15 Weeks to Kona

Total training duration - 20hrs 46min

• Swim - 12.2km
• Ride - 336km
• Run - 64km 

 

There's no such thing as a 'typical week' in the Hawaii program. But here's a snap shot of this week:

Monday 
Morning (Ride) - 4:40 alarm - breakfast & shave. Ride to Hawthorn velodrome for 6am bike start. 
Work
Afternoon - Ride 14km home from work. 
Evening - Home at 7:00pm - Put Stirling to bed. Dinner & post last week's blog. TV with Lauren (1 Game of Thrones episode each night). Bed at 10:45pm. 

Tuesday 
Morning (Swim) - 4:25am alarm - breakfast & shave. 5:14 tram (first tram). 6am swim start. 
Work 
Afternoon (Run) - 5:50pm run start at the Tan. Run back to work, protein shake, change & tram home. 
Evening - Arrive home 8:45pm for dinner (Stirling already in bed) & get tomorrow's bike gear ready. In bed 9:40pm. 

Wednesday 
Morning (Long Ride) - 3:00am alarm - breakfast & shave. 3:45am bike start. 
Work
Afternoon - Ride 14km home from work.
Evening - Arrive home 6:15pm for dinner. Put Stirling to bed. Work on bike (bend wheel rim straight after hitting a rock in the morning). TV with Lauren. Bed at 10:15pm. 

Thursday 
Morning (Swim) - 4:25am alarm - breakfast & shave. 5:14 tram (first tram). 6am swim. 
Work
Afternoon (Run) - 5:50pm run start at the Tan. Run back to work, protein shake, change & tram home.  
Evening - Arrive home 8:45pm for dinner (Stirling already in bed) & get tomorrow's bike gear ready. TV with Lauren. In bed 11:10pm.

Friday

Morning (Swim & Ride) - 4:40am alarm - breakfast & shave. Ride bike to swimming. 6am swim followed with a bike session.
Work
Afternoon - Ride 14km home from work.
Evening - Arrive home 6:10pm and head out for dinner with friends. In bed 10:50pm.

Saturday
Morning (Long Ride) - 5:50 Alarm - breakfast & drive to Port Melbourne SLC for MTC group ride followed by cold water immersion (no run off the bike this week). Home by 12:00pm.
Afternoon - Spend time with Stirling.
Evening - Put Stirling to bed. TV with Lauren. Bed at 11:00pm (no tour for me). 

Sunday
Morning (Long Run) - 7:00am alarm - breakfast and ride to Studley Park. Run with MTC around Kew Boulevard followed by BBQ & team meeting.
Afternoon - Spend time with Lauren & Stirling at Studley Park Boathouse. 
Evening - Put Stirling to bed, watch the tour highlights, bed TBA (not there yet).

Lauren ironed my shirts tonight so I could spend more time with Stirling...and finish the blog, thanks babe! 

The Week In Review
Monday's velodrome strength session was a struggle. Still lethargic from Saturday's big hill ride/run session. Was getting passed by Ollie, Chris Rancie and Johan who were getting more power to the pedals than I could. 

A tough swim set on Tuesday. Went overtime in order to complete it. Hungry after that one. Good run that night with Polky and Sam Madden. Fartlek on the 2 bridges course dodging the English rugby supporters on their way to the rectangular stadium which added an extra degree of difficulty. 

Wednesday morning was a hill session in the Dandenongs. Had 3 x 1:20 repeats which included big gear strength elements at 60rpm!! It was a 3:45am kick off, had a bad start by forgetting a coffee. All was well with the ride until the second descent when I hit a rock which popped the front tyre and bent the rim. After a tube change and some panel beating with a screw driver, I was able to finish the session. Starting to dislike the Wednesday rides, that's 2 incidents in 2 weeks.  A 3hr 15min ride done (total time out 3hrs 55min - 40min lost to the flat, traffic lights and stop at home). 

The impact spot

That night I did a temporary fix on the wheel with a hammer, pliers and spoke tightener. Will do for now but needs to be replaced.

Was cooked on Thursday's swim session. Held pace right through until the last set. It was 400m at 1:30min/100m pace. Finished 6 seconds over, arms were done for the morning. Then walked up the stairs at work and had to rest at the top, was actually tired and short of breath after 2 flights. That's training!

