Starting to get excited!

It has been a few weeks since I blogged and after having a joke with a mate about what my next blog would be about I resisted the "where it all began" blog.  Sorry Jas, you were there, you know the story!!

Everything is now stepping up a gear in my 2nd Kona adventure.  All my family has booked there flights and accommodation and I even asked Big Boy (aka Ian Scott) if he would like to venture over earlier than his original plan to get some training done in the conditions of the race and on the course.  To my delight he accepted my invitation with one criteria....

We don't drink $1 coronas until after the race.  Come on mate, are you for real??  Ok, only a few, nothing like the days of Yeppoon!  DEAL.

Having great company over there for the weeks leading into the race is going to be great.  Not only great athletes, but great people.  Greg Farrell and I have started to discuss different options for training (well he has been asking) and I can really see the excitement & nervousness in him already.  What has he got to prove??  First Hawaii...to me nothing, just a solid race that he can learn from for future Hawaiian experiences, exactly what I went through.

Matty Burton will be great to train with again, as he is going to defend his title from last year.  With the 3 of us (all in different a/g) it will be great fun running along Ali'i Drive and carving up the Queen K both in training and come race day.

I can really see my training take shape and the extra 10 or so kg's I added since Ironman Melbourne are started to fall off.  I got back in the pool this week (squad) and got a great reality check.  I need some work to get back to where I was, let alone try and improve.  My riding was going along ok, until I rode some hills.... Ok, time to get back into them also..  Where is Jason to hand it to me up the hills again??  The run has been sluggish however ticking off the boxes has been my goal.

Just having some speed work introduced shows that I am still a long long way off , however with around 116 days until race day, I know that I will be back in better shape than last year.  My run effort last night had a max of 3min 42sec k pace for 1 k.  Sounds ok, however when I look back and think that I ran a 1/2 marathon averaging the same pace for the whole thing, well yep.....I am a fair way from it.

I am not concerned at all, as I know with experience to trust the coach and with the base that I have worked hard to build, I will be back somewhere near where I was very soon.

The Planta Fasciitis is starting to come good mainly due the simple things called:

Socks!

By adding heat into my feet and sleeping with socks on the help circulate the blood flow I have been able to get up in the morning and actually walk.  It is an amazing feeling again.  Fighting through the pain for so long and now having some good relief from it means that I can really push the body again without the pain factor.

I am also re-introducing massages twice weekly to get on top of any injuries before they become something. What I have found and am finding is that athletes are more worried about looking after the chassis and not the engine.  We are more likely to go and spend thousands of dollars on our equipment but are too tight to spend $50 - $100 per week getting the body treated so we can get the best out of ourselves come race day.

As Fos has told me on many occasions.... prevention is better than cure!

The coaching is hitting a good level and one that still thrills me with every new conversation, every new athlete coming on board and every new challenge that is thrown my way.

For Now...

X-Man

PS.  A big shout out to a mate, Brett Carter for packing up his life and chasing his dream! Hope it all works out for you mate and I am still looking forward to lining up against you at Kona this year!

The first 2 weeks...

So today was the completion of the first two weeks in my Kona 2012 Preparation.  Some good things, some bad things and some learning things!

The good... The legs are starting to come back in both the ride and run.  I have broken through the "ugly" phase and am into feeling good again.  The running was approx 45k week 1 and 60k's this week.  The riding has a similar build and am looking forward to another enjoyable ride with the guys tomorrow.

The learning... A couple of "unnamed" boys learnt a lesson on nutrition yesterday.  This simple... 1 bottle of water doesn't get you through 4hrs of training!! Both boys learnt this after "bonking" yesterday and feeling the effects post session.

The bad... The planta fasciitis is back :(.  After 2 weeks of getting back into it I am already getting the same pain, if not more to what I was experiencing before Ironman Melbourne.  I have been researching "other" ways to help conquer this little issue.  I know that I can handle the pain whilst training, however post training, during the night and first thing in the morning is where I suffer the most.

With my research, I am going to investigate alternate options to what I have tried previously with stretching etc.  I have to look deeper into this issue to try and get sorted sooner rather than later.

