All systems go

I have been home for just over a week now and I am well and truly back into the swing of things. Training has been going great, logging some big km's on the bike last week.

Johan, Stu, Janine and myself went out on Thursday for a long ride, getting a solid 160km in the hills. An easier day on Friday, before smashing 180km out on Saturday morning with a run off the bike and an open water swim (more like splash in the water) in the arvo. A chicken pamy at La Porchetta was definitely on the cards after that followed by a visit to the movie cinema (haven't been there for a while!) with Lisa, Johan and Helen. Sunday was a 2 hour run before another movie session this time on the couch with the gang! (being Lisa, Johan and Helen haha)

I am really enjoying putting in some big sessions in and I think it will pay off later in the year as I am building up to the Ironman.

I was planning on racing the City of Perth race on the weekend, but its looking like I will give it a miss (final decision will be made tonight!).

I have been working hard on getting my reports together to submit to the Australian Property Institute, 2 down, 1 to go! Hopefully they will be finished soon.....

Not much else has been happening here. Australia day tomorrow, so no work. I think we have an open water swim on the agenda and maybe a BBQ lunch and a few beers in the arvo!!

Lisa and her family are all coming over to watch Mark and I race in Singapore, so that will be a nice break for everyone. Looking forward to going to Universal Studios!!

We have just under 8 weeks before the Singapore 70.3. There is a large contingent from WA heading over for the race so it should be good fun.

'Earn your Dream'...... I am!

Andy

Photos from Falls Creek

Here are some images of the week I spent in Falls Creek, Victoria. I was 'living the dream' training full time! I could get used to living like we did. The daily routine was - wake up, eat, train, eat, nap, train, eat, sleep. The good life!

Reflections

I'm sitting in the Melbourne Airport waiting to check into my flight home. I have used this as an opportunity to reflect on the past 2 weeks and assess where I am at in achieving the goals I have set myself.


Firstly, the Port of Tauranga half ironman last weekend. It was a great race for me, finishing 2nd in a personal best time and more importantly, did a PB run split. I also travelled over with Mark, who came 3rd (only 2mins behind me, I was running scared!) also in a PB time. Well worth the trip for both of us!


I had a solid swim time (28.28) for the 2km. This equates to roughly 27.00 for 1.9km. I ideally would like that to come down to 25 over the coming months. I think I can achieve this by doing a few longer open water swims at race pace.


I had a reasonable ride but probabally pushed the first 20km a little hard. 2.18 and some change, similar time to Busso last year, on a slightly slower course. I'm thinking a power metre is going to be the next logical investment. I really believe (after research and Campbells presentation) that it is the most valuable tool for cycling! (maybe mum and dad will sponsor me one...?).


My running kms were down leading into the race as I was recovering from an archillies injury. Given my run preparation, I was happy with the time. I do however have a lot of room for improvement, but the important thing is it is going in the right direction!


I nailed my nutrition during the race (Leppin gels rock) and felt really strong throughout the 4 and a half hours I was out on the course.


The next part of my trip involved a training camp with Team LSDsports.com in the Victorian Alps (Falls Creek). It was well worth the effort to make the camp as I learnt so much valuable information from some amazing athletes. The people, training, location, scenery were AMAZING and I feel really privileged to be a part of the team!


I didn't do any of the intense sessions as recovery from the half was more important (2 more half ironmans to go this season!).


For me, the training highlights included:
1. Riding in the clouds on Tuesday afternoon.
2. Running through the misty clouds to the highest point in the area.
3. Riding the 30km climb to Falls Creek.


The weather throughout the week wasn't great, but considering the flooding the the rest of the East Coast has experienced over the past couple of weeks I am in no position to complain. Is was wet, but the humidity kept it warm throughout the week. Of course the day we left (today) it is warm and sunny!


