Sinking In....

So it has been 24 hours since I officially entered into Ironman Melbourne 2013 - I am now $825 dollars poorer. That's just crazy isn't it?! Here I am - struggling to pay my bills (problems in the first world) and I just forked out $825 of my hard earned money into a day's race.

I have been looking at some Ironman results for Port Mac, Busso and the last Melbourne race and it gives me confidence that I can do this race and finish it within the 17 hour mark.

Doing some preliminary sums:

3.8km Swim - lets take 4 x 23 min (my 1km TT time is approx 21min) = 92 min = 1:32

180km Ride - lets take my 20km TT of 45min x 9 (180km/20km) = 405 min = 6:45

42.2km Run - lets take my slowest 10km and multiply that by 4.5 (instead of 4.2) = 315min = 5:15

Add 5 - 15min transitions and the total time for a full ironman will be approximately 13:45 so if everything goes to plan (weather, no injuries, nutrition), I should be able to complete this race under 14 hours - that will be my target time.

The fact that I am going to be participating in this race is starting to become real. This morning over breakfast with the girls, we were all talking about the up and coming races we all have. Noosa is no longer a stressful race as we have all done it before. Most of us have Shepparton as our first half ironman in 80 days. We all agreed that the run part is our main worry as it is not our strength and we are to run 21.1km after swimming 1.9km and riding 90km. None of us were stressed about the swim as we had been consistently turning up to swim sessions and swimming up to 3km per session. Cycling is not an issue as Shepparton is a relatively flat course and we had been riding up to 110km on Saturdays with 2 x 40-50km windtrainer sessions during the week. Running has been our weakness (not coming from a running background) but it seems that consistently doing run sessions with Coach Greg is really paying off (cold soak is the answer after long sessions).

I am personally not too stressed about Shepparton anymore. I know that I will finish this race under the 7 hour cut off time. I will just need to continue with my training under the watchful eye of the coaches and continue with the maintenance of the body with regular massages.

The next months are busy busy busy with cycling, running or triathlon camp events which will tie in with training. This includes the Apollo Bay training camp over the 21-23 Sept, Kinglake 115km ride on the 6th Oct, Half marathon on the 14th Oct, Round the Bay on the 21st Oct, an event break weekend and then its Noosa, a break and then it is Shepparton. Bang bang bang!

After Shep, it is Corporate Games (I am doing the 1km open water swim again for my work), December which will include Hell Week and then its the Falls Creek camp (hopefully its on) so that it provides me with a training spike for Geelong on the 10th Feb, followed with 6 weeks leading up to Melbourne Ironman with a few events in between (Nissan Corporate Triathlon (tentative) and the 3.2km Big Bay Swim).

Ironman Melbourne will be my last race for 2012/2013 season and I am sure that I will be taking a good month off triathlon as part of recovery month.

Looking through what I just noted down - I do have a busy schedule. I guess I am doing all this because I have the ability to do so - physically and financially.

As the motto says "You only live once" - so I am going to live this life, fit, healthy and happy.

THE LOTTERY!!!

So....the last 24 hours of my life have been a whirlwind of emotions - highs and lows.

See, I entered the Geelong Long Course race for February 2013 around June of this year. As part of that entry, USM had 50 slots into IM Melbourne for March 2013. Yesterday, I received an email from USM confirming that I had received one of the 50 slots and I have a chance to race Ironman Melbourne in March 2013. First, I thought it was a huge joke and maybe I should wait for others (on facebook) to post something and then having USM write me another email apologising for the IT glitch. I generally don't win things unless I am 100% about what I am entering (such as the awards I have won for my work in the Sustainability). I had to read the email about 10 times to actually take in what had just happened.

Mind you - this is NOT a free entry into IMMelb. This is a slot lottery and you still have to pay the entry fee into this event. It is also not a scholarship or sponsorship. You just get a chance to participate in a sold out event.

