My extrordinary journey has only one day left

Well I have just woken up on the morning before the big day here at Kona. I really can't believe it is finally here. It sunk in for the first time as we were landing on the big island and I got butterflies in my stomach. This week has been absolutely amazing; the buzz and the hype around town is just unbelievable. I had imagined what it would be like but I could have never imagined just how amazing it has been. I think one day I might have to come back when I’m not competing so I can fully enjoy it all without having to worry about wasting energy.

The first few days here the weather wasn’t that hot and muggy and I was actually doubting all the hype about how bad the conditions are here. Boy was I fooled the weather appears to have gone back to normal over the last couple of days and is now extremely hot and muggy. Sweat starts pouring out when you are just standing outside without doing any exercise. I have done a couple small runs and a ride in it and whilst it wasn’t nice it didn’t totally floor me; so fingers crossed I get the nutrition right and it is just very uncomfortable but tolerable.

Race Week

Swimming for the last week has been the most enjoyable training I have ever experienced. The course is 1.9 km out and back along the shore line. The water is crystal clear and as you swim it is like snorkelling along the Great Barrier Reef; so a little different to open water swimming in Shepparton. I was a little worried about swimming with no wetsuit but the water here seems to be very buoyant so it has been a lot better than I expected.

The bike course is on an extremely smooth road. I guess that is what happens when you build a highway through a Lava field on the road to nowhere - not much traffic. I have driven the whole course and I think it suits me pretty well. There is no flat at all just constantly rolling with no serious hills to speak off. The main obstacle is going to be the wind; the bike is essentially straight out and back with the possibility of a head wind for 90 km on the way out or 180 km of cross breeze. Bring on the wind I say let’s smash up the legs of some of the super lightweight runners.

The first half of the run course is around populated area but at around the 16 km mark some bright spark decided it would be a good idea to send us back out on that highway to nowhere in the middle of Lava field with no shade in sight. I have done a couple of runs here along Ali’i Drive and one down in the Energy Lab; after hearing these names on TV it was the biggest buzz to be here and actually running along them.

The Journey

This journey has been totally amazing. I had expected to get here this week and feel out of place with all these super fit athletes walking around town. Most of the people that know me though triathlon have met me in the last 12 to 18 months. I think they probably think like I did, that any person that goes to Kona was born a naturally gifted athlete and that everything they do is easy for them. I thought of people that qualify for Kona as freaks; and I don’t think of myself as a freak at all. I had thought that I must have gotten lucky when I qualified in New Zealand. After this week working around and mixing it with all the other athletes here I don’t believe that anymore, I’m just like most of the athletes here. I finally believe I should be here and I’m not intimated; I actually feel like I really fit in for the first time.

My journey started nearly four years ago now after retiring from football two years before hand. I weighed 95 kilos and went to the gym a couple of times a week thinking I was in reasonable shape, probably carrying a few extra kilos but didn’t think was too bad. It all started with a trip to my Doctor. He asked me a question which I will never forget. He asked how much I was drinking. I replied not too much maybe 3 or 4 beers a night and at least one big night on the weekends. He asked what I meant when I said “one big night”. I replied “maybe one bottle of spirits”. His reaction shocked me as I thought this wasn’t too bad. He seriously couldn’t believe it and said to me so you want to have muscles with a brain that has been killed by alcohol. It was the first time I had actually ever thought about alcohol affecting your brain; I knew it wasn’t good for you but thought some exercise would make it ok. So from that day on except for maybe a handful of occasions, I never drink more than 3 to 4 drinks at a time but basically don’t drink at all.

I had bought a bike and had been riding for about a month when a couple of old football buddies thought it would be a cool idea to do the Shepparton 70.3 Ironman as a team with me taking the bike leg. Just completing just one leg sounded like a ridiculous idea. We completed the race in a time of 5 hour and 45 minutes. I did the ride in a time of 3 hours flat. We were all so proud of our efforts. After the race my mate Justin Torney said “next year we will train up, we could go alright at this”. I turned around and said “yeah but I’m going to do the whole thing myself”. Everyone’s initial reaction was laugh I was still probably 90 kg with a long way to go. Little did I know that this was going to be the most life changing decision I ever made. It was my new passion, my new drug, all the old habits, the late night drinking everything that seemed so much fun had been replaced.

In the next 12 months I did a few short triathlons where I did ok, I finished around mid-pack nothing to

exciting but I fell in love with the sport. I had done pretty well, had lost another 10 kgs and thought I was in pretty good shape, probably the fittest I had ever been. I returned to the Shepparton 70.3 Ironman very excited and had a great day for my first half ironman. I did 4 hours 38 minutes over an hour faster than had done as a team the year before. I was so excited and at this point my dream for Kona started.

