Kia Ora!
I wanted to borrow the Kiwi greeting from my mate Robo from kiwitriathlete.com this week. I figured this was appropriate as I am just back in Oz after a weekend in Taupo, the triathlon heart of New Zealand. If you are not aware of Taupo it is an amazing town on the edge of Lake Taupo (prounouced "toe-paw"). Taupo is were Iron Man New Zealand is held each year and is an example of a town that really gets behind an event. I headed to Taupo with my wife, Dez and friend Matho and we were met by Robo for theTaupo 70.3 on the weekend. This is the same race I did last year. In fact, my end to 2016 has been almost identical to how I finsihed 2015. I did the same two trips and the same 3 races. To take it even further, with the exception of my puncture disaster I even had the same results. We arrived in Taupo on Wednesday night and we were greeted with some less than stellar weather conditions. New Zealand is a bit like Melbourne though. The weather is all over the place. On Thursday we did an early morning swim of the course and let me tell you. The lake was FREEZING. I was so cold that I could not control my fingers in the water. I remeber the lake being cold from the year before but this was unlike anything I had ever experienced. Luckliy the lake did warm up a bit before race day. The weather however put some training plans on hold and instead gave us the opportunity to play tourist which was nice. Being surrounded by a good group of friends was a big help in ensuring that I got to the race calm and ready to go. Before we get into the race I just want to get something out of the way. While the result was far from my fastest time, I am incredibly proud of this performance. I really feel like I raced the race. I remained present at all times and when it hurt, I went even harder. Now with that off my chest lets get into the race recap. BEFORE The 30-34 age group was literally the last wave start (except for teams) on race day. I think we kicked off just before 7am. It was however still a very early start. Out of bed at 4am and in transition at 5am. I had decided to get myself set up as quickly as I could and then head back to our place to chill for a while. If you have been reading lately you will know that I have started to use meditation in my pre-race preparation and this was no exception. A good 25 minutes of meditation and I was in a good place. I was incredibly nervous leading into this race. I was really scared I was going to have another mechanical issue on the bike. The meditaion helped me to calm my mind and not focus too much on it. The weather had continued to defy the forecast and it was actually looking like it was going to be a very nice day. One of the other real advantages of where we were staying was that I was able to get ready for the swim in our apartment and then walk down to the swim start with Dez. When we arrived I realised we had actually cut it quite fine as I was rushed into the start area just before we were let into the water. Nothing for it but to get stuck into my 20th 70.3 race. THE SWIM So did I mention the water was cold? While it was much better than it had been it was still bloody cold. Especially for this poor sook who had spent two weeks swimming in the 27c waters of Thailand. In the swims leading up to the race I had noticed how high my heart rate would go when I tried to swim quickly. I really was not very comfortable in the cold water. At the start line I decided to start a bit wide to avoid the crowd and then with less than a minute to the start I made a last minute decision to move closer to the action. I assumed my position just as the start siren sounded. I started swimming hard and after about 100m noticed that I was terrified. I was panicking really badly in the water. I was surounded by people and I could hardly breathe. I worked really hard to get this under control but it was terrifying. It just shows that even after 20 70.3's the swim can still be scary. As I settled myself down I noticed the guy to my left was starting to move ahead. Lake Taupo is some of the clearest water I have ever swum in. So I made the decision to jump on his feet. This was the best swim decision I ever made. As soon as I focused on his bubbles the swim became easy. I had one task, follow him and that is what I did. There isn't much to say about the majority of the swim. I literally followed him for a good 1.2kms. It was turning into a dream swim. I noticed as we approaced the final turn buoy that the guy I was following started to pick up the pace. As I increased my kick to go with him my right calf was struck by a horrific cramp. This is the first time I had ever cramped in the swim of a 70.3. I had to stop and tried to stretch it out. It wasn't working. I resumed swimming in an attempt to straighten my leg. It was still bad. Man, was this the start of another disaster? Was I even going to be able to get into the shore. The cramp settled but I could still feel it. I realised I would have to swim the last 300m into shore without being able to kick. I shudder to think how much time this little incident cost me. But I eventually got to the swim exit. My calf cramped again as soon as I stood up but I had time to make up. I exited the swim in a time of 31:44 and believe me I was happy to be out of the water! T1 Taupo has a long run up to transition. I tried to settle my heart rate and once I got into transition I attempted to be as efficient as I could. I noticed that it had been raining while I was swimming so the decision to lay a towel over my helmet and gear was a good one. I ran my bike to the mount line were I actually struggled to get on my bike. It took me a few attepts to get going. I think the only real criticism I have of the race is that the mount area was very narrow. My T1 time was 4:16. THE BIKE I was really looking forward to the bike. I have improved so much on the bike this year and this was the first time I was racing on the same course for comparrison. I had power numbers I was going to try and hit and felt like I was familiar enough with the course to know where to attack and where to conserve. While the rain had settled down I noticed that there was a bit of wind about. At first it was hardly worth noticing. It would become more obvoius as the day went on. As you leave the town of Taupo there is a long climb. Lots of people really worry about this climb but in reality it isn't anything to concern yourself with. After the climb it is onto the main part of the bike course. The road surfaces are generally rough but nothing too bad. There are some sections where it was very rough but there were no massive potholes or other serious things to be aware of. I found myself overtaking lots and lots of athletes. In fact I had only been overtaken by one person (who also just so happened to be in my age group). After maybe 20km I passed him again and kept riding. If you ride with a disc you will know that they can make some pretty sexy noises. They can also sometimes sound like a cyclist is passing you. I am not sure at what point I heard a noise but when I turned to look I noticed the athlete I had passed was sitting right on my back wheel and well within the draft zone. As I turned to look, some of the sweat also ran across my visor. I tried to shake the sweat off the visor so I could see properly. It is probably one of the only design flaws with a visor. Anywhoo, I think old mate thought I was having a go at him. He rode up next to me and said something to me about shaking my head at him. I replied with some less than polite words about being a drafting cheat. He tried to ride off from me. This lasted for about 2 minnutes before I was forced to pass him again. I think I ended up riding 5 minutes faster than him and is why I maneged to hold onto 3rd place. As we approached the turn around point of the bike, the pace had dropped right down. It was apparent that the wind had picked up and I was grinding at a speed of 33km/h with watts that were way too high. To confirm there was a headwind as soon as I made the turn my speed inceased to well over 40km/h. The ride back became a bit lonely as the riders I was passing became less and less frequent. I had been excited to see Robo was basically at the front of the age group race as he had ridden past me in the opposite direction. His flatmate and coach, Simon Cochrane (who is a real up and coming pro) was also looking really good on the bike. The last 20km of the bike course was really starting to hurt me. I knew there was a few climbs to get to the last peak before the nice drop back into Taupo. Every climb I went up I hoped was the last. Once I saw the race track I was flooded with relief that I would be able to recover on the way back into town and get ready for the run. I was anoyed at one point to have a car pull out in front of me and insisit on driving about 40km/h. After he pulled off I picked up the speed and made my way back into transition. I finsihed the bike with a 2:21:06 which was over 5 minutes faster than last year in what I believe were much tougher conditions. T2 I had made a little joke that I was going to beat Robo in T2 (he is very good) and really tried to be as quick as I could. I had passed another athlete in my age group just before we came off the bike and noticed we both left transtion about the same time. I completed T2 in 1:11 and was gutted after the race to find out Robo beat me by one second! THE RUN I really wanted to try and run a nice and consistent run. My legs were still quite sore and stiff from the cramp and oh yeah, I forgot to mention that my hip had been a bit tight on the bike (probably compensating for my calf). I set off at a good pace and didn't want to spend the whole run starting at my watch. I was actually in a bit of pain off the bike to be honest but I was determined to run a solid split. After maybe 1500m the other guy in my age group passed me and I tried to go with him. I think I managed this pretty well until the far