A little motivation...

I have seen this before, however I thought that I would add them as a constant reminder for motivation.

The best line in these is:

Knock Knock

Who's there?

The guy who finished 2nd

The guy who finished 2nd who?

The moral is, no-one remembers 2nd place, give it your all and leave nothing behind.

Hope you got a few goosebumps from these, I know I did!

This one is for you mum (25/12/53 - 25/3/07)...

X-Man

Back on program!

So, structure has returned. The Master Coach Andrew, (TMC) has been hard at it again with me. I say hard at it due to the fact that I am suffering a niggle that just won't go away. Through treatment almost daily and rest, I could not shake it. Next option??

Manage it the best I can and get on with it! Enter Andrew. He has the tough job of serving me up a program that will get me in the best shape to have a crack at Qualifying for Hawaii again at Ironman Melbourne. I have no doubt that this will be challenging for him, however I once again have no doubt that he will come through with the goods again.

So whilst this was happening, I set about ticking off my New Year's resolutions.

1. Join a swim squad.

2. Core work.

Well I have ticked off the first one, I have joined a swim squad and have committed to 2 sessions per week for now. Soon to be 3 once I am back going well.

The core work will kick in later this week, so hoping by the end of the week I have started the ball rolling to getting faster in the swim and stronger in the core.

Have you started yours?

I don't have much else to report at this stage, so won't bore you any more.

This one is for you mum (25/12/53 - 25/3/07)...

X-Man

2012 - Doing it for Mum!!

Yep, that's my motivation for 2012!

Why this year and not any other? Because this year is special, really special to me. By the time Ironman Melbourne comes around, it will be 5 yrs to they day that she passed away.

25/3/2012 is the 5th year anniversary that I have been motherless! Not only me but my brother and sister also.

The same lady that was proud of me turning my life around from being a 125kg unfit fat ratbag into a dedicated athlete who is loving life!

With this added motivation and the lost mojo that I have recently found, there will be:

I have started the year well with a pain free run (35min) and a 100k ride to date and later in the week I will commence swimming (more on that later!).

I get back on a structured program soon, however I know that the time this comes around I will be fit and ready to go.

The training has been fantastic right now, getting no less then 6 others to train with and I can assure everyone that the spirit has been amazing and the banter just as fun. Having guys travel from 100k's away and leaving at 4.30am for a 6am start just shows the company that I am with. I am loving it. When a few others get back from holidays, into the swing of it I know that there will be 10 or more for most sessions.

What more could someone want? To train with like minded athletes who not only can assist with training but create a moral that other can only wish they were apart of!! If you want to be, you can be!!

Now being the start of the year, we all make New Year Resolutions, many are unrealistic and unattainable, however mine are the opposite. They are simple and only be described as affective (if i can complete them regularly!) They are:

1. Join a swim squad. Already onto this and can't wait to get going.

2. Start doing some core work.

After the training camp last year, it was evident that there are few people around who have a strong core. This will only aid in my improvements for the year.

That is all that I have decided to do and having the drive that I have for the year, I will be happy to tick them off.

What are yours? Are they achievable? Or are you setting goals that you will be unable to tick off? If so, it is not too late to change them to give you something within reach to achieve.

I find that when you set the bar too high (out of reach) you only set yourself up for failure, lower the bar (in the short term) achieve those goals and then go get the higher bar. At the end of the day if you don't reach your goals, you have to ask yourself...why?

Or on the other hand:

And just go do it!

I am also going to change my sign off for the year as I have had the same one since I started. 2012 is the year for my Family as many amongst us have Big plans. I will have 2 more nieces or nephews just for starters! My year is going to be special and I can't wait to get it going, really going.

This one is for you mum (25/12/53 - 25/3/07)...

X-Man

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

The race report from the local Paper in SA!

Just a brief little update...

You can view the race report here from the local paper over there!

Besides getting chronic heel pain over the last few weeks, things are slowly getting better. The race last weekend was a great hit out for the next couple.

The feet are on the improve, whilst the motivation is slowly starting to rise, hoping by next weekend things are back to 100%!!

Anyway, off to plan for the weekend.

For now...

X-Man

My First Race Win!!

It seems like so long since my last blog entry. A lot of things have happened since then.