One month later I entered my first Ironman at Busselton WA. Once again everyone thought I was crazy and there were a lot of people doubting my decision. The next 12 months were full of problems with overuse injuries. First I had a total ankle reconstruction in May, after finally getting back to running I started having problems with my knee and could not complete more than a 5 km training run for the three months before the race. I made it to the Busselton Ironman and had low expectations, without having done any running training I just wanted to finish. I came home in a time of 10 hours and 30 minutes after having to walk 12 km because of my knee I was so happy. This was the day I said next Ironman I do I will qualify for Hawaii. Once again I was asked if I was crazy and how was I going to go one whole hour faster to qualify.

I entered Shepparton 70.3 and Ironman New Zealand and as the year progressed I was finally able to put some good training blocks together and realised consistency is the key, not how much you smash yourself in one session. Five weeks before Shepparton 70.3 I hurt my calf and couldn’t get it right. This is when I was introduced to and started working with my current physio Katie Flatters. After 2 weeks we got it right and I raced Shepparton 70.3 with a really good results 4 hour 20 minutes this gave me a lot of confidence as I was on the right track going to New Zealand. I was down to 75kg now and was aiming for 72kg for New Zealand. Over the next three months I kept the consistent training going and everything went exactly to plan and I came second in my age group with a time of 9 hour 37 minutes - I’m off to the big show ‘Kona here we come’.

This brings us to today, the day before the race. I’m sitting here feeling extremely good about tomorrow. I have worked as hard as I possibly could of in the last six months. I have ticked every single box that I wanted to which included getting down to 70 kgs for race day. I have left no stone unturned and have no regrets about my preparation. Working with Katie Flatters and Polly Dhar (Physiohealth) and Mat Tippett (ETPA) I have turned this weak 95kg body into a lean strong racing machine. There is only 1 thing left to do and that is get out there tomorrow race my own race and enjoy the hurt. The only thing I know about tomorrow is that no matter what happens it is getting everything I have and more. I’m ready to go to a place I have never been before and this place is going to be very similar to most of the scenery here, I think it will be as close to hell as you can get. Hopefully there will be light at the end of the tunnel and it will be the most rewarding experience ever when I cross that finish line.

I now believe anyone who thinks the people that qualify for Kona are freaks and gifted athletes are people that want an excuses for themselves. I believe if you really want something you have to be willing to sacrifice to chase your dream. If you are willing to do everything possible to get there you can. Stop making excuses, stop calling people freaks, stop telling them that they are living the Ironman dream and start creating your own Ironman dream. I’m sure if you do this I believe anything is possible. That is why the Ironman motto was created.

There is no possible way I could of ever done all of this progress in the last six months by myself. I really need to thank everyone that has supported me along the way:

Without Katie Flatters (Physiohealth) I would still be in Shepparton scratching my head and wondering why I keep getting injured. Before meeting Katie I didn’t realise the importance of having a strong core and glutes - I thought they just looked good but that was it. Now I have realised they stop you getting injured and do look good as well. Also the last week I have felt like a pro; how many amateur athletes get to travel with their own personal Physio! So thanks to you Katie and the team at Phyiohealth.

Mat Tippet it has been an extreme pleasure to work with you. You have made me set my bar so much higher than I imagined I ever would be able to do. You have helped me improve my mental strength as well as my physical strength. There have been plenty of times you have broken me but you have always found a way to keep me moving forward. A big thank you for the last three weeks; once we started getting closer you really helped get me through all the hard days, of which there were a lot with plenty of conversation on the phone and words of advice.

Leigh and Hilly (Leigh Egan Cycles) you guys have supported me from word go and I will always remember that. Leigh was the first people to give me the confidence to get out there and have a real crack and push my limits on the bike. As well as the service and support you have given me along the way it has been a pleasure working with you both.

It has been great to start mixing with the S.T.C. For the first two year of this sport I did everything alone and kept to myself as I didn’t see the point of joining a club as this is an individual port. In the last 18 months I realised I was totally wrong and the feeling of being with liked minded people is a great. So thanks guys for the support and look forward to doing a lot more with you all in the future.

Finally I would like to thank my wife Jae Min. Without the support she has provided during this journey there is no way I would be where I am today. She has been amazing with her support the whole way. No matter what she has been there for the good times and bad times, during my grumpy and happy times. Especially the last six months which have been so challenging physically and mentally. I don’t think most wives would have put up with what she has but we both have the same goals and we are finally and hopefully we will achieve it.

No matter what happens tomorrow I know I will give it my all. Hopefully it will be an amazing result for me but at the end of the day if I don’t get the result I want it won’t be from a lack of trying. Either way as long as I cross that line it will be an amazing day and I just can’t wait to get out there and give it everything I have and a lot more.