turnaround. I realised that if I kept doing that, I was going to probably end up walking. Instead I tried to keep the focus on my own run. I was amazed as I often am by the support on course and was even surprised to spot my friend Emma on her bike at both ends of the run course. As I came back towards the end of my first lap I heard Dez shout out to me "You're in 2nd place" (At this point I was actually in 3rd after I had been passed). But I couldn't believe it. I was in podium contention. I realised I wasn't going to catch the guy who had dropped me (unless he exploded) but I could do everything in my power to not let anyone pass me. Looking back I am incredibly proud of how I handled myself on the run. I think that to be honest I probably over biked a bit. But I rode the whole 90km solo without anyone to work with. Anyway, I really tried to stay consistent with my pace. I knew I could easily hold 4:15 pace and probably increase it if I had to. The weather was not hot, but it was actually a weird kind of humid. I wasn't as comfotable on the run as I wanted to be. But I kept reminding myself that this race was mine to loose. The number of phantom footsteps I heard coming up behind me during the last few kms was ridiculous and I refuse to look back. As always I decided to increase my pace for the last 2km and literally said to myself lets really test how much we can suffer. I think the pace increased to about 4:05 which isnt lightning but I was being consistent. I made the final run through town and approached the steep hill towards the finish line. I was willing myself to finish strong. As I made my way down the finish area I knew I would manage a sub 90 minute run and was looking like a sub 4:30 time (my garmin had frozen during the swim only recording 260m). As I crossed the finish line I celebrated knowing that I was on the podium. They annoucned I was 3rd in the 30-34 age group and it turned out I was the 5th age grouper accross the line. My total run time was 1:29:44 and my total race time was 4:28:01. AFTER I was excited to have Dez and Robo and Penny at the finish line and I was on a massive high. My day was made even better when Dez told me Robo had managed to win his age group too. I literally couldn't be happier for him. We had a quick debrief, headed home for a shower and were back in time to see Matho finish his race too. It had been a fantastic way to finish my 20th 70.3. I titled this blog "Good Friends, Great Racing" and that is because Taupo has become a real 'mates race' for me now. Not only my usual bunch of friends but also a number of people I have met through the sport. I mentioned Simon Cochrane, Robo's coach who came 10th overall and is only getting stronger and stronger. There is also Taupo local pro Cameron Paul who I have gotten to know and ride with. Cam was able to fix my bike for me which has been causing me a bit of stress lately and also happens to own the best pub in Taupo (He is also a pretty bloody fast triathlete). Add into that all the people who I have interacted with online and were able to meet in person, like Bec Clarke, who managed to finish 4th in her first 70.3. I find being surrounded by positive people makes me want to race well and that is why I think Taupo 70.3 is becoming a sentimental favourite for me. Great friends make we want to race well. Anyway, there you have it. Another race report that has probably gone for too long and is filled with spelling mistakes and problems with grammer. I am going to take a few days to chill out before building back up for Port of Tauranga Half in early January. Have a good week, race with your mates and remember to TRI!
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Where to start... Triathlon can be a cruel mistress. Sometimes she will slip her hand down your pants and give you a little tickle. Other times, she will grab hold and give you a hard yank by the balls. Unfortunately the later occurred for me yesterday. I didn't have the ideal race. I didn't get the result I wanted and the worst part about it was that it was completely out of my control. About 40km into the bike leg I had a mechanical issue which saw me out of action for just under 20 minutes. But we will get to that later. I was coming into this race with some high expectations. I have felt really strong the last few weeks and believe that I was peaking at the right time. The heat hadn't been affecting me too much when running and my bike has never been stronger. I was equal parts nervous and confident that I was going to drop a fast time. I knew all I had to do was put in a semi-decent swim (for me) a strong bike and a consistent run and I would do well. Alas, the triathlon gods had different plans. THE SWIM The swim course was completely changed from last year with the lagoon section being removed and the entire 1.9km swim taking place in the warm ocean waters. There were no wetsuits and there was no need for them with the water so warm. The race had rolling starts which meant athletes went off every few seconds. I was probably one of the first 25 athletes to start and as I started swimming I could tell I was going to have a good day. This is the first rolling swim start where I have not had any issues. I swam in a lot of clear water, followed some feet and generally found the course easy to navigate. There were a few jellyfish in the swim which spiked my heart rate and the usual sea lice gave me a few nips as I went. As I turned the far buoy I was surprised how quick I felt I had gotten there. I am not sure if there was a tide or anything. On the trip back I found the sighting a little harder as there was a decent swell and the sun was coming up directly behind transition. As I exited the water I was very happy to see I was exiting about the same time as many of the people who I went into the water with. I swam a 28:16 and measured the course almost exactly 1900m. T1 Transition for this race was on the beach with some carpet laid. It wasn't great to be honest with sand everywhere. They also did not have bike racks but instead had a box which your bike wheel sat in with a box for your stuff. A cool idea but man it was cramped. I ran into transition and decided I would run with my shoes to the mount line in my hand. There was a bit of running on sand and I didn't want to get sand in my cleats. This worked quite well but I ended up having my feet covered in sand for the bike. The run itself was quite a distance so I was pleased with my split of 2:04. THE BIKE This is where things get interesting. I was determined not to over-bike this course. I wanted to stay in control and make sure I had decent legs to run well off the bike. The first 19km to the highway was quite technical with some rough road surfaces and sharp turns. Despite that I was able to minimise any spikes in my power and felt like I was riding strong. Early on I was joined by Daniel and David, some of the coaches from Thanyapura and found that the three of us were legally riding quite well together, each taking turns at the front. We crossed the pedestrian bridge and as we did I saw the lead group of maybe 8-10 athletes were maybe 2 minutes up the road from me. I was confident that we would be able to ride up to them. Once we got onto the highway the speed increased but the power didn't. I was really focusing on my aero position and maintaining good cadence. I felt amazing. It is probably the strongest I have ever felt on the bike. I was surprised that the road surfaces were again a bit shit but it was turning out to be a dream ride. The pace on the bike remained the same all the way up to the loop we had to complete. We went through a checkpoint and I lost part of my hydration system going over a series of bumps (its a piece of rubber which holds your straw in place). We got onto a cycle path and just kept doing our thing. As we approached the 2nd last u-turn of the race I was excited to see that we had really brought the lead group a lot closer. Things were going really well and I still felt super strong. As we made the U-turn Daniel shouted "It's sharp". Oh how right he was. I took the turn and noticed my bike starting to shake. I hoped it was nothing, then it got worse. Fuck! A puncture! I stopped and yep, my rear wheel had gone. At the time it wasn't that big a crisis to me. I knew it would cost me a few minutes but it wasn't the end of my race. I removed the wheel, checked inside the tyre, replaced the inner tube and inflated it with my CO2 canister. I got the wheel back on and started riding maybe 3 metres when I heard a god awful BANG! The inner tube had blown up and was shredded. I used all manner of language because I didn't have another spare. Maybe I had been dropping too many watt bombs all day and one finally exploded! I stopped, took off the wheel and removed the inner tube and was lost. What the hell was I going to do? I didn't know what to do. Were their mechanics on course? A marshal stopped after a few minutes and told me to move off the road so I picked up my stuff. I then started shouting at all the passing cyclists if they had a spare inner tube I could have. Looking at my watch (which paused) I think I spent about 16 minutes stationary and the whole thing took about 20 minutes. I thought my day was over and started to wonder how I was going to get back. I had tears in my eyes. I was lost. Just when I had given up hope, Carolyne, who had been staying at Thanyapura this week rode past and asked what I needed. When I told her she stopped and gave me a spare inner tube and co2. I was going to be able to keep riding. It is just another example of why I love this sport. So much generosity! I got it all sorted, wheel back on and started riding again. It is funny what your mind does when you are under pressure. I had seen the lead group after riding North and turning around pass me just as I started to ride again. I wasn't sure how long I had been waiting or how far ahead that meant they were. But in my head I thought I