I am also trying a different approach on some of my sessions and started the experiment today.  I will be monitoring my results to see if beneficial before I release what I am doing.  Exciting times ahead.

Tonight sees the final stage of the Criterium du Dauphine and as per last night I will be cheering on the Aussie boys and am hoping that they dominate the stage like last night.

For now...

X-Man

As the Joker once said....

So, the journey to Hawaii 2012 has begun.  Very slowly of course, just ticking the arms and legs over, getting some routine back in the system.

Like with any exercise after a break (mine has been a good 4 weeks of nothing) the first few sessions are ugly, ugly as in everything hurts, the form is poor and the small session feels like forever.

I did a 2k continuous swim last week and was just happy to get the 2k done without stopping, this is how far I have dropped back.  Ticking it over in 33min 19sec was a surprise as it felt like a good 40min.  At my best I can usually go under 28min for the 2k, so I am a long way off, however it has begun.

Andrew and I have decided to try a few new things this preparation to try and get a few (9) minutes faster than last year.  And yes I do believe that I have 9min in me at Kona.

The highlight for me over the last week was following 5 of my athletes at Ironman Cairns and Cairns 70.3.

I had 4 1st timers at Ironman and was very very happy with the result from all of them.  Alastair broke 11hrs, Tom 11hr 20min, Jerome 11hr 48min and Rene just over 12hrs.  A BIG BIG congrates to all of you.

Jane competed in the 70.3 event and after talking to a few people regarding this, the swim seemed to be a monster battle from the get go.  Jane performed exactly as expected and nudged the 6hr mark which puts her in great shape com Western Australia IM in December.  For a 45-49 a/g this really places her well to improve on her 7th last year.  No pressure Jane ;)

The number of athletes are still growing and the results are starting to speak for themselves.  From the first timers to others who want to improve, everything is headed in the right direction, not just for myself, but for TMC also.

As you can tell, I am as excited for my athletes as what I am for my own training/racing plans.

This weekend sees a long weekend in front of us and one that sees my training take the next level.  My running has increased from 40k last week to approx 65k this week and will see me back up to the 100k per week mark pretty soon.  I love the 100k a week running.  Just breaking that barrier week in week out makes me want to get up and train.

I have implemented core/body work and have been able to commit to this 3 sessions per week.  I can assure you though that I have not lost my "mud guts" and there is no "6 pack" shining through.  Anyway, if I just maintain my consistency with this, it should make me stronger throughout.

From the weekend I want to give a BIG GET WELL SOON to two mates who unfortunately crashed on the bike leg in the 70.3 & the Ironman.  Nathan Ashton (raced Kona last year) hit a pot hole in the 70.3 race after he was flying on the bike and Rod Hutchinson who crashed after 100k in the IM.  Rod was sitting comfortable in about 6th or 7th at the time and was looking to qualify for Kona this year.  I feel for both these guys as they have been working hard and to end a race that way is nothing that I would wish on 99% of the people I know!!

Another Big shout out to Brett Carter who posted a lazy 8hr 40min time, my a/g :(. After a sizzling 49min swim, he backed up with a smoking 4hr 41min ride and then finished with a 3hr 8min run, but who's counting?!?!  Congrates mate and I look forward to the battle on the Big Island again!

Anyway time to put the feet up and rest, ready for swim squad tomorrow!

For now...

X-Man 

Ironman Cairns Age group Selections

These are my full selections:

First up 18-24... Female - Kassie Alford as she is the only entrant!!
Male - Luke Burton - has..some good recent form


25-29 a/g Female - I think this one will be between Joanna Carmen & Kira Flanagan with the later finding some form at the right time
25-29 Male - I believe Mark Smolonogov will win this after a 9hr 36 IMAustria and then 10hr IMMelb this year. Others to watch are Nick Black, Ryan Milton & Sam Watson


Female 30-34... @kayraft promises me she is going to win this...however Emma Miller might spoil her party after qualifying for Kona at Ironman Melbourne, unsure if she will start thought


Male 30-34 @cartz007 should win this one comfortably and is my pick for fastest a/g swimmer. @hutcho10 will be in with a good...Tim Molesworth will just give up to much start in a much stronger field than his last IMWA


Female 35-39... Monica Dalidowicz is my pick here. There are a few others in the mix though including Eliza Brabyn.


