Forster "ULTIMATE" Weekend

Righto; so I need to apologise. As has happened on occasion before I have let the old fella (my blog) slide somewhat.  I know there are guys who have been giving me a bit of grief about not keeping everyone up to date so again to those.  Either way sorry again for the delay and here we go.

This season started for me in Forster on the Elite Energy multisport weekend.  Having not raced since Roth I was looking forward to it, mainly to get going but also to see how the progress was coming along. As you would expect I didn’t start off lightly with a full weekend on the program racing the newly included Team sprint on the Saturday and then backing up for the Ultimate on the Sunday.

The Saturday was a pretty cool experience.  I’m not that accustom to short course racing so lining up against some of the best young whippets going round had me a little worried.  While the rest of our Team (Loz Parker, Steph Austin and Dan Robins) being more than capable, I was a little worried about getting hammered and stuffing it all up for them. The format was 4x (250 swim/5k B/2k run) in a G/B/G/B format. Loz got us off to a good start leading me out in a battle for 2^nd and 3^rd. I can say now, this is easily the hardest my motor has ever had to go, zero to redline in 0.000 seconds.  I remember getting on the bike in 3^rd after getting out swum and just going so hard I couldn’t breathe. All I could think was “how the F&^k am I going to be able to run after this?” Anyway I sucked it up and ran pretty much blind or naked as they now call it, pushing as hard as I could.  We were in 3^rd and I knew if I could hang on we would be in a good position to stay on the podium. Somehow I pulled out a sub 6:50 min 2k and handed the job over the Steph. Easily the hardest I’d ever had to push and the most I’ve hurt in 20 mins in a tri.  With Steph and Dan cleaning up my mess and getting us back into 2^nd It was hard to believe we finished on the podium…. WOW in this first ever team event in Aus. Trinova was up there, Rod Was so pumped hahaha. Was pretty exciting and so much fun, although it hurt A LOT!

Onto Sunday - the main event! This was a race I had been looking forward to for a while. After taking on triathlon full time last this Forster race was the first one I competed in. So in a way it was the measuring stick to see how far id come in the 12 months. The conditions on the day were fairly similar to the previous year. Not too warm but bloody windy. I was happy for the wind to be up. I’m one of those crazy guys who like the wind. Being a strong biker I know I can handle the windy conditions well.  While guys were complaining about it I was like, “yea it is a bit windy” but secretly I was loving it.

One thing I’ve developed over the last year is how I approach my races. I’ve developed a method where I like to just go into a race blank. I mean have some sort of expectation of what your goals are but overall just take it as it comes. It just allows me to focus on the moment and forget about what’s behind you.  Much like a rubbish swim. Hahaha.  I wasn’t too happy with the 28min 2k but hey just let it go and move on. Although the condition were tough it was far from ideal leaving me a good minute and a half down on the main pack of elite guys. Clayton doesn’t fall into that category.  The race today was decided pretty early with everyone else racing for everything from 2^nd back.

Getting on the bike and knew I had a bit of work to do to catch up to Tim Berkel and Mick Foxx who were a bit further up the road than the main group which I managed to reel In after about 5km.  Luckily for me we were straight into a head wind and there was a bit of a precession of guys trying to hide as best they could, so I was able to claw them in fairly quickly.  What made me happy was that it didn’t require too much more than my race plan to get there, so from there I just continued at my pace and a few of the other guys joined in.  At the first turn around it was pretty evident that Clayton was waaay up the road, but I thought Tim and Mick were catchable so that’s what set out to do. It took me a good 40km but I slowly reeled them in until we joined together at about the 90km mark forming a group of 5 or 6 guys. I remember thinking to myself at about this time as I had a look around to see the quality of the athletes I was with and thought to myself, “How the bloody hell did I end up here?” I’ll be honest if you asked me if I was going to be anywhere near these guys pre-race I would have laughed. So to catch them and ride with them (even though they may have slowed a little) felt pretty good. 

Rolling through for about 5km or so I soon found out what racing at the top end is about.  As we headed up one of the larger climbs (if you can call them climbs) I thought it would be good to get a bit of a feed in….. Big mistake!!  As we neared the top of a climb I got caught out.  In the granny gear sucking away on a water bottle the attack came and I missed it. With the other 4 guys quickly putting a good 300m into me over the other side of the hill before I could even respond. . .  Goooddam It!!! That’s when I thought to myself; just look where you are and what you’ve done today. I could have either: ridden super hard again and tried to bridge the gap with the risk of blowing to pieces, or I could be sensible, stay within my limits and have and set myself up for a good run and an overall good race.  I wisely choose option 2 coming in with a respectable 3:02 - 120km bike split 2 mins back on the main group.

The run – the time for truth! How far had I actually come? It’s no secret that I have struggled with the run, but what 85-90kg bloke hasn’t?? It is something I’ve been working very, very, very hard on.  Satisfyingly I held a good pace fading a little in the steep hilly sections for my first sub 90 min 20km running a 1:28 and finishing 11^th overall in what is easily my best result thus far.  I didn’t take an AG position having raced open but was satisfied knowing I would have taken out my category by a good 20 min with my overall time of 5:01:30 and today I had started to show signs that it is possible for me to get up there and race with some quality guys.

