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.