Ironman Cafe

Little steps

2009-03-27T10:04:00.000+11:00

There has been progress!

I have been slowly increasing my running as my injuries subside and allow me to do more. I have managed to go from 10 x 1 min walk/ 1min run two weeks ago, to 4 x 10min run/ 1 min walk last night, with a similar level of discomfort. This is an improvement, not a huge one but things are going on the right direction. It is a boost for my motivation too because it could indicate that I am on the road to recovery and I may be able to string some good training together and maybe have a reasonable 09/10 season.

Fingers crossed.

I have an appointment with a Sports Physician on Monday; hopefully he can do the assessments needed to figure out exactly what is going on in my hammy/glute so we can get it fixed.

Good things.

Iron-Parent

2009-03-10T10:12:00.001+11:00

This week will be the official start of my training and racing endurance sport with a family (i.e. wife, child and dog).

Before March 1st, I had a wife and dog, and both of them were very supportive of my training and racing. Now I have a new family member that I am going to have to pay dues to, in order to get out the door to train and to pack up to go to races. At this stage she is giving the go ahead to all training sessions (I took her lack of response as consent…) and I am sure she will continue to support me as her beautiful mother does. But how will I cope with the time spent away from my family…? I have spoken with a few Iron-Dads and a lot of them say that even when they have the green light to train; they often drag their feet and find reasons to stay home. I can already feel that I am missing out, when I go to work.

I think it would be easy to put my training on the back burner or take time out, but I think my wife would concur that when I don’t train and sit around the house I go into hibernation and become less enjoyable to be around. I sleep for longer and do less around the house. I think that while my training may have to adapt to the new girl in my life (things are already more pink, that is for sure), it will continue be important to my well-being and to my ability to be a good parent (whatever that means).

P.S. As you may have picked up from this post, my baby daughter Alexandra (Ally) Wendy Duncan was born safe and sound on 1/3/09. Welcome to the Family Ally

In need of purpose

2009-02-28T18:00:00.002+11:00

The longer I consider myself an endurance athlete the more I see that I am not in it for the joy of training.

I know that a lot of endurance athletes out there love to train and could train for the sake of training all year round.

Me, I train to race... I train to compete...I train to go faster than the guy next to me to catch the guy ahead of me and to hold off the guy behind me. Training is a necessary evil to race fast/er. Without a race on the immediate horizon and without the pressure to get prepared I am finding it hard to find some fire.

I am in need of purpose.

Being injured and unable to run is making it much harder too. Because I need to get my body in shape to train again before getting in shape to race. This is not how I pictured the early stages of the 09/10 campaign.

I have sucked it up and made an appointment to see the Physio. I am pretty sure I put his kids through college last year, and it seems that they will be awarded the Duncan Scholarship again this year... Also Mr Ibuprofen will be rubbing his hands together when he sees me coming again.

Ahh well, neither ‘getting rich’ nor ‘lengthening my life’ were on my goal list for 2009...

The Lycra doesn't lie

2009-02-25T11:15:00.004+11:00

Due to pressure from my adoring fan... I will be blogging again.

I hope to be regular; but with a lot on my plate over the next little while I may not be.

As I said to my to my fan the other day "it's been so long, I could write a novel to update what has happened since my last post!". I won't write a novel; but will give you the highlights and fill in the details over the next little while.

Since my last post:

1 Half Ironman – so-so performance
1 Ironman – major injury issues, glad to finish
Numerous injuries – old ones and new ones
1 Sea Urchin attack – WTF?
1 Surgery to remove Sea Urchin Spines – Yes, the nickname ‘bubbleboy’ is appropriate
1 trip to NZ to not compete in a Half Ironman and not attempt to qualify for World Long Course Champs
2 months of 0 training sessions
1 month of easing back into training and dealing with lingering injuries.

In essence the 08/09 season was not my finest and good riddance I say.

I forgot to mention that somewhere in there I managed to get my wife pregnant and it is currently 13 sleeps till another Iron-Orphan enters the world (kidding).

I anticipate a continued ‘easing’ back into training due to fatherly duties. This all works nicely towards my plan to race Ironman NZ 2010, so baby’s first birthday is perfectly timed to see the grand-parents in NZ (you may remember that my wedding was scheduled around a race last year too…)

I have likely missed some of the details; they will come to me as I go.

It feels good to be back.

Oh, the title is a reference to the way my bike shorts groan when I put them on at the moment, race weight is a distant memory...

Good luck to all competing in April!

2008-03-30T13:02:00.001+11:00

Well look at that another post and only four weeks between.

I have little to report, my season has come to an end and I now need to draw a line in the sand and say there goes that season and now we get serious for Ironman in December. I think it will be after the trip we are taking to watch Ironman Australia next week, when I feel it is time to look ahead and put the past season to rest.

A big shout out to the guys from my ETPA that are racing at Ironman Oz. Ken, Mark and Pete will rip the course up big style and I am stoked that I will be there to support and watch them!!!

Also Johan, a friend of mine I have mentioned before, is racing in the Auckland Half Ironman in NZ next weekend. Hopefully the serious training he has put in over the last 3 months will pay big dividends...

Good luck to all that are competing over the next few weeks.

I will keep chugging along and will keep you all up to date as the next few months progress.

Train hard!

He lives!!

2008-03-01T14:51:00.001+11:00

Just a quick post to say I am still alive and fully intend to get back on the blogging bandwagon. I went through an unmotivated patch there and will start to make an effort over next little while. In a bit of a slow period training-wise due to a back injury but should get moving again next few days. I have an Olympic distance race coming up next weekend which should be fun. Not the best build up with the back and all but smash! smash!

Hmm, I just realized this must be one of the most cliche posts in the blogging world, " I am still alive but I am a slack ass..." Ahh well...

More later.

Port of Tauranga Half Ironman – 2km/90km/21km

2008-01-08T08:27:00.000+11:00

Short Version:
Overall: 50th 4:34:55 solid
Swim: 34th= 28:35 sigh…
T1: 127th= 01:53 ouch!
Bike: 57th= 2:25:58 chuffed
T2: 98th= 01:31 hmm..
Run: 86th 1:36:58 I’ll take that
Category: 6th 30-35 age-group

Another solid race, was expecting a bit more for the swim and run and it seems my transitions are pretty average (not surprised on T1, my timing chip came off in my wetsuit, panic ensued…). The swim was a disaster organisationally with the pros and female age-groupers getting at least 50-100m head start and a huge current assistance (to put in perspective the lead pack of age-group males hit the first 500m turn buoy at the same time as the female age group main pack!! The pros were well ahead). Rode hard for a nice improvement in time over last time out with little payback on the run. The run was a significantly tougher course than Shepp and I had cramping in my quads from early that came and went, so reasonably happy with the time (managed to even split the first and second 10.5km). All in all, I’ll take a 2min PR, would have liked more. It was great to race in front of home crowd.

Long Version:
Race day conditions were pretty good. The sky threatened to open up prior to the race but only a short shower on the bike resulted. There was some blustery onshore winds that played a little havoc on the disc riders (of which I was one) on the 50/20/20 three loop course and there were a lot of puncture sufferers (of which I was not one, phew..). It got pretty warm on the run.

Because they held the race briefing the previous evening, pre-race went smoothly… other that the 3 portaloo stops required! I now know that double dosing on Ultra-muscleze for the 3 days prior had an extreme laxative effect on me. Not an ounce of discomfort but I am talking liquefied!! Not a good idea. I know it was the Muscleze because the day after stopping it things returned to normal.

I got into the water with a few minutes to warm up and find a good position for the start which was positive.

Swim:
The swim was a double triangle course in a bay beside Mount Maunganui, exiting the water between laps (for spectator value). The first lap was slightly longer than the second. The swim start was a deep water start at a jetty at one end of the bay. There is a significant current running in the direction of the first 500m leg that gets seriously stronger the further out you get. The age-group males were positioning on the shore side of the jetty, the females on the ocean side with the pro field just in front of them. In the last few minutes before race start the pros followed by the female age-groupers swam out from the jetty to get more current assistance (smart move). They then proceeded to drift towards the first buoy. Meanwhile, the age-group males were questioning the race official/starter about this and things were getting heated. The starter then began his speech about good luck etc. and half the male pack took off. I was expecting a call back prior to starting which never happened and then a pitiful hooter signified the race start and we took off. I was angry at myself for again missing the start and had to work very hard to catch one of two lead packs of age-group men. At the first turn buoy the pros were a good 200m ahead due to a head start and strong current. The pack I was in hit the first buoy with the female middle pack and we had to swim through a mess of slower swimmers. I then started to pick off some slower pros. Once in clear water I had a pretty solid swim, the other male lead pack had managed to get a drop on us in the mess and I ended up about 10th out of the age-groupers while the majority of the pros came out well ahead of us. I felt good coming out of the water, though a bit annoyed that I had not had the swim I had wanted.

T1:
I came into T1 feeling fresh, I whipped of my wetsuit and then realised that my timing chip had come off with it, I had to dig around in my wetsuit to find it and then had to reattach it. Precious seconds ticking away!!! I was glad not to have a “Macca” moment with the aero helmet and got away smoothly.

The Ride:
I felt good once on the bike and got up to speed real quick and managed to get rolling. Jumping onto a legal “pack” of three other riders that were moving at a good pace I got to work. I didn’t have the pain in my legs like I did in Shepp and I really noticed the tapers affect on my power and rhythm. I loved the new aero helmet; it really helped me focus on staying aero. The course consisted of a dead flat 50km loop and two 20km loops. Each lap went twice over about 6 large speed bumps, which was a pain in the ass. A lot of people lost nutrition on these, thank goodness for the attention I put into this leading up to the race and I was glad to have no problems with ejected bottles on the bike (though a runaway bottle rolling down the road came close to causing me grief!) The first lap was windy blowing the disc and deep rim front around a bit, not enough to be a real problem but enough to keep me awake. I lost a few places on the ride and managed to gain a few back. Maintaining focus and pace became difficult on the two shorter laps because the entire field of 800 + 200 team riders was squeezed on the 20km loop by the end and a lot of newbies seem to find keeping left difficult and have a tendency to weave while drinking etc. A few close calls and some shouting was as bad as it got luckily. I managed to get though all my nutrition and I feel this helped later in maintaining my speed. I still feel that something was missing from my nutrition plan on the bike as I cramped on the run again. More analysis is needed.

T2:
I had all my run kit in a plastic bag after the squelchy shoe incident last time out. I had a dense moment when I tried to take everything out of the bag individually before figuring out that the dump on the ground method would be faster. I got sorted pretty quickly after that, not rushing the socks, not wanting to pay with blisters later. Looking at my transition times/placings there is definitely time to be gained and this will be something to be considered next time for sure. Some was just that “shit happens” kind of stuff some was need for practice. I will work on this before next race. Free time is good time.

The Run:
Coming out of transition I felt strong and hoped that the faster ride was not going to hurt me too much on the run. I pulled in behind two guys that seemed to be running strong and used them to pace off while I concentrated on relaxing and getting my stride sorted. At about 3km I started to cramp in my VMOs (the tear drop shaped quad muscle just above and to the middle of the knee) it was pretty bad and I was in some trouble for a few km. I was cursing for not organising salt tablets before leaving Australia and not being able to find some in NZ. I grabbed water and Balance Electrolyte drink (race sponsor) at the next aid station and got a bit down while trying to stay with the two guys I was pacing off. It wasn’t enough, so at the bike aid station a bit further up the road I crossed the road and grabbed a bottle of Balance and a bottle of water. I drank half of each pretty quickly and poured the cold water on my quads. The effect of the fluids inside and out was pretty quick and I was able to run pretty freely again after a few km. Then we hit the dirt path surrounding the Mount. The path is an undulating dirt path around the bottom of the Mount. It has a few nasty sharp hills and these do a number on your legs. I felt pretty strong on the path but definitely felt that my pace dropped off significantly on this section of the run that had to be covered twice. At the turn around I knew going under 1:35 for the run like I had hoped was a long shot and a negative split was needed. I picked up the intensity but it seems not the pace as I covered the second lap in the same time as the first. I found a second wind on the second lap of the Mount and managed to pass a couple of people that had passed me, making it stick and running strong into the finish. Though had they made a comeback I would have been in trouble, as my legs were going into meltdown over the last 1.5km flat stretch to the finish. I crossed the line pretty happy with a personal best time of 4:34 and headed straight for the massage tent.

It was great to have a solid performance in front of my family and to do a similar time to my last race on a tougher course was pleasing. It also indicates that I am where I am at the moment and this gives me food for thought as to how improvements can be made. It seems that the most benefit would come from improving my run and probably some free seconds in transition. To do this I need to ride faster with less fatigue going into the run. I think my swim is very close to where I want it and on a good day will get me to the right place at the right time.

On a side note, my age-group placing qualifies me to race for NZ at the World Long Course Triathlon Championships in the Netherlands in August. However because I am not a financial member of TriNZ and didn’t tick the box saying I wanted to be eligible, I wont be selected. Maybe I will consider a serious crack at this in the next few years (I have 4 more in the 30-35). The distances might suit me well with a 4km swim and 120km bike and a 30km run.