And that night we ran! More competitive group running with the London and Hawaii World Championship teams amd a few super uber runners thrown in slogging it out. Was in the bunch just off the front runners. I was holding a good pace over the 5 x 6min efforts until the last where Ollie and Johan started to pull away. Just couldn't hold them.

Friday's swim was more for the tired arms. I was in struggle town. Then had a ride after which felt like a big mistake. So tired and lethargic. The program called up for an easy 50km spin. Ended up doing a split 53km ride with 39km in the morning and 14km after work.  

Needed an energy hit Friday

Saturday's ride had a huge turn out. It was an easy 98km Beach Rd ride. Sam "Mad Dog" Madden set a strong pace on the way down. I just sat in the bunch, didn't want my heart rate escalating from easy to moderate to solid to hard.....and enjoyed the conversation a few wheels off the front. Most turned at Frankytown but Oliver Jones, Red Bear, Ralph "The German Precision" Glatz and I did the Mt Eliza loop. Had a steady pace on the way back which picked up as we passed a few bunches. All up an honest ride averaging 34.5km/hr. 

Perfect conditions in the bay for cold water immersion after Saturday's ride - Completely flat and not even a breeze

Sunday's run was a hill session around Studley Park & Kew Boulevard, always a tough one. Started with Oliver Jones, Red Bear and Steve Guy. Completed a loop around the Yarra River then got onto Kew Blvd where we joined up with Steve Natoli, Chris Wood, Paul Burrow and Henry Polk. That's when the pace picked up. Steve Guy (about 25kg lighter than me) powered up the hills sending all our heart rates skyrocketing. Ollie and I had to stride it our on the down hill to catch him. This didn't last long until the elastic band snapped and no amount of long striding could catch him. We completed just over 27km in 2 hours at 4:26min/km pace. Really happy with that over a hilly course. Steve Guy's comment at the end - "Just an easy run for me." Most unkind, the rest of us suffered!

Kew - No flat bits!

Red Bear in his one piece??? - Happy to finish Sunday's run

We had a lot of MTC athletes racing the Salomon Trail Run. I decided not to do it due to the possibility of injury - last year I tripped on a rock and went for a tumble. The team did great with a stack of podium finishes which included race winners!!! Well done to all. Finished the morning with a team meeting and BBQ. Coach Foz ran through the high performance program while coach Steve did the main squad. Great to hear what's happening with MTC and the ever expanding Fluid Movements training programs. The winter camp's been set, sounds like coach Jono is setting us up for a "suffer session" on the bike. Looking forward to it.

 

Lauren and Stirling came to the BBQ. We then ventured over to Studley Park Boathouse:

 

Walk over the "wobbly bridge" with Stiling

...and Lauren

Wash time

Junedoggle!
And finally - Junedoggle on Strava. Jumped ahead of Rob Grummitt on the run after Thursday's 19.6km session, but he then got me over the weekend. The final standing for June:

Another week done / another bunch of training sessions ticked in the box. 

Had some great team sessions this week. Some tough days but feeling positive.

3 1/2 months until race day. That's not long!


 

16 Weeks to Kona

Adaption Week - Recovery Time! 

Total training duration - 17hrs 30min

• Swim - 11.9km
• Ride - 257km
• Run - 54.5km

Here's my Ironman Melbourne video. You'll also see Graham Smart (swim finish) and Daniel Norman (bike start). Check out the guy from 1:41 to the right of screen getting sorted out by St John's. He left nothing on the course! 