Most importantly for me in this race was that the yard stick.  Last year I had swum 28 (matched that), rode 3:10 (smashed that) and ran a 1:43 (absolutely demolished that) improving last year’s overall time of 5:25 by 24 mins.  Overall I couldn’t be happier; Ok maybe getting a single figure placing could put a bigger smile on. However seeing the progression I’ve made was enough to make me really happy. As they say. . . . . Onwards and Upwards!!

Race Report: Challenge Roth

Well here we go!!

It is a little late but none the less here it is.  I suppose I can get started with saying that Challenge Roth is easily the biggest and best race I have ever done.  The atmosphere around this event is absolutely incredible. The most amazing thing is that the locals just think that this is how every race is done and don’t realise why everyone wants to come to thier town year after year.  Maybe why its such a successful event peerhaps??  Anyway onto the race.

Race morning was an early start at 4:00 getting the bus out to the swim start.  Everything had already been sorted except for the Nutrition on the bike so there wasn’t much to do, which for me left a good hour before the race start to soak up the atmosphere and take in the size of everything it was easily the biggest transition I have ever seen.   I was lucky enough (well not so much left to luck) to be in the first wave.  It was very interesting to see the quality of athletes in this field. I haven’t been to Kona but I have been told that Roth is the race with the largest Elite field outside of Kona.  It’s a crazy set up they have in Roth with no Elite category meaning everyone start the race in an age group.  Then you have the top 50 ranked men and top 20 women then the guys who nominate to race in the sub 9 category including the rest of the pro guys and fast age groupers which make up the first wave of 300 or so guys, which included me. 
THE SWIM:

Before the start there was a fair bit of push and shove, but while we were waiting I took the chance to have a look around and take in the surrounds.  It was amazing.  The bridge over the canal – packed, the banks – packed, everywhere else – packed.  Everywhere just packed with people.  I was thinking this is amazing.  I’m really here.  I’m racing Roth. WOW!!!

Anyway the wim got going and as expected the first 4-500m was a bit of a washing machine which settled down fairly quickly with a few groups forming.  I felt pretty good and felt like I was swimming through people for well over half the swim before a group swimming my pace formed (or I just slowed).  From there it was just follow the feet and keep a good pace.  At about 400m from the finish all was going well and I was happy until I noticed a group swimming close to the shore.  Thinking to myself, “What are they doing out there?” I then remembered the comment that Shane Smith (tri-travel guy) had made during the bus tour, saying that after a while the swim begins to get a little bit of a whirlpool effect.  2 and 2 together and I realised why they were out there as I swam straight up the guts.  But never mind I was really happy getting out of the water in just over 51 min. 

THE BIKE:

Out of T1 and onto the pedals, I was on a bit of a high from the swim and really looking forward to this. The first 10kms like most races I just tried to settle in, get the HR down and have a bit of fluid. Riding solidly but within my limits I found myself in a group of around 3 or 4, one of which happened to be German Ironman Legend, Jurgen Zack.  What were the chances!!  I thought this was pretty amazing to be in that situation and a little Star struck. I tried to talk to him but I don’t think he really understood or cared all that much. He kept on saying stuff in German but I couldn’t understand a word he was saying. It was pretty cool riding with a legend of the sport, not to mention having a TV camera next to us almost the whole way. 

It is pretty amazing on this course.  While it is nowhere near as easy as everyone thinks, the support you receive all over the course, through villages and towns and up the climbs is phenomenal.  There is one place however that trumps them all – The Solarberg (see photo).  This is the place that all the photos are of and every triathlete wants to experience at sometime in their life.  Just turning the corner as we came into Hipolstien and looking up the road to the Solarberg was amazing, the first time through is euphoric, adrenaline just takes over which sent shivers through my entire body.  It is so hard to describe the feeling – it’s just something that has to be experienced to be understood.  There is something like 50 to 100,000 people lined 4 and 5 rows deep all the way up the climb.  While it is nowhere near the longest or hardest climb of the race it has its difficulties, and the atmosphere just drives you, you don’t want to slow down, if you do you know you’re going to get a mouthful of abuse….. The adrenaline just drives you!!

With the Solarberg at around the 80km mark I was soon through the first lap managing to get through the first lap in around 2:28 and was feeling ok making sure I got my nutrition in as per my plan (thanks Alicia from Compeat Nutrition).  Things did get tough part way through the second lap as the wind changed.  Normally it’s not a problem but when it changes like that leaving you with head winds for the entire lap, it gets tough mentally.  During this final 40km I tried to surge and push a little harder into the wind but the effort v’s reward wasn’t really worth the risk.  I had gone into this one wanting to be sensible and allow myself the best opportunity to allow my run focus to deliver. While I may have eased off a little than I needed I took a lot of learning out of the back end of that bike plus this is only my second IM and I still have so much more to learn.  While my 2^nd lap was a little slower I was happy posting a 5:03 and more importantly leaving myself feeling good out of the saddle.

