Beauty....

With one week to go before Ironman NZ and well and truely into my taper period, which to date has gone well and has not affected me with the traditional "taper blues". Thanks to Florian at Erox for supplying my wheels, this will be my look for the race. I have ridden these wheels a few times in the recent weeks and have found them to be equivelant to my former disc wheel. The real test will ofcourse be on race day. However in saying this, if you are not comfortable with your wheels you will make excuses for not riding well on them.

THE BEAST...

I would also like George from Degani for supplying my race suit, so I will be in the Traditional Degani Black & White. With support from people like Erox & Team Degani, it does make competing at the pointy end a lot easier.

The legs are really starting to freshen up and with one more session with Jason, I know they will be in prime condition come race day. Carla & I fly out on Tuesday and no doubt will be inspecting the course to get familiar with it pre-race. I have been getting some really good advice from a few people who either have raced on this course before or have loads of experience in the caper.

I also re-discovered water this week and felt really good doing it. I have only had a handful of swims this year and have found that I have not lost to much fitness in the wet stuff!! Overall I am very happy with my condition and will definately giving it my all to grab that elusive "slot".

Finally, something that I have failed to do with previous races is to thank everyone who has helped me get into the shape that I am.

So, here goes:

Stormy; for all the texts at 4.30am confirming week day rides, and also making sure that every session has been quality and worth while.

Jas; for spending more time with me every weekend on the bike than what we do with our partners!! Also, helping me start to enjoy climbing hills, even if I am still no good at it!!! And no, I am not going to ever do a 24hour MTB race. Ofcourse, Bec his wife for cooking my pancakes post ride, and for TRYING to keep me quiet at 5am after 3 early morning coffees!

Trav & Arch; for really helping with my running, and dragging me to some undulating runs regulary to once again help conquer the hills.

And finally, Carla; When two people in the same household are training for the same significant event, it takes a lot of patience and strong will to both keep going strong and motivating each other.

So, after training solid since June '09, I am going to give it all at New Zealand like previous races. I have set my race plan, which will be slightly different to previous and will see if this pays dividends. Time will tell.

MTR-Racing is really taking off with some great early results and more and more interest from athletes who are interested in joining. Positive breeds positive!!

So with that and leaving ALL the excuses at the door, I might be able to blog once more pre-race but if I don't a in depth race report will be given post race with a heavy unfluence of the amber liquid!!

For now...

X-Man

Playing the averages..

After reveiwing my training this year I have found a common thread with my training. I train better with a consistent weekly average rather than trying to "overload" myself. This theory has been tried in the passed and I have trouble keeping consistent the following week/s.

So with this preparation, I have just trained consisently week in week out with no specific focus on "overlaod" or "strength" training. By doing this I have managed a consistent 20hours per week for the passed 7 weeks with a peak of 26 hours in early January and a trough of 16 1/2 hours in the first week February.

My training has consisted of weekly riding of 450k's average with some racing, some interval training and long rides of a weekend. Once again I peaked at 700k's in 7 days and a low of 303 k's. I have found my happy balance at 450k's and can find that I get that amount in without much hassle.

My running has averaged out at 70k's per week, probably a little lower than I originally planned, however is a lot more than I have done previously. The minor hiccup that I had with the broken crank put a stop to running for a few days at the time, but has had no negative effect on my overall training. Just consistent running has seen my runs time decrease and my overall run fitness improve dramatically. I attribute this to Trav & Archie pushing me not only to get throu all the runs, but also to keep running even on tired legs. (See blog training partners vs training program).

My swim, well this has been on the back burner for a while to concentrate on the other two disciplines. I am not to concerned about my swim, as like many others, my swim times don't vary too much with consistent training vs occasional training (1-2 min over Ironman distance.)

So with all that in mind, I feel like I am in a very good place at the moment and as I have been told and discussed in depth with a few of my training partners. My 20 hours is quality every time, no junk k's!! This I would rather as you feel the benefit every training session as opposed to feeling like you are wasting time.

The garmin has been a very good tool also as I can track every session and will be good to look over once New Zealand is done and dusted. This will be the only way that I can judge how my training time and quality has been.

Next week, as stated in my previous post will be taper time and swim time. I will be well aware of the taper blues this prep and now know how to handle them.

Will post again after the weekend.

For now...

X-Man

The countdown is on!!

Yes I am counting down until the race. I feel like I am in better shape now than what I was pre- WA for the same period. My running is coming along and my cycling is holding firm.

I am really looking forward to post NZ as I have been going solid now since June '09 and am ready for a break to let the hair down.

I would like to shout out a BIG thanks to Florian at EROX for supplying my race wheels for NZ. I look forward to enjoying the setup supplied and posting a fast time. I will post a picture soon of my bike complete with wheels which will propel me for the bike leg.

Also a thanks to George at Degani Cafe & Bakery for supplying my race kit and training kit along the way.

This weekend will be my last BIG weekend of training and then taper will kick in. Fresh legs will be a new thing for me!!!

Don't worry, I haven't forgotten all my training partners who will get a big mention in my next post when I have more time.

For Now...

X-Man

Stepping up!!

The move into "A" grade has been a learning experience for me. The step up from "B" grade means that pure strength and fitness is not only what you need, but some race tactics and patience.

The first thing that I have noticed in the 3 races to date is that the average speed is a lot higher. Now I found "B" Grade to average around the 38 - 39 kph for the duration, usually 50 - 55 min. In "A" Grade the average speed has jumped to between 42 - 43kph for the duration 1 hr - 1hr 5 min.

This might not seem like a lot by these numbers, however when you throw in an extra 4-5 km for the race, it does make a difference. The other thing that I have found is the attacks are more frequent, go for longer and HURT a whole lot more. This means that the recovery is shorter and the heart rate is high for a lot of the race (see links below).