This week's new gear:

• Assos Tiburu Insulator Jacket
• Assoss F1.Mille_S5 bib shorts

Gear Review

Steve Guy and I dressed the same at Studley Park Boathouse car park

The verdict...AWESOME. This gear is great! The Tiburu jacket is a great fit (fitted not baggy) with long arms that don't ride up. It did me for Kinglake with a tee shirt underneath. Steve Guy was wearing the Bonka which is the thicker jacket. The bib shorts I ordered with an extra 4cm length in the leg which fit well. As can be expected the shorts were great. You can ride all day in them. I bought them on Shiny Bikes (note that you generally always pay extra for delivery on this site so factor that in):

http://www.shinybikes.com/ 





  

The Craft jacket I wore during a downpour a few weeks ago

While I'm talking gear, several people have asked about the Craft jacket I've been wearing - Craft Performance Featherlight. A cyclist from work bought one and gave it a good wrap, so I got one. It's great as a wind shield and will hold out showers but don't expect it to keep you dry in solid rain (I've tried it). It rolls up really small and fits easily in the back jersey pocket. Highly recommended, and they are going cheep online or in the LBS. 











And the cyclist who convinced me to buy the jacket now has a broken collar bone and ribs after hitting a parked car just before the Black Rock round-a-bout. Estimated speed 50+km/hr...and he didn't come off! A reminder to always look ahead when riding, especially in a bunch.



This Week's Training
It was 'adaption' week or a recovery week which generally means less duration by having Sunday off completely. 

Tuesday night was a solo run. That night I had an upset stomach which made it interesting running. First stop was the Hawthorn velodrome toilets. With little confidence that this was the end I grabbed a hand full of toilet paper, stuffed it in my fuel belt and started off again. Had to stop a few times to let the stomach ease down but managed to make it to the next toilet in Ashwood. Lucky I grabbed some paper as this one had run out. Made it home from there without another episode. Still did a great pace of 4:18min/km for 21km (paused the clock during the unscheduled stops). 

Wednesdays 4hr ride turned into a 2hr ride. Got a PB - 4 flat tyres! Really loved that, especially considering it was a 4am start! It was freezing cold and dark. Didn't see that the side wall on the tyre was torn. Coach Foz stopped to give me tube number 4 and a CO2 bottle. After that popped I walked to the servo, bought a coffee and donut and walked to the train station. Caught up with Henry Polk who was also out riding that morning - Apologies Henry, I wasn't to talkative after 4 flats....and in all the excitement I left my transition lensed cycling glasses on the ground in Sandringham. Marvelous.

Had to include the typical 'bike on the train' photo

Thursday was Tan time. Beat my Tan lap TT time from 12 months ago by 26 seconds...and I wasn't doing a flat out TT. Ran with the London Worlds and Melbourne Marathon teams - this crew can run! I was off the back of the front runners and just tried to keep them in sight. A great session with 20km under the belt. And Henry Polk is back!

Trained for the first time with a tempo trainer at swimming on Friday. Set the timer at 1:04 and felt like I was sinking. Some athletes had their setting on 1:10+ and were pulling away from me. Stroke still needs work!

Hills and heart rate. What a ride!

 ...And then came Saturday's session - 150km through Kinglake and Christmas Hills followed by a 1 hour run. A cold morning that turned into an awesome day. Have to thank The Red Bear, Steve Guy and Chris Rancie for the tough day out. We were all wrecked, an excellent day's work on the bike. All of us gave it some. It was a long day - Started at 6am from home and finished a 2pm. 














The day was made great with Red Bear's gear:

Red Bear showing the stars and stripes and the well worn ribbed vest

The view from behind. Matching socks and arms too. He brought a smile to everyone's face on a cold morning. Great work!

Long ride finished! This 'Guy' set the pace up the hills (Steve Guy).

The O'symetric chain rings appear to be doing their job. The cranks move faster through the dead spot. However, I didn't do a PB up the Kinglake climb on Saturday. Should the new chain rings have given me a PB? Who knows, but they feel good when pushing hard on the peddles either up a hill or TT'ing on the flat. Steve Guy had his new Rotor Oval Q-Rings. He said they felt better on the flat. The result.....we like them!

My Post Training Weekend Protein Shake:

300ml water
Protein powder (however many scoops)
Frozen raspberries (frozen makes it nice and cold)
egg
banana
blend....




















Sunday was rest day. I slept in until 9am when Stirling (under Lauren's orders) dragged me out of bed. We went out for breakfast where I had the steak and eggs on toast. Then it was off to the Polly Woodside.

 

 

Great to get a day off to spend quality time with the family.

 

Entered Run Melbourne half marathon this week.

Feeling re-energised!