My extordinary journey has only 1 week to go

It’s the day before I head to Melbourne to set off for the Big Island (Kona). It’s been 29 weeks since all my Ironman dreams came true in New Zealand qualifying for the Hawaii Ironman World Championship. At that time little did I no really how big this really is. Guess it was just a dream I wished for now it is a life I’m actually living. I have been told by many people I’m living the dream of every Ironman athlete. The reality is I’m living my dream as an Ironman athlete.

My Bags are packed and the reality of this whole adventure is really starting to sink in. It won’t be long till I’m in Kona looking around at 2000 other super fit athletes. I think this will be the first time I will really understanding what I’m about to do. There is sure to be plenty of super ripped fit looking guy walking around with there shirts off veins popping out saying look at me. I don’t class myself in that category all though I am pretty happy with my body transformation in the last six months. Most people that see me would just think he is in reasonable shape, not he looks like he is one super fit human being. I have learnt though over the years that looks can be deceiving.



New Kit Front



Back



This week after a nervous wait my new race kit with all my sponsor finally arrived. Ventou have done a fantastic job and it has come up even better than I had ever imagined. It is my own version of a merger kit between Shepparton Tri Club (S.T.C) and Elite Triathlon Performance Australia (E.T.P.A) and looks like they were always meant to be merged together. It also shows of my other two sponsors Leigh Egan Cycles and Physiohealth. Without all the supports from all of these four sponsor I wouldn’t of progressed as much as I have in the last six months.



Taper

S.T.C ergo session

Over the last three week my volume has been tapering of slowly to where now finally all the work is done it is sit back get the legs up and rest and recover. In these three weeks there was still plenty of quality session and a four day training camp with the E.T.P.A crew. The camp was very mentally refreshing after basically 24 weeks of training alone was great to train with so many like mind and friendly people. Also in this time the S.T.C has started up Ergo session of which I joined in the last three weeks. The first session I did with the club was probably on one the most mentally tough days I had in the journey and really found it hard to get the motivation to do a session. After joining in with the rest of the S.T.C guys I came home feeling 100% better which was exactly what I needed.



Swimming over the last three weeks had got really tough. Wasn’t that the set were getting any harder was just the build up of fatigue was really taking its toll mentally and every session felt hard just to turn up and do it. Finally in the last week as fatigue is slowly going away and Katie at physiohealth gave my back and shoulder 30min of torture with her elbow. I felt loose and free again when swimming in my last few session. Even though open water swimming has been cold in the last month it has been a good changes from constantly swimming laps of a 25 m pool.

Final service on the weapon

On the bike I think in the last few weeks it has finally clicked and Im engaging my glutes and core a lot more. I don’t seem to have the roar power at the moment I probably did but the power I have I can sustain for a really long time and Im a lot more comfortable on the bike and not having as much shoulder and back pain that I have in the past. So now when I have been doing my brick session I have been getting of the bike and been a lot more loose and free when I start the run which as we all no is the key to a good race.

I am super happy with the way my running is going and the all the strength work on my glutes and core defiantly has been worth it. I completed three weeks in a row of around 55km in a week which is huge for me. To back it up I never do long run without using a run walk strategy. On the last run of my third 55 km week in a row we did a two and half hour run at the E.T.P.A training camp. I had never ran over 26 km in a single session before this. We ended up running 34 km straight no walking at a cracking pace chasing Darren Franken one of the coaches at E.T.P.A that is also heading to Kona. This run has given me a lot of confidence now that I don’t have to totally tear my legs to shreds on the bike. I think I can still ride fast but still have the confidence I can get off and run with some of these better guys.

T

All in all the last three weeks have been an emotional roller coaster. The fatigue has been so high that some days I have been just totally floored and it has been hard just to think about lifting my head but then other days I have come out and done a training session and felt amazing. Each day now as I get into the taper Im starting to feel fresher and fresher and I think we still 9 days to go come next Saturday I will be jumping out of my skin. The biggest factor I believe on how I go in the race is going to be how well I adapt to the heat. I have done everything possible I could do in the last few weeks to help. I have done many session in my little acclimatization sweat box I have made. Also been really strict with my diet to try and go in a light as I can to help with the over heating. Now I will have seven full super exciting days to adjust to the conditions and I cant wait. It is one of the most exciting but yet nervous time I have ever experience in my life but finally it is time and I’m heading to Kona tomorrow. Game on I’m off to the Big Show Kona Bound.

Hawaii The Long Road to Queen K Part 4

My Extraordinary journey is getting extremely close to the finale

Kona 2013

I'm sitting here finding it hard to believe this journey has been going now for

20 weeks and only has four more weeks remaining. The excitement and the nervousness are unbelievable! It is really starting to hit home about what I am about to do. I am actually going to the world championships of one of the hardest one day sports out there. Not only am I just going, I’m hoping to compete in the probably the strongest age group there is. It wasn’t all that long ago that the thought of doing an ironman seemed impossible.