Male 35-39... The most competitive in my opinion. After running with Danger at IMMelb and Ross Jackson in my first IM, I have a bit of bias towards both.  Danger Angus is my tip, however Nathan Fitazackerley, Travis Hickman & Rae could all be vying for Kona spots


Female 40-44 Sam Boag & Susan Crowe by the length of the straight if there recent Long course form is anything to go by.


Male 40-44 a/g @Matty30 (Matt Lewis) is actually my tip 9hr 17min#kona2011 & fellow @XOSIZE athlete. #ourchefbrett (Brett Urwin) to be close behind.  This one could go down to the wire.


Female 45-49 - 3 way tussle here b/t Susan Meehan, Frances Edwards & Robyn Gutry. 
Male 45-49... My single tip here is Ralph Glatz.


Female 50-54 Julienne Drysdale, has been to Kona, knows how to get the job done. 
Male 50-54 Kev Fergusson by an entire week if he pushes hard..


Female 55-59.. only 3 to pick from here. I am going for Sharman Parr who back in 1998 went to #Kona. Long time between drinks but think she should bring home the chocolates.


Male 55-59 Can't choose b/t Stephen Hempel & former sub 10hr IM Tom Valena here....should be a cracking race.


Female 60-64 Shirley Rolston will win unless someone else got a sneaky entry! 
Male 60-64 Graham Crocker to take out the mens...


70-74 Male - Shoichiro Ochiai will get his maiden IM win here. There once again could be a sneaky late entrant though.


Pro Male: Could be another Ironwar between @MaccaNow & Cameron Brown unless Macca gets an Olympic spot. Thinking Cam should be able to win this as Macca has been training for the Olympic spot which at the time of writing he missed out.  This will mean a cracking race at Kona and one that makes me even ore pumped for.


Pro Women: @rebekahkeat & Jo Lawn should have a battle here also and if @DrMitchA has his way, he might "win" here! Based on his twitter feed recently!


Now as for me I have 5 athletes that I am coaching racing on the weekend and want to give a bit shout out to the following people:


Tom Lazarus 30-34 1st Ironman
Alastair Thomson 35-39 Ironman
Jerome Peyton 40-44 1st Ironman
Rene Rutze 50-54 Ironman


Jane Powell 70.3 (will no disclose her age also though she looks a lot younger than it says!)


Good luck to all of you and am shattered that work prevented me from coming after already booking and paying for everything.  Will be following you all closely and cheering you on from afar.


For Now...


X-Man


As far as my training goes, am in week 1 and just getting going again, so nothing really to update at this stage.



... 

Not much training, but ALOT going on!

So, after making the call on not racing Ironman Port Macquarie I have just rested, as in done nothing.  I have really enjoyed being "social" again and attending functions, catching up with friends and just having that "normal" (well kind of) life.  I have only had 2 training sessions since just within the last few days, a small run and a 2 hr REALLY easy ride on the weekend.

I am really happy that I made this decision and that I have given my body the chance to fully recover from a solid training program since the new year, albeit a little inconsistent with a few injuries.  Getting the niggles out of the body has been a very important part of me resting.

However during this time, there has been a fair bit happening.  I have been the subject to a University Assignment, invited to do a Rotary Talk (tomorrow night) and also working closely once again with my athletes who are upcoming their races at Cairns both Ironman and 70.3 races as the season comes to close.

With the addition of another few athletes, my motivation and enthusiasm for success for ALL that I coach is as high as ever.  With this I have been reading different articles from other more coaches to continue my education within the sport.  Also reading a few articles about long course training and my approach for my athletes.

This also leads from my blog Prepare to Succeed, Don't Chase the Fail about preparing yourself to have success.

