Peter Hughes Triathlon

Schedule change

2012-01-23T22:25:00.007+13:00

Well at least one of you reads my blog and noticed I’d taken the NP Half off my calendar next month...there’s a couple of reasons for the change, notably:

1) I’m creeping up the Wellington waitlist faster than I thought I would. At the time of my last post I was down at #30something on the list and didn’t give myself much of a chance to get there hence the scheduling of the NP & Auckland HIMs to fill out the rest of the season, but the list is moving faster than I anticipated so there’s a very real possibility I’ll make the start line. This is the key race I need to focus on to secure a slot for ITU Worlds in Auckland and avoid the lottery of "selector's discretion".

2) I’m just not ready. The thought of racing a HIM in <3 weeks is laughable to me right now, such is my level of fitness. But perhaps even more of an influencer is the logistics/travel/$$$ of doing the event on Feb 12th, coming home for a few days in the office, then heading back for our wedding (in NP) 6 days later! It sounded doable in theory a few months ago but now that it’s upon us I just don’t think I can make it work, or at least not without some unnecessary added stress.

So unfortunately it’s off the calendar and my focus shifts to Wellington standard distance nats and the Orbea Auckland Half Ironman two weeks later. I like the lead times of 7 & 9 weeks respectively. The latter fits perfectly with my usual HIM build schedule, albeit this one will be slightly disrupted with a bike-free wedding long weekend, and a hard olympic distance race two weeks prior, but I think I can manage.

Speaking of the latter again, as ridiculous as it sounds this is still the only annual non-drafting triathlon in the greater Auckland area so I try and make an effort each year to support my favourite local race. If you’re currently sitting on the fence for this one but like the idea of racing a tough course with great triathlon history & mana I suggest you do the same…vote with your feet (and your wallet) and sign up today! In the interest of full disclosure, yes that’s me on the homepage and yes I’ve managed to arm-twist the organisers into a small discount on my entry for every participant I get to register :) So stop dilly-dallying, mark the date on your calendars, sign up today and leave a comment on this post confirming you’ve done so. See you on the start line…

(you know you're alive when you ride this surface!)

A new look

2012-01-17T19:05:00.004+13:00

No sadly, not a new bike. Thought I'd give the tired old blog a splash of colour. Whadda you think?

If you don't recognize the title pic, thats the famous track at Nike HQ in Beaverton Oregon. Pretty sweet huh...

Happy New Year

2012-01-01T12:53:00.002+13:00

2011...wow, what an up & down year that was.

It started well in early January at the Port of Tauranga Half, which doubled as the 2011 NZ long distance champs. I achieved all my goals for the race and made amends for a poor showing in 2010. An AG win there meant I spent a year as the M30-34 NZ long distance triathlon champ. Good!

That result had a sour note though as I spent the next 8 weeks off my feet recovering from (another) lower leg stress reaction. Knowing I was short of time to prepare for some of my other target races, namely the Contact Series/NZ nats in Wellington and the Auckland HIM, I wrote off the rest of the reason and became a spectator. Officiating IMNZ & the New Plymouth HIM from the back of a motorcycle was great fun and a nice distraction, but I took that break a little bit too literally...I put on about 8 kgs and felt like I’d lost a tonne of fitness over autumn and early winter. I’m not usually one to take a break from training. I like the idea of heading out the door when others won’t, but this offseason I lost some mojo and skipped plenty of winter workouts. I didn’t ride my bike for 3 months at one stage. Bad!

Couldn’t blame anyone but myself there...I just got lazy. Other things took priority, such as planning a long holiday in North America and our wedding to follow soon after. In the back of my mind though was the reason for our trip...ITU Worlds. As I got back into regular training in the middle of winter though, in preparation for the real race build beginning late August, I noticed most of my numbers (pool times, bike power, run paces) were pretty close where I left off. That was the start of what was possibly my best sequence of training ever. 9 solid weeks, no workouts missed, good balanced fitness (certainly the best run numbers I’d recorded), and zero injuries. Good!

Of course ITU worlds has been well documented here so I won’t go on. Since the race I slipped into another funk...with the exception of one bitterly cold 30 min run in Portland OR I didn’t lift a finger for a month. When we got home I got pretty sick with a nasty flu which set my build for the New Plymouth HIM back a few weeks. I’ve been training on & off since then, and noticed a few familiar pains in the lower legs which have put a halt on my run training again. If you’d checked my training log and noticed no real entries for 4 days...that’s not a mistake. So the year ended feeling a bit down in the dumps in that regard. Bad!

I shouldn’t complain though. In real life, the one outside of triathlon, Alex & I have some exciting stuff ahead of us this year. I hope (and truly believe) we’ll look back at 2012 as a huge one, where we made lots of good decisions affecting our lifestyle going forward.

As far as triathlon goals, well they’re actually remarkably similar to last year. First and foremost I’m hoping to get through NP in good health (and without embarrassing myself on poor fitness), finally race short course nats in Wellington (I’m deep down the wait list of this sold out race) and qualify for ITU worlds in Auckland, and to put in a good (top 10) showing at the latter. That last goal was the only one I failed to achieve in 2011. If I can't race Wellington the only way I can get into Auckland is with a discretionary slot. Failing this, I'll have to give the schedule a rethink. Rotorua looks like a good early season backup option.

Anyway, good luck to all my friends racing the PoT Half next weekend...one of my favourite events and definitely one I’ll miss racing this year.

Happy New Year!

Home, sick, and random thoughts

2011-12-15T06:07:00.005+13:00

Well the return to my usual scheduled programming was pushed back by a flu of some sorts last week...I felt pretty good Sunday through Tuesday but I was knocked for 6 later in the week. Weird ‘cos this never happens. I’ve trained through countless sniffles, sore throats and various other aches & pains, but this was serious enough to see a doctor and take a few days off work (again, never happens). I snuck in one squad swim & one 20 minute run before pulling the plug. Anyway, I’m feeling somewhat normal again so I’ll start running again tomorrow. On the positive side the down time meant I got through a bunch of DVD’s bought on holiday...

...among others ;)

Because of this setback my usual 9 week build for my next race will take on a slightly different look. Still haven’t touched the bike since I’ve been back, but I have all weekend for that.

What’s with all this rain? So much for summer. It’s so wet it feels like that Aug/Sep nightmare prep period all over again.

I’m so glad to be home, but at the same time I'm really missing all the people that made our trip so memorable. So a big hi again to Margaret, Dave, Eliot, my team, the super friendly lady at Starbucks College Drive, Acu, Uncle Gordon, cuz Kai, Mr Young Sr. (Seth) & Aunt Georgia, all the happy cyclists in NorCal & Oregon inspiring me to get a custom lugged steel frame, the only shop attendant in the US who recognised a Kiwi accent, Jacqui & Chris, Liam & Sina, Sage & Jesse, NuhQuim, Iyes & little Taka (the canine family, in case you’re wondering), Grandma Bea, Auntie Pam, Kevin, Barbara, Auntie Sheila & Eric, Andrew, Seamus & family(s), David, Bryony & Brook, Don & Barbara, Jess & hubby Andy, Mikey & Polly, and anyone else I’ve left out (sorry!).

Peace.

A quick update from Sydney

2011-12-03T15:22:00.004+13:00

It's been a while between posts but all is well with us...we've been super busy but seeing we've been here at the airport for 7 hours with another few to go on our long layover between flights I figured I'd post an update.

Since my last set of pics we kept moving north and spent 3 days/nights checking out anything & everything in San Fran (love this city!), a stopover in Eureka CA after driving though some giant redwoods, then 8+ hours of driving to Portland OR for 4 days spent with my aunt, uncle & cousin who showed us an awesome time in their home town. We dropped the rental off here then jumped on a train to Seattle where we overnighted (we didn't venture out, too tired and too wet!) before catching an early morning ferry through the sounds across to Victoria (Canada) where we spent a truly memorable 8 days reacquainting with my sister, her husband, my neices & nephew & all their local friends & family. Just an oustanding time all round the the perfect way to end our holiday. From Victoria our route back included flights to Seattle, Salt Lake City, Salt Lake City (long story), LA for a night, then penultimately to Sydney where we'll be boarding our Auckland flight in about 5 hours.

To keep things tri-related, I've done a grand total of 30 minutes of running since the race in Henderson. Yes, one workout. That was in Portland and it didn't take much to realize I was poorly equipped to handle the (very) wet & (very) cold conditions in the northwest.

So I'm feeling a bit sad that such a memorable holiday has to come to an end, but equally happy to get home to family, friends & a good night's sleep in my favourite bed. I'll post some more pics later...no more slideshows, promise ;)

IDU Long Distance Race Report...Henderson NV, 05 Nov 2011

2011-11-22T10:56:00.005+13:00

I very rarely dream about triathlon but when I woke yesterday morning at the conclusion of a dream (or was it an nightmare?) about another race with a cancelled swim I figured it was time to write down my thoughts and close the chapter on this race that never was. My feelings might come across somewhat different in writing so I’ll put this out there first...I’m not bitter about the outcome, and the race organisers made the correct decisions based on the rules they had to adhere to. This will still go down as one of my more disappointing moments in the sport, but at the end of the day it’s just another race, the sport is still no more than a hobby, and we’ve had an overwhelmingly positive experience on the rest of our North America trip, so anything negative should be read tongue-in-cheek ;)

Based on my fitness & preparation I felt my pre-event goal of a top 5 age group finish was very realistic, with anything less than a top 10 being a major disappointment. I was planning on a breakdown as follows...the swim would be a bit of a stretch and reliant on a good start and finding a strong group swimming cleanly, but the bike & run I felt were very achievable on this course in the expected conditions:

Swim (4k) – 0:55
Bike (120k) – 3:30
Run (30k) – 2:15

Of course this is all simply conjecture now as none of these figures matter post-race. The numbers that do matter, those that will be recorded in history and those I’ll be judged against, are the actual results:

Bike (120k) – 3:34:55
T2 – 5:06
Run (30k) – 2:19:02
Total – 5:59:03 (15th in AG)

I had a timing chip issue so my result didn’t initially figure in the final standings. It still doesn’t show on the ITU website, so you’ll have to go to the Lowery Multisport results page for proof I actually raced :) Interesting that both bike & run were 4 minutes over my expectations...I don’t race with a watch so I really don’t know splits until I check them in the results. The bike result I expected to see based on my movement through the field, but given my epic blow-ups (both bike and even more so on the run) I’m pleasantly surprised at the run. Let me explain...

As soon as the swim was cancelled this event was now a non-event for me. Not that I don’t think I can bike & run with the best of my peers, but it’s no longer a “triathlon world championship” so any result would be an empty one and have a large asterisk next to it. So what’s one to do when you’re super-fit & super-prepared but a) can’t do the event you really wanted to, and b) don’t care about the result? I had fun, raced angry, went out as hard as I could and saw where good fitness and reckless pacing could take me.

As it happens that fitness took me to roughly the 80km mark of the bike, and the 3rd of 4 laps of the run. At these respective points I was gone...I paid for my bad pacing, blew up completely, and started going backwards through the field. At both times I had fleeting thoughts of pulling the pin and going home...there was nothing to race for remember...and my transition time would indicate this too (I think I counted 180 finishers before I found someone slower than me). But then I’d be letting down all of those who’d supported me along the way and helped me to the start line, and of course I wouldn’t be deserving of my much awaited In-N-Out “animal style” double double post race meal :) (see earlier "Vegas pics" post). There were plenty of timing mats all over the course so I’d love to see some comparative splits with the place-getters in my race, ‘cos while I started well behind my AG (chip issue) I suspect at one point my relative placing would have been way up there prior to fading on the bike...I recovered okay in the last 20km so I don’t think I lost too many places there. Again, none of that matters now. The start of my run felt pretty sharp and I was moving through the field well again until I hit the wall (literally & figuratively) at the bottom on the long gentle incline on the 3rd lap. I was gone now and I started seeing the back of a lot of the guys I’d passed earlier in the run.

This is a course I’d love to race again. The topography and road surfaces are just magnificent. The Ironman 70.3 world champs course is a wussified version of this one, so that race doesn’t really hold much appeal. If they decide to bring back the Silverman full or half races then I’d pencil one in as a must-do event before I throw the towel in on this triathlon gig...that would be the perfect way to reacquaint with an epic course, an awesome city, and the wonderful friends we made there.

Driving from LA to San Fran...do it!

2011-11-21T04:58:00.002+13:00

Lots & LOTS of cool stuff to see & do on this iconic stretch of road...avoid the freeways and take the "1":

Everything you ever wanted to see in LA...

2011-11-15T14:23:00.003+13:00

...in 94 pics. Well not quite everything, but we got pretty damn close.

Stuff I liked:
- the Travelodge in Santa Monica. What a pleasant surprise...fast broadband, nice continental breakfast, great location, clean rooms & public areas...all at a very reasonable price
- coffee (yes!) that isn't Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts, or other nasty chain stuff
- Santa Monica suburban streets...finally, some character & soul
- the Xcelerator at Kott's Berry Farm
- Venice Beach early in the morning
- Buca di Beppo portion sizes
- the weather

And stuff I didn't:
- fiscal matters...too many coins & small notes, hidden costs (local taxes & tips)
- traffic...you can't go anywhere here without gridlock
- freeways...see above re traffic
- funnel cake (just say no)
- the Ghostrider Ouch :(

Fun times in Vegas...wrapping up our stay

2011-11-11T17:46:00.000+13:00

(no I haven't forgotten to report on the race...stay tuned)

The last few days in Vegas were a trip...thankfully I pulled up well after the Saturday race and was ready to hit the road & sidewalks for some quality sightseeing with Al. Hopefully the pics tell the full story (warning: long slideshow), but here are the CliffNotes (sp.):

- we drove a few hours out of town on sunday to visit the Grand Canyon. We were greeted by gravel roads, -1 degree temps, a fresh snowfall, and of course some amazing views from the west canyon edge down to the Colorado River below. Awesome! That part of the canyon is a bit restrictive on access but totally worth the drive nonetheless.
- we made few more trips to The Strip. Madame Tussauds was wicked fun...my first visit to any wax work museum and the artwork up close is just is amazing. We also did the CSI Experience at the MGM Grand...fun, but not too difficult to solve the case. While at the MGM the fighters for the Pacquiao-Marquez bout were due in so there was a big hubbub at the entrance with fans, media and a red carpet awaiting them...we weren't sure how long they were gonna be so we didn't stick around. We did a lot of walking up & down The Strip, through malls, watched the free fountain at the Bellagio and pirate show at Treasure Island, drove through the north end of the strip which is a bit older with less resorts, more wedding chapels, liquor stores, pawn/porn shops, etc...
- we stayed our last night at the Mirage. Walking around the public areas you could tell it was one of the older resorts (lots of tacky gold paint everywhere) but our room was nice, recently refitted with decent views and a HUGE super king bed. The place was massive as expected with numerous restaurants & cafes, slot machines & cigarette smoke everywhere and people up & about all hours of the day. Incredibly, Vegas is very afforable...the Mirage was a fraction of the price of our Travelodge room here in Santa Monica, and parking is virtually free everywhere. You can eat & eat well on a budget and while neither of us are big drinkers, alcohol is stupidly cheap.
- wow, we (or at least I) really ate while we were there. On the postive side, the In-N-Out double double animal style was everything it was cracked up to be. O for awesome. Sushi Roku at the Ceasars Palace forum shops was the perfect end to our last night in Vegas and a real pleasure to share with our generous & accommodating LV host Margaret and her housemate Dave. Great food, great company. If you get the opportunity, don't go past the banana flambe...seriously, the best thing I've eaten here and probably the best desert of all time (this from a chocolate/caramel/mint lover no less). My first chilli cheese dog was pretty good too, as was the Whole Foods deli. On the no so positive side, the breakfast buffett at the Mirage was pretty average...we got to sample some grits, and while it probably wasn't authentic southern style grits neither of us will be going back for seconds. We stopped for a BK breakfast on the way out to the Grand Canyon...puke. I'm trying to think of more negatives but I'm coming up short, so perhaps the dining in Vegas wasn't too bad after all.

We've been in LA (Santa Monica) for two nights now, and we'll report on our stay here in a couple of days...but now we're off to battle traffic and spot celebrities in Hollywood :)

Yesterday

2011-11-06T08:52:00.000+13:00

A quick note on yesterday's "race".

As everyone knows the swim was cancelled due to rules concerning the "cold" conditions...as someone who got up before 4am each day to train through winter, and rode through the rain & cold for all but the last two weeks of prep, to say this was a bit of a slap in the face is to put it mildly.

Well shit happens, there's still a race on right? Well for me, no. This isn't what I signed up to do and isn't what I invested so many hours in preparation for, so any result would now be meaningless and utterly empty for me. I'm not a swimmer, or a cyclist, or a runner...I'm a triathlete. I race triathlons 'cos I like stringing the three discplines together, mixing in a bit of race craft, and walking away with satisfactory results. There was no result to be had yesterday...

I'm still peeved so please give me a few days, I'll get over it. My biggest disappointment right now is for the supporters & sponsors who'd also invested heavily in this race, both emotionally and financially, and had expectations as big as my own. I'm truly sorry we couldn't come away with something better here guys...

Race week training...31/10 - 04/11

2011-11-04T23:16:00.000+13:00

Just the last few workouts before tomorrow's race:

Core – 60mins (M, Th)

Swim – 7,157m (Tu, W, F)

Bike – 3hrs, 1min (Tu, W, F)

Run – 1hr, 40mins (M, W, F)

Next week...rest!

Day 4 in Vegas

2011-11-04T18:27:00.002+13:00

Almost a triathlon free day today with no training and lots of touristy stuff...I did have to attend the athletes meeting out at Lake Las Vegas which was a good chance to a) see a tiny bit more of the course topography (albeit it in the dark), and b) size up the competition. Anyway, that wasn't the focus of the day as you'll see below...

An update from Vegas...in pics

2011-11-03T19:01:00.003+13:00

Here's a slideshow from days 1 to 3 in the US...just a few pics missing from our first night on the strip taken with Al's D-SLR

Operation Desert Storm

2011-10-30T16:10:00.003+13:00

(and the usual boring training recap...24/10 - 30/10)

We’re outta here folks...we’re flying out at 0700 tomorrow and expect to drop in to hostile teritory around 1300 local time (or Tuesday at home, after about 20 hrs in the air). After 18 months of anticipation D-day is almost here...can’t wait!

Training this week went fairly well...everything was structured around getting the most out of the weekend’s race simulation sessions. These are the only race “rehearsal” workouts on the programme with long stretches at race effort consuming race nutrition so it was vital I was adequately motivated to execute the objectives of each session. Saturday was a 3 hr ride / 75 min run brick, and Sunday a (roughly) 4k open water swim. While still fatigued and untapered these aren't for the faint hearted and I’d be lying if I wasn’t daunted in the lead up. My cycling of late felt weak with too many interval sessions effected by run-fatigued legs so 2 x 60 mins at projected race wattage, carrying speed and consistent power delivery over very challenging terrain, just didn’t seem feasible. But, I needn’t have worried...when I hit the interval button at the end of a 60 minute blast from Clevedon to Opaheke via Monument, Skyhigh & Hunua Roads and saw the exact target average power, right down to the single digit, I allowed myself out an audible “yes!” and a little fist pump. Turning around and reversing the same route 2 watts higher was even more pleasing. The rest of the weekend went equally well...

Core – 60mins (M, Th, Sa)

Swim – 13,300m (M, W, F, Su)

Bike – 6hrs (Tu, Th, Sa)

Run – 5hrs, 30mins (M, Tu, Th, Sa, Su)

Next week...race week. A reduced programme in unfamiliar surrounds...always a bit of a hassle finding pools & routes, but once established these are usually very stimulating & enjoyable workouts. Not a lot I can do now to build fitness...just stay sharp, keep light & get fresh. Perhaps I’ll add an update during the week with some pics but probably nothing tri related until post race. On that note, if you’re at the race on Saturday keep an eye out for me and please say hi...