Now it is basically what I live to do. The last five weeks have been super mentally and physically challenging. I have had some amazing training days when I have felt great and been flying. On the other side I have had just as many days that have been super tough and my legs just haven’t been there. These days are much more mentally harder to deal with than physically. Physically tough is just dealing with the pain and some might say I love it. Mentally tough is much harder to deal with especially when you are super fatigued at times. As soon as I get any mental doubts I just look back at my training dairy from past races. Generally I find the same thing happened in the past but my effort and speed on the bad days now are still better than on my good days before New Zealand, so after I look back and see this, it brings back my confidence. Im not flying right now but Im still running and riding pretty good on flat legs. Mat Tippett tests my physical and mental barrier.

In the last eight weeks of training I have completed in total 120 hours with 83km swimming, 287km running and 2000km on the bike. In the same period leading into New Zealand it was in total 93 hours 75km swimming 230km running 1229 on the bike. This is basically nearly a third more on the bike and running so I can’t wait to freshen and up and see what my legs are like.



S.T.C Swim Taining session with Etpa



Also it was great to see the Shepparton Tri Club and Elite Triathlon Performance Australia join up for the first time two weeks ago. It was awesome to see so many S.T.C members

get behind the club and turning up for the first training day. Also I had my first M.T bike training sessions last night with the club at Guysy house. Was great to train with some other people especially on a day when I was finding hard to get motivated. The group atmosphere help push you through and once I left I felt like I was on cloud nine again.

 Race Specific Phase

Yeppoon 70.3

To start it off I traveled to Yeppoon 70.3 in Queensland which I used as a training lead in race. Every thing had been going great leading up to the race until two days before when on a training run I got a niggle in my calf which I was really worried about as my calves have been a problem for me running in the past. On the day of the race my calf was feeling ok so I planned to try the run but any sign of a problem I was out. The day started out being awesome. For the first time I got out the front on the feet of the lead pack in the swim and stayed with them until the end. I stood up looked at my watch 28m 30s and I was with all the lead bunch of eight so I had no need to chase to catch them on the bike. I ran in T1 pretty excited, grabbed my bike and when I went to jump on, I noticed my tyre was down. My tyre had blown out in transition. I lost a lot of time because at this stage I was more pissed off than in a hurry to fix it. In total it cost me 6 minutes which is not a very impressive tyre change. Finally I was on the bike and away I went. I had a good strong bike on the worst road I have ever ridden on. I hopped off and didn’t know where I was positioned but started my run and was feeling good. At about the four km mark I felt a little niggle in my calf so that was it I was out. I was never going to risk it. At the end of the day I was very happy with the swim and ride and think the flat tyre was a blessing as it put me out of the race for a top three position so I didn’t do anything stupid and made it easier to pull out of the run.

FIrst open water Swim still winter

I have been working hard on my swimming and I actually surprised myself at Yeppoon when I got out with the front pack of my age group. My plan of training two days a week with Jed Mackin I think was a good one and has helped push me along. I was hoping as I improved, I would be able to hold his feet more but the only problem I think is that he has improved at a higher rate and is a swimming machine. I have started open water swimming in the lake and even got in there during the last week of winter which showed super stupidity or dedication not sure which one.

On the bike in the last five weeks I have moved from the indoor trainer and out on to the road doing a longer threshold effort. This has been physically and mentally challenging as each week goes by, the fatigue sets in and trying to reach my target get harder. At

New Garmin Vector Pedals

first I think it has all gone to crap then once I talk to Mat and think rationally I understand why. One of my sets is a five hour ride with 30 min threshold efforts, only two days after doing a massive seven hour Sunday Brick session. When I am riding and can’t hold my power target I get disappointed but when I look back and think rationally to even get close is pretty amazing after smashing myself to pieces only two days before hand. Finally after a long time waiting, Garmin finally released the Vector power pedals. Thanks to Hilly and Leigh at Leigh Egan Cycles who got me one of the first Pair s to hit Australia. This is going to make life much easier as now I can swap to race wheels and still be able to work with a Power Meter.

My running has come a long way in the last 20 weeks. I can say that all the hours I have spent working on strengthening my core has worked wonders for my running. Up to now, I had only ever been able complete over 40 km of running twice in a single week. Yes that is only twice ever in the last three years that I have been doing this sport and both time I completed over 40 km my body broke. In the last five weeks I have completed three weeks of 50 plus km a week and each of these weeks finished with a 18km run of the bike. Both Katie and Polly at Physiohealth have worked wonders and now I actually believe I might have more than just a strong bike up my sleeve come race day. Do I think I will have the fastest run of the day? No I don’t, but I am starting to believe I could have one of the fastest bike/run splits for the day especially if it is in tough windy conditions.

