normal before a race.

I was well rested for the start of the race after a week of tapering and carbo loading and felt good to go. I hadn’t really tried the tapering and carbo loading before. I did feel good before the race. Lots of energy, no soreness anywhere and ready to go.

The race started and climbed up from the water and headed over the Sydney harbour bridge. This is where my troubles started. It was a ‘full marathon’ so don’t go as fast as the half, I should have been telling myself. The scenery was great as we headed down south and the pace was kept quite fast. The party goers on Oxford street cheered or jeered as we past as we must have been a strange sight after being in a club all night. There was a strong contingent of police on hand for the race but no where more so than Oxford street. From there we joined the Sunday runners around centennial park for a circuit. Centennial park looks like a nice place to run around and still close to the city.

At the 10km mark I look at the time and thought – hmm this is to fast at near 4:00 min/kms I should slow down. I backed it off slightly but with thoughts of glory going through my head, I didn’t back it off enough. By the half way point (21kms) which was off near Randwick race course, I still felt good in a time of 1:34, but had not really backed it off enough. Not a bad time for a half marathon if that was the end. The only one I have raced to date was 1:31 so my pace was definitely to fast.

The half way point we headed back into the city and then out west along the city west link to Lilyfield for a quick 10-12 km loop. The huge ships unloading cars were an interesting distraction as I plodded past.

Once again I said to myself – back it off or you aren’t going to make it. This time I did and a few guys started to pass me which really hurts the pride. But it was too late. At the 28 km mark there was a down hill stretch and the legs started to say – Its too hard, stop. By now more people were passing me.

It was a real battle to get to the 32km point and the “pain locker” was full. On training runs I hadn’t started to fill the locker until this point so I was really 5kms down. It was really going to be hard work.

With 10kms to go, it was going to be a struggle. Water stations were a great excuse to stop and stretch and take on water and gels. Small inclines felt like mountains and the down hills were even worse on the thighs. I was in a world of pain with hips and thighs hurting the worst. My knees and feet didn’t trouble me.

The run was fast turning into a shuffle and more and more guys and gals were walking long stretches. My goal was really just to complete the race and thoughts of a time were out of my head. The 3:30marker runner went past me and I knew I was in trouble.

Thoughts of “why am I doing this” and “I am never going to do another one” went through my head again and again. I guy came slowly past me and said “Don’t give up mate we are all in pain” and that just about summed it up. Make a bigger “pain locker” I said to myself.

The last 4kms I had the run down to a slow but steady pace. We all agreed that we were “F$$ked”

It was a great relief to see the bridge again and work my way under its majestic pylons which provided some shade. The best view rounding the bend and seeing circular quay and across towards the Opera house and the finish line.

The crowd was great and the encouragement was just fantastic. Many thanks to all of the people who lined the whole course. We might not have had the energy to show the gratitude but believe me it was almost all that was keeping me going towards the end. Even if your weren’t cheering for us it was a real help to keep us going.

Heading around circular quay towards the Opera house was just great. With the finish just in front of the Opera house you couldn’t ask for a better view. I hit the line in 3:44mins and was really glad to be there. The feeling was great – I had now just done my first marathon – and survived, well only just.

I sat and stretched on the grass and thought to myself. Next year run a better/smarter race and you can go faster. Do more long runs and you can go faster. The memory of the pain is getting hazy. My time was slightly over my goal of 3:40 but I am still happy.

So I will be back for more next year.

Tips to myself for next year:

1. Carry some gels on the person. Some of the water stops had some gels but it was distracting to find them.
2. START OFF SLOWER
3. Calculate pace more often and stick to a plan
4. Do more long runs. Get more used to running 30+kms.
5. Hydration was good but maybe electrolyte needed topping up more in the warmer than expected weather.

What worked well this year:

1. Staying near the start line. I got lots of sleep and had no stress getting to the start line.
2. Shoes and socks and feet held up well.
3. Hydration worked well.
4. Carbo loading seemed to work. Go to the AIS web site for a good article.

Marathon Training - the day gets closer

Its three weeks out from my first marathon. Three weeks is enough time for me to not be concerned but not far enough out for any more serious training efforts to really count. With that said, I am really looking forward to the day. The marathon I am doing is in Sydney so the route should be really spectacular. It’s going to be a great weekend even if the plane trip home is going to be hard to sit still on.