might be able to try and catch back up to them. I went ballistic. I rode as hard as I could for as long as I could. The only thought in my head was that it is hot and people might fall apart on the ride. In doing so, I forgot everything I had told myself about this race. I needed to be conservative so I could run well in the heat off the bike. I came into T2 and as soon as I jumped off the bike I knew I was in trouble. My bike split was 2:37:22 T2 As I ran my bike back into transition I was slightly happy to see that there weren't a lot of bikes in yet. I grabbed my stuff as quick as I could (forgetting to remove even more sand from my feet before putting on my shoes) and took off. The first 200m were on soft sand which wasn't great fun but I completed T2 in 2:20. THE RUN The run was a disaster. The new course was not very pleasant and they had no cokes at the aid stations. I don't know why but the 10.5km loop felt very very long. It wasn't too hot but it was muggy and there were some sections on the run where you had to dodge giant puddles and uneven surfaces. I felt kind of ok for my first 2 kms and again, I spotted some of the guys in my age group and thought that maybe they weren't too far ahead. I had a glimmer of hope that I could pull of something extraordinary. Those thoughts were short lived. The bike ride had cost me a lot. My legs fatigued super quickly and my pace dropped from 4:10/km to over 5min/km. I tried to lift a few times but just couldn't increase my pace. The damage had been done hours before. I tried to focus on my technique and had a friend tell me to now treat the race as a training day, something I hate to do, but honestly there was nothing else to be gained. I went through the motions of the run and am happy to say that despite all the setbacks I was never super negative during the run. I didn't really want to quit and I certainly didn't even think about giving up triathlon like I normally do when I am suffering. Let me assure you, suffer I did. I made the final run along the sand to the finish line where they held up the finish tape for me as I crossed. I threw it away in disgust. My run time was a dismal 1:40:12. I finsihed the race with a total time of 4:50:14, which was about 30 minutes slower than I had hoped to go. AFTER After the race I became very angry very quickly. I was surprised. I have been sad and emotional after a race but never angry. It was weird too because I knew I was angry, I was almost external to my body and wanting it to stop. I am really ashamed of this because so many of my friends had amazing results and I was too caught up in my own bullshit to be happy for them. I am actually quite disgusted with myself about it. But even now, I am still pissed off about it. I really feel robbed. I had the opportunity to put together a fantastic swim, bike and run and wasn't able to. I had received many messages during the race from people asking if I was ok and instead of comforting me, it pissed me off even more. I really wasn't being rational. I even said to my wife, I am sick of people telling me that this stuff happens and at least I am not hurt. I just wanted people to leave me alone to feel sorry for myself. At the end of the day, the puncture thing was always going to happen at some point. Yesterday was my 19th 70.3 and probably my 40th triathlon and it is the first time I have punctured in a race. So it is probably good to get it out of the way. Another silver lining is that because I didn't run hard I do not think my legs will be as fatigued. So I am going to focus all of my attention on Taupo 70.3 in two weeks and try again to deliver a strong performance. Despite all of my feelings about the day I am just happy to be able to race. I had a shit day but a shit day on the beach in Thailand isn't too bad if you really think about it. Dez volunteered at Western Sydney 70.3 and had a man have a heart attack right next to her. So in the scheme of things what are a few punctures? I think it all just comes down to the high expectations I have for myself. Oh well, onto the next thing. I am leaving Thailand tomorrow after what has been an amazing two weeks here with some very high highs and some incredibly low lows. This trip has been so valuable to me as a person and athlete and I look forward to coming back again next year. That will do, the report is long enough! Have a good week, thanks for checking up on me and remember to TRI! Déjà vu - the phenomenon of having the strong sensation that an event or experience currently being experienced has already been experienced in the past. I am sitting in my hotel room at Thanyapura on a Saturday afternoon with a race tomorrow. It's like last weekend is on repeat. I am going to head down to transition in a couple of hours to rack my bike and then there is nothing left for it but to step up and deliver the goods tomorrow.
Since my last entry I have had a pretty amazing week. I was completely blown away to discover post race that I had managed to win the 30-34 age group last week at the Laguna Phuket Triathlon. I thought I was chasing a group of guys all day but it turned out they were in the 35-39 age group (they must take good care of themselves). The race itself was as epic as I remember it being. The bike course was almost an exact opposite (with some slight modifications) which gave it some nice variety. If you read last week, I talked about how easy I found the hills when I rode them last week. I certainly did not find them very easy on race day. But I was delighted to run quite well off the bike. In fact, my swim and run splits were much faster than my 2015 time and while the bike course was shorter and different, my average speed was over 3km/h faster than last year. All real positives for me. To top the race off with another age group win was fantastic. I really wanted to make a podium again this year in a triathlon and have come frustratingly close at several races ( I think I have come 4th 3 times). So it really was a great start to my time here in Thailand. So this weekend I am tackling the new Thailand 70.3. The race is completely different to the old Challenge Phuket. The only similarity is that athletes need to dismount their bikes and run over a pedestrian bridge. It really isn't that big a deal as all athletes need to do it, but some of the comments on line have been quite funny. so what am I expecting tomorrow? I hate to give the 'stereotypical' answer but I really don't know. My swim has really been all over the place. I feel like I am biking very strong at the moment and have adapted to the heat very well which should make my run much better than previous years. I will break character a bit and put something out there. I want to make the podium tomorrow. I really do not care if it is 1, 2 or 3 but to get up there in the age group would be really rewarding. Will I be crushed if I don't? Absolutely not. I am always so grateful just to be able to do the things I can now do, especially in a location as beautiful as Phuket. It is funny but I have had a few people ask me the same question this week about my weight loss. People ask me what was the moment that I decided to make a change. The truth is completely un-sexy. I didn't. I wasn't struck by lightning and suddenly determined to make sweeping changes to my life. It just sort of happened. So that is one of the reasons why I am able to race happy, even when things don't go the way I want them to. I am super curious to see what sort of performance I am able to deliver tomorrow. I will be giving it everything I have as I always do. I know there are a number of very strong athletes here racing in my age group. One of the guys I am really excited to share the course with tomorrow is a Dutch guy called Kelvin. Kelvin, with his wife, Marloes, are travelling the word for 12 months and training and racing. Apart from being two of the nicest people I have met in a long time, I love that they are grabbing life by the horns and having a go. They are writing about their trip on their site projectsixsix.com (some dutch - crazy bloody language and some english.) Anyway, Kelvin is a very similar level to me and is chasing a slot to the 2017 70.3 World Championships. I know how exciting that can be and am excited to see how he goes tomorrow. It would be fantastic to share the podium with him. But back to me (this is all about me anyway), I have tried to carry some form from my last few weeks but I really feel like this race has so many unknown elements. The first part of the bike is quite tricky and the pedestrian bridge will also impact speeds. I am just going to focus on my own race and as my coach told me before Sunny Coast, not let my ego get the better of me. I know by now I am able to run quite well off the bike in the heat. But in order to do that I cannot be sucked into the trap of over-biking. So that is what I am planning to do. I will be watching my power numbers tomorrow and will make sure I ride to the conditions. I think that if I race smart I do have the potential to drop a decent time. This is 70.3 racing though and anything can happen. I think it is going to be a race which will need a decent race report so I promise to put one together next week. I also wanted to give an update on how I used the meditation last week before the race. I managed to fit in a decent 30 minutes of meditation Saturday evening last week and had a good nights sleep. I also managed to spend most of the bus trip to the race calming my mind and I absolutely felt better for it. I will be following the same protocol today and tomorrow and hopefully I have the same success. So whatever happens tomorrow I know the race is going to be as tough as always. It is actually going to be my 19th 70.3. Even writing that I am a little shocked. So that's all there really is left to do. Go out tomorrow, follow my race plan and make sure I enjoy the experience. Have a good weekend, track me (number 179) tomorrow and remember to TRI! Hi Everyone!