After I sent the photo of my email to a few friends and family and (only) when I received some positive feedback from family, I then decided to post the lottery slot on facebook as part of my status.

I had my heart set on racing IMMelb 2013 as a team (I would do the swim and run) but when USM confirmed that there will be no team entries for 2013 earlier this year, I then cemented on the idea of racing Ironman Melb in 2014. I even started to save up for the entry fee (they are NOT cheap)...A small (good but unexpected) spanner in the works, with a lottery slot into IMMelb 2013, I had to take some time to think things through (logically, not emotionally) about this.

• As of the day of the email (28th Aug 2012) - I had 208 days left until IMMelb. This meant that not only am I training for my first half ironman 82 days, I am also going to be training for my first Ironman 17 weeks later. I have been consistent with my training over all 3 legs of the triathlon with great feedback from coaches about my progress. If I am to stay on this path and progress incrementally (smartly) I have enough weeks between now and then to build up to the 3.8km swim, 180km ride and a marathon. I am not going to ramp up my training in anyway outside of the prescribed program - I will train for this race logically.
• I will not be running a marathon before the 24th March. IM Melbourne will be my first official marathon (if I finish the 3.8km swim and 180km ride first). I am actually not stressed about this. The IMMelb run course was magnificent - aid stations every 2km with plenty of ppl to cheer you on along the way. Currently on track for my half marathon in October with a goal of < 120min.
• Can I afford it? The entry fee is $825. With a significant amount of money owing on the new bike and bills to pay - do I have the luxury of putting my paycheck into this single race. I guess it is up to me to manage my funds - try harder to sell the Felt, do my 2010-2011 and 2011-2012 tax return asap, manage gas & electricity bills, consolidate phone/internet/iPad package (currently 80/50/30 per month) - get a better budget.
• Am I able to squeeze in extra training with my lifestyle - currently sans uni studies, family (kids), stressful job....yes I can. So far I have been balancing my training with my work well. I see my friends and family when I can and because I don't have any dependents, it is much more easier to do than others (with family).

So when I get my next paycheck, I will pay $825 for my entry into IMMelbourne 2013 and join the thousands of men and women who will be swimming 3.8km at Frankston pier, riding 180km along Eastlink and running 42.2 from Frankston to St Kilda on the 24th March 2013.

This shit is about to get real!

88 - Just an update.

Just thought I would give you an update to my training leading up to Shepparton 70.3 in 88 days.

88 in the Chinese culture is significant. In the Cantonese dialect, it often means "Bye Bye" as 88 is pronounced similarly to bat bat. So 88 days to Shepparton and it is also bye bye to worries and stress about this race as I know that I am going to be able to complete this race and more importantly with a smile on my face.

I have been training consistently over the last few months. Swimming at least 2 sessions a week (including the favourite - Friday Endurance), on the bike at least 2 sessions a week (including at one windtrainer session with the tri bike) and running at least 2 sessions a week (at least one interval/runplay/fartlek and one long endurance/hilly run). My body maintenance has been spot on with at least one pilates class a week and time on the physio roller nearly every evening. Strength training has been great and where I have a spare moment before any swim class, its band out of the bag and work on the arms, shoulders and back muscles.

Double Happiness

88 also symbolises wealth and happiness and often used wedding invitations in the Chinese culture (commonly referred to as Double Happiness).

For me, it is a marriage, balance and harmony of both the mind and body training for this race and both these factors will need to be 100% for race day.

It is also interestingly enough that we have had the privilege of being provided with information about Energy and Hydration by Shotz (Darryl Griffiths).

Hydration - your body loses salts when you sweat and this is what makes you dehydrated. You should be consuming water with salts in it to feel hydrated and it is only then your body is able to work - using energy into movement. Contrary to what the media says about salts and how it is bad for you, it does not apply to endurance athletes. This is because we eat good foods (fresh) where as processed foods especially in take-aways are so high in salt it is ridiculous.