My training has been going to my sketchy plan. The long runs have increased to max out at 34kms. It takes longer each time for me to really start to plod so hopefully the adrenaline on the day will take me the last 8kms. I have kept my weight down and am 75kgs which is the lightest I have been since high school. This will not doubt help the run and the Tri season that will start afterwards. I am not a lightweight by any stretch. The sketchy plans are more than I usually do so it can only help. I try to keep a good balance of hard weeks, cross train weeks and resting weeks. It often gets broken by work, travel and family but at least I have started with a plan.

The rest of my training has really focused on the run with the week total increasing steadily. Each week I would now usually do 40-50km with a long week of 70-90kms. Over the year I am just below 40kms per week average but this also counts the slow start and travel weeks where the distance decreases. In the last few weeks I have added the swimming back into the mix to give some variety and make sure I don’t drop it to much with the Tri season coming in around 8 weeks. The bike is probably one cross train that isn’t getting enough attention and probably wont until after the marathon.

My wife and kids say that I am now too skinny. Dropping from 80kgs to 75kgs has taken away the padding. It makes me colder in the winter – or maybe that’s just getting older. I am looking forward to getting back into the hills on the bike, as this is where I should notice the weight loss the most. It definitely beats being a bike weight weenie and spending mega bucks. Where can you loose 5kgs on the bike anyway..

Training in the winter

You have to love the winter for inspiring you to train. OK so maybe not but it is still a great time of the year to build the base fitness and work on the skills. Here in Melbourne the winters are not a cold as Europe or the USA, but the mornings are 0-5DegC and the day maximums are around 12DegC. Plenty cold enough for me so call me a wimp.

The way to cope with training in the winter is to have the correct clothing and equipment to keep warm. Cycling for example is all about layering to make sure you can vary your warmth as you go. I commute to work and the difference in temperatures between the morning and afternoon can be a lot so I need to be prepared. What I wear is:

• Longs with insert. Super Roubaix
• Undershirt
• Long sleeved fleece jersey
• Wind vest
• Skull cap with ear covers
• Shoe covers
• Long fingered gloves

That is enough for me to cope with the coldest morning and provides the ability to be reduced as I warm up.

Getting a wind trainer is another method of getting the training in without freezing. Nice and pleasant to sit inside and spin the wheels. I have not really got into using one and really prefer to be outside on the roads but have lots of friends who do. It’s not that cold and wet that you can’t get outside and ride.

I have not worked out the best running setup for me. I get a lot warmer running so need to be able to layer more. My biggest problem is that my hands get really cold so I need to invest in some gloves.

Swimming is great in the winter as the indoor pools are nice and warm. Melbourne has lots of indoor pools and heated outdoor pools with most of them 50meters. I am never really more than 1-3kms from a pool. Some cross training usually inspires me to run to and from the pool. It really does beat taking the car to get exercise. I never do understand people who drive the Gym.

And on my year goals. Have reached my weight target, signed up for the Sydney marathon, signed up for Noosa Olympic distance triathlon. ALL ON TRACK.

1/2 Marathon wash up

I was going to start this with more comments on Melbourne weather but as it was just cold and raining – I think I will skip it.

The day of the ½ marathon was here and I was excited. My first ever foot race by itself.

As it was going be take me 1:30 to 1:40 the energy requirements would be similar to a normal sprint triathlon. This helped me plan the morning with my usual breakfast of cereal. Banana and Powerbar on the way to the event and some Gatorade before the event. It all worked well but it was a bit more compressed than I was used to as there was not pre-race setup like for a tri.

The start line was a mass of people with a roped area for those wanted to run less than 1:30. Great I can pace myself with one of them. My goal was between 1:30 and 1:40 - hopefully closer to 1:30. Having never run over 15kms I was not sure what would happen I the last part.

The first 2kms of the race was narrow so the pace was slow and the running was harder than I am used to. Not like running by yourself or a few friends which is most of my training. The start took use past the picturesque Flinders St Station, across the Yarra then back again to Federation square and down St Kilda road. When we hit St Kilda road the gong was easier as it got wider.

My goal was to find one of those 1:30 or less runners and follow them. Unfortunately the ones I had targeted to follow disappeared behind me quickly – OK new plan. Run my own race.

The course went up and around the Botanical gardens with a gradual climb. Back down Anderson street hill where I let the legs run away and gain some real speed. Normally my down hills are slow affairs but this felt good.

The course then crossed the river, Along batman avenue to turn around again and go around the MCG and park. The hill up through the MCG car park was a good one to sort some guys and gals out. A quick run up the hill beside the Fitzroy gardens and back to the start line for one more loop.

