Training is in full swing.

Whilst at this time of year I would have rather been tapering for Kona, like many others who I know over there, and a BIG shout out GOOD LUCK!! (damn that 1 min)...I am in full swing Ironman training, and am loving it.

Loving it for a few reasons, everything is going well, I am in good shape and I get to see where I am at this upcoming weekend at Gold Coast 1/2 Ironman. There is no reason why I won't be able to replicate my performance at Yeppoon and have a really good race.

The training has been consistently 20+ hours per week at the moment and looks to increase once this race is over. The body is holding up really well and with the assistance of good training partners again, training is not only getting done correctly but is very enjoyable whilst we are out there.

Yesterday was the launch of Team XOSize Triathlon Team, which I attended along with training partner and mate Greg Farrell. Scott at XOSize has done a wonderful job setting up this and I do want to thank him for inviting me to join this team and also for the sponsorship that he is providing for me. I look forward to repaying him along the way with good performances and will be doing my best to wave the XOSize flag high.

The gear is really comfortable and have been training in the tri knicks for the last couple of weeks. I am looking forward to wearing the 2 piece kit on Sunday.

Along with this, I am really enjoying the Hammer nutrition, not only does it have a really good taste to it, but also is great on the stomach and I have found that I can use less but go for longer.

So, another thanks to David for looking after me on the nutrition side of things.

The swimming is still coming along nicely, with another beep test tomorrow night, I will be able to gauge the improvements over the last 4 weeks. Paul at Werribee Sharks has been putting a big effort getting large improvements out of who attend and this is something that will help me now and in future races.

This week holds no taper for me, apart from an easy day Saturday due to race registration and all that goes along with it. I am looking forward to this weekend as a few fellow training partners are also going to race, Archie, Trav & Justin. Coach Andrew & myself have slightly different views on the race plan but for me, racing is racing and no holding back. He has been fantastic since I joined his program and has provided qualities that you want in a coach....leadership & direction. I can see a long and successful partnership with him and I also look forward to repaying his time with great results.

So for now, I will continue to enjoy the training that is put in front of me and hopefully punch another solid beep test tomorrow night followed by a good result on Sunday.

For now...

X-Man

My training starts now...

So the official Ironman Preparation has kicked into gear. I find this funny as what it means is that I have been training to get into shape to train some more...What the??

Anyway, with the occurrence of this and my commitment to stay alcohol free for the duration, I am looking forward to having a great lead up in the Ironman. With 12 weeks until Busso, and the new 12metre drafting rule, my mind is solely affixed to training and what I need to do to do what needs to be done.

The last two weeks have been making sure that I have fully recovered from my Achilles niggle and I can confidently say that I have. So the training was altered to suit my condition, and I managed to cover 38 & 43 pain free k's in the past two weeks. Not much for what is in front, but still enough to keep my legs ticking over without the stress of re-injuring myself. My swimming was 17 & 15k respectively. The riding side of things is still ticking over with nothing major to report as far as the training goes.

So with the training about to really kick into to gear, I would like to announce that I have signed sponsorship offers with Scott at XOSize Active and David at Hammer Nutrition Australia.

I am looking forward to this opportunity not only to be supported by the above brands but working with both to actively promote the quality products and also have success by using the products.

Along with these 2 who are my main Sponsors, I cannot forget Florian at Erox for his continued support and look forward to working further with him so we both can benefit in the future.

I will be able more photos once I complete my next race in 3 weeks being the Gold Coast 1/2 Ironman.

For Now...

X-Man

Back in the game!!

So, after the minor achilles scare, I have managed to complete two runs since the weekend, albeit small. But as they say, Rome wasn't built in a day and for me, the actual Ironman prep begins in just under 1 week. So to get a few easy runs in this week without pain will be a huge bonus and confidence booster once the "real" training kicks in.

For now...

X-Man

Paying attention to detail!!

I write this blog as I have endured my first injury of the season. Although not a major one, it has been me realise that I need to pay more attention to detail. The injury that I have suffered is a minor Achilles strain. One where I wish never occurred.

So, how did it happen??