Greetings once again from Thailand. I don't know about you but I cannot believe it has been 12 months since I was here last getting ready for two of my favourite races. Tomorrow I am racing the Laguna Phuket Triathlon and next Sunday I will be racing the newly rebranded Thailand 70.3. The 70.3 is basically a completely different race with all three legs being held in completely different areas. In fact the only remnant of the old course is that we still have to run over the pedestrian bridge two times on the bike course. Ah well, everyone has to do it. So 12 months has flown by and I find myself back in Phuket and back at Thanyapura. It is funny how much it feels like coming home here. I have now stayed here enough times that a lot of the staff remember me. It is a really nice feeling to be so welcome here. It also doesn't hurt that the facilities are still world class and I get to access all of them! So 12 months on and I am back going through the same motions as I did last year. My sessions have almost been identical to last year over the last few days as well. I really feel like I did the right things at the right time last year and am keen to replicate it as closely as possible. There are however a number of things that I am noticing have changed over the last 12 months. The first real difference I have noticed is how little the heat has been affecting me. As I am sure you all know I have worked really hard over the last few months to drop my body fat percentage to get lean for the races here. I think the effort has paid dividends. While it is definitely hot, it isn't bothering me too much. I have been on multiple runs and it hasn't felt like death. At some points it has almost felt comfortable. It is a bit weird really because the weather at home hasn't been super hot like it was last year. So I really am putting this change down to my lower body fat. Another massive difference I am noticing is how much stronger I am on the bike. The first ride we did here we rode the LPT course. They have made sweeping changes to it this year which means we tackle the dreaded Naithon Hills in reverse, or the same way we did last year at the Challenge race. I literally cruised over them well under the sort of effort I will be dropping tomorrow and when I uploaded my ride file I was shocked to see that I went over every single climb faster than I did during my race last year! I know I have really worked hard on my bike strength this year and I am so excited to see what sort of result I can deliver next weekend over the 90kms. One of the other changes I have noticed is that I have put a lot of pressure on myself this year. Now up front I have ZERO expectations to win the 30-34 Ag this year. I would however love to make the podium. A lot of people ask how I went last year and when I tell them I won my AG in both races they expect me to do it again. I have spoken about this a bit before but the difference is I really do want to make the podium this year. I wont be devastated if I don't but every time I see a super fit looking athlete around I have a mild panic attack that they are in my age group. At the end of the day all I can do is focus on my own performance and see where the cards fall. This may sound a little odd to some people but I have actually stated meditating over the last few weeks and this is something that I have been doing to help me deal with these feelings in the lead up to the races. Tonight I plan on doing a decent session to try and calm myself before I go to bed. To be honest, I am just super happy to be back in Thailand. I am a little sad that my wife isn't here with me but I am happy that she is at home with our little cat Susie. I really love coming to train in Thailand. I think it is an amazing place that would exceed most people's expectations. My brother is getting married in Thailand next year and I have been shocked by the reaction of some members of my family who have this perception that Thailand is a dangerous or unsafe place. I cannot recommend the place highly enough. The weather is beautiful and hot, the people are incredibly friendly and helpful and the food is cheap and delicious. To top it all off the training is out of this world. The first time I ever came here I was so sceptical about training in Thailand. I am happy to say that is probably the biggest change I have noticed since I first came here. Thailand is my favourite place to train. Do yourself a favour and spend some time here. It doesn't have to be triathlon training either. Whatever is your poison, have a go. There is something here for everyone. That will do. I have to get my stuff together for tomorrows race. It is as always an early start so I will be off to bed early tonight. I may try and avoid some spicy for this evening. Instead go for something a bit more neutral. I'm also really looking forward to catching up with my Team MaccaX gang for the camp this week. Have a great weekend, check out a training trip to Thailand and remember to TRI! Hi Everyone! I find myself sitting at the airport on the Sunshine Coast with a sudden 6 hours up my sleeve so what better time to write a recap of my race on the weekend. I have been limiting my race recaps lately because I have done a large number of races. On the weekend I took part in the iconic Noosa Triathlon. I believe it is officially the worlds biggest triathlon festival now and having experienced it myself it is definitely a triathlon on steroids. I don't want to sound like a broken record, but I am not a huge fan of racing shorter distance triathlons. I don't know what it is about them but I just don't find like I am able to deliver to the level I am capable of. Having said that, I also don't love to make excuses. In short, I did not have the race that I expected to on Sunday. But there were some real positives to take away from the race. I actually feel guilty writing this, I feel like all I have been writing about lately is races that don't go according to plan. That's just part of racing, sometimes they don't. I try to be honest and this is honestly how I have been feeling lately. So with that out of the way here is how my Noosa experience unfolded. We came up to Noosa on Thursday. There was a big group of us coming up and I wanted to make the most of the trip. I was staying with some of my favourite tri people and was really looking forward to having a good time. On Thursday I was going to be up early to get to the airport without too much traffic. I was however, woken up by this random pain in my back, between my spine and shoulder blade. It was so bad I couldn't lay down. When I rolled on my side the pain went up my neck and across my ribs. Come Friday and the pain in my shoulder (which kept me up for a second night in a row) had become so bad that as I attempted to swim back from the coffee pontoon I had to change course and doggy paddle to the shore. I found a masseuse at the expo and man he was a genius. He knew his stuff and told me he would take care of it for me. He certainly did. I managed to swim in the 1000m Ocean Swim later that day (crazy waves and conditions). I was aware of the pain in my shoulder a bit but it wasn't as bad. I thought it was fixed. When I woke up on Saturday morning the pain in my shoulder was now permanently located in my rib cage. I have broken ribs before and I have raced a 70.3 with busted ribs before and this is what it felt like. I couldn’t take deep breaths. I noticed though that as I warmed up the pain would almost go away. I seriously considered pulling the pin on the race but I had so many people donate to get me to the start line and I was going to do the race for them. I racked my bike on Saturday and honestly just hoped for the best. Sunday morning rolled around and I was in one of the first wave starts which meant there hopefully wouldn’t be too much congestion on the course ahead of me. I got everything set up and despite a last minute panic where we realsied I had left my drinks at home so my amazing wife ran home and then jumped on a razor scooter to get back 1 minute before transition closed, I was ready to race. THE SWIM I really like swimming in the ocean so was excited for the Noosa swim. My swimming has literally been all over the place this year which is really annoying. I felt like I really found top swim form last year and since then it is all over the place. So knowing this I wasn’t too sure how I was going to go. I went out hard at the start and found myself plenty of clear water. This made me think that I was swimming ok because I know how good the swimmers in my age group are. The course was well marked and I was confident I would swim pretty accurate. As we approached the first turn can I started to notice there were many swimmers from the wave start before us, the Smiling for Schmiddy group, a great cause. Unfortunately being a charity wave there were many swimmers relying on breastroke. I spent the majority of the race dodging these swimmers and still managed to get a kick in the face and chest and leg and shoulder. I actually felt I was swimming ok. When I came out of the water I was happy that my shoulder had remained relatively pain free and while my time was well off what I was expecting and am capable of, it wasn’t a complete disaster. My swim time was 26:59 (about 4 minutes slower than I had hoped for). T1 There is a decent run down to transition from the swim but luckily my bike was in a great location within transition. My biggest struggle was to get the top half of my sleeved tri suit on and done up. I managed to have it basically done by the time I was on the bike. I was pretty quick getting ready to go, if anything space was a little tight which made it a bit difficult. My T1 time was 2:56. THE BIKE This was the leg I was really looking forward to. I have really put in some serious work on my bike this year and was given the go ahead by my coach to drop the hammer on the bike course. So that is what I tried to do. We have really worked on improving my bike strength to allow me to ride faster and still run well. I was going to be conservative until the top of Garmin Hill (a 3km climb in the middle of the course) then unleash. The course is very good with some great road surfaces and an epic down hill. I was comfortably holding over 40kmh