...or perhaps a better view for those in the M30-34 category ;)

Last build week is done. Bank it…17/10 – 23/10

2011-10-26T22:38:00.001+13:00

Apologies to those awaiting an update :) This week we cranked through 22hrs 53+mins of SOLID training...another reasonable week in the pool, a repeat of last week’s cycling volume (if lacking a little quality), and another sharp(!) run week. 90.9km in 6hrs 55mins...you can do the math there.

Unless you’ve been living on Mars you’ll know our boys brought the Webb Ellis cup back to it’s rightful home. As much as I enjoyed watching the rugby on the tele neither Alex nor I really got involved until Monday’s parade down Queen St. As we were watching the ABs celebrating I couldn’t help but think the procession was missing something...the French! Wouldn’t it have been nice to include the losing finalists? Written off by so many pre match, they really brought their A games and played with tremendous mana befitting the occasion...from the haka response through to the final whistle, they were tough and uncompromising and really unsettled our team of 4 million. With such a storied history between these oppponents it would have been the perfect finishing touch to repay them the respect they’ve always shown us. Alas...

Core – 60mins (M, Tu, F)…3 x 20min.

Swim – 14,933m (M, W, Th, Su)…an up & down week in the pool, really lacked consistency. That said the two extra weekend “endurance” swims thus far (2x1000, 2x1500) have gone well.

Bike – 11hrs, 5mins (Tu, F, Sa, Su)…not really satisfied with my cycling this week. Not getting the long race effort intervals in as I should...run fatigue is really killing these workouts. When fresh, everything’s clicking though...so bring on that taper I say.

Run – 6hrs, 55mins (M, W, Th, F, Sa, Su)…sharp. 00:45 easy, 2:15 long/steady, 1:30 w/tempo, 00:45 easy, 1:30 w/tempo & finally 00:10 transition on the Sunday. That completes the incremental build to peak volume, and as above the end result was a smidge over 90k.

Next week (or giving the timing, this week)…taper! Love this part of the programme...all the aches & pains & niggles go away with the reduced volume and lo & behold I start to feel human again. No backing off on the intensity, but much better spacing & recovery help big time. Nothing will really count this week from Mon-Fri...it’s all about the big race sim workouts on the weekend*, which are always kinda daunting.

*speaking of which, if I’m gonna get my race simulation swim done in preferred open water format, I’ll need some partners to form a group. Any takers for a roughly 4k/60min swim at St Heliers beach on Sunday morning? High tide is 10:45am, so a good start time. I’d like to do a short w/u splash, then a fast start/400 (a couple of bouys), swim steady to maybe Mission Bay then return with a fast finish/200. Will definitely include some stops along the way to regroup. If you’re keen please jot down a reply on this post...

Phew, we’re through…10/10 – 16/10

2011-10-16T23:43:00.002+13:00

A collective sigh of relief washed over the country tonight as our beloved AB’s silenced the doubters with a dominant display against the Wallabies and booked their ticket to the RWC final...well done lads, very well done.

Speaking of well done, got through a monster week (by my standards) with some good swimming, solid cycling & sharp(!) running spread over 22 hrs & 40 mins. The running in particular was bizarre...every session started with sore dead legs and faint motivation, but finished with average paces of 4:21/km (for 45:00 mins), 4:54 (2:15:00), 4:38 (1:25:00), 4:33 (45:00), 4:33 (1:30:00), and 4:32 (10:00)...with only the two medium length workouts containing any “fast” running. This is pretty quick for me, so I hope I haven’t peaked too soon...

(...cue another All Black reference!)

Core – 60mins (M, F, Su)…3 x 20min.

Swim – 14,633m (M, W, F, Sa)…squad swims M/W/F & a decent solo effort on the weekend. Coach sprung a 2k TT on us Wed and I typically avoid these unless I have something similar scheduled, but I was motivated to correct some laziness in the pool over the last month or so and just put my head down and went for it. A lot tougher leading a lane than finding fast feet to draft & pace off! :)

Bike – 11hrs, 5.5mins (Tu, Th, Sa, Su)…pretty content. Good hill session early in the week, I knew my legs would be stuffed for Thurs (after a Wed pm long run) so happy to take that one easy, and got what I needed to done over the weekend.

Run – 6hrs, 54mins (Tu, W, Th, F, Sa, Su)…see above comments.

Next week…I’ll extend the weekend swim (may even join a group for an OWS session) and the Mon hill run by 5 mins, but otherwise a repeat of the above.

Oh my wheels arrived at last. I’ve never been one to have the latest & flashest bike gear (I kinda pride myself on getting results the frugal way...ie, buying cheap and/or used stuff) so I’ve always been a bit envious of those with a versatile quiver of fast race wheels. After doing every race since 2007 on one set of wheels (a used HED3 front, and my covered 28 spoke training rear) I’m finally satisfied my latest acquisition covers me for every possible scenario for the foreseeable future. Best of all, no annoying tyre & tube changes, swapping of cassettes and addition/removal of wheel covers between training & racing...that was a necessary evil that got real old real quick! I think I’ll do a quick pictorial explaining my choices this week...

Terrible news…03/10 – 09/10

2011-10-11T17:41:00.002+13:00

A dark grey cloud has just formed over our holiday.

A few months ago I purchased tickets for the Lakers vs Spurs at the Staples Centre on November 9th...

...but today the NBA confirmed they’ve cancelled the first two weeks of the regular season. Noooooooooo! :( That was shaping up to be a real highlight of the trip for me...I’m not a Lakers fan by any means (more into Duncan/Ginobli/Parker of the Spurs) but the idea of hanging out with Jack Nicholson, Snoop Dogg and the rest of LA’s entertainment A-list sounded kinda fun.

As they say every cloud has a silver lining though...if I’m doing my sums correctly, based on exchange rate changes from the time of purchase I might make about NZ$20 from my US$ refund...woot! :) And as an alternative I’ve got tentative agreement from Alex to go watch a team I’ve followed since the Steve Young days of the early 90s...my 49ers (currently 4-1, looking good this year!) play the NY Giants at Candlestick on Sunday November 13th and our tentative schedule puts us in San Fran pretty close to that weekend. Can’t guarantee we’ll be around so we’ll have to play this one by ear.

Oh we’re okay by the way...everything’s fine here, fighting fit. Thanks for asking.

Core – 60mins (Tu, Th, Sa)…3 x 20min.

Swim – 10,567m (M, Tu, Su)…just the one squad session on Monday. My swimming’s really up & down at the moment, but I think my baseline threshold pace is about where it needs to be...it’s just doesn’t “feel” right, which is a kinda big deal with swimming. Hopefully this improves as I ramp up to 4 swims a week this week.

Bike – 10hrs, 32.5mins (Th, F, Sa, Su)…not bad at all. I forget why I didn’t ride Mon-Wed and crammed everything in from Thursday...probably just laziness (or weather). The Sunday long ride was another beaut...not quite as much climbing as the week prior but 4hrs 45+mins at good power was encouraging.

Run – 6hrs, 37.5mins (M, Tu, W, F, Sa, Su)…my little brother Andrew came to stay with us late in the week so I shuffled some stuff around to allow some free time after work. Even did a run from the office at lunchtime...I’d forgotten what it felts like to run at midday...nice & sharp, will do more of these! Ave pace and mileage for the week were down on expectations...a Mon hill rep run in torrential rain (wettest. run. ever.) and being half asleep for the Wed 2hr 10min long run (4am start!) probably contributed.

Next week…we ramp up again with an extra swim, about 30mins more cycling and 15mins more running. Second biggest week of the build...boo-yah! Still waiting for those wheels to show up too ((fingers crossed)).

Over the hump…26/09 – 02/10

2011-10-02T23:54:00.001+13:00

Well that’s week six of eleven done & dusted so it’s all downhill from here...or at least that’s what I’m telling myself when the alarm goes off each morning. The reality is there’s still a lot of work to be done with the 3 biggest weeks of the build (all between 21-24 hours) now staring me in the face. Got in a good 21+ this week and feeling pretty normal again after a tough time last week.

I think that’s what I love about this stuff...no two weeks, days or even workouts are the same so it’s a constant experiment of pushing on or holding back through all the physical & emotional ups & downs. It’s not always enjoyable, but working hard for the things we want often isn’t...be it saving for a major purchase, working hard for a promotion, persisting through difficult times in a relationship, or indeed training for a big race. But I’ll continue doing it for as long as my goals still drive me...and as long as I still find the completion of each & every workout, whilst not necessarily enjoyable, hugely rewarding & deeply satisfying.

Core – 60mins (Tu, Th, Su)…3 x 20min.

Swim – 11,667m (M, W, F)…back to 3 squad sessions. All pretty average in length and intensity.

Bike – 10hrs, 33.5mins (Tu, Th, Sa, Su)…starting to get through some good volume now. Recovering and backing up from quality run training is always a struggle...I don’t think I’ve quite found the right balance here. Power in the aerobars feels weak. The climbing feels good though, which will come in handy in November.

Run – 6hrs, 34.5mins (M, Tu, W, Th, Sa, Su)…Cornwall Park is now officially my favourite place to run. I’ve only just discovered that cross-country style track that runs around the outskirts of the park (!?!?). With the daylight savings change (it’s closed after dark, unlit and kinda treacherous) it means I can squeeze in a detour here on my long run home from the office and run some gentle but challenging grass tracks...my legs are thanking me for this discovery.

Next week…very similar to this week. If you recall from my initial plan, week 7 would be a near replica of week 6...the only difference being an extra 5mins tacked onto Monday’s hill rep run. I mentioned above that no two workouts are the same, and that remains...

Tired…19/09 – 25/09

2011-09-25T22:58:00.000+13:00

I’ll admit to struggling through a few workouts this week...circumstances meant I had to juggle some of the key sessions around early in the week so I ended up bunching some rides & runs a little close together, and my swimming & cycling (mid week) and running (weekend) suffered for it. A far cry from last week where I confidently pronounced how fresh & chipper I was feeling on Sunday arvo...yes I spoke too soon.

Still got everything done though, and I’m still alive to talk about it, so it can’t be all bad. What doesn’t kill you...right? Oh and I have some new toys on the way, so that’s perked me up a bit:

Core – 60mins (Tu, W, Fr)…3 x 20min.

Swim – 10,667m (M, Tu, Th)…a poor week in the pool. Entirely my fault...had no bike ‘til Wed pm so had to cram the swimming in earlier and make up the cycling later in the week. This meant only one squad session and two weak solo swims. Nothing good to say here, let’s move on...

Bike – 10hrs, 1.5mins (W, F, Sa, Su)…slightly better, but I wussed out a little on the midweek hills (took them relatively easy) & intervals (embarrassing power output). The shining light was the long ride which I brought forward to Saturday ‘cos the weather forecast for Sunday looked like shite....YES, finally a long ride without rain! Got in just over 120k with about 1,500m of climbing, so nice hills, little wind, lots of sunshine = bliss

Run – 6hrs, 22mins (M, Tu, W, Th, Sa, Su)…a bit like the cycling with the shorter sessions impacted by fatigue, but balanced with a sweet long run over stimulating terrain (CBD to the domain, Mt Hobson, One Tree Hill then home to St Hells). The first run over an hour where I didn’t need gloves...nice!

Next week…I laid out a template back in week one of this eleven week prep to show how a typical week is structured. Next week largely follows the same schedule, but here’s an update showing how volume has built incrementally in the last 5 weeks:

Mon a.m. squad swim tech focus...p.m. 80min run easy w/hill reps
Tue a.m. 45min run easy...p.m. 115min ride all hard hills
Wed a.m. squad swim threshold focus...p.m. 130min run easy-steady (may swap)
Thu a.m. 115min ride w/long intervals @ race AP...p.m. 40min run easy
Fri a.m. squad swim speed focus...p.m. rest
Sat a.m. 85min run easy w/middle 3rd tempo...115min ride easy
Sun a.m. 285min ride easy-steady w/some mod hills...10min easy t-run

[insert imaginative post title here]…12/09 – 18/09

2011-09-18T15:12:00.001+12:00

Fortunately my enthusiasm for training is much higher than my enthusiasm for blogging right now...after 676 posts it’s getting harder & harder to think of interesting content.

I can report a good week of just under 20hrs (‘bout 19:45) in the pool, in the saddle and on the feet, and I’m feeling pretty spritely as I type this. I was expecting to start feeling the effects of more residual fatigue about now but perhaps I’ve passed that stage and seeing some fitness gains early in this build...if so that’s encouraging. Getting a lot of climbing in on the bike and it’s starting to get easier & easier now...I actually changed cassettes again to a 12-27 ‘cos I didn’t like the jump from 17 to 15t when riding the flatter stuff, but I may change back ‘cos power is better now making that gap less noticeable, and I feel like I could get good use out of the 11t...I think on this course it’s a case of either grinding up hills at one end of the cassette and blasting down them at the other. Trying to find training terrain like this to put it to the test is pretty tricky though:

Core – 60mins (Tu, Th, Fr)…3 x 20min.

Swim – 11,800m (M, W, Th)…the legs were feeling a bit dead after Wed night’s long run so I delayed the Thurs interval ride ‘til Fri, and squeezed my last swim for the week in early. Wed’s squad session was a whopper...a 4k main set of 40x100m, all on a 1:30 send-off. I’d never get through a set like that on my own but survived this one in reasonable shape (all 1:20-1:22).

Bike – 9hrs, 34.5mins (Tu, F, Sa, Su)…getting there. As mentioned above I feel like the bike fitness is coming back pretty quickly. Lots & lots & lots of rain isn’t helping the enthusiasm, but getting out there and getting is done is very satisfying. Somehow, even with very few sunshine hours of late, the tan lines are back!

Run – 6hrs, 10mins (M, Tu, W, Th, Sa, Su)…the long run has built to 2hrs flat now and again they’re starting to feel easier, or at least somewhat normal. Still getting through the 2 quality (medium length) sessions okay, with 3 easy short efforts filling out the schedule.

Next week…more of the same.

NOOoooo*…05/09 – 11/09

2011-09-11T22:46:00.001+12:00

I think I watched more rugby from Fri to Sun nights than I have for the entire year to date. The RWC kicked off with a massive bang...the fireworks extravaganza delivered as promised...

...in stark contrast to the form of the contenders on the field. None of the “big five” had convincing wins so as far as form guides go this cup is W-I-D-E open.

Core – 60mins (Tu, W, Fr)…3 x 20min.

Swim – 11,767m (M, W, Fr)…back to my regular programming with 3 squad swims of moderate length & intensity. My diary notes would suggest a pretty typical week...lots of good, some bad.

Bike – 9hrs, 2mins (Tu, Th, Sa, Su)…see swim above.

Run – 5hrs, 57.5mins (M, Tu, W, Th, Sa, Su)…see bike above :)

No really, it was a very run-of-the-mill week as far as training was concerned. Got everything done with no major highlights or lowlights. Well except perhaps for yesterday’s wet & wild long ride where I couldn’t feel my hands & feet for 2 hours...or was that a highlight?

Next week…*oh yeah, about that subject heading, and in keeping with “wet & wild”...

Week two (of eleven)…29/08 – 04/09

2011-09-04T23:50:00.000+12:00

What a crazy training week. I managed to squeeze in all that cycling M-F, which meant about 14.5hrs of an 18hr training week done by 7am Fri morning. Think I’m gonna have to ask Al to start driving to work so I can get in some quick 15min powernaps again on the mornings with very early starts (like on the bike at 4am early) :(

On the positive side we had a(nother) glooorious weekend in Wellington with my sis Rita & hubby Jake...every time we visit Welly puts on it’s best face. We had quite the culinary weekend with some amazing food on both days. Here’s a sweet pic of our Sunday picnic lunch on Rita’s front lawn...Al & I with Jake & his folks celebrating Father’s Day:

As for that pesky training:

Core – 60mins (Tu, W, Su)…3 x 20min.

Swim – 10,500m (M, W, Th)…pretty sluggish this week. All 3 sessions on my lonesome, two of which in a headache-inducing 28 degree 25m pool. Yuck. Did get the important stuff done though with a long session of 4k and some speedwork late in the week.

Bike – 8hrs, 30mins (M, Tu, W, Th, F)…I don’t think I’ve ever ridden 7 days in a row before (certainly not intentionally), so pretty chuffed just to do that. The quality was pretty good too...obviously had to split this week’s long 3.75hr ride in two and keep it closer to home so the climbing wasn’t as good as usual, but overall a very satisfactory week.

Run – 5hrs, 40mins (M, Tu, W, F, Sa, Su)…definitely suffered a little here, particularly late in the week. Two of the more important efforts were done in Wellington...Sat’s tempo run was actually pretty sharp, but all that fatigue caught up with by Sun and I really struggled on the long run over some seriously hilly terrain. Bit off a bit more than I could chew today. Still, I really love running along those trails high up above the southern coast...awe-inspiring views are good reward for some really hard work just getting up there. Helps that I’ve gotten really lucky with pleasant conditions each time.

Next week…as much as I enjoyed our visit I’m very happy to be home and reunited with my regular schedule. In other news the Rugby World Cup starts Fri which is pretty bloody exciting for our ‘lil country...it seems like it’s been such a long time coming, and now it’s finally here!

One down, ten to go…22/08 – 28/08

2011-08-28T22:02:00.004+12:00

There we have it kids, week one in the bank. Going from almost zero cycling to 8+ hrs (after two weeks off the bike completely) was a bit of a shock to the system...I was completely trashed on Thursday morning but a few easier sessions and the legs came back for the weekend. I’ll try to document this build better than the last, so that means we’re back to weekly updates (touch wood)...

Core – 60mins (Tu, Th, Fr)…3 x 20min, normal in-front-of-the-tv stuff.

Swim – 11,467m (M, W, F)…got to all 3 squad sessions this week for a change. Wed was a nice big main set of over 3k, much with paddles at a decent pace. Fri had some crazy VO2max speed stuff (3x66 all out with 5 rest, then 1x200 @ threshold...x 4)...ughh.

Bike – 8hrs, 4.5mins (Tu, Th, Sa, Su)…back into the swing of things. As mentioned above the midweek sessions were a bit of a shock to the system...I think I went a bit hard in the first (90mins, all hard hills) which effected the second pretty badly. Came right by the Sun long ride...got 1200m+ of climbing into 3.5hrs, and felt okay for the rest of the day, so all good. For the WKO+ geeks, this is what a PMC looks like when you get lazy during your offseason:

Run – 5hrs, 26mins (M, Tu, W, Th, Sa, Su)…not much to say here, just stuck to the plan as outlined last week. Some sessions felt worse than others, but got out the door and did it anyway.

Next week…just to throw a spanner in the works, we’re away for a social event in Wellington this weekend so no bike = no weekend cycling. I’ll bring my running shoes and try to cram a medium & long run in on Sat & Sun, but to get in my critical bike volume it means riding every morning Mon-Fri for a total of 8.5 hrs, and re-shuffling everything else too. So how ‘bout that for a turnaround? On the bike for 7 days in a row...who’da thunk it?!

And so it begins...