Energy - simple sugars such as sucrose gives you the spike but your stomach finds it hard to process it. Maltodextrin (especially in Gel form) is the quickest way to provide your body with the energy it needs over a long period of time.

Ideally (this needs to be changed to suit each individual's tolerance, weight, strategy) - No one should be just drinking water on the bike - a salt/electrolye solution is recommended to replace the salts you lose when you sweat. Energy should also be consumed on the bike and run - this could be in forms of gels, bars, bananas.

88 Training Days left until my first half ironman - I am so excited!

Women

This post has been brewing in me for quite some time now and it has finally reached the pinnacle for it to put pen to paper.

See, it started from my years in university...I started my (mechanical) engineering degree at Melb Uni from 1999. I was in the minority. I was the 1% of females who started (and finished) the course from 1999-2002/03. I never felt alienated as I got along (and still do) better with males than females but I felt the pressure that I needed to prove to people around me that I am capable of not only getting through uni but also surviving in a male dominated environment. Looking back, I would say that I have excelled in my studies as I graduated with honors. But would it have been sufficient if I just graduated with a plain Bachelor of Engineering?

I have worked in two engineering firms since I have graduated. One was a multidisciplinary engineering consultancy company with over 700 employees just in Melbourne with little to no exposure beyond my cubicle walls. My current role is in a 150+ staff consultancy company but my daily work involves consultancy with clients (developers, engineers, architects) and builders. Out of the 9 years I have been working as an engineer, I have only had a small handful of sexist comments regarding my female intelligence and ability. Comments have ranged from "What would you know, you are just a girl" through to "This is a man's world, no place for you". Actions also speak louder than words. I have had meetings where guys refuse to look at me when we are in meetings through to cutting me off halfway to tell me off about my attitude (as it was no lady like - or they feel that I am emasculating them on purpose). To be honest, these comments always got to me. I never cried in the meeting or in front of anyone but when I have had time to calm down and reflect, I always broke down. I cried not because I am weak (on the contrary), I cried because my heart breaks that people out there still feel that women are not able (or not allowed) to be strong and play a man's game.

A few incidents have happened within the last month or so which brought up these feelings.

1) Without going into too much detail and history - please refer to these two blogs about the incident which occurred over the weekend with a cycling clothing company called Limitless Performance. SheRidesCyling and CyclingTips - both blogs have posts about the said video.

2) Certain people referring to the opposition's team as girls - using girls/females/women as a derogatory noun - e.g. "Come on (insert my team), fix up these bunch of girls called (Insert other team)....Don't like it tough you girls...." on social media.

3) A group of cyclist stopped at the lights (I was in the car next to them) and when the lights turned green, the leader called out "Come on ladies! Stop wasting time and lets go!" - Are they suggesting that girls waste time? Why do they have to use the word ladies in this as it would only refer to something negative.

4) The Australian women basketball team travelled to London Olympics in economy class whilst the men travelled in business. Womens' basketball team ended up with bronze medal for 2012 (having won silver in the last 3 Olympics)...they flew back to Aus in business class but would they have been bumped up if they didn't prove that they are good at their sport? For the next Olympics at Rio, will they have to fly economy again until they earned their place or will the organisers realise this before it is brought up again?

The Olympics just passed - Australian female triathletes performed (much) better than the men with two Australian females in top 10 position (with one winning bronze) compared to the Men's team. Female swimmers received more medals than (the more outspoken) men's team. Australian females received more medals and were placed higher compared to the men. Mind you, I am not saying that women are better at those sports than men, my point is that we have excelled and will continue to do so as many of us still have to prove our worth/place.

I look up to athletes in general but I especially admire female athletes such as Cathy Freeman, Chrissie Wellington just to name a few. Chrissie Wellington is someone whom I look up to as her achievements are closer to home - she is a triathlete. She has not only come 1st for females but she has also come top 10 for the entire professional field for several of her races. Her worst performance was 22nd for an Olympic distance. There is no denying that a female will not win the Ironman World Championships but how many men did she have to beat before she is considered as a triathlete rather than a female triathlete? The tag of being female puts us in a field of not as good but good enough.