Thank you:
A big thanks to the ETPA crew, Coach Tippett, the great friends that lent me go fast gear and the support texts from Australia. Thank you to the friends and family that cheered me on during the race and to the other half of Team Duncan, Fay.

Cheers.

J.

Race report Campbell’s Shepparton Half Ironman (2km/90km/21km) 18th November 2007

2007-11-30T18:49:00.000+11:00

Summary (read this if you want the hard facts and numbers):

Time: 4:36:59

Swim: 25:56 solid

Bike: 2:35:46 ack!!

Run 1:35:17 solid

9^th in age-group

50^th overall

Solid effort, happy with my time. Definite room for improvement with quality taper, improved race strategy, improved mental approach, tweaks to nutrition and attention to mechanical issues. Quality B race result, fulfilling requirement with regards to highlighting fitness gains and areas needing to be addressed.

Race Report (read this if you want a long winded, ramble about the race and what I will take away for future races):

Build up:
Shepparton was on the race card based on timing and financial reasons. It’s seven weeks out from my A race, Tauranga Half Ironman, NZ 5^th January 2008, making it a good lead-up and it’s only a couple of hours drive north of Melbourne, meaning no need for airfares etc.

The plan was to go into Shepparton with a “training race” mindset. The Coach, Mat Tippett, warned me well in advance that there would be no full taper and little recovery afterwards. I would be racing tired and winding back into full training ASAP after the event. I was fine with this as I want to be all guns a-blazing in NZ in January, in front of the home crowd, my family and Kiwi friends.

There were two issues I found with going into a race with a “training race” mindset. The first of these is the possibility of talking yourself out of a result before toeing the start line. I found myself making predictions when people asked of “having a crack but not expecting much as I will not be tapered” and “it’s just to see how I go and get pacing/nutrition and stuff right”. The coach reminded me that I need to go in expecting a strong showing and to be confident in my training to give me a result despite any fatigue I was feeling. I am not sure I achieved that… The second issue is that I am a highly externally motivated athlete and to think that I was going into a race in which I may not perform as well as I might like was a considerable stress on me. Sprinkle on top of that, the “I have busted my gut for the last nine months with a new coach and surrounded myself with solid athletes, what if I haven’t improved much? What if I only do as well as I did last time out …?” For a psychologist I sure do have some issues to work through with regards to race build up. There have to be huge gains for endurance athletes (including my self) from improving their mental game in training, race lead-up and during racing… Hmm there could be a career in that…

Race Morning:
Race morning, I was feeling in control, I have raced many times before and I am pretty good at a slow controlled build of nervous energy running up until the start line. I was feeling good after a restful nights sleep despite waking up a few times and having a nightmare that I had the wrong wheels on my bike (whatever that meant). Pre-race nutrition was all liquid form, which I felt was a success, however it may have resulted in my being over hydrated pre-race relative to the conditions and may partially explain the constant need for relief felt throughout the race.

We got down to the race venue nice and early and started setup. I was a little thrown off by the bikes already in transition thing, as I would usually take the stead for a quick spin prior to the race start. This was one of the mistakes, as minor technical issues on the bike were a concern; the lack of a proper warm-up was another. I was thankful for my priceless race support crew, Fay. Without her to carry, hold, pass, anticipate and generally let me focus I would have been considerably more stressed and less sorted on race morning. Once all was ready, body parts that required lubing were lubed and the wetsuit was on it was down to the lake (puddle) for a race briefing that was too long and ate into any chance of a warm-up it seemed. By the time the race director had finished and allowed us to file through the finish shute and walk around to the race start I was lucky to have time to enter the water and get to the start line let alone warm-up or get positioned for the start. Next time the race briefing will take second place to a warm-up if it’s one or the other.

The Swim:

I was on instructions to find a strong swimmer and sit on them for the duration of the swim, preferably the leader or as close too. A solid plan which I was reasonably confident I could achieve (one of the top few at least). The wheels fell of the swim plan when I got zero warm-up. I know from experience that I will feel magic for about 200m swimming from cold and then I will hit an unseen wall and have arms of lead for about another 100m or so and then I will come good and cruise from then. The lack of warm up meant I hit the wall during the most important part of the swim, the trip to the first turn buoy. Couple this with being late to the start line and picking the wrong swimmer, meant I lost the lead bunch earlier and probably with it about a minute in the swim. I realised at about 500m that my draft was not cutting it and went round him and tried to bridge to the leaders but never quite made it and decided I was burning too many matches trying. So I buttoned off and swam the remainder at a more conservative pace. It seems the guy that I hoped would drag me round, dragged off me, he passed me at the end for the glory exit. I let him have it and floated on his feet for the last 200m. Exiting the water I was all about trying to relax, sucking in some air and calming down, running through the transition in my mind as I headed for the stead. Swim time 25:59 1^st age-grouper and 10^thoverall out. Solid time, with potential to improve with the right draft.

The Ride:

During the swim the heavens had started to open up and they were just warming-up for the ride. The ominous mention during race briefing of pulling us from the course in case of an electrical storm was in the back of my mind, it bucketed down and thunder and lightning joined in. The conditions made for treacherous conditions and on the second lap one of the casualties came rattling past me missing a few layers of skin and half of his rear drink bottle mount. I wasn’t having any of that and I passed him back. We passed each other a number of times during the ride and I knew he was coming each time because his broken drink bottle holder was rattling like mad.

For the first 20km of the bike I was struggling to find my rhythm and drop my heart rate to a more respectable level. For the last 70km I was still trying to find my rhythm but was struggling to get my heart rate as high as I wanted. I had pains in places that I hadn’t in the past in my quads and I couldn’t help wishing I could find the same powerful feeling I had during a training ride the previous weekend. There were a couple of sections on the bike where I felt awesome and flew past other cyclists, but the majority of the ride was an exercise in searching for the mental or physical trigger to get moving. I also think playing in the back of my mind was the demoralising 2:10 21km I had in my last race after pushing the ride. I wanted to have a solid run and wasn’t sure how hard was too hard on the bike. I think I went too soft.

The new stead courtesy of some old ladies front bumper was great and the borrowed race wheels were wicked. Throughout the ride the back wheel kept rubbing on the brake pad, I stopped twice to sort it out but it returned soon afterwards. I don’t know how much real time it cost me but the noise it was making sure was robbing me of my focus.

Nutrition was an issue throughout the bike and I have a feeling I didn’t get enough fluids in due to the need to pee that plagued me throughout. There was no way I was pulling over to go and could only squeeze out small amounts while free wheeling as there were no hills to relax on. I made a conscious decision that it could either come out or my bladder would explode and I probably didn’t drink enough because of it. I lost a lot of positions on the bike and I think that I have a much faster ride in me. I know the conditions were tough but I think I may be able to ride a good 5-10min faster with little effect on my run time…we shall see…we shall see…

I was glad to be coming in off the windy wet course after my third lap and hadn’t considered the effect that torrential rain may have on my run gear sitting on a towel in transition. I hadn’t imagined after the weeks weather predictions that putting my shoes in a plastic bag would be required, I think even on a 40 degree day I will be bagging my shoes none the less in the future. It’s not a very cheering experience wringing out your socks before putting them on then squelching out of transition with 21km to run…

The Run:
Despite the heavy shoes and wet socks, I felt strong as I headed out on the run. I was conservative over the first 3-4 km stabilising my heart rate and getting some carbs into my system. I early stab of the dreaded stitch gave me cause to worry but this came right and I started to feel stronger as the run progressed. The first 7km went by in 30min and I was happy with my pace and felt like the next 14km would be all good.

I again felt the need to pee during the run and was considering my options with regards to pit stops. I decided that stopping still wasn’t on the agenda and had a crack at ‘urinating while running at full speed’, the word on the street was that running and peeing was not possible. I am happy to say that it can be done…twice. Now they weren’t particularly reliving pees, but they certainly took the pressure off… one of my proudest moments… best followed by water at the next aid-station.

The second 7km went by in around 31min; it was about 14km in that I started to get concerned. Both my calves were sending me urgent warning signals that total crampage was about to ensue. I have had problems with cramp, in my calves in particular numerous times in races and training. I was seriously worried that if I cramped, that it would mean a catastrophic slowdown to walk or crawl for the remainder of the run. At 7km out that is a big chunk of time, even at 1km out its significant. Close to 5min is my guess between a solidly ran 1km and a hobbling walk. At this point I went into crisis mode. I adjusted my running style to be calf friendly (read: all glutes and quads) started to take on more fluids at aid stations and threw back a few salt tabs I had in my back pocket. I have never used salt tabs in training and I remember commenting pre-race “I know I should never try new things in a race but if I am feeling like I need the salt tabs that badly to take them without practice, the race is probably about to implode anyhow” and I think I was right. I have a feeling that without the salt tabs I may not have made it to the finish line. The last 7km went by in 33:30min and I was s**tting bricks the whole way. Every curb or corner was a possible game breaker and I was literally bargaining with my calves for the last 1km, that I would stop running and stand still or even lay down if they would just get me to the finish line. I have a feeling that some changes need to be made to avert this situation in future races. I am unsure if it is hydration, electrolytes, run form or a combination, but the last 7km my heart rate was dropping significantly and my engine had power to spare but cramp was my limiting factor. I think another 31min lap was on the cards. 100m from the finish a guy in my age group overtook me. I consulted with my claves on a sprint finish and they told me I could have a sprint/crawl finish photo or a respectable jog over the finish line. We agreed on the jog and let him go.

I was most happy with my run, I ran the same time I did in my last fresh 21km and only 3min off my PB. I think a sub 1:30 is on the cards in the next HIM or so, if my calves concur.

Post Race:
Once I had crossed the line I thanked my calves and thanked the timing chip remover for removing my chip and saving me collapsing trying to remove it myself. Then I was all about the caloric consumption. I polished off all sorts of junk food washed down with 1.5ltr of Gatorade and this was the pattern for the rest of the day. I am not sure how I managed to get in so much food over the course of a day but it was good to eat with abandon. I got a free massage from the race masseuse and enjoyed cheering on the other ETPA’rs, all of who were having great races. The rest of the day was taken up with a snooze in the arvo and lots of stretching. I have recently been using Skins compression tights in my recovery plan and I feel there are significant benefits in sleeping in skins the night after races and/or heavy run training days.

Thank yous:
Despite this being a B race, I think it’s important to thank the people that get you to the start line
A big thank you to:

Coach Mat Tippett, without his expert input I would be still a self coached, slower athlete and I think you are going to take me to my potential (did someone say Hawaii…?). I encourage everyone to invest in a professional coach, its money well spent. Check out www.etpa.com.au for coaching plan options.
The ETPA crew for the hours spent hurting together, as training is much more bearable with someone to hurt with.
Finally, Support crew (Fay) as she is an important part of “Team Duncan” and I would be lost without her expertise in the racing from the spectator side. Hope you had a good time too.

Jimmy D

Out.

The New Stead!

2007-10-06T10:47:00.000+10:00

I know, I know, it’s been a while since my last post, which was my rant about my run in with the traffic. Update on this is that the body is fully recovered with only a few minor scars to show for it. More importantly, I have a new bike, care of (in part) the drivers insurance. I managed to get a good chunk of the cost of a nice upgrade bike, chipping in the rest myself. Here is a picture of the new stead.It’s a big step up from the old ride, in that it’s a dedicated time trial bike rather than what was essentially a road bike with aerobars. I was looked after really well by Anthony at CBD cycles in Melbourne (thanks), which made it possible for me to buy-up to this bike.

The Giant Trinity Elite comes stock with Zipp Flashpoints, I opted to swap those for a set of training wheels (har-har, yes I do need training wheels to stay on my bike….), as it made the bike affordable and I can pick and choose my race wheel combo next year when funds allow. The stock groupset is Shimano Ultegra, I have upgraded the front and rear derailers to Durace and had a set of carbon cranks fitted, to decrease weight and increase mechanical efficiency. I plan to upgrade my pedals as well next year, because as we know the biggest gains are made by decreasing the weight of rotating parts, and this is even more important with parts that move in bigger circles (i.e. wheel rims and pedals).

I’m happy with the colour, which is very important...

The setup is close to what I want, though I think a few tweaks are in order over the next week or so to get it how I would like it.

I am surprised that the saddle is not as comfortable as I expected. I have read reviews that rave about the Fizik Arione saddles, but I have to say my gooch (point of contact with bike saddle), disagrees at the moment. It is likely in part due to the more aggressive riding position, but I feel that the saddle on my old stead was more comfortable. I am going to withhold judgment until I get used to the overall position change, but the alternating burning and numb sensations in my gooch are not nice.

When it comes down to it I think I just need to HTFU (Harden The F**k Up).

I have a good feeling about the bike and I’m anticipating a significant improvement in my ride times due to the improved aerodynamics and weight of me and the bike and the psychological “look at me go fast on my red speed machine everybody!” factor. A set of nice race wheels will top it off nicely.