Before I move on I suppose it’s good to mention a couple of things about the course. Before leaving Aus the consensus of opinion on this course was that it was flat and fast. On its day this bike course has the ability to be a fast, particularly if you can climb and descend well.  It has a good surface plus the atmosphere.  In my opinion it doesn’t get the respect it deserves having almost 1600m of climbing one climb which is 3km @ ~5%,  technical descents and tight corners through towns and villages makes it a lot more difficult than it is given credit.  My take on why the bike is so fast is simply a direct result of the quality of athletes that compete.  If you have 3500 individual competitors in an event that has the best atmosphere in the world it is going to attract a high quality field. Plus the Europeans (Germans specifically) are absolute monsters on the bike.  There is that embedded mentality about doing a super fast bike time or needing to ride super fast to race well.  The result is a large amount of bike times well under the 5 hour mark.

THE RUN:

Making sure I had all my nutrition out of transition and I was out onto the course.  The first 500m of the run is downhill so it gives you a bit of help to get the running legs into motion which I appreciated very much. I’d gone into this run not really knowing what I was capable of.  In training id been able to hold around the 5min/km pc fairly comfortably through the 2.5 – 3 hr mark and given the work I had done I was going to be happy with holding that time.  Anyway I headed out just sort of taking a km at a time.  I bought a GPS watch a few weeks before to allow me to run off pace.  I liked this approach monitoring each km one at a time.  I just thought to myself that every km I run at 4:45 is an extra 15s I have under the 5 min average for later on.  It was hard at first to stay patient as I was feeling good, but I had promised myself id race smart and just had to remember to save a bit for when it gets tough. 

The one loop run course was pretty good; I kind of liked it because there was something new to see every km (except of course as you loop back). It kind of made it feel like it went really fast. With about 60% of the run on dirt trails it slows you a little, but I think that you get that time back late in the race as you don’t get that extra bit of fatigue from the continually pounding on pavement.

Heading through 20km I was feeling pretty good and would even say that I was enjoying the run.  I went through the 21k at about the 1:43 and was well on track to hit the 3.5hr marathon time. While I started to slowly fade I still held around the 5min / km pace.  Until I reached km 28, in training this is when I have hit a bit of a bad patch or around the 2:15 mark.  I’m not sure whether it was the heat as the temperature started to get up near the 30C mark midway through the run, or if it was mental but for a 2km period I had a battle on my hands.  Realistically I only slowed to average 5min 40 for a few kms, but I had to stop, just momentarily. I managed to battle to the next aid station where I grabbed water sponges from everywhere, which felt amazing.  My thoughts is it must have been the heat, because after that aid station at the 30k mark I instantly came good and was back on track running a solid pace. From there it just happened.  It’s a bit of a blur up until the point I hit Roth and running through the city centre. 

Couple with the Solarberg the final 2km of the run (photo left) are the two best points of the race. As you snake your way through the old town centre through the thousands of supporters either cheering, drinking steins or more than likely both you know you’re nearly home. Through here I didn’t really pay much attention to the surrounds as I was looking for one of my uni mates who had the job of handing over the Aussie flag.  It’s hard to concentrate at that time of the race when you pretty much run off nothing but adrenaline and while I was worried he came through with the goods.  Although I do think he was enjoying the steins part a bit more than the cheering, but he came through with the goods.

The last km was pretty amazing entering the packed stadium and all you can hear is the music pumping, cheers and the German commentary.  I crossed the line in just over 9:32 finishing with a very satisfying 3:31 run split.  The most relieving thing is that I didn’t keep the guys who were watching back home in Australia up too late waiting for me to cross the line.  I would be lying if said that thought wasn’t on my mind throughout the run.  I just kept telling myself, I have to finish so the guys can get to bed. Ridiculous; yes, but you tell yourself what you have to.

I don’t think I could be much happier with the result given that I have only really been doing this stuff for 8 months.  Next up - Busselton Ironman in Dec and who knows?  6 months is a long time and there is plenty of work to be done.  So long as I keep progressing. I will be happy.

Id like to thank the people close to me who help me through the day to day battles and the support they give me. I dont need to name them because they know who they. Without them and thier help all these things just don't happen.  I also need to mention Hatch Associates pty ltd, the partners at Bilbie Dan, Zeon Bagnall, Maitland triathlon Club, and Drift Bike for thier financial support in helping me get to Roth without the help from these guys i would never have made it here and finally to my host family Perta and Heiner Zwinkel.  Without you opening your home to me and making me feel lie i was part of the family as soon as i arrived i can not thank you enough.  You were very influential in ensuring my trip and stay in Roth was a happy and successful one.

Well that’s enough from me.   Time for a few weeks of rest.  Until next time.

Cheers

Dan. 

Roth - Pre Race.

Oki doke,

Well I'm here.  A very long 24hrs of flight time, a few days of the TDF and a long drive half way across Europe and the countdown really begins.  4ish days and Roth will be buzzing with some 4000 athletes and 200, 000 spectators.