After the first circuit I felt good. Legs in good order and breathing well. Hit the second loop with renewed vigor to keep the pace going. At the 15km mark I thought to myself that I had never run this far before – wow. At the 18km mark the going got tuff. The last hill up beside Fitzroy gardens was really tuff and a few guys struggled (I hope ) past me. From here it was all down hill so I let it rip and past the few that had gone past me before and headed for home.

It was a great feeling doing the 21.1kms and could have gone further.

What would I do differently – not much really.

Final result was a negative split 1:31:36 or 4:20second / km in 166 place from the 2500 runners – I was REALLY happy.

Now for the marathon. Serious.

East Link Ride

It was a cold but clear Sunday morning when a new freeway was open to cyclist. How many mad cyclists would go to a road that was newly open. Yes it would be the only time you could ride it and yes you would not be tolled but really – 20,000 people is crazy. Bike Vic events that I have been on are usually very well run. I suppose that the overwhelming numbers of cyclists put their efforts to the test.

I chose on the 65km ride and was very disappointed when no details of the arrangement were sent to me via either email or post before the event. The 65 is not organised by Bike Vic – just to clarify. The ride was to be timed so I was expecting timing pods, bib etc. I contacted the organizer on the Thursday before the event and was told it was in the post and if it didn’t arrive, pick one up on the day. No explanation as to why they take the money really quickly but didn’t even confirm my entry or provide a receipt by email as promised. Its now Wednesday and they still haven't arrived so I really wonder if they were sent at all.

So I turned up on the day. Chose to ride to the start (no car if you read the rest of my Blog) as it added a nice 25km for a warm up. Amazed by how busy it was and the number of cars at this early start. The line to pick up tags was huge so I decided to give it a miss and ride naked so to speak. Many other took this option and eventually they closed the registration as there was no hope of them coping.

The 65 ride itself was a very good one as I got my self out to the front of the ride and could hammer along to my hearts content. Pit we only really got one lane to ride in. No steep hills and the surface was great. A few crashes with at least one needing an ambo. 40km/hr average at the end so was happy.

The worst part was the end – no one could tell me how to get off the ride and back onto the normal roads. They ending up sending me around to start again the rest of the 20,000 people – see the pic to see how busy it was.

Went out to watch my son play footy to had a nice 130km day.

Half Marathon - here I come

It’s just under two weeks to go to the run to Melbourne – half marathon here in sunny Melbourne. I am looking forward to a good hard run. Two loops of the tan with a back loop through the city make it a nice flat and easy run. 7:15am start means that it might be cold. Very cold for me who usually runs at midday. 5DegC is most likely so over heating shouldn’t be a problem. The 7:15am on a Sunday is not a welcome start. My wife says I should ride to the start? I bet she wont give me a lift at that time of the morning so maybe the bike is the bet.

 

Training has been good for the last two weeks from the QLD trip. Increasing the training length to build on my winter goal of increased endurance in the run. 55km and 65km distance in the last two weeks has I hoped helped in the build up to the half marathon. I probably should be spending more time on speed  / interval training if I truly wanted to compete but as I am using this as part of the overall training program I am relatively happy. My swimming has been dropped like a hot potatoe and I really need to get back into the pool for some decent training sessions. This may end up my lowest swim distance in a few years but with the increased ride and run training, the goal is to make it a faster triathlon come Noosa.

 

So what is my time goal for the half marathon? Less than 100minutes is on the books. Would love to have less than 90minutes but I think I am dreaming. I don’t know what the traffic is going to be like so will just enjoy it.

 

Have I got to my weight goal yet – No. Stop typing now – too good on the tooth but will persist. Still no alcohol and a stick to getting there.

 

Have I missed my car? It’s been two months now and I really haven’t missed my car. The little JAZZ is a good run about and uses no petrol when compared to the V8 Clubby. The tyres for my commuter bike cost a whole $50 a set which is less than a tank of fuel so running costs have gone through the floor. I don’t feel any richer – but I must have saved at least $1500. I bet my kids spent it when I wasn’t looking.

 

Revolution 3 is on Thursday (June 12 2008, Vodaphone arena Melbourne) with the Olympians having their last hit out before Beijing. Looking forward to a great evening of fast and furious cycling. I hope everyone has it in the diary. Melbournits anyway.

Queensland visit

Two weeks traveling in Queensland has left my training rather lacking. OK not so much lacking as non-existent. A few swims has made up all of the training if you don’t count the extra eating, driving and touristing. It was great to see the way that cycling has been taken up in Brisbane, the Goldcoast and the Sunshine coast. I am sure there is more they can do but the amount of cycle tracks and on-road cycle lanes was more than I expected.