Whilst reading a blog from Sean Foster (Fluid Movements Melbourne) he talks about balancing all 3 disciplines and planning.  A paragraph from this blog is:

Finally, the period of time you allocate to train for your goal race is critical. The longer the block, the more latitude you will have to strategize within the periodised plan.


This is something that I consistently talk to my athletes about.... Not rushing, this is the key.  Sean has coached a girl by the name of Kristy Hallet from her first triathlon to her recently turning pro after having the fastest female age group time at Ironman Melbourne.

Another paragraph from his blog is:

The longer the period of time you allow yourself to reach a goal, say 30-50weeks prior to your ‘A’ Race, the more gradual the increase in effort can be and the more effective the end result.  


This is something that I am finding also.  The more time you have to prepare for you main race, the more success.  Those you understand this, go a long way is achieving their goals.  Those who drift in and out, become consistent, then fade, have a very inconsistent race career.  I can attest for this by the year I "tried" to self coach.  Training was very inconsistent and my result at the end of the day replicated that.

After understanding this theory, my results have also reflected strongly.  As I talk to more and more athletes every day, it becomes easier to understand and pick the ones who are preparing to succeed vs those who are trying to chase it!

So, my whole point of what I have said in previous blogs is across the board from all successful coaches in gaining success.

As with anything success breeds success, starting with a beginner who completes their first race to an Ironman wanting to qualify for Hawaii.  As it has with TMC, we have grown to over 60 athletes and had to add an extra coach to the stable and now have 4 coaches and also having a female coach Kim Michell, it gives us the ability to continue to grow and cope with the enquiries that we are receiving.  This year we have 2 athletes (at time of writing as we have a few more racing) competing at Hawaii (myself included) and by the way the performances have gone, I would expect this number to double for next year.

Throw in a qualifier for the Olympic Distance World Titles in New Zealand, it has been a rather successful period for us.  This can only be achieved by people committing to not only TMC, but also to themselves in what they want to get out of the sport.  Everyday I am communicating with my athletes who are at various abilities, builds and expectations, however one thing is those who have committed are on the right path to ticking off their goals.

I cannot say how much I enjoy not just coaching my athletes, but getting out there when the weather is good, bad or indifferent and just slugging it out with them.  Getting to know them better, know them when they are fatigued, hurting, or even travelling along smoothly.  This continues my passion and want to help people achieve what they want to as I have been fortunate to have ticked off some pretty significant goals in my fleeting triathlon career.

So in saying that, there are more athletes that I need to call, including another potential "newbie", also have to put the finishing touches on my talk for tomorrow night and even commence my core strength program.  This was the 2nd of my New Years Goals as stated in this blog.  So, once this becomes consistent, I will have ticked off both of my new years resolutions.... How have you gone with yours?

For now...

X-Man

PS.  I have reactivated my comments section, so please feel free to comment, even if anonymously.

Ironman Australia Round up.

Ironman Australia holds some mixed emotions for me, some for really good reasons and other for "smart" reasons!

Firstly, I wanted to explain the reasons why I didn't start.  I went to Port with a very mixed mindset of wanting to start the race or not.  I did really want to start and do the race with many close mates, a boys weekend away with an Ironman race, what more could I ask for??

On the other hand, by not racing, I wouldn't risk upsetting the virus that I was getting over and potentially delay my Kona preparation by anywhere up to 3months post race.  I decided to go through my normal routine, register, check my bike in, carb load etc and just see how I woke up race morning.  This was my plan that I had discussed with Andrew for the previous few weeks.  I had more to loose than gain from this race.

So, landing in Newcastle on the Thursday evening, the 5 of us, Scott, Steve, Ronny, Benny and myself had accommodation organised and took the opportunity for a good night sleep before we convoy down to the home of Ironman Australia, Port MacQuarie.

Arriving on the Friday, getting our apartment, everything was as normal.  I actually enjoyed these few days before the race compared to Melbourne as I felt like it was an Ironman, Melbourne just didn't have the same feel for me.

