An Opportunity to Reflect....9 days out!

9 DAYS REMAINING

until






A perfect opportunity to reflect on where I am with my 2011 campaign and where I'm going.

With 9 days to go until race start, I think I am in the best form...physically I have ever been for an Ironman Race. The campaign has not been smooth sailing but what campaign is! It's about managing these ups and downs both mentally and physically that is important.

The campaign was based round my goals and the 5 commandments that I put together to make myself accountable throughout my training.

The goals are:

• To get as close to 10:0? as possible.
• To get as close as possible to the qualify time for Hawaii Ironman (40-44)

The 5 commandments:

• Thou shall not give excuses (work, diet etc.)
• Thou shall not procrastinate
• Thou shall be a leader in training
• Thou shall be accountable to my peers
• Thou shall put a great importance on completing 2 core sessions a week

My reflections..........
This campaign has seen a mixture of different strategies......the golden oldies and some new ones that reflect current trends and practices in long distance triathlon. I believe the new strategies that I have employed have enabled me to prepare in a way that I have not be able to do in the past 3 campaigns.

The new strategies that I have used are ones, that in the past, needed to play a greater part in my preparation and training and tended to be neglected for a variety of reasons. Some of the strategies that I have focused on in this campaign are hinted at in the 5 Commandments  presented above.

Nutrition and Weight!
They go hand in hand and make a HELL of a difference to ones performance in training and racing.
This campaign I made the commitment to use a sports nutritionist.....what a great move! as people always say....I should have done this before now. You ask....why do you need someone? It's a very similar argument, to that of why do people need coaches?...in my case it's about bringing in some accountability and to be given everyday nutritional ideas and strategies that can compliment my training and racing. It is about developing a plan to cater for the needs of the type of training that is involved with Ironman. (Long stuff)

In getting my eating under control it has enabled me to get my weight under control.....big time!
I am currently @ 79kg....the goal was to race at 80kg but I have been able to maintain around that 79kg mark for the last couple of weeks......I have been training at 82kg or less for the last 7-8 weeks and it makes such a difference on the outcomes of the training....the body can be pushed harder and survive.....well most of the time!

I have never raced IM at this weight and CAN sooo see the benefits.....which I hoping to see out of my race result.

Consistency
A principle of any type of training is consistency of training....the more consistent you are out there, the more your performance improves.
This is a principle that I am very aware of, but this time, I have nailed it! Apart from the periods that I have been struggling with illness.
If it's down on the program it is there for a reason. The program completion rate throughout this campaign never fell below 85% (which means missing no more than 2 session over a fortnight)
One thing about this IM training it is about finding a balance between home, work and life. One of the things to support this is being flexible and getting smart about completing session. (whether that be riding to work as a part of a session, using the facilities at work etc.)

As triathletes it is really all about being good managers (of time, people, resources, money etc.)

This campaign I am committed to my goals and with the level of focus and determination I willing to put into achieving these the consistency is paramount and calculated sacrifices have had to be made.

The Mind
This campaign has been one where I have taken control of the mind! There has been NO 'little voice' working away in my head this time round, no negative thoughts....it has been positive....good has won over evil.
I have managed to stay in the positive mindset through thinking positively when it gets tough and pushing through. In fact, there have been very few excuses. It has been about establishing a good attitude and work ethic towards my training and knowing that I'm not going to achieve my goals through a negative, 'give up' attitude....when it gets tough it's time to get tougher.....there has been many a wrestle but 100% of the time I have been able to push through and achieve the training goal/outcome.

The Swim
Simple....get in the pool....and swim....the more you swim the stronger you become......you become one with the water.
Back starting 20 weeks out, I spent 4 weeks living in the pool....this has been foundation that has stood me firm for the rest of the 16 weeks and of course the race. I am finding that my swimming has improved and feel stronger through the water. The other evening in the pool we did approx. 20-25 100's and I was able to consistently hold 1:25. Very happy!!
I think the key has been, of course, spending time in the water but all the strength work I have continued to do....pool buoy and paddles...many a session has been spent with these 2 swimming toys.

The Bike
It really the same principle as the swim here to, time in the saddle.
This campaign has seen an 'upgrade' in cycling apparatus....a new bike (2...a TT and road)....a carbon bike...the old alloy Trek is gone.......what a difference...so much easier to push around, especially with less weight on it. The road bike has been exclusively used for the hill and strength session and has been a great asset.
The bike build from Weeks 16 - 12 again set me up for a solid foundation for the 12 weeks. The regular strength work on Mt Cootha or the number (and I mean number) of time riding out to Dayboro and back from Petrie, and not to forget the 2 times I did the 200km ride to Caloundra via the Blackall range has paid off.....the improvement that I saw in the bike was amazing...I really couldn't believe it.....TT improvements.....the time to Caloundra was dramatically coming down each time I rode up there....it was looking good!
The key here has again been the consistency and the amount of strength work in the hills throughout the campaign.

