Goodbye 2011!!

A brief Blog to fare well 2011.

I have 1 amazing year in every way, shape and form. I plan to not only replicate this in 2012, but to raise the bar to the next level.

I started back on the bike post Christmas and have ridden 80+ k's each day to get my legs back. Today hurt in the hills with Tom, Benny, Jas, Arch & Trav, however has let me know where they are at!

I have managed 1 run this week (Boxing day) and got through 45min without hassle. I decided to have the rest off the year off (oh, I love that saying!) and start afresh in 2012.

The Swimming starts Next Year and I am looking forward to getting back into the water.

2012 is going to be BIG for me and I will reveal more when the time comes...(hehehehe tomorrow!). I have set my N.Y resolutions (very achievable) and look forward to getting those processes in place.

Once again, thanks for following my journey, supporting me and cheering me on, especially when the going has been tough as times. I hope that I have given an inside to my training/racing world and look forward to sharing it all again in the New Year.

Last For Now (in 2011)...

X-Man

PS. I hope your 2011 has been wonderful, however your 2012 makes your 2011 small when you look back :)

Also, was just looking through my data for the year and is interesting to compare from the previous year.

Swim Bike Run

2010 316k's 10,296.44k's 2,227.71k's

2011 448.85k'a 9,920 k's 3,055k's

So I swam & Ran more and rode 300 odd k's less, interesting to see the gains in races due to the allocated training! I WILL keep running!

Look what I found...

Yes, I have finally found it.

I have changed my mindset and have got back to basics and just purely enjoyed the training. I have only been riding to date as my feet are not quite 100% yet and swimming is for the new year.

Being on the bike 4 times within the last 5 days and averaging around 80k's per ride, I am feeling great about it. Being around my mates for every session and really laughing and having fun reminded me of why I started in triathlons.

Yesterday we had 8 of us out on the road, the conversation was high and the mood was great. I has been resigned to the fact that I have well and truly completed my last run in 2011, that was a few days back and will now introduce the swim & run back into the training in 2012.

The support that I received once again exceeds my expectations and one that I can only continue to thanks everyone for. The next few weeks, once I get fitter, I will be back out there supporting everyone else.

I have even committed to riding some hills on Saturday with a few lads and I know that session will really hurt!!

Anyway, everything is back where I wanted it to be and I am really happy for it.

For now...

X-Man

Looking for my Mojo.

So after a massive year and rewarding all in itself, I sit here wondering how I am going to find it again. I have thought on many occasions that I could get going again, however there is just something missing.

Like previous years, I have had my traditional "let the hair down" nights on the town and unfortunately this year, that hasn't helped. It has been a mere 2 1/2 weeks since Phuket and I have only been able to achieve 1 small swim in the bay with a few lads.


It is not as if I don't have any goals for the future in the world of Triathlon, as Ironman Melbourne will have a greater personal relevance to me than any other race that I have done/will ever do. (More on that next year!)

Right now, it is bizarre, I am not eating the house down, I am conscious of maintaining my body weight so when (if) the time comes to get back into it, I will be able to without lugging around a few extra potato sacks. Last time I put on a total amount of 10kgs post Ironman, this time I have put on 5kgs. In fact I am back to my previous Ironman race weight pre-Kona.

When will the time come when I actually:


and get back to it??

Well one thing is for sure, I am not going to rush it, be forced into it or regret the time that I start. As with previous sports, once the enjoyment has gone I just simply walk away from it.



What is different about this sport compared to the basketball, football & tennis that I played to name a few, I do have a great passion for Triathlons whether it be in the form of competing or coaching.

I have been searching for "that 1 thing" that is going to get me going again. Maybe it is purely and simply a massive:



To get me back on track. Maybe I just need to go back and enjoy the company of my mates, forget about my goals and just enjoy the main reason to be in this sport.

I know one thing for sure, having a little niggle hasn't helped my cause. The little niggle called plantar fasciitis has been driving me crazy for just over 1 month now. That has definately aided is removing the drive. For those who are unaware what it is, check the following picture:



It is a pain that is constantly there as soon as you are on your feet (which makes day to day living uncomfortable). I am on the road to recovery and just can't quite shake the last part of it. Treatment twice a day is helping, however just not getting me over the line.

