Kona Video Blog - Week 1 Round up

After a busy weekend, I find myself in Mildura trying to figure out why I entered the Tour of Murray bike race.

I am very lucky to be tagging along with the Huon Genesys Team for the week.

It is already a bit overwhelming to say the least.

I know Damo is having a chuckle at me as it is a total roll reversal from me coaching him to Ironmans.

The car trip up was good and he has tried to help settle my nerves. Over the weekend I got some good footage of my ride and took a lot of small videos on my climb and descent on the hill repeat that I did.

I have started up a YouTube channel, to view the videos, go to:

http://www.youtube.com/user/TEAMTriCoaching

There is footage, climbing, descending and a general wrap up of my weeks training.

It seems easier to go there than trying to upload them all.

Will hopefully get some footage and some insight into the bike race.

There are 102 starters for the races and I am number 152.

The race website is:

http://nationalroadseries.subaru.com.au/events/tour-of-the-murray-river/

Tomorrow is stage 1... 163k road race, going to be 30deg and from the reports from a few of the boys, they are going to try and get it done in 3hr 45min or so...

My race plan... hang on for as long as I can, then try and hang on longer.. Every Km that I get with the bunch is going to help me at Kona, esp mentally.

This is going to hurt..

X-Man

Could be many photos of me in this position:

Day 5 Kona Video Blog

Today's training, shameless plugs and latest TEAM Tri Coaching news & tips:



For Now...

X-Man

Day 4 Kona Video Blog.

A short and sweet update about today.

Main thing is to look for positives out of everyday.



For Now....

X-Man

Day 3 Kona Training Blog

Another solid Day of training.



And the result.


For Now...

X-Man

Day 2 Kona Blog - Pre Training Blog & Day Wrap Up.

AM Video Blog -


A great day training could not be happier with how my body has responded.


For now...

X-Man

Blog is BACK!! Day 1 Kona Blog

So, I am back in the blogging world.  Will be less typing and more videos.  Will be blogging (video's) daily around my training, coaching tips and general updates on what is going on.

Once I hit the Big Island of Kona, Hawaii, I will be able to give more insight into the course the conditions and how to race that course.

This is my first post, will improve along the way.



I will be uploading more and more videos onto the TEAMTriCoaching YouTube channel and also putting some onto Facebook.

For now...

X-Man

Coaching - Is it really complicated??

After my last post about coaching, I copped some support and obviously touched some nerves.

This is only my view and my view only, if you get offended by what I write, feel free not to look me up.  My views don't change, they only develop with experience.

With my new venture, coaching is always in the fore front of my mind.  Ways to do things better, what not to change, who to ask, advice to gain.

Over my sporting career ranging form Basketball, Football, Swimming, Running, Riding, Triathlons & a few others, I have found that I have responded to my coaches in all different ways depending on their approach.  This is something that I have taken with me into my coaching venture.

I put it simply.... No 2 people are the same, so therefor why should they be treated the same, given the same programs or given the same feedback.  I know that I would require a different approach to my team mates.

So, what is the right "training formula"?

This I don't have an answer for.  I hear many people claiming that they have new and improved training methods, more science involved and different strategies.  Does this mean that they are better coaches or program writers?

My answer is No.

I have no idea what the best methods are, however one thing that I do know......It's my athletes, I know how they respond, and am learning every day how to get the most out of their abilities.  Does this make me a better or worse coach than the guy with the Power training, FTP training or HR training.

I don't know that answer either.

Each of my athletes are individuals and I react to the way the want/need to be coached the best way that I can.

From my experience as an athlete, I remember when I first got into tri's and did my first 70.3 back in Cairns 2000, the guy that I trained with used to flog us silly, every session was hard.  I burnt out after 3 months, walked away from the sport for 7 years.

On my return I was trained to HR, being new to this, I embraced it and got good results.  Not the results I get now, but they were still good.

What works for me?  Keeping it simple, nothing complex.  Training to perceived effort, if I was fresh easy was slightly faster compared to when fatigued.  Each session has a different result.

I am hearing talks about the traps of doing shorter sessions at a higher intensity to get better results.  What I ask is, how big is the base of the test cases? What is their back round? How long did the testing go for?  What distances are they training for?

I was quizzing Jason Shortis at Cairns recently and asking him how he continues to get great results and continue to run sub 3hrs off the bike.  His answer....TRIPLE run days, yes 3 runs per day.  Now Jason, for those who don't know has finished over 75 Ironman races.  In my first in 2008, he was at 50.  I have done 8 in total now and he has done 25 in the same period, that's without the few he didn't finish in.