Thanks to Tony, Cam, Bojana and Kristy from LSDsports for organising such a great camp and also to all the great team members who made it such an awesome experience! Thanks the the coaching and advise everyone shared with me! It has given me confidence in my ability and will help in my preparation to the Busselton Ironman in December.


I'm looking forward to getting home and spending some time with Lisa before building up to the Singapore 70.3 in March!

Final day of training at Falls Creek

Last day of training today and the weather gods didn't want to be friendly. The original plan was to ride down to Mount Beauty and ride around there before climbing back up to Falls Creek. The decision was made to drive down, ride, swim and then ride back up to Falls.

We got 70km out on the flat roads around Mount Beauty in the wet before stopping at the coffee shop for a quick refuel. We made the decision to ride straight up rather then swimming. It was wet and we were all feeling a little cold.

The ride up consists of a 30km climb. I have never anything like it! The longest climb we do at home is 12km! I was given lots of advice from the cycling team about tackling the hill! It rained the whole way up, but it wasn't cold. The scenery around this part of the world is amazing (photos to come when I get home!). The ride was great, the first 15km was quite steady and the the gradient kick up a little. I rode easy from the start and focused on keeping my cadence up. The second half was a little harder and when I reached the 'welcome to Falls Creek' sign (4km to go, I started to struggle). I pushed on and Gab (an LSD cycling team member) doubled back and rode the last few km with me. I finally made it back to the lodge in 1.45. It was an awesome ride and that wrapped up the training for me for the week.

Most of the others did a short run off the bike but given I did a half on the weekend, I called it a day. A well deserved hot shower was next on the agenda followed by a beer and some down time.

We need to pack up the bikes this arvo (last time for a few months!) for the trip back to Melbourne in the morning. I fly back to Perth tomorrow night!

Day 4! One to go

An 8am run was on the cards this morning. A few of the team started from the lodge and the rest of us drove up and met them and went from there. The track we were running on was amazing. The clouds covered every thing and you couldnt see the runner 10m in front you. It was really fun! Got just over an hour done.

I slept for a few hours before heading to the lake for an open water swim. The water was quite chilly (2 swim caps needed!). I swam for around 40mins and got roughly 3km out.

That's the training for the day complete. Everyone is pretty tired! Long ride scheduled for tomorrow including a 30km climb!

Day 3

An earlier start this morning, leaving the lodge at 6.30 to head down to Mount Beauty for a swim set. We got 3.5km out. Tough set and everyone was feeling pretty tired by the end.

We had a food and coffee stop before heading back up to Falls Creek for a rest.

Campbell suggested I have the rest of the day off to get my legs feeling a little fresher for the run tomorrow and long ride on Friday. I was happy to do that! There was a bit of rain around in the arvo so I was happy to relax in the lodge.

The training camp has provided me with an awesome opportunity to learn from some of the best age group athletes and coaches to help me improve. I spent some time with Campbell discussing running and what I need to do to improve. I also watched the coverage of the 2010 Hawaii Ironman which is always very inspiring!

We had a seminar on training and racing with a power metre in the evening which was great. Seeing the data it produces and how it can be analyzed is amazing. I might have to save some $$ and invest in one!

A run is scheduled for the morning, followed by a open water swim.

Training camp day 1 & 2

After an awesome trip to New Zealand with Mark it was time to head to Melbourne to meet up with the LSDsports.com team for our training camp up in Falls Creek. 

I met up with Tony, Brad, Campbell and Terry and the other interstate athletes at the airport before starting the 4 hour drive up to Falls Creek. We had a quick lunch break (triathletes get grumpy when we are not fed!) and another photo stop when we were up in the alpine region.

The first session was a short run with some drills and core work taken by Campbell Maffet. 

We were then back at the lodge for some dinner and a movie. I crashed after a long day of travel!

The first full day of training involved a swim down down in Mount Beauty (about 30km down) in the 33m pool. We were then back in the minivan for the long, slow grind back to Falls Creek. We had a few hours down time so it was time to eat and have a nap before the afternoon sessions!