With my current favorite place, Noosa, being a good example. Noosa is a great place to visit with great boating, food and swimming. The bay was sensational and this was one opportunity to get in a nice swim. Noosa is my favorite place as I want to compete in the Triathlon there this year. I was chatting to the information desk lady on Hasting street and she said that the locals don’t like the Noosa Triathlon. The reasons given was that

- it made the town extremely busy for the one day

- Triathletes don’t spend much

- Hotels book for one night only putting of longer stay tourists.

- Hotel rooms damaged by bikes in the rooms.

- Hasting street very quiet as all the action was on the canal.

Very interesting feedback and I hope that other locals don’t feel the same way. Will find out later in the year. The Triathlon course looks sensational with the canal swim going to be a real treat. For us Melbournites the water temperature was really warm. 22DegC I believe with the canal a bit colder. Probably a wet suit swim still.

Winter Blues - Training

As it heads into Winter here in Melbourne the mental effort to train and train consistently increase significantly. As the weather gets colder and wetter (well it will eventually) I find it harder to get outside and train. Yes I know that overseas in Europe and the USA they train in the snow, but here in Melbourne when it’s below 10 and definitely below 5DegC it’s hard to venture outside to train. The cold is great as you don’t overheat but it does cause its own problems.

Winter Goals

I have been thinking long and hard about my winter training goals and now can put them down.

1. Commute to work – Now I have sold my car its not such a s goal as just continue.
2. Hit race weight. I am not a fly weight at 80kgs and do carry some extra weight. My goal is to hit 77kgs and even better keep it off. So incentive to get to my race weight is that I am going off the alcohol until I get there. Call me crazy hey.
3. Run a half marathon in June. Run Melbourne. I want to be able to complete it in a reasonable state. This means not just stagger over the finish line but feel like I could go a another km or so. More like compete rather than complete. For this goal I am increasing my run distances while trying not to over do the week’s kms.
1. So to be able to do the half marathon I need to up my maximum run distance from 10kms. Today was my 5^th run at the 14km distance and its starting to feel better. Knees and one hip feel a bit sore but otherwise by the end I still felt like I could do some more. See my route.
2. So when I am more comfortable doing 3-5 off 14km runs a week I am planning to add in a 15-17km run once a week. Maybe up to 20kms. Still looking for a good route. Suggestions welcome.
4. Noosa. Yep Noosa Triathlon late in the year when all of this training will have paid off.
5. Around the bay in a day. Always on the schedule. Great ride of 210km + put on by Bike Vic.

So thats the plan. Half Ironman next year is the other goal.

planned spontaneity

It has been two weeks without a car of my own. Two weeks of being a one small car family for 4 of us and two large dogs. So how has it been. Great is the short answer. Ride to work ever day so that’s no problems especially as the weather has been very friendly. On the weekends we ride to Chadstone. Yes all 4 of us can ride to a shopping center. The first time we did it we made the mistake of forgetting to take bike locks with us. Yep a very green mistake. Luckily a friendly security guard kept an eye on the 4 bikes for us. Now it takes say 1/2hr by car and an hour by bike. For me that’s a great result as we get two hours of exercise and you get there much less stressed than driving and having to find a park.

So my saying is now that we need to have “planned spontaneity”. If we want to go for a drive on the weekend that’s going to be more comfortable in a bigger car then we need to plan to hire one.

Trade the car for a bike

For most Australians a large part of your identity is what car you drive. I am sure this is true for most males and I have been no exception. From my first car that was a great panel van to my last V8 Clubsport I had always loved my car and felt it somehow made my identity. Maybe it’s a maturity thing or just a stage of my life but I no longer have the same feelings for a car. My kids seemed to feel more attached to it than I did. My wife and I have had a car each for more than 15 years so the thought of going back to one car is quite scary. OK so I am not thinking of having no car in the family but rather just one. The one we are keeping is a small economical Honda.

So why have we had two cars for so many years? In many cases we both had to drive to work in different directions. We probably could have used more public transport but then we worked on the edges of Melbourne and the time required and the requirement to drop of kids at kinder, child care and school meant it wasn’t possible. For the last two years it’s really just been convenience as we have either worked close by or even at the same place and the kids have walked to school. The discussion on kids walking to school is for another day.