So, this formula works for him, for a guy who is big for Triathlons, to run triple run days is what he needs to get the most out of himself and remain competitive.

So, what is right??

I was also talking to another pro athlete (whom I won't name at this time) and he couldn't handle the volume that was thrown at him on the run as he kept breaking down.  Now this guy has a massive swim back round, and his is short and stocky.  The total opposite to Shortis and needs totally different formulas to get the most out of himself.

Other people have a good even mix and some just talk up volume.

I am more towards the second one, mixing between volume and speed, adding strength work also.  Why do you need to run fast to run a marathon?  What is a fast marathon?

If you run a 3hr 15min marathon off the bike, it is considered reasonably fast, but is it?

I say no... 3hr 15min is 4min 38sec per k.  That is race pace, so why do you go and do your easy pace faster than your race pace??  This never makes sense to me when talking to athletes.

A common question I ask is:  What pace do you do your easy runs at?

Many many people say 4.30 - 4.45.

My follow up question is:

What pace do you run during a race?

Not many people run under 5min k pace in a race, so reality is they run their easy faster than their race pace.

How do you change this?

That is what everyone is still trying to find out.

I know a girl who used to train to power and pace.  Yes she has been to Hawaii a few times, however now she trains at perceived effort.... Yes, she is going back to Hawaii for the 4th time.

Is one formula better than the other?  Or is it simply that she is a really good athlete and can get results whatever formula she uses?

There are so many unanswered questions about the right training principles, but there is one thing for sure.  If you don't know your athletes, you are never going to know what is the best formula for them.

So, for me, it is getting to know my athletes better and adapting my programs around them.

For Now...Keep searching

X-Man

Cairns Round up and other things.

So, been a BIG 3 weeks for me.  Let's start at Cairns Ironman.

I had 5 athletes enter the Ironman and 1 in the 70.3...And I was asked to run for a team with Jamie Black.

The Ironman Round up:

I got my first Age Group Winner and Hawaiian Ironman Qualifier.  After only coaching for 2 years and Full Time since October 2012, I couldn't be happier.  I know others that have been coaching for 10 or so years and took a long time to get a "Legitimate Qualifier".  By legitimate, I say that coaching them all the time, not having spoken to someone about their training or happened to swim with them once.  There are a few "Coaches" out there that claim athletes that they have no impact in or no longer coach.  I can say that I look up to people like Andrew (TMC) and Jarrod Evans (Enduranceteam.net) as the premium coaches in Victoria for specific Long Course/Ironman coaching.

Others have more numbers and might have a greater amount of qualifiers, but the % of athletes that they have race to qualifiers is very low. (Food for thought!!)

Jody Gilchrist, whom you might remember that I paced to a 1hr 31min Half Ironman back in May was her.  Getting off the bike in 2nd place in the 45-49 age group, some 12min behind the leader, Jody then not only caught the leader by the half way point in the marathon, but then proceeded to put another 22min into her and win her age group by that much.  Her run time of 3hr 41min was just amazing and the emotions that flowed was even better.

This was only Jody's 2nd Ironman and her first she completed at IMWA 2008 in a time of 12hr 39min.  A massive improvement from her and a ticket to the BIG ISLAND, not just to complete in, to be competitive.

Tim Tingiri, who as I stated in my pre race blog, had a crash back in December and broke his sternum among other injuries.  After asking him to withdraw from Melbourne so that we could have a great race here, he did just that.

After a 11hr 11min Port Mc 2012, Tim achieved a 10hr 44min on the back on a 5month very careful lead in so that we could balance the training without upsetting the body.

Jeff Gloger, raced Cairns in 2012 and was uncoached and finished with a time of 12hr 24min, this year after a good 12month build, we got his time down to 11hr 46min.  Great stuff mate.

Adam Kelsall had a good race, went out a little hard on the run and paid the price on the back half, this is all learning.  A 10hr 57min was a great reward on a tough day.

Unfortunately Damo Harris withdrew prior to the start due to illness which with several conversations, we both agreed was the best plan of action.  Health is more important than a towel and medal.

In the 70.3 event, Michael Harvey was out to grab a win, or at least podium.  The race plan was to go hard, and when that hurt, go harder on the bike.  Off the bike, just run.  That he did, in both disciplines.