I am lucky enough to have been given the opportunity ti stay with a German family for the duration of my time in Roth.  Petra and Heiner are two lovely people who i cant thank enough for opening their home to me for the duration of my stay.  It is really funny to hear their perspective on everything.  I was having a discussion with Petra today and talking about the race in Roth.  There has been a "Full" distance (as in IM distance) triathlon here for years. A WTC Ironman before Challenge took over, and this is part of their life each year.  The town comes together to help put on an event and its just what they do.  The thing that i like is that to them this is normal.  My favourite quote was "I don't know why everyone wants to come to Roth", and when i said that Roth was one of the most famous race, and one of the "to do" races on nearly every triathletes bucket list, she and Heiner were both very surprised.  Just such a great attitude towards it and probably one of the main reasons why the event in Roth is the biggest in the World.

Roth itself is just your stereotypical, small Bavarian German town.   There is the old market place surrounded by the old style buildings and church, the waterways which run through the town and of course the old style signs on every second building selling the local Bavarian beer.  In this case Spalter..... And yes i have tried it, not too bad.  Its no Augustiner (Munich's is finest) but nice, though more importantly another photo to add to the ever growing beer portfolio.

Having left the Cobra with the tri travel crew i headed out yesterday on the bike to see a bit of the course and turn over the legs.   Id love to say they were felling million dollars but not quite yet.  still feeling a bit of the lengthy days in the plane and car but getting there.  Well hopefully.   Roth and the surrounds is really nice, everything is just so green, and although its warm the heat doesn't really hit you like it does at home.  I mean its still hot but it doesn't feel like you've been smacked with a heat stick... lol. Ill endeavour to get some photos up in the coming days (probably after the race).

Having registered today it is all starting to sink in. I took a bit of time to wander around the expo, which is Huuuuuge.  Its the expo of Expos. haha.  I will have to say that there is a lot of stuff over here that I've never even heard of.  half of the bike manufacturers that are here are pretty random. Plus every man and his dog selling some new form of sports nutrition.   

As you can imagine not having been around all this for that long there are plenty of nerves, I just have to have faith and know that in this prep i have completed more large training weeks and more volume than ever in my life.   Maybe its just the whole not having my number one asset, Alicia on the bench providing that grounded perspective and feeding me the thins i need (not literally feeding, although she is pretty good at that too :-P ) this is the longest we've spent apart since we have been together, and i know that not having her here is something i am going to miss.  Just need to have faith in the work I've done and be realistic with everything.  Ive only been doing this triathlon thing properly for 8 months,and there is still a very long way to go before I'm near where i need to be. Only time can really tell.  but all in all I'm heading out there to enjoy it and take everything in.  I'm just lucky to have been given this opportunity.  Racing Roth was definitely on my list of races to do at some stage in my life, but if you had told me 6 months ago id be here right now, i would have said "you've got rocks in your head".  But hey, here we are.

Alright, I did promise some people i would post up the information on how to watch the race on the net.  Apparently if you go to  http://www.challenge-roth.com/cockpit/index-en.html you can find everything you need. Its kind of like the homepage for the tracking and the Live Feed. 

My number is - 149 and i leave in the first wave at 06:30 (German) 14:30 (Aussie).  While the Cobra is number - 2140 and he is off at 07:25 (German) 15:25 (Aussie).

Ill get some photos up a little later (once i take a few more), hopefully before the race with the surrounds and the race enclosure. I still cant get over how big this race is going to be.  Even the massusse was raving about how big an event this race is.  I cant wait to find out. 

Until then, Cheers

Dan.

Announcements and Cairns Report (just a quickie)

Before I get going I think it is a good time to mention the people who are helping me get to Roth.  The last few months have seen some good progressive results.  This has in-tern resulted in some good support to help me even further in the sport.  The first mention goes to the Guys at Drift Bike (www.drifbikes.com.au) who have welcomed me to their team and been very helpful in getting me onto and fitted on my New Specialized Shiv and Tarmac Bikes and making sure I’m ready to roll on race day. My Work, Engineering Consultancy Hatch Associates Pty Ltd showing their support in my external interests, Bilbe Dan Solicitors and Attorneys in Newcastle (www.bilbedan.com.au), Skinfit Australia (www.skinfit.com.au) for all my racing and training apparel (www.skinfit.com.au) ,  Compeat Nutrition (www.compeatnutrition.com) helping me with all my day to day, race and training dietetic planning and Advice, TriNova Multisport for their coaching and guidance (www.trinova.com.au) and  Zeon Bagnall Exercise Physiology (www.zeonbagnall.com.au).   