Fast forward to race morning, once I woke, I just knew that I shouldn't race.  I felt really sluggish, tired and something just told me to enjoy the day.  So I did just that.  Remember this blog: Prepare to Succeed, Don't chase the fail? Well that is what my mindset was about.  Do this race and risk putting myself so far behind for no reason then ego, or rest and get my body/health right for the start of my Hawaii build.

So, Nathan (younger bro) and I went to the swim start with the boys and did our bit as supporters to help where we could.  A few nerves from the others, but I knew and said to Nathan that I had made the correct choice.

It would have been easy for me to suit up and go out and race, it was harder to make the correct decision by not starting.  The hardest thing was seeing my bike still waiting in T1 after everyone had collected theirs, usually mine is pretty close to being first in T2, not getting packed into a truck and transported to T2.

So we set up just up from the turn around point on the bike and saw all the boys go through.  Little did we know, that Andrew, Billy, Mitch & Greg made a surprise visit to support which made our group even more vocal.

By the end of the day and many cold ones later, I could not have been happier about my decision.  I am still giving my body a chance to fully recover before I put it through another serious Hawaii prep however I do know that when I commence it, I will be ready.

Putting on my coaches hat, I had 4 athletes race Ironman Australia, 2 first timers, a newbie to me and an old friend and training partner.

The 2 first Timers, Tim Tingiri and Adam Kelsall, both had outstanding races and had a wonderful experience through their first Ironman Journey.  I know that both learnt a lot from their first race and might just have even caught the bug called "Ironman"!

Adam Kelsall, who has had an endurance back round through some silly sport known as 24hr mtb had a race to remember with the following stats:

Swim: 1:00:58
T1: 5:28 (I might have to ask how many course he had to eat in T1)
Ride: 5:47:14 This was our plan to set him up for a solid run.
T2: 3:07 (must have been excited to start the run)
Run: 3:41:12 (not bad for a guy who only started running consistently 6months ago)

Overall: 10hr 37min 59 sec

From where I watched, he smiled all day and soaked it up, an outstanding first Ironman!!

Tim Tingiri also had a great race and learnt a few lessons he can take with him moving on.... Main lesson.... Ironman isn't easy and if is was, everyone would do it.  Tim was a little hard on himself post race, but after explaining the significance of his achievement and what he put his lovely wife Deb through ;-) I think he got it!!  Great effort mate.

Swim: 1:10:36  The guy couldn't even swim 1k 1 year ago, amazing turnaround. We both thought a 1:20 was the time that he would do.
T1: 3:21 Impressive
Bike: 5:59:24 Same deal as above, coming in very raw, still a  good time
T2: 2:07 - Nailed it
Run: 3:56:26, not as fast as we both thought, but still a great first up Marathon off the bike.  A bit of experience and nutrition, things WILL be quicker next up!

Overall: 11hr 11min 54 sec

Benny Robinson had to withdraw through injury after the bike and by the emotion he showed he will be back faster than ever.  Was cruising after a 1:05 swim and a 5:20 ride, injury took hold and the unfortunate DNF prevailed.

New comer to me (after IMMelb) James Monahan was backing up after Ironman Melbourne only 6weeks earlier where he went 10hrs 12min put him through a run focus for the 4 weeks we had and got his run time from 4hr 6min to 3hr 47min and an improvement overall by 10min on a course where the winning time was some 30min slower.

Big signs to come from James as with a full year under his belt with the right focus, there WILL be only 1 result.

Now onto what I enjoy before the Ironman races in Australia, my little "tip the a/g winners".  At Melbourne I managed to tip 5 a/g winners and was determined to up this at Port, maybe not as much as I did though.

From this blog, the below was the result of my tipping:

Matty Burton 1st 18-24 M
Alicia Johnson 1st 18-24 F

Matt Craft 1st 30-34 M

Leanne Southwell 1st 40-44 F

Angela Clarke 1st 45-49 F

Stephen Bingham 1st 50-54 M
Leanne MacPherson 1st 50-54 F

John Hill 1st 55-59 M
Nance Cullen 1st 55-59 F

Ron Wilson 1st 60-64 M

Karly McKinlay 1st 65-69 F

Michelle Mitchell 1st Pro W

Throw in Matty Burton to be 1st a/g across the line I think that I had a good day!