for the ride but knew that the long climb would impact average speeds. The advantage of starting quite early was that there were not too many people on course. The worst section for me was going up the hill. People were all over the road. They seemed to ignore the whole keep left rule. A big highlight of the day for me was seeing a bloke towards the top of the hill sinking Coronas at 7:45 in the morning! At the top of the hill I tried to settle in and be as consistent with my speed and power as possible. I also really tried to focus on holding a good aero position. After a long out and back section it was time to go down the big hill. I had ridden the hill in the days before the race and found it quite scary to be honest. On race day, with the roads closed it was AMAZING! I hit a top speed of 86km/h and think I held over 50kmh for a long time after finishing the decent. I came off the bike and was sure I had ridden under 60 minutes. I was stoked to see my result after the race, I rode 58:58!!! T2 Off the bike and into transition. My mate who had racked next to me started much later and hadn’t even made it onto the bike yet, this meant that I was still quite cramped for space. I managed to knock all of my stuff all over the place which maybe added 10-15 seconds to my transition time. It was then a decent little run out of transition on the run. T2 time of 2:13 THE RUN Onto the run and I felt very comfortable. My ribs were causing me a bit of grief but as long as I didn’t breathe too deeply it was ok. I was aiming for 3:45-3:50kms but it seemed as though it wasn’t to be. My Garmin kept telling me I was running almost right on 4min/kms. Some of my friends asked if I overdid it on the bike and I really don’t think I did. I have noticed in all of the short races that I have done this year that I really struggle to run super quick off the bike. Instead, the good news is that I feel super comfortable holding 4min/kms. So much so that I believe I would have no problem holding this pace in a 70.3. The run course at Noosa was probably my least favourite part of the race. The further you get away from the finish line the less people there are out there. I think that is one of the only disadvantages of starting so early, everyone is still at the beach watching the start. As I approached the finish line I really wanted to try and save the run a little bit by managing a sub 40min split but with about 500m to go I got hit with a bloody stitch. I crossed the finish line but didn’t really get to soak in the atmosphere as I was in a bit of pain. My run split was 40:02 (Damn you stitch!) AFTERTHOUGHTS
My total time for the race was 2:11:10, which was a PB for me. I am getting a little frustrated by the fact that I am unable to deliver the sort of swims in races that I am doing in the pool. I am also sick of having problems with my shoulders, which is why I have booked myself in to see a physio from Balmain Sports Medicine once I get home. I am however incredibly happy with my bike time. I wanted to hold over 40km/h and did so. I am really excited to see what sort of result I am able to drop in Phuket on the new bike course next month. I am also quite happy to have run so consistently. I am a 70.3 athlete and if that means I do these shorter races at 70.3 pace I am ok (as long as that is my 70.3 pace). But more than anything I am really happy that I got to experience a truly iconic event. I was surrounded by friends and had an amazing time in one of the most beautiful areas of the world. I was also able to raise about $1400 for the RSPCA in the process, which makes the whole thing even more worthwhile. so the true test of the weekend is would I do this race again? The answer is an absolute yes. The whole experience of the festival has been amazing. Seeing so many people I know and catching up with people I haven’t seen in a long time was great. If you want to experience a really well organised event and have a blast at the same time then do Noosa! That will do for this week. A huge congratulation to everyone who raced, it was a pleasure to share the course with you and a special shout out to everyone who completed their first triathlon or triathlon of this distance. Welcome to the club! I also want to thank each and every person who donated to get me here. THANK YOU! Have a great week, enjoy those small victories and remember to TRI! Hi Everyone!
I am sorry that I have once again been a little MIA but uni is a little hectic. I just finished my major assignment for my IT Law class in which I came up with the idea for a sexting app (it's a long story but not what you think). So before I get into my death session on the trainer this afternoon I thought I would take the time to hit the keypad a few more thousand times for your reading pleasure. I want to talk about the not so glamorous side of training. I see it all the time, people posting photos on social media of their training session and they look like they have just left the makeup chair. Perfect hair and amazing skin. Not a drop of sweat and yet they have just done intervals or above threshold work. Either I am doing it wrong or they realise much like I do that no one is interested in the ugly sessions. I mean yes, people love to hear about the hard workouts but rarely do we want to display just how ugly they get. I do park run sometimes and even though it is only a 5km run, it kicks my butt every single time. One of the great things that park run does is they have photographers who get snaps of the runners and post them on Facebook. Oh wait, did I say great? I meant to say one of the embarrassing things because without fail, I can guarantee you I look fucking awful in every photo that is ever put up of me! Now I'm no male model like Mike Robinson, but I know I don't usually walk around dripping sweat with a bright red head wearing an expression of equal parts anger and agony. No, the truth is that I look awful in those pictures because I am busting a gut. I am working as hard as I can. It is kind of funny when you think about it but we all like to present ourselves in the best possible light. We want to look confident, like we are in control. I find it hilarious when you talk with your friends after a race and they tell you they didn't find it difficult, "Mate I suggest you check out your face on finisherpix." But I do this too. I will go for a ride outside and end up at a beautiful lookout with waves crashing behind me. Snap, thats a good pic, I'll put that on my Instagram. 2 days earlier when I am in the middle of a death session on my trainer (like I am about to do and am maybe using this blog to procrastinate a little bit) I do not want to have a record of it. I do not think even if I had the desire I would physically be able to do it. Let me paint you a word picture. I set up my trainer in my lounge room in front of my TV. I lay a yoga mat on the carpet. I then lay a giant beach towel on the yoga mat. I attach my bike and cover the bottom half of my trainer in a towel. I have a sweat protector I put on the frame of my bike. I have another towel which sits on my handlebars and guess what I have folded over the front wheel... Another towel. If the session is more than 2 hours I also have 2 spare towels and a change of clothes ready to go. I am training for races in Thailand so I have been wearing lots of clothes while I am on the trainer and I sweat like a pig. Honestly I loose litres and litres of sweat on the trainer. At the end of the session I strip down and put everything away naked (I bet you all love that mental image) and have a huge wet, smelly pile of clothes and towels which all go straight into the washing machine. Come on, I mean, if that doesn't get you a bit hot under the collar what will? The image is hideous. I sweat so much I can smell myself and it is disgusting. I am so wet that I cannot dry myself. I sometimes sweat so much that I finish a trainer ride with fingers more wrinkly than after an hour in the pool. There is nothing sexy about it at all. Actually there is. The sexy thing about that session is that it is where I will make the majority of my improvements. I have been improving so much this year and one of the major reasons is the structured sessions I am able to do on my trainer. Outdoor rides are important for bike skills, endurance and in particular for your sanity but man I have become a significantly stronger athlete sweating up a storm in my lounge room. I got into the habit during Winter because I hate the cold and am now doing a number of my session on the trainer because I am scared of magpies. But the truth of the matter is that the trainer is actually an incredibly important tool. I see so many people who are short of time and will go for an hour ride in the mornings before they start work. That hour could be much better spent doing specific work on the trainer where you are able to control all of the variables. If I have a 2 hour ride to do, nine times out of ten I will opt for the trainer and pick a session to do because I know I am going to get much better bang for my buck doing it. I understand that lots of people do not like to train indoors and I completely understand that (I hate the treadmill). I do however understand the value of these tools. Perhaps I am blessed that I am happy to train on the trainer. I have done sessions up to and over 4 hours on many occasions this year. The secret is to find the balance. There needs to be work done indoors as well as outdoors to develop the full set of skills to be successful. I think any athlete who refuses to do one or the other is doing themselves a great disservice. So no, there is nothing sexy about training indoors. There are no pretty pictures and no amazing water view at the end. I think the most offensive thing is that there are rarely post ride coffees or beers. But do you know what is sexy about training indoors? When you line up at your next race and finally crack a PB. I have gone from a 4.29 to a 4.22 70.3 this year. I took 3 minutes off my sprint PB and i finally cracked 80 minutes for a half marathon this year. So yeah there may be nothing sexy about the training but you better believe there is something incredibly satisfying about the results! Have a ripper weekend, train indoors and remember to TRI! Hi Everyone!