Well after my race, I went for my first jog on the Tuesday and was aware that I needed new training shoes. So, I put on another pair to go for this easy run, 25 min in felt this sharp grabbing on my right Achilles. Being an out and back run, I had no option to jog back, although the run was an easy run, I still managed to injure myself.

So after receiving treatment on the Thursday night and feeling good on the Friday, I tried my hand again at an easy jog. Once again, same deal.

What are the consequences??

After meeting up with Coach Andrew to discuss the situation and soon after discovering that my shoes were in desperate need of updating, this is usually evident when you have run the rubber of the sole. But I am not one to look at the base of my shoes. After a lengthy conversation, it was agreed that I have the week off (some say grounded for being naughty) and for me to invest in new training and racing shoes as soon as possible. This for me is on my to do list for the weekend. Also Andrew informed me that if I don't invest in new shoes, I won't be running until I do. It is great to have a coach that is seriously interested in his athletes and making sure that all is good!!

Although it is doing my head in, I would rather get it right now before the serious Ironman training kicks into gear in 2 weeks. So doing all the right things between now and IMWA is on the agenda along with paying attention to all equipment that influences my training and racing. This is one injury that I want to fix as from stories from fellow athletes, the Achilles is not an injury you want to try and train with.

So, for the non running this week, it means that I have had an increase in swimming. 6 sessions this week for me, which should total around 25kms. This will not only being the biggest swim week for me, but the quality that has been introduced prob equates to 30+k's of junk swimming.

At swim squad last night, we were put through a swim beep test. For me this was new and was going to be a good indicator to start with and base any improvements form in the future. It went like this:

100m efforts on 2min, 1.56, 1.52, 1.48, 1.44, 1.40, 1.36, 1.32, 1.28, 1.24, 1.20, 1.16, 1.12. For those who are unawares what a beep test is. You have to start the next 100m effort on the next time. So the first was done on 2min, then 1.56min until you cannot get the goal time. So when you hit the wall under the time, you get to go again, however as soon as the time expires, you are out and the last recorded time is where you are at.

Being new to this type of testing, I made sure that I was going conservative early and wanted to at least get to 1.20min. This would mean 11 x 100m efforts with decreasing rest. Sounds easy considering that I can easily swim sub 1.20min per hundred fresh. So with a 2.5k w/up including some paddle work, and with 5 consecutive days of swimming, I knew that my goal would be a challenge.

I easily managed to get down to the 1.28 and had to work a bit harder for the 1.24 due to a 5sec rest that I allowed myself (still trying not to go too hard). So going into the 1.20min I pushed hard early and knew that it would be touch and go, with the mindset that if I did actually do it, I would be straight into a 1.16min 100m effort. I managed to get in on 1.18min and decided that was enough for me. Is it definitely a session to try and see where you are at. Sounds easy, however if you are honest with yourself, does give a great workout.

I am keen to do this again in 4 weeks to gauge my improvements. This session also made getting up this morning even tougher, however, didn't get to the swim squad but still managed a controlled 3k in the pool.

I have to stay in the pool until I am 100% recovered from the Achilles. Might as well enjoy it, as I am doing it a lot atm.

For now...

X-Man

A GREAT start to my season!!

So, after a few days of reflection about the first race of my season, I thought that I would put pen to paper, or fingers to keyboard and write a report of the entire weekend.


After enduring a few tough days with the weather pictured below.....Benny and I did do it hard!!! :-) One that did enjoy was the weather getting away from a Victorian winter and into 24deg + conditions. One race day the conditions were going to be similar, so was a joy to be there.We spent most of Friday setting up our gear and as by the photos below, Benny is clearly a more organised person with his gear.

So with the Bike setup and looking the part, unlike like what we looked liked when we arose Saturday morning, we had a final few little sessions to complete, which were, in the conditions quite tough to complete.My mess above and Benny's nicely organised setup below:

So, on race morning, we awoke to conditions on the left.....You can't see anything, cause the conditions were ideal for triathlons and also our first hit out for the season.

We packed our gear into the car and headed down to transition and both of us were relatively calm, excited all the same but calm.

Once our transition was setup we made the 1.8k journey down to the start line in which we were informed that we would be swimming with the current and times should be reasonably fast. This was something that was music to my ears as I new that I had been doing all the right things in the pool, not "smashing" myself or "red lining" it every training session. For me it was purely quality over quantity at this time of year.