Closing into 3 1/2 months to race day.......but it's only 3 months until we leave for the USA!!

17 Weeks to Kona

Total training duration - 19 hours 16 min

• Swim - 7.6km
• Ride - 328km
• Run - 76km

This week's new gear:

• O'syometric chain rings.
• A $50 swimming aid that goes "beep".

A solid week with massive highs and lows. Swimming is back, running is good but I'm in struggle town with the bike (rather odd!). 

Mondays Velo session hurt the legs. Couldn't get the heart rate up but the legs were still burning. This frustrated me, wanted to throw the bike. Not a great moment but I just want to feel I'm getting the most out of EVERY session. At the Velo that morning I just couldn't do what program asked of me. A more rational mindset would have seen this being the result of a massive 90km of running combined with 345km of hill riding the week before. Didn't see it that way at the time. 

Peter Elliot doing FAST laps at Monday's Velo session

That night week we 'popped' Lauren's Mother's Day present and watched the first episode of Game of Thrones. It's generating excitement on the social media pages so I want to check it out.  We're hooked.

 

 

It had been in the fridge since Mother's Day. Was time to drink it.

Tuesday saw a return of the unwanted emotion. It's amazing how quick the mind can turn when things get hard. Same thing as the 'post ironman blues' (refer blog post on 9 April 2013). Just sad all day for no apparent reason. I did miss swim training that morning due to an early meeting at work. Then there was Monday's velo session that was below expectations. I think those two combined with being absolutely wrecked brought it on. 

The run snapped me out if it that night. Amazing that more training was the cure. When in doubt run it out! Ran a Fartlek session with Red Bear, we pushed it hard, a great workout. Wouldn't have run so hard on my own. Always good to run with others on the same program. Also good to chat about how we are doing with the training. We all have our own individual challenges. 

Tuesday's Fartlek run with Red Bear. We ran the sh!t out of each other!!!

Had a well deserved Crunchie McFlurry as a post run treat. Do yourself a favour and try one, they're awesome. 

I've gotta run! My thoughts...

I don't have a good "tri base" so I feel I need to work harder than a "seasoned triathlete". My issue is endurance. I've always been a "sprinter" in all my past sports. I'm really focused on doing the time and intensity stated in the program. If the program states a duration range, I'm generally doing the upper end every time - unless there is something external preventing it being family or other commitments...or I'm completely shattered. The biggest issue for me in Ironman Melbourne was hamstring cramps at the 20km mark (Mordialloc). I need to get stronger running legs otherwise this will be a big problem on the big island....

On Wednesday night I made up the missed Tuesday morning swim session with the development squad - the squad I was with 12 months ago before being moved up to the morning squad. This program consistency thing actually works!

Still have a honey craving

I'm really motivated with swimming. 1 month out from Ironman Melbourne I struggled to get out of bed for swimming training. Swim coach Ben has run a good program so far that is getting me some early results. Still more work to do but my technique is showing improvement. Just need to keep the momentum going. Thanks Ben Street!

Thursday morning was Kew Bvd on the bike for hill repeats. I had no strength on the hilly sections. Struggled to get out of bed that morning and hit the snooze button. Really tired that day. The rain made it harder.

  
Got started 30min late but caught up with Steve Guy during the session. He's much lighter so is better up the hills but I've got the strength on the flat. Made for an interesting morning. The late start resulted in me only getting 4 of the 8 repeats done (as it was I was in struggle town anyway). However, as I rode to Kew from home I got the overall duration completed. I feel like my training performance in cycling is down. 

Thursday's run session at the Tan turned into a Tough Mudder set. The rain didn't stop and turned the surface into mud. Had to reduce the intensity due to fatigue but did the time. 

Thursday's Tan run was more like Tough Mudder!

Saturday saw the return of the big MTC bunch ride. Lots of contenders on varying programs. An 'easy' ride was scheduled, but the outcome was very different. First we came across pro triathlete and strong biker Matt Bailey. He set an awesome pace to Frankytown. Once over Oliver's Hill Sam Madden, Ollie, Red Bear and myself put on the pace to Dromana. A short stop at the servo then we dropped the hammer back home. We did 140km+ averaging 36.7km/hr for the entire ride. 