Other honourable mentions:

Paul Roberts 2nd 25-59 M

Kristy Craft 3rd 30-34 F

Catherine Theile 2nd 35-39 F

Helen Freer 3rd 60-64 F

Guy Vernay 2nd 65-69 M

Ah the fun of it all, next predictions for me Ironman Cairns!!

To rest and recover!

X-Man

Ironman Australia Age Group Tips & Pro's "Who cares Ironman"

My Age Group predictions:

No doubt I will miss 1-2 athletes here or there as I only gauge these tips on who I remember and on what performance.  No I don't scroll through every person on the entry list!

18-24 Male - Matty Burton by a long long way.  A/G World Champ 2011, However I do know that James Kuyper will lead him out of the water by a good 5-6 minutes and lead for around 40-50k's on the bike.

18-24 Female - Alicia Johnson.  Purely based on previous results

25-29 Male - Paul Roberts. Once again based on previous results, and has raced on this course with a solid performance. Wouldn't surprise me if someone else gets up though!

25-29 Female - Liz Gordon A/G champion from last year.

30-34 Male - My A/G!!!  With no Chapman's this year, time someone else won this A/G!!  My pick is Matty Craft (multiple IM World Champ finisher) and in 9hr 28 last year and is in good form so far this year!

Along with Craft, Daniel Eisenhuth (4th 2011) and Jason Nuttman (looks like a late entry from IMNZ 4hr 27min).  There could be a roughy get up here, but these are my picks. 

30-34 Female - Two girl race....Anna Francis from VIC or Kristy Craft (Could it be a Craft 30-34 double??)  This should be close for a long long way!

35-39 Male - Mark Janson (3rd Hawaii 2010 9hr 5min) with Nathan Fitzackerly and Andrew Vicary trying to topple him.

35-39 Female - Once again am tipping a Two girl race between Jodie Barker & Catherine Thiele.  Both have experience here and will be a great race to follow.

40-44 Male  - Matt Koorey for me.  2nd in 2011 behind Matty Lewis.

40-44 Female - Leanne Southwell comfortable here.

45-49 Male - Chris Southwell, straight up.  Did have Ricky Jeffs to lead off the bike but heard he will be supporting.

45-49 Female - Between Angela Clarke & Allison Coote.

50-54 Male - Couldn't decide between 3 Ironman Australian legends Stephen Bingham (20 time finisher), Mark Moro (11) & Allan Moustakis (14).

50-54 Female - 3 way here also between 13 time finisher Janet McAfee, Rosie Spicer & Leanne McPherson.

55-59 Male - Plain and simple for me.....John Hill, unless something goes wrong he will be done a long long way before the rest.

55-59 Female - Nancy Cullen with a similar result to John.

60-64 Male - Just for finishing, these guys are FREAKS!!  But to pick a winner, I can't decide between, Peter Williams, Ron Wilson and 17 time finisher Rod Howitt.

60-64 Female - Helen Freer


65-69 Male - If Patrick got his genes from his father, I would have to go with Guy Vernay, however I think  that 23 time finisher Geoff Thorsen or 13 time finisher Dieter Reithmeier could be challenging.

65-69 Female - Orginally Karla Mckinley, only starter...but I have found out that she qualified from Ironman Melbourne, so unsure if there will be any starters here.

70+ Just phenomenal that  there is actually a entrant let alone a couple.


For me, the Japanese entrant Hideki Iishi.




For Overall AGE GROUP honours, Matty Burton & Jodie Barker (although this will be close)


Now let's not forget the Pro's... Now they usually get all the spot light, but not for me.  By having only 7 males and 4 female entrants just shows that they are not the heart and soul of the sport.  The age groupers are, so the age groupers are the ones that get my focus.


In my opinion of the Pro's, this race is the "Who cares Ironman"!!


I am going to pick Leon Griffin as he is a Vic and the Vic's need to win one up there and he has every opportunity.  However I do have a soft spot for Jason Shortis.  Mr 40+ and still giving the young ones a battle.