An hour run was scheduled following an awesome trail around the lake. We then did a 2 hour ride. My legs were starting to feel heavy (something to do with the half ironman on the weekend I think!). It was a great ride with some nice hills and at one point we were riding through clouds. You couldn't see 15m in front of you! It was a bit wet and cold on the return journey.

It was then time for some recovery so we drove unto the lake and put our legs in for 10mins. A well deserved hot shower was calling and spaghetti for dinner. Tony cooked up some pancakes. A nice way to end a solid day of training!

Doing it all again tomorrow. I'm living the dream!

Port of Tauranga Half Ironman

I have been over in New Zealand with Mark and we raced the Port of Tauranga Half Ironman yesterday. Here is a quick recap of my race:

The swim course was made up of 2 laps with a short 700m lap first, followed by a 1300m lap (the swim was 2km, rather then the usual 1.9km). The male age group wave was off in one go, 2 mins behind the pros. We had a boat anchored in line with the first turning buoy, so we had to make a decision to go on the inside or outside. I chose the inside line and I think it paid off. I positioned my self in the front line of the start and went hard to get some clear water. I had a clean start and no contact with any other competitors which was nice. The first lap went by quickly and it was onto the beach for a quick run around a marker before heading back out for the bigger lap. I took a direct line to the buoy, while others seemed to be going out a lot wider). I focused on technique and held a comfortable rhythm for the remainder of the swim and as fast swimmers came past i stayed on their draft. I came out of the swim in 28.28.

Into T1, and it was time to rip of my wetsuit which was a bit slow going, and buckle my helmet up and I was out onto the bike in 1.12.

The bike course was flat (nearly as flat as Busso) and was 2 laps. We had a nice tail wind pushing us out for the first portion so I pushed the pace. On the return journey a few guys joined me. I was a little frustrated when they all kept dropping in the draft zone so I over took them again. After this they came through one at a time and did a bit of work on the front which was nice. I was eating and drinking and feeling pretty good on the bike. The second lap I was in a group of 4 and sat in the group for a while. It amazes me to see how close these guys sit on each others wheels. The pace was good and I was happy to be legally riding with a group and I went to the front again to do some work. There other guys didn't come to the front again until about 8km to go which was very frustrating, especially when my pace was starting to drop. Some large age group packs were in action behind me but they didn't catch me during the ride, but that is always going to happen on a flat course like this. My bike time was 2.18.43.

T2 was a quick change over to my K-swiss konas and I out on the run course in 1.05.

The run was going to be the unknown for me in the race. My Achilles was feeling good leading into the event, but I didn't have many kms in the legs. I went out nice and easy and got myself into a nice rhythm. I was feeling great and was getting my gels down and taking on water at each aid station. There are a couple of opportunities to see your competitors so I was keeping a close eye on Mark. He was making up ground on me fast! The first 7kms of the run is flat, before going around the mount, which is around 3.5km and undulating. The mount sections hurts! I was running the best I ever have in a half ironman was feeling strong. I was running scared with Mark approaching, and I continued to push as hard as I could. Just before doing around the mount for the last time I had a good look back to see if he was in sight, and to my relief he wasn't! I continued to push the pace and a couple of checks behind to make sure he wasn't going to pass me. Down to the final km on the flat I pushed the pace and crossed the finish line in 4.24.05, with a run time of 1.34.37. A huge PB over the distance and most importantly, the run!

I finished 2nd in my category and Mark was 3rd 2mins behind!

A big thank you to Mike Giles for putting us up in his apartment in Auckland, and also to John and Margret Luckin (Lisa and Mark's grandparents) for organising our accommodation in Tauranga and for looking after us for the week!

I'm off to Melbourne tomorrow to meet up with the LSDsports.com team to do a training camp in Falls Creek. I am really looking forward to meeting the team and spending some time training with everyone!

Next big race is the Singapore 70.3 in March!