I was feeling better that day and had a great ride. Was good to have some strong riders there. The Northern Combine road series has made them fast!


Also a good test for the new O'symetric chain rings. Just attached a set of 54-42. Good so far, Kinglake will test them next week....  

Weird looking but seem to work

Stirling and I went and saw Despicable Me 2 on Saturday night.

...and had Nandos

 

 

 

...and ate donuts!

Sunday was hill time with the run session a Kew Boulevard and local trails. It was slippery and muddy on the trails for the first 50 min but then stuck to the pavement once we reached the boulevard. The Blackburn Cycling Club ITT was on so there was something to keep the mind off the legs...and the hills made them hurt! Stuck with the front runners for the first hour then had to watch them go. Ran 30km in 2hrs 16min and ended up really sore.
 

Hill time at Kew

Summary - A mixed week mentally and physically.
 

Well done to the MTC / FM athlete results in recent events - Brimbank XC, Sri Chinmoy half marathon, Cairns Ironman & 70.3, Kew Bvd cycling ITT, the Northern Combine cycling 3DT...the list goes on! Inspiring stuff.

3 months 24 days to go until 'the big dance'

 

18 Weeks to Kona

The biggest training week so far.

Total training duration - 22 hours
Swim - 3.5 hours (light swim week with time trial & drills)
Ride - 346km
Run - 90km

This week had 4 specific run days - Monday, Wednesday, Friday & Sunday. This knocked the legs about and my energy levels gradually deteriorated throughout the week:

Monday
Feeling good, running well

Wednesday
Still got last night's bike session in the legs, getting hard.

Friday 
I can't go on! Make it stop! End this now!

Sunday 
Red Bear's next tri-suit?

It was more solo training with the program varying from the main squad sessions. Big gear ride at the velodrome on Tuesday night on top of additional run sessions obliterated my legs. This bike session in itself went really well, got the heart rate up where it needed to be.

Almost had a head-on on the bike track just under Swan St bridge on my commute home. It was night and I was overtaking 2 walkers not seeing the rider coming in the other direction. Hit the breaks, unclipped the feet and almost went over the handlebars but avoided the collision (just). Really hate riding on those bike paths.

Had a 1000m swim time trial this week. Completed it in 15:17 which I'm really happy with. I did this last in October 2012 when I clocked 15:47. Great result especially considering the hard swimming hasn't started yet. 

Started running more routes home from work. Either Riversdale Rd, Toorak Rd or High St. It adds some hilly running when the training calls for it and gets me home earlier (rather than the Tan then tram home).

The 3 hour Thursday morning ride called for a 3:15am alarm. Legs were dead flat, just road to time. That day I gave into temptation and destroyed 3 Krispy Kreme donuts. How can this range be avoided:

I had the cookies & cream, a choc iced sprinkles and a choc custard.

Thursday's dinner comprised:

4 eggs on toast
4 Wheetbix with full cream milk
2 honey on toast
chunk of cheese
chocolate
glass of full cream milk
biscuit

On Friday's 90min run I really wanted to stop. First time I felt this way for a while - but that's what will happen in any Ironman...so I kept going. Couldn't get to the upper end of the heart rate. Built up and got close through the middle but couldn't get there for the last part. Just had to finish the run to time. 

Was really concerned that I wouldn't bounce back and be right for Saturday's hill ride in the Dandenongs. We had pizza for dinner that night, big carb load, it got me through the day. 150km in 5 hours 13 minutes which included the Wall and 3 x 1 in 20 repeats:

The legs did well!

It was a great ride with the MTC bunch. Made even better with the sunny weather. The bigger groups are now starting to form with many athletes getting back into training.

New winter shoe covers kept the feet toasty on a cold Saturday morning

Red Bear & Andrew - Pink was the dress of the day Saturday

Sunday was the long group run which started with a pre-run ride. There were 5 of us running in the initial group. Stevie G had music playing through his iPhone and there was constant banter. I enjoy the Sunday group runs...and the sun was out again! 