If you have read many of my posts you may get the impression that I am baffled by nutrition. Over the last few years I have tried a whole number of different ways of eating. While I stand by my stance on fad diets and the belief that if you can't do it for the rest of your life than don't bother, I do like to experiment. I have gone vegetarian to learn how to cook and eat vegetables (so happy I did this), I have tried low carb high fat (didn't last too long) and seem to have settled on the idea of portion control. In short, I weigh my ingredients when I cook to avoid overeating. This way of eating has seen my weight drop and stay in the low 70's for the last 12 months. Even though that is the way that I eat now I am still incredibly confused about how much I should eat and what should my breakdown of carbs, fats and protein be. I think that it might be because of my history of being overweight but I notice that I put weight on very quickly. This tells me that while I am generally doing things right I am not doing them perfectly. With my next big race being in Phuket where it is hot and humid I decided that I want to head to Thailand lean so I can race fast. I also feel like I have been 'flying blind' with my nutrition. As I said, I think if you had to give me a grade I would pass, but there is lots of room for improvement. So this week I made the decision to consult a dietician. Seeing a dietician is something that my Mum has been on my case about for a long time. Mum wanted to make sure that I was fuelling right and not doing anything too unhealthy. I actually agree and it is something I have been meaning to do for a long time now. I think nutrition is such a big part of the puzzle but often one of the most neglected. There is literally too much information out there with everyone being an expert so it is confusing to know what to do. What this means is that many people are confused and may stumble across a diet plan which works for them but it might not work best. As my training becomes more intense and my results improve I figured it was time to get this sorted. So this week I booked an appointment with Chloe Mcleod. Why Chloe? Well when I started looking for a nutritionist I was surprised to find how difficult it was. I eventually stumbled across a nutritionist directory and when I saw that Chloe was at Balmain Sports Medicine, a sponsor of my new triathlon club, Concord Tri Club, I looked into her. Chloe's speciality in sports nutrition and weight management was all I needed to book the appointment. Yesterday I went in for my initial consultation. I knew I was in good hands as soon as I sat down and Chloe, knowing I was a member of Concord Tri Club asked if I race 70.3 or Iron Man. I explained that I am not so bothered by the number on the scale but instead am interested in dropping my body fat percentage. I believe that the key to racing in the heat is the ability to cool yourself down and to do this well you need to be lean. We discussed many things and I was asked a lot of questions about my training, eating and goals. I was delighted to be told that I was doing lots right. I had made some smart changes over the last 5 years and that is why I am now 50kg lighter than I was. The good news was that Chloe was confident we could make changes to help me reach my goals. Chloe was going to put together meal plans for 4 types of days. A double workout day, a single long workout day, a rest day and a long workout day but a fasted session. I think this approach suits me really well. The main thing I am looking forward to is knowing exactly how much I need to be eating. Instead of flying blind I will have actual qualities of what to eat and this will help me to consistently do it. How I look at is is similar to my triathlon coach. I used to train before I signed up with Ben but also felt like I was flying blind. Now, Ben tells me what to do, when to do it and how hard to go. This will be the same. I will eat certain amounts of certain things at certain times. I like the idea of having this certainty, it has certainly helped with my training. The added bonus that I wasn't expecting when I went in for my meeting was that Chloe was going to start helping me with how to fuel while I race. As a bloke who relied on redskins for my race nutrition for years this is another area where I feel I need all the help I can get. Basically all the information I received exceeded my expectations, I went in kind of expecting just a sort of eat this at this time but what I got instead was information specific to my demands as a law student, triathlete, husband and human. I am really excited to start following the plan and seeing my progress. I ordered a set of fat callipers which I will use to measure my progress and I am sure I will keep you updated as to how I am going with it. Other than that, I am racing a half marathon tomorrow and will once again have another crack at going under 80 minutes. The race is also pancake flat but the last two years I have delivered less than stellar performances. I will be giving it a red hot go though. Other than that I am looking forward to a weekend of racing, riding and probably some swimming. So enjoy your weekend and remember to TRI! Hi Everyone! I’m back from my escapades on the Sunshine Coast. I have recovered and started training again for my next big race. My focus is on Phuket 70.3. This was Challenge Phuket last year and the first 70.3 race where I won my age group. I am excited to go back this year with a bit of a goal. I want to pick up a slot to the 2017 World Championships. I had such an amazing experience on the Sunshine Coast that I want to do it again. I am feeling completely different this year compared to how I was feeling the same time last year. Last year’s Sunshine Coast race I was expecting to absolutely smash the race. I had come back from Bintan where I qualified for Worlds and had suffered a bike crash. I was in red-hot form before the crash and was convinced that if I had stayed upright on the bike I would have delivered my best ever performance. So I therefore assumed that as long as I stayed upright on the Sunshine Coast I would have an amazing race. Ultimately I didn’t race well and was probably more injured than I realised. But I remember that I was basically done with triathlon. I wrote about how frustrated I was that I wasn’t making any progress. This time last year I had basically stopped training. In fact the only reason I did start up again was because I had committed to racing the Nepean Triathlon with a friend of mine. It was a blessing in disguise because I had such a good time at that race I got my motivation back. Compare that to this year and I am so motivated. I can’t stress how much I enjoyed myself at the World Championships. The fact I didn’t have the perfect race coupled with the fact that I am seeing some serious improvements again has meant that I am mentally and physically in a much better place to get started for the end of the year. I had originally planned on taking 2 weeks off after the race but decided to cut it back to one because I was going stir crazy. I was also becoming a bit too lazy and I wanted to put a stop to that quick smart. So while it is great that I am back in training, I am actually very relieved. Relieved that I am not struggling for motivation following me A race for 2016. For those of you who have never experienced it, many athletes find that after their big race they can lose motivation and almost feel depressed. It is often referred to as the “Iron Man Blues.” But don’t let the name fool you; it isn’t only applicable to IM races or even triathlon. I know many people who have suffered it after races of all distances and disciplines. While there are probably a number of psychological and physiological reasons as to why this happens I assume that a big part of it is that we build an event up in our mind so much that we kind of shut down a bit after. I see it all the time with dieting. People set themselves a weight goal and as soon as they finally get there they relax and surprise surprise they slip back into bad habits and put the weight back on. The worst part about it is that often you are helpless to stop it from happening in people. I have had many weight loss clients hit targets only to put it all back on. I have seen athletes hit their A-race and then struggle to get back into training. You know it is happening they know it is happening but are powerless to stop it.