Open up the paper and go to the sports section - there is little to no coverage of any female sports - it is not because we are not out there doing something but because the general population who read these sections are not interested in female's achievements, they don't consider female sports as real sports. The Tour de France is one example of the (lack of) coverage of females in sport - did you know that there is a female equivalent of the Tour de France? This race was cancelled in 2011 due to lack of sponsorship and the whole who gives a crap about a token female staged race when there is an awesome men's one...

Another note about women in sports....do we REALLY have to be sexualised before we are noticed? Does a female triathlete/cyclist/basketball player/sailor really have to appear half naked for the public to know that they exist?

Bike manufacturers/brands carry a very limited range for females - they put it down to supply and demand. And when they do it's a token female range and often vomited with pink. Mind you, I have favoured a hint of pink here and there (this has personally been a gradual progress and did not overnight) - you either embrace it or you detest all the pink shit that's out there to cater for females. In summary - because there are not as many females demanding it therefore the range of bikes suitable for the females are limited.

This is not across 100% of the brands out there but often the female range would come in shit or average group set and are Worlds behind what is available in the men's range. From my personal experience, I needed a (very) small bike - the best I could get (from this brand) was a SRAM Rival (with the 105 being the lower end) but the men's range gave 5 options ranging from 105 through to Dura-Ace Di2... Now, people would say, why don't you just buy the men's bike, well I would if I could but the smallest they have is a 52cm and I needed 47/48cm. Are females not deserving enough to be able to buy an awesome bike off the shelf? Do we have to prove that we are good enough, get sponsored and then have the rights to ride a good bike? (That's probably an over reaction but you get the point).

I really didn't have an aim about this entry, it was more of my thoughts/opinions/observations....I just want all women to never consider themselves as the weaker sex and never use that excuse for not trying out new sports and reaching their goals. I also want the greater public to acknowledge that women are doing incredible things, we are working side by side with men and we are not weak.

Planking...

As part of the Pilates class on Monday evenings, the instructor sometimes asks us to do some crazy moves...

Here is one - it starts out like a push up where you have to push the reformer bed out so that your shoulders are aligned at 90 degrees. Then we have to hold that position for a while. These pilates classes have been so good for my core strength and I could feel the ache which lasts a few days later.

Planking - Pilates Style

Let me introduce you to Dale...

Here is the new man in my life - his name is Dale (Cannondale Slice 4 Rival). I purchased him about 2 months ago as I needed a smaller time trial bike (my Felt was a 50cm - the tri bars were set back that it was in line with the brake hoods). Dale is a small 47cm size.

I picked him up on the 23rd July and had it fitted properly (with RETUL) by Coach Ollie. Since then, I have been using him on my windtrainer sessions to get use to the position so I don't wreck my back and shoulders during the race season.

Took this little bike out on Saturday last week along Studley Park (Kew Blvd) - it was the first time the tyres touched the road. As it was a hilly ride, I didn't ride the bike down on the TT bars for more than a few minutes. The bike handles great and will try to take it out on the roads soon to get use to it.

  

Dale - The Cannondale



So, the specs for the new bike are:

Size - 47cm

Components
Component Group	SRAM Rival
Brakeset	SRAM Caliper brakes, Promax Aero levers
Shift Levers	SRAM RTC TT 1090
Front Derailleur	SRAM Rival
Rear Derailleur	SRAM Rival
Crankset	FSA Vision BB30 Aero Double, 39/53 teeth
Pedals	Look (own)
Bottom Bracket	FSA BB30
Rear Cogs	10-speed, 11 - 26 teeth
Chain	KMC DX 10SC
Seatpost	Cannondale Slice Aero Carbon
Saddle	ISM Adamo (own)
Handlebar	3T Aura Carbon
Handlebar Stem	3T ARX Carbon
Headset	Slice