The Run
Same thing....consistency.
The strength work has again aided the development of my running this campaign.
The use of a treadmill has been worthwhile to work at running at a consistent pace throughout.
Drills, strides, hill repeats have all been an important part of this campaign and I am now a runner again.....in a triathlon context of course!

All this hard work and embracing new strategies has seemed to paid off. Times are coming down and the body is becoming stronger. Whether it be an OD Triathlon (3min PB), a 200km training ride (45min improvement). Things are looking good for May 1!

Blogs to follow:
Reflections on the affect of my illness 3 weeks out
The Race - what's planned!

Week 3 - Week of the Come Back

When you get knocked down.....you don't stay lying on the ground getting dirt kicked in your face...you get up and continue on with the journey. This week has been very much about getting back into the training....a slow and painful approach (in terms of my patience) but if I am to get to the start line in any shape to race then I need to listen to both Coach and my body.

"Between you and every goal that you wish to achieve, there is a series of obstacles, and the bigger the goal, the bigger the obstacles. Your decision to be, have and do something out of the ordinary entails facing difficulties and challenges that are out of the ordinary as well. Sometimes your greatest asset is simply your ability to stay with it....." ~ Brian Tracy

This week was slow to get moving with nothing happening until Thursday evening, as per Doctors orders.

Monday
There was a little bit of stretching for 10 mins.
Made sure the sleep was happening to help in the recovery.

Tuesday
Not much today!

Wednesday
Not much here either!

Thursday
Return to the pool deck....good to be back. Thanks to everyone for their concerns!
15 min stretch whilst on the pool deck.

Got out for a 30min run in the afternoon.....steady she goes!
Felt....ok?....but when I got home and stopped...not so good.
6km - 33min

Friday
Nothing in the morning...using the rest to assist in the recovery particularly now having added a little more activity.

In the afternoon I went on the same run as the previous afternoon as a comparison. To gauge if things are improving.
I was happy to report that I didn't fell as ordinary as I did after yesterday's run.....a good sign.
6km - 32min

Saturday
Got back on the bike.....a successful return..the body was responding well to the re-introduction of the physical activity. The ride was flat keep the effort relatively controlled.

2h30min - 70km

Sunday

Back on the bike again but going a little longer this time. Again the body was standing up to the time on the bike and my overall demeanour was improving....I could possibly be able to again realistically get close to my goals for IM Australia.

3h10m - 92km

Weekly Totals:
Swim: 0km
Bike: 160km (5h40m)
Run: 12km (65m)
Maintenance: 30min

Motivation anyone????

Week 4 - Week in Crisis!!

There are times when you need to just believe......
............................believe in the training you have done.
................................believe in the power of positive thinking.


This was certainly a focus for this week.......

"You've done it before and you can do it now. See the positive possibilities. Redirect the substantial energy of your frustration and turn it into positive, effective, unstoppable determination.” Ralph Marston

I can say straight up the stats for this week are..........


Weekly Stats:

Swim: 0km (0h00m)
Bike: 0km (0h00m)
Run: 0km (0h00m)
Core Strength: 30min
Maintenance: 2hr
Weekly Total - 2h30min


That's is the full extent of training possible this week.....and until the Wednesday of next week.


The week consisted with me coming down with an abdominal complaint that landed me in hospital for close to 2 days. It was first thought that I had appendicitis but after 6.5hrs in emergency and another 30hrs in the ward they decided that it wasn't appendicitis. It was in actually a abdominal virus....hmmmm....ok?. The treatment was rest and not doing anything for 10 or so days.


Thursday I was back at home........recovery.....positive thinking......rest.......
It has been the first weekend in at least 20 weeks where I haven't run, cycled, swum or done anything else physical.


It became a very reflective weekend............
The thinking turned to the long path travelled.......
..Before this week...I am in the best condition of my Long Course (Ironman)Triathlon career.....
..............................Surely I'm not going to fall at the last hurdle..............I will be at that start line!
.........I'm a good healer............2.5 weeks is plenty of time to finish my preparation off............
............................I just need to rest..................my patience is lacking...............trust the Doctors......
I need closure on this campaign............I wasn't able to have my final hard week.......just my OCD
............what if it takes longer then Wednesday for me to get back into training.........................
........................has this affected my energy levels.............surely not............................................
..........................Am I going to be ready...............Yes....of course.................trust my training...........
I have done all the hard work now.....I'm ready now...........................................................................


What a rollercoaster ride of emotions........By the end of the weekend the negative vibes had been expelled from the mind and it was about positive vibes and looking toward a great race!!

Week 5 - Week in Review

This is the second last big week......then the taper begins.....

