There is a special kind of monotony reserved for winter base training.
The perpetual cycle of early mornings, the stench of chlorine and,
consequently, occasional abuse directed towards parents for not forcing to swim
as a child (thus avoiding current predicament). It's been a relatively eventful
two months, well as eventful as having three coaches in the space of six weeks
can be :-)
As usual
I’ve attempted to keep this post short and have failed deplorably! Apologies! Well
at least it is under 3000 words (2604) I might need to include an contents and index section next time :-)
Off Season in Dot-Point Form
·
I got my wisdom teeth out in April….refer to
pictures. Trying to eat with a completely numb mouth is harder than what I
thought. Especially trying to guide the food in the mouth not the nose/chin.
·
Nick Baldwin, ‘fresh’ of two Iroman’s in three weeks
(including a 3rd in Ironman Australia) spent a week staying with me.
o He became
the self-styled ‘yogurt-fairy.’ I.e. like the tooth fairy. You’d wake up to
find all the yogurt gone (measured in Kg-per day between us)....although unlike the tooth fairy there wasn't any money to be found under my pillow :-)
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| This view makes me very happy! |
o I was
coming back into training and couldn’t think of anything more unappealing after
two Ironman’s. Hence he ditched James Chronis and I at the pool, instead opting
to go to the golf driving range next door.
o I only once saw him angry…that was when I took
him for a ‘scenic’ ride on Richmond Blvd. Something on the lines of ‘the most
boring and least scenic ride of his life.’
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| Nick admiring the view |
For anyone who is interested to see what I do at Uni, or more to the point, to prove I actually do work :-) here are my 'thoughts' on the Strategic Decline of the United States and the Bretton Woods Institutions. Although I'd suggest not plagiarising them, as they have been submitted through turnitin. That, and the quality is questionable :-)
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| At the 'Deans Awards,' I joked on twitter that good grades would get me a ''get out of jail free card' from parents. That was quickly 'cashed' when I put petrol in the diesel car.....wasn't in the good books that day. |
Coaching
A while back our squad was informed that our coach Jarrod Evans had
taken on a high-level position with Triathlon USA. On a personal level I was
disappointed, he has been my only ever tri coach (since Nov' 11), taking me
from a rank MOP age-grouper obscurity, to (hopefully) on the precipice of my
pro-license. Also I absolutely loved the squad! Being around friends makes the,
at times arduous, training a lot more enjoyable. Moreover, having spent a large
portion of last season injured, seeing my team-mates performing well was the
next best thing to performing well myself. The irony of triathlon is that even
though it is an individual sport, I have never felt more a part of a team. That
comes from someone who played team sports from ages 9-18 (Cricket/Hockey).
In saying that I was disappointed seeing Jarrod, it was a highly
deserved promotion. His work ethic is phenomenal (potentially dangerous), his
mixture of tough love and high expectations got the best out of all of us, not
only in a triathlon, but in a holistic sense (that work ethic he instilled in me, has seen my uni grades improve considerable). USA are lucky to have him!
I moved to a coach on the Gold Coast, I was adamant (irrespective of warnings) that I wanted someone I could see on a frequent basis. A weakness of
mine is not knowing when to stop, I thought having a coach in close proximity
would mitigate this. In short my expectations and his of a coaching/athlete
relationship didn't meet. After that initial excitement of trying something
new, I realised I craved a similar environment to what I had. Moreover I was
naive to think that everyone would operate in the same way (with the same
work-ethic) as Jarrod.
Thus I will be working with EnduranceTeam (again)
coach Ross Young. He has transitioned from gun athlete (sub 15min 5ker and Hawaii Qualifier) to
coach, having been mentored by Jarrod. His work ethic, attitude and ability to
'calls it how he sees it' (frequently with devastating humour) are qualities I
really admire. I’ve only been ‘on program’ for two weeks, but after a
frustrating few weeks, having some stability back into my training has lifted an
enormous weight off my shoulders. Moreover I have really come to appreciate how important it is to have a coach who you trust and rely on. Being self-coached (and paying for that privilege) was something I want to avoid.
Race Report 1: Gold Coast 10k
My first hit-out of the season was the Gold Coast 10k. I literally had
no idea what sort of shape I was in running-wise. I had never run a 10k fresh
(i.e. not off the bike), coupled with months of injury and carrying an
uncharacteristically large amount of ‘winter-weight’ I had low expectations.
I was lucky enough to qualify for a seeded start, which ticked off a
minor life goal of mine- getting my surname on my bib. I did feel a little
guilty, as my qualifying run was done over 18 months prior.
One perk of the seeded start was the ‘elites’ were able to use the newly
redeveloped Gold Coast Acquatic Centre rooms (but NOT take photos, as it hadn’t
been opned) to get changed, ‘indulge’ (organizers words) in a ‘selection’ of
fresh food and drinks and use the recovery facilities post race. Sitting in the
waiting area I felt completely out of my depth and mildly obese.