Moving onto the races, Ill head backwards first and start with Cairns 70.3 and now nearly two weeks past I have to say that my thoughts on the race have changed quite a bit from the few days following.   As could be expect when you have a bad race or if everything doesn’t go quite as you would have liked or expected you end up being a little bit down or question yourself and wonder what happened.  But I have to be realistic. I went into this one knowing I was either going to go well or I was going to be a train wreck.  As it turned out having the biggest training (including the biggest run week) of my life had a pretty big impact on my race.  Not having put together the kind of training together consistently week after week meant that I assumed I would be able to freshen up in a day or two and compete in the top end of the race.  Rather ambitious I now see but overall I didn’t really know how fast I could recover to put in a solid race effort.  As I found out I needed much longer than I thought.   The Tuesday night track session earlier in the week was a ague I suppose and I struggled to even put together a couple of 1km efforts. I knew I was in a hole. All I hoped was that I was going to recover in time.  

Onto the race. . . . .

Before arriving in Cairns I was already in trouble having to leave my no.1 supporter and most important member of my team back in Newcastle. It was a little sad as this was the first race where Alicia hadn’t either been there to watch or competing herself since I can remember.

We arrived in Cairns to the torrential downpours that can be associated with the Nth Qld tropics.  To me I didn’t think it was that bad.  Only here for the race, rain meant it was at least a little bit cooler and would definitely provide a way to keep the 88kg motor cool.  Unfortunately however when I needed mother nature to be nasty the weather turned and the hot Nth Qld sun belted down in full force all day on race day turning parts of the run into more of a sauna than a run course. This led to my pre-race worries . . . .  If this temperature gets up near 28-30……. I’m cooked. Literally!!!

The SWIM - wasn’t too bad. I mean I didn’t feel great.  Normally I take a bit to get going but I was struggling to grab feet and find a rhythm, this was the first sure sign that I was going to struggle.  The last time I felt like this was in Germany for the European 70.3 a week after I had destroyed myself at the tristar 111 in Estonia.  I know I wasn’t anywhere near as fit then as I am now but I knew what I felt. But I soldiered on and was out of the water just on 27 min. Not the greatest but it will do. 

The BIKE – My aim here was to ride solid and consistent, which is what I did. I am happy with what I learned from the bike here.   Knowing I was tired, being able to put that bike together riding an even paced 90k was satisfying.  It gave me a good indication of my current bike fitness. Really happy, not to mention the first time ive ridden under 2:20.  Maybe there is also a concidence with it bieng my first proper race outing on the Shiv, she does look fast though ;-D hahahaha. 

The RUN - Well here is the fun part. Or not.  The answer to my run is simple, I wasn’t ready and hadn’t recovered from the training, and once the heat got up it was all over.  Racing here in this part of my prep I knew there was risk I wouldn’t have recovered.  But that is all part of the sport, learning and developing from the mistakes and using these mistakes to further develop your performance. Although I was struggling I decided it was best for the next few weeks of training leading into Roth if I turned the motor off, so to speak and just wander home.  Even struggling I could have toughed out a high 1:30 run, but at what cost.  In that heat and the state of my body I could have put myself out of action for two weeks and taken a massive blow to the Roth prep. I took the safer option.  Plus I got to have a sit down chat with a couple of young spectators.  Hopefully they want to get into the sport after our little sideline chat ahahhaha.

Overall I am pretty happy, I have never been off the bike in a 70.3 in under 2:45 before and In the 8 races I have competed in this year this is first one I have failed and I know the reasons why.  If I didn’t then it would be a different story.  The downer for the day would have been the bad sportsmanship shown by one athlete.  It is disappointing to see people who claim for themselves to be presenting a professional image but somehow think it is ok to harass and badmouth athletes and coaches during an event.  This is not what the sport is about, it is not something people want to see or be associated with when trying to simply enjoy the achievement.
Moving onto the fun stuff, I have to say the highlight of the weekend was definitely watching the other Trinova crew racing the 70.3 and the IM.  Big mentions go out to Nikki and Emily both completing their first ever half IM distance races, while Nath and Liz backed up from Melbourne to punch out solid IM times, Clarkey smashed himself again to finish second in his age group and book another ticket to the big island.  Cheering Chrissie Cook (better half of my coach) come home in her first IM in 10yrs. a very very solid effort and although there was once very important person missing from the weekend it was a good weekend, another successful day for Trinova Multisport and Compeat Nutrition and post-race, regardless of the result there was nothing a few jugs of beer with the guys couldn’t fix. Just like this one.... Thanks for the pic Nikki!!!!! J

The Countdown.

With just a over 4 weeks to go until ill be splashing down the canal in Roth to get Challenge Roth under way, i thought it would be good to get back onto the blog wagon.  I am sorry i havent been more regular with the blog entries, it is just that I didn’t want to end up dribbling on about my day to day training has been going and put everyone to sleep in the process.  I will talk a bit about all that but on more of an overview as a whole. A lot has happened in the last few months with a lot of highs and a few lows.

Il have a bit to talk about with a few announcement on the support front, an update on the last few races including the Sparke Helmore Tri , Batemans Bay Ultimate, Port Stevens OD and the latest one Cairns 70.3.  Ill also talk a bit about how the change to triathlon is progressing and what I see as the differences mentally and physically with training and the phycological aspects.  The Long weekend should give me plenty of time to get the ball rolling and some quality posts up.  Ill start with the most recent race Cairns 70.3, which didn't go so well for me. Will see that one as a learning and understanding race. but ill elaborate more on that in the coming days.  So if you think you may like any of this keep your eyes open, or follow me via the email alert (at the top of the page).