Anyway, enough of the negatives, I am going to find myself a positive and get back into. Let's start Saturday and then see what Santa brings me for Xmas....one of these would be nice.



For now...

X-Man

I know that below is so true.

Phuket 70.3 - not the way I was hoping to end 2011

But that's life.

Everyone has a bad race and this was mine. 2011 has still been an amazing year for me.

My first Hawaiian Ironman, 9hrs 9min (67th overall, 12th in a/g (1st aussie in a/g))

My first Overall Race win - Murray Man (SA long course championships)

Another a/g race win at Yeppoon 70.3 (which also included my first Top 10 overall)

Becoming a coach and loving every minute of it.

These have clearly been the highlights for me along with many other smaller achievements along the way.

Am I disappointed about the way the year ended? Of course I am, I wouldn't be doing what I do if I wasn't looking to improve on my previous races every time. The time, money and lifestyle invested in the sport which I never regret, however to have a poor performance definately makes you sometimes re-evaluate why I do this.

Phuket 70.3 was one of the most enjoyable races for me (performance aside) and one that I will have on my race calendar again in the future.

The dual swim, the ride through small villages with children screaming with support, dismounting to cross the highway, the hills (yes I did walk up 2 of them!) and finally the run course. Nothing can be faulted with this race. Throw in Monsoonal rain and I am pretty sure that I experienced every possible thing in one race.

I was really happy with my swim, being a non-wetsuit swim, I was able to hang onto the lead a/g pack for most of the swim and when I exited the first part of the swim course I could see the leaders diving into the lagoon. I exited the water in 8th in my a/g and was very happy with this.

Going from the very salty ocean (saltier than Kona) into a fresh water lagoon was an experience. You have no floatation in the lagoon and the water was very warm. It was not the refreshing feeling that I was expecting at all.

Once I got into T1, I was really happy with the way I felt. Getting onto my trusty and fast stead, knowing that my SCHNELL CARBON WHEELS were going to help me achieve the ride I once again was searching for. Catching upto the lead a/g pack happened after 25-30k's I felt really happy with how every thing was going.

Climbing some hills I was still really happy with how I was going and the gears that I decided on. This changed once we climbed the 2nd and 3rd hills. Don't get me wrong, the hills are not long, however they are steep. Having to get off my bike and walk up part of the 2nd hill was never in my expectations of this course, however I probably didn't give it the respect that it deserved either. There was a fantastic positive that occurred from this though. I was fortunate enough to ride with 6 time Ironman World Champion - Natascha Badmann.

This is not an opportunity that you get every day, so I made the most of it having a chat to her at every opportunity.

Heading back into T2, I knew that I had made big inroads into the leaders of my a/g, I was unaware that I was first off the bike in my a/g though. My legs felt great and as I headed off onto the run, I was confident of still being able to have a good run and hopefully gain another spot for the Hawaiian Ironman. Getting through the first few k's on track, my body decided that I was not going to be able to hold this pace until the end.

I had to walk, in discomfort and as I saw my main rivals run past I knew that Phuket would not be my ticket back to the Big Island in October. I tried to run every so often, however the discomfort would not go away and was confined to walking and talking to most people that I saw.

Another highlight of my day was when Michael Raelert ran past on his way to victory, I was applauding him. He not only acknowledged the fact that I was cheering him on, he returned the favour and encouraged me to start running again. With this encouragement I really had no choice but to start my run again. I think this time I ran for 1k, however I could not shake my discomfort and settled back into a Sunday stroll.

I managed to get to the finish line, feeling very weird. Knowing that I was in physically good shape, however having a few issues in the weeks prior and race day left me feeling rather empty. The race and experience was amazing and 1 race that I will be enjoying again.

I have now shut up shop for a few weeks to reflect on the year that I have had and also to sort out a few minor issues that my body has struck lately. I really can't wait to get back training for 2012 and I will make it my goal to have 2012 a bigger and better year that 2011.

For now...

X-Man