Now for the 3 races; The first race for me was pleasing, getting around, however got stitched up a beauty!!! I am not one to roll around in the bunch, so I thought that I would do some work and help chase a few breakaways. First mistake!!! A big attack happened after I did a solid turn and BANG, legs went. Rookie error. So from there I managed to get around with the bunch until the end.

Garmin Connect - Activity Details for Crit Race "A" Grade

The second race was a lot better for me with sitting comfotable in the bunch, doing the occasional stint at the front, however having enough in the legs to be in a few early breaks. This race was cancelled with 10min to go due to the rain coming in.

Garmin Connect - Activity Details for Crit Race "A" Grade - rain interrupted

The most recent race followed 5 days totalling just under 600km in the legs with 70km running, so was always going to be interesting. Goal was to just hang in there. An early break got away and I was determined to stay in the bunch and just get around as averaging 42+ kph would be enough effort for me this race without throwing in any more self imposed efforts as the bunch makes an effort every lap.

Garmin Connect - Activity Details for Crit "A" Grade - Crank Broke

So, 30mins into the race, I find myself 2nd wheel. Heading into the head wind, the left side of my bike seems to become very easy pedalling.....My crank snapped and was just hanging by my shoe....WTF?!?!? A sharp pain in my left ankle, and I realised that on breaking the crank, I smashed my left ankle into the bottom bracket.
OUCH!!

Now, I was happy with that, felt lucky really. Since I was sitting 2nd wheel and with 10-15 riders behind me, it could have been a whole lot worse. I was just lucky that it happened into the head wind, not in an attack as I am sure that I would have been eating bitumen for dinner and having bikes all over me. So I rolled casually back to the start finish. With every rider thanking me for not bringing the bunch down, I was more thankful myself that I stayed upright.

Where does this leave me? I have decided not to do Geelong 70.3 in fear of aggrevating my ankle any more, with New Zealand Ironman only 5 weeks away, I cannot afford any time off my ankle and race pace will do it no favours. I can still run on it, with a little pain, however is very managable. Ice and Voltaren are my friends currently.

Will this interfer with my training? No chance. This is not an excuse (too many people come up with them for poor performance), this will not change my performance, I will be 100% fit and recovered by New Zealand and in the best shape for a race. I know now that I am in better shape than 5 weeks out from Western Australia.

My goal is too qualify for Kona at New Zealand and no stone will be left unturned.

All the excuses will be left at the door when I go out for training every day.

For now...

X-Man

Back on the Bike!!

Now, when I say that, many of you know that I have been doing BIG k's on the bike this new year.

I finally got back into the criterium racing last night and what fun I had. I eased back into "b" grade to find me legs as I have not done this kind of racing for some 6 months now. It took me around 10 minutes to find my legs and felt really good.

I even felt good enough to attack with 3 laps to go and held the bunch off until 200metres to go and got swamped by them to finish up around 9th.

I must say that it was good to get back into the saddle and have some fun whilst doing so. I will venture out again tomorrow to see if I can give the front runners a bit of a working over, depends on how the legs are feeling of course!!!

Anyway, I have to start attached my garmin file for the crit tonite, interesting viewing, especially heart rate!!

Garmin Connect - Activity Details for Crit Race "B" Grade

For now...

X-Man

Garmin Connect - Activity Details for Ride Jas, perfect conditions, felt good

Garmin Connect - Activity Details for Ride Jas, perfect conditions, felt good

This ride consisted of some good rolling hills, weather was ideal, wanted to keep going mentally, however my legs were telling me otherwise once the 100km mark was passed.

For now...

X-Man

Garmin Connect - Activity Details for Ride Jas, 34deg

Garmin Connect - Activity Details for Ride Jas, 34deg

This ride was tough with the temperature being around 30deg most part of the ride.

For now...

X-Man

Garmin Connect - Activity Details for Wildwood Rd - Jas/Justin

Garmin Connect - Activity Details for Wildwood Rd - Jas/Justin

This ride was a tough backup to the 140km's that I did on the Saturday, was just a preview for the week ahead.

For now...

X-Man

2010 - A New beginning

Well, one week into the new year and have started the year training really well.

Last Saturday was my hardest ride (as expected) at 140km's, with a few more 100km+ rides during the week. From there the week has seemed to get easier with clocking up just under 1000km's in the saddle and also a few smallish runs.

Next week, my training becomes a whole more consistent with my weekly goal to be approx 450km on the bike, 80km running and over 10km in the water.

One thing that I have noticed already this week, it that I am becoming more accountable after setting up my garmin correctly. By constantly having the calender on the screen enables me to see exactly what I have or have not done. By seeing this, there is no exaggeration of km's or training sessions, just reality.

So after plugging in my weekly goals, I become accountable, not to anyone except myself.

Jas, www.jasonquigley.blogspot.com has had the pleasure of my company on most rides this week, or is it I have had the pleasure of his?? Well, after 20hours together in the saddle both complaining about the saddle sores, I think we both enjoyed the chin wag we had along the journey. This journey has taken us over a fair chunk of the outer suburbs of Melbourne and one that we are looking to expand in the near future with a few 150km+ rides coming up.

Anyway, it is time to refuel and prepare for this afternoons session.

For now...

X-Man

Watch this space!!

A friend of mine and myself are developing a team to include Mountain Biking, Road Racing & Triathlon.

The site will be http://www.mtr-racing.blogspot.com/

A new concept in which a few sponsors have taken to, which will be announced at a later date. Also, all athletes involved will be released as they appear.

Definately a concept that will take off.

Watch this space..

For now...

X-Man