All in all I think Mat Tippet at ETPA has done his job well. Mat has pushed me many times just to the point before I break. When I look back on my training before New Zealand compared to the way I have trained for Kona, I would never have believed some of the thing I have done were even possible. Although when I am doing them I am often still disappointed with myself for not hitting the set targets but I know if I did hit them, Mat would probably just set them higher! A lot of times it has been a day to day conversation with Mat and I totally share with him the roller coaster of the ride I am on. I’m sure before he rings me; he sometimes wonders which Jason is going to be on the end of the line. With only four weeks to go now I think I am right at the place I need to be. I only have one last massive four day training camp with the ETPA crew this weekend which will be great to actually train with some other people after basically 20 weeks of solo training. Then at last it is time for my taper to begin and freshen up the mind and body for the exciting last few weeks ahead.

Once again I would just like to thank my family, friends and especially my sponsors Shepparton Tri Club, Leigh Egan Cycles, Physiohealth and Elite Triathlon Performance Australia for their support. Without these amazing teams none of this would be possible.

Hawaii Long Road to the Queen K Part 3

My Extraordinary journey is getting closer to the end

I can’t believe four weeks have gone by already since my last post.  I’m right in the middle of the business end of the training now with only eight weeks to go to Kona.  Up until now it has all felt like I have been living in a dream world.  With only eight weeks to go both the nerves and excitement are really starting to pick up.

In my last post I was extremely excited to let everyone know about my four sponsors who are supporting me on this journey.  Since then the support I have received from them has been unbelievable.  Last Friday I had to pinch myself to see if I was awake as it was just an unbelievable day for me.  It is actually hard to imagine this is all really happening to me.  I just consider myself as a normal person who had a dream and was willing to do what ever it takes to make the dream come true.  The things that are happening now are far beyond all the dreams I had.   This is how my day played out in order of conversations with my sponsors.

Conversation 1

Katie Flatters my physio at Phyiohealth contacted me telling she was coming to Hawaii with me.   Wow I can’t believe how lucky and grateful I am to both Katie and the team at Physiohealth to make this happen.  I had been talking to Katie for the last week or so about the chance that she might be able to come but had been waiting for her to get the all clear from her work.  Deep down I thought it would be amazing if she did but thought it probably won’t happen.  Luckily for me E.T.P.A is affiliated with Physiohealth so with a few other E.T.P.A athletes travelling as well, this helped get the decision over the line.

Conversation 2

Michael Hill at Leigh Egan contacted me about upgrading both my T.T and Road bike after he had been and seen the 2014 range of Giant bikes the day before.  I had been in discussions with Leigh Egan Cycles about upgrading my 2012 Trinity after a couple of issues I have had with the DI2 and didn’t want to risk of having any problems in Hawaii.  Michael totally understood and worked with me and Giant to get me on a new Giant Trinity bike to make sure there was no worries come race day.  After this conversation we locked in and ordered the two new bikes. Thanks Guys for your support.

Conversation 3

I have been working with Mat Tippet at Elite Triathlon Performance Australia (E.T.P.A) since March.  In Shepparton we don’t have the help and support of professional coaches, which means we either go without the professional support or we are stuck travelling to Melbourne to seek it.  After speaking with Mat earlier in the peace about this problem he contacted the Shepparton Tri Club (S.T.C) to see if maybe they could work out away to help support the club with its coaching needs.  The Shepparton Tri club got their heads together to see how they could make this work.  On Friday after a long and thorough process by the club to make sure they got it right, finally gave the nod to Mat and the E.T.P.A group to coach the S.T.C. 

This is an exciting time for the members of the S.T.C to get access to professional programs and advice.  I hope we all get as much out of it as I have from E.T.P.A since I have been working with them.  All members need to take full advantage of this for it to work so everyone get behind the club so it can grow to the next level.

Build Phase.

I have just been through what I would say has been the biggest and hardest training phase of my life.  If you had of told me four months ago about the training load I was to complete in the last 4 weeks I would have said you were crazy!  Before working with E.T.P.A, 16 hours was my biggest week.  I have just completed four weeks in a row of over 20 hours.  Obviously my body is a lot stronger and better conditioned with all the work I have been doing with the team at Physiohealth, although my legs, body and mind are extremely tired by week four.  I have had no injuries at all to speak off, which for me is an amazing result J

In the pool I have just completed my biggest four week block totaling 52 km or 2600 laps.  I’m starting to feel like my swimming is coming back on track after really struggling with it after going to Korea.  I have been swimming with Jed the Super Fish twice a week which has helped push me along.  I’m nearly at the point where I am actually starting to enjoy going to the pool.  If we can keep this a secret from Mat as I don’t want him getting the wrong idea and adjusting my program again.  I’m sure sometimes he doesn’t want me to enjoy what I’m doing there.