The race got off, and as usual I got carried away. I settled into a pace
slightly below ‘I want to puke/give up the sport.’ I went through 5k around 16.30, that was a
surprise but a huge confidence boost. The
race has one of the deepest fields in the country, I was lucky in the sense
that there were ample people to pace off. The last few K’s went past in a blur
of pain. Crossing the line I was very pleased to sneak a 33 10k.
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Having only finished three triathlons in the previous 15 months, two of
which with disappointing results, the post-race endorphin rush was huge! I was
extremely happy to get through the race injury free and having exceeded (albeit
low) expectations.
Race Report 2: Run Melbourne 10k
I was down in Melbourne for a school reunion (which made me feel old!).
I had ‘attempted’ this race once before. Back in 2010 I entered the half
marathon. My goal was to beat me PB of 1.35hrs; However, the day ended early
when I pulled out 10ks and 46mins in. Two days later I was diagnosed with
glandular fever. As you can see in the photo, my glans were insanely huge.
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| 2010....Check out the swollen glands! |
Through a bit of miscommunication my program had me down for the
half-marathon. Fortunately both coach and I agreed that would not be a good
idea, RELIEF!!
I hadn’t got a ‘preffered’ start, being a late entry. Having seen the
enormous amount of people in the sub 45 starting group, I was hanging around
the preffered area. From what I saw there was only 10 or so people with the
special stickers. The officious lady was busy turning people in my situation
away, telling them to go to the ‘sub-45min start.’ Whilst she was busy doing
that, me and another guy did the sneaky behind her back. I started right at the
front. A few minutes before the gun was to go off, the legend himself four-time
Olympian Craig Mottram!! Took his position next to me.
I was harboring hopes of a PB, I had put in some very good training in
the three weeks, deliberately gone about losing 1.5kgs and had the experience
of running a 10k under my belt.
We started (no the gun didn’t go off, someone false-started, so everyone
just went).
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| Dodging through the half marathon runners....I think I've run alongside this road at least 100+ times |
Around 1k in we hit the half-marathon runners, who had already been out
there for 2hrs. This set the tone for the rest of the day, dodging through
slower runners, and interrupting attempts of gasping in air by telling people I
was passing. Hopes of a PB were fading. This got a little dangerous around the
3k mark when me and one other guy were running (uncontrollably) down Anderson
Street Hill (-6%) at a knee-destroying pace; at the bottom of the hill was a
sharp left hand turn, three-wide were a bunch of walkers. A small gap opened,
so I engaged in a bit of a jump and twist to sneak through this gap at around
20km/h. I think I said ‘PASSING!!’ at least 100 times.
I ran through 5ks in 16.47 (off my goal-pace), isolated from the leading 6 and with a
decent gap on those behind me. It was a lonely race from there on.
I ended up crossing the line in (at the time) disappointingly slow time, although I ended up 7th overall out of 5000+ finishers.
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| More dodging |
In any case these races are ‘D-races’ an opportunity to get in some hard
running, gain experience at pacing and break the cycle of training. Having
raced so little over the last 18 months, I am loving being able to experience
the roller-coaster of emotions that racing involves: nerves, pain, questioning
why I do this sport, more pain, then (with the finish line in sight) this pain
gives way to exhilaration and then the post-race endorphin overdose.
A Seven-Seeds breakfast (and their coffee) was an added perk too.
Training-Swim
Moving to the Gold Coast has made the morning swims a considerably more
tolerable, and of late, genuinely enjoyable experience. The outdoor 50m pool a
3min walk from my room is a welcome change from the 1970s 25m pool heated to
30c at Bayside, a 1hr round-trip away from home. Mileage has been solid, around the 30k mark, but unlike last year there is more quality work (the morning sessions are consistently 6ks on the nose).
I've changed my swim setup this off-season, splitting my time between
the Elite and Adult Squads. The former being the hard session the latter
recovery or 'aerobic development,' (i.e. only a half-step below the pain
inflicted during the morning sessions). It has been fantastic to swim under the
Australian Open Water Olympic Coach at the London Olympics, the squad is very
small in Winter (10-12) and with two coaches on deck all our moves are being
watched. It is a different type of swim training than I have been used to, its
a specific open water squad so the specificity is there. Having Ky Hurst
(Open-Water London Olympian) the 2nd and 3rd place
getters at the Australian 5k Open Water Champs, a couple of the Nutri-Grain
Ironman Athletes and some foreign open water swimmers, means that the standard,
and importantly, the level of professionalism has been a real eye-opener. We get in, do the work and get out. Talking/complaining etc. just doesn't happen. Indeed the average time per 100m for the session, from when we get in to when we get out; breaks, warm-up and cool down included is almost always below 1.45/100m.