2011-08-21T10:35:00.006+12:00

no we're not there yet, but I found this cool pic for motivation...we're big "Office" fans, and that's the same Dwight Schrute bobblehead doll I bought Alex for xmas :)

The "it" from the blog title being my build period for ITU worlds on Nov 5th in Vegas. I sit here typing away wearing shorts on a cool, crisp but stunningly beautiful Sunday morning wishing the next 11 weeks were exactly like this, but alas I'm bound to hit some rough weather patches in what is still statistically & historically our 2nd coldest & wettest month of the year (after July). It snowed this week (yes, we saw snow drifting past the office window) for the first time in Auckland since the '30s! Okay it was only for about 30 seconds, but damn it, it snowed! For various reasons (some valid, some embarrassingly weak) this has been my lowest volume off-season by far, but I have heaps of confidence in my reliable long distance prep template*...it's delivered results each time and and I see no reason why it won't with a few tweaks specific to this race. I'm swimming & running well, starting the build at a good body weight & composition with no injuries, and while I've barely touched the bike this offseason those few rides are showing decent power numbers on the SRM. If I had to grade my current fitness it would look like this:

Swim: B-
Bike: D+ (good quality, but fails on volume)
Run: B+

*Next week...after the HIM successes of the last season or two I've been asked a few times from various people (mostly acquaintances from the Slowtwitch forums) exactly what that template looks like, so here it is for the world too see. The following is my 1st week, and it's basically the same schedule building incrementally each & every week. The difference for this longer race is that it'll build in volume for 9 weeks instead of the usual 7, with the 2nd longest (about 22.5 hrs) and longest (about 23.5 hrs) weeks doubled up back-to-back as weeks 6 & 7 and 8 & 9 before the 2 week taper. I also throw in an extra swim from week 8. The race rehearsal workouts done during the taper will differ slightly too due to the race length. So here's what I have on the plan for 22/08 - 28:08:

Mon a.m. squad swim (approx 3.8 - 4.2k) tech focus...p.m. 70min run easy w/hill reps
Tue a.m. 90min ride all hard hills...p.m. 35min run easy
Wed a.m. squad swim threshold focus...p.m. 105min run easy-steady
Thu a.m. 90min ride w/long intervals @ race AP (ave power)...p.m. 35min run easy
Fri a.m. squad swim speed focus...p.m. rest
Sat a.m. 70min run easy w/middle 3rd tempo...90min ride easy
Sun a.m. 210min ride easy-steady w/some mod hills...10min easy t-run

So there it is...nothing fancy, and the word "easy" gets repeated a lot.

Here...we...go......

Maybe it's time for a new blog title

2011-07-23T06:21:00.004+12:00

Yep, a 28t (waaahaha!) bailout gear about to be mounted on the steed...in preparation of things to come.

I had to make good on a promise...13/06 – 17/07

2011-07-17T22:17:00.001+12:00

...before my next blog update. A promise to myself, that is. You see I finished my last training wrap with a goal to get on the dreaded trainer for at least one indoor ride, and not one to give up on a goal I refused to write another update having failed to achieve this simple sounding task. I put it off for weeks and weeks and finally bit the bullet...yesterday...and only for 30 minutes :) But I got it done. I also mentioned some leg pain but that’s dead & buried now. I’ve been back into my 6 x weekly run routine and feeling great. All is well...

Week ending 19/06:
Core - 60mins
Swim – 11,533m (3:04)
Bike - 1hrs, 17.5mins (38.2km)
Run - 3hrs, 30mins (44.3km)

Week ending 26/06:
Core - 60mins
Swim – 11,300m (2:57)
Bike - 1hrs, 32.5mins (44.8km)
Run - 4hrs, 40.5mins (57km)

Week ending 03/07:
Core - 60mins
Swim – 10,600m (2:46)
Bike - 2hrs, 50.5mins (76km)
Run - 5hrs, 6mins (63.1km)

Week ending 10/07:
Core - 60mins
Swim – 11,530m (3:03)
Bike - 3hrs, 32.5mins (97km)
Run - 5hrs, 28.5mins (67km)

Week ending 17/07:
Core - 60mins
Swim – 10,000m (2:36)
Bike - 3hrs, 32mins (105.2km)
Run - 5hrs, 50mins (71.5km)

Next week...get a new cassette for the bike, 'cos holy crap I almost died grinding up Creightons Rd in Clevedon...in the 23 tooth cog...at about 30rpm! Felt a bit like this:

PERSEVERANCE

2011-06-13T14:54:00.007+12:00

"...but this is where my heart was. It wouldn't have felt right to put another uniform on," Nowitzki said. "The fans and everybody here, Mark and Donnie have been so loyal to me over the past 12 years that it would have kind of felt like running away a little bit."

"So, I'm here for the long run. We have four more years to reach our goal and I'm ready."

It rides!...16/05 - 12/06

2011-06-12T11:59:00.006+12:00

Wow, another 4 weeks bites the dust. I have good news and bad news...

Good news:

- I'm swimming well
- I rode my bike...outside...twice!
- My running felt pretty good...for 3 weeks
- My weight seems stable again...no more 70kg+ blow-outs

Bad news:

- My leg hurts. Again. Not the shins, but a calf strain of sorts. Different leg now. I took the week off running last week and it feels better now, so I'll test it out tonight with a gentle 30 minutes. I blame the Garmin...damn thing makes me run too hard, particularly up hills!

Core - 240mins

Swim - 40,817m

Bike - 3hrs, 29.5mins

Run - 11hrs, 46.5mins

Next week...my main goal for the week is to finally bite the bullet and complete at least one, yes ONE, indoor ride. At the moment the trainer is gathering dust in the corner resembling a solid, if a little expensive, stand for the bike. I think I just need one productive ride to get over the hump...

Yikes...11/04 - 15/05

2011-05-15T11:59:00.002+12:00

Sorry, not much going on these last 5 weeks. Very busy being a fiancé, employee, son, brother, friend, etc...and not so much a triathlete.

It’ll get better though, it has to from here on in. With a good swim block finished I move on to 16 weeks of run-orientated training before my 11 week build period for Vegas. I’ll have to get back on the bike sooner rather than later too...9,000+ feet of climbing is finally starting to look intimidating!

Core – 285mins

Swim – 40,433m

Bike – 0hrs, 0mins

Run – 11hrs, 45mins

Next week…swim, bike, run, repeat...

I got a cool new toy the other week which will finally give me some reliable run pace info...a Garmin Forerunner 210 GPS/HR watch. After a few years of estimating (albeit very accurately) my training distances and running on feel, having instant current pace on my wrist is pretty damn cool...and eye-opening. The 210 came out late last year as a basic GPS running watch so it doesn’t quite have all the bells & whistles of it’s 310/410/610 older brothers, but it has everything I need (time, current pace), nothing I don’t (fancy intervals & zone info, power monitoring), and best of all...it actually looks like a watch!

Rangitoto!

2011-04-16T11:44:00.004+12:00

Ok, I said I’d post a quick RR…here goes.

This day didn’t start too well…Al dropped me off at 7am at the ferry terminal for our ride out to the island. For some reason I thought we were meeting for rego at 7, departing at 8, arriving around 8:30 and starting around 8:50. I thought this was just a little grass roots event but man was I mistaken…it was BIG. There were 400+ starters and seemingly lots of people to process through rego and onto multiple ferries. So I’d stuffed up my timing pretty bad…we weren’t departing until 8:30 and weren’t starting ‘til 9:50! So almost 3 hours of pissing around before we actually got to swim. Worse was that I passed this bad info onto poor Alex who waited around the finish line for an hour longer than she should have…sorry babe, my bad! :O

Ok…so 9:50 rolls around and we finally get in the water. There wasn’t the usual jostling for position that we get at the front of a triathlon swim wave. Everyone was spread out over a looong start line. I positioned myself front and centre, as usual. The horn goes and we’re off. I didn’t really feel that prepared for the race…my swim fitness didn’t feel that great, and my wetsuit was way too tight on me. There was a non-wetsuit division that I could’ve chosen but regardless of how much body fat I carry mid-April water temps are a no go for me. So the first 500m are the usual splash & dash and desperate fight for feet I have no business keeping up with. I wasn’t too successful at this…due to the wide open space the fast people found room and cleared away pretty quickly so I was left to swim on my own for a significant portion of the swim. The lead boat with the giant neon X across the stern started from the left side of the course and veered right into the centre where I was swimming so I had no trouble sighting for about two-thirds of the race. Of course as time went by it crept further & further away from me but by now I’d found someone whose wake I could follow so sighting was never an issue…I think I swam straight up the middle of the course as I had swimmers and kayaks marking the edges on either side of me (equal distance away) and I didn’t make any major direction changes. I felt my starting pace was ok but several times through the middle of the race I felt I was really close to blowing…each time I backed off slightly, focused on long easy strokes, and slowly wound the pace up again thinking “c’mon, what’s an hour of discomfort?” This might’ve happened 4 or 5 times during the event.

As we started to get closer to the beach myself and the feet I was following were joined by another guy. We must’ve been about 400 to 500 out so now I’m starting to think of those VO2max sets we’ve been doing in the pool…I started to kick & pull furiously and steadily pulled away in those last 5 minutes and hit the beach with a small gap to my new friends.

The funny thing I find with swimming is that even during the hardest reps where you’re burying yourself for anywhere from 30secs to 30mins, recovery comes pretty quickly and the same efforts are often very repeatable. At the finish my legs weren’t staggering up the beach and I was hardly out of breath…I crossed the finish line quietly and did the customary quick look around for friends & acquaintances who beat me. As it happens, not many did…I finished in 1:04:13 and 20th overall. I was pretty happy with this as my benchmark going into the race, local open water legend and recent 46min IM swimmer Brent Foster, was only 8 minutes ahead.

So that’s that…after 5 years of triathlon I’ve completed my first open water swim race. It was kinda cool in some ways just to be “racing” in organised events again…I guess the situation with the running injury didn’t leave me many late-season options, but I’m not sure I’ll do another. At least when I drive past this stretch of water twice a day every day on my commute, I can finally say “yeah, I’ve swum that”.

More swimming, and one last race for the season…28/03 – 10/04

2011-04-10T22:28:00.001+12:00

Well I’ve just about wrapped up this small swim focus block…just a few more weeks to go and I move on to 16 weeks of running (with a little bike & swim mixed in for fun). After driving past this stretch of water twice a day every day on my commute, I finally got around to racing the Rangitoto swim…an hour in the water at threshold effort isn’t my favourite way to spend a Sunday morning, but I was satisfied with the end result. A short RR will follow soon.

Core – 120mins

Swim – 34,028m (mix of pool lengths)

Bike – 0hrs, 0mins (bwahaha)

Run – 3hrs (easy does it)

Next week…will still knock of 5+ swims but easier on the intensity, at least early in the week. The 30min runs I’ve been doing have felt really really sharp, so I’m confident the time is right to add some volume and a better structure (3/2/1, etc)…look for more running in future updates.

Oh and I’ve got some really encouraging news to share on the sponsorship front but that’s for another post too ;)

Up & running (well, kind of)…07/03 – 27/03

2011-03-27T22:56:00.002+13:00

First the good news…after two months off the feet, I ran eleven times in the last 3 weeks!

Now for the bad news…each and every run felt bloody awful! :( It wasn’t quite the glorious comeback I was hoping for…I felt every ounce of the 5 or so kilos I’ve put on since Tauranga, and there are still some aches in that area of the leg, so I’m dialling it back again and will gind out multiple short runs per week (say 4 x 25mins) until I can relax on a Sunday afternoon feeling healthy & niggle-free. While that may sound a bit doom & gloom, we're still 7+ months out from raceday so I'm not the least bit worried...still plenty of time to gently build into my usual winter run focus.

Still swimming heaps (by my usual standards) and really looking forward to the Rangitoto race in two weeks time. Unfortunately my beloved blueseventy Helix was purchased when I was much closer to race weight so isn’t fitting so well right now…I took it down to Parnell one morning and my head felt like a pimple ripe for squeezing. Oops, my bad… :)

Core – 180mins

Swim – 47,600m (!)

Bike – 0hrs, 0mins (!!)

Run – 5hrs, 20mins (!!!)

Next week…same old, same old.

The puzzle that is the ITU worlds in November is starting to come together. I’ve committed to the team and signed my life away, got all of our flight options lined up, have pencilled in a fall-back option for accommodation, and lastly working on some leads with regards to sponsorship…all things going well by the time I post again we’ll be ready to roll!

Getting closer & closer to the top 20...

2011-03-25T23:07:00.004+13:00

Now at 22nd OA...just need a few more dopers bumped and I'm there:

http://www.triathlon.org.nz/news?id=159

Ok, I jest...a pretty rank way of moving up in the world I must say.

Still alive!…07/02 – 06/03

2011-03-06T19:46:00.000+13:00

Only just though…just keeping my head above water, literally. I’ve been very un(tri)athletic for 4 weeks…I’m all for fitness peaks & valleys but this is some trough I’ll be pulling myself out of. Nothing like a good challenge though :)

On the positive side I’ve been focused on getting to the pool and getting my swim times down. Given the loose diet, pudgy body composition and general overall laziness outside the pool, I was somewhat surprised to hit a 28 flat (or 28:03 to be precise) 2km TT in a congested lane on what I felt was decidedly poor fitness…so I’m doing something right there. The swim squad is stimulating and keeping my interest, but I feel like I’m sandbagging a bit in the 3rd fastest of 4 lanes. Problem is when I move up a lane I don’t feel I’m getting anywhere near as good a workout sitting in the draft as I do leading a lane…and let’s face it, setting the tempo and destroying my new lane-mates is fun! You’ll notice I’ve signed up for the Rangitoto swim in April so I’ve got a short term goal to push me along too.

Core – 210mins

Swim – 59,900m

Bike – 2hrs, 26.5mins (yes that’s all!)

Run – 0hrs

Next week…more swimming and…(drum-roll please)…I start running again!

Lazy, lazy lazy...24/01 - 06/02

2011-02-06T16:12:00.001+13:00

I believe the last 4 weeks have been my least active since I took up this gig way back in 2006.

For the last month I've been a useless lazy sack of potatoes...I haven't run a step and I've barely touched my bike (about 1/2 a dozen rides, total). I put on an extra 10% in bodyweight in 3 weeks. After achieving my race goals my short term interest and motivation to train took quite a dive. On the plus side I've gotten some mojo back to improve my swimming...there were a couple of guys in the Tauranga raced who've closed the gap on me (in the water) and are getting a little too close for comfort. More on this soon...

To be fair my (self-diagnosed, 99% certain) stress fracture means I should be staying off the legs anyway...definitely no running for a while, and it was probably a good thing to dial down the cycling for the first few weeks at least. I first started feeling it about 3 weeks prior to the race but took a pretty big risk and decided to push through it...as along as my leg didn't disintegrate before the finish line I'd consider it a good decision. Kids, don't try this at home (this is why I'll never coach...I do stupid sh*t)! The injury means no running until at least March the 5th, which means little to no quality (run) training volume for another 4-6 weeks after that. It might sound a touch elitist but I never want to show up at a race unprepared and unable to give my best...that's just how I feel about racing right now. So with no chance of being race fit between now and mid April you can stick a fork in me...I'm done for the season :( Strangely I'm not all that distraught...means I can catch up on other neglected activities for the next little while, and I've got that big target on the calendar in Nov to look forward to.

Now as for that swimming, I've been dawdling along in the open lanes at GI for a few years now doing my own thing and noticed the strength of the squad in the lanes next to me grow quite impressively, so I found out some prices and I was really pleasantly surprised...$75 a month gets me a spot for any sessions, and and all I can eat swimming at the facility (squad or non). This is exceptionally cheap by Auckland standards! So I decided to capitalize on this and my injury/fitness situ and turn the next 3 months into a swim focus block. I didn't really concentrate on my swimming at all last year...I was just trying to improve my run and maintain what I had in the water and on the bike. I think it worked pretty well and I'll definitely keep working on that run come late autumn, but for the time-being I'll swim at least 5 days a week and 3 or 4 times...when the weather's nice of course ;)

As for the last two weeks, here it is (yep, all of it):

Core – 120mins (M, Tu, W, Th, Tu, F, Su)

Swim – 7,407m (M, W, Th, F)

Bike – 6hrs, 5mins (Su, M, Sa)

Run - 0hrs...hehehe

Next week…grow gills!

M.I.A...10/01 - 23/01

2011-01-23T19:00:00.004+13:00

Well not quite...after a very easy week at home with a little swimming and cycling, I just got back from a week in Singapore with absolutely no training, so while something certainly went "missing" (my fitness) I've gained something in return...about 3.6kgs :)

Core - 120mins (M, Tu, Sa, Tu, W)

Swim - 5,173m (Tu, Th, M)

Bike - 4hrs (W, Su)

Run - 0hrs

As mentioned, I spent 5 days this week in Singapore for a sales conference. I flew up on Monday arriving after 8pm so retired to the hotel pretty early...just went for a quick walk down the street to 7-eleven to pick up some essential supplies (snacks, a razor, etc). Tuesday and Wednesday were spent in the office just meeting some of the team I'd been working with remotely with for the last 15 months since our restructure, and doing my normal M-W routine tasks...nothing glorious about squeezing 3 days work into 2 on a (painfully slow) online citrix environment. I didn't leave the office before 7pm on either day. Wed night my direct (NZ) manager arrived so we and the other guy I report to (Japan based but in Singapore for the conference) caught up for dinner, a few drinks and a some good chat. Thursday and Friday were the conference days so most of the visitng attendees from the North Asia & South Pacific regions met in the host hotel cafe for breakfast...very cool meeting up with familiar faces and making new friends. We held the conference in the boardroom & meeting rooms of our head office there in Singapore. All arrangements went smoothly and everything went to plan...I made a 30min presentation to the group on Thurs and held 5 x 1hr one-on-one meetings over the two days to address various administrative problem issues with most of the agents in attendance. We had a great team dinner Thurs night at a local restaurant and the mood of the two days conference was generally very upbeat & positive. Myself, my NZ manager and our NZ sales manager all departed on the Fri night flight back to Auckland, arriving midday Saturday...we were all pretty beat by now and looking forward to getting home to loved ones.

Apart from a short jaunt down the road on Tues night for dinner and a quick look around, I really had no other time to myself to enjoy the delights of Singapore...as you'll see from the pics I snapped:

Outside the hotel

My favourite building in Singapore

From the hotel room...sneak peek of the corner of the new Marina Bay Sands Skypark

The team

The Mount

2011-01-13T22:51:00.002+13:00

I'll cut straight to the chase...I'm freakin' stoked!

After last year's disappointing result this year's outcome went WAAAAAAAYYY past the point of satisfaction and into "wow, was that for real?" territory. There were three firm pre-race goals for Saturday...

- qualification for ITU LD Worlds in Vegas
- cracking 4:20 in a HIM, and
- an AG podium (M30-34)

...and I was lucky enough the achieve them all. The first I was fairly confident with...the latter two would require sound execution on my part and, well, lets just say forces not quite within my control (ie, I really needed those other dudes to blow up).

I even had the good fortune to knock over a few mid-term targets I'd had in mind for the near future, but wasn't quite expecting this year...

- a sub 4:15 HIM
- a complete set of wins (AG) at sprint, oly, IM and now HIM distances, and
- a national championship!

I'll update this race report with much more detail in the next few days, but for the time-being here are the numbers that count:

Swim - 28:17
T1 - 01:12
Bike - 2:15:58
T2 - 01:05
Run - 1:27:18

Total - 4:13:50

1st in AG
7th AGer overall
23rd overall (incl. pros/elites)

Very very happy, but equally very very unmotivated to write about it right now...I'm completely triathloned out :)

I also had an injury concern going into the race which is now causing me more grief and a lot of uncertainty about the remainder of the season...I'll repost when I've decided the best course of action for the next few months :( No probs with Vegas in November though...its on baby!

Massive thanks to my supporters Ben & Tracy at Performance Bicycle Tuning, the team at blueseventy for keeping me swimming fast, and of course my dear family & friends who performed their own endurance events driving from all parts of the North Island (literally) to cheer he home...huge guys, just huge.

2011 Port of Tauranga Half...in pics

2011-01-13T22:45:00.000+13:00

Two week taper…27/12 – 07/01

2011-01-07T14:55:00.000+13:00

I’ve had a great taper with some key race simulation workouts executed superbly…I don’t like to give too much away on this blog but here’s a little snippet. One week out from race day (Sat Jan 1st) I did a 4hr brick (3/1) with 2x1hr intervals at HIM power on the bike (nailed it) and a 1hr run building v. easy/easy/moderate (last 5k in 19:21, known course). The next day was easier on the legs with only a short run and hard swim planned…haven’t done a 2000m swim TT for a while so pretty happy to hit 24:58 (wetsuit, saltwater pool). Good confidence-inspiring stuff…the fitness is definitely there.

Core – 120mins (M, F, Tu, Th)

Swim – 20,760m (W, Th, F, Su, M, W, F)

Bike – 8hrs, 53mins (M, W, Sa, Tu, W, F)

Run – 6hrs, 40mins (Tu, Th, Sa, Su, M, W, F)

Next week…pizza & beer :)

Last big week (yes!)…20/12 – 26/12

2010-12-26T17:09:00.000+13:00

Pressed for time (& energy) so a quick catch-up post…22hrs 36mins in the log book this week.