Gaining a second place was a great effort with some more improvement on the bike to come.  The most pleasing thing for me was that he had the fastest run time in his age group by over 4min and was the only one in that age group to break 90min (87min 28 sec)  Great signs to come for future races.

As stated earlier I did a team run with Jamie Black and we were there for the win and win only.  Jamie is a great athlete and suffered an injury which prevented him from competing as an individual.  Riding a 2hr 11 min (equal to the pros) ensured a lead for me, but I didn't know it was 5min.  I just ran, being that is was my 2nd 1/2 Marathon in two weeks, I knew at some stage that my legs would get heavy.  I was never going to give away the lead.  We ended up winning by 9 min.  Thanks Mate for inviting me into the team.

So overall, another cracking event for myself and my athletes and all things positive going forward.

As far as my age group tips were involved, I picked 11winners and 3 podiums, struggled with the oldies this time, but nailed a lot of the fast guys.  Nick Gates (40-44) got under the radar and took the win in that age group, but Ben Bell was the highlight for me as the only age grouper to run sub 3hrs.  Hats off mate...

So moving on from there, and having a long chat with Andrew (TMC) about my coaching future.  After learning a great amount on how the write successful programs and get athletes to their goals, we both decided that it was a perfect opportunity for me to branch out and start building my own brand.  Having his full support is fantastic and discussing the best coaches for all athletes has been the plan of attack the last few weeks.

Ofcourse there will be people who think otherwise, but Haters will always Hate, Jealous people will always be jealous, so I look forward to many rumors that evolve around the traps and also look forward to building my brand along with still working with Andrew to offer the best coaching service in the Western Suburbs.. 

No Gimmicks, no lies, no claiming athletes by default, just doing what is right for the athletes.

My new Coaching Service is called:

T.E.A.M Coaching... Triathlon & Endurance Athlete Management & Coaching.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/teamtricoaching
Twitter: 

@TEAMTriCoach

Make sure you follow to get all the updates.  My website is currently being built as I want to have it right from the start.

With the motto is:

"Focusing on Performance without losing Balance"

Balance is something that I have always instilled in my racing/training and also into my athletes.  I have been writing programs to suit their lives, not asking them to change around the program.

Michael Harvey is the perfect example.  The only time he does anything Triathlon related on a Sunday is when he races, no training for him on a Sunday.  Of course there are compromises mid week, but it is what works for him.  The proof is in the pudding!!

I know of many coaches that ask athletes to take days off mid week from work to get sessions in.  Now as age group athletes, we work to fund our Triathlons, we don't have the luxury of the "pro life".  I myself am in the same boat, I am out the door early to train, so I get it.  I know how cold it gets, what pain we all go through, that's how I can write programs to suit each individual.  I get out with my athletes (where possible) to learn form them more then an email or a conversation, learning from them on the training track to gain feedback, see where changes can be made to continue improvements.

All I can say that the experience from Andrew & TMC has been invaluable and I can also thank all the support that I have had already even before the Official Commencement.

Exciting times ahead...

X-Man

PS.. Around all this I have started my Kona prep and am in better shape than this time the last few years.  I have 40 odd coaches this time around and each one of them is going to be a part of the training and success on the Big Island come October

Ironman Cairns Age Group Tips

As seen on Trizone my age group tips for Cairns Ironman are below:

Male 18-24:

The standout for me in this one is:

#57 Amos Gollach - went to the big island last year, so knows how to get there. Under a structured program now and had a great lead in at Busso 70.3.

Female 18-24:

#76 Madison Taylor - only has to finish to get her ticket.

Male 25-29:

My pick here is:

#110 Daniel Macpherson (no not the actor)...stepping up from the 70.3 last year which he went 4.18, then a 4.07 at Port 70.3 2012.  Unsure about his Ironman ability.

Main rival:

#145 Todd Spackman, more of a 70.3 specialist (in his own words) however has been to the big island on a few occasions, so can get the job done.

Female 25-29:

#167 Kimberley Russell for the "W" here, however I have heard on the grape vine that she is going to do her best work at the Melt down..  Fast on course, Groover on the floor.

Male 30-34:

The one to catch is:

#203 Matthew Craft... We had a good chat walking the Queen K last year and is looking for his 5th ticket to Kona.. The big question for me is not if he will win his a/g, will he make it to the "Sub 9" club and be the fasted age grouper overall??

Others to watch:

#197 Dane Cantwell, this flying kiwi will be around the mark for a long way into the race....but how far can he push Crafty?