Unlike Bayside there is not an obsession (something which triathletes
across the board love) with short-rest threshold sessions (40x100s, 10x400s
etc). They are clearly of value but the problem I found was that they ended up
being closer to sub-threshold and my form (due to fatigue) deteriorated badly.
It explained why I improved rapidly in the first two months of last season and
then spent 900+ks in the pool for ZERO improvement. Here there is a greater mix
of intensities, considerably more hard 50s, with much of the aerobic short rest
work being done to longer swims. i.e. 500s separated by hard 50s. The big
difference I have noticed too is that everyone is given a target time. No one
is left to try and 'get-through' a session and we are all held accountable to
our own abilities. This is a blessing and a curse (PAIN!).
It sounds a little crude, but the best indicator of knowing that I am
absolutely at my swimming limit is when I feel I’m about to lose control of my
bowels (coupled with eyes rolling into the back of the head). That feeling has been happening a lot of late.
One thing I have really come to value is the importance of a positive
mind-set. Going into a session knowing you can make it, changing the mental
outlook of one of dread to one of opportunity and of-late..... even enjoyment has
undoubtedly had a positive impact on my swim.
Bike
Focusing on my swimming and building back my running has meant that the
bike has received, relatively, less attention. I'm only riding three days a
week, but pleasingly the power numbers are good (as I frequently mention my
obsession with power numbers are probably only matched by Chris Froome's love
of his stem). I've been lucky enough to do weekly sessions with Olympic Gold
Medalist (2004 Road Race) Sara Carrigan. Her energy is infectious. She has made
me aware of things I never really concentrated on, especially technique. Seeing her casually bunny-hop over a speed-bump at 70km/h and her ability to descend showed me just how good cyclists can control their bikes.
Threshold tests show that I’m riding better than my best last season, so
the ‘massive’ 200k bike weeks seemed to have worked.
Run
It has been fantastic getting back into normal run mileage. I love
running, having this taken away from me for the better part of six months was
hard. However, it has made me appreciate it that extra bit. The mileage has
been building up slowly but surely. 45-55ks in April/Early-May, 60ks in May,
60-65ks in June and 70-85ks in July. It has been a welcome change from my
35-40k weeks (with lots of run/walks) from January to my races in early March.
I’ve been fortunate enough to have received support from Mizuno Running
Australia, and have been cycling through quite a quiver of their shoes (Ride,
Hitogami, Sayonara, Wave Universe). My legs haven’t felt this good in ages, so
clearly the shoes are doing their bit.
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| How good do these shoes look! |
Irreverent Ramblings
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| Rekindled my obsession with Stick Cricket....last seen in 2007 |
- I had breakfast next to a youth-bible group last week. The ‘leader’ paid for everyone’s meal. Apparently this is a weekly thing and it’s always at my favourite Gold Coast Café. I think I might need to become more spiritual.
- · According to the results I cam 16th in the Queensland Road Running Championships (at the Gold Coast race). I didn’t know I was considered a Queenslander!
- · Took great pleasure in asking (and seeing their reaction) to the question: What is the State of Origin? – Shows how much of a Queenslander I am (refer to above point).
- · Strange Denizens of the pool (Bond Uni edition)
o
The middle-aged Asian man who only swims
butterfly. KUDOS!! Although I am worried he could risk drowning one of these
days.
o
The guy who swam in his boxer-shorts, no f-s
given.
o
The people on Tuesday evenings who put on
weights and walk at the bottom of the deep end of the pool (4m deep). Not
really denizen, but strange.
o
The girl who was ‘stretching’ in the pool for
the whole of my solo 5k swim-set.
- · Awkward lift chats are nothing compared to awkward sauna chats.
- · You know you go to a certain café too often when you get disappointed that you have the ‘tightarse’ chef working on your standard breakfast. Notably he is not generous when it comes to the smashed avocado.
- · I broke a personal record for coffee consumption last Friday. I had a double-run/bike day. My major semester essay due and my school reunion all on the same day.
- · My physio should moonlight as a motivational speaker. His rousing soliloquy that accompanied my new gym program would put Anthony Robbins to shame! (‘How much do you want it?’ was repeated multiple times).
- · There is something exhilarating about the due-day rush of essays. No amount of organisation and time management takes that away. I had the whole thing written (essay) days before, but that didn’t stop the multiple printings out (which cost a small fortune) and corrections.
- · There is a special kind of anger reserved for people who get in your way when you’re trying to get your meal #collegelife
- · There is a special kind of annoyance reserved for people who try to be nice/social with you when you’re trying to get your meal #collegelife
- · There is a special kind of love you get your meal from Louise, she's generous on the portions! #collegelife.
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| 'An obstacle is often a stepping stone.' Coffee from 'My Legendary Girlfriend' Domain Road, South Yarra |
Till
Next time