Until then.

Dan.

Challenge Wanka - Race Day.

After a few days in Queenstown, leaving with some big news, alot of smiles and some fancy bling for Leash :-D, heading to Wanaka was going to be very, very hard to top the beginning off the week. But saying that.... Wanaka….. WOW what a place…… I can see why this race has been voted one of the most scenic in the world and understand why the guys who have raced there say how amazing a place it is. We have travelled all around Europe and I have never seen such a landscape…..just amazing, at the foot of the Southern Alps with water so clear you can see everything all on a backdrop of snow capped mountains.

Anyway onto the race, to be honest I had somehow kept myself pretty calm for the lead up. Maybe the events earlier in the week distracted my attention but it wasn’t until the night before until it all started to sink in and that all this was actually going to happen. My philosophy to myself was to think about it as a big training day…..just a little bit longer. I had done some 8 hour days in the lead up, had run 42km in training and covered the bike distance a few times, so all I had to do was put them together at once. ……..of sorts….

Race morning was a little tense around transition. It wasn’t that cold but definitely cold enough to have the jumper and trackie daks on. I surprisingly wasn’t that bad, I think I kind of just knew that there was no turning back and it just had to be done, I Knew I had done the work in training I knew that I had prepared as best I could (for my first outing) and now just had to see how it all unfolded.

The Swim:

6:30 and it was time………a final good luck to R Mac and the Cobra (and Leash – racing the half) and we were off. With the pro wave starting only 15 m in front we were on them fairly quickly, which isn’t that fun for them, and after about 400m everything had settled down and I found myself swimming in the 3rd pack along with a few of the pro guys, girls and Macca. My philosophy for the day was patience. I’ve had a lot of races in the past where I have pushed hard to early and paid severely for it late on. Good pacing was one of the goals for the day. As a result I tried to swim fairly relaxed and just sat on the back of the group coming in at 57 min, by no means near what I should have swam but I was satisfied. I just wanted to get into the rhythm and see what happened.

The Bike:

Onto the bike after a very long transition I was in about 20th position overall (about 6th Age grouper) and headed out into the New Zealand wilderness. The first section of the ride saw us head out around lake Wanaka for 30 odd kilometers before coming back into town by which time I had made up a fair bit of time on the guys in front and ridden into 2nd AG position. I was settling into a good rhythm riding fairly comfortably with one of the German pro’s until I lost my spare, which I stopped and reattached. There was no way I was going to leave that behind. This I think was a bit of a blessing, while I didn’t have someone to pace off it made me really think about my own race, my hydration, my food, my heart rate and any of the other random things that were going on through my head. I think at some stage as I was riding past the lakes and wineries I was thinking;

“Jeez this would be a good location for a wedding”. I’m going slightly off topic here but if you’re reading this and haven’t been to this part of the world, I cannot recommend it highly enough. The scenery around this place is amazing. Anyway getting back to it, riding well and truly by myself slowly picking my way through the field, most of which was the pro women who out swam me, I looked down at my bike computer and noticed I was sitting on around 58km/h… I know I can’t ride that fast unless there is a demon of a tail wind up my date. It was about this time I started to think “If I’m going this fast now how retarded is it going to be riding all the way back up the valley to Wanaka into this wind…..this is not going to be easy.”

 

Hitting the turnaround point in Cromwell I checked the distance - 110km this left the last 70km to climb the 300m back up the valley to Wanaka. A bonus I suppose was that just before we turned I could see the guy in front (the lead AG'er at the time) had been pushing pretty hard. As we headed home I could see in the distance that every small climb he was in and out of the saddle like it was on fire. It didn’t take that much longer to reel in the rope and as I passed I thought, I’m glad I listened to all those times Macca, Clarkey, Rod, Higgo and Alicia for that matter gave me a talking to about pacing and DON’T leave our legs on the bike!!!!!. In saying this I didn’t want to give him a chance to hold mainly because he was in my age group and I didn’t want this to end in a foot race. I just put a little effort in and looked back 5 mins later and he was gone. Again I was all alone and in the lead….well Age Group lead….not that special I know for the seasoned pros but for me in my first IM Distance race, relatively new to the sport to be in this position just 5 months after deciding to give the sport a proper crack…….wow, I was stoked. I think the most amazing thing was having the Helicopter scoot up the lake and slow down when they came up next to me, I don’t know if they were talking about me on the feed, but it sure felt pretty special. Saying the race got tough from here would be an understatement, there is nothing more psychologically battering than when you’re over your target heart rate, going downhill and struggling to get the Speedo over 30kph. But in my mind I just kept telling myself that this is the same for everyone else. Trudging on just watching the kms tick over I really couldn’t wait to get off the bike, just aiming to get to each aid station and the next. I was battling, I knew it would be tough but this was ridiculous, for probably the first time in my life in a triathlon I wanted off the bike. Just get me on that run pleeeease. I really expected to be caught over this last period but somehow managed to hold on and catch the back end of the pro guys over the last 10kms and bring it into transition in 9th overall and the lead Age grouper off the bike.