Training is generally going great, I am coming to the end of two “overload” weeks, injury free and coping. I say coping, as I am pretty tired and I’m noticing some carry-over fatigue each day, especially in the pool. I am working through in my head why I feel the fatigue most in the pool and the jury is out. I have a feeling that it reflects my lack of finesse in the water and that I muscle my way through the water with a background as a sprinter. I think that maybe if my technique was a little more solid I would be able to swim better when fatigued. I have a stroke correction workshop coming up soon, so hopefully I can continue to renovate my stroke and increase my efficiency in the water.

The coach says that training will ramp up again in the next few weeks and I say bring it on. I am looking forward to smashing it over the next three months so I can make a strong appearance in Tauranga in January.

Congrats to the guys and gals from ETPA that raced in the Cannibal Gold Coast Half Ironman last weekend.

43 days till Shepparton Half Ironman

90 days till Tauranga Half Ironman

97 days till the Wedding!!! Yikes…

It's a F'n warzone out there!

2007-09-08T11:38:00.000+10:00

I am starting to settle after a particularly hairy morning this morning. Ten minutes into what was going to be a 4hr brick session today, I got hit by a car and my bike was totaled. I am luckily(I always find it funny people say 'lucky' in these situations), not too damaged. I have some bruises, aches and grazes but nothing serious at all. Thankfully, I was thrown away from the road and didn't go over or worse under the car. I keep picturing worse case scenarios.

The driver was a little old Vietnamese lady. I was riding well left on a two lane road and I was hit from behind. The driver's daughter tells me that her mother tried to avoid me, but her car doesn't have power steering and her arthritis makes it hard to turn quickly... Why am I struggling to drag up some empathy...

There was no squealing tires and she didn't stop till she was about 80m up the road. She just sat in the car, and I, after getting up and checking that I was in one piece and getting my bikes remains off the road, had to walk to her (I removed my bike shoes in case I had to give the driver the 'good news')and give her directions in handing over her drivers license, a pen and some paper. I took down her details and by the time I finished, I admit I felt a little sorry for her, because she looked like she might have a heart attack.

In the process of the crash I was thrown into my riding partner and his bike received some cosmetic damage also, and I think he took an aerobar in the back, which would have hurt. Thankfully his wife was able to come pick us up and take us home. Which I appreciated.

It sounds like my bike will be covered on the drivers insurance, which is a relief, I would hate to have to have battled with them to get a new bike. I only hope the insurance company gets it sorted quickly. Its only 71 days till Shepparton Half Ironman and I don't need more time off the bike.

The coach suggested a relaxed next 24 hrs and a visit to the osteopath ASAP, to make sure I'm running true. A fall like this morning's could cause problems over the next few weeks, if I have something out of alignment,

I haven't told Fay yet, she is at work and I think a face to face, standing up looking healthy, explanation would be best. Hope she lets me out riding again...

I just uploaded my heartrate monitor data to see how the old ticker enjoyed the action. I went from the cruising training heartrate of 120bpm to 178bpm in the space of 5secs. Obviously exciting stuff...

So ride careful out there kids, and don't think that your high-vis top is going to keep you safe. It's an F'n warzone out there.

Rolling along nicely

2007-09-05T18:12:00.000+10:00

Training is ticking along nicely. I'm enjoying running without fear of knee pain, though I am definitely still hyper-sensitive. Hopefully this will pass. I am feeling good and can't wait to crank the intensity up and smash myself some, before Shepparton Half in 10 weeks time. Then I can 'iron out the wrinkles' and fly in January.

Don't have much more to say today.

Train hard!

Interesting read - Drug Test

2007-08-30T16:07:00.000+10:00

I’m not sure if this article is common knowledge or not, but it’s new to me and I found it pretty damn interesting.

It was written in 2003, and it’s about a guy who appears to have been a pretty reasonable ultra-distance cyclist, who decided to experiment with performance enhancing drugs. Not to win a race or cheat; but to have the experience and to fulfil a host of questions he had about the physiological effects and performance gains that can result. He spent 8 months “on the junk” and tells all.

It’s one of those things that I might think “what if”, but would never contemplate going through with. Scary stuff!

Read it here:

Drug Test

Going slower to go faster

2007-08-24T19:39:00.000+10:00

It seems to me that with a lot of sports, to make steps forward, sometimes a step backwards is required.

This is even more the case it seems in the more technique driven sports.

The thing that got his idea ticking over in my head was the current renovation I am doing on my swim stroke.

I come from a swimming background that spanned from around ten years old until I returned to competitive swimming for a season after “retiring” from triathlon at about age 18. I would like to think I was a pretty handy swimmer and I was able to be in the first two or three out of the water, or there abouts in the majority of the triathlons that I did.

I have found recently that I still swim pretty quick, compared to the age group triathlete population, however nothing like how I use to swim.

I have spent the last 18 months hunting for my old stroke, which use to see me to much quicker times in the pool. As yet I have not found it.

More recently I decided to stop hunting by feel and to start getting a little more scientific in my approach; I have been consulting with a number of sources and have started to develop my understanding of what good technique is.

Previously I was one of those athletes that didn’t care and didn’t want to know why, I just wanted to be told what to do and how to do it and don’t bore me with details. I think this is a real shame, because all the guidance and information that I had access to through some pretty stellar athletes/coaches in the past, is mostly wasted. I have little idea about the theory behind anything I did back then and have almost been learning from scratch this time round.

I have learnt that if I question why and research the theory, eventually it clicks, I have an “aha!” moment and I can apply the theory myself and generalize the concepts, rather than relying on someone else to hand it to me on a platter.

Back on topic – going slower to go faster. Bilateral breathing. I have been ignoring the message from almost every coach I have trained under to bilateral breath. When at my fastest, I only breathed on one side. However, recently I have followed the trail of technical inefficiencies in my stroke back to my one sided breathing (among other things – flexibility etc). I am not going to go into the technicalities of the problem here, as I find explaining swimming technique in writing similar to reading the articles in a penthouse, you really need to see it live to get whats going on and a picture is worth a thousand words. But the point I am trying to illustrate is that I am currently trying to breath bilaterally. I am finding this straight forward enough at easy to moderate pace, but when the pace is wound up, I feel short of air and find it hard to find the rhythm I am used to.

I am finding it easier over time, but I am having to swim slower at times to maintain what I feel will be a faster more efficient stroke once I have it nailed down.

Sometimes in the interest of going faster you have to take a hit in speed, check your ego and work on technique, at a pace that you can maintain, then start to wind it up again when you have it down.

A word of warning: I wouldn't recommend doing this too close to your 'A' race, as there may be reactions from your body to the new movements both injury and fatigue wise. Which you don't want in race season.

I am high maintenance

2007-08-21T20:04:00.000+10:00

The two most common causes of injury in endurance athletes are, increase in training volume and/or increase in training intensity. I am testament to this, as I have experienced both this year since starting training in earnest for Ironman and as a result I've had a series of injuries. The increase in training has exposed the inadequacies in my body, it bio-mechanics and my ability to maintain it.

Injuries are par for the course in Ironman training and its not the injuries that I have the problem with. It is the cost financially that makes it hard to swallow. If I try to maintain the training volume required to get the performance I want, it is likely I will run the risk of continued injuries. The only way I can foresee training at the level I need to, is too invest large sums of time and money on maintaining 'the machine'. By this I mean regular massage, physiotherapy, podiatrist consults, and the list goes on, which can add up to $200+/week.

I am high maintenance.

"Slow down? Lower your sights?" you say. Not in my nature. Now, I am a huge fan of the enter to finish athletes, but I am not one of them. I understand that my first Ironman will be an exercise in finishing, but I want to finish fast.

I got into Ironman under no illusion that it would be cheap, however there is another important factor that makes this situation more difficult. My 'A' race this season is not triathlon related... I'm getting married in January to my race support crew (otherwise known as Fay), and no surprise it ain't cheap jumping the Tasman to tie the knot. This means all funds are currently being funneled into the blackhole that is 'wedding expenses', with the few odd dollars being funnel off to 'training and racing expenses'.

So, after much soul searching and consultation with 'the coach', it looks like the road to Ironman is going to be extended to a two year plan. This season is probably going to take in a couple of Half Ironmans, one of those being a race back home, The Port of Tauranga Half (which by huge coincidence is a week before the wedding! How convenient). The other looks like being Shepparton Half Ironman as a preparation race. I can't wait to race.

There are numerous positives to this decision and at my age I can extend the time frame by a year with no real problems (other than my lack of patience). A lot of people I have talked to agree, that a two year plan is probably more realistic and sustainable than one.

The take home message that I get from this is, that I can go balls out to race Ironman this season, probably carrying injuries all season, possibly having a disappointing race (and a budget wedding and angry support crew). Or, I can train and race Half Ironman this season, which will require less volume training (and cost less in general) and be better prepared physically and financially for the 2008/2009 season, to smash Ironman. I have checked my ego at the door (yes I managed to fit that line in)

Thats my positive spin on the matter and I am sticking to it...

Reading back over this post, it seems to have a negative feel and that wasn't the intention. I am fine with the fact that I am taking time to adapt to the Ironman training workload and I am fine that I will be racing Ironman next season rather than this. I'm really looking forward to smashing it, in the races I have planned this season.

Sunday morning ride with new kit

2007-08-19T13:06:00.000+10:00

I cranked out a solid 3:30 on the bike this morning, on a hilly course. It was good to do a decent ride after the ups and down I have had on the bike lately. I had a small niggle at about 40mins, which I have learnt will pass completely if I keep going. It's not the same as the ITB pains I was getting, but seems to be a result of it or the rehab work I have been doing. It was pretty chilly one this morning and I was trialling some new kit. Now, I am a procrastinator at times, and despite it being spring (the tree outside with the pink buds on it says so, so Fay says), I went for my first ride with a new set of booties, gloves and a fleece neck warmer. One reason I hadn't got some sooner, was that the price of these items just seems ridiculous. Come on, $40-$60 for foot warmers?! But I stalked eBay until I found some at the right price, $18.00, sold! Now, if you haven't got booties and are thinking that the freezer bags in the shoes are doing the trick (as I did), you are missing out! My booties rock. I was of the opinion that cold feet were part of winter cycling, but my feet were toasty all morning. The fleece neck warmer was pretty successful too, it may have looked a little lame but my neck and face (I wore it cattle rustler style for the first 40min) were much warmer and I could talk using my lips this morning, which improves my speech no end. The gloves, I must say were a let down, they were supposed to be an upgrade of my old pair but the were more like a lateral-grade at best. Don't buy Trek 5x5 gloves at retail, they aren't all that. I am hoping they might stretch a little and allow more circulation which may have been the problem...

Enough about my new kit. I am enjoying training, the 5:00am starts are getting easier each day and the extra spare time in the AM means I can blog, do website admin for “the coach”'s website or play games without feeling guilty about other responsibilities. The true test it how much of an effort it is to get up for swim squad tomorrow morning.

By the way, weight update – 79.8kg (fluctuating by 1 - 1.5kg, but ignoring any over 80.0kg)

Oh, also looking like Ironman might be off the cards this season, may only do Half Ironmans this time round and go for the full next season. It's all to do with me being high maintenance, which I will explain later.

Sleep better by getting up early (I hope)

2007-08-17T05:57:00.000+10:00

Today is a rest day and I am sitting here typing at 5:00am, due to the cunning plan I developed at the start of the week. I have been finding it a real struggle to get up some mornings, especially the 4:40am starts to get to swim squad. I have found that even when I get in 7-8 hours I still battle for the first 30min or so to get moving. Now, I know this is probably common for most folks, but I thought I would see if I could make some changes to decrease the chances of the dreaded, 'reset and roll syndrome' (reset, as in the alarm, for later). One of the things that I often tell clients (I work as a child and adolescent psychologist) with sleep problems, is that having a routine is very important to getting quality sleep. I have found lately, that I haven't been getting up at the same time on any two consecutive days. It can vary by up to three hours between a swim squad day and a rest day. I think this may be a big part of the problem. So, because I can't move swim squad to a later time, I have moved my waking time to an earlier one. I try to be in bed by 9:30pm at the latest, which isn't too bad as I just watch TV or surf the net anyway in the evenings, so I get 7-8 hours each night. Now, I haven't had overwhelmingly positive feedback on my plan from those I have deigned to share it with (non-believers!), but that doesn't usually stop me anyhow. One of the benefits of my plan is plainly clear, on non-swim squad mornings such as this morning, I have a spare 2 ½ hrs to ~~waste~~ use constructively. Another is that I can go to work half an hour early and finish the same in the afternoon. So far so good (it has only been a few days), but I will see how it goes.

Training is going pretty good, I can run pain free, I just have to avoid the “its all better, who needs stretches and strengthening exercises” thing and I should be all good. Last night I had a pretty intense magtrainer group session, and my knee didn't have anything to say at all, so fingers crossed.

Hopefully my new early to rise routine will also mean more time to blog too, win win for everyone.