I am still selling my Felt B2 on Bike Exchange - $1900 ono
Contact me if you are interested - need to save money for IM Melbourme 2014 entry :)

Sydney City2Surf 2012 - A Race Report

On Sunday 12th Aug, I raced the City2Surf 14km run (in Sydney). I had in mind to give this run a good hot go and see how I am placed for my half marathon in 9 weeks time. I was very pleased with my time of 1:20.56 as I was expecting 1:25 on a course I had never done.

I decided to do this race about 4 or so weeks ago so it was a mad rush of paying for registration with one of my pay periods and leaving accom and flights for the next pay. Due to this delay, I could only find accommodation for hostels (under $100 per night) or hotels (over $180 per night). I assumed that I would have to pay for an extra night's accommodation to cater for the fact that I would like to shower after my run and not to check out before 7am, I decided on the cheap option as my funds for that week was extremely low already. With regards to flights, the cheapest and most suitable ones I could get were for Tiger Airways for $220 return (nothing to complain about there).

Saturday - Pre Race Day

So I flew into Sydney at about 3pm on Saturday after doing a lap of Studley Park with Dale (the Cannondale Tri Bike - an entry about this new bike will be coming soon) - 14km. The bike felt smaller but with better control. I didn't get much of a chance to ride in the tri bars but I did get a few pedals out of the saddle.

The flight into Syd was turbulant due to the rough conditions around Sydney over the weekend. When I arrived, it was a quick train trip to Central Station and a walk to my accommodation. I had booked accommodation through a Hostel Finder and for $80, I was happy with a single bed. But when I arrived, I was unsatisfied with the room I was going to spend the weekend in. The width of the room was small - small enough that I could touch the sides of the walls with the palms of my hands and they provided a small toilet and a sink (no shower). There were no facilities available for me to shower the entire weekend! Not ideal!

Thank God one of the girls from the squad had a room with her partner and they had two Queen beds and asked if I would like to stay with them (and I did!).

I also had to pick up my race kit from the Town Hall before 5pm and I wasn't going to make it in time with the rain so I asked one of the girls from the squad if she could help me out and everything worked out at the end. Note for next year (if I do the race again - arrive on Friday night).

A couple of people from the squad was up in Sydney for the race and so we decided to grab dinner together. Due to the C2S event and the Collingwood v Syd AFL match, many restaurants were booked out. We walked along Darling Harbour and ate at a small (dark) pub called Tokio Hotel. I had Wagyu Spag Bol - prob too much red meat for a meal before a race. Should have chosen chicken or fish (note for next time).

Sunday - Race Day

Having accommodation so close to the Start line was a bonus, we could get up at a reasonable hour (of 6am) and tried to get to the start line by 7:30 to drop off bags. There was a slight miscommunication and authorities abusing their power and I ended up being late for the yellow group bag drop off. Luckily, there was a nice enough volunteer who let me drop off my bag into his truck.

Course Gradient - note all the inclines

As I signed up for this event only 4 weeks ago - I was starting with the yellow group at 9:15am (The first group started at 7:45am). It was not too bad as I had plenty of time to calm down from the rush of the bag drop and also time for a toilet stop and to eat my Shotz Bar. The starting line for the yellow group was interesting as I could spot that this group was most likely not the fastest - there were costumes and ladies who had their face painted thick with make-up. Here I was, in my Tri Alliance singlet, visor and my running shoes on. There was also some pre-race entertainment provided by (cringe-worthy) Kate Cebrano.

Course Map

At this point, I should add that for the life of me, I could not pick up a satellite for my Garmin watch so I have no data apart from the time. I could not pace myself and just ran with how I felt.

When the start gun went off, I was also dodging people left, right and centre. People were walking from start to finish even in the yellow group (