The Run:

My lead on the run was very short lived, as Simon Cochrane smoked passed me shortly followed by the eventual age group winner. That was the last I saw of them. My goal for the run was to just run consistent Matty P gave me a good bit of advice before I left. “Have faith in your run mate, you’re running well have faith” For me that was pretty important. I’m not the best runner, I know that. I’ve never run 42km off a 180 before, I’ve only been running real volume for 3 months, and can I hold on. Anyway it took a few kms to get the legs going but finally I found some rhythm and was running well and headed through the halfway point at around the 1:45 mark, pretty much on par with what I wanted to hold. KM 23…. This is where things started to turn bad. I still couldn’t tell you what went through my head at this point, but it was now that everything got really, really tough. This one section (the only flat section) of the run kind of went out to a point in the lake, leaving it badly exposed to the wind which by now had picked up severely (I really felt for the guys coming in late on the bike…..it was hard when I was there but it would have been brutal later in the day), and to top it off the wind was picking up sand and just blasting you. I had been waiting for this time. I had been told that there will be a time on the run when you will be hurting badly. Well they were right I was struggling. I’m not sure whether it was mental, the fact I missed my coke on an aid station at km 18 (should have stuck to Alicia’s Plan), or was it just the heat but I was hurting. My assumption was the aid station and luckily I had packed a red bull in my special needs bag which I smashed down shortly before the trouble started.

Before I came away I was lucky enough to have a chat to Mel Ashton who gave me some very good advice on racing IM. Drawing on that now I reassured myself that if I’m hurting so will everyone else, everyone else will have to run through this wind, everyone else will have to deal with this heat and everyone else had to deal with the tough bike. Having past the 3rd and 4th place overall Age groupers on the way back out I knew I had about 20mins on them. Slowly I tried to get the legs and body going. Even struggling to run with the late finishers of the Wanaka half, I really started to get angry and dug really deep just convincing myself;

“you can rest when this is done”, “How disappointed are you going to be if you let these guys catch you?”, “just get to the next aid station, fuel up and get to the next one and see what happens, but don’t give up…..for god’s sake don’t give up”.

 It took me nearly 40 mins to get from km 23 to km 29 that’s around 6.5min per km, most of my lead to 3rd AG’er chewed while also being passed by each of the top 5 women. I am not sure what it was, maybe the red bull, maybe the young fella feeding me everything on offer and eagerly encouraging me along, but I somehow came good and slowly picked up some momentum. I was now running scared. I knew they were coming and I was stuffed if I was going to let them catch me. The last few kms I kept checking and checking. Saying;

“If I get around this corner and they can’t see me they won’t chase too hard, just hang on”. One last look before the km 18 aid station and then head down and dig in, think of the schooners….hahaha, the important stuff. The best feeling ever was running up the last rise and seeing the finish chute 400m down the road. I will never forget hitting that carpet, looking back again to see if they (the chasers) were coming only to hear someone in the crowd yell out;

“They’re nowhere mate, they’re nowhere”. That’s all I needed to hear, the sense of relief. I was done; this was easily a better result than I could have ever hoped for. As I searched all down the straight for Alicia I took a few minutes to soak up the atmosphere and enjoy the moment. I was so happy, the emotion you feel is amazing. If you could bottle the emotion you feel at that point in time and sell it they would make it illegal. Getting engaged to my best friend, partner and love of my life earlier in the week was the only thing that topped this moment. I know there are going to be people who read this who think I’m a dick and others who know exactly what I mean, but this moment was for lack of a better word euphoric!!!!

The hug I gave Alicia seemed to go forever. It was only when she reminded me that I still had to cross the line that I had better get a move on. Finally crossing the line just over the 10hr mark with a reasonable run just under 3:50, and good enough to clinch my Age Group title by nearly 30 mins, finish 2nd amateur, 16th overall and earning a free spot to race Challenge Roth in Germany in July this year.

I could not have asked for a better start to racing the IM distance, and although it wasn’t on the plan it looks as though there will be three Iron distance races on the agenda for this year. A very satisfying result especially considering I swore I would never an Iron Distance race...... LOL!!!!

The Wanaka Lead up and Next Stage pt2.

The Forster race gave us the platform to work from with a clear idea of what I needed to be done to focus on, prepare and hopefully make a good IM debut in Wanaka. I sat down with Rod and Higgo (my coaches from Trinova Multisport) and we discussed the plan forward. It was never a doubt in my mind that taking on triathlon seriously was going to involve loads of hard work, but when I saw the program I was a little knocked back.
I think I did as a lot of people do when they get there first Ironman program. I went through it and started looking at what I was going to be doing in 10 weeks rather than what I needed to in the next week...........Thoughts of you I need to run how far???? And I have to spend how long in the saddle?? All in all really overwhelming to start with, but just breaking it down into each week, just getting the training in and taking it day by day.