Back on track and ITB links

2007-08-07T14:26:00.000+10:00

I am two days into my first, what I guess is a full weeks training. It seems to be going well, tonight’s magtrainer session will tell. I have become quiet 'knee pain paranoid' lately and any sensation in my knee is analysed and monitored. I have not had pain as such for a while but I have had sensations which don’t seem normal or at least, I don’t remember having them in the past. I also have caught myself using my left leg to do all the work at times, which I can imagine would lead to all sorts of problems if I let it carry on. I was considering writing a post on ITB problems, but really my heart isn’t in it. To tell the truth after all the panicked research I have done into it recently, I don’t want to think too carefully about it. What I will do though is share a coupe of links that I felt were the most helpful and that made sense to me. They matched up with what the professionals I have talked to are saying as well as matching up with what other athletes who have experienced the problem have been saying.

This one is about ITB and rehab:
http://trifuel.com/forums/showthread.php?t=7715&highlight=itbs

This is a site that has tonnes of great info on all sport related injuries and the rehab for them:
http://www.sportsinjurybulletin.com/

Recovering from injury and Ironman training envy

2007-07-28T16:03:00.000+10:00

I just got in from a 50min run, all be it a very easy paced one and I had no discomfort in my knee at all. Yay. I have had no problems at all this week with my knee and I think if I keep on top of my stretches and core strength exercises then I will be able to say goodbye to the ITB issues (touch wood). I have heard a lot about people having ongoing issues and I'm hoping that if I don't get lazy with looking after my body then I won't have further problems.

My build back into training will be a gradual one. My main problem at the moment is training envy. Its gotten to the point where I don't want to ask the guys I train with how their training is going or how far they have been going. It makes me feel like a wuss. It also makes me think about the training I haven't done and how it would have helped for the races later in the season. I guess I need to focus on getting as much quality training in between now and my next race, rather than focusing on the missed training. It seems to be that external motivation thing kicking in again. I'm all about the comparing with others and at the moment my is definitely smaller than yours.

Entered and Paid - Port of Tauranga Half Ironman

2007-07-23T11:35:00.000+10:00

I have entered and paid for the Port of Tauranga Half Ironman!

The entries filled in just eight days, so lucky I didn't muck around. I missed out last year so I was entered within a few hours of it opening this time around. It should be great to race in front of my family and friends. If that doesn't keep me motivated nothing will. Now if I can just string together a few good blocks of training I will be all good.

Injury/training update #2

2007-07-15T17:05:00.000+10:00

Its the end of another week of slowly but surely rehabing my knee. It has been reasonably successful, despite being slower than I would like. I got through a 30min jog yesterday and a 2hr spin this morning on the bike. I rode an hour, to watch some of the people I train with doing a half marathon or 10km run. Congratulations to everyone that ran. I was jealous to be stuck watching, which was made worse by uncontrollable shivering due to the cold. I was consolated by a plate of warm pancakes and some jelly beans, that the race organizers were providing for the runners. I think they meant to spectators to be fed too... Well thats my story and I'm sticking to it. I was concerned after last week, that the cooling off while watching the run would give my knee a chance to flare up and cause me grief on the way home. I am glad to say it didn't. Though for the first 10mins the shivering was so bad I almost shivered my self off the road a couple of times! I have my program for the next several weeks and its a long slow build back to full Ironman training program. I am looking forward to increasing the volume and intensity, so I can feel like I'm actually making progress rather than maintaining at best. Lets hope everything remains positive.

79.8kg!!!!!!!!!!!

2007-07-11T15:55:00.000+10:00

James' weight update... 79.8kg!!!!!!!!!! Thats all I have to say about that.

Injury/training update

2007-07-08T18:21:00.000+10:00

It's a bit sad to be doing “injury updates”, but such is life at the moment. This weekend I got through a 20min jog on Saturday, followed by a 15min cold water wade. It was interesting to see how a little thing like the camber of the footpath, played such a big part in my pain levels. I got through 10min reasonably well, then started running along a footpath with an, I guess, “reasonable” down to the right camber. Its my right ITB that is giving me grief and almost immediately the pain increased. I clicked after about a minute and moved to the part of the path sloping the other direction and walla! The pain went away within a minute or less. It really illustrates how small things can make a huge difference and how functional the injury is. I guess for the next while I will be sticking to the left hand side of the road, at least until I get this issue sorted.

This morning I joined the 2hr Sunday group ride, to see how I held up on the bike. We have made some significant changes to my saddle position that seems to have helped. The ride went pretty well, but ended in a frustrating fashion. One of the group got a puncture which is a common occurrence and cant be helped (to tell the truth I enjoy the break, though I was missing the few kg of body fat this morning brrrr!). In the five or so minutes we waited it seemed the part of my knee that swells when irritated got a good swell on and for the last 15min I was in a good deal of pain. At this point there was no way I found to be rid of it. I think, for the next while. no stopping and ice and anti-inflammatories immediately are the order of the day.

I am feeling pretty positive, despite the niggles, a few more weeks and I can get back to smashing it. As of todays date there are 133 days till my first, what I'd consider serious race. Yes I am counting it down already...

James' 'Weight Update' #6

2007-07-05T21:17:00.000+10:00

I have had a number of people asking how my weight loss is going and I thought I would give you all the goss. The skinny of it (pun intended) is that... No I didn't get under 80kg by July 1st. I am disappointed and I admit contemplated a sweat it out weigh in attempt. But I thought better of it, as it wouldn't have been in spirit of the goal. I just weighed myself and I tipped the scales at 80.5kg. I have been maintaining the strict caloric intact since last time I reported, but the down fall of the, lose weight to go fast goal, was the injuries I'm carrying that have basically stopped me in my tracks. As a lot of you Ironpersons will know, an ITB problem is one of the lamest injuries in the world. You strut around all day feeling like a box of birds, then you run for ten minutes then fall in a heap. Not only annoying, but, unimpressive compared to other more visual/ believable injuries. I almost feel like limping all day just to make sure everyone knows I'm injured and I'm not just blagging training. I feel a ITB education post coming on in the near future.

I'm now in serious rehab mode and will continue the weight updates, full steam ahead for the under 80kg goal at the end of... July?

Oh, by the way, a big thank you for responding to my request for comments, 'touch it' (interesting nickname) who was kind enough to show me I wasn't rambling to myself, cheers.

I Apologize, I have been neglecting you...

2007-07-03T19:01:00.000+10:00

I am sorry I have been absent for the last week or so. It has been a combination of other projects taking up my time and injuries ruining my buzz. My Ironman training has been riding a rough road lately as I have mentioned previously, but hopefully with professional input and a solid rehab program, I will be back into it. I will endeavor to be more regular with my posting. It would be more encouraging if some of you guys start to give me some feedback through the comments function. I kinda feel like I'm talking to myself... hello? anybody out there? nuff said.

Will post again ASAP.

James' 'Weight Update' #5

2007-06-22T09:31:00.000+10:00

This morning, post ablutions, my weight was 80.8kgs. Full steam ahead for the under 80kg goal at the end of June!

James' 'Weight Update' #4

2007-06-20T10:04:00.000+10:00

This morning, post swim training and ablutions, my weight was 81.3kgs. I guess some credit goes to fluid loss in training, but I'm going to take some credit for myself too. Looking like a close run thing for the under 80kg goal at the end of June.

Injury interrupted week and new gadget

2007-06-17T17:36:00.000+10:00

Its the end of a frustrating week of training interrupted by injuries. My body has been rebelling against the increased training load and it is annoying the hell out of me. I suppose it is better to be happening now rather than closer to Ironman race season, but its a pain in the ass just the same. I won't go into great detail on this topic because I don't want to bring you all down with my negative mood. Lets just say training is not on track and I need to take some steps to sort things out.

On a different note I have recently purchased an IrDA (standing for Infrared Don't Ask me what it stands for) adapter. It allows me to upload the heartrate data from my Polar heartrate monitor to my PC. So far it is interesting, but I really have no idea what to do with the information. I anticipate that when I have my heartrate training zones (coming soon), I will be able to see how successful I have been in sticking to them. I think I'll do some research into how else I might make use of the technology. I need to find some excuse for why I spent the money. I will keep you updated on what I find out.

James' 'Weight Update' #3

2007-06-15T10:09:00.000+10:00

This morning, post ablutions, my weight was 82.4kgs. I seem to have plateaued since last update a little. I think my increased calorie intake over the big training weekend last week may be to blame. I was thinking I could/should eat more to keep my energy levels up and I may have overdone it. This weekend, I'll have a good recovery meal after each workout, then maintain the smaller meals for the rest of the day. Hope the numbers drop more next update. Still on track.

Ironman Podcasts, give them a go.

2007-06-14T20:50:00.001+10:00

I remember when I was a teenager, I used to wait each month for the one and only triathlon magazine that was available back then, to come out, I would read it cover to cover, then start over again. That magazine would get read several times before the next months issue hit the shelves.

Now, in the day of the internet, there is so much more information easily available, with online magazines, websites dedicated to Ironman related issues and Ironman forums. It's heaven for the often obsessive types that do Ironman. If you want to know more about a topic, all you have to do is ask google. I spend a lot of time online, reading and researching, my current favorite source of Ironman related information media is podcast.

Podcasts are audio recordings similar to what you hear from a radio station, but they are stored, usually in mp3 format, so you can listen to them at your leisure. Podcasting is a fast growing medium and there are thousands of podcasts available on thousands of topics. With the easy availability of portable audio-players and fast-internet, it's simple to download and listen to podcasts where and whenever you please. I personally make use of podcasts when commuting and when on the magtrainer at home. There are a number of ways to access podcasts and the majority of them are free to download, though you will probably need software to get access to them. Some podcasts are available to be listened to directly from the podcaster's website, which is an easy way to listen, but not particularly useful if you want to go mobile while listening. You need to have software to download and transfer the podcasts onto you audio-player. There are a number of programs available, I think the easiest method for this is to download the free iTunes program. iTunes allows you to download the podcasts and to subscribe to them, which means when you start up iTunes it will download the latest episode for you automatically. Then you can take the podcast with you and get your Ironman information fix on the go.

I have listened to a number of different podcasts on a few different topics. Of the different Ironman/Triathlon related podcasts out there, I have found three that I download regularly. In no particular order they are:

Ironman Talk – Produced by two Ironmen from New Zealand, Ironman Talk takes a light hearted approach. Providing your “weekly fix in all things Ironman” 'coach' John Newsom and Bevan James Eyles are both funny guys, with some good experience between them. They enjoy reporting the latest news, reviews and training tips from Ironman. I find they usually provide me with a laugh and they often point out good resources on the internet.

The Competitors Radio Show – A recording of a on air radio show that has been broadcasting for 17 years and is an offshoot of Competitor Magazine. Hosted by Bob Babbit and Paul Huddle, who both seem to really know their stuff, The Competitors Radio Show interviews some of the great names in not only Ironman but other endurance sports also. They have had a lot of the legends of Ironman on, a number of times. Some of my favorite interviews recently have been with Dave Scott, Mark Allen, Peter Reid, Chris McCormick and Cameron Brown. There is also an interesting and controversial interview with Greg Lemond. I enjoy hearing the big names in the sport, talk about their careers and their opinions on whose who in Ironman today.

Tri Talk Triathlon podcast – The most technical and information driven podcast of the three. David Warden describes himself as an individual who has a overwhelming desire to research triathlon information and to share that information with the masses. He strives to provide triathlon tips, training, news and more. His goal is to make us “swim, bike and run faster”. I find some of the topics particularly interesting, while others, not so much. David obviously does a lot of prep on the topics he discusses and the result is, in-depth and informative episodes. Though, not as humorous as Ironman Talk or The Competitors Radio Show, a valuable resource.

There are a few other related podcasts that I listen to from time to time, if they sound interesting and I always keep an eye out for more. One informative podcast that I recently listened too, is the Endurance and Nutrition Podcast. Produced the end of last ear and hosted by Dave Scott. There are only four episodes, but Dave covers some important and interesting issues.

My recommendation is to download a few episodes of each and have a listen, see what you think. Use the iTunes search function to find podcasts on other topics your find interesting as well. It's a great way get information and to pass the time and I'm hooked on podcasts. I have a been tossing around the idea of developing a podcast of my own in the future, but I think, first, I need to find a partner with some knowledge to balance out my enthusiasm. So maybe in the future, I will point you towards my own podcast feed. In the future if I find any more good podcasts I will post them here. Please pass any you guys like on to me in a comment below.

Eleven hours of Ironman training in two days, new personal record

2007-06-10T13:05:00.000+10:00

Quick update to say, I AM SMASHED! 11 hours of training in two days. Yesterday, the Saturday morning brick was a long one, taking 6:45 to complete and I was toast by the end. This morning I did 4:15 on the bike at a firm pace and now I am burnt toast. I was a good ride, part of it was spent in a good size pack of cyclists and we smacked it. I was hurting, but it was fun. I am so happy its a long weekend, because I will need the sleep-in tomorrow. In the next few days, I will write a little article about podcasts, because I think they are great and that people training for Ironman could benefit from the info they provide and the enjoyment they bring.