Core – 60mins (M, W, Sa)

Swim – 14,520m (Tu, Th, F, Su)

Bike – 11hrs (Tu, Th, Sa, Su)

Run – 6hrs, 55mins (M, W, F, Sa, Su)

Next week…taper time, but hardly slacking off with some intense race simulations and about 15hrs on the plan. Love this part of the programme where the niggles & fatigue start to dissipate thanks to the additional recovery time.

The big push...13/12 - 19/12

2010-12-19T23:23:00.001+13:00

Just 3 weeks to go now and starting feel the effects of back-to-back 20+ hour weeks…just under 22 this week, a small increase next week then into a gradual taper over the last fortnight (bliss!).

Core – 60mins (M, Tu, Th)

Swim – 13,680m (W, Th, F, Su)…a better week volume-wise. One big 5k+ threshold session and the others around 2.5-3k (mix of speed, medley & race simulation).

Bike – 10hrs, 31mins (M, W, Sa, Su)…just over 310km on the road, including a 1:55 dawdle on Sunday post long run so other than that getting some solid rides nailed down. We’ve had some terribly wet weather here which puts a bit of a downer on the longer sessions, but not long to go now so just gotta knuckle down and get the work done.

Run – 6hrs, 40mins (M, Tu, Th, F, Sa, Su)…I never set out intending to back up my Sat long ride with a Sun long run but every so often life gets in the way and this is where it ends up falling in the schedule. The last couple of times they’ve worked out pretty well with good recovery from the previous day and quality steady pace & energy for the duration of the Sun session…threw in 4x5mins at half mary effort half way in on this occasion and didn’t suffer too badly.

Next week…should be the biggest week of the year, and perhaps my biggest training week ever (yes, even with two IM builds under the belt). 5:00 long ride, 2:15 long run (with tempo), hard rides & runs (both x 2) at 2:00 & 1:30 respectively, and 14-15k in the pool over 4 sessions. Boo-yah!

The weekly training wrap…06/12 – 12/12

2010-12-12T15:22:00.001+13:00

First 20+ hour week since my last HIM build back in March, and only two of those on that occasion (three scheduled here).

Core – 60mins (Tu, F)

Swim – 11,240m (Tu, W, F)…was really intending to go 12k+ this week so a bit short on target volume courtesy of some shorter than expected squad swims. Still motoring along at a reasonable pace…enjoying the water at the mo’.

Bike – 10hrs, 0.5mins (W, Th, Sa, Su)…pretty solid week on the road. Starting to nail down my long HIM-paced intervals now after last weekend’s race blew a few cobwebs out. Was a little concerned about lack of power in the aerobars but I’ll stick it out and trust that building fitness and further adaptation will bring me back to where I should be by race day (not too far off as it is now). A few months ago I made plans to race the Midsummer Madness TT in Waihi on Sunday which would’ve been a brutal long ride session over tough terrain but canned it after consecutive weekends away from home (damn fuel prices!).

Run – 6hrs, 25mins (M, Th, Sa, Su)…a couple of doubles thrown in here. Just bad scheduling (and laziness) early in the week. Got everything done though without too much recovery cost…all good.

Next week…will wind it up another notch in all three disciplines. Long ride to 4:45, long run to 2:10, hard rides & runs (both x 2) at 1:55 & 1:25 respectively. First week of four swims. Only a month to go ‘til race day!

Tinman sprint RR…750m / 20k / 5k…one and done!

2010-12-05T22:47:00.000+13:00

(copied straight from my training notes)

Swim 10:26 (7th)
T1 1:25 (14th)
Bike 30:47 (1st)
T2 00:53 (4th)
Run 19:34 (3rd)
Total 1:03:05 (1st AG, 2nd OA)

Pretty good race...didn't have very high expectations going in so pretty happy to come away with an AG win. Also 1st in AG in all splits except the run (2nd, by 1:18). Bike leg known to be a little long. Not an easy 5k running around the Mount base track. Swim was a bit of a mess going thru 3 x oly waves so no idea of placement in T1. Felt ok, seemed to pass a few blue caps on the last leg into the current. Bumbled a bit in T1. Rode hard through the entire field passing lots of the young fish early in the ride. Caught all but 1 and into T2 in 2nd with 3rd right on my wheel. Bike data AP 230W, NP 240W, TSS 39.4 (0.874 IF), VI 1.05, ave cadence 78rpm, distance 21.096km in 31:23 (incl. transition running)...will need to adjust the FTP down a fair bit as I just can't hit the big numbers in the aero position. Quick T2 with no mistakes. Started run in 3rd a few secs behind 2nd and ran hard in the first half k and dropped him surprisingly easy. The rest of the run was rather uneventful...felt a bit gassed during the middle 3rd but started & finished strong enough. Slower times this year in both races...probably less favourable swim currents this year than last, and maybe a bit warmer & windier.

Got a bottle of wine commemorating the M30-39 sprint distance win...shortest tri I’ve ever done and first sprint so might quit while I’m ahead ;) Makes a nice trifecta of 3 AG wins over 3 different distances...just need a 4th (HIM) to complete the set.

The weekly training wrap…29/11 – 05/12

2010-12-05T16:50:00.000+13:00

Got a bit done this week…just under 18hrs with a medium length run & ride sacrificed to race Tinman on Sunday.

Core – 60mins (M, W)

Swim – 12,030m (W, Th, F, Su)…building volume steadily here. Includes the Sun race where I think I swam reasonably well relative to a fast field. Enjoying the weekly long threshold session with the Parnell squad.

Bike – 8hrs, 46mins (W, F, Sa, Su)…bit of a mixed bag. Having some mechanical issues early in the week so didn’t really get any decent saddle time in until Fri…and loaded up 8.5hrs Fri-Sun. Can’t have been the best prep for the race on Sun but outcome was pretty much as expected.

Run – 5hrs, 9.5mins (M, Tu, W, Th, Sa, Su)…another routine run week. Just the Sun sacrificed and replaced with a 19.x minute run off the bike…again, as expected.

Next week…three weeks of building volume before tapering towards the PoT Half. Looking forward to some solid training with no further distractions (racing, travel) and lots of public holidays!

The weekly training wrap…22/11 – 28/11

2010-11-28T23:31:00.001+13:00

Things are rolling along pretty nicely now…this was a big(ger) week at just under 19hrs. We were in New Plymouth for the weekend so I got in some more riding around the rolling foothills of Mt Taranaki, some running along the beach and coastal walkway, and a nice outdoor swim in glorious sunshine (26 degrees on Sat). The volume kinda crept up on me and I felt every minute of it by brunch Sunday…so much so I had no problem devouring the biggest & tastiest omelette ever (highly recommended)! This after more than my fair share of hangi the night before...

...all this and I still lost a bunch of weight this week(?).

Core – 60mins (M, W)

Swim – 11,020m (W, F, Sa)…some good stuff in there. Wed was a solid 4.9k squad session with a big main set of 120s (x 30)…pushed it pretty well with consistent times around 1:31ish and the back half at 1:28ish with paddles (easy 1:50 send off)…wetsuit assisted of course.

Bike – 9hrs, 2.5mins (Tu, Th, Sa, Su)…good volume on the bike this week. Really like the riding around NP, really good mix of the sort of terrain I like for my key sessions. That said, finding long flat roads for an easy recovery spin is kinda tricky :(

Run – 5hrs, 55mins (M, Tu, W, Th, Sa, Su)…got it all done. Easy, hill reps, easy, long, short transition & tempo in that order…good textbook week.

Next week…Tinman sprint coming up on the weekend so that in itself will cut into the training time, if only ‘cos its a 1 hr race (rather than the usual 3ish Sunday hrs I’d typically put in at this point in the build). Training “through” the race, ie, with 6+hrs riding the two days before and no taper whatsoever, doesn’t really lend itself to fast times so no big expectations for this one.

Race report - Panasonic Peoples Tri (Maraetai)

2010-11-21T20:56:00.002+13:00

Let's start with The Bad!

Apart from the race itself? Well, not much really. I guess the weather was pretty crap throughout the morning but that's no excuse. I felt I swam reasonably well and although I didn't get an official split or placing I must've been somewhere on the bubble of the top 10...Alex said I exited T1 in 9th after a reasonably quick transition. So no repeat of last year's 4th place swim...there was definitely a tougher field for this year's race (or at least for the swim). Swim time was around 23mins flat which indicates a long course (probably up to 1:30 long). Got onto the bike and felt reasonable for the first 5mins, then we turned inland into a really tough headwind and instantly BAM! something flew into my right eye (I've only just realized how funny that sounds given the location of the race). Due to the pouring rain we experienced pre race I made the decision to go sans glasses...of course hindsight is a wonderful thing. Having no hesitation when it when it comes to finger-on-eyeball contact, I thought I'd be able to dig it out while soft-pedalling for a few seconds but whatever flew in there was really stubborn. I looked around a few times and didn't really see anyone catching me fast so I figured I'd be patient and cruise for as long as I needed to get this bug or whatever it was out. Ended up riding what might've been 10mins or so struggling to see out of one eye so finally made the decision to pull over. Still couldn't remove the object so I cruised back towards transition, race over in my mind, and stopped again at the first public toilet looking for a tap I might be able to run my eye under. No luck there so back to transition and met Alex at the turnaround point...she was near the car so we got a bottle of water and spent some time carefully flushing my eye out. Although she couldn't see anything we must've dislodged whatever was there as it felt better after a few minutes, so much so that I figured I may as well finish the bike leg. I took off again for a hard lap and towards the end flew past a familiar bike...I recognized my friend Christine doing the sprint race so slowed up (race being over of course) and rode with her through to the finish. A nice relaxed transition and one easy lap of the run (5km) and I was done. Al handed my chip in as I walked back to the car to rest up.

The good?

Well, the race wasn't a complete waste of time. During the offseason I started accumulating some new gear which I intend to see me through the next few seasons...today was a good chance to test it all out.

- of course I'm a little biased given their support, but my new blueseventy Helix wetsuit worked a treat. I've worn top end suits from 2XU and Orca in seasons past so the Helix had high standards to live up to...it didn't disappoint. Bouyancy and flexible are top notch as you'd expect, but a neat little feature I wasn't expecting but appreciated greatly were the "cuffs" near the wrists. I first wore the suit at squad on Wednesday and even with a dive start no water would seep into the arms of the suit...this was quite a contrast to the Orca Alpha I wore last year with sleeves often bunching/riding up my wrists. A small annoyance but one I won't need to think about again. The "top-down" zipper popped open easily at the first hard upwards tug of the ripcord...all good.

- I was looking forward to trying my new Specialized TT2 aero helmet and 2011 Specialized Trivent cycling shoes for the first time in anger...both were winners. The Trivents in particular are an outta the park home run...everything you want in a tri shoe, nothing you dont, and glorious in white!

- Brooks T6 Racer running shoes aren't very popular here...I don't think Brooks ever brought them in officially so you don't see them often at the races. But they've been around for a few years and I've deliberated on them for a while...they seemed to tick all the boxes for a race shoe (in theory) so I finally took the plunge. An easy 5k didn't give me enough to make an objective assessment...how they blister my feet is the litmus test and I simply didn't put enough time in to tell. Brooks is a departure from the norm for me and they have a reputation for running narrow, but the common advice to purchase half a size big was spot on.

And one more good thing to come from the day...pics! What would race report be without some of Al's handiwork?

Recap of the last two weeks…08/11 – 21/11

2010-11-21T19:45:00.001+13:00

This was a big step up from a run-focussed offseason into a more balanced tri race build. Both weeks a smidge over 17hrs total, including an aborted race today (more on this later)

Core – 120mins (Tu, Th, Su, M, F, Su)…6 sessions sprinkled throughout the two weeks.

Swim – 21,533m (M, W, F, Tu, W, F, Su)…two solid weeks in the build. Certainly not big volume by any means, but consistently hitting target paces…just getting’ it done.

Bike – 16hrs, 6mins (M, W, Sa, Su, M, W, Sa, Su)…probably the biggest jump in terms of single sport training. By mid-winter I was satisfied with my FTP (and power/weight) so admittedly I got a bit lazy towards the spring…struggled a bit these last two weeks but hoping more time in the saddle will alleviate the lack of power.

Run – 10hrs, 28mins (Tu, Th, F, Sa, Su, M, Tu, Th, Sa, Su)…business as usual. In fact the first 3-4 weeks of this build will be dialled back a little to allow recovery for the additional work on the bike. Got all the session objectives done with the exception of today’s race, so largely satisfied.

Next week…another (sprint) race in two weeks so back to the usual programme of 3 swims, 4 rides & 6 runs.

The calm before the storm…25/10 – 07/11

2010-11-07T15:03:00.003+13:00

Like the dramatic title? ;) Tomorrow I start a 9 week block of training which will build to and culminate in the Port of Tauranga Half on Jan 8th. This event is one of my major goals for the season…I stuffed up this year’s race and I’m determined to not repeat it next year. I’ll follow a very similar programme to the one I used building to the successful Auckland Half, with just a pinch more running. So I’ve had a very easy fortnight, hence the heading…

Core – 120mins (Tu, F, M, W)…4 x 30mins.

Swim – 17,666m (M, Th, Sa, M, Th, F)…much better. Hit 10+k this week over three sessions which is the most I’ve done in a week for months. Good mix of intensites, swimming reasonably well at the moment.

Bike – 4hrs, 54mins (Sa, Sa)…only two weekend rides so starting this block a little underdone on the bike. Not too worried, it’s the one discipline that comes back fast for me. I’ve finally put the aerobars back on the bike and made a small positional tweak (longer, lower stem). No aches & pains after these two rides so all good thus far. Feels good to be a triathlete again :)

Run – 10hrs, 20mins (M, W, Th, F, Sa, Su, F, Sa, Su)…good consistent first week, but might’ve overdone it a little after two weeks of nil volume. Had a dull pain in my left high achilles/low soleus area which stopped my running in the early part of this week but somehow(?), like magic, Alex’s untrained hands (& elbows) manipulated the area well enough for it to disappear completely by the weekend…and not return. Some decent quality long runs in here…no speed or intensity though.

Next week…all systems go from tomorrow. 3 swims, 4 rides, 6 runs…bam!

Papua New Guinea

2010-10-24T14:41:00.000+13:00

As alluded to in earlier posts I had the pleasure of spending 5 days this week in PNG. The purpose of my visit was to train our local sales staff in Port Moresby & Lae on some CRM software we’d been using in the business for about 7 years now…like most things PNG-related it took a few years to get there :) PNG is a huge market for us…last time I looked it was our #1 market for gross contribution (although here’s an extremely high cost to doing business in our industry there), and we have a very large & established agency network doing great things across the country, so it was important the last piece of sales & marketing puzzle had access to the common system. Now they’re up & running we have a near 360deg view of our customer’s business.

On Sunday morning I flew out of Auckland for my short stopover in Cairns…the flight arrived about midday in clear weather so our approach had spectacular views of the Great Barrier Reef below. On arrival I quickly checked into my hotel, then went for a walk into town to check out what Cairns is all about. Quite a nice vibrant little city, with good public amenities including a free open swimming “pool” (man-made lagoon) right in the middle of main promenade area. I walked around for a few hours and got some blisters courtesy of heat + jandals + soft feet (really shouldn’t have been so lazy last week) so retired to the hotel for dinner & an early night. Security is a bit of an issue in PNG so I didn’t want to bring a camera…I took a bunch of photos with my cellphone but I can’t get the damn things to download which I’m really disappointed with cos I got some funny impromptu pics :(

Had an early 1hr 45min flight Monday morning arriving in Port Moresby just before 9am. I was greeted at the airport by my host who took me straight to the office via the hotel to dump a bag (I only travel with carry-on)…Port Moresby’s “CBD” is relatively small so getting around is pretty quick. Introduced myself to everyone I needed to meet in the morning so after lunch we got straight into it. Training over the two days went well despite numerous internet outages & power cuts…these are daily occurrences so par for the course and the locals don’t blink an eyelid.

Tuesday was a pretty cool day. As the sun rises around 5:30am we’d arranged to go out on “the boat” (a nice pleasure craft with a 200hp outboard that the management staff have to use at their disposal) first thing in the morning for a tour of the harbour and some wake-boarding…I get the impression when you’re expatriated to PNG you take every opportunity you get to have fun when a visitor comes to town. Tried my best on 3 runs but couldn’t quite get the hang of it. One of the Brits in the office who dabbles in triathlon and was training for his first oly (the PNG nationals no less) invited me to swim with him at the 50m pool in the evening…I’d brought my speedos as my only training gear (they pack small ;) so I jumped at the chance. The pool wasn’t quite what I was used to from back home…no ropes, no flags, and worst of all, a distinct lack of chlorine taste in the water. And ‘cos it gets dark at 6pm we were swimming in darkness for most of the session (costs too much to run the floodlights). Nice & warm though and deserted apart from a few diehard expats so I wasn’t complaining. Had dinner at a very classy Indian establishment and as I had another early flight the next morning I called it quits for the night…

The next two days of my visit were largely spent in Lae which is an hour or so by air to the northeast. Funny thing about PNG is you can’t drive around the country…there are pockets of roads up to a couple hundred km long in various parts but none of them connect, so they’re very reliant on air travel as a means of transport. In fact the country has a very unique history as pioneers of airfreight transporting gold & other minerals from remote mines in the highlands & outer islands…look it up if you have the chance, fascinating stuff. Lae is quite different to Port Moresby…the place feels like it’s about 20 years behind (which is saying something)…very “wild west”-like. The roads are abysmal, the worst I’ve ever seen…anywhere. The wireless internet at the hotel took about 20mins to load a page. But as usual, the people are fantastic... warm & welcoming and very hospitable…and keen to learn. The training in Lae went similarly well…my time in Lae wrapped up the business aspect of my trip and I left confident there were enough bright sparks in each office to keep the momentum going long after my departure. I left Lae on Thursday evening for on final night in Port Moresby. Of course the guys in Moresby wouldn’t let me go too quietly so I was promptly picked up soon after arrival and taken out for a few quiet beers. And they were quiet…I was pretty beat from being on the go for a whole week, so they graciously allowed me to saunter back to the hotel for what might be my only good night’s sleep for the week…my flight wasn’t too early so I got in a good 9 or so hours.

Once again I was picked up by my host Friday morning and taken to the airport to check in, then we had the best breakfast in town at the Airways Hotel (we talked shop, I promise), and I was finally sent on my way home (via Cairns again) mid-morning. All in all I had a wonderful time in PNG. My expectations were intentionally set very low by tall tales & warnings from my colleagues prior to the trip…but I was very pleasantly surprised and would revisit the place in a heartbeat. There are some unspoilt & remote locations in the outer islands (and even a few just outside the main cities) popular for diving, snorkelling & surfing which are apparently mind-blowingly beautiful…a must see if I return. Our agents are great hosts and the people in general are wonderful.

I got back to Auckland late Friday night pretty shattered…I pride myself in having an iron gut but for the first time in, well, as long as I can remember, my stomach had been playing tricks on me for the last few days. I first started feeling something mid-week so perhaps the water from that swim on Tues or the nasty looking buffet on Wed were to blame. Regardless, no other symptoms so probably not cholera or malaria...just a bug that antibiotics will take care of.

As far as training for the week:

Core – 120mins (M, W, Th, Sa, Su)...had some time to myself in my various hotel rooms so got some "training" in, if only some core work and body-weight resistance exercises.

Swim – 5,000m (Tu, Su)...pretty chilled out session on Tues, and a longer harder swim on Sun after I’d readjusted to life back at home.

Bike – 0hrs

Run – 0hrs

Next week…should be back to a normal routine once my stomach settles. We have a house full of visitors in town late in the week for the adidas Auckland Marathon event on Sun (they’re all racing the half mary) so that should be fun to watch. Looking forward to running & riding for the first time in two weeks!

Easing up a little...04/10 - 17/10

2010-10-17T20:34:00.000+13:00

Two very different weeks summarised below. The first a good continuation of the previous weeks...the last, well, I could pretty much write off. Not sure why, just lost focus and prioritised other things.

