2009 Review and 2010 Outlook

I'm now 5 weeks into Ironman Training and for the first time feeling pretty good about my training, my body is beginning to keep up (it helped that week 4 was a minor rest week) and I've finally overcome a few mental hurdles. This is the big target for 2010, and its only less than 8 weeks away, with a long course race in Huskisson included in the middle for good measure. Beyond the end of March who knows, i think its just getting my head around actually competing and hopefully completing an Ironman distance event that is occupying the entirety of my 2010 goals at this stage. Anyway, more on Ironman and associated training to come.


Lets quickly look back on 2009, which started in Wales at the beginning of the year, in freezing conditions. Having been training and working hard training and racing for the months leading up to December 08 and January 09, i found myself in reasonably good shape in the middle of the UK off season. With no pressure and no races planned i continues to train well and feel good in the pool and gym (getting outside in the cold and dark was a bit of an effort). All the good work was pretty quickly undone as i headed to Romania Thailand Cambodia Vietnam and Laos, where i ate far too much fried rice and curry and drank most Asian beer. I can count the amount of exercise i did on one small finger. And so, returning to the UK at the end of April i certainly feared for the worst! Intentional training hastily commenced and we were soon back in the grove and the body started to adjust (slowly) to this previous active lifestyle. Racing commenced with a Half Ironman Aquathon in June and the purchase of a new bike for the tri season ahead. I was looking forward to the new experience of racing in the UK having never been involved or interested when i first left in 2004.

Highlights of the summer included a new Half Marathon PB and a good enough performance over Half Ironman distance to gain a place at the Long Course World Champs in Perth in October, which promptly resulted in a return to the Burnt Country at the end of September. Having been running really well in the UK i was more than disappointed with all my run splits at races back in Oz. Perth (October) was the worst 20km run i can remember in years, at Forster (November) i struggled with the simple 15km course and Canberra (December) capped off a poor second half of the year for run splits with a 1.39 half marathon time compared to a 1.27 split at Eton in September (albeit no bike). I was unable to explain such a dip in form until i did a bit of research and discovered that the temperature during each of these later runs never dropped below 29C, whereas racing in the UK the temperature never climbed above 26C. add to this the lack of shade (clouds are a great form of shade in the UK) and its easy to see why i was suddenly struggling! I thought I'd mastered racing in a warmer climate after 3 years or so but also discovered how quickly my body seemed to have forgotten how to race when the sun is out and the air is hot! And so, being back in Oz during the peak of summer, I've tried to get out and train in the heat whenever possible, which has often resulted in a few lunchtime runs and a soaking shirt for most of the afternoon!


Coming back to the Canberra race in December for a quick race report. I had unfinished business with the Canberra Half Ironman after the embarrassing and inexperienced episode that was Canberra in December 2007 as mentioned in a previous blog. This time i turned up with a tri suit, wet suit and decent bike and had a fairly solid race, which includes a challenging bike course, but again struggled on the run in hot conditions to leave me disappointed with certain aspects but satisfied.

2007: 384th in 5hrs 55mins (S:44.34/R:3.25.56/R:1.44.44)
2009: 112th in 5hrs 06mins (S:33.46/R:2.53.44/R:1.39.18)

And so to 2010. The big one for this year is Ironman australian and we're only 7 weeks away. I've been training intentionally for 5 weeks and finally settling into a pattern and beginning to enjoy it. Its taken a while to get the attitude and mental space right to attempt something on this scale. Over the first four weeks i had no idea of what i wanted to achieve and no idea how to achieve it! I was looking at how others were training and generally their loads reflected what they wanted to achieve and the sacrifces that are necessary to achieve it. Having no real goal in mind my training has been unstructured and eratic and on occasions enforced and unenjoyable. It has taken until now (start of week 5) to work out that for me, completing ironman will be a huge achievement and experience in itself, and to complete it within 10:30hrs would cap off a fine day. The part i'm looking forward to the most is the run, and i want to feel good on the run and enjoy it! I find running the most enjoyable and easiest to get out of bed for to train and thus now don't feel guilty if i spend more time running than the time i give to the other legs. I want to enjoy this experience of preparation and attempting the race itself and in order to maintain the enthusiasm and motivation its important that i continue to enjoy it, and that my life doesn't suddenly revolve around training, and have a negative impact on my relationships. And so, with a renewed focus, motivation and head space week 5 (ending Sun 7 Feb) looked like this:

Monday 1 Feb

Went for a lunchtime run with Lee from work around the beautiful streets of Blacktown. Only amounted to about 7km which was slightly disappointing as we tried out a new route rather than my standard 11km double loop. In the evening i jumped on the bike (solo) and rode up to the rfs at Woodford, rode back home totalling a quick 28km ride and then had a quick 4.5km run off the bike. Good start to the week.