My bike is my real strength and I am really starting to believe I can take it to a whole new level.  Everything I do on the bike now is totally measured using a power meter both out on the road and indoors on the trainer.  Every session has a specific power target which I need to hold.  Using power has been extremely helpful especially when you get tired and the heart rate struggles to come up to actually really work out the effort you are putting out.  Although I wouldn’t say I’m flying, I know they amount of quality kilometers I have been putting in.   My legs are always tired but I totally believe once they get to freshen up in the last couple of weeks look out, I think I will be up for a super strong day on the bike.

Finally after basically no running for over a month after the crash I am back out hitting the road.  I was very surprised at how well I was still running after so much time off.  We just needed a little bit of work with some new exercises from Physiohealth to get my glutes firing in the right order again and I was back on track.  In the last four weeks I have run 164 km and completed over 50 km in a week for the first time ever.  Before this any time I had ran over 40 km in a week  training, I ended up injured in the next week. This has been a massive leap forward for me with still eight weeks to go. 

We purchased a bike for Jae Min and she has become my new run training partner.  She has been like my new coach, keeping me motivated and telling me when my running form is not right.  She videos me when my form is good and when my forms is bad.  She carries my drink and nutrition and even comes out in the dark so we have the lights on her bike so I can see.  I must admit I am a pretty lucky husband to have such great support.

All up it has been a really exciting 4 weeks as it been the first time I have ever been able to increase all three disciplines to a point where I haven’t been before.  Also my body and mind are starting to adapt more to the big training load.  When I was In Korea I my body and mind only lasted two massive weeks before they totally crashed and the fatigue set in.  This time they lasted basically four weeks before that feeling of fatigue really set in.  I’m going forward now into some race specific training.  I will be travelling to the Yeppoon 70.3 in Queensland next weekend for a good training hit out.  It will be interesting to see how I go since I’m going in straight after such a big training block and feeling pretty tired and fatigued.

Once again I would just like to thank the support of family, Friends and my sponsors Shepparton Tri Club, Leigh Egan Cycles, Physiohealth, Elite Triathlon Performance Australia.  Without this amazing teams none of this would be possible.

Hawaii The Long Road to Queen K Highway Part 1

So let the extraordinary journey begin.

Well after a nice three week lay off after my Iron Man New Zealand , it was time to set my sights on Hawaii and get back into training.

The next question was what to do. Do I continue to train and coach myself or do I look outside for help?

I was very lucky to have my physio Katie Flatters from Shepparton move down to Melbourne for work at Physiohealth. Katie introduced the idea of talking to Mat Tippett (Captain Triathlon) from Elite Triathlon Performance Australia (EPTA) with which physiohealth is affiliated. Mat contacted me the week before l left to N.Z and I told him my grand plan which was to win the race!

After a good discussion I slightly altered my game plan which luckily enough on the day all come together.

The day I arrived home Mat was again on the phone to me and I hit it off with him so from that day forwards I always going to move to having a coach. Problem one of my journey solved.

Phase 1 Strength -

So let the training begin.

First thing on the agenda was a Run and Bike Screening at Physiohealth with Katie and Poly.
Problem number one my Glutes don’t work running or on the bike. Problem two my core is no where near as strong as it needs to be to produce a fast bike and run split. The positive side of this is I still had the second fastest amateur bike split of the day followed by a decent run spilt at N.Z so things can only get better.

St Kilada Gatorade Race

I was given my exercises which at first I thought were very unusual and very different and wondered what are these going to do but followed the process. Every 3 weeks the exercises have evolved and now after 9 weeks I feel like I have a new and improved body. It works in a totally different way. My glutes are activating strongly and my core is extremely strong and hard and my running style has totally changed.

First evidence of this was at the last St Kilda Gatorade race only four weeks N.Z ironman. I had only been on physio exercise program for three weeks and only one week back into running training since New Zealand. Sub 18 minute run for 5 km off the bike and fastest run for the day in my age group. Not bad for some one that for the previous 3 months had been training for distance not speed.

Second proof was the Puffing Billy race, 49 min flat for the 13.2 km and 37 overall out of 3200. A lot of these guys are not triathletes they are runners. Faster average pace than my best 10 km split by six second per km and not only was it longer distance, it was all hills no flat at all.

My bike has always been my strength. Thanks to Leigh at Leigh Egan Cycles, all the ergo sessions we did even made it more of a weapon in N.Z which is what I based my race plan around.

The ergo sessions fitted with Mat’s approach to bike training so I purchased a Lemond Revolution from Leigh and between what I have learnt from Leigh Egan in all the ergo classes and from Mat’s new approach to ergo, my plan is to get to the next level on the bike and go even faster.

In four weeks on Mat’s strength phase program I have already increased my functional power threshold (FTP) by 5%, so things are headed in a positive direction.