Magnesium supplementation update – I have now been taking Ultra Muscleze for over two weeks and I think I'm onto a winner. I have had minimal problems with cramp at all in that time, other than minor twinges when working for long periods at high intensity. Compared to the bad cramping I was getting this is a huge improvement. I am gaining fitness also, so maybe a little bit of credit should go to that. Still, I can definitely give Ultra Muscleze the "Ironman Cafe Seal of Awesomeness".

Ironman Cafe Website Review: Athlinks

2007-06-08T19:46:00.000+10:00

Just a quickie tonight. All is going well, I have a big weekend of training this week, with the Saturday Morning Brick tomorrow and 4hrs firm on the bike on Sunday. I'm looking forward to seeing how I handle it.

I thought I would point out a cool website that I heard about on a podcast I listen to regularly. The sight is called Athlinks, they describe themselves as a “social network for athletes”, with “the most comprehensive database of endurance race results and events anywhere in the world”. Their coverage focuses mainly on the U.S. and parts of Canada and Mexico for six different race categories: Running (over 3 K), Swimming (open water and/or over 500 M), Cycling, Mountain Biking, Triathlon/Multi Sport, and Adventure Racing. They also have a lots of race results for other countries. I managed to find one result to 'claim', the Rotorua Half Ironman in December last year (though I'm not so sure I want to own up to it). I have registered and 'claimed' my race result and I'm already building up my friends list. Athlinks already has a lot of athletes registered (15,553 as of right now) and they ask for people to let them know about results they don't have listed. It could be a cool resource in the future, to hook up with other like minded Ironman racers around the world. On a side not it also allows the stalker in you to get busy, I managed to find results for a few people I know and I will let them know so they can claim their results. You can get as into the Athlinks community as you want too, they allow you to send messages, record training, make blog entries, post photos and videos and show of your gear if you want to plug your sponsors. Go check it out. Send a friends invite to James Duncan and I 'll add you to my list. See you in there.

James' 'Weight Update' #2

2007-06-06T08:41:00.000+10:00

This morning, post ablutions, my weight was 82.8kgs. looking good for the under 80kg goal at the end of June.

External motivation - Winning isn't everything, but losing sucks

2007-06-05T20:06:00.000+10:00

Whew! What a big day at work. I'm pretty tired and the next two weeks look pretty full on training wise. The volume and intensity of my Ironman training is increasing significantly. I am a little nervous but definitely excited to see how I cope. I have taken tonight off on my physio's recommendation, because my right hamstring is still a bit tender from the half-marathon I did a week and a half ago. I'll run easy in the morning to see how it pulls up. I am reasonably happy with how my training and fitness is progressing, though I have some that my swimming is not really coming along. This is probably the result of a combination of two things. One is the training fatigue I am experiencing from the other discipline training that I am doing. The other is the fact that I usually share a lane with an absolute fish in the pool. My ego takes a battering (I'm sure there is an unintentional pun about fish and batter in there...) every swim session and I have been finding it hard to sleep the night before swim squad. This is likely an illustration of my personalty, I really much prefer to win than lose and I find it hard to cope with ongoing not winning. I guess I had better get used to it in the near future though, as I will regularly be surrounded by Ironman athletes that can wipe the floor with me from here on in. I think it is important for me to start developing some personal goals in the pool, such as times I want to make or sets I want to do well. That way I can start to see some success in my training instead of loses. One of the pitfalls of being an externally motivated Ironman is that unless you're the world champion or a top end professional, you are going to lose to someone...

Magnesium supplementation update – I have been taking the Ultra Muscleze now for a week and a half. I have had no problems with cramp at all in that time. I had a slight twinge in my calves in the pool on Monday morning but I regularly get cramps in the pool, so I feel there has been an improvement. I have a big brick session on Saturday morning, so that will be make or break time for my magnesium supplementation program. If I have a cramp free morning then I will call it a success and give Ultra Muscleze the Ironman Cafe seal of approval. Stay tuned.

James' 'Weight Update'

2007-06-04T09:19:00.000+10:00

I'm trying to lose some weight at the moment as I have discussed previously. I'll give you an update on how I'm going every few days. I thought maybe you would be interested and it will keep me honest.

This morning, post ablutions, my weight was 83.4kgs.

Sleep and Ironman training

2007-06-02T16:03:00.000+10:00

I went out for an “easy ride” for 3hrs this morning. The group I rode with was a step up from what I am used to, which was great for the fact that it will benefit me greatly to train with athletes at a higher level than me, both for the physical step up and for the motivational,inspirational step up. I can learn from people doing Ironman well and apply this to my training.

What made this morning not so great, was, for the first time in months, I went out in the city last night. We went out for a great dinner, I highly recommend teppanyaki restaurants for a great time with friends. We then went out to a bar which was nice, but this meant we got home about 1:30-2:00am. I got up just before 6:00am to head out for this ride, and as I struggled along lacking any gas on the hills, I remembered a couple of good articles I had read, on the importance of sleep to Ironman training. They make some good points and you should check them out. I, for one won't be hitting the town again any time soon. I don't feel its worth the cost to my training. Of course special occasions will be celebrated, but the going out for the sake of it is not on my agenda for a while.

Sleep more, train better, race faster
Sleep Your Way to Better Performance

Runner's stitch - cause, cure, prevention

2007-05-29T09:24:00.000+10:00

I was talking to my physio today about my disappointing run on Sunday.... No, I'm not going to start another rant, we were talking about the stitch I experienced in the second of the race. I told him about my being desperate enough to try something I had heard, that carrying a handful of grass, helped ease stitch when running. He laughed out loud and said he had never heard of this and asked what research or physiological theory this was based on. Of course, I had no evidence to back it up, other than that my stitch did ease later in the race, though I doubt it was due to the handful of shrubbery I carried across the finish line. My physio jokingly suggested that I will probably try it again in the future and I am inclined to agree that in a similar desperate situation, I will end up attacking some poor plant on the roadside in hope it will cure my agony...

Now there are two issues at hand here, one, which I’m not going to get into today, is that sometimes the power of psychology can be a great ally or a formidable foe. Part of this is superstition, the power of a piece of bush, or small stones (which I have seen mentioned on forums a number of times, as a stitch cure, if carried in each hand), or the power of your lucky *insert item here*, to improve performance or stave off disaster. Maybe I will talk about this another time. The second issue, which do I want to talk about, and which has a little more scientific backing is that of what causes stitch and how can it be prevented and or cured?

Of course, I did a little research...

Cause: It appears that the jury is still out as to what causes stitch, but two more widely recognized theories are that it is a result of muscle spasms of the "diaphragm" (the sheet of muscle that separates your guts from your heart and lungs and is used in breathing) or irritation of the “parietal peritoneum” (the wrapping of your guts), as a result of jiggling of your insides during running. There are also discussions about eating and/or drinking too close to running.

Cure: Most experts discuss the importance of deep breathing or “belly breathing” during exercise. Also alternating which foot strike you breathe out on, so as to decrease the strain put on either side of the diaphragm has been mentioned. Slowing your running pace or stopping and bending at the waist or stretching out tall is also helpful, though in a race this means a possible slower time, (I didn't manage to find any scientific theory for carrying bits of bush anywhere, I'm sad to say).

Prevention: To decrease the occurrence of stitch experts suggest a combination of the above 'cure' techniques and conditioning exercises for the abdominal region (to minimize jiggling of insides I presume). Also being mindful of what you eat and drink prior to running.

Basically, after reading up on stitch I’m left feeling better educated but no more confident that I will be prepared for the next episode. But I will definitely be doing more core strength exercises, which my physio will be pleased about. I will try to use my belly to breath, maybe grunt a little and/or purse my lips (you will understand those two if you read the articles linked below). I may even carry a couple of leaves a tree branch and a handful of gravel while wearing my lucky socks too, just in case...

Here are a couple of links that you might want to read yourself, see if you feel any safer from the dreaded stitch...

Side Stitches: causes, cure and prevention
Stitch Pain - The biggest pain for athletes

Half-Marathon race review, not a happy camper.

2007-05-27T13:54:00.000+10:00

I'm sitting here wrapped up warm after a 15min ice-bath, as prescribed by the coach. It was particularly uncomfortable and the Gladwrap wrapped round 'my boys' didn't seem to ease the discomfort much... In truth though it was a small discomfort compared to what I would have to call a disappointing race today. The Sri Chinmoy Running & Fitness Festival – Williamstown Half-Marathon was run on a flat course in cool, windy conditions. The wind picked up as the morning progressed and the headwind was a killer near the end. Race strategy, as per coaches orders, was to stick with two of the guys that I am training for Ironman with, we shall call them greyhound #1 and greyhound #2, which would probably make me St. Bernard or maybe Boxer #1. At race start I tried to stand near the front of the pack, but still managed to find myself boxed in for the first 500m or so. By this time greyhound #1 was well off in front and I had no idea where #2 was. I put on a burst and ran up on #1's shoulder but that proved a mistake and I had to ease off. At this time #2 caught up and we ran together through the first 11km. I suspect #2 had more in reserve at the midway mark, as he gave me a running coaching/commentary session through out the first 10km, then he put the hammer down and dropped me by about 50m. I was happy with my run at the halfway mark, I ran about 41-42 minutes for the first 10km, but that was where the wheels fell off. As I started to reel #2 in at about the 12^th km, I got a nasty case of stitch that I tried to run through, but it started to hunch me over like the hunchback of Notre Dame, so I had to stop and bend at the waist to relieve it. At that point, though I was feeling reasonably comfortable with the pace, I knew my chances of catching greyhound #1 or #2 were out the window. The stitch came and went over the next 6kms and I stopped about five times. It's heartbreaking to watch people you're in front of run past while you bend over and stick your ass in the air. I tried the 'holding grass in my hand thing', which I had read somewhere helps, I not sure if it was a success or not, but I carried a chunk of bush for the whole last 6kms. At this point I was whacked mentally too, I was no longer chasing greyhounds, I was running from people coming up behind me, which is not way to run a race. I cursed the wind over the last few km and couldn't even put in a burst at the end because both my calves cramped. Greyhound #1, I think, finished in 1:28 and #2 finished in 1:32, I shuffled in with a particularly average time of 1:35 and some change. Not impressed...

Well.... All in all a tough morning out and not much positive to draw from it. Now I know this morning was really more of a tough training run rather than a race, and I know that my training week was not tapered towards the run. But, I was hoping for faster than my previous PB of 1:32, just so I could say, “yes! The training is working”, but what is a half-marathon at this point really in the scheme of things, sweet-F-A. I think the stitch was a result of the water I took on during the race, that maybe was not a good idea at that high intensity, when I haven't practiced taking on fluids when pushing that hard. I didn't have many cramping issues during the run other than the last 500m which I will put down as a win for the magnesium supplements. The coach videoed each of us running during the race which should be a barrel of laughs...

Now, I'm going to lie down for a while and contemplate my redemption when I smack! my Half-Marathon PB at the end of Half-Ironman at the end of the year!

Relaxing before tomorrows half-marathon

2007-05-26T12:32:00.000+10:00

I just finished a nice large helping of fried rice after a 2hr cruise on the bike, with a stiff headwind out and a nice tail wind back. I'm feeling a little tired after a pretty tough week and I am planning to laze around all day and prepare for tomorrow mornings half-marathon race. My coach has told me to run the first 10kms at a firm pace, then if I'm feeling alright, smack it. A couple of guys I train with have similar instructions and they I think may have more staying power than I do. I know I have more pace than either of them, but I think their larger training base and smaller frames (both weigh in high 60kg to low 70kg) may mean they drop me later in the race. I normally have this drop in self-confidence before a race, hopefully I will prove myself wrong...*visualizing myself smashing it* I have been putting a significantly high training volume than the last half-marathon I did, in that one I ran a 1:32:23, so I'm expecting to do better than that, how much better, I don't know, as I have had no taper for this race.

On the subject of weight and running, I have started to work towards dropping weight in an effort to get down to a better race weight by the end of winter, before going into the larger volume training that will be required for Ironman. Losing weight will benefit me both in increased speed and in injury prevention. Carrying extra weight when swimming and cycling is not too much of a problem as they are not weight bearing activities, however running requires that you lug your entire body weight around and every extra gram counts. Right now I am the lightest I have been in probably 7-8 years but I still have a layer of fat that is not required and will start to tell later in my training season. I am aware that I won't get back to my race weight from when I was a teenager because I have grown too much muscle bulk to do that, but I think if I can get into the high 70kgs I will be lighter and faster on my feet. This means that the big carb-loaded dinners followed by ice cream are out the window, and its salads and controlled eating, specific to training loads. I feel my daily eating routine is fine its the the large dinners that have hindered my weight loss despite high training volume. From now on my energy intake each evening will be lower and dependent on my next mornings training plan. I find I get a little depressed if I cant have a nice big carb-filled dinner, so I will need to find a light and healthy treat to cheer me up in the evenings.

