Wednesday, July 18, 2012

How I fit it all in...

I have been asked over and over recently how I fit everything in form training, coaching and working Full Time, so I thought that I would give everyone an insight into my standard week in an Ironman build.  Comment where you see fit.

Overall it comes down to time management (which I have finally learnt!) and no really procrastinating ever!

Every day i am in the office until 5pm, so no shortcuts there.

Monday - My favourite day of the week.  Just swim squad in the morning.
Swim squad 6am - 7.30am
           work  8am - 5pm
Monday evenings off

Tuesday - The beginning of  a tough week ahead.
Swim Squad 6am - 7am
Run home from swim approx 40min easy
          work 8am - 5pm
Run 5.15 - 5.45 easy
Bike 6pm - 8pm ish  some intensity

Wednesday - Legs usually starting to feel the pinch at end of this day
Swim Squad 6am - 7am
Run home from squad up to 1 hr easy
Work 8.30am - 5pm
Run Squad 6pm - 7pm or whatever time applicable according to program

Thursday - Sleep in day - love this day!!
Run - 6.30am - whatever program indicates....easy
Work 8am - 5pm
Bike - 6pm - 8pm ish some intensity
Run - 8pm - 8.30pm easy

Friday -  Almost the weekend
Swim squad 6am - 7.30am
Work - 8am - 5pm
Swim Squad - 6pm - 7pm
Run home from swim approx 40mins easy

Saturday - Run 6am - til program says easy
                 Ride - 3-4hrs post run easy
                 PM ride - bike race up to 2.5hrs

Saturday evenings are very non eventful as the body is pretty well stuffed after this day and sleep is high on my list of priorities!

Sunday - Run as program specifies approx 2-3hrs easy
               PM - run approx 1hr easy

Sometimes a sneaky Sunday afternoon nap enters the schedule here.... I usually wake up worse from these naps :(

This training comes with a carefully planned build and getting the body prepared to go through the hours upon hours week in week out.  Without this planning and preparation, I wouldn't be capable of even attempting this as I would either burn out, become sick or injured.

Along with the above I am in regular contact with my athletes, both doing programs for them, training with them or just generally catching up for a coffee.  By having the ability to train with the majority of my athletes gives me a great indication of where they are at and how they cope under certain circumstances

The body gets tired at times, however knowing that I can have a sleep in Thursdays and Sundays makes getting up at 5.15am most mornings possible.

For Now...

X-Man
                

A Kona preview...

Following on from my first interview with RossBurrage.com back just after the Asia Pacific Ironman Adam asked me to do another interview in my lead up to Hawaii 2012.

The first interview here,  and the most recent interview here.

I would like to thank Adsy, Ross and the team at Racing Tales for there time spent on me.

For now...

X-Man

Monday, July 16, 2012

24hr MTB race or Ironman??

Which is tougher?

I have the pleasure of being on one side of the debate and have a great mate, Jason Quigley on the other.  It is a common discussion between the both of us.  It is rare to find someone who is crazy enough to have had a crack at both of them.

An athlete that I coach now, Adam Kelsall, is the man to put the discussion to rest, after reading his interview on http://rossburrage.com/2012/05/17/adam-kelsall-24solo-enduro-mtber-v-ironman-triathlete/ I clearly didn't push him hard enough through training!!

Apart from the biased view from Ross (heheheh) I think the interview gives some good insight about what it takes mentally to complete both events.

Here are some details, I have only cut and pasted some of the article.  For the full interview follow the above link:

RB: How many 24 Solos have you done to date?
 
Adz: I have done four i think mate.


RB: OK mate….let’s get stuck into the workload because that’s what we are here to find out. Describe your 8 week training lead up to a 24solo Worlds. i.e. km’s, hours, cross training etc
 
Adz: Not very scientific mate. A couple of short, maybe 3 or 4 try to go fast rides up to two hours during the week before or after work with the aim of adapting the body to high heart rates….with the idea then that the low intensity heart rates of 24hr racing will be a piece of piss for the body. Lots of six hour races and maybe a 12hour race to toughen up mentally and get the nutrition/support thing right. Weekends would consist of a long road ride on Saturday to really get the fatigue in the legs then a back up long mountain bike ride on Sunday to practice technical skills with lots of fatigue already in the body.

The Triathlon Stuff…….
 
RB: So where has this triathlon stuff come from Adz? One minute you’re a hard core Enduro bod and now an obsessed triathlete.
Adz: After Canberra Worlds I remember we were having some stupid conversation about which would be tougher, 24hrs or Ironman. I think I said something about maybe finding out. Then Kylie shouted me a trip to watch Lyndon Virgona have a crack at Ironman in Port Macquarie. We chatted a fair bit about it. It’s important to both of us that it’s a team effort and we are both on board. It’s too hard to do an event like this if one side of the team isn’t on board.

RB: Was it an athlete that initiated the challenge or simply the challenge itself?
 
Adz: ........But I think mostly it is the challenge

RB: Tell us a bit about your triathlon background. I’m not aware of any but maybe I may have missed something.
Adz: Nah nothing really.