Tuesday 2 Feb

Felt a bit tired this morning and struggled to get out of bed for the morning BMMC run. Lack of being organised the night before didn't help either. Took the bike to work and rode home via Tench reserve at Penrith for the Tri Club Handicap. A sluggish 25.37 (4th) 6.7km loop and it was back on the bike up the hill for a total 49km ride. Good session this evening.

Wednesday 3 Feb

When i awoke this morning the rain was coming down pretty heaving, and to my regret i chose not to ride to work and ended up on the train! I annoy myself somtime with these stupid decisions, and although the thought of riding along the m4 to Blacktown in heavy rain isn't appealing sometimes it just has to be done! Anyway, ended up being a fairly easy day with just a 10km treadmill run at lunchtime. Tried to slowly build over the course of the run and finished with a 42.56 10km. First 5km was 22.44 and second split was 20.12.

Thursday 4 Feb

First swim of the week and far too late in coming to get adequate kms in. Quick 2kms at lunchtime, with a very slow 1.5km swim at 27.26. Met up with the Prince in the evening before his "business" trip to NZ for the standard Marty's lookout return 10km run. The pace was fairly quick for this one, not much conversation on the way back in particular, as we pushed each other (or the Prince pushed me anyway) to get back in 45.42. Happy with that, out in 23.47, back in 21.55.

Friday 5 Feb

Again meant to do more today but ran short of time. Need to start taking Friday's off to train. Only had time for a quick 2km Swim at lunch with 5x400s on the 8mins. Getting back in about 7 so plenty of rest in between. Don't really know how to describe the club race in the evening in weather that's not designed for humans. It was crazy. The swim was canned before we started, the ride abandoned when we weren't even half way through and a few hearty soul's (Panthers Elite) continued on with the run. Special thanks to the stewards on the night for the committment to helping us avoid a few big puddles, or minor rivers at the time.

Saturday 6 Feb

Not good weather to get one out of bed!!! Had a sleep in this morning, before heading out on the bike with Dyl. Lasted about 34km before a late signal resulted in a dented rock and two flat tires. A few changes and we were back on our way without spares but only get as far as the Gross River at Yarramundi before another flat ended proceedings for one of us. Thanks to Dafydd Filmer (Pete's brother) for the lift home who just happened to be passing to check out the height of the gross. I'd convenently managed to get to that point to check out the height of the river too! Afternoon saw a 2km at Penrith with Paul Scin which was cut short when the pool closed.

Sunday 7 Feb

Well, what an interesting day. I was committed to getting up today as i've been looking forward to the Megalong Mega for a while, and seeing as i'm not doing the Six Foot this year, this was the closest i was going to get. Been a few years since i've attempted the 36km run from Megalong Road to the Pluvio at the start of the Black Range and back again. From what i can remeber this was possibly harder than doing Six Foot itself, mainly because of the solid 8km run generally uphill from the Cox's River to Megalong Road when you're feeling pretty tired after the climb and decent to and from Pluvio. Anyway, what greeted us on the Morning of the 7th and the events that unfolded were quite incredible. I turned up to be greeted by Scam talking of not being able to cross the ca

useway due to the raging torrent (and it was a raging torrent). I guess initially i thought we'd find a way across somehow, but didn't envisage what unfolded next! I reiterate Scam's thoughts of i'm pleased everyone got across and back safely but it really was a bad decision, there certainly wasn't much thought given to the potential disaster that could have unfolded! I think if i hadn't had Scam and Mrs Scam alongside i certainly would have followed, like a sheep to the slaughter, except fortunately for everyone it ended up being to the top of Pluvio and back across a creek that again fortunately hadn't risen!

Anyway, enough of that becuase we ended up having a great morning running out amongst the mist on Narrow Neck to the end of the fire trail and back. I remember at one point hearing how Mrs Scam hated running, but she pushed through for a solid 15km, and we all enjoyed a hearty post breakfast and some decent coffee, joined by Sleep Train, at Norman's after a brief visit to Princess Donges in Leura. Overall good morning! Brief break in the day and a solid 3km wetsuit swim at Glenbrook (solo) in 52.29 followed by a BMMCSocial afternoon/evening at the Mansion for a rugby game that i care not to discuss at this point in time!! There really is nothing worst than loosing to the English!!

Overall, not an aweful week but insufficient riding not aided by bad weather and far too many flats! 9km in the pool, 122km on the saddle and 66km of running. Need a much bigger week next week before Husky the weekend after!