Ironman is an individual race. It’s very easy to compare yourself to other athletes or people you train with. This is the one fundamental mistake which will bring your mental strength to a very messy end. Believe in yourself. You know you can do it. It’s just how well you handle it. Have a sense of humour. (Sarah Hulme)

A lot of the training of late has been on my own and there is a very good reason for this, it is an individual sport and you have to get use to your own company for extended periods of time, if you don't like spending time with yourself, talking to yourself, motivating yourself and battling with your own mind then maybe IM is not for you. The training on your own is all about preparing the mind for those mental battle when it gets tough...that good will prevail over evil...(the one telling you to stop or slow down)


I was on holidays for the next 2 weeks and this was to work perfectly to put in 2 more hard weeks before taper begins. This week in particular was going to be tough...Saturday and Sunday was another assault on the Blackall Range, with a 12km cross country race and return ride home thrown in........here we go.....


Monday:
The afternoon session started with a good 20min full body stretch to loosen up part that had become a little tight after the race yesterday.
Then it was straight into a run/core session. This session was based around the treadmill. It worked something like this 4min on the treadmill (1min walk then into a 5mim pace run) then straight off and complete 80 bicycle crunches in a minute. There were some variations of this every 3rd rep with a prone hold or squat hold. This whole thing was repeated 10 times.
Good session, felt good once it was all over.


Tuesday:
It is the holy day.....the day of the long run.....
2hr Long run.....working with 10's and 1's again this week.


This week I was more prepared with the nutrition and it work well. The body had the energy to maintain a good pace throughout the full 2h09min run.


Over this time I completed 25.5km at an average pace of 5:05min/km
Legs were in great form this morning.....the running is moving me in mysterious ways.


In the evening it was into the pool for a 3.2km session. The plan this week was to have an injection of swimming to just top the base up a bit.


Wednesday:
In the morning was an easy spin on the bike with the squad.....in the rain of course. It was good just to turn the legs over.


Nothing in the evening...just to rest up.


Thursday:
Today I ventured out to the pool and with a cross country course handy put together a different session that involved a 10 x 100 pull buoy then running 3km cross country course and repeating this 3 times. This was a good session and the body felt good throughout.


Then in the evening was back in the pool for another 2.8km session.


Friday:
The morning session was back in the pool with a 3.5km strength session.


The afternoon was time to put the feet up before a big weekend.


Saturday:
Time to put the body to the test.
It was up at 4.30am for 5.30am start on our 200km ride.

This was the same ride we did 8 weeks ago and it was going to be a good guide as to how the cycling is going. 
This time there is 9 of us.....some doing it for the first time...some doing it for the 4th time...but we all knew it was all about pacing......the first 2 hrs was about just turning the legs over....
Heading off out to Dayboro and then up to Mt Mee and then stopping at our first aid stop at D'agular......2.5hrs on the clock and it had been a solid ride so far....probably a little harder than I would have liked but the legs were still working well. It was now out the Landsborough....a relatively flat ride but still had some pincher's in it.

Throughout the ride I was working with my new nutritional strategy. 3 x 20min (00 - gel, 20 - solid, 40 - gel) each hour.....working on increasing my carb intake per hour throughout the ride. I have been using a banana as the solid component of the ride (on the 20min)

The other thing that was critical for me on this ride was that when I got to the aid stops...it was a very short stop......get what I need and keep going......you don't stop in the race......

After Landsborough it was up the range.....it doesn't matter how many times you do this it never gets any easier.....but there is no letting up....when you get to the top.....you then go across the top of the range which I would class as a hilly ride on its own.

To make the climb up the range a little more challenging it was on the TT bike.....just had to suck it up.

It just keeps going.....it there an end to it.......I think the lowest speed I got to was about 7km/hr.....I was happy just to stay upright. Got to the top, the legs were fatigued but not gone......spent a number of K's spinning the legs over and they began to turn over quite comfortably....just in time to go across the top of the range.......ahhhh......

Finally reached Mapleton and began the decent into Nambour then continued on to Caloundra via Maroochydore and Mooloolaba.

The time of 6hr45min had elapsed and 194km. This was a 45min improvement on the same ride 8 weeks ago......the hard work is paying off.

Time to recover the legs with an ice bath, a feed and then into the skins......we have a 12km cross country race tomorrow.

Sunday:
Our big weekend continues......up at 5.30am and out the door cycling up to Buderim for a 12km cross country race....on these 'fresh' legs.

The course was 4 x 3km laps over relatively flat terrain except for one incline which went for about 300m. It was also quite boggy under foot.

The strategy...go hard until I blow up......
Lap 1 went out conservatively....nothing too mad!
Lap 2 the legs struck a rhythm and began to pick up the pace a little.
So far so good.
Lap 3 the hurt began to kick in...but so did the mental will power and the leg strength......was this too hard I was wondering...ah...what the heck....lets give it a nudge....the hill did bite a bit but I bit back!.....
Lap 4 the hurt and fatigue was present but not over powering...the will the run strong and hard was winning through.