I had my first race back since Kona at Shepparton 70.3 in a Team with Fossil (aka Dad) and Justin. The swim was my duty for the day and without really having any swimming since Kona (3 times in the week leading in) it was going to hurt. I managed a 28min 33sec swim for the 1.9k which I was happy with although after running into Transition, I don't think Fos was happy with me vomiting on his feet before he headed out on the bike!!

Dad rode a very strong 2hr 24min which improved our position by 6-7 spots heading into the run.

Justin headed out onto the run after backing up from a fine 2hr 57min Melbourne Marathon a few weeks back and ran our team into 4th for the day. A great first race back for us!

So, after this race I headed across the South Australia to race the Murray Man race over a long course distance 2/80/20. Without and real expectations for this race I just wanted a solid race before my next hit out.

The swim was very similar to Shepparton as it was in a lake with minimal visibility. I got out of the water with the lead pack in around 30min 30sec (splits to be confirmed) and headed out onto the bike course. Little did I know that I had a good T1 and was 3rd onto the bike course. Following strict instructions from Andy (super coach), I rode within myself and after 50k's decided that I was not going to destroy myself in this race as I have bigger fish to fry soon.

Getting off the bike in around 2hrs 4min (tbc) I knew that I was about 4min down on the leader heading onto the run. My plan for the run was to go out hard for the first 5k's and then switch off and save the legs. If I could hang onto 2nd for the day I would be happy. After the first lap, I really settled back and started to plod along.

Getting time splits from my support crew, I was informed that I was only 2min down with 10k's to go. This really surprised me as I never thought that I could run time into him. So, I picked up the pace a little and thought that I might as well have a bit of a crack. With 5k to go, I was only 1min 15sec down as per the Commentator and with Paul & co giving me massive encouragement I thought that I might as well try to win this race.

I managed to hit the lead with 2k to go and then hit the wall. Had a little walk and got going again. With about 1k to go I knew that I was no longer the hunter and was getting hunted at a rapid rate. I kept turning around to see my gap and had to give it one last crack to stay in front.

I managed to hold on and take my first ever overall race win. I was so elated and over the moon considering that I was using this as a race to sharpen myself up for my next adventure.

It was a fantastic weekend and with Tom Rodgers taking out the 1/2 Murray Man, it was a great day all round.

Male - Murray Man - Berri- Barmera Council

Place Race No Name Division DivP Time

1 89 Xavier Coppock M30-34 1 4:08:20
2 3 Kevin Fergusson EliteMen 1 4:08:49
3 78 James Duffy M25-29 1 4:09:45
4 73 Toby Richardson M25-29 2 4:17:39
5 75 Adriano Pavia M25-29 3 4:19:41
6 4 Nick Muxlow EliteMen 2 4:21:11
7 113 Michael Hogben M45-49 1 4:23:24
8 108 Shaun Richards M40-44 1 4:24:21
9 138 Nathan Mercurio M25-29 4 4:27:36
10 76 Sean Kinchington M25-29 5 4:28:05
11 5 Philip Lean EliteMen 3 4:30:39
12 90 Rhys Davie M30-34 2 4:32:05

For now it is back to training and preparing myself to try and get back to the Big Island.

X-Man

PS... A HUGE congrates to fellow training partner Greg Farrell who tore apart IMAZ on the weekend in 9hr 12min to Qualify for his first Hawaiian Ironman. Fingers crossed I can join him agian!

It has been a relaxing few weeks!

Well, 3 weeks after the big event, I am feeling refreshed and ready to go.

I conducted a training camp over the long weekend which saw the commencement of my training also. I am mentally raring to go, but the body is still just a little way off. I had to be careful about how much I did as it would have been easy to get carried away with the training. The 3 days was perfect for all involved also and the feedback was terrific. Just makes the next camp more exciting and with bigger plans, it will also be a success!!

It was really pleasing to see everyone have a massive crack at the training and it was really enjoyable. I am meeting with Andrew tonight to commence a structured program for my next crack at the racing. I have a few more races pencilled in for the remaining of the year and one that actually is one this weekend. A sprint race.... Not really looking forward to it due to the high end intensity, however being over in around the 1 hr mark makes it appealing.

I have enjoyed the "social" training that I have been doing of late and am well and truly ready to get going again. I have bigger plans for next year and can't wait to lock them in after tonight's meeting.

The blogging will also kick back into gear on a more regular basis again.

For now...

X-Man

Below are some more random pics from Hawaii...courtesy of little sis!!