Head is a runner, body is a Clydesdale!!

A quick update following on from my previous blog, Ryan Barnett, was pipped on the line in his age group to finish a phenomenal 2nd in his age, only 0.05 sec behind the winner and was very high up on the overall standings. Well done BIG guy.

Why do I care??? Because the guy is a monster who can move....FAST...and is also above the 200pound mark. This gives me hope.

Well, my training has been going really well and the running has been becoming my primary focus, followed very closely by the swim and then the bike. Hang on, that doesn't right for me....and is starting to slowly sink in that this sports in about the run....call me slow, but has taken me a good 3 years to fully get my head around it. Previously, my thoughts were to swim a little, ride a lot and run a little. This did work for me as I feel as if I have had 2 great Ironman Races with this theory, however to get to where I want to go, I HAD to change.

So with gradual builds, my running now is up over 50k's per week and I am having no trouble achieving this. "Back in the day" 50k's was a massive week for me in the legs, or if I accomplished more, I would suffer the following week/s.

A 60min run is "a walk in the park" at the moment and I am actually looking forward to running more. Another thing that has changed with my mindset is that I am actually looking at running calendars instead of riding calendars. For example, I am doing the run leg in a duathlon this upcoming weekend with Great Mate Jason, and we are teaming up against Benny & Stormy in a Teams race for local bragging rights!!! Bring on the Champagne and Podiums ladies!!!

On a serious note, with this mindset change, I no longer can predict my times coming up to a race and Yeppoon 1/2 Ironman in August will be a real eye opener to see where I am at. Another unprecedented occurrences in Australian races this year is that they are all selling out at a rapid race and I am finding that my planning has really had to come into force a lot earlier this year, with all races fully planned and almost booked.

Why have I turned a full circle?? Confidence in a good coach and a realisation of my weaknesses, which mind you, may never become my strength. However if I can become more competitive once the bike is back in the rack during a race, it should enable me to find that elusive podium finish.

Will pen this even thought I am not 100% in doing this. Gold Coast 1/2 Ironman as a Clydesdale??? My coach reckons he can get me under 90kgs, however I am unsure that I will be by the time GCHIM comes around, hoping to by WA, but not too sure earlier. My main concern is that if I enter early which looks inevitable, will I have egg on my face if I slip under the weight. Or is it "cheating" by competing in this category, even though I am eligible, or should I just suck it up and race age group....feel free to throw thoughts my way..

Anyway, has been a while since my last blog and things are ticking along just fine and dandy, with nothing major to report. Although I should have some positive news moving forward about my training which is exciting however not confirmed to date.

For Now...

X-Man

Everything is new...

As I sit here and follow fellow blogger (and clydesdale) Ryan Barnett at Ironman St. George, who at the time of writing this blog is in the lead of the 35-39 age group. I realise that Ironman WA 2010 is still 7 months away. Why is this strange??? Because the race has already sold out and I am in no physical shape to race. I am one who usually leaves my entry until late so that I know if I am in good enough shape or not.

With the trust that I have with me new coach and the direction we are headed I am very confident that he will get me in the shape I need to be in in 7 months time. I am loving the new direction, things didn't quite make sense for me at the the start, but he explained them to me so that I understood what I was doing.

All facets of my training are going along well with all easy sessions at this time, with no distance or speed associated to them. Occasionally a "hard" session in the pool is on the program or some small efforts on the bike, however none of them are daunting at this stage and I am already seeing improvements in my swim times in the 3 weeks that I have been under the new tutor ledge.

The quantity of sessions is a lot higher than I would have thought so early in the preparation, however they are very manageable and for the first time in 3 years in this sport I can say that I have been able to complete every single session as required. My training partners are the ones who are suffering as I having a "no flexibility" approach in this lead up. This is a BIG plus for me as I haved loved the first three weeks and look forward to my next program which I am due to receive next week.

Any way, just a small update, and am off to watch "White Hot" finish his race.

For now...

X-Man