For the women...4 starters...terrible..But Michelle Mitchell for me.


For Now...


X-Man


For the record...I am heading up for the weekend and after hearing a rumour that it might be the last Ironman in Port Macquarie, I might start just to be part of an inaugural and final race in the same year (Melbourne & Port).


I managed to get a little bit of training done over the weekend and today, so I will definitely not be racing, just finishing!  I got my blood tests back today being all clear and I will post them this week.

Ironman Australia Predictions..

Tonight I will include all my Age group predictions for Ironman Australia next weekend.  I recently did these on twitter, however will post on here this evening.

My goal....

To predict more than the 5 a/g group winners from Melbourne.  I am even going to try and predict a few older age groups this time.

Stay Tuned...

X-Man

Prepare to Succeed, Don't Chase the Fail!!

What does this mean?  You might ask!!

What is the difference between the two?

The difference is reaching your ultimate goal vs not reaching it!

So to "Prepare to Succeed" means making sacrifices, withdrawing from events that don't fit into the overall scheme of things.  This is where I am at and have been for the last few years, picking and choosing races to benefit my goals, changing focus whenever needed.

Building for the long term, not just the weekend has also been the goal.  Having rough times on the training track but understanding what/how & why I am doing it makes it easier for me.  It has been all about getting the goals ticked off.  And on looking back, I am pretty sure that I have able to achieve these to date.

This can takes YEARS to achieve!  Years of consistency, years of building up your training base to be able to dig deep into it when required knowing that you have plenty there to choose from.

The caption says, "If Rome wasn't built in a day, how long did it take?"

This is the same with endurance sports....How long can it take?

There are so many relevant factors to this question.  What is your back round? How long you been in the sport? What is your history of injuries?  These 3 amongst a list of so many more.  It just takes time and as time ticks by you start to understand how long it takes.

I dug up an old Cairns Half Ironman from June 2000, which was the first 1/2 that I did.  Some of the names that I see on the results list are still going today.  I can say that these people definitely "Prepared to Succeed".

One guy who finished runner up on this day has gone one to become one of the greatest Ironman Athlete in recent times....Craig Alexander.

Other names that raced back then and to my knowledge are still competing well now are:

Rebekah Keat 1st Fem
The Grangers (Justin & Belinda 3rd Fem)
Rebekah Keat
Shane Reed
Chris Lee
John Hill (A/G'er)

Chris Hill won the race, Jason Metters 3rd & Rina Hill 2nd Fem

My whole point is that a base takes a long time to build, success doesn't happen straight away, and if you are patient with the right guidance you can get there in time.

For the record I snuck into 39th place outright (4hr 43min), qualified for Forster Ironman, but the thought of Ironman was way too daunting for me at 21y.o.


"Chase the Fail" is for all those people who expect results all the time, compare themselves to others and lose focus on what they want to achieve.  Wanting/expecting to race all the time and achieve PB's or podiums although they might only be in the infancy of a training program.  Not compromising to achieve the overall goal, changing their program to suit there wants not their overall goal.  Having extended periods off during the year and only do the minimum required to get through the race.

I think you get my drift.

So next time you look at a race schedule, ask yourself....Which races are going to benefit my overall goal?

Now as far as personally, I have still been struggling with illness.  Ironman Australia is becoming more of a no go, however after re-reading the above, I know that I am "Preparing to Succeed" so this doesn't worry me at all. I will still be up there supporting the boys!

The below picture says it all:

For Now...

X-Man

On this Great Day for Australians, I thought it very relevant to post the below pictures:

Lest we forget.

The tale of 2 years!

The title of this blog could have had different variations, however this was the best I could come up with. As you will read below you you know that my last 2 years of Ironman training and preparations have been nothing short of...

And...

Granted, both years/results have been amazing and far from what I really expected. However, I can really separate the last 2 years into 2 categories... Pre-Kona and Post-Kona.

So, in the categories, I will focus on the Pre-Kona first.

For me, it was exactly what the below photos indicate.

Smooth sailing & living the dream.