Oh, by the way, I picked up some Ultra Muscleze a few days ago and have taken it for three nights in a row, at the moment I have no miraculous results to report, but it doses require a loading phase apparently and tomorrows run may be a good tester for cramping. I will keep you updated.

Thats me for today, I'm going to go put my feet up, I will post a race report tomorrow night.

Training fatigue and hot/cold recovery

2007-05-22T20:37:00.000+10:00

It has been a testing last few days, both physically and mentally, with the Saturday Morning Brick Session and the ongoing training since then. Yesterday I had one of the flattest Ironman training days I have had in a while. I felt tired when I woke for swimming and once in the pool I knew it was going to be a slog. I felt some residual fatigue from the 2km swim the night before and it didn't warm out. We did what I would usually find a pretty tame set of 12x100m on 1:30, I struggled from the get go and by the end was getting no rest, I felt like i was swimming in caramel sauce...mmm caramel sauce. It was hard on my body and probably harder on my ego. But, I have to look at it in the context of the big weekend I had and learn not to let individual sessions or sets overshadow the big picture. I am sure I am going to have a lot of sessions where it seems like I am going backwards or just don't have the energy to perform up to my expectations, but, who cares how fast I go for 12x100m eight months out from my goal Ironman...?

I had a couple of solid run sessions today, both including intervals building to max effort. On a positive note I felt pretty damn good this morning and not too bad this evening. I haven't felt any pain in the 'Old Rec Fem' in a few weeks and I'm continuing with regular physio appointments to improve my core strength and posture with a hope to keep future injuries at bay and to increase my performance.

I have been using hot/cold recovery lately and I feel that it is helping me to recover faster and train day in day out. I either do 3-5 sets in the shower of 30secs cold water and 1min hot water, or 3-4mins in a hot bath and 1min in a cold shower. The idea behind hot/cold recovery is that the repeated constriction and dilation of leg muscle tissues pumps wastes out of your legs and helps reduce inflammation and bleeding in the muscles. I am still unsure how much of a benefit it is. I feel it does help to a degree, it reduces the muscle pain I feel, which in turn probably helps me train harder. Whether it increases my performance or not, I'm not sure. One thing I am sure of is that I would like to find some sort of waterproof underwear, because, ice cold water is not welcome on some parts of my body no mater how therapeutic it is. I have considered cutting leg holes in a shower cap, but I would have to kick my own ass if I was getting around with a shower cap on for a nappy.

There has been some research into the benefits of hot/cold recovery, if your interested I have placed a link to a good article on the Peak Performance online website below.

Hot/Cold - Don't pour cold water over hydrotherapy

Which event gives the best chance of qualifying for Hawaii Ironman?

2007-05-20T18:51:00.000+10:00

I found this website kind of interesting, check it out. It's by a guy called Neil Hammond, who seems to love his stats. Of course this is not going to be a sure thing, but it might add to your planning for Hawaii Ironman qualification... or you might just find it interesting.

Which event gives the best chance of qualifying for Hawaii Ironman?

Tough morning training and Ironman race schedule dilemma

2007-05-19T17:31:00.000+10:00

Another Saturday Morning Brick Session under my belt and it was a tough one. It was similar to last weeks but I definitely felt fatigued off the bike this week. I think the cause was the overflow of egos one one hour 'spin' we did after the two hours of hill sprints. It turned into a smashfest, in which everyone was seeing if they could sneak up on the leader, and go flying past shouting “and he makes a break!” then everyone would chase the break down. I made an effort to force down a lot more nutrition today that I did last week. I think it helped with my energy levels, but it didn't seem to stop the quad cramps, which indicts that some magnesium supplements might help. By the way trying to swallow a Gatorade gel half way through a hill sprint set is not easy, particularly when you have people dry reaching next to you. I got it down in the end but it dint make the trip in one go, it decided to rest up in the back of my throat to see if it could make a come back at some point.

Right now I am feeling shattered, I felt good for a little while after finishing training but all of a sudden it hit me like a tonne of bricks. I probably could do with a sleep but Ironman Lanzarote 2007 is on currently and Ironman 70.3 Florida 2007 is on later so I am watching the updates for those. I will sleep like a baby tonight and tomorrow morning I have a cruisy two hours cycle on the hills and a 2km recovery swim tomorrow night.

I am currently facing a bit of a dilemma about my race schedule later in the year, I was planning to do Ironman Western Australia in December and Port of Tauranga Half Ironman in January, but I don't think I will be able to do both so close together. So I have some decisions to make and I may end up doing the Half and waiting till Ironman New Zealand in March or Ironman Port Macquarie in April. I need to consult with my coach some more before I decide so the countdown counter on the right hand side may change depending on what I decide.

Will keep you updated.

Ironman training in the dark

2007-05-18T19:35:00.000+10:00

Had a good run this evening. I'm starting to get the hang of running in the dark. I have given up on running out towards the country on the road, it's just too dangerous. I don't particularly like running on the busier streets around where I live but its lighter and the footpath is reasonably flat most of the time. I am getting sick of trying see my watch using street-lights, or the light on my watch and I am hatching a plan for attaching a light to my running cap somehow. It will have to be done in such way that it is, comfortable, helpful with seeing where I'm going and seeing my watch and most importantly that I don't look like a git. Tough criteria I know but I have a few ideas in mind. I will keep you updated.

Tomorrow is my second Saturday Morning Brick Session, I'm looking forward to it and hope I can get my nutrition a little more on track and not suffer from leg cramps. I haven't managed to pick up the magnesium supplements I plan to start using due to financial difficulties, but hopefully I'll get it for next week.

I am running the Williamstown Half Marathon next weekend, which should be a good tester for me. I am a bit nervous, as I have not competed in anything since December last year and I am feeling the pressure of seeing results from my Ironman training over the last 3-4 months. I know that it is going to be part of my Ironman training and I won't be tapering or easing up my training for it, but I would still like to run a good time. We will see I guess...

Magnesium Supplements for Ironman training

2007-05-14T20:26:00.000+10:00

I seem to have recovered from the head-cold that has been hanging about for the last few days and I'm feeling good. The bit of me that isn't feeling good is the inside of both my quads just above my knees on both legs. Both legs were cramping during the run on Saturday Morning's Brick Session and I had the same problem on the run in the Rotorua Half Ironman in December last year. I think that it was largely due to lack of conditioning to the high intensity and high volume exercise. There is a lot of research and information that says that cramp is often a result of dehydration and deficiencies in certain nutrients. In my reading, top of the list of nutrients are salt and magnesium. Salt is a common additive in sports drinks such as Gatorade and Ironman competitors often supplement with salt tablets during events. I discussed this with my coach and a number of the guys also training for and/or racing Ironman, all of them said that they were supplementing daily with magnesium (among other things). They said that they found that magnesium decreased the frequency of cramping during exercise and recovery and it seems also helps them sleep, which is a big plus in my view. I had a bit of a scout round the Internet and found a couple of informative sights discussing nutrients and Ironman racing, that seem pretty credible. I have put links to at the bottom of this post. One of the guys I train with recommended a particular magnesium supplement called Ultra Muscleze, which sounds promising. I will endeavor to pick some up in the next week or so and will do my own little mini review of it for you.

Here are those sights:

-10 essential nutrients for endurance athletes

-Optimal performance for endurance athletes

Saturday Morning Group Brick Session

2007-05-12T12:41:00.000+10:00

Wow! I just got in from my first experience of the Saturday morning group brick session (bike/run). I t was a four hour session, which included some hill climb sprints, some longer hill climbs in TT position (on aerobars) and some longer hill climbs in TT position. This was follow by an hour ride, then we did a 10minute run, building to a strong pace followed by 40mins jogging. It was a step up in intensity for me and it seemed to be for a lot of the other people that were there training for Ironman too. As usual when we voiced how hard we were doing it, our coach who was taking part, told us how much longer and harder it was going to get in the future. I wonder whether that helps or not sometimes... I guess a realistic view of where we will go with our training is nice. The group atmosphere was great and I personally get so much out of doing these sort of trainings. When I'm by myself I can push to a degree, but because I am so extrinsic or externally motivated, having someone to catch or pass or keep up with does wonders for my training intensity. Of course on the down side, I find it hard to do easy when in a group. We numbered about 10-12 of us and we were spread in experience from multiple Ironman racers to one month into their Ironman training career and I think everyone enjoyed themselves and pushed their boundaries.

There is some schools of thought that say brick sessions are not necessary, and there have been a number of world class Ironman/triathlon competitors, who have not focused on this aspect of training. I personally feel that it is an important part of training for an Ironman or any triathlon. It is an opportunity to learn to run with that horrible jelly legs feeling off the bike, but more importantly it allows you to learn to run with the fatigue carried over from the ride. It puts you in the same physical state or as close to as you will be at the start of the Ironman run. This allows you to work at maintaining good running form with your cycling muscles fatigued.

I am glad that todays session is over and I think that now I have done one I will be able to be more specific in my feelings of dread leading up to Saturdays, as opposed to the fear of unknown I had this morning before setting out. But now, I'm going to put my feet up and relax.

Quick Ironman training catchup, back with more soon!

2007-05-10T11:05:00.000+10:00

It’s been a few days since my last post and I have been a little slack over the past week. I’m going to try to get back into regular posting and finding some more useful information for you guys. Look forward to it.
Training is going well and I’m back on track for Ironman after the injury that slowed me down for a while. I am having regular physio visits to deal with some neural problems leftover from the quad strain I had a few weeks back. It appears that my bike setup has something to do with it and some tweaks to my bike might help. I have a group magtrainer session tonight which should be a tough’n. Can’t wait…

VO2max testing for Ironman training and breathing sand

2007-05-07T18:01:00.000+10:00

I did a VO2max test this morning at the university bio-mechanics labs, it hurt. Hopefully its worth it and it allows my coach to provide a more specific Ironman training schedule in the future.

I was a little nervous about the testing session, which wasn't helped by the email form my coach saying there would be consent forms to sign before the “smashfest” began. Also, as with most race or test type situations, I had the anxiety/excitement I usually get, which I think is part of the reason for doing this in the first place. I turned up as one of my training partners was finishing and he described it as “uncomfortable”, he is an under-stater so I expected some pain.

The test is done on a stationary bike with a heart rate monitor and a horrible breathing apparatus not unlike a scuba diving mask or a snorkel. These are connected to a big bunch of computers which strangely enough didn't beep once while I was being tested. It would have added to my impression if there had been some sort of beeping going on, but I guess they didn't think of that while designing the system. Just saying...

Once hooked up to the machinery, I was asked to stay still to get some “resting data”. I started to have performance anxiety right then and there....”Is my heart rate supposed to be that high?”....”am I breathing normally?”, “what is he writing?” and “how stupid do I look in this getup?”. Once satisfied with my resting data I began pedaling. The testing began with 3 x 3min intervals at reasonably easy tension, to get some “steady state” data....then the test proper began and the discomfort was shortly to follow. From then the tension or watts increased by 25, starting at 250 every minute. I was required to maintain an even rpm and to try to keep going as long as I could. It became pretty hard pretty quickly. Early on I started to note that the scuba mask attachment prohibited any swallowing or moistening of my mouth and throat. As a result everything dried out and gave the impression of breathing sand... Now this might sound bad,but the pain the emerged in my legs soon took my mind of the desert in my mouth. Apparently at some point the data indicated that the lactic acid started doing its thing in my legs and this was when it got tough. At the end I managed to do 30seconds at 425watts. Now I have no idea if that is good or bad but it felt tough. My VO2max is apparently around 51? again no idea what that means, now I could link you to a bunch of articles that explain it all that I have already pawed over but I won't. My coach will get a summary of my results soon and he will feedback the findings, using these to educate my Ironman training program. I think I will leave the explaining to him and feedback to you after that. I think at that point I will write a bit more about the point of the testing and the benefits to be had. Then I can tell you if its worth the $250 it cost.

The Ironman training god is trying to tell me something. I'm not listening

2007-05-04T10:13:00.000+10:00

What a shocking last few days! Let’s just say someone out there didn’t want me to get in a good training week. I guess there are possible benefits in aiding my leg injury recovery (seeing the physio again today by the way, will give you an update after that), but his is getting ridiculous. I’ll give you the short version. Wednesday evening I had a solo swim session planned, I do this at the local pool, I forgot my togs and it’s a 45min round trip to go get them and I just couldn’t bring myself to do it, one session denied. Thursday morning I had a magtrainer session planned and I set my alarm the night before, some how I set it one hour late and ran out of time before work, two sessions denied. Then last night I had the group magtrainer session planned, but I had to work late so didn’t have time to make it to the group session, so I had to settle for a solo session at home, three sessions denied. Then this morning I had a cadence magtrainer session planed and during my warm-up the battery in my cycle computer died (which was made more annoying by the fact that the batteries in my dress watch, my sports watch and my heart rate monitor all died in the space of one week last week) so cadence had to be done by counting and my leg started playing up and the session had to be cut short, four sessions denied.
But, I will not be deterred; I will get on top of my training. If things aren’t going your way, it’s important not to let it get to you. A few missed sessions are not particularly important in the scheme of things and if life gets in the way of training at times that’s fine. Some times us ‘amateur athletes’ need to focus on other things. If I was a professional Ironman and my next pay cheque relied on my performance and it was close to the big race, then I would be worried. Ironman WA is eight months away and I had a bad/unlucky week, what can ya do?