My race plan was to back my swimming in and try to start with the leaders in my age group. I was familiar with one guy Brad Bullock, who ripped out a lazy 4hr 5min at Geelong 70.3 this year. He was definitely the man to watch in my age group. I positioned myself directly behind him at the swim start hoping to be able to follow him into the water and get a good start to my swim, even if I couldn't hang onto his feet.

So with the horn sounding for the start, I did just that. Got a great sit going into the first turning bouy and although I was unable to hold his feet for much longer, I managed to get in with the leaders in my age group. I was really happy with my early position and decided that if I sat on their toes for the swim, I would position myself nicely for an assault on the bike. So after the 1.9k swim, I exited in 4th place in my age in a time of 33min....Current assisted my ass. Post race when I found out the fastest swim for the day was 29min, I was very happy in reflection. However during the race, the time was irrelevant, it was the fact that I was up with the leaders in my age and with the bike to follow, I was sure, that without any hiccups I would be well placed going into the run.

So onto the bike, my instructions were to ride a 2hr 24min by my coach, slower than I wanted but also wanted to have a really good run. After going through the first 40k in just under 1 hour, I was in good shape and the legs were feeling great, but also saying this my instructions were to have a really good run and see where that is at. I decided to slow and at this point, I picked up a hitch-hiker in my right eye which stayed there until race end. So at the conclusion of the third lap, I could barely see out of my eye and had to ride at time with my eyes closed. (Very scary at 40kph!!) Once near the aid station, I was forced to stop to wash my eye out to regain vision. This worked for a short amount of time and I decided the best way to get vision back properly was to ride holding my eye lid off my eye and try and get off the bike as soon as possible.

So, with the eye issue and the stopping, this actually made my time look more like it should as per instructions. I lost under a minute on the bike and still managed a bike time of 2hr 19min, throw in transitions and recorded a 2hr 22min. Happy, not too hard, legs feeling fresh and still a good time. I had the 2nd fastest time in my age and was in 2nd off the bike.

So after racking my bike, grabbing some more water to try and flush my eye out, I headed out on the run to run a sub 90min. The legs felt great and found rhythm instantly. Brad Bullock caught me after 4k which put me into 3rd, with 17odd km to run. My goal from here was not to be passed by anyone, let alone anyone in my age. With the pre race plan of my coach, I was confident of being able to break 90min if not a fair bit lower than that.

With the legs still feeling good, I almost finished the first lap when my eye started to burn like someone had scratched it. This forced my to stop and once again try to flush it out. The officials came to my aid and asked if I wanted to pull out. I won't repeat my response but did thank them for their concern and went on my merry way. Little did I know that I blew that km out from 4.05 pace to 6.44. Lost some good time there. So after re-passing the people who over took me in my moment of pain, I once again found really good rhythm.

This lasted until 4km to go when I had to stop and flush my eye out once again. With such little time left to run, I was determined to finish the race and podium. I knew that I was in 2nd at the time and my thoughts were that I had come this far, what's another 4km of pain. Just run. Managed a 1hr 31min, which was satisfactory considering the stops the I had.

Once crossing the finish line in 4hr 27 min, I knew that I had still performed solidly and recorded a 7min pb on that course. Off to first aid I went to continue to get treatment on my eye. This resulted in a trip to town to seek further advice and with the guidance of my "handler" Benny, who did a great job looking after me, except the part where he let me walk into a sign which got me fair and square on the collar bone. A big burst of laughter followed, then with a concerned; "There's a sign there!!" But seriously Ol' mate did a great job helping after the race getting around and packing up.

So I finished 23rd overall (Best finish to date) and 2nd in my age group (First time in top 3). What I was most pleased about were the positions in each leg, 4th swim, 2nd bike and 3rd fastest run. I have never been more competitive and want to thank Andrew for giving me the program and confidence to be able to compete in all 3 legs not just the bike. Also, Paul for helping with my swimming which has improved leaps and bounds so soon.

I have also attached some photos of Benny in action. Unfortunately, Benny was victim to the road surface and lost his entire nutrition along with his rear cage, which was still attached in the below pic.

The pic on the left is the sunset from our balcony, great spot to kick back!!