Core – 180mins (M, Su, M, W, F, Su)…6 x 30mins. A bit more than usual…think I felt guilt at the lack of S/B/R.

Swim – 10,933m (M, Th, Sa, Tu)…routine stuff.

Bike – 4hrs, 12mins (W, Su)…very lacklustre. My run training was quite inconsistent as far as spacing workouts and recovery so legs were kinda beat up for both these rides.

Run – 6hrs, 55mins (Tu, W, F, Sa, Su)…the quality was surprisingly good, but it came at a cost to my bike & run particularly with 2+ hours of running on consecutive days on Fri & Sat. Got everything I needed to done in the first week…did nothing the second.

Next week…this is the one I intended to take off as I’m off to PNG via Aust. from Sun (today) to next Fri. Really don’t expect to get anything done with the work/travel schedule…needless to say this will include some late nights & early starts

((sigh))

A mixed bag...13/09 - 03/10

2010-10-03T13:42:00.001+13:00

Long time, no hear... :) Had a couple of solid 14+ hours weeks, preceeded by one very lazy effort disrupted by a bit of out of town travel...3 week totals below:

Core - 180mins (M, W, Th, Su, M, W, M, Su)

Swim - 20,133m (Tu, Th, Tu, Th, Th, F, Su)

Bike - 9hrs, 28.5mins (M, Th, Su, W, Sa)

Run - 20hrs, 35mins (M, W, Th, Sa, Tu, W, F, Sa, Su, Tu, W, Th, F, Sa, Su)

(details here)

Next week...no reason why I shouldn't get some good training under the belt between now and Oct 18th where I take a week off for a business trip to Papua New Guinea (no kidding!). Still very much in maintenance mode waiting to start a planned 9 week build beginning Nov 8th and culminating in the Port of Tauranga Half.

The weekly training wrap…06/08 – 12/09

2010-09-12T12:25:00.000+12:00

E-A-S-Y

Core – 60mins (M, W)

Swim – 7,400m (M, Th, F)

Bike – 3hrs, 40mins (W, Sa)

Run – 4hrs, 15mins (Tu, Th, F, Su)

Next week…probably back to normal Mon-Thurs but travelling to Wellington for a long weekend so will just do what I can Fri-Sun. Will definitely bring the running shoes though :)

The weekly training wrap…30/08 – 05/09

2010-09-05T17:15:00.000+12:00

A very successful week…very happy with Saturday’s result in Whangamata. I was hoping to hold 4min k’s throughout so a pre-race goal time of around 1:24 but got away to a very fast start (through 5k in 18:26) and felt very comfortable so just ran what I could from there…finish time 1:21:58, a big improvement on my (admittedly weak) PB at this distance. The rest of the week just squeezed in around the race.

Core – 60mins (M, W)

Swim – 7,000m (Tu, Th, Su)

Bike – 3hrs, 30mins (Tu, Th, Su)

Run – 3hrs, 51.5mins (M, W, F, Sa)…includes the Sat race.

Next week…this was the race back in 2008 that contributed to my first stress fracture and I’ve come up pretty sore from yesterday’s efforts, so the next week or so will be pretty easy stuff throughout…might be a good excuse to get back in the pool and do some work there.

Whangamata half marathon

2010-09-04T18:47:00.004+12:00

Finish time: 1:21:58 (official). A few minutes faster than expected...gotta be happy with that. A satisfying reward after 6 months of hard work.

Sharpening up (I think)...16/09 - 29/08

2010-08-29T18:20:00.002+12:00

The focus for the last two weeks has been getting the quality work done on the run…everything else has taken a back seat (but still getting done nonetheless).

Core – 120mins (Tu, Sa, Tu, Th)…4 x 30mins.

Swim – 15,867m (M, W, F, M, W, F)…finally strung a few consistent weeks together. Just kinda going through the motions for now…pace is good, but “water feel” is somewhat absent.

Bike – 6hrs, 34mins (M, F, Su, Tu, Sa, Sa)…much like the swimming. Short & sharp, just getting it done and keeping the legs ticking over. A couple of really tough trainer sessions and one quality outdoor “long(er)” ride producing good power providing seem to be providing enough stimulus.

Run – 13hrs, 50.5mins (Tu, W, Th, Sa, Su, M, W, Th, F, Sa, Su)…finally strung together consecutive weeks with all “quality” work completed. Those are the workouts with race or above-race pace efforts by way of either moderate hill repeats, shorter faster intervals, or longer sustained efforts at various paces. The rest all pretty easy, and just squeezed in where recovery and other training allowed. Still getting up over 85km per week…seem to have struck a good balance between time on the feet & intensity at this volume level.

Next week…an easier week planned culminating in the Whangamata half marathon on Saturday.

"The water is open"...joining the blueseventy family

2010-08-17T22:51:00.001+12:00

Hey peeps, I got some good news this week...

The wonderful team at blueseventy approved my recent sponsorship application, so I'll be wearing the world's best swimwear and accessories this season! There's not much I can say about their products that hasn't been said before...click on the logo to the top right of the page and check out their comprehensive range, and please take time to read up on their history...truly a kiwi success story if ever there was one.

I don't know if these guys have a corporate mission statement, but if they did I'm guessing it has nothing to do with profits and market share, and everything to do with making their athletes faster. If there's a company who has their priorities in the right place, and whose values gel with my own, it's blueseventy.

The weekly training wrap…09/08 – 15/08

2010-08-15T14:43:00.001+12:00

Much more like it…if I could bottle a template training schedule and drink from it weekly, it would taste like this. The content of each workout wasn’t always to plan, but got everything done from a frequency perspective with good spacing between easy, hard, long & short workouts.

Core – 60mins (Th, F, Sa, Su)

Swim – 7,800 (M, W, F)…back to my home pool (G.I.) with three routine sessions. Textbook stuff…a longer threshold-pace main set on Mon, an easier skills/tech session on Wed (a bit tired that morning), and a some solid speed pyramid on Fri.

Bike – 4hrs, 31mins (M, W, Sa)…really pleased with this week’s effort on the bike. Pretty short on volume as the weekend ride was a mind-numbing 2:20 steady-state effort on the trainer (albeit in front of the TV). Now for the good part :) Finally got around to re-testing my FTP on Wed…I’ve been putting it off a little ‘cos, well, it’s so bloody hard! The last (and first) time I did one following the Allen/Coggan protocol I was seeing stars towards the end of the 20min effort…this occasion was no different. Not sure if it was a reflection on fitness gains or simply better testing (ie, knowing how hard to push, and for how long) but pleased to see a 22 watt increase on the last effort. Thinking about this further I’m almost certain it’s the latter…I simply haven’t been riding enough to warrant a true fitness increase, and I probably left a little on the table in the early part of the last test. On this occasion I started by pegging myself to my existing FTP to begin with, then cranked it up progressively. W/kg now a reasonable 4.2…not bad considering I’d only ridden 7 times in the last month. On the not-so-fun side, the new training zones just got a whole heap harder ((sigh)) :O

Run – 6hrs, 55mins (Tu, Th, Sa, Su)…started another block of training at a volume just shy of where I left off. Took 5, 10 and 15mins off my short, med & long runs respectively…I was finding the higher volume a fraction too heavy and the quality runs were deteriorating slightly, not to mention my swim & bike frequency were suffering ‘cos, well, I was suffering :( This felt much better. I don’t usually run long on Sun but with a shorter Sat ride I thought I’d get away with it…turned out to be a really enjoyable session. Who knew doing your long run in daylight could be stimulating and fun!

Next week…same again (cross fingers). Getting closer to my traditional post hibernation season-opening spring half marathon (back to Whangamata this year), so really need to nail my faster runs.

Two contrasting weeks...26/07 - 08/08

2010-08-08T14:05:00.003+12:00

The first had some decent swim/bike volume with the real focus on cracking the 100km mark on the run. Having done so, I took the opportunity to have another easy week, with very casual swim/bike/run effort throughout…with some running races on the schedule in the next two months I figured I wouldn’t have another opportunity. This week would culminate with my birthday (today) so some indulgences that wouldn’t really fit in otherwise

Core – 120mins (Tu, W, Su, M, Tu, W)…same old, same old.

Swim – 13,467m (M, W, F, M, F)…pretty happy with how things are in the pool at the moment. Just the one poor quality workout in the last few weeks courtesy of a rough run the night before.

Bike – 6hrs, 4mins (M, Sa, Sa)…yeah, a little slack :) Two of my better weekend long rides though…no group so pushing my own pace the whole way. Both rides with NP over 230w, both over 0.900 IF…true tempo efforts.

Run – 12hrs, 0.5mins (Tu, Th, F, Sa, Su, Tu, Th, Sa, Su)…100km, done! Only just though, and admittedly the distances recorded are estimates only, although I tend to err on the conservative side. Peaked at 8hrs, 5.5mins…had to throw an extra 25min run in on the Saturday arvo to bump the volume up. Now I can relax :) And I did this week with a very modest schedule maxing out with two runs at 90mins. Here’s a bar chart showing progression over the last 26 weeks/6 months (note the "27.3" week also had a half ironman run not included in the total):

Next week…well I really have to pick up the swim & bike frequency at least, not too concerned about the volume & intensity just yet. With two half-marathons in the next 8 or so weeks I need to re-introduce some intensity to that program, so a similar weekly structure with a little less volume should entice a bit more speed out of some (previously) fatigued legs.

The weekly training wrap...19/07 - 25/07

2010-07-25T13:29:00.000+12:00

A decent week at just over 14hrs total. Still not a lot of swimming & cycling but what little I’m doing is pretty good quality stuff…holding good interval times in the pool, and the powermeter is making me work hard on the bike.

Core – 60mins (M, Th)

Swim – 5,933m (Tu, Th)…two solid sessions at the Panmure pool (GI repairs still not finished, getting really annoying now). Did a good T30 time trial on Tuesday…a lap down (33m) on my last effort about 6 weeks ago (a surprise PB) but equal to my best from last season when I was swimming 5 days a week…so well placed to ramp up the volume if & when I feel its appropriate.

Bike – 3hrs, 51mins (W, Sa)…two shorter sessions this week. Midweek indoor trainer ride of FTP intervals and a shorter & easier than usual weekend group ride. Really getting the hang of pacing & executing intervals now…this one required building AP in each 12min effort, but still within the Z4/FTP zone (90-105%), so working within really small wattage bands. Everyone in the weekend group was either sick or feeling really flat, so just an easy shake-out ride.

Run – 7hrs, 40mins (M, Tu, W, F, Sa, Su)…just the usual schedule of long (150min) medium & short (50min) runs. Getting kinda mundane now. Been hovering around 95km a week for the last 6 weeks (rest week excl.) but only one session with any real intensity…the legs just aren’t feeling up to pushing hard for that 2nd workout. So I’ve made a decision to go for one more big week (hopefully crack the metric tonne) then cut back each by 5-15mins to hopefully alleviate that fatigue…ties in well with my race plans for spring as I don’t want to go into two half marathons without sufficient work at race pace.

Next week…should be quite similar again. A touch more running (+20mins or so) should get me over a milestone unimaginable this time last year, or even just a few months ago. Consistency and patience.

Two weeks…05/07 – 18/07

2010-07-18T14:44:00.000+12:00

I enjoyed that recovery week a little too much…to the tune of about 2.5 kilos! Wow, it doesn’t take much…

Core – 120mins (M, F, M, F)

Swim – 9,933m (Tu, Th, F, Sa)…damn FIFA and their 6:30am (NZT) kick-offs ;) Juggled the swimming around where I could and got in a few decent sessions. Don’t recall having a near two week break from the pool before but hit the ground (water) running (swimming) on the Tuesday.

Bike – 9hrs, 16mins (M, W, Sa, Su)…wasn’t at all motivated to ride most of last week, just had other things to do. Did get in a beauty of a solo effort on Sunday while staying at Mum’s place…from Paeroa to the top of Kopu-Hikuai hill & back, 180mins in a fog & cold (a few km tacked on the end).

Run – 15hrs, 25.5mins (Tu, W, Th, F, Sa, Su, M, Tu, W, Th, Sa, Su)…wasn’t exactly planned but another two consecutive milestone weeks of run training, if only by half a minute here and 5mins there. Surprisingly easy…I think the challenges now are i) overcoming boredom, and ii) knowing when to scale it back and pour some effort in the swim & bike?

Next week…need to re-test my swim & bike fitness after an admittedly lax month in both disciplines so a TT in either will definitely be scheduled mid-week. Probably a T30 swim, and a FTP test the following week.

The weekly training wrap…28/06 – 04/07

2010-07-04T20:35:00.001+12:00

A long-awaited recovery week…finally :) Still a bit of structured running with 4x50min sessions (still 40km…not too bad!), a hard trainer ride, one long group ride…and no swimming :( A strange (but minor) skin irritation came up on a fortuitous week to take some time off, but as proven by recent testing & training the swimming’s still there or thereabouts and well positioned to ramp up at the appropriate time…no worries!

Core – 60mins (M, Tu, Th)

Swim – 0m

Bike – 4hrs, 54.5mins (M, Sa)…another short sharp indoor ride, and a decent 4hr+ group ride on the weekend. Getting my head around the power lingo (TSS, VI, NP, IF, blah blah blah) using a trial version of WKO+…probably a wise (permanent) investment to make in the coming weeks.
Run – 3hrs, 20mins (M, W, F, Su)…easy as :) Shortest week since March.

Next week…straight back into it, should pick up where I left off.

Same old, same old...14/06 - 27/06

2010-06-27T16:17:00.001+12:00

(just in case you missed the dates, the below is a fortnight’s work)

An interesting couple of weeks with some good indoor bike training utilizing the SRM, and I’ve finally hit my peak run volume (by time) in this off-season’s plan.

Core – 120mins (Tu, Th, Th, F)…I did a zumba class. Never again…’nuff said.

Swim – 10,867m (M, W, M, F)…see the post title (same old…). Just making a point of not going backwards, so will schedule another TT in the next week or two to monitor threshold pace. A bit complicated with the regular pool closed for a couple of weeks (repairs) but the alternative down the road is also 33m, so okay for consistency’s sake.

Bike – 10hrs, 38.5mins (M, W, Sa, Tu, Sa)…now the fun begins. Did my first functional threshold power (FTP) test on the trainer using the Allen/Coggan protocol…holy sh*t that was tough! I’ve never seen a (bike) HR of 185bpm before, so kinda scary pushing that hard. Calculated FTP is 253 watts…not a high absolute figure by any means but ok for the current level of bike fitness and training volume, and 3.9w/kg is actually a pretty good relative figure for a triathlete (particularly an outta shape one). I’ll use that figure (FTP) for setting indoor training zones and add 10% to for outdoor riding (just the weekend group rides over the winter, for which zones are kinda meaningless anyway).

Run – 15hrs, 15mins (Tu, Th, F, Sa, Su, M, Tu, W, Th, Sa, Su)…hooray, I survived! Another two consecutive milestone weeks of run training…last week I peaked at 7hrs, 40mins consisting of 1 x 150min, 2 x 100min, 2 x 50min and 1 x 10min (transition) runs. Definitely noticed the quality of the long run and some of the harder efforts in the moderate runs starting to deteriorate, so now the goal is to hold the current schedule and improve economy…or imporve output (distance/speed) using the same input (relative effort)…ok that’s not the exact definition of run economy but close enough for my purposes.

Next week…not slacking off entirely but will probably take the opportunity for a recovery week of sorts. Can definitely feel 3+ months of continuously-building run volume starting to take its toll, and frankly I need a break mentally. Shouldn’t be too hard to pick up where I left off soon after…

The weekly training wrap…07/06 – 13/06

2010-06-14T18:38:00.001+12:00

An easier week at just over 14hrs…sounds weird to say considering in the early part of last season I would’ve considered 14hrs a reasonably solid effort :(

Core – 60mins (M, Tu, F, Su)

Swim – 8,500m (M, W, F)…made sure I got my 3 sessions done this week. Fizzled out a bit by Fri but swimming well earlier in the week with longer interval sets (300/400m reps) returning good pace.

Bike – 3hrs, 14mins (Sa)…just the one weekend group ride, the bike was in the shop for a couple of days mid-week. Of course it was in there having the SRM fitted and wow, what interesting feedback from the first training ride. Wattage numbers were all over the place and seemingly very hard to keep under control…just goes to show scatter-gun my efforts have been recently, albeit a small group ride on a cold rainy day probably isn’t the easiest environment to facilitate a purposeful steady-state effort.

Run – 7hrs, 31.5mins (M, Tu, W, Th, Sa, Su)…no doubles, just the standard mix of short, med & long sessions. Just cranking along…starting to push my limits now with the long session at 2hrs 25mins becoming a struggle, really have to focus to hold it together over the last 30mins. Had a nice sharp medium duration run on Sunday which picked the confidence up again.

Next week…will dust off the indoor trainer next week and experiment further with the new toy. Have to schedule a FTP test to give me a baseline number from which to set training zones and prescribe interval efforts…a bit daunted but has to be done. The powermeter bible should be arriving any day now so should help make sense of it all. Not much room to build on the run training now…should peak in two weeks, then I’ll have to come up with something new to continue the stimulus.

The weekly training wrap…31/05 – 06/06

2010-06-06T18:34:00.001+12:00

Core – 60mins (M, F, Su)…standard fare.

Swim – 5,500m (W, F)…another lacklustre week in the pool. I failed to mention last week that I hit a new surprise T30 time-trial PB on Monday (24th) so while its seems I’ve done bugger-all on my swim this off-season it’s nice to know I haven’t lost anything and can still turn it on when it counts :)

Bike – 6hrs, 50.5mins (M, W, Sa)…pretty sharp week on the bike. Tough session on Mon with some short sharp hill reps, and a decent long (4:16) group ride on the weekend.

Run – 7hrs, 20mins (Tu, Th, F, Sa, Su)…just the one double on Thurs with good spacing/recovery on the other sessions. Still going strong…every week of the last 6 or so weeks has been a new milestone for time & distance, just a smidge over 90km now (est.) and still a few weeks of building to go. Feeling healthy (probably a bit skinny), my perspective of a “short easy run” has changed immensely, but I’ve dropped a little intensity from one of the two medium distance (100min) efforts…just a little too much training load.

Next week…an exciting development awaits on the cycling front. A mate has given me the opportunity to purchase his SRM powermeter for a crazy price, and I couldn’t resist. So bike training will take on a whole new look with a more accurate metric to work with…just the carrot I needed to get on the trainer for the first time this winter and do some real work!

Quick catch-up!

2010-05-30T13:47:00.000+12:00

Summary of the last 3 weeks:

10/05 – 16/05
Core – 60mins (3 sessions)
Swim – 7,333m (3)
Bike – 3hrs, 53.5mins / 102.4km (2)
Run – 6hrs, 20mins / 80km (5)

17/05 – 23/05
Core – 60mins (3)
Swim – 4,800m (2)
Bike – 5hrs, 21mins / 148.3km (2)
Run – 6hrs, 51.5mins / 85.6km (6)

24/05 – 30/05
Core – 60mins (3)
Swim – 8,633m (3)
Bike – 4hrs, 18.5mins / 117.5km (1)
Run – 7hrs, 5mins / 88.9km (6)

Next week...more of the same.

A warning to all drafters...

2010-05-17T06:51:00.000+12:00

The weekly training wrap…03/05 – 09/05

2010-05-17T04:30:00.001+12:00

A more balanced week (still run dominant) at just over 15.5hrs...textbook stuff.

Core – 60mins (W, Sa)…2 x 30min sessions.

Swim – 7,600m (Tu, F, Su)…haven’t felt particularly good in the water for weeks, but still holding good consistent pace for the longer threshold sets so not too alarmed. Certainly the lower than usual volume doesn’t maintain that nice water “feel” you get when everything’s clicking.

Bike – 6hrs, 31.5mins (M, W, Sa)…a bit better at dragging myself out of bed. Decent short sessions Mon & Wed and a harder than usual group ride on the weekend rounded out a pretty enjoyable week on the bike.