One point I would like to make is if you want to be strong and ride fast, hills are good for pacific training but the time and petrol we waste driving to find hills could be put towards ergo classes or buying an ergo trainer. Used with a quality program and you will see more benefit I’m sure.

Well I now move into my next training phase which is going to be even bigger on the bike so I will be excited to do another FPT test after it.

For this phase I will be in South Korea to see how my body is going to cope with the acclimatization and will also bring some hard steep hills into the training program as well as the ergo trainer session.

So looking forward to the challenges to come.

Hawaii The Long Road to Queen K Highway Part 2

So the extraordinary journey continues

My journey has come to the halfway point with 12 weeks to go till the big day.  I can’t believe how fast the last 12 weeks have flown by.  Feels like only yesterday I was sitting back thinking I have 24 weeks to go plenty of time. 

Like every athlete I start to doubt have I done enough.  Am I going as well as I wanted to be?  The answer is probably no but this is probably a good thing with 12 weeks to go.  If I was flying now I probably couldn’t hold that form till race day.  To bring my mind to rest I go back and check my diary for last 12 weeks.  194 hours training completed in last 12 weeks.  So far Swim 117km Bike 3500km and Run 290km.  Wow mind is at rest in 12 weeks leading up to N.Z race swim and run were basically the same but I have done twice as much on the bike and I still have 12 weeks to go.

I have some other exciting news happening.  I have been lucky enough to pick up a few sponsors so I’m currently in the process of making my own race kit to wear in Hawaii.  This will allow me to show off my sponsors brands and support them for all there help.  So far I have two new guys on the on the scene EPTA (Elite Triathlon Performance) and Physio Health as well as my original Leigh Egan Cycles.  

Mat Tippet at EPTA  has devoted a lot of extra time at pool with swim stroke correction and on the phone multiple times a week making sure we are both happy with the ways things are going and my body and head are both where we want them to be .

Katie Flatters and Poly Dhar at Physiohealth have created my new stronger body as well as kept my body in the best shape we can as I punishes it week after week with the big training load.  There expertise is amazing and it seems there is nothing they can’t fix.

 Leigh Egan has been working with me from the start.  Working with Leigh gave me the confidence and the strength to achieve the smashing bike splits at both Shepp 70.3 and N.Z Ironman.  I couldn’t think of three better sponsor and supporters to have on my side.   Leigh Egan Cycles have proved to me why buying local and having that service and support is so important.   The night before leaving to race Ironman W.A my Di2 electric gears stopped working.  6:30 pm that night I contacted Leigh who was out riding tell him my problem and I needed it fixed before I leave at 6am next morning.  Within an hour Leigh was back at his shop with another bike which he had borrowed to use parts of to get me going.  11 pm that night my bike was fixed and ready to race.  You can’t put a dollar value on that support.

Shepparton Tri Club does an amazing job for a small local community.  I’m extremely happy and excited to be able to represent my local club.  We all need to get behind local clubs so our sport can grow and prosper.  It was hearing about the awesome achievements of local member  such as Miah Franzmann and Anne Maclean that attracted to me this sport.  I just hope my achievement can inspire some people in the same way.   

 I couldn’t think of a better network sponsor and supporters to have on my side.

In the 6 weeks since my last entry there have been plenty of highs and lows.  Not everything has gone exactly to plan.  I had a massive training block planned in Korea.  This was to set up a massive base to build on in the last 12 weeks.

 The morning before I left I did something I have not done for a long time.  I decided to go out and ride with the Leigh Egan famous Area 51 group.  Thought this will be a good chance to see where I’m at as there are plenty of strong guys out there.  Half way around the ride it was on single filed out and everyone hanging on for grim death them all of a sudden that terrible sound.  BANG I looked up and all I could see were bikes going everywhere.  I just had enough time to think No I cant crash this cant happen I have to much to lose then before I knew it,  I was tumbling across the bitumen. 

15 riders had come down in the bunch and only 4 had missed the crash.  There were Bodies and bikes everywhere.  I couldn’t believe what had just happened.  Was I just unlucky probably only the second time in 6 months I had road in a group and here I am with cuts and bruises all over me. 

Actually I was probably the luckiest of all as there were many broken bones and a lot of people worse of than me.  At first I thought this is it my big training block in Korea is over, my knees were swollen up like balloons and I thought I won’t be able to walk tomorrow.  I got home and posted my pics of the crash on facebook.  Within minutes my coach Captain Triathlon (Mat Tippet) was on the phone wondering how I could of done that damage doing an indoor trainer bike session which was on my program (busted).