Once again I have to thank Florian at Erox for looking after me with my wheels, as I have done a lot less riding in comparison the previous years and still rode the same time on a set of wheels that I can only describe as,"If they had wings, they would fly!!" So thanks again. I also have some more news in the pipeline once confirmed and am looking to enjoy more support from Erox!

For now...

X-Man

Ps. Only more positive results to follow this year.

The day before!!

So tomorrow brings my first challenge of the year, after I get over today.....Benny and myself decided to have our traditional "few" beers and watch the footy last night. Some would say that it may have got out of hand (as Benny tries to sleep some of them off now (9am). But for us this is "how we roll"!!! Nothing has changed in 4 years of racing and travelling together.

We find the lighter side of everything and ensure that we enjoy every race that we attend. I think that this gives us the balance and enjoyment that the sport brings. Don't get me wrong, we train hard, and we are as competitive as the next person, the only difference is, that we are here to enjoy the whole trip. From the plane flight (which we found some interesting reading in the in plane magazine) to the locals last night that were not impressed that we were the only 2 fit looking people in their establishment.

For those that know the quantity consumed last night, it doesn't need to be repeated and nor will it be raised again, well not in conversation, maybe after breakfast!!! he he he

So onto the actual reason that we are here, apparently we are doing a 1/2 Ironman tomorrow. The weather is magic and our gear has been set up and the training has just about been done. Registration at 1pm and then it all begins. From the lighter side of life to the serious side of racing. I have spoken to my coach in depth and we have decided a race plan that will be suitable for the conditions and also the condition that I am in. Unless a bizarre turn of events happen overnight, there is no reason why I will not create a new best time for me and improve on last years performance, both in time and placing.

I have taken a few photos which will be posted post race along with a full weekend's round up. For now breakfast is cooking, and the coffee is brewing, so I won't bore you any longer and will take myself onto the balcony to enjoy what mother nature is dishing up today.

For now...

X-Man

It's Taper Time!!!

As I sit here ready to get all my gear packed for Benny's and my 6am flight, depart from home at 4am (gotta love those red eye flights!!) I have discovered that taper week does nothing for me apart from making me have enough energy to rival a kid on red cordial!!

The training this week has eased right off, which some would think that is good, for me, it becomes harder to actually drag myself out the door. The thoughts of.... surely missing this session won't hurt, it is taper week......have appeared in my head this week as I know that I have done all the training leading into this week, but something, just something continually gets me to get to the front door and out to train.

My new found energy also annoys me as I become a frustrated little boy who does not what to do with himself. So trying to conserve energy and not driving myself crazy has been the biggest goal this week, along with getting out to train.

So with that in mind I am looking forward to getting out of this 5-10deg Celsius and head to 24deg Celsius, even if it is just for 4 days.

Benny & I are both looking forward to this hit out as it will give us an early indication of where we are at currently.

Will keep posted over the weekend.

For now...

X-Man

Yeppoon 1/2 is 2 weeks away.

The main reason for this post is to just update where things are at. With my first race in 2 weeks and things going along quite well, I don't really have much to post at this stage.

I am looking forward to this race and the "real" training (Ironman training) that commences afterwards.

I headed to Brisbane for a day earlier this week and one thing that I noticed was the difference in climate, and why wouldn't someone want to move there ;-). So with Melbourne being deeply embedded with winter and Brisbane still being only 20deg, I certainly noticed a big difference.

This year, ol' mate Benny and I decided to cut the trip down to 4 days instead of the previous 6. We are flying up 2 days before the race and returning only one day afterwards. A few factors behind this, that have relevance to my post, so no need to go into them!! My main question is, will having one less day before the race make much if any difference?? I wouldn't have thought so, but with the total difference in climate, maybe so.

With conditions and climate in the following photos, I cannot imagine a better place to start the season and spend a weekend away!!

This photo is a view of the beach before the carnage occurs.

With being a beach start, as you can see below is will be fast and frantic for the run into the water and to the first turning buoy. This year, with the focus on my swimming, I am hoping to position myself well heading out the first 200m before the long swim down the beach adjacent the beach.