I really felt like this was happening to me last year. Unlike other years where I had a poor performance and was determined (motivated isn’t the right word here) to improve last year I was ready to give up. It wasn’t until I had some fun that I started to get my mojo back. I found new friends who I started to train with and was around a number of athletes who were all training for their very first triathlon. Training with them probably had little to no physical impact on my performance but man it had a psychological one. That excitement was what I needed to get back into it. This year I think that a big reason why I have not been suffering from post race depression (if I give it a fancy name it sounds more legitimate) is because I still have more goals to achieve this year. This is why I think there are two key things people can do to avoid falling into a PRD (see what I did there.) If you have something else to work towards you will have another event to focus on and be less likely to let your post race feelings get to you. The other obvious hint is to make your training fun again. You don’t always need to be training like a mad dog. Even for me the last few weeks I have had the pleasure of just going on some social rides and it has been fun. It is absolutely important to take a break after a big event or goal. Use that time to give back to those who have made sacrifices for you. If you are in a relationship, give your partner some TLC. If you have kids, make sure they get to spend some quality time with you. You need this for your sanity. But by preparing in advance for what you know is very likely to occur you may be able to avoid it from happening. Focus on the positives after a race and you are likely to remain positive. I feel like the universe is forcing this on me a little bit at the moment. Even this week I had a Facebook memory come up showing that old photo of me from my first triathlon. If I ever need a boost of motivation all I need to do is look back to where I came from and visualise where I am going. So keep moving forward when it gets hard. Remember to make time for those who are important to you but also remember why you do this for yourself. Keep this in mind and as always remember to TRI! ***I am just over $300 short of my fundraising total for the RSPCA. If you are able to throw even just a few dollars towards getting me to the Noosa Tri start line and supporting the RSPCA it is greatly appreciated. DONATE HERE Hi Everyone! It’s done! Finished! All over for 2016. The 70.3 World Championships is behind me and I can’t believe it. This race was 12 months in the making after qualifying in August last year. I want to start by saying how grateful I am for having the opportunity to race against the best athletes in the world. Just being on the start line was a dream and to finish the race carrying the Australian flag is an experience I will never ever forget. But before I get into how my race unfolded I want to set the scene for you all a little bit. Because this experience was more than just a race, it was a week of highs and lows, new experiences and challenges. Dez and I arrived in Mooloolaba, the race hub on Wednesday afternoon and were excited to find the accommodation we booked could not have been in a better location. Directly opposite the swim start and right near my favourite coffee place in town. I was keen to be in a good location because traditionally at this race there is a decent chunk of time between transition closing on race morning and the race actually starting. We settled in and I attempted to commence my final race preparations. I wanted to swim everyday in the lead up to the race. I am a big believer that it is important to really keep a feel for the water. It doesn’t have to be a long swim or particularly structured but just be in the water and swim like you would when you race. In the days leading up to the event I had the opportunity to meet a number of people who I have met through the sport online but never in person. It was great to put faces to the names. One of my biggest priorities in the lead up to the race was to head out and scout the new section of the course. A Swedish athlete, Karl, who I first met in Phuket last year, joined me for the course recon. When I looked at the race map I was pretty sure I knew where we were going. I was wrong. We ended up climbing a monster climb before eventually finding our way onto the course. Sorry about that mate. But once we found the course I was excited to see just how good it was. It was a significant improvement on the old course. The loop was challenging and beautiful. If it was possible, this made me even more excited for the race. There was just so much happening around Mooloolaba with a breakfast for AWA athletes and a 5km beach run which Dez signed up for. I think the biggest highlight in the lead up to the event though was the Parade of Nations. They grouped all the athletes into their countries and had us march up to the beach. It was like a mini opening ceremony. I was actually surprised how few Australians took part in it. But as we were the last to walk onto the beach and pass, the other athletes went ballistic for us. It was an amazing thing to be part of. That same day my family had started to arrive. So having my brother, dad and wife there to see it was so good. There were so many other highlights in the lead up to the event but I think it is time to get into the actual race. So where do we start? I went into the race with big expectations. I wasn’t fussed where I placed but I wanted to go quick. I think after seeing the course we were on I had accepted I wasn’t going to be dropping a super fast time but I definitely felt like this was still a fast course. Looking at the pro times I think I was right. The day before the race I dropped all of my gear into transition, racked my bike and tried to chill. By Saturday afternoon not only was my whole family (with the exception of my sister who lives in London) in town but my coach also made the trip up. I wasn’t too nervous. I was really excited. We chilled out in the afternoon, had an early dinner and I was in bed early. I woke up the next morning and my excitement had turned to nerves. Horrible, terrifying nerves. I kept my game face on to my wife and family but Dez knew I was in a bit of strife. The best thing about Dez is that after years of this sort of racing she is pretty good at knowing what I need. She let me do my own thing. I went to transition and set everything up. I then came up, got ready and made my way to the swim start. I gave her my usual farewell “Ill see you in a few hours.” Then I headed down to the holding area where I got myself ready. We were let into the water about 5 minutes before we started. I got myself into a good starting position and waited for the gun to go. It was time to deliver. THE SWIM So the siren sounds and off I go. The thing I noticed about swimming in this race compared with others was firstly, I was nowhere near the front and secondly, I was surrounded the whole time. At no point did I manage to find rhythm. I had people touching me in all the wrong places (get your mind out of the gutter) the entire way. By having my arms and feet constantly being hit I was unable to swim the way I wanted. The swim tips I learned from Chris McCormack certainly came in handy as there were times where I literally had to climb over other swimmers as they cut across me. While I was swimming it felt like I was swimming for a long time and I was worried that my poor swim form was catching up with me again. When I finally managed to spot the swim exit I was actually quite relieved. It was a hard physical swim. I realised after the race that my swim cap had actually been knocked off at some point during the swim. This made me thankful for wearing two with my goggles inbetween them. Otherwise I may have lost my goggles and that would have been a disaster. When I exited the water my garmin was just under 28:30 which I was actually very happy with. When I checked my GPS file I was delighted to see it measured the course at 1910 metres and even more surprising, I seem to have swum straight the whole way. My official swim time was 28:47. T1 Because there were so many athletes on course there were some huge changes to transition this year. It was actually moved up towards the beach. The biggest issue was that it was very long. We came out of the water then took a left to run down to where our gear bags were. We then changed and ran to our bikes where we then ran to exit the transition. I measured the total distance at 700m. When I came into transition I was elated to see so many friendly faces who were cheering for me. I also knew I had swum harder than I realised because I kept dry heaving like I was about to vomit. All in all the actual transition process was quite smooth. The only obvious mistake I made was forgetting to turn my visor the right way down. But in reality it probably cost me 10 seconds. My total T1 time was 4:23. THE BIKE Ahh the bike. In the past I have been a notorious over-biker. I have always thought of myself as a very strong cyclist and have set out to prove that point. Accepting that I am guilty of doing this has taken a while but I went into this race determined not to over-bike. The plan was simple. Be conservative for the first 30km, and build each 30km. I knew there were some serious hills in the back end of the course and I also wanted to run well. So out of transition and onto the bike. I want to say something here about what I saw on course. I have heard lots of people complaining about drafting on Sunday. Maybe because I was one of the first waves to get out there but I was actually impressed with the riding I saw. It seemed to me that most people were sitting far enough back. I certainly saw far less drafting this year than I did last year. Last year’s race was an absolute disgrace. It really seemed to me that spreading out the age group wave starts as much as they did seemed to make it much better. I can understand it might have been worse after I was off the highway but that is what I saw. So out onto the highway and straight away I had to keep my cool. There were some riders passing me and my old ego wanted to try and go with them. But instead I focused on my own race and was content to keep riding my own pace. This continued for the first 30km and I attempted to increase my efforts after each 30km. When I came off the highway at the 40km mark I felt like I was riding very well. My speed was high and it was definitely taking less out of me. One of my highlights of the day was when I was passed by another competitor who congratulated me on my journey as he rode by. It really put a smile on my face. So the next part of the course was the loops with the hill. When I rode them a couple of days earlier I was surprised how they weren’t as bad as I expected. Let me tell you, after 55km of hard riding that hill was significantly harder than I remembered. It was steep. Thailand steep. The only saving grace was that it wasn’t very long. From this point until transition the course was very undulating. There were some crazy descents (where some guys went past so fast I couldn’t believe it) and some sections with very rough roads. I still felt pretty good when I left the loop section and was making my way back to the highway. I like to spin out my legs in the last 5kms to get them ready for the run. On this course that isn’t so easy because there are some pinchy little hills as you approach transition. I made a point to try and keep the cadence up and as I approached transition I was feeling good for the run. I was happy with my bike split. I wonder if I had of gone much faster in the first 3rd what my split would have been but I am glad that I didn’t. My total ride time was 2:21:00. T2 T2 was completely non eventful. I dropped my bike off and started to run to get my gear bag. I spotted my coach who told me to keep going. I grabbed my stuff, quickly put on my shoes and started to run and keep getting dressed as I ran out onto the course. My T2 time was 2:47 THE RUN I was looking forward to the run all day. I wanted to go out and run faster than I had in Norway. So I wanted to go 1:24 or faster. The first thing I noticed as I made my way onto the run course was how many people were spectating. The crowd was AMAZING! The course was almost identical with one big hill you deal with twice (4 climbs total.) Again, the plan was a conservative first 7km and then to build into the second before “unleashing hell” in the final 3rd. I realised about 2km into the run that I had forgotten to set my Garmin to auto-lap on the run with my splits. I attempted to do it while I was running but gave up quickly. This actually bothered me a lot more than it should of but I decided just to get on with it. I was spurred on at the 4km mark to spot some of the members of the Wolfpack who gave me plenty of encouragement and equal parts heckling. I was also so excited to have my family on course cheering for me. You could literally hear my mother for about a minute before I could see her. Everything seemed to be going ok. I was running the race I had planned if maybe a little slower than I thought I would. As I approached the 14km point where I knew it was time to cut loose I got a bit of a stitch. I get these fairly often when I run so when it started I did all the things I could to get rid of it. The bastard just wouldn’t piss off. I came close to walking for a little while but managed to get it to the point where I could feel it but still deal with it. A few times I tried to pick up the pace but the stitch would put an end to that quick smart. It felt like it did at Western Sydney all those years ago. This time though it didn’t beat me. I was still running around 4:20 pace which was fine for me at that point. The wind had also picked up a bit too which made the last push to the finish quite tough. With about 2km to go it really started to hurt but come on, 2km is nothing and this is the World Championships. I just kept saying to myself “get to the top of the hill” and that is what I did. Once I got to the top it was literally all down hill. By this point I wasn’t thinking about times or anything. I wanted to enjoy the finish. I spotted my Dad about halfway down the finisher chute who had an Aussie flag for me. I ran the last 100m waving it smiling. It was done. 12 months of work was put into 4:25 of fun. I finished with a run split of 1:28:28 and a total time of 4:25:25 AFTER
The first people to find me at the finish were Ben and Dez. I was on cloud 9. Lots of people came down and in what felt like no time at all we were all at the pub. Yes I proceeded to drink too many beers and I had a blast doing it. There was a point when I was at the pub and I looked around and realised just how many people were there to support me. I left the room because I had tears in my eyes and didn’t want anyone to know. People came from all over the place for the sole purpose to support me. I think that was half the reason I enjoyed the whole thing so much. The question everyone kept asking me was if I was happy. Even now I give an answer that lots of people don’t understand. But the truth of it is I am both happy and unhappy. I am so happy about the race and the experience and even the time. I was 15 minutes faster than last year on a course which was much harder. But at the same time I was a little disappointed that I didn’t have the run I wanted. But just because I was a little disappointed doesn’t mean I had a bad race. I literally loved every second of being on course. It was my reward and I have never enjoyed a race so much before. I am definitely going to try and qualify for next year. I was so proud to represent my country at a global event and to do it on home soil in front of my family made it so special. If I had to sum up my feelings about the race in one word it is grateful. I wanted to prove to myself that I was a legitimate athlete on Sunday and I feel like I did that. I understand that this is becoming a very long race report. The scary thing is I could literally just keep writing about it. So I will leave it here. As always huge thanks to everyone especially my wife and family, my coach Ben Hammond, my supporters, Thanyapura, Giant Sydney, True Amino, Pioneer, Mizuno, and Suplest and of course everyone who cheered me on whether on course or from wherever you followed the race. THANK YOU and remember to TRI! ***Oh I forgot to include this but I am racing Noosa Tri in 8 weeks and in order to race I need to raise money for the RSPCA. So if you want to support a great cause and help get me to the start line please follow this link and make a donation. Honestly any amount is greatly appreciated! PLEASE DONATE HERE Hi Everyone!