Not long after, my physio Katie Flatters was also in contact not really impressed with what she had seen either.  Between Mat and Katie we organized some emergency treatment at Physiohealth as I only had 24 hours before I flew out to Korea.  When I walked in I was limping swollen and sore.  Between Katie and Polly I was there for over 2 hours cleaning and re-dressing my wounds.  Checking and straightening back out my body as well using the ice compression machine to reduce the swelling in my knees I walked out feeling 90 % better.  I thought wait till tomorrow though you won’t be able to move.  Come the next morning I woke up got out of bed and couldn’t believe yes I was still a little sore but nothing like I thought I would be it was amazing.  I started to see now how professional athletes can crash then get back up the next day.  They have amazing people like Katie and Polly at Physiohealth looking after them everyday. 

Phase 2 Build Base

The last 6 weeks I have been is a massive base building program.  I told Mat about how I was having 3 weeks of to train and heading to Korea.  This was a good chance to get some big kms in and see how my body coped with the heat and humidity.  Before this Base phase my biggest week ever had been 16 hours in total and biggest bike week 10 hours and total 300km distance.  The week before I left Mat sent through my program to have a look see what I thought.  Wow was my first impression is he serious.  It was 2 big weeks in a row which was around 25 hours in total of training each week.

 The Bike made up the biggest part with 19 hours on the bike each week which adds up to about 550km of hills.  Out of that there were 3 massive sets which included 3 hours of power on the  Mag Trainer.  I have named this set the ball breaker 8* 15min set spinning above cadence of 100 as well as a 2* 20min threshold effort in the middle and at the end.   After spinning that fast for that long your balls are numb and broken. 

A  2 hour hill repeats set followed by 2 hour t.t then on the last day of the week 5 hour t.t set.  I also completed 3 easy 3 hours rides at a higher cadence.  In Korea though bit different to Shep, hard to have a totally easy ride where there are hills every where no flat roads. 

The last day of the 2 weeks after completing 1000km already I was to complete a 140 km t.t set with an extra 3 kilos weighted to my bike.  I asked Mat if the 3 extra kg I had put on since arriving in Korea counted from all the food I had eaten.  He didn’t agree so I added a extra 3 kg of weights to my bike.  I set of my legs feeling flat tired and crap.  It didn’t take long and I started to warm up and my legs were starting to feel ok.    It was a 3 loop course which there was no flat and 2 decent climbs which topped out above 10% and the rest was up and down.  I finished the first lap thinking I had done pretty well after all the km I had in my legs.  I continued on and the further I went the better I felt and the harder I could push.  I negative split the whole 3 laps with the last lap the fastest I had done in the whole 2 weeks by over 3 minutes carrying the extra 3 kg of weight.  I had avg 34km/h and 240 watts which I was super happy with after all the work I had done in the 2 weeks before. 

My running had gone nothing like I had hoped.  After an amazing first 6 weeks of training now my running was basically non existent.  When I crashed I had belted both knees up pretty hard on my cross bar.  This stopped me from running the whole time I was in Korea and set me back about 5 weeks.  Last week was the first time I actually completed my first quality run set.  In this time I couldn’t run I continued doing my strengthen exercise.  To my surprise after basically 5 weeks of no running I hadn’t lost to much of my power and speed and with still 12 weeks to go I’m confident I will be running much better come Hawaii than I ever have been before.

In the last 6 weeks I had traveled down to Melbourne multiple times working with Mat Tippet on my swim stroke.  We did some under water videoing so I could see what was actually going on.  To my surprise my stroke looked nothing like it felt.  1 week after this session I completed the exact same set I did the morning before I seen Mat.  Using the exact same stroke rate I completed the same 5*200m swim set which the morning before I avg 3m 15s this time I held 3m 05s.  I was so happy finally it had clicked and my stroke was a lot more efficient.   After my crash, I was out of the pool for days 10 days and my stroke got sloppy.  I was getting frustrated with my swimming when I was in Korea.  Once home I saw Mat again and within 1 lap he was able to pick up what had changed and head me back in the right direction. 

 Im never going to win the race in the swim but I  do need to be as close as possible so I don’t hurt to burn to much energy on bike early trying to get up to the front.   After having a good chat with Jarrod Mackin 1 of Shepparton’s top open water swimmers, I’m hoping to train 2 times a week with him to help push my swimming along.  This will be extremely challenging but hopefully before I know it, I will be flying up and down the pool.  Which will hopefully have me coming out of the water not at the front but with in chasing distance.

All in all the lost 6 weeks have been an emotional roller coaster with many highs and lows.  The crash really set this off as I couldn’t swim for over a week and very frustrating not being able to run at all for such a long time.  On the high side I completed two epic weeks on the bike and finished strong where on paper I would have thought I would be lucky to push the pedals over.

I found some new limits mentally and physically as well the drain fatigue can put on your body.  Now as we move into the next 6 weeks Build Phase the real works start.  The next 6 weeks is where we are going to really set up what my race will be like.  Luckily enough everything seems to have come back on track last week with swimming and running so the exciting times continue…..