Finished the race....I was spent! Time.......52m05s......I was wrapped.....such a strong solid run given it being on tired legs. Things are looking good!

Time to jump back on the bike and head back to Brissie. 3.5hrs and 94km later were returned to where it all started about 30hrs ago.

A very satisfying weekend and one that indicated to me that I was on track to achieve my goals for IM Australia.

Weekly Stats:
Swim: 12.5km (4h10m)
Bike: 367km (13h20m)
Run: 46.6km (3h44m)
Core Strength: 1hr
Maintenance: 1hr

Weekly Total - 21h15min

Week 6 - Week in Review

"I learned that if you want to make it bad enough, no matter how bad it is, you can make it." - Gale Sawers

This week has been one of the most challenging to date. The motivation 'left the building' for a couple of days. The motivational trip during this IM campaign has been quite consistent until this week. In reflecting as to what has created this slight 'detour' in the the motivational journey of this IM campaign I think it has come down to 2 things:

The first is the incident I had on Sunday.....failing to stay upright on my bike. It is amazing that just a slight altercation throws the working of the body out slightly. When the normal mechanics of the body are compromised and things aren't working the way they should and you are 5 weeks out from IM there is some reason for concern and the motivation wanes a little.

I had some bruising and swelling on the right knee, lower left shin (which had no visible signs) and a bit of the right forearm. It made quite a difference to how I ran on Tuesday morning. It was the non visible injury that caused the most bit of concern. Until my massage on the Wednesday evening I was not aware of this injury. I had feared the worse....a shin splint or something along those lines. Based on this fear a trip to the physio was arranged. The Physio trip also confirmed that this was the issues was in fact that had arisen.

The week of training looked like this:

Monday:
Core work as per usual.

Tuesday:
Out on my long run again today. This is where the shin issues raised it's ugly head. About 7km is my lower shin began to ache.....kept trying to run but as I continued I began to aggravate it further and the level of pain started to increase....time to cut it short. Ended up with a 18km run in about 1h50min.

Massage in the evening...lots a squirming on the table....but it's all in the name of success.

Wednesday:

Injury Day - Rest and recovery.

Thursday:
Short run in the morning just to test the leg out. Not to bad but not perfect yet.

In the afternoon, embarked on a BTS strength set. Good work out the swimming is certainly solid at the moment. 3.5km in 1h5min

Friday:

Taper begins for Mooloolaba Triathlon on Sunday.
Day of rest and preparation.

Saturday:

This morning was a easy 3hr ride. Out at 5am for 90min spin before joining the rest of the squad. Rode with the squad for 60min with a total ride time of just over 2.5hrs.

Sunday:

Mooloolaba OD Race....the final hit out before IM Australia.....here's my thoughts and reflections after the race....

The race today, whilst not an 'A' race was going to be a good indicator as to where I am at 5 weeks out from IM.
The plan for the race was to go as hard as I can and see what happens. There were a number components of this plan.....
1. Work really hard in the swim....
2. Not go too hard/crazy on the bike leaving enough in the tank for a good run.
3. Push it hard out there on the run.

The swim conditions were good. The course was a M shape. The course felt long and it seemed I was in the water forever but getting to the timing pads on the beach the time was telling me that I had completed the 1.5km swim in 26m31s. I was happy with this and then was my way up the stairs and into T1.

Onto the bike......the first thing was to get over the hills on my way to the motorway, not the most enjoyable way to start the bike leg but at least it gets those lets working early.
Onto the motorway......a tail wind.....got up to speed and the legs just began to turn over in a comfortable rhythm. Arrived at the turn and I had just under 30m on the clock.....round I went and it was like hitting a brick wall....the head wind was relentless....worked hard..trying to stay aero as much as possible and it was a relief to get off the motorway and cruise back to the esplanade...the question I was asking myself...had I spent too much energy on the return leg of the bike to have a good run.....I was about to find out.....

Bike time - 1h07m on the bike clock (1h11m with T1 and T2)

It was a swift transition onto the run leg.....the plan was just to ease into the run, at least until to the top of the hill then push it hard for the 9 remaining km. The other thing that I used to my advantage was the 2 times the run went down the northern hill. Both decents were about using the momentum of my body moving down the hill....go with the gravity....both decents were around the 3:45m pace. Once on the flat it was back into a nice rhythm around the 4:10m pace.
I had to work hard up the hills but these are good just to break the run up. I finally got to the top of the last hill and pushed it hard back into transition...it was looking like a good time and the time was getting very tight to go under 2h20m so I was working hard to get there but in the end I just ran out of legs and my final time was 2h20m56s.....but with a great run time of 43m03s...this was what I was really happy with. In fact the whole race was a good result and had shown me that the hard work had definitely paid off.