Run – 6hrs, 5mins (Tu, W, Th, F, Sa, Su)…no doubles this week. Thurs long run (120mins) was a real struggle with GI distress...must make a point of doing these on an empty stomach before work (usually do). The Sunday tempo runs are getting less & less daunting...perhaps I need to lift that effort a bit.

Next week…the feature will be a 180/90min brick on Saturday, for no other reason than we’re out of town for the weekend and I want to keep Sunday free for a sleep in!

The weekly training wrap…26/04 – 02/05

2010-05-02T16:29:00.000+12:00

An easier week with very low swim & bike volume.

Core – 60mins (M, Thu)…2 x 30min sessions.

Swim – 4,667m (Sa, Su)…struggled to find time this week, or at least struggled to prioritise swimming this week. All the elements of a normal week (mainly threshold, some paddles, VO2max & medley) crammed into two short sessions...not a complete waste, felt reasonably sharp in both.

Bike – 4hrs, 20.5mins (M, Sa)…feature of the week was a 3hr weekend solo ride in driving rain. Found some nice hilly deserted roads in a new subdivision so all good.

Run – 5hrs, 50.5mins (Tu, Th, F, Sa, Su)…no guesses on where this week’s focus was. Building volume nicely each week...a shade over 73km (approx) this week with a good spread of terrain and intensities.

Next week…a bit more swim & bike, promise!

Easing into the off-season

2010-04-25T16:48:00.002+12:00

Long time between updates...

Well & truly into the off-season now...the template for this part of the year calls for 3 maintenance swims & rides per week and a focus on continuing the run progression, so for the last month I’ve just been concentrating on completing my 6 runs a week with no guilt felt by skipping the odd swim & ride (I do frequently). Trying to build a little longer each week and forecasted to peak at 7hrs, 40mins running which is pretty damn close to 100km (around 94-95)...hmmm, sounds like another training milestone to work towards ;)

Summary for the last 4 weeks:

29/03 – 04/04
Core – 60mins (3 sessions)
Swim – 5,460m (3)
Bike – 5hrs, 0.5mins / 299.6km (2)
Run – 4hrs, 16.5mins / 53.6km (6)

05/04 – 11/04
Core – 60mins (2)
Swim – 10,000m (3)
Bike – 7hrs, 3mins / 317.1km (3)
Run – 4hrs, 40mins / 59.4km (6)

12/04 – 18/04
Core – 60mins (2)
Swim – 7,400m (2)
Bike – 5hrs, 31.5mins / 321.9km (2)
Run – 5hrs, 10mins / 64km (6)

19/04 – 25/04
Core – 60mins (2)
Swim – 7,867m (3)
Bike – 7hrs, 10mins / 321.9km (3)
Run – 5hrs, 37mins / 70.2km (6)

Next week...more of the same.

Check it out!

2010-04-25T16:05:00.003+12:00

Pg 36, NZ Multisport and Triathlete mag, May 2010 :)

Finally...RR updated!

2010-04-03T09:11:00.000+13:00

Scroll down...

The weekly training wrap…22/03 – 28/03

2010-03-28T09:09:00.000+13:00

Rest week. Scheduled this well in advance knowing I wouldn’t feel like training this week. Bike stayed on the trainer covered in race day crap (gel, splashes of drink , etc) ‘til the weekend. Did get out for some walks with Alex...must’ve done at least 5 hours over 4 walks, so good to keep the legs turning over with little stress.

Core – 120mins (M, W, F, Su)…4 x 30min sessions.

Next week…very much looking forward to getting back into some training, particularly the running. Won’t take it too seriously, and with visitors over Easter might can a few sessions if I can’t be bothered.

Auckland Half Ironman...THE race report

2010-03-25T23:12:00.003+13:00

Pre race

After a good result it’s easy to say “I had a great build up”, but I can honestly admit to having a lot more confidence going into this race than I did the last. Rather than boring you to tears with my ramblings, I’ll let the numbers do the talking...

Last 6 full weeks AKL vs TRG:

Total hours swim: 18:22 / 16:29
Total hours bike: 57:31 / 41:28
Total hours run: 30:38 / 15:26
Total hours: 112:33 / 84:14
Total km swim: 72.8 / 63.4
Total km bike: 1,677.0 / 1,219.0
Total km run: 382.8 / 193.4
Total km: 2,132.6 / 1,527.3

Average weekly hours swim: 3:03 (min 2:42, max 3:29) / 2:44 (2:11, 3:23)
Average weekly hours bike: 9:35 (6:00, 11:01) / 6:54 (3:18, 8:59)
Average weekly hours run: 5:06 (4:40, 5:40) / 2:34 (0:50, 3:22)
Average weekly hours: 18:45 (14:44, 21:06) / 14:02 (11:09, 16:54)
Average weekly km swim: 12.1 (10.3, 14.5) / 10.6 (8.3, 12.9)
Average weekly km bike: 279.5 (188.3, 321.9) / 203.2 (97.0, 258.4)
Average weekly km run: 63.8 (57.1, 71.7) / 32.2 (10.5, 43.1)
Average weekly km: 355.4 (256.8, 407.5) / 254.6 (177.0, 312.2)

So I wasn’t kidding when I said this was one of the most focused race-specific blocks of training I’d ever done. One thing which skews the numbers slightly...the TRG figures exclude the Tinman Olympic distance race (1.5/40/10 in 2:03), and threw a recovery week into the middle of that build...regardless, the numbers above are telling.

I went into this race knowing the course was a full 10-15 minutes “slower” due to the topography and surface of the bike course, but I’d confidently predicted to Alex a 4:35-4:40 finish based on my own results here and those of others I’d raced against in the recent past. The start list had two clear favourites in both the male & female races with two or three others in contention for the minor placings...I targeted 4th (best possible) to 7th (realistic and satisfactory) as a likely finish position. The day before I weighed in at 64.6kg (average for the week 64.4)...much leaner than TRG’s 65.9kg (week ave 66.3)

If you get the impression from the above analysis that this would be a “redemption” race, or that I felt I had something to prove...you’d be right ;)

Swim (+ T1)...26:17...3rd AG, 4th OA

Yes that’s a good time, and yes relative to the field an excellent start...but no, the course isn’t accurate, nor has it been in the three years I’ve raced here. I’d love to claim sub-25 minute ability but that claim wouldn’t be legit...one day, but not today. Regardless, I was confident going into the swim and started out from a front-centre position hard and fast to the first buoy. The conditions were p-e-r-f-e-c-t today for fast, smooth, “clean” swimming, however regardless of how well I start I can never quite tell exactly where I am in the field unless I come to a complete stop, tread water for a second and look over the top of however many arms and legs are churning up the water in front of me...but there’s never time to stop in a race (gasp!) so I often rely on the short beach runs common on our multi-lap swim courses. Exiting the water after the first lap I was right on the heels of a guy who usually trains with the squad at my local pool and swims a little faster than me...we joked pre-race how I was looking for him in the crowd so I had some fast feet to sit behind, so I couldn’t help but chuckle when I passed him on the beach (see the pics :) ). Looking up at the course as I headed back in for lap two I saw three swimmers in front of us...good position, but not completely unexpected. What I didn’t expect was for my companion to drop off in such a hurry and to swim an entire lap by myself, with no-one front or rear. In some ways it was a blessing as I could focus on my own swim using long smooth strokes with a strong deliberate catch & pull in beautiful pool-like conditions. As I hit the beach at the end of lap two and removed my cap & goggles I heard the announcer mention 5 minutes to the team event start...I immediately thought, “crap, another short swim”. The announcer said I was in 4th place which I was very happy with...a good place to be so early in the race. While in transition I noticed the athlete immediately ahead of me was female (an ex Olympic swimmer from Slovakia no less, go figure?!) so, with all due respect, I should be in 3rd early in the ride with a clear road and the ability to set the tempo for those chasing.

Bike (+ T2)...2:29:09...4th AG, 4th OA

One thing I was trying for the first today was to race without a watch...no HRM, no timing...just going by feel and perceived exertion. I’ve been thinking about it for awhile now...I’ve never really had any benefit from having the time on my wrist, never been able to look at it, tell myself “better pick up the pace”, and been able to execute that. Likewise I’d never looked at my HR on the bike, thought “that’s too high”, then slowed down successfully. So it was just something I was carrying around unnecessarily...a nice-to-have that did nothing to improve the outcome of my races. So with this said, by the time I hopped on the bike I had no idea how fast I’d swam, nor any splits when passing recognizable landmarks (I never ride with a speed sensor in race trim but I knew the course well so had distances between towns, intersections, etc down pat). I’d planned to ride today much easier than I had been in my recent races...I think I’ve tweaked my bike & position to be pretty efficient aerodynamically so I had a good hunch my “80% effort” speed wasn’t too much slower than my typical “90-95%” speed, but at a much lower energy expenditure. I was intending to ride hilly sections and headwinds (about two thirds of the course) at 80%, and slightly harder on the short sections where I expected tailwinds. And sure enough the plan worked well. I moved into 3rd overall within a minute or so of T1 and headed towards Clevedon. This was a headwind section so just kept my head down and rode conservatively. The roundabout turning off towards Kawakawa Bay marks 15km into the course and a change to a tailwind section, so I lifted the effort here, used the big ring all the way grinding over rollers & small hills, and descended into Kawakawa Bay at speed feeling strong. Had a quick look behind be on the long flat section just before the bay and couldn’t see anyone following...so in a clear 3rd position all on my own (seemingly). I approached Snake Hill conservatively again, had an 11-23 cassette so not exactly spinning a high cadence but enough gearing to save the 39x23 for the last few corners. A small number of spectators and support personnel at the top of the climb (the crest of the hill was a self-supported feed station) confirmed my place...but I didn’t expect to hear a second round of clapping within 20 seconds...dammit, someone’s caught me! I had a feeling I knew who it was based on the competitor list I’d checked thoroughly before the race so didn’t bother to look. Kept riding conservatively through the hilly section from Snake Hill past Orere Point and the second “climb” on the course, right out through to the last of the rollers before approaching the short sweeping descent into the Firth of Thames. It was at this point 4th caught and passed me, but not with any authority, so I figured I’d stick with him (legally) for as long as I could until the pace got too much. We were now on the coastal flats heading towards the 60km turn...this is a deceptively tough section of the course...the headwind was strong today and the road surface here is possibly the worst I’ve raced on. I wasn’t finding the pace from the guy now in 3rd too difficult so I was trying to let him lead into the wind at around 10m separation. Unfortunately after about 10 minutes he sat bolt upright and slowed right down, expecting me to take the front...“okay, fair enough” I thought, but I was just going to cruise and not let the headwind sap too much from the legs. We swapped places a few times heading out towards Kaiaua, saw the two athletes in front of us a few minutes ahead coming back (with several minutes between them) and I held 3rd at the 60km mark. This was full u-turn meaning we now had a stiff tailwind...time to pour it on. Stepped on the gas as per the plan and must’ve been doing a good 50+km/h where the road surface allowed. A decent flood of athletes started going past in the other direction...no-one seemed to be going exceedingly fast so I felt confident the two of us could hold 3rd/4th back into T2. After a few minutes I turned to see if 4th was holding his distance ...and he was gone! Nowhere in sight?! That was pleasant surprise. The whole way back for T2 I was sure that he recognized who I was, knew I was a shite runner and figured he’d let me go. Turns out he dropped out on the bike course (must’ve been at the turn) and DNFed. So all alone again, in clear 3rd all the way back to transition. Rode the last hilly 20km very easy and looked back a few times expecting someone to surely catch me, such was the low effort...but no-one showed.

Run...1:30:57...4th AG, 4th OA

The beauty of not wearing a watch was apparent in T2...if I’d known I was a full 10 minutes ahead of my expectations now then I would’ve surely executed the last leg differently, which in hindsight I would’ve deeply regretted. My plan was to run the first lap easy (you always run faster than it feels), the second lap at moderate effort, and the last lap with everything I had left...I find breaking the bike & run disciplines into thirds is easiest mentally for pacing, so I really like races with 3-lap run legs. As I was exiting T2 to start my run, 4th place was just coming in off the bike...I didn’t recognize him initially but recognized his name when the announcer called him. The legs were a little numb for the first half a k but I settled into a nice rhythm soon enough, enjoying the tailwind heading out. About a km into the run I was passed for 3rd, and convincingly so. You have to pick your battles, and this was one I was never going to win, so I settled back into my easy pace for the remainder of the 3.5km outward leg. At the turn I was expecting to see runners coming fast the other way, so I waited, and waited, and finally they came, albeit a lot further away than I was anticipating. Recognized a few faces from Tauranga and local races...figured all these guys would whip me on the run if I don’t knuckle down. But I stuck to my plan and finished off the first lap easy. On lap 2 I started to notice a weird phenomena...I wasn’t losing time! How can that be...none of these guys were gaining on me? 3rd was off out of sight by now (he ended up with the fastest split of the day, finishing within 2 minutes of 2nd, while taking 9 minutes off him on the run), but 5th and 6th, and even 1st and 2nd (to my mind) weren’t gaining on me? The first half of lap 2 was easy to run fast with what was now a strong tailwind, at the turn it became a difficult headwind. By the end of lap 2 I really didn’t want start the dangerous game of counting chickens, but barring a complete and epic meltdown I knew I had 4th sewn up. The legs were feeling like concrete and both shoes had big bloody patches from large blisters, but otherwise I felt pretty good...still very alert, no gastro issues, getting plenty of coke at the aid stations, feeling confident. No way 5th or 6th were running fast enough to bridge the gap (turns out I out-split them by some margin), and even at the front 2nd was definitely losing big chunks of time, and 1st lost a few meters on me on the last pass. After such a failure on the run at Tauranga I was incredibly stoked to be putting together what seemed to be a decent run split, relative to the field (and a nicely balanced race overall)...as I would find out later, it was my best HIM run by a full 5 minutes! As I crossed the line the announcer called me in 4th place, but there was no finish line clock. I asked one of the timing guys, who then read a time from his monitor I couldn’t have fathomed pre-race...I didn’t hear the seconds, cos after “4:26...” my mind switched off. 4:26! 2 minutes faster than Tauranga?! Unreal! This was huge surprise...so satisfying and rewarding after 9 weeks of unbending focus, discipline and sacrifice.

Finish...4:26:23...4th AG, 4th OA (surprise!)

1. Mark Bowstead...4:09:46 (23:26, 2:18:17, 1:28:03)
2. Jamie Whyte...4:18:47 (25:07, 2:20:24, 1:33:16)
3. Tom Francis...4:20:10 (27:14, 2:28:30, 1:24:26)
4. Peter Hughes...4:26:23 (26:17, 2:29:09, 1:30:57)
5. Mark Cross...4:30:49 (28:21, 2:30:42, 1:31:46)

1. Julia Grant...4:42:43 (28:48, 2:39:21, 1:34:34)
2. Celia Kuch...4:56:11 (30:44, 2:41:52, 1:43:35)
3. Janine Simpson...4:59:30 (27:07, 2:48:25, 1:43:58)
4. Jo Carrel...5:06:15 (31:57, 2:51:16, 1:43:02)
5. Susan Swann...5:18:09 (35:12, 2:57:11, 1:45:46)

Post race

It’s now exactly two weeks since the race, so I’ve had heaps of time to put together the report and think about what went right on the day. This was certainly an eye-opener for me as far as seeing results linked directly to training...there is just no substitute for hard work, and I’ll never again think I can rest on my laurels as I had after Malaysia. I think I’ve said it on this blog before...you might be able to fake your way through sprint & olys, but the longer events (like HIM, and worse, IM) will surely show up weaknesses in your preparation. Just so you don’t think I’m completely self-centered/absorbed (just a little) and ungrateful, for the first time in PHT history (?) I’ve compiled a thank you list:

This list always begins & ends with Alex. She is my number one supporter, my sometime masseuse/manager/sherpa/active recovery partner, my inspiration and without doubt the reason I get up at 4am every day...making her proud is what I live for. She puts up with so much disruption (sleep, social life, holidays where I “have” to train)...I don’t know what I’ve done to deserve her.

My supporters Ben & Tracy Marshall at Performance Bicycle Tuning. Bike building & maintenance is probably something I’d quite enjoy but Ben makes it so easy for me I’ve never bothered to learn...his attention to detail is legendary and I’ve never entered a race concerned about my equipment. I might tweak my own position, tape my bars and change out training for race tyres, but Ben looks after all the important stuff to keep me rubber side down and moving forward...fast! As it happens, he managed to clean up the short course event earlier in the day too...nice!...a good day for PBT.

To the organisers, volunteers and sponsors of the Auckland Half. For the city the size of Auckland, with as many triathletes as we have (is there a larger concentration...on the planet?), the number of local races on our calendar is embarrassing! To be able to sleep in your own bed and leave the house after 6am for a non-drafting long (or even short) course event is such a foreign concept...almost too good to be true. This race deserves a bigger field...the course has mana and history few can match. Get out there next year and support it!

And last but not least, to those who actually read my ramblings, or who cheer me out on the course, thank you for your wonderful, generous and genuine support & advice. It’s the people who make this sport, and YOU are those people.

Images from the Auckland Half

2010-03-25T22:48:00.000+13:00

Quick race report...Auckland Half Ironman

2010-03-21T14:10:00.003+13:00

A brief note for the time-being as...

a) there are no results posted yet, not even provisional (no surprise)
b) I didn't wear a watch or a HRM or use a bike computer, so not times or splits
c) and I don't want to jump the gun on this...but...

...I came 4th! Overall! WTH?!?! One place out of the money! How?

Damn that was a tough TOUGH race (you should see my patched up feet), but such a rewarding result after 9 weeks of focus, discipline and stewing over the below-par showing in Tauranga.

No official time but the guys at the finish line when asked read 4:26 from their monitor. 4:26?!?! 2 minutes faster than Tauranga (a well-documented weak PB), on a course at least 10, maybe 15 minutes slower?! Still pinching myself...

The weekly training wrap...15/03 - 21/03

2010-03-21T09:20:00.003+13:00

Race week. Was in a good mental state this week feeling healthy (weight & wellness), if a little tired but with a lighter load and Thurs off completely came right by Sat as expected.

Core – 60mins (Tu, Thu)…2 x 30min sessions.

Swim – 6,360m (M, W, F)…very short week in the pool. Mon’s threshold set was 20x120m holding a 1:40 interval (with wetsuit) and breezed through that holding low 1:3x's, Wed a big sprint ladder of 4x30/3x60/2x90/1x120/2x90/3x60/4x30 all out on good rest, so all good signs leading into the race.

Bike – 1hr, 38mins (Tu, W, F)…hills early in the week with some disruption caused by a slowly leaking rear tyre, the same tyre I’d had two other flats on in the last two weeks. Forced the bulk of Tues session to be rescheduled for Wed, and a real concern considering I race on that rear wheel (with a Wheelbuilder disc cover) but a change of rim tape seemed to fix the issue and restore confidence. Fri shake-down ride in full race trim revealed some issues with terrible front brake pad alignment on my HED3 rim (lucky I didn’t do this on the trainer as tempted!)...I thought I’d fixed it with some simple adjustment but I didn’t re-test and front wheel braking was sketchy at best on Sat. :( People...always, always, ALWAYS test.

Run – 2hrs, 9.5mins (M, Tu, W, F, Sa)…a very comfy week, getting easier as we got closer to raceday. Mon’s session was a 50min interval run with some flat 1km efforts...the rest all pretty steady to easy. Sat includes a short 9.5min warm-up run.

Next week…definitely taking the week off, at least from S/B/R. Might keep up the core work cos it keeps me feeling loose & nimble, especially a sometimes tight lower back..and will probably accompany Alex on some of her evening walks.