#234 Jayson Gerde who is coming off a 5th place in the 30-34 at IMWA 2012 in 9hr 19min should be the main one to challenge Matt.

#332 Ben Squires gets a mention as the one who will be 1st out of the water in this age group and maybe among all age groups after his 45.32 swim at IMAUST a few weeks back.  I think the 3.30 marathon there might just tax his legs too much in the heat late here.

My Roughies:

#331 Lucas Spargo...Watch this space...Had an ok Melbourne this year and will be better for the run.
#346 Daniel Thompson... A 70.3 gun who can run....1st up over IM distance

Others been thrown my way, however as I state every time...I am not picking the top 15 in each age group...just the top couple.  Your mate might be going well, but will he match the above??

Female 30 - 34:

This should be one of the best races in my view:

Hard to separate these three (in no particular order):

#380 Kristy Craft....I am just waiting for the day that she chicks Matt ;)

#394 Marina Jurjevic... Is flying atm, not taking her Kona spot regardless...Will this hinder her if the race is close at the end??

#395 Felicity Lloyd... Fastest 30-34 at IMMELB 2012 in 9hr 45min...Swim is her weakness, wonder how much time she can afford to give Kristy in this battle.

Kristy will lead out of the water by a few minutes here and will be interesting to watch the race unfold from there.

Male 35 - 35: (My special interest category)

#424 Ben Bell - flying machine, running specialist, multiple 3hr 0x Hawaiian Ironman Marathon Runner.  Weakness is riding.  As per Matty Craft, Ben's biggest battle...sub 9 & fastest a/g.  Always gets things right. Only way he will be beaten if he beats himself.

#461 Nathan Fitzakerley was 3rd here last year and will be on the podium again.  Will need a very low 4hr 50min ride to have enough gap on Bell to challenge him.

#469 David Green had him, however got his spot at Auckland 70.3 and raced Melbourne, so unsure if he is racing.

Podium Roughie:

#580 Steven Roberts.  He has been in the mines working for the last 6+ months, unsure of his fitness, can swim/bike well, just unsure about the run.  One thing that will work in his favour is the heat.

Female 35 - 39:

Another cracking girls field and once again a few front runners that will make for a close exciting race.  Just because you get older doesn't mean it gets easier...

#638 Jessica Fleming 3rd overall at Ironman Aust, so unsure if she will be racing here.  If she does, she will challenge for top step again.

#650 Emma Miller 3rd in the 2012 IMMelb 30-34.  Been running a lot of late, so wouldn't surprise if a fast run time for her.

#654 Julianne Schliebs is about to do her 3rd Ironman in 7 months, tough ask on the body.  Ironman WA 2nd, Ironman Melbourne 6th and now here.  Will she have enough left in the tank?

Male 40 - 44:

#693 Peter Breadsall, the man can bike and run, swim is a big weakness.  Been carrying a few injuries in the last 12 months, but wasn't that long ago where he went 9.19 Ironman UK, 13th overall with one of the fastest bike times.  If he can repeat that form, he will be tough to beat.

The added pressure with this age group is that in the Asia/Pacific Ironmans in 2013, the 40-44 age group has produced the fastest time.

NZ - Matt Lewis
Melb - Olaf Kasten
Port- David Meade

Big shoes to fill??

I am pretty sure that I would have missed an obvious one here, however no-one else really jumps out at me.

Female 40 - 44:

#937 Susan Crowe won her age group her last year and will be hard to beat again.  My tip...back to back.

Male 45 - 49:

A big field here, have found a few to name:

#976 Alan Bentley 5th here last year.

#982 Trevor Buchanan double Hawaiian Ironman Finisher, says enough...will be around the mark.

#987 Peter Clark 2nd year last year, no doubt wants top place in 2013.

#1009 Darren Franken got a roll down spot at Melbourne, will be there abouts off the bike and into the first part of the run, will be interesting to see if he can challenge late.

#1078 Dennis Neal one of the toughest athletes I know.  Bumped into him running a few week back and is looking fit.  Is keen for this and will give them a good shake.

Female 45 - 49:

Looks like a very open field.

The only one that is returning from last year is

#1171 Susan Meehan who finished 5th.

#1173 Raija Ogden never underestimate the wife of a pro!

Could be a surprise here...That's my tip ;)

Male 50 - 54:

Easiest one to pick:

My sparring partner in races (and old enough to be my dad)

#1197 Kevin Fergusson, will almost be the first age grouper off the bike out right.  Wins everytime he turns up and this race will be no exception.