For the last year + I have been an avid cycle commuter. See here for more. Every day I would ride out past the car sat in the drive way and return in the evening, going past the car again. Occasionally on the weekend we would both go out in different directions in separate cars but more often I would take my bike anyway. In the last year I had clocked up 10,000 kms so it proves how little we used it. So we listed when we used two cars.

1. Work trips during the week
2. Dropping of kids at friends houses when the other was at work.
3. Holidays when we needed to carry more stuff than the Honda could carry.
4. Weekends when one of us was using the car for work.

The list didn’t seem so long. Surely we could make do with only one car. The cost of the V8 Clubby each year was a lot. Its probably better not to think about it but it must be close to $1000 per month or more. WOW that’s a lot of taxi trips, rental cars or train tickets. If I didn’t have a car would I have to spend more time with the kids and is that good? (just kidding)

Both kids walk or ride to school so we don’t need a car to do the drop off. We would need a large four wheel drive it fit in with the school mums anyway.

With all this in mind, three weeks ago I advertised the Clubby for sale. Yesterday I got the cash and left the car with its new owner. It was great to pay off the lease and put the rest of the cash in the bank. The new owner asked if I would miss the car. No I am not sentimental about a piece of machinery but I may miss being a car owner.

So today is the first day I am have no car. It almost feels like going to a party and saying “No I don’t drink”. Will people just look at me like I am from another planet or is this just my feeling?

So the plan is:
1. My wife needs a car to transport boxes etc and move around places. No option really but the little Honda does wonders.
2. Me, I am going to have No car. Commute to work on the bike. Public transport if I am lazy or its too wet/cold and I am sick.
3. Hire a car on the weekends when we need to go away. The little Honda is very full with four people and two large dogs.
4. Taxis for the times when I used my car for work.
5. Taxis when stuck on the weekend we both need to go in different directions.
6. Public transport. Hmm still not a fan.

So with half a day gone I am finally going cold Turkey. Stay tuned to see if I make it.

Daniel does his first Brooks Triathlon

The last race of the 2007/2008 Gatorade Triathlon series was another well run and well participated event. With over 2000 triathletes braving the cold Melbourne morning to compete in ideal conditions at StKilda. The StKilda location is not my favorite one of the season with my favorite place going to Port Arlington even though its over 1 hour drive away. Even so the StKilda location produces a great course. The swim is in the bay as always and sheltered by the StKilda pier, the ride is along beach road is nice and wide and flat and the same goes for the run. The worst part for me is the turn around point at the Elwood end of the course. You have to turn right into a car park and then make a tight u turn at the end of the car park. The surface isn’t good and it’s easy to get caught and delayed or worse by other riders not aware or giving room to other riders. More..

Visualize your race

Its 2 days before the last Tri of the series and with bragging rights of a good series finish on the line the pressure is mounting. Current sat in 19^th place out of 140 in my age group the potential to finish in the top 20 and at least top 20% is very real. Way above a goal I would have given myself at the start of the series when I was just recovering from a fractured foot and had only run 5kms a few times. The potential to move up and down the ranking is huge as the time gaps are small. A minute either way and I will go up or down 5 places. Increase this to say 2 minutes for a bad or great transition then a top ten finish or a 30% finish is possible.

The start of a race has always been a time to calm the nerves and get ready to go. It’s not a sprint race so I don’t think I need to be tightly wound on the start line. Visualize the race has been a technique I have started. The idea is to see yourself going through the race. Mentally take yourself through the race to understand what you are going to do and ease the nervous tension when you are doing it. A good example is to visualize yourself in the transitions. In the last few minutes before you do a transition, put yourself on auto-pilot for awhile (I do it all the time when training anyway) and go through it in your head. See yourself taking off the wet suit, finding your bike, put on the helmet, shoes and go. Interesting the first time I tried this I wasted 1 ½ minutes when I couldn’t find my bike rack. It’s not fool proof but I do feel it helps.

The visualization technique can also help you see yourself performing well and enhance your performance. You are more likely to succeed if you believe in yourself and your ability than if you don’t. There are many many books out there and maybe, if you don’t already use it, can help. For me its like a last minute practice or dry run. Easy to do as its all in my head and when you are tired can focus you on what I need to do.

My training was very good before the last race with a regular stint in the office making it possible to get into some regular training and my consistency was really improving. The last month I have been doing some traveling and the consistency has not been nearly as good. Instead of running 4-5 times a week at 10-12 km sets I back to 2-4 times with shorter sets. The cycling has also dropped of from >150kms a week to 50-100km a week. As I have been traveling to Queensland I have been able to fit in some good swims so this is the only leg that’s not suffering – but then as its my strongest leg its not the one I need to work on.