The ride is quite a funny circuit being 5 laps of an 18k loop. What's funny about this?? The fact that in those 18k, you encounter a fast surface which you can make up a lot of time, however for the other half of the surface it is granulated and zaps a fair bit of energy out of the legs. It is a very deceiving ride. However with 2 previous races here, I am very familiar with what is required to set the bike up well and how to ride the course.

The bike usually sets up the run, 3 laps involving a road run and a trail run. And once you've completed this, the below photo is your reward!!!

Well not quite the ladies, but the cold beer that awaits post race....And of course the cold water recovery in the Resort pool, below.

So for now, I have 1 1/2 weeks of solid training, then a short taper and my 1st of the year (looking forward to it also), a 1/2 Ironman then into the real fun & games.

For Now...

X-Man

The Pass Mark

So, it is 4 weeks until my first race of the season and more importantly, 4 weeks to find out where I am at.

With the new coach, new focus, new direction, new training all well and truly in place by now, curiosity is starting to creep into my head about where I am at....

So, in 4 weeks I will know. Not expecting big things, just improvements. The new regime has already seen my weight get down to previous "Ironman Race weight" and at this time of year to be at that weight only suggests good things down the path.

Where is the pass mark?? What do I expect?? What will I be happy with??

I have thought about the above three questions and although my first race is 4 weeks away, this race may not be the best indicator.

The swim is very tidal, so you don't have the same conditions as previous years like other races.

The ride & run will be the same though.

The main factor is the weather, coming from a Victorian Winter into Queensland's beautiful one day, perfect the next is the biggest factor. These are not excuses, just reality!!!

So, onto the questions: A Pass mark for me will be an improvement on my swim regardless of conditions, I want to be somewhere near the front, not giving away 6-7 minutes. On the bike I expect to have lost a bit of time due to the focus on the other two disciplines, however, still within 2-3min of my PB. And on the run, I would expect to run no less than 5 min faster than last year, considering that I have run more in the last 10 weeks than what I did for the entire first half of last year, I think that this is not asking for miracles.

What do I expect?

I expect to go faster overall than the last two years and break into the Top 20 Overall(65th 2008, 35th 2009 both around 4hr 35min) and push for a Top 3 in my age group, 6th last year.

What will I be happy with?

Due to the fact that I will be 4-5 kgs lighter than the same time last year and barring no mechanical faults (bike only) breaking the 4hr 30min will be success or failure for me. The individual splits will be irrelevant if I can go 5-6min faster overall.

For now the body is in good shape, still a bit off where I want to be for the Ironman at the end of the year, but am very satisfied with the progression. Am Injury free and training the house down. Following the coach's instructions definitely goes a long way to maintaining the body injury free. Now I just have to go and harass a few mates and get my legs worked on, which is going to hurt the first few times, due to lack of massages of late. See you soon Jas!!

My training partners are still very supportive and the boys makes it so much more enjoyable being out with them, so will continue to thank you guys.

For now...

X-Man

Music to my ears...

So, another program down and off to see the coach to look at my next program. For the last few programs, I have known that I will be running and running and more running, a bit of swimming and not much riding!!

The tables had to turn, so I thought. Well maybe a half circle, maybe not even that much. The good news for me is that I can dust of the TT bike, because I am going to be riding that baby a whole lot more over the next few weeks with my lead up to Yeppoon. My running is still building and my swimming has had an extra "optional" session added. "Optional" my ass, it is a session to be completed.

With Yeppoon only 6 weeks away, I feel like I am in better shape compared to this time last year with the specific training that I have been undertaking unlike previous years where it was just general fitness. Didn't feel like it at the time, however knowing the direction that I am going, it definitely was just general fitness.

By doing a little bit of maintenance of previous weeks on the bike, I feel like I am ready to get back to where I was previously with my cycling. With saying that, I know that I am not going to lose any of the running or swimming that I have been developing.

Still have a goal of getting back on the roadie for a few races to fine tune my legs, however I am constantly reminded that patience is a virtue and WA is 6 months away. Exactly my point....not even in Ironman 16 weeks yet, let me free!!

Any way, just a small update, not much exciting news at the moment, just build, build and build. The base is growing ready to have foundations installed to have bricks spread all across it.

I am off to the pool to continue my drill sessions.

For now...

X-Man