The weekly training wrap...08/03 - 14/03

2010-03-14T20:38:00.002+13:00

Taper time. If there's one thing triathlon "experts" can't agree on it's the appropriate length & composition of a pre-race taper (if any) but the best I’ve heard, or at least the one that makes the most sense to me, is “the deeper you intend to push yourself in a race, the deeper you have to taper”. In other words, a “training” race building towards a bigger goal (ie, a HIM 4 weeks out from a IM “A” race) doesn’t need as long a taper...in theory you’re not emptying the tank on race day because a) you haven’t built to that peak race-specific fitness just yet (the size of the “tank”), and b) you simply can’t afford the recovery time (the tank won’t refill or expand in time for the A race). The situation is a much different as you approach the A race...this is the one where you leave it all out there on the course, empty the tank, run through the pain and disregard the damage you do...for this you need special reserves of energy and focus, best delivered through a deep and deliberate taper. The Auckland Half Ironman is very much a season-defining race for me so I intend to leave everything out there. Volume was cut back to just under 15hrs this week (from a high of 21+ last week) with some additional intensity thrown in to keep stimulated.

Core – 60mins (Tu, Su)…2 x 30min sessions.

Swim – 11,440m (M, Th, F, Su)…pretty steady week in the pool. Cut out all medley & drills now and focused on race and above race pace free. Longest session at 4,080m (Thurs) and lower overall volume for the week as I had to bail early on Sun again...one of the consequences of getting to race weight (this was an afternoon swim, outdoors in sunshine too)

Bike – 6hrs (M, W, Sa)…down to 3 rides for the week, the key session being a 3hr/1hr brick run with intervals at HIM race effort (bike and run). Was moving pretty well with the 1hr intervals at 34(ish)kmh average...this on the course itself with no aero gear is a good sign, and plenty of legs left for a decent brick run.

Run – 4hrs, 40mins (Tu, W, Th, F, Sa)…an up & down week. Tues hill repeat session was badly effected by stomach discomfort, thankfully this was on the way home after the quality work was complete. Thurs long run cut down to 90mins. Sat brick run off the bike was sharp...replicated my pacing strategy for the race with 20mins very easy, 20mins easy, 20mins moderate...race day will be 1 lap easy (it’s always faster than it seems), 1 lap moderate, last lap with everything I’ve got left...the 3 lap course is just perfect for pacing.

Next week…a shorter week again with some race-specific sessions planned...a shorter ride with hills and shorter flatter runs with intervals, and business as usual in the pool with some faster efforts as the week progresses.

A couple of "WTH?" moments

2010-03-07T20:56:00.002+13:00

(WTH? = “What the hell?”...for the oldies)

First WTH?...stumbled across an article on the Tri NZ website the other day. Looks like I made another ITU LD Worlds team...yay for me right? Well, I’m honoured of course but absolutely certain I ticked “no” (or at least didn’t tick “yes”) on the selection box, so there seems to be some sort of mistake...I hope someone who really wanted to go didn’t miss out, although Tri NZ made that kinda difficult (more on this below). Representing NZL in Immenstadt, GER sounds nice & all but I’m going all out for a spot in 2011...bring on Vegas!

Second WTH?...20 slots per age group? 20!?!? I could’ve sworn the criteria stated 6 per age group, which I personally believe is more in keeping with a “World Championship Team”. A touch elitist perhaps but giving away slots like this just cheapens the achievement in my opinion. Apologies if anyone takes offence...it ain’t the player, it’s the game ;)

Third WTH?...and in keeping with the above theme on elitism, I love what the WTC (owners of the Ironman brand and series) have done with the pro eligibility rules for 2010. Don’t have too much time to explain (google is your friend), but in a nutshell they’ve made eligibility a fair bit more selective, and the accolades of “success” in the pro ranks (prize-money and Kona qualification) just got a whole lot harder to obtain...prize-money is only paid to athletes finishing within 8% of the winner, with Kona Q slots going within 5%. So if you get your ass handed to you (see Marino Vanhoenacker’s win at IM Malaysia this year), you go home empty handed. Evidence of this at work (the WTH? part)...check out the results of the M30-34 age group at IMNZ yesterday. 31 athletes under 10hrs, 14 athletes under 9:40. Incredible depth. I don’t think we’ve seen an age-group in Taupo so strong, ever. Amongst the results are a bunch of guys who may have raced pro in other years, but have come back to age group racing for the above reasons. I think this is a great thing for the age group side of the sport, which (in an IM sense at least) lacks a little legitimacy...I’m hoping what was seen as a mostly “participatory pastime” for weekend warriors with too many spare hours and too much disposable income now starts to take shape as a real race, with all the positive stuff legit sports have that we as amateurs, for the most part, don’t (media coverage , sponsorship, drug testing, regulatory measures encouraging a level playing, etc).

Whoa...a catch up post

2010-03-07T20:50:00.002+13:00

Apologies to anyone expecting news over the last three weeks...been a bit busy on the weekends but getting some good training under the belt in prep for the Leppin Sport Auckland HIM...13 days to go, sweet!

A quick summary of the last 3 weeks:

15/02 – 21/02
Core – 60mins (2 sessions)
Swim – 12,000m (3)
Bike – 10hrs, 16mins / 299.6km (4)
Run – 5hrs, 15mins / 65.6km (6)

22/02 – 28/02
Core – 60mins (3)
Swim – 10,773m (3)
Bike – 10hrs, 48mins / 317.1km (5)
Run – 5hrs, 30.5 / 69.3km (6)

01/03 – 07/03
Core – 60mins (3)
Swim – 13,800m (4)
Bike – 11hrs, 1.5mins / 321.9km (4)
Run – 5hrs, 40.5mins / 71.7km (6)

So I’m coming to the end of a very intensive and focused block of training. Been eating very “clean” over this period, tossed the vitamins and a lot of the supplements, and cut waaay down on junk, sugar and coffee...as a consequence my daily weigh-in of late has been hovering around the high 64.x mark as opposed to 66-67 pre-Tauranga so getting pretty lean but with sufficient energy and no sickness, sniffles and thankfully, no injuries. Certainly not something I’ll keep up over the off-season as it give me no room to work with as far as the build/peak/taper cycle come next summer...it’s certainly where I should and (should have been) for the key in-season races. Also been stretching and (self)-massaging like a madman...the legs have their tired days but overall I’m feeling satisfied that the load is sufficient this time round.

No more “well it’s just a half ironman” thoughts... ;)

The weekly training wrap…08/02 – 14/02

2010-02-14T21:10:00.000+13:00

An easier week but still good volume at 18hrs 26mins…just a routine structure with 3 x swims, 4 x rides & 6 x runs albeit with a little mid-week reshuffling which may have compromised some of the recovery from the longer sessions.

Core – 60mins (Tu, Su)…2 x 30min sessions.

Swim – 10,293m (M, Th, F)…a strange total due to a mix of 60m & 33m pools. Cut short the Mon session due to coldness in the water (this happens a fair bit for me)…got home and spent 15mins doing some dryland training on the bands instead which was pretty tough. Big 5+K swim on Wed & a decent speed-focussed set on Fri to round off the week.

Bike – 9hrs, 49mins (M, W, Sa, Su)…getting through some good volume on the bike, although a larger than normal percent at easy/Z1 effort. Long ride up to 4hrs 15mins with 1500m climbing. The rest all as per the usual structure…hills, race sim intervals, long steady-state, easy.

Run – 4hrs, 51.5mins (Tu, W, Th, Sa, Su)…sluggish for the most part, particularly the long steady-state run. Still running on RPE only but when checking HR files post-session reading very low values. Last two runs of the week were probably the best so perhaps starting to absorb some of the volume of the last month or so.

Next week - very much a routine week, can’t think of any possible disruptions to the plan (famous last words).

The weekly training wrap…01/02 – 07/02

2010-02-07T21:07:00.000+13:00

A pretty big week due to a public holiday on Mon (allowing for a longer ride) and two big swims Wed & Fri (5.7+k & 6.2+k respectively)…pretty jaded after 18hrs 44mins for the week.

Core – 60mins (Tu, Sa)…2 x 30min sessions.

Swim – 14,500m (M, W, F)…B-I-G week in the pool (well, relatively speaking for only 3 sessions). Wed & Fri were milestone swims…5760m on Wed being my longest session for at least two years, then beaten again on Fri with my longest swim ever(!) at 6240m. Nothing too flash but pretty damn pleased to get it done…might be hard to top this season though.

Bike – 9hrs, 35mins (M, W, Sa, Su)…another decent week on the bike. Had the opportunity to ride longer on Mon (2hrs, 34mins) so went out east and did 6 repeats of Sandstone Rd…must’ve gone all delirious in the wind & rain because at the top of the 4th rep I was thinking “man I’m wrecked already, that was so much harder than the first 3, what’s going on???”…then I looked down and realised I’d forgotten to change down into the small ring…hah! Took it easier during the week and had a strong Sat long ride over the same terrain.

Run – 4hrs, 40mins (Tu, Th, Sa, Su)…hill reps, easy, easy, long steady-state, short brick, tempo in that order...most of them feeling fresh and light on the feet with the exception of the faster effort on Sun. Extended the long run to 1hr, 35mins…a good sharp session.

Next week - nothing special on the cards for next week, scheduled to hit roughly the same volume. Pretty tired by Sun so may lay off the intensity…a protocol of 3 weeks build / 1 week easy seemed to get some good results when I first started with structured coaching so will likely stick with it unless I feel particularly good (in which case I’ll just go for it).

The weekly training wrap…25/01 – 31/01

2010-01-31T19:00:00.000+13:00

Another good week…all went to plan at just over 16.5hrs. Legs not feeling any ill-effects from the running…being very careful and deliberate with recovery.

Core – 60mins (Tu, F)…2 x 30min sessions, both with strong, focussed deep muscle control. Bit sore on Wed morning :O

Swim – 10,580m (M, W, F)…mix of pools this week and some wetsuit swimming thrown in too. Notes reveal 3 sessions of varying perceived quality, but all holding strong main set paces so a positive result there.

Bike – 8hrs, 45mins (M, W, Sa, Su)…a solid week’s work on the bike. All sessions seemed to meet the objectives…good mid-week ride with long intervals, some good climbing on Sat’s “long” ride (still building at 3hrs, 45mins).

Run – 4hrs, 20mins (Tu, Th, Sa, Su)…hill reps, easy, long steady-state, easy, short brick, tempo in that order. Another good running week and niggles, aches or fatigue come Sun night…

Next week - 2 big squad swims planned on Wed & Fri of 5.5k and 6k(!!) respectively so will try to accommodate for that early in the week. Also a public holiday on Mon so will get in a slightly longer ride than usual, thus a shorter session Wed (and a small sleep in!).

The weekly training wrap…18/01 – 24/01

2010-01-24T18:56:00.001+13:00

Back into it after a week off (60mins core only…no S/B/R). I’ve drafted a 9 week schedule leading into the Auckland HIM and look forward to a focussing on a new goal…while I was happy with the build-up to Tauranga at the time, the outcome revealed a few inadequacies in my regular programme. You’ll see a few subtle changes:

- Less swimming…down to 3 x per week. I really don’t need any more. I’ve been swimming well all season, the result of a good training block during the winter. Will try and hit at least 1, maybe 2 squad swims per week to keep the intensity up, particularly for the speed-focussed sessions (a little in-lane competition goes a long way), and cram in some further frequency during the 2 week taper to build into peak fitness for the race.

- More running…the longer races this season (Auckland half mary, Tauranga HIM) have both been ended in disappointment. You can fake your way through the shorter events with a 6 month average of 2hrs 50mins (and 35.7km) per week, but it simply doesn’t cut it for the long stuff. So the new plan calls for 5-6 runs per week, spread over 4 days. Double-run days are a bit of a risk from a recovery perspective, but the p.m. runs planned are very short and very easy and scheduled simply to add volume and frequency. So far so good, but still early days…
- More volume! Plain and simple...I just need to do more. My total 6 month average of 11hrs 38mins per week (so just over 10hrs of S/B/R excl. misc. core strength training) just isn’t enough to make a champion…well, not unless you’re an experienced single-sport endurance athlete which a decade of aerobic base, which I’m not ;) More IS more in my situation…

Anyway, this week ended up at 15hrs, 24mins…just “easing back in” ;)

Core – 60mins (Tu, F)…cutting it back to one hour. The last few weeks I’d been skimping anyway.

Swim – 8,670m (M, F, Su)…trying to schedule this for M/W/F but an always-hectic Wednesday at work typically throws a spanner in. Pretty average stuff throughout…some good (Mon), some bad (Sun…tired).

Bike – 8hrs, 0.5mins (M, W, Sa, Su)…a really good week on the bike. No surprise after a week off…the legs & mind were very fresh and ready to roll. All good sessions, achieved the objectives of each. Long rides from here on in will all include parts of the Auckland HIM course…takes just over an hour on the bike from home to hit the closest section(s) so by the time I build to weeks 6/7/8 of the schedule I should be covering most if not all of the course.

Run – 4hrs, 6mins (Tu, Th, Sa, Su)…a good start, but no surprise on fresh legs. Doubled-up on Tues & Thurs, key sessions in the morning with evening runs being gentle efforts on soft surfaces.

Next week- more of the same, with small increases (5-15mins here & there) to the key sessions. Will probably start to see some fatigue creep in as, according to the HRM (used strictly in post-workout analysis now) there was a decent amount of intensity this week.

"You're only as good as your last race..."

2010-01-16T20:43:00.003+13:00

I'm probably beating myself up a little too much here, but failing to achieve a goal isn't something I'm accustomed to...needless to say I'm very disappointed in the outcome of last week's race.

I've had a week to think (or dwell) but the full race report still isn't coming together easily, so I'll just post some numbers for now and get back to it when I'm less distracted...I have a bowl of vanilla ice-cream & lychees calling me :)

Swim (incl T1) - 30:15...so mid to high 28:xx out of the water. That was one tough mofo of a swim (current was very strong, arms & legs everywhere) so pretty pleased with the time and relative position towards the front of the field.

Bike - 2:18:42...hard work (too hard). The swim really broke up the field this year. A decisive point in my race was slowly reeling in the female leader (and her hanger-on)...this was my first chance to actually ride with people (legally) going around my pace and get some reprieve, but I pushed on... :(

T2 - 1:13...no mistakes, very sharp! Out onto the run course in 18th OA (this meant 2nd AGer OA) according to friends spotting...can't verify this (hoping someone will crunch some numbers for me?), but a very good position to be in starting the run :)

Run - 1:38:16...oh dear, game over :( The worst possible outcome. Dropping 30-odd OA places (and 4 in your AG) in a national championship race is not cool. I'll elaborate later...

Finish - 4:28:26 ((gulp)) Going into the race I'd specifically targetted top 3 in AG, but had 4:20 as an ambitious but achievable time goal...even in short hindsight I felt if I'd executedly differently I had the raceday fitness to get very close, if not there. But it wasn't to be, pacing is a huge part of the game in long distance racing...I've done it well before, but not today.

One positive outcome...I'll have a whole year to stew over the fact I'm not the athlete I thought I was..."you're only as good as your last race". Complacency kills...

The weekly training wrap...04/01 - 10/01

2010-01-10T20:18:00.001+13:00

(numbers include Saturday's race :( )

Core - 60mins (M, Th)...meh, two weeks in a row, nothing but complacency (not a good sign).

Swim - 8,946m (Tu, W, F, Sa)...very much in taper mode now so shorter workouts all with intensity. Holding good intervals in the pool Tues & Wed...all leaving on 1:30 pace, very sharp. I'll report on the race in another post but I'll say now that I was very pleased with my swim...high 28:xx in very challenging conditions, good stuff.

Bike - 4hrs, 9mins (Tu, F, Sa)...not the ideal schedule mix over the last few weeks but made the best of the time available. Tues' "final" ride (apart from a 20min shake-down on Fri) was pretty strong, saw a heap of like-minded folks out hammering.

Run - 3hrs, 8mins (M, W, F, Sa)...about 8 minutes longer than scheduled :( Yes there's a lot to add to that comment, but later. In the week leading in I was actually feeling very confident...had three solid weeks of running, was hitting my intervals hard and feeling light on the feet. Both mid-week sessions were sharp, some good intensity in there without ever feeling like I'd overdone it.

Next week - I'm actually writing this on the evening of Saturday the 16th, so I've had the week off training moping around and dwelling on the outcome of the race. Haven't lifted a finger since, barring 2x30min core sessions (both weak) and a casual swim (not logged) at Parnell this arvo...haven't even cleaned the bike! Al's away for the weekend at her little bro's 21st (sorry Mike, I'm wrecked) so I'm home alone scratching my head trying to find answers. Will start a 9 week block of training on Mon Jan 18th leading into the Auckland Half Ironman. Full report on Tauranga to follow...

The weekly training wrap...28/12 - 03/01

2010-01-03T19:57:00.001+13:00

Happy new year! Another week(end) away from home...this time in the beautiful beach town of Onemana on the Coromandel Peninsula. Got a decent week's training in all things considered...the swimming wasn't so good as the ocean was so freakin' cold (cut one session entirely) but good cycling & running. The diet wasn't ideal...got back to Auckland a little heavy.

Core - 75mins (M, W, Sa)...just too busy to squeeze in that last 15mins, very naughty ;)

Swim - 8,333m (Tu, W, F)...two strong pool sessions mid-week but not much else, just didn't fancy very cold open water sessions (pretty dumb cos it's only frequency I really need in the taper).

Bike - 7hrs, 23mins (M, Th, Sa, Su)...very dull mid-week sessions but thankfully got a good stimulating ride in on Saturday. Rode from Onemena to Tairua, to Whangamata, and back to Onemana...2hrs & 46mins incl some good climbing. Sunday was cool...just rode in Whangamata to watch the Tri NZ Contact Trophy race...they ended up making a course change and which took the bike leg right past the Onemana turn-off so caught a lot of the action on the route home.

Run - 3hrs, 14mins (Tu, F, Sa, Su)...probably the best of the 3 disciplines this week. Not huge on volume as I'm well into the taper now, but all workouts felt sharp and achieved the objectives of each.

Next week - the big one on Saturday...the Port of Tauranga Half Ironman. This is my A-race for the season so looking for a good result here...as per last week's post, top 3 in AG (it's a national championship) or bust.

The weekly training wrap...21/12 - 27/12

2009-12-31T11:06:00.001+13:00

As expected some re-shuffling of the schedule was required due to xmas travel...it all worked out well with just the Sat transition run (felt pointless, big ride preceding) and Sun easy spin (throw-away session anyway) dropped to due external commitments.

Core - 90mins (Th, Sa, Su)

Swim - 12,867m (M, Tu, Th, Su)...interesting week with 3 pools of different lengths. Two good threshold sessions early in the week at GI, a strong speed/medley main set in the 25m pool in Paeroa in xmas eve, and a decent 3k in the New Plymouth 50m pool on the weekend. Best of all, scored a sweet "world famous in NZ" Paeroa Amateur Swim Club cap from one of the lifeguards...woot!

Bike - 7hrs, 9mins (M, W, Sa)...both mid-week sessions were rather dull (slept in on Wed). Saturday's ride on the other hand was epic! A long solo effort around Mt Taranaki moving anti-clockwise starting & finishing in New Plymouth. Had a nice tailwind on the first leg to Opunake, would've averaged mid-3xkm/h (at low RPE)...next section to Eltham was a real grind, a false flat (uphill) the whole way with crappy crosswinds...Eltham to Stratford was more of the same, roads were getting busy...energy was getting low so stopped in Stratford for a cornbeef sandwich and a Red Bull :)...then continued on strong dodging trucks & potholes on the slight downhill home to New Plymouth. Just over 155km, 4hrs 55mins total.

Run - 3hrs, 22.5mins (Tu, F, Su)...started well and faded. Strong 60min hill rep session Tues, very sharp long run w/intervals xmas morning in New Plymouth (the coastal walkway concrete beats you up a little though), then fell flat on Sun as two big weeks started to catch up with me.

Next week - starting to taper off a wee bit towards Tauranga. Largely the long run & ride volume decreasing (both with intensity though), and with new year hols in the Coromandel some further travel disruption expected. Should sneak in a few open water ocean swims from our spot in Onemana though, so all good.