Finding inspiration in the people that do it tough and go long

2007-05-01T19:44:00.000+10:00

Another great day in Melbourne, the day started of nicely.... I had sleep-in specifically planned on my training program. So I did. Great stuff.

When I was a student, sleep in, meant 10:00am or 11:00am, now I am stoked with 7:15am. Its funny how your perception changes with your reality. Take for example my 1:20:00 run tonight, it didn't enter my head that it was a particularly long run, my focus was more on the intervals that it included and cranking it out before it got too dark after work (side note: it was a shambles, it got dark, I couldn't see my watch, cars tried to run me down and it blew a gale). This time last year, my perception of 1:20:00 run would have been very different. I would have stressed about it beforehand and felt and behaved like an invalid afterwards. I can imagine my perception of long, tired and pain will continue to shift as my road to Ironman and Ironman racing career continue.

On the subject of perception of long distance, it makes me think about a friend who is an inspiration to me, and who's perception of long will probably always dwarf mine in comparison. This friend has done 18 official and 1 unofficial (didn't enter in time, but did it anyway) Comrades Marathons. Described as the world's greatest ultra-marathon, 90kms long, the Comrades is a South African institution, internationally recognized for the body-sapping challenge it poses and the camaraderie it fosters among its thousands of participants. It is run between the capital of the Kwazulu-Natal province, Pietermaritzburg, and the coastal city of Durban, the race alternates annually between the up run from Durban and the down run from Pietermaritzburg. For someone to have run 90km nonstop and to have done it more than once makes my perception of long seem minor in comparison. I hope that one day, after a long Ironman career, I will be able to compare my experiences with his and have great stories as he does about what it takes to go long like that.

More recently this friend did a regular 42km marathon, on less than ideal training and with several other non-running related stresses in his life. He did a time which, I can guess, as I haven't discussed it with him, he would not be impressed with. I find this more inspirational than the professional athletes out there that fly through and win races in mind blowing times. The time he did indicates that he did it tough, that impresses on me that he's made of stern stuff. The fact that he kept on grinding away and didn't call it a day, makes me look inward and ask whether I would keep on grinding. I haven't done it that tough yet, but the time will come in my career I'm sure. I hope one day I will have the opportunity to do it tough and come out on top.

I guess the morale of my little ramble is. that it is great to see professional athletes that push the boundaries and keep outdoing themselves in sport. But, it is the back of the packers that finish when most people have gone home or in the case of Ironman its gotten dark, that are the heart of the sport and often have shown more guts and determination than the winner on the day.

Learn to love your magtrainer

2007-04-30T21:52:00.000+10:00

This evening I did a strength session on the magtrainer. It was 90mins long and involved a lot of sprinting in short bursts with the tension and gears cranked to the max. It started to hurt by the end and it seemed to go on forever.

Now I know a lot of you will have done magtrainer sessions and a lot of you probably hate the magtrainer. Like me until recently you probably only used the magtrainer as a last resort, when the weather just wasn't playing ball.

I am learning to love my magtrainer.

My coach uses the magtrainer as a tool for taking environmental factors out of the equation, so that the only excuse I have for going slower is that I'm out of gas. I can't blame the head wind or the road surface or the hills for slowing me down. My pedals stopped turning because my legs stopping pushing.

The magtrainer needs to be elevated from the 'last resort' category, to the 'essential training' tool category. True, you don't learn the essential bike skills that you get from hitting the road and it lacks the satisfaction of actually going somewhere that you get on the road.

However, despite the fact that it allows you to train when the weather outside is not suitable, on the magtrainer you can focus on the task at hand and forget about avoiding traffic and glass and you can quit trying to look like your feeling fine. On the trainer you can groan and grunt and sweat on the floor and look like death warmed up, and it's fine. More importantly you can focus on one particular task, such as maintaining the exact cadence, or that perfect pedal technique. The magtrainer is the perfect tool to dial in your technique, or to smash yourself and not have to worry about getting home, or to build mental toughness. I think one of the keys to magtrainer survival is not to just get on and spin for long sessions every time, because that will become old real fast. You have to mix it up, one day do sprints, the next vary the sprints, another day do cadence work, the next some one leg work. Variety is the key to remaining sane on the magtrainer.

I foresee many happy hours on the magtrainer in my future, so I'm going to maintain this pro-magtrainer attitude as long as I can, and if I sound fanatical it may be because I'm losing the plot already...

Which reminds me of a joke I read somewhere a long time ago.

One Ironman says to the other Ironman “You will never believe it, but my wife left me this weekend”. “Thats sucks, what happened?” says the other Ironman. “She couldn't stand my peeing on the bike during my long rides” said the first Ironman (I bet you can see where this is going, but I'll carry on for the slow ones) “Really? Its all part of the sport and everyone has done it at some point” says the second Ironman. The recently separated Ironman replies ”Yeah, I guess it was more because it I was on the magtrainer in front of the TV in the lounge.”

Insomnia and early squad sessions

2007-04-30T21:15:00.000+10:00

Man I'm tired. For some reason unknown to me I woke up this morning at 3:45am and couldn't get back to sleep. I had to be up by 4:45am to go to swim squad, so I lay there for an hour thinking how much it sucked that I had to get up so early. Squad training was tough, we've done a fair bit of speed work lately and today the coach wanted to see how/if our endurance had held up through it. We did sets of 25m sprints followed by 10 x 100m on the 1:30. This was no problem, but it didn't end there, we then did the same set twice more, but with the 100m on the 1:25 instead. It hurt and I blew up at some point and lost count and when you lose count in a big set like that it just adds to the misery. Because not only are you hurting like hell, you have no idea when it is going to end. You just look at the people around you silently pleading that they don't push off for the next repeat. It is a great feeling when it done though.

Back on track to Ironman and cycling in the rain, Smart, Safe and Stupid

2007-04-29T10:42:00.000+10:00

Hey Hey! Well, I'm feeling back on top of things and will resume normal transmission of my road to Ironman training blog. I had a chat with my coach about how things were going and my concerns about my injury, he was positive about things, which helped. Often if you use someone else as a sounding board for your problems and take a step back it all comes into perspective and you can get back on track. As you are probably aware, training for Ironman or any athletic event for that matter can be fraught with high and lows. The nature of Ironman training and the time, energy and financial commitments it requires, make it easy to get into a slump if things don't go your way. Physical and mental fatigue can lower your coping resources. In this situation the supportive people around you are extremely important assets for getting you back up and charging on. I'm feeling energized and ready to go a few more rounds.

Yesterday was the first day in two weeks that I did pretty much what was on my training program. The morning held a 1:25:00 run with some 5min and 2min intervals. I had little to no pain in my quad which was promising. I iced it and relaxed with my feet up until midday when I had what was planned to be 2 sets of run throughs with 50mins of intervals in between. I ditched the run throughs on my coaches instructions to avoid any over-running and did the intervals only. Again there was no pain, just some fatigue which is the point isn't it? I finished off the second run with a hot/cold treatment in the shower, which involves a couple of repetitions of about 2min hot water and cold water. The idea being that it increases the circulation, flushing the waste products from your legs. It's exhilarating, and it helps to keep certain parts covered during the cold intervals....

This morning I went for a 3hour ride in the pouring rain. It was miserable, but I try to tell myself at these times that I'm training up my “mental toughness”, if its pouring with rain on race day, sleeping in is not an option. So if its pouring with rain, training is still on. My quad was playing up a little whenever we stopped at lights, it felt very tight, probably due to the cold temp and/or yesterdays running. I find its not too bad riding in the rain as long as you have the right equipment. I decided today I need some waterproof booties, as the only part of me that felt annoyingly uncomfortable was my squelchy feet. Basically, cycling in the rain is about trying to keep your core warm, this means a good water/windproof jacket. Though in a down pour you wont stay completely dry, if you can break the wind you should stay warm. After that, keeping hands, feet and head warm make the ride more bearable. Cycling in the rain requires that you ride smart, safe and stupid. Smart, in that you should be prepared with the right gear and ride a suitable route that is safe. Take care to ride in a safe fashion as road surfaces can be particularly slippery if the road is greasy. The stupid part is the being out riding when its raining in the first place, this is what people in cars or still in bed will think of you. Just remember if your in bed, the athlete you really want to beat next time will be out training, and about 5mins after you get home and you are standing in the shower it will all be a distant memory.

Usual transmission will continue shortly, non-Ironman related issues

2007-04-26T18:05:00.000+10:00

Quick note to say I am still alive and posting guys.

Have some non-Ironman related stress going on at the moment and will try to post if, and when have the time/energy. A combo of stress and the injury getting me down. Lucky I'm a qualified Clinical Psychologist right... Training update and Ironman related posting coming soon.

Technical difficulties and recovery runnning

2007-04-24T19:50:00.000+10:00

You'll have to believe me when I tell you I typed a good length post last night. Sadly it was lost to technical difficulties, and I didn't have it in me to retype it. Its kinda like telling a story to someone that was funny the first time, but you had to be there. So the skinny version goes something like... Physio asks how I go with pain, I say “great, give it to me”,he wails on my butt cheeks with his elbow and I squeal like a pig/baby/girl/man?....Physio tells me to go for a jog for 30min at 50%, thankfully very little pain in the “Old Rec Fem” and ice sorts it out. The End.

Today's program called for sleeping in this morning. Well... I definitely gave that my full effort. Tonight, however, I had 1:45:0 of intervals to do, but on the Physio's orders I went with another 30min cruise and felt good. So things are looking good at the moment (knocking on my head just in case) the road to Ironman is back on track, yehar!

Resting up the old 'Rec Fem'

2007-04-21T16:42:00.000+10:00

So I've been taking the physio's advise and have been resting and icing me Rec Fem (thats physio lingo). I swam yesterday morning, again doing the whole session pull. It was a nice relaxed session and I felt strong. Luckily I was not scheduled to do any running till next week and I have an easy 3 hours on the bike tomorrow. My quad is feeling better by the day and I am confident that I will be back on the road next week. All plans for Ironman in December look to be on track for now. I did feel a small panic when I hurt my leg but realistically it's not going to be a biggie. It's all part of Ironman/triathlon training, if you listen to and take care of your body, it will do the same for you.

The Physio concurs with my diagnosis, but not my treatment

2007-04-18T18:23:00.000+10:00

So I went to the Physio today...

He concurred with my expert diagnosis, I have strained/damaged my Rectus Femoris muscle. He recommended that I refrain from any exercise that causes pain (running, swimming and cycling...triathlon) for a week. He said this with that “I'm saying a week and I know you are going to give it like half that time, but what can i do?” look. I'm to continue icing it for a few days. He said that early on heat, exercise and rubbing are my quads enemy. Which means the massage I gave it last night and the swimming this morning followed by a hot shower probably weren't as therapeutic as I had imagined. I guess thats why he gets the big bucks. In a few days time, heat, exercise and rubbing will start to become my quads friend again. He recommended a light build back to the pre-injury training load, while staying below pain causing intensity, some therapeutic massage in a weeks time and hot-cold treatments. It is annoying taking time out from the Ironman training, but on a positive note I'm in a recovery week, so I am not missing too much. I will do my best to follow my orders and see how it progresses. Fingers crossed.

Ouch that hurts! Leg injury runnning and the 10% rule

2007-04-17T19:16:00.000+10:00

This week is recovery week, and the goal is to be rested and recuperated for the next few weeks Ironman training, but I have managed to injure my leg.... damn!

I'm hoping its minor, I hurt it last week during the running technique group training. It has been giving me problems since, but it seemed to be on the mend.

I cruised through the warmup this morning and got through one of the 1min build to firm pace intervals when bang, during the second interval as I went up a rise onto a bridge, I felt a sharpish pain and my leg tried to dump me on the pavement. Needless to say, that was the end of intervals and I finished off the session with some easy jogging. It appears that my new running technique combined with the increased running and cycling volume is putting some strain on my legs.

After googling it, as i do with anything and everything, I am of the opinion that it is my rectus femoris muscle that is giving me the problems. However, I think I will leave the final call up to the people who get paid to diagnose these things because they unlike me have studied muscles and such at university. I will talk to a physio tomorrow. Fingers crossed its not to much of a biggie.

I think an important point that this illustrates, is the risk of dramatic increases in training volume and intensity when training for Ironman, triathlon or any sport. I have read numerous articles discussing increases of no more than 10% per week. It makes good sense particularly to athletes early in their triathlon career. Any more than this can put stresses on your body that increase the risk of injury significantly. I think it is probably common for more experienced triathletes to make quite sharp increases in training volume after their off season rest period. If you are going to ignore the 10% rule, as I did, then it is important to listen to your body, use caution when you feel a twinge and stretch regularly. Start getting regular massage early, beginning as you mean to precede. Hopefully I won't lose too much training time because of this. It is a definite possibility to make more loss than gain if you increase your training to dramatically and end up badly injured and not training at all.