The first few weeks were good, getting in loads of training and I was finding that you really need to be patient. Racing Port half was a huge example. I was only 4 weeks into my new focus and 3 weeks weeks into the 12 week block and I had some high expectations, which just resulted in disappointment after failing on the run. I am learning very quickly this sport will reward those people who dedicate time to it. I really wasn’t being patient enough, only 3 weeks into the 12 week block and realistically only a month after the run focus began I just expected too much too early. Being patient is something I have gained an appreciation for over the last 4 months. In saying that you need to do the training, if your patient but sitting on the couch its obviously not going to happen.

The First result which started to show dividends of the hard work would have to be Canberra 70.3. Just a training race 6 weeks out from Wanaka there wasn’t much focus or taper but as it turned out a significant turning point. In ordinary conditions well for the swim and bike I managed a 30 min pb for the course. ……..and finally put together a run… previous best for 21.1 off the bike was 1:40….forget that 1:32…. Its hard to describe the feeling when something like that comes off. Relief maybe…Excitement?!?! I suppose the biggest thing was knowing that achieving my goals was possible. It’s easy for coaches, training partners, and family, yourself to tell you that you can get there, and you train your ass of hoping, but to see the development and the hard work start to pay off is a pretty awesome feeling.

Well after Canberra, things had changed. I now knew that my goals in triathlon were achievable, and I had progressed further in 3 months than I had penciled in to achieve in 6. In saying that there was now expectation. But I took the same approach as I had earlier. Just take it a week at a time, make sure the totals added up at the end of the week and just chip away and stay relaxed.
Another turning point came a few weeks after Canberra and to be honest was a real shock, getting an email from TriNSW inviting me to join in the Endurance Development Squad camp. Wow…… Unexpected, but what an opportunity. Something must be going right. Unfortunately it turned out to be on the same weekend as Wanaka, so I couldn’t attend and I was a little disappointed. It did however give me a chance to have a chat to the coach Mel Ashton and it was really good to hear some of her wisdom. Being so new to the sport I’m like a sponge trying to take in as much information from the experienced contingent as I can, and having someone like Mel to listen to before my first IM was a very valuable addition to the knowledge bank on top of Rod, Higgo and the other guys I’ve been training with which proved to be vital in Wanaka.

Looking back at my training diary it’s easy to see the patterns that come out of that preparation block and being consistent just meant I had the confidence of knowing I had done everything possible in the short period of time to prepare for Wanaka. I would love to hear how many times Rod, Higgo and everyone else that’s been there for that matter, reassured me that if I got the miles in and stayed consistent that’s all that would matter, but in your head; well for me anyway, you continually think is it enough? Am I doing the right stuff? Should I keep pushing? Not having been through it before you just don’t know. But listen to the people around you who have been there and performed. Obviously it is all goal dependent and not everyone is out there to win a race, but to perform at the top its simple…put n the work and be a little bit lucky.

For those that have read Maccas book, one quote that sticks in my mind is that you cant lie to the guy in the mirror. You can tell stories to anyone in any way you want, but at the end of the day it comes down to you.  If you want to lie to that guy....your screwed.  Be honest in what you have done and be honest with what your expectations are.  If you want to be at the pointy end you need to put the work in, but if you want to just acomplish the the feat of finishing, then do what you can and try and enjoy it as much as you can. 

Loads of respect to Adam Mac.....in Wanaka one goal..... finish. brutal course and condition and 15hrs 50 later brings it home. Doesent have all the time in the world to train with work family and children, but does what he can, then goes out there suffers with everyone else but enjoys the accomplishment.  Full respect AMac!!!!

Over this last 4 months I have really learned a lot about my body, Training and the sport in General in soo many different ways. You get an appreciation for taking care of your body through your food intake, recovery and mental state. It is important to have the people around you to ensure that your environment is friendly for you. Triathlon is a Sport that takes a lot of time and effort on and off the training pitch. If you don’t enjoy the people you are training with and there isn’t the support at home it can become a very difficult sport to enjoy.

Luckily for me I have a great bunch of guys (Macca, Donk, Dan, Clarkey, Justo, Loz, and the rest of the Trinova Crew) to train with, great coaches Rod and Ben and most of all an awesome supporter at home. Alicia is unbelievable not only is she my fiance (only just recently ) but my personal sports dietitian and no.1 supporter. Without her I am more than happy to say I wouldn’t be where I am now. From encouraging me out of bed when I really struggle, to planning out all my dietary needs from racing to day to day.

She has her own business www.compeatnutrition.com dedicated predominantly to team and endurance sports nutrition. Which for those that are involved know that it deserves a bit of a push. In this sport I am super lucky to have her by my side every day. So if your in the sport and need help in optimizing performance, race nutrition, or just day to day to control weight and energy…get on board that’s all I can say.

Well I suppose now is to get to the race, but that will be my next blog. Remember if anyone has any questions feel free to pop me an email or just comment on the post, and ill do my best.

Until then.

Thanks for reading.