I’m writing today while sitting on my flight to the Sunshine Coast I am heading for the 70.3 World Championships this weekend. While we were lining up to board our flight I started to talk with my wife Dez. I said how crazy it was to think I was on my way to the biggest race I have ever competed in. When I first became aware of a 70.3 World Championships it was held every year in Las Vegas. I remember that was one of the things that appealed to me so much about the race. Go for a race and party in Vegas afterwards. I remember how it felt like something I would never be able to achieve. I truly never thought I would be good enough to compete at a World Championship event. It’s funny how things change though. Last weekend was almost a year to the day that I qualified for this race. Even some of my friends who I have made through the sport said they have noticed a change in me over the last 12 months. I mean I can understand why. I have achieved more in this sport in the last 12 months than I have ever expected. More than that though I really feel like I have earned the right to be racing this weekend. When I qualified last year in Bintan I made the strategic choice to race in Indonesia assuming the field would be weaker so I kind of felt like I had cheated my way into the World Championships. But since Bintan I qualified 2 more times. I earned a spot for the 70.3 World Championships at both Taupo 70.3 and Norway 70.3. Both of these races were against strong fields so I was able to set aside any feelings of guilt I had about taking my slot in Bintan. One of the huge advantages of the Bintan slot was that it has given me over 12 months to prepare for this race. I have never worked so hard towards something before. I have literally put so much blood, sweat and tears into this race I am astounded I am still standing. I have done it all for a very selfish reason too. I want to prove to myself that I am good enough. I wrote about some of my motivations last time and that holds true. But when that gun goes off on Sunday morning I am racing to prove to myself and I suppose to other people that I am more than just a triathlete who used to be fat. I want to show people that I am a legitimate triathlete regardless of where I have come from. I want people to think of me as a solid triathlete, not just a number on the scales. This is a hard thing to come to terms with too. I mean people love a weight loss story. But I feel like I am more than that now. I feel like I am triathlete who is able to line up at a race and be in contention for the podium. I am not expecting that this weekend but I am aiming to make the podium at some of my other races this year. I have been so thankful for all the messages of support that I have received from all over the world this week. To know there are so many people who are interested in what I am doing gives me a huge boost. It is that sort of support that has made all the countless hours worth it. I mean at the end of the day this is a hobby for me. I am not competing for money. I am not trying to make a living from this sport. But that is not to say that this sport is not important to me. I am guilty of sourcing a lot of my identity from my pursuit of triathlon. It has become a critical element to me as a person. When I think about the values that the sport encourages like hard work, discipline and sacrifice I am pretty happy to be so heavily influenced by it. Now onto the biggest question I keep getting asked. What is going to happen this weekend? I was talking with my coach this week about how I am feeling and I told him I am surprised that I am not nervous. For those of you who have been with me in the lead up to a race, I am normally a bit of a mess. I am scared I haven’t done enough or that something is going to go wrong. But for this race I honestly feel like I have done everything I can to prepare. I am willing to admit that I am not at the level that I want to be at. But that is not because of a lack of preparation. It is because I have to work hard to make the progress that I want to. What I am saying is that while I know I am not going to hit my 4:05 dream time this weekend I am still confident I will eventually. But for me, at this point in my triathlon career I could not be in better shape. I think knowing this is causing me to be calm. I have done the work and there is no point trying to cram in extra sessions expecting to see progress. The other big factor about this weekend is that I am actually just genuinely curious to see what level I am at. I know I had a solid result at Norway but I know I didn’t push. I also feel like I am a much stronger athlete at the moment. So I can’t give an answer to people when they ask what I am expecting for the race. I am just as curious as they are to see what happens. I am going out there on Sunday to race as hard as I can and see what I am capable of. So this is why I think I am not too nervous about the race. I am racing with confidence and curiosity, not fear and pressure. So the last thing that I want to do is give out some thanks to a whole heap of people who have helped to get me to the race this weekend. Obviously the first person I want to thank is my wife Dez. You know how much your support means to me. I promise to give you a smile as I run past on Sunday. To my family who are all coming to watch me race this weekend. Knowing you have all come this far to watch me race will ensure I give it all I have. To my coach, Ben, mate thanks for the amazing program and kicking my ass when I got distracted. It will be amazing to have you spectating on Sunday as well. To the Wolfpack (you know who you are) you boys reminded me how much fun this sport is. I found another reason to be involved in this sport and am excited to see most of you on the weekend. To my training (and eating) crew in Sydney, thanks for all of your encouragement and many food dates which helped to keep me carbo loaded before some of my harder sessions. You have helped to make my training a social activity. My teammates from MaccaX as well as Macca and Azza, the support and motivation you all give me really blows my mind. Fellas you should be so proud of what you have created. It is bigger than the sport of triathlon and I am honoured to be part of it. To my sponsors in no particular order, Mizuno, Giant Sydney, True Amino, Pioneer, Suplest and Thanyapura. Thank you all for your confidence in me. I am proud to represent you when I race and train. Finally to all of my readers and followers, even though I do not know many of you or haven’t met you in person I feel like I do know many of you. Knowing there are so many people who genuinely want me to succeed is an incredible feeling and not something I take for granted. That will do for this week. It is crazy to think that the race is upon me. I am going to make the most of my time up here this week and above all else. I am going to enjoy the race. So until you all get my edge of the seat race report I will leave you with this. Chase your dreams, back yourself, thank you and remember to TRI! |
TimI lost 50kgs though triathlon and completed the 2016 70.3 World Championships. Aiming to hit 4:05 for a 70.3, the same time it took me to complete my first Olympic Distance Triathlon. I want to bring as many new people to the sport as possible. Whether you are fit and active or want to make positive changes to your life. Archives
July 2020
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