Re Tauranga Half...I think everything's coming along nicely. Achieving the objectives of almost all sessions and not letting the flat workouts get me down too much...as my old coach used to say "if you don't have at least one flat session a week, you're not training hard enough!". Exceeded expectations at both early season races thus far so no reason to start doubting now. Pre-race goal is simply an AG podium...I'm ticking every box to get there and confident I can make it happen. Wish me luck... :)

The weekly training wrap...14/12 - 21/12

2009-12-31T10:51:00.001+13:00

Core - 90mins (W, Sa, Su)...3 x 30min sessions, routine stuff

Swim - 12,520m (M, Tu, Th, F)...a real mixed bag in the pool this week. Started with a long (4.3k+) but sluggish session on Mon, a good medley session Tues, another mediocre threshold main set Thu, and finished with some good speed-fussed work on Fri.

Bike - 8hrs, 58mins (M, W, Sa, Su)...big week on the bike, good time & the saddle and all sessions meeting objectives. Very strong solo long ride (4hrs) on Sat with good climbing (1,564m) and holding good pace.

Run - 3hrs, 15mins (Tu, Th, Sa, Su)...much like the bike, a textbook week. Recovered very well by tues. Felt sharp for all of the 3 key sessions (Tues hill reps, Thur long steady-state, Sun tempo)...best running week for months.

Next week - at 16hrs, 54mins that was my biggest training week since, well, IM back in Feb! More of the same next week, but travel plans over xmas will no doubt bite in. Will likely have to shuffle a few workouts Thur/Fri & subsequent days but hopeful of getting in the required volume & intensity. Paeroa & New Plymouth are both really neat places for training with good facilities and reasonably quiet roads/paths...the new surrounding will be a good stimulus. Will be interesting to see what effect the holiday diet has on weight & body comp. ;)

The weekly training wrap...07/12 - 13/12

2009-12-14T10:41:00.001+13:00

Core - 90mins (Tu, Th, Sa, Su)

Swim - 8,920m (M, W, F, Su)...started the week nice & easy, dropped into a squad swim mid-week (tough!), wussed out a bit in cold water with cramping etc on the other two sessions. What little swimming I did generally felt smooth & fast for the most part.

Bike - 6hrs, 24mins (W, Sa, Su)...stayed off the bike 'til mid-week, mostly easy gentle stuff with the exception of some more HARD TTT intervals on the Sat group ride.

Run - 50mins (Sa, Su)...and stayed away from running for a good 5 days post-race. Easy brick run on Sat, harder tempo session on Sun...not sharp but close enough.

Next week - bang on 11hrs (and 9mins) total this week as expected so will ramp up quite quickly to some solid volume...normal structure with 4/4/4 sessions per discipline.

Tinman '09...THE race report!

2009-12-06T20:03:00.007+13:00

Well, a quick update at least...hate to keep the fans waiting ya know. I’ll edit this later with full commentary…

(edited 31 Dec)

Swim + T1…18:58 (2nd AG, 14th OA)

W–T–H?!?!?! Yep, ultra-fast swim times this year. The immediate reaction is to point the finger at course distance, and I think there’s an element of that, however the current running the length of the course was really strong in parts so if you knew how to manipulate it (swimming with, and against) it was very very advantageous. Started hard & fast as usual and in no time found myself in amongst a decent sized pod moving at good pace...did my usual lazy feet-hogging routine and (as usual again) got kicked around a bit for my efforts. For some unknown reason the pace appeared to slow considerably on lap two so picked it up a notch and managed to bridge to another group which appeared about 20-30m ahead at the final turn, so made up a decent amount of time in very short distance. It's possible my line was better swimming into the current (I was quite close to shore).

Sharp efficient T1 and bike mount…no errors, no hesitation...probably my best T1 from memory.

Bike…1:01:43 (1st AG, 4th OA)

WOW…that was fun! Not much more to say really…a very strong, very focussed effort throughout. Had good company straight out of T1, but no working together here (well, at least no intention from me)…that was a dog fight the whole way. Just put the head down and buried it as best I could fatigued from a fast swim but with little regard for the subsequent run. Caught, passed, and stayed ahead of some names I didn't expect to...prominent AGers and pros. Couldn’t have expected any faster on a long course (measured 42km on mapmyride).

T2 + Run…43:16 (7th AG, 23rd OA)

A small group I passed on the last straight home thought it would be fun to storm past me on the proper line and dismount right in front on the timing mat (illegally)...good one guys :) Another very quick & efficient transition...no mucking round...helmet off, shoes on, grab the number belt and go!

Aah, the run...my old nemesis :) Not disastrous, but I did run faster three weeks ago (seemingly). Apparently the run is a little long also, maybe half a km which may explain somewhat...but no excuses, relative to the field my run was lacking. Those prominent names from earlier had no trouble disposing of me quickly...I went from 9th (in a group of four with 6th-8th) out of T2 to 11th by about the 6km mark. I did hold position from there with a few competitors closing in so not all bad. Note to self:

Finish…2:03:57 (3rd AG, 11th OA)

All good...I expected about 2:05 pre-race knowing about the long ride so this was pleasing. The uncertainty of the distances mean any satisfaction at the new PB is a little tainted, but it is what it is...we all raced the same course, and all worked with what we were given.

I'll probably get an opportunity over the holidays to update further with some cool pics. In the meantime...

The weekly training wrap...30/11 - 06/12

2009-12-06T19:30:00.001+13:00

Core - 90mins (M, W, Th, F)...the standard fare with 4 x sessions spread throughout the week

Swim - 12,1000m (M, Tu, Th, F, Su)...reviewing my notes from the week reveals good strong sharp swimming throughout with the exception of Fri (just fizzed out for some reason). As per most race weeks, dropped a lot of the drill/kick/medley and focussed on threshold and above threshold free. Swam really well on Sunday (Tinman)...more on this soon ;)

Bike - 4hrs, 20mins (W, Sa, Su)...midweek ride was crap, no energy, couldn't put the power down, no panic though. Took it easy 'til Saturday where I had a decent shake-down ride in full race trim...always feels good to mount the HED3 and slap the disc cover on, a few km/h of free speed there for sure. Sunday was unreal! Really stoked to put that ride together...

Run - 2hrs, 20mins (Tu, Th, Sa, Su)...similar theme to the bike. Made the silly mistake of breaking in brand new race shoes on my Tues hill rep run (yes, I should know better, but damn they're cool)...killed the calves for a good few days and compromised the Thurs session which I cut short to 20mins. I was fully recovered by Sunday and feeling sharp pre-race but didn't run as well as I wanted to...I'll confess to biking a little hard beforehand and struggling to get the legs turning over early in the run.

Next week - recovery, recovery, recovery. Not that I'm feeling shattered, quite the opposite in fact. I don't think I've ever felt fresher in the immediate aftermath of a race. But an ambitious goal in 5 weeks demands a rested set of legs and more importantly, a fresh mind for the next 4. Loose plans foresee around 10-11 hrs this week, most of it on the weekend.

The weekly training wrap...23/11 - 30/11

2009-11-30T13:35:00.002+13:00

Core - 90mins (W, F, Sa)...2 x sessions on Wednesday as rain and working late meant no S/B/R. Just filling gaps (again)...

Swim - 10,180m (M, Tu, Th, Su)...had to do some re-shuffling of the scheduling due to weather & work commitments interfering with bike & run training. Good session with the Parnell squad on Thurs night (wetsuit, 60m outdoor saltwater pool)...a good sprint ladder main set. Wussed out on Sun due to the cold water (Parnell again). Everything else routine.

Bike - 8hrs, 11.5mins (M, Th, Sa, Su)...didn't realise the volume until sitting down and tallying up for the week. All solid sessions with each objective achieved. Ecellent long ride on Saturday...teamed up with two like-minded others training for summer HIMs and did some TTT interval work midway through our ride. Really good intensity to the ride, felt sharp throughout. Sun rides were just commutes to & from the pool.

Run - 3hrs, 7mins (Tu, F, Sa, Su)...and there are consequences to that bike intensity :). Never really felt sharp until halfway through the Sunday tempo effort. Otherwise all routine stuff...still keeping the steady-state "long" effort pretty short at just over 70mins.

Next week - well that week was just over 15.5hrs total which I can't afford to repeat too often (just don't have the mileage in the legs this season) so timely that Tinman is on the horizon which will force a mini-taper from about Thurs on. Really looking forward to this race...did the S/B last year due to the stress fracture recovery and was well placed before pulling the pin. Theoretically a quicker course than Maraetai albeit with a rumoured longer bike leg (approx 42km), but with a deeper field at the pointy end I'm looking forward to some fast racing...

The weekly training wrap...16/11 - 22/11

2009-11-22T13:26:00.000+13:00

Core - 90mins (M, W, F, Su)...same as last week.

Swim - 12,400m (M, Tu, Th, F)...reviewing individual session notes reveals this as one of my sloppier weeks in the pool. Had some neck pain through the week which looked to have resolved itself by Friday (co-incindentally my best swim).

Bike - 5hrs, 17.5mins (W, Sa)...just the two rides this week. Got a bit complacent, took Sunday off completely :). All pretty easy stuff, just noodling around...longer ride on Saturday with the group (nothing hard).

Run - 2hrs, 26mins (Tu, Th, Sa)...similar to the bike. More residual fatigue, less enthusiasm. HR values pretty low early in the week, just lacking oomph.

Next week...a bigger week scheduled, building into a mini taper prior to Tinman on Dec 6th. Should be the normal structure with 4/4/4 session in each discipline. Hopefully get some motivation back...

Race report - Panasonic People's Tri (Oly)

2009-11-15T18:05:00.006+13:00

…aka the “where the hell did that come from” race! I surprised myself today with a 7 minute personal best and a time which I didn’t think possible on (perceived) current fitness and form…funny how often that happens :)

Going into this early season race I did expect to knock a few minutes off my (relatively weak) Olympic distance PB , and likely sneak under 2:10, but it’s a deceivingly difficult course this one…not very hilly nor particularly windy, but enough of each to test you throughout and knock a little speed off your best efforts. The road surface is just plain awful too…very rough chip seal and poorly maintained with bad edges and no smooth flattened “tyre tracks” typical of our rural roads. They changed the run course this year extending the outward leg (repeated twice) and removing a little bastard of a hill on the return...not sure why they did it because it really added to the character of the race...it's likely the run times were a minute or two faster as a result.

Pre-race expectations were for a 21ish swim, 1:04ish bike and 42ish run…a few quick transitions and sub-2:10 was likely. This series has no chip timing and I didn't take exact splits, but based on a few glances at the watch I ended up with...

Swim…21:30
T1…1:00
Bike…1:01:00
T2…1:00
Run…41:00
Finish…2:05:30 (this was in fact my official result)

Pretty cool stuff. That time was good for 1st in my AG and 3rd overall on the day...awesome! Keep an eye out for the results in the NZ Herald tomorrow...they usually publish the top 3 (a quiet long-held ambition of mine...ha!).

The Polar said 2:05:08 so a little off somewhere there… ave HR 166, 0:00:15 Z1, 0:00:45 Z2, 0:48:40 Z3, 1:15:28 Z4 (bike zones throughout) with max HR 175 and 302m climbing.

So zone 4 for the bulk of it, which equates to zone 3 on the run...managed to keep it up close to 170 on the last return leg, unusual for me. That was really tough, but the next guy was closing in fast on every pass so I was running scared. Had a good swim with good positioning throughout...out of the water in 4th OA, right on the heels of 3rd (with 5th on mine), but a long way off 1st & 2nd. Surprisingly fast ride, dropped the 3rd guy in our group and blew past the swim winner so off the bike in 3rd OA...if you have a look at the pics below the athlete "Harvey" in the Tri NZ suit appears in just about every in-race pic...we stuck together like glue from the opening minutes of the swim right up to 1km into the run, where he then proceded to blitz me and take 2nd on the day. 1st OA was simply in a league of his own...and I assume shut it down once he knew the win was safe.

Al just bought herself a fancy new toy and spent most of the morning happily snapping pics from the race...courtesy of her Canon EOS 1000 DSLR:

The weekly training wrap...09/11 - 15/11

2009-11-15T18:01:00.001+13:00

Core - 90mins (W, F, Sa, Su)…2 x 30mins, 2 x 15mins. Just squeezing it in where I can.

Swim – 12,200m (M, Tu, Th, F, Su)…includes 1,500m from today’s race. Short sessions but all sharp. Hitting a good patch of form in the pool…very pleased.

Bike – 5hrs, 35mins (M, W, Sa, Su)…pretty strong interval-based sessions on Mon & Wed, a short(ish) steady-state ride with a few Oly race efforts on Sat (in full race trim), then race day Sun. All good workouts, all objectives achieved.

Run – 2hrs, 50mins (Tu, Th, Sa, Su)…pretty standard week from a scheduling perspective, shorter sessions than usual though with the Sunday race in mind. Good hill rep workout on Tues, good steady-state offroad run Thurs and a short brick run off the bike on Sat. No complaints…

Next week…afters today’s race I’m sure I’ll wake up raring to go Monday with the usual residual fatigue kicking in a few days later. No reason to plan anything other than the standard weekly structure but will keep a close eye on resting HR and in-session fatigue, aches & niggles. If I can knock off work on time might have crack at Wednesday’s Stroke & Stride!

The weekly training wrap...02/11 - 08/11

2009-11-08T17:58:00.001+13:00

Core - 90mins (M, W, Su)…going back to 90 minutes minimum a week. My back has been feeling some fatigue in the pool and on longer rides this off-season…not really sure what the cause is but it coincides with my decreasing focus on these sessions so we’ll step it up again the last season’s levels and see what happens. Good start this week…

Swim – 13,133m (M, Tu, Th, F)…bounced back well after the disappointing weekend. All sessions were fast and focused, a good mix of threshold interval work (some w/paddles), IM, some hard short VO2max stuff and a new T30 time trial PB on Thurs! Very happy and somewhat surprised to hit 2100m this week…a small improvement of 20 or so metres. The T30 (swim 30mins hard and record distance) determines your threshold pace, thus helps in setting interval times & send-offs. This result means I’ve lowered my pace to 1:25/100m…the bad thing is I’m in for a world of hurt trying to hold intervals on this base :(

Bike – 5hrs (Sa, Su)…rested the legs for most of the week, was raring to go by Saturday. Strong stimulating 3hr+ hilly ride with long intervals at HIM effort, and an easy flat spin the next day. Pretty sharp.

Run – 50mins (Sa, Su)…a quick 10min easy transition run on Sat, and the usual 40min Sun morning tempo effort on the local walking trails. A bit sluggish, yesterday’s efforts on the bike were probably a bit much.

Next week…more or less a standard weekly structure with shorter long run (Th) and ride (Sa) as my tri season opens on Sunday with the Panasonic People’s Tri at Maraetai. Expecting a good result in this race…while not a "fast" course by any means, I set my (admittedly poor) PB here in 2007 on a run-focused build for the Auckland Marathon a few weeks prior. I’ve never really had an opportunity to top it with a recent history of Ironman focus and some injury disruptions meaning I haven’t actually raced an Oly with good preparation or for anything other than a hard training hit-out since :)

Race report - adidas Auckland Half Marathon

2009-11-01T17:54:00.000+13:00

I'd rather forget this race so I'll keep it brief:

The details...1:28:54 (results page here)…120th overall, 98th male, 52nd in AG. From the Polar…ave HR 170, 1:00 Z1, 7:58 Z2, 1:10 Z3, 10:00 Z4 with max HR 180 and 210m climbing (all averages as HRM played up late in the run).

So a pretty lacklustre effort...in hindsight I was foolish thinking a PB was a formality. Wanted to pace myself at 4:00/km throughout, got a bit behind at the start due to poor self-seeding (thus congestion), only kept target pace to 12km or so then faded pretty badly. Lots to think about, was just the wake-up call I needed. Came into the event a little heavy...got complacent over winter and just didn't do the work. A deserved result…

The weekly training wrap...26/10 - 01/11

2009-11-01T17:48:00.001+13:00

A late update, sorry…this week included a mini-taper for the adidas Auckland Half Marathon on Sunday

Core - 40mins (W, F)…actually forget to fill out the complete hour late in the week, the first time I can remember cutting this discipline short. Not a good omen…

Swim – 9,067m (M, Tu, Th, F)…a poor week. Started with a swim in an unfamiliar outdoor 50m pool (New Plymouth), things just didn’t click for the entire week…too many throwaway sessions, poorly focused.

Bike – 3hrs, 29.5mins (M, Sa)…started with a really solid ride with race effort intervals in the countryside just out of New Plymouth…I was wondering why I felt so slow in the first half, turned then noticed by the elevation down to sea level how significant the false flat was that I’d just climbed, therefore absolutely flew back into town (the tailwind helped) at 40+kmh. Awesome. Skipped a session mid-week with work commitments. Saturday was just an easy 2hr spin with the half mary the next day.

Run – 3hrs, 13mins (Tu, Th, Sa, Su)…includes the half marathon on Sunday. Felt good on the feet for most of the week. All short sessions tapering towards the weekend. Race report to follow…in short, very disappointing, and very humbling.

Next week…will stay off the feet Mon-Fri and let the legs recover from a painful weekend. Need to get focused in the pool again, then pick up where we left off from Sat. Got a busy few weeks with a couple of early-season Oly distance races in quick succession coming up soon, also want to try my hand in the local Stroke & Stride series.

Whoa...what's it been, a month already?!?!

2009-10-29T20:09:00.002+13:00

Really really sorry to anyone who actually reads this stuff with regularity...been super busy and just not getting as much time lately to sit down, think and write. Also struggling to come up with original content :)...in a triathlon sense I've just been going through the motions the last few weeks in preparation for the upcoming season.

Training has been a little inconsistent...some really strong sessions, some not so good. Since the last regular update I've had weeks of 13hrs:29mins, 13:49, 11:00, 14:24 and 15:19...this week will be a little shorter with a mini-taper towards the Auckland Half Marathon this Sunday.

Not really sure what to expect in this race...when I signed up I was all about PBs & progression but I'm not feeling as fit as I'd like and somewhat daunted by the task at hand. A reality check might be just what I need with the really serious stuff (tri) just around the corner, but then again I've surprised myself before so I'm keeping an open mind...

The weekly training wrap...14/09 - 20/09

2009-09-20T15:47:00.001+12:00

Back-to-back 15hr weeks are a good thing...pleased with the consistency in the program.

Swim – 12,599m (M, Tu, Th, Fr)…a bit less volume than last week with the Tues session cut very short due to a late start. The PM sessions in general though working out very well, allowing time to get the quality long endurance sets in. My old favourite Speedo goggles have been discontinued for a while now and are getting very hard to find, so started looking round for a substitute and might’ve struck gold with blueseventy’s Nero RZR...worth a look! Also needing a new wetsuit for the upcoming season so have had one eye on TradeMe for a few weeks looking for a bargain. I may have just stumbled across the deal of the century...will keep a tight lid on this one so none of you bastards out-bid me! More next week ;)

Bike – 7hrs, 10.5mins (W, Sa, Su)…good week in the saddle. Strong mid-week ride, good solid Saturday long group ride with Ben & some of his PBT clients, and a nice easy Sunday arvo spin to cap things off. A few creaks & groans from the bike so probably due for a strip & rebuild in time for summer.

Run – 3hrs, 48mins (M, Tu, Th, Sa, Su)…same as last week, only session skipped this week was the Wed pm run. Getting through the hills reps early in the week and another decent “long” steady-state run home from the office on Thurs.

A funny thing happened on Sunday…I won a 10k running race! It was my first at the distance, and like all great athletes I may just decide to retire on top…one & out I say ;) Ok, lining up at the start line with pre-pubescent students & a few parents pushing strollers it’s fair to say I might’ve been the only person actually intent on “racing” the Glendowie College 5/10km fun run/walk, but I’ll take it, and hopefully reap some benefits from a solid race pace hit-out. My finish time was pedestrian at 40mins+ (about 2mins slower than anticipated) but gees that was a tough course…it hurt!

Core – 1hr (W, F, Su)…3x20min sessions in front of the TV where & when possible. Mostly swiss ball…

Next week – I’m expecting to suffer the consequences of the 10km early in next week’s schedule so will likely take it pretty easy up to Weds. Nothing else out of the ordinary planned…just trying to do something quality every day and stay consistent.