RB: I’m generalising.……but can you describe the personality differences between an Enduro Rider and an Ironman athlete?
Adz: Ha ha. I think there are perceptions about Triathletes. Especially  from Mountain Bikers. However I have found nothing but friendliness and overwhelming support in the triathlon community.

RB: Tell us a bit about who prepared you for Port Mac Ironman.
Adz: Xavier Coppock is an elite age grouper who I am very fortunate to receive coaching from. I followed his blog for ages and was super impressed with his attitude and knowledge of the sport. Rod Stormonth hooked us up and it’s been fantastic. I can ring/text anytime and he always is positive and supportive.

RB: Back in the 24solo days you seemed to prep yourself, why the need for a coach to prep for Ironman?
Adz:  I just felt like with three sports it’s a bit more complex. With Cycling it’s not that hard an equation once you have years of volume in your legs – just ride lots. With the three sports I thought it might be easy to over train. In reflection I think I would have actually under trained. I am amazed at the volume . Especially the run volume.

RB: How far back did you start to prep for Port Mac?
Adz: 6months. That’s a long time for me to concentrate on one thing!!
 
RB: So let’s get to the race itself. Time?
Adz: 10:37. I like to say about 10:30J

RB: Ever want to quit?
Adz: Nope. There was no chance.

RB: Any plans to do another one and if so what are the plans?
Adz: Probably busso at the end of 2013.

So there are the brief details, Ross then went on to ask the questions we all want the answers to:

THE COMPARISON!

BTW, I love the answer to the first question!!

RB: Let’s start with the mental questions. I know the Port Mac is fresh in your mind but can I ask you to reflect back to your 24solo Worlds and tell us which event was the biggest head f@#$?
Adz:  24hrs for sure. Ironman is tough. But you have breakfast suffer through a swim ride run then go out for some dinner with your mates. Doing the same thing for 24hours is incredibly tough.

RB: Which event do you feel would be easier to front up to and complete with zero training preparation?
Adz: Probably 24. Because you can rock up and do two laps hang out in your pit and party with your support crew then finish. With Ironman you have to get from a to b. Without the training I think it would be really hard to do this in the 17hour cut off.

RB: As you know, I’m a grungy old Enduro rider and I will defend the 24solo riders every day of the week. After all, racing for 24 hours v 10 hours is surely a no brainer. I respect that the Ironman triathletes do it over three disciplines but surely racing one discipline 24solo non-stop is much harder? YES or NO and please explain!!!!
Adz: I think racing three disciplines is harder technically, Good endurance athletes have amazing efficiency of movement.

RB: One word answer Adz, which athlete is the tuffest mentally and physically?
Adz: 24hr.

So there we go, a man that has raced the World 24hr MTB race and completed an Ironman in a pretty handy time.

Your training won't be so easy in future!!

Great Interview!

X-Man

PS, please offer your opinion below about which is tougher... For the record, trying to be good at 3 separate disciplines and finishing within the time limit is definitely harder than racing a race with no criteria to be eligible to be a finisher.

Saturday, July 14, 2012

Another week down, another week closer!

Well, it has been some weeks since my last post!

Haven't things changed since.  I am head down, bum up training, coaching and working, doing my best to combine all three.

And everything is going good as gold, the athletes are back into full swing, more new athletes coming on board and some still just recovering and enjoying the good life.

Unfortunately something has had to give.....For me this is the blog & Tour de France.  My normal July entertainment, but not this year.  The closet that I am getting is reading the write up in the mornings or watching the replay that evening.  The blog will be back going on a more regular basis also, so hoping to add some more resourceful things, so if you want to know anything about my training, coaching or random things, feel free to ask.

Training has really stepped up a gear and am consistently hitting 23-25hrs per week and with the new regime, things are going well.  The program once again is speaking for itself and all I have to do is just tick boxes.

The count is down under 10 weeks until I leave and I know that I will be in far better shape for this assault on the Big Island.

There is not much else to report on training, however both myself and TMC have had some big things happen.

For myself, I have teamed up with SHOTZ nutrition and also CBD Cycles for the next year and along with my current sponsors Rocket Science Sports, XOSIZE active & SCHNELL Carbon Wheels I know that I am in good hands.

For now...

X-Man

PS. To the anonymous person who left the complimentary comment on my last post.  Thanks :)
There are many reasons why you would have done this without leaving your name, to me, most likely jealousy, but whilst you are busy reading and commenting on my things, you are not really worried about your own space, so keep up the great work!!  Just hope someone is not paying for your services!!

Thursday, June 21, 2012

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!

Sunday, June 10, 2012

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

Thursday, June 7, 2012

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 

Friday, June 1, 2012

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...  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  should win this one comfortably and is my pick for fastest a/g swimmer.  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  (Matt Lewis) is actually my tip 9hr 17min & fellow  athlete.  (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 . 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  & 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:  & Jo Lawn should have a battle here also and if  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.



... 

Monday, May 21, 2012

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.



Friday, May 11, 2012

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