Female 50 - 54:

Too open to say so just going for a roughie... Eenie Meenie Minie Mow...

#1289 Elizabeth Model, just has to look the part with a surname like that?!?

Male 55 - 59:

Predicting a straight out win for

#1307 Stephen Hempel 3rd last year in 11hrs

Female 55 - 59:

A two way war between:

#1345 Sharman Parr 

&

#1346 Belinda Sharpless

Male 60 - 64:

#1386 Peter Vaughan

Female 60 - 64:

#1389 Lynn Davies

Male 65 - 69:

Lucky Dip...

#1397 Yasushi Sakuma

Male 70 - 74:

#1400 Alex Hamill

Male 75 - 79:

#1405  Sze Mun Yee

AWAD

#104 Ricky James

As I say after every post, I am so amazed by the achievements of the "older generation" who turn up, do the race to the best of their ability.

Hats off.

Now to some of the younger generation.... STOP MAKING EXCUSES... You were beaten by better athletes on the day, if you blame something, have a good old look in the mirror as the excuse starts and stops with you.  Until you put a decent time on the board, "your" potential has no cred, what you think you can do and what you actually do are probably miles apart.

Let your legs do the talking instead of your mouth.

Overall Age Groupers:

Male:

#424 Ben Bell (35-39) age group
with
#203 Matt Craft 2nd

Will it take sub 9 to take the title?

Female:

A battle betweem:

#395 Felicity Lloyd 
&
#650 Emma Miller



In the Pro's:

Male:

Unsure about who will race and who will not....

#2 Am going for Cameron Brown here....too good to miss out.  (think Macca is just going around)

Roughie:

#4 Clayton Fettell, knowing some of the people he is now working with, has the support and right plan to jag a win.  Just has to hold it together in the back half of the run.  Especially if he teams up with #9 Brett Carter out of the water.  Brett might just be able to assist in the first part of the bike.

Female:

Tough one here for me... A few top quality girls racing.

I think Gina Crawford is the best athlete, however after already successfully racing 3 Iron Distance races this year, I just don't think she can back up in the heat.

#22 Michell Gailey, back with the coach that got her first win at Challenge Cairns in 2011.

Roughie:

#27 Anna Ross, had a cracking run at Busso 70.3 a few weeks back and might be a chance late.

For now...

X-Man

PS..  For me I have 5 athletes racing.

#237 Jeffrey Gloger....12hrs 24min last year in his first Ironman (uncoached)... Goal this year is close to 11hr (or breaking it).

#477 Damien Harris...Backing up from Ironman Melbourne which he encountered 3 punctures.  Ironic that he is our bike mechanic.  Looking forward to seeing what he can push out on a good day.  Hoping for about 11 hours.

#504 Adam Kelsall...10hr 38min IM Aust 2012, no strengths or weaknesses, just strong.  He is still torn between 24hr MTB & Ironman, and mixes the both well.  Goal is 10hr 20min or so.

#897 Tim Tingiri...Just happy to see him back racing.  Broke his sternum on the Ironman WA weekend last December after being blown off his bike.  The rehab and comeback has been slow and steady and watching him cross that line will be great.  No goals at all.  Went 11hr 11min at Port 2012

#1156 Jody Gilchrist...Paced her to a 1hr 31min Half Marathon a few weeks back...not bad for a 49y.o (sorry Jody ;) ) and will be in for a good race here.  Hoping to go around the 11hr 30min mark and see where that gets us.

And in the 70.3 Race, I have 1 athlete racing:

Michael Harvey in the 25 - 29 age group.  We are using this race as a "see where we are at" race.  I do expect a fast time for Banger and have given him some smack talk about it.

Something close to home...

So, I find out today that one of my best mates & training partners for the last few years has decided to run 7 Marathons in 7 Days in 7 Different states of Australia.

Ben Robinson & I have been through a lot together as far as training goes and I have been a witness to the battle that him and his wife Tammy have undergone in the last few years (Tammy for the last 21 and Ben for the last 18 or so).

It is not my place to tell their story, however Tammy has opened up her life to the world in her quest to make the world safer for all our kids.

So please have a read of this blog and if you are touched by it like I am, please donate to a great cause.

http://7marathons7states7days.blogspot.com.au/ 

For the record, I am going to donate $100 for every marathon that Ben runs under 3hr 30min.

He has run a 3hr 3min Marathon and a 3hr 40min Marathon off the bike.

Thanks for the support.

For now...

X-Man