Stevie G and Rio set a strong run pace early but were doing a shorter duration so we dabbled with danger following their lead.We eventually let them run off the front as 4:00 min/km pace was not going to do for a 2 hour 15 minute run. Finished the run with Red Bear with 31km in 2 hours 22 minutes - 4:33 min/km pace. Then cold water immersion to end a huge week.

2 line summary for the week:
The body - Legs are hurting.
The mind - Feeling confident.


Just over 4 months until race day!

19 Weeks to Kona

'The May Massive' Challenge on Strava 
For the month of May I clocked up:
322km running - 307th of 13,400 runners.
1,213km riding - 5,922nd of 65,600 riders.

The 'RUNNING RAW VEGAN' won the run by running 1,333km in 31 days - a marathon everyday for the month of May!!! Someone had to do it.

The ride winner from the UK cycled 6,539km in 21 rides - an average of 311km per ride!!!

This month it's Junedoggle. On Saturday (day 1) I was sitting 2nd out of 8,423 runners. Red Bear messaged saying I'm only 200m off first place and should go out and run it! I was out for dinner, when I get home I'm running 200m. When I got back first place had extended out by 1.2km and I was sitting 3rd. Too cold and wet, he can have it!

The Next 6 week Hawaii program will be out soon. While this week was more an adaption week, Foz said next week will be a tough one. Lots of threshold runs, it's going to hurt.

Tuesday's run at the Tan was changed from a Fartlek to an easier 75min run due to the high performance camp last weekend. 

Was still flat on Wednesday's ride. Just an easy 2hrs. Then there was Thursday's ride, a 40km time trial at Hawthorn velodrome - was always going to be nasty! Wanted to average 42km/hr. Managed to clock 40km in 56:42 for an average speed of 42.3km/hr. Really happy with that result at this stage of training. It hurt!

5km to go!

Finished, shattered post smash fest!

Fluid Movements Sports Facebook Post:
Got the opportunity to Coach both ends of our cycling team spectrum today, with our novice bike session, teaching technique on hill reps with athletes.
Also coached 2 of our Hawaii Ironman team, Dale with a 40km TT, which he did in 56:42mins (42+ average) and Diana Simpson with an FTP test.
Loved it, pic of Dale post smash fest.

Pulled out the foam roller that night and did some stretching and planking. Ouch!

Friday's swim set included butterfly which then included cramps. The type that stop me mid lap, one hand on the lane rope, the other on my calf. Got through the session but it was tiring. 

Planned on taking the opportunity on Saturday to go with Stirling to Auskick and train in the afternoon. Then the thunder, lightening and rain came down Friday night. The rain was still still going Saturday morning so no Auskick. Also missed the 'kick-off' time at Kew boulevard with the MTC crew so did the planned solo ride/run mid morning. 

Starting out on a wet ride

Rode out to Montrose...and the rain hammered down! The type that stings you face when you go down hills. Got saturated and got a flat, lucky it was outside a McCafe so I grabbed a coffee while there.

Coffee with the tube change, makes it almost tolerable

The culpret

A 2hr 30min run followed the ride. Ran Gardiners Creek Trail then the Yarra Trail to the Swan St bridge then up Swan St / Riversdale Rd. Riversdale Rd added a few hills to the back end. Did 33.8km averaging 4:25min/km.

The run - Down the hill then up the hill

Went out for dinner Saturday night and smashed down a pasta, dips and chips. Polished off several bottles of table water.

Sunday was a scheduled day off so achieved the most epic sleep-in! Lauren went to yoga so Stirling and I went to Scienceworks. Awesome!

Producing electricity by peddle power. Feel the burn...

 

 

 

And again

 

Sprint time

Wheelchair racer!

Yep, that's just how I feel sometimes

The Captain

 
Stirling loved it. Scienceworks is made for 5 year olds...and 5 year olds dads! We were running, riding, stacking blocks, making electricity, having fun. The Planetarium was closed for renovation so another visit will be scheduled real soon. 

The day finished with a visit to McDonalds. I highly recommend the Crunchie McFlurry.


Great work by the Aussies in the Hawaii 70.3 today - Craig Alexander and Belinda Granger being 1st male & 1st female over the line. The funny thing is both are in my 40-44 age group!!!

131 days or 19 weeks or 4 months 9 days to Kona!