Here is a site with info about my suspected Rectus Femoris injury in case you are experiencing a similar problem. I'm not an advocate for self diagnosis, I'm just a know-it-all.

Here is a site that mentions the 10% rule with regards to marathon rather than Ironman training, though still relevant to triathletes.

Ishigaki Triathlon World Cup race live, sunday long ride and the benefits of group riding

2007-04-15T16:28:00.000+10:00

I'm relaxing watching the ITU triathlon world cup race in Ishigaki, live. After the Arizona Ironman time zone dilemma last night, I was pleased to see that the world cup race was on at triathlon.org. The women's race just finished with the win going to Fernandez from Portugal, followed by Snowsill(Aus) and Tanner(NZ). All three are running machines, but Fernandez ran away from the other two like they were standing still about 3km from the end. Now for the mens' race.

I rode for just under 4hours this morning. 2hours of it was with a triathlon riding group that I often ride with on the weekends lately. I was feeling fatigued from yesterday. As long as I just kept turning it over I felt good, as soon as I hit a small rise or got up to crank it, there was no gas left, which was illustrated in the sprint we had over a small bridge, which I held my own on but hurt it like hell. Luckily it was right before the cafe we decided to stop at for a few minutes and some caffeine. I sure am going to enjoy next weeks recovery.

Riding with a group, triathlon/Ironman specific or not, is a great way to get those long miles under your belt. There are a number of benefits, you get to meet like minded people who are often keen to meet up at other times during the week to train. The more experienced riders are usually happy to give you some pointers if you ask politely (many even if you don't ask, heh). Often you can find new rides you haven't discovered on your solo riding expeditions, while still being able to get home afterwards. The time seems to pass much faster to as you chat with your cycling companions. The main benefit I experience is the motivation I soak up from other athletes. I like to talk about how their training is going and what their plans are for the coming season. The excitement for racing is contagious. If you can find a weekend cycling group that fits with your experience level I strongly recommend giving it a crack to see if its your cup of tea.

Doh! damn you time zone differences! Ironman Arizona

2007-04-15T10:52:00.000+10:00

Due to time zone differences, Ironman Arizona coverage will be on around 11am tomorrow morning here in Australia. Guess where I will be...... at work! Noooooo. Hmmm.... wonder if the work computer will let me watch.... interesting. Anywho, I will definitely keep an eye on the updates. Its is great for your motivation to watch others charging along. Hope everyone gets to have a look. If any of you are from Arizona leave me a comment about how it was.

Ironman Arizona, Tempe, tomorrow! Watch it!

2007-04-14T20:43:00.000+10:00

Ohh almost forgot!

Ironman Arizona, Tempe, is on tomorrow. I'm not sure of the time of the coverage, I'm just going to jump onto the Ironmanlive website after my morning ride and put my feet up while I watch. There is an article about the big names in it on the Triathletemag site, check it out.
Don't miss it guys and gals.

What is the correct ankle angle for cycling? How does this apply in Ironman?

2007-04-14T20:37:00.000+10:00

I was sent a link to an interesting article about ankle angle during the pedal stroke on the bike. It came from a free online cycling newsletter called roadbikerider.com In my experience a lot of triathletes try to pedal with some sort of perceived correct ankle angle that they have seen on a professional cyclist or triathlete, or that they have been told about by their triathlon coach. This article argues against this and gives the example of three well known Tour de France winners, who all have very different ankle angles. The author discusses finding the angle that suits you.

The only flaw I see in the argument is that he has described a very small sample of cyclists, who may well be exceptions to the rule. Also, they are not triathletes or Ironpersons, and there may be benefits to be had in certain ankle angle when transitioning to the run in an Ironman. I would be really interested in any research that looks at the ankle angle of a large group of professional cyclists and/or triathletes, before throwing away the idea that there might be a (more) right way to pedal. If any of you have seen any other good articles on this subject please email me them or leave a link in a comment. Cheers.

Three run Saturday is over, off to bed before long ride Sunday

2007-04-14T19:46:00.000+10:00

Oooweee! my legs are shattered. Three run Saturday is a long day.

With a combined total of three hours of running over the course of the day I'm feeling beat. It might not sound like much to you, but coming to the end of a tough three weeks, I'm hurting. Its great!

This morning was a 80min run, mainly intervals. I felt surprisingly good and in the middle was surprised to feel great even. The midday run was just over an hour with some more intervals and some 50m run throughs. They hurt like a sore thing. My quad is still giving me grief and the stretching out during the run throughs seems to bring it on. To finish the day off was a half hour run with a couple of intervals and some easy jogging.

This was another of those days that I was happy to see the end of but patted myself on the back for getting through.

The reasoning behind "three run Saturday" as I have named it, is that I can build up my running volume without going out for insane long runs. These three shorter runs will be combined later in the season to become one huge long beast of a run. Can't wait.... I'm off too bed, Starting my four hour long ride at 5:45am tomorrow.

Day off work after yesterdays Mag Trainer day of hell

2007-04-13T08:03:00.000+10:00

Just got in from this mornings swim squad. I was feeling pretty flat when I got up at 4:40am but once I got in the pool I felt pretty strong and despite the aches in my legs, I had a solid session. I'm glad its the last day of the school holidays, because the pint sized pool demons that invaded our squad two weeks ago will go back to burning up the pool wherever they came from and let me rebuild my self esteem. I admire their swimming skills but being carved up by kids that look about 12-13 is killing my ego. Be gone little critters!

Yesterday morning was a strength session on the Mag Trainer which was reasonably painful, but was short and sweet. It was an hour including 10min warm up and down with a bunch of 20sec max efforts with the tension and gears cranked to the max, on a two minute cycle. Coach says that they will stretch out to five minute plus intervals as we get closer to Ironman, eek!

Last night I went along to the Mag Trainer group session. Usually its held in a gym in the city but we didn't have keys this time for some reason. when I arrived everyone was debating flagging the session, I said “Nah, we can do it outside over here.” So we did our session on the footpath outside the gym under the light. It was actually pretty sweet, I normally cook in the gym, outside last night was nice and cool. We did a 15min warmup then 4 x (3 x 5 min @ 90, 110, 120 rpm), it was a full on cadence session. The goal of the workout was to develop the ability to pedal efficiently at high cadences. The optimum cadence to cycle Ironman at is around 90-100 rpm, which is around the same cadence you should run at. The theory is that if you cycle at the same cadence you run at, you will adapt to running faster when transitioning from the cycle to the run.

I had a day off owing to me from Easter, so I thought that since I was struggling so much the last few days, that this would be a perfect opportunity to rest up and prepare for this weekends training. It feels good to do a training session then head home to relax and recover. I guess this is how a professional athlete feels, heh.

Recovery swim for my weary body

2007-04-11T19:40:00.000+10:00

I was prescribed a sleep in this morning , I didn't have to get up till 7:15am, Yes!

My body was particularly weary from yesterdays run technique session, in which I developed some concerning quad pain and last nights long run interval set of hell.

I tried to stretch as much as possible today which seemed to help. I think I will look into a sports massage in the next week or so. I was having them regularly before relocating to Australia two month ago from New Zealand, and when funds permit I will continue that. There was an article on the Inside Triathlon website recently, that discussed the benefits of massage for triathletes.

Tonight I swam an easy 2km with some drills included, it was nice and relaxing and I feel like most of the aches have resolved themselves. Swimming is a great recovery activity, if you can slot in easy swim I think it is often better than straight rest. I recommend using an easy couple of kms swimming as an active recovery.

Run technique group am, long horrible run pm.

2007-04-10T19:25:00.000+10:00

I struggled to get up this morning but felt positive after the warmup at this mornings run technique group. We did some run throughs, followed by a main set of three five minute aerobic efforts + one minute max effort. They were pretty tough, all the time focusing on the three important aspects of running form. Making contact with the ground beneath the hip, pushing out the back and high stride recovery. This is almost a polar opposite to how I used to run and it is tough trying to develop a new style. I get a fair share of shouts from the coach and seem to have a million aspects to try and think about while I'm sure my brain isn't getting enough oxygen to do the job. I have too admit I feel more like a runner the longer I work at this, rather than one step above a power walker my old style was. The downer about this mornings run training was that from the start I had some tightness in my right quad that progressively got worse as the session went on. By the end it was pretty sore and I was concerned, but was making some good progress with my technique and didn't want to quit (enter the dumb athlete who knows all about “listen to your body” but ignores it all).

During the day my quad was tender but not too bad. I started this evenings run with a very slow jog, the quad pain was there but didn't get worse, nor did it get any better. I decided to keep going till it got noticeably worse. It stayed pretty constant. Tonights run session was a warmup jog, followed by 70 minutes of intervals – 2min easy, 2min moderate, 2min firm and 1min walk x 10. The firm was quite painful, and the walk seemed to make things worse. To add to my misery, I forgot to apply the long run prerequisite, of bodyglide between the thighs and plasters on the nipples. I paid the price, chafe city! But it didn't end there, there seemed to be some sort of bug convention along the road so I ate and breathed bugs for most of the run (I actually washed 5 out of my hair in the shower afterwards).

Today was one of those days that you want to forget, but the positive side is that despite the struggles I got through everything that was planned and can tick that off. Its the tough days that you get through and tick off that make the race seem that much more doable. Its a psychological boost to pat yourself on the back at the end of a day like this. Sometimes you have to pat yourself on the the back, Ironman is a sport where if you don't its unlikely anyone else is going to.

Easter Monday: morning swim, evening magtrainer session

2007-04-09T18:59:00.000+10:00

Started the morning off with an easy 2km swim at a pool that I haven't been to before. It's a 50m pool, which is a novelty for me and it was a great pool to swim in. Though there were a few people in the fast lane that overestimated their abilities. I gave a couple of them the sly elbow and kick when they wouldn't pull over a bit after I tapped their feet a few times. Had a lot of pain in my neck when trying to breath to the left (which I don't do often) due to a combo of yesterdays ride and sleeping on it funny, I guess. A massage and anti flame seem to have helped a bit.
This evening I did a strength session on the Mag trainer. A warmup followed by a bunch of 20sec bursts with the tension and the gears cranked to the hardest they would go. It hurt like a b***h (b***h isn't one of those words that converts into asterisks well is it). Then a 20min spin in the TT (time trial) position, that hurt more. It was like a deep dull pain that I can imagine would last for the whole Ironman ride if you went at the right tempo, ouch!
All in all a good days training.

Free online training diary

2007-04-08T17:18:00.000+10:00

I have found a great online tool that I think will benefit my Ironman training and may help yours, an impressive online training diary at just the right price.... free!

I have been searching for an online training diary for some time; this was part of the reason Ironman Cafe was born. Well, I just stumbled across a cool little site that I had to share, Buckeye Outdoors Training Site allows you to log your workouts for free! You can include run/walk, bike, swim, strength sessions, stretching sessions, rest days, races, heartrates and weather conditions among other things. You can create and save different training routes, save equipment profiles (keeping track of how far your equipment has gone as well as how far you have). You can also create reports of different aspects of your training. My favorite feature, which I am sure all you other blogging triathletes/ironpersons will love is the ability to display your training totals in a side bar on your blog. As you can see to the right hand side below my archived posts. Go check it out, whether you blog or not it is a cool little tool. Keeping a diary of your training can be both a great learning tool and a strong source of motivation. You can look for patterns in your training as well as getting the great feeling of writing down or inputting the latest “thrash” session into your diary for all (or just yourself) to admire.

Easter Sunday morning long ride

2007-04-08T11:52:00.000+10:00

This morning was the usual Sunday long ride. I think it is a common part of most triathletes training. This mornings was a 5:50am start to ride for 40 minutes to meet with a riding group of about ten. We did two hours with the group then headed home again. It was cold to start off with but warmed up later. I felt good the whole way, and was happy with a solid 3:40 ride and done with training for the day. Now I can indulge in a few Easter treats and have no guilty feelings. Ironman WA is still a long way off, but I am feeling motivated at the moment. Hopefully over the net few days I can develop a few ideas for pieces to write to get this site rolling. I have lots of fleeting ideas which I must start writing down.

A place to relax in the scramble that is life training for Ironman

2007-04-05T19:18:00.000+10:00

Technorati Profile
Greetings to you weary triathletes. You have stumbled upon the first post of my quiet spot to sit and rest your weary body, take a break from triathlon training and to feed your need for knowledge to improve your “personal best” or to just go that little bit faster. I will use this space as an outlet for my own obsessive hunger for knowledge that I hope will make me a faster swimmer, cyclist and runner. I will discuss the articles that tickle my fancy or that sound good or in some cases too good to be true. I will endeavor to review any wizz-bang go fast gadgets that I come across and to hopefully get interviews with other like minded (mad) Ironpersons. Also for the whats in it for me side of this, I will use this as an online training diary to chronicle my frantic progression towards Ironman glory. Hope to see you whenever you can spare a minute or two from your Ironman training. Think of it as training your mind while your body recovers.