110th Austral Wheelrace - More than just training

If you have never been to track cycling then I would recommend its a great place to go and see some serious riding. The beauty of it is that there is a result every 5 minutes, get close to the bikes and athletes, the riders keep coming past you and they have some serious sprinting speed. I love triathlons but I don't think they are a great spectator event. the photo to shows a group of riders traveling at 50km ish. When these guys and gals get wound up they can travel @#$@#$ fast. Especially considering they have no gears.

110th Austral Wheelrace did not have many of the big names of cycling but even so it was a great evening. The personal sprint that a few of the guys put out were un-believable. Malaysia had a team of strong riders competing. One rider in particular (sorry don't know name) could be at the back of the group with 1/2 a lap to go and then with a pure burst of speed, go around the other guys like they were stuck in glue and win the race. He left his run slightly too late in the Austral Wheel race and came second to a well deserving winner.

The next one is mid June 2008 so come along and see the last big hit out before the Olympics for Australia's best track cyclist. Of course many track cyclist go on to race the roads. Stuart O'Grady for one who made the switch so the up coming stars you see on the track may one day be in the Tour.

Back to Training

With three weeks to the last Gatorade Sprint Triathlon of the season, its back into training. My goal is to be in the top 20 for my age group for the series. There are a 140 guys in the 35-39 age group and competition is stiff. At the last tri I was 11mins behind the winner and 8mins behind a podium finish for my age group - so I still have a long way to go. This will be my first year to complete the whole series. Last year was my first year to compete and had to sit out some of the races due to over-training injury.

The more reading I do about training the more I come to realise that there are two items I need to concentrate on.
1. Consistency of training
2. Periodisation of training including rest periods.

I have been fortunate enough not to be injured this year so I have managed to get some good consistency with my training, especially the running. I have let the swimming slip somewhat as its is my strongest leg and the biggest gains can be made from concentrating on the running. With the last tri having a 5km run I am staying with 11k runs 3-5 times a week. I feel good with this amount of consistency and really feel my running is picking up. The hardest part is to keep up the energy levels throughout the whole week and not just drag myself to the next rest day.

Periodisation is my next thing to get my head around. If you train the same intensity all the time then I believe you will not improve as much as if you have hard weeks and easier weeks. Luckily I have been traveling with work a bit so I am forced to have the easier weeks.

BRW Corporate Triathlon

Sunday the 2^nd or March was the big day for all of the corporate triathletes. Over 5100 enthusiastic competitors descended on Elwood at a time that I didn’t know existed on a Sunday morning (set the alarm for 5:20 am). They tell us that it’s the largest triathlon by numbers in the world. The size of the transition compound was huge so I can probably believe it. Click here for more.

BRW Triathlon

Tomorrow is the BRW triathlon here in sunny Melbourne. It promises to be a great day of fun racing as even the weather is going to be good. The forecast is for a sunny day of 11 to 28 deg so just great for racing. There are going to be over 5000 competitors so the days is going to be busy. For a short Triathlon, the question is do you wear a wet suit? 400m swim is almost to short to need one but with a morning temperature of 11Deg maybe I need one for the pre-race wait.

The BRW is billed as a fun event as the distances are short enough so that novices can get into the sport. 400m swim (well by the time you wade in and out probably on 200m of swimming) 10km bike and 4k run. The BRW in Melbourne is extremely popular with a waiting list and try outs for teams just to get in. The Elwood location is a good one as its close to the city and provides all of the legs a nice flat course.

Race 5 Gatorade Elwood, Melb, Vic

A beautiful Sunday in Melbourne welcomed spectators and competitors alike to Race 5 of the Gatorade series. The weather was the best we have seen this season, with light winds, and temperatures in the mid to low 20’s. The day eventually got quite hot (max 32 deg C), but the morning was a pleasant temperature to race in. It was much better than the first race of the season, back in St Kilda, when it rained and dark thunderstorms were circling. The other three races weren’t much better. The Rest

Two days unitl next race

Its two days until the next sprint Triathlon and for the first time this season my training is getting more regular. With the run by far the weakest leg for me, I have been focusing on this. For two weeks now I have managed to get a good basis of run training in. It might not be record pace but its starting to feel more like a rhythm than just pain. Last week 3 x 10km and 1x6km runs and felt good after the last one.

Can commuting to work by bike be good training? Anyone any ideas?

Cycle & Triathlon the Journey