I was injury free, free from illness and was just ticking off sessions left right and centre without any dramas (besides fatigue building up) and getting results. I broke the 80min mark for a 1/2 Marathon, got myself a top 10 overall in a 70.3 race and had a great race at Hawaii.

I almost felt:

Nothing was stopping me getting my sessions done, heck, I even was doing 5hr Indoor Trainer sessions, doing double 4hrs rides with 40min runs, running 100k a week became the normal.

The only thing I was suffering from was general fatigue and soreness. I was right on top of this and was getting treatment twice weekly.

Fast forward into Post Kona time:

I started to have feet trouble, developed plantar fasciitis, tried to train and race through it, still got results and didn't give it the respect it deserved. I managed my first Overall win (Murray Man), and then things turned south. I headed to Phuket 70.3 to try and jag another spot for Kona, got off the bike in 1st in my a/g, however just had to walk the run leg, well run walk. If you read my Phuket race report you will see that it was a bit of a run/walk thanks to winner Michael Raelert spurring me on!

A long December followed without being able to walk properly, taking time off to enjoy some normality in my life. I started back around Christmas with the boys just riding with the occasional run thrown in. 1 run, 2-3days off running, frustration.

So we re-jigged the program to try and manage the PF and get some running done in the lead up to Ironman Melbourne.

There was nothing smooth about this race build. Just a total management of my body, my motivation and my training. Having good weeks, bad weeks and weeks in between meant the I was very unsure about how I would fair in the race. I gained some confidence very late in the build after getter 2 100k run weeks in the legs.

The most frustrating thing about my build was that there was no pattern for when my feet were so sore I couldn't stand. It wouldn't necessarily be after a 2.5-3hr run, it might be after a run free day, or it could be after an easy 30min run, or even off the bike which prevented me from completing the session.

So heading into Melbourne, I decided just to lay everything on the line as it was such a special day for me for so many reasons! I got through this race with a result that I would only ever dream about with having a ride/run and overall PB. Joining the sub 9 club and then earning another qualification for Kona was just the icing for me.

Since then I recovered and starting getting back into it, a bit of inconsistency for family reasons (my choice and one that I loved making) and now this week falling sick. Heading to bed Tuesday night at 9pm (normal time) looking forward to swimming the following morning (Did I really just write that??).

The alarm going off at just after 5am, I tried to open my eyes and my body just felt dead. No energy, nothing, I even struggled to move to find the alarm to turn it off. I fell back asleep and before I knew it, 8am, same feeling, decided to take the day off as I just couldn't move.

Next thing I knew, midday, then 3pm, then 5pm. I forced myself to get up and try and move around. Sitting with no energy on the couch hoping that I was just tired and then tried to eat, just a small meal is all I could consume, a bit of water and some strepsils that my sister got for me.

7.30pm, lights out. Boom, 7am wake up. So from 9pm the Tuesday night until 7am Thursday morning I think that I was awake for a total of 4hrs. Now, that's not like me at all.

I decided to head to work to get active and maybe just try to fight it off naturally. Nope, 1pm, exhausted, off to the Dr. The verdict...Tonsillitis for now. 5 days of anti-biotics to follow along with Echinacea, garlic, Zinc & vitamin C tablets and blood tests if I am no better over the weekend.

Will this stop me?

As much as I listen to my body and am a big advocate for it, until I am told to stop I will just tick over and keep myself in shape. Right now I have stopped, into day 3 of nothing, just letting the body recover.

Am I getting a big Nervous?

For sure. I am never one to want to race ugly, but I might not have any choice! I know that mentally I just need to tick off a few big sessions to rebuild my confidence. With only 2 weeks to go, time is running out for this, however I am always up for the challenge!

Although I might get to the start line looking like the above, the motto is exactly what I will be about. I might be underdone, but I sure do know what it takes to fight out and Ironman race!

And like with anything:

So for me, it is more rest & recovery, pumping drugs into my body and trying to get myself ready to go again sooner rather than later. I am not going to force it that's for sure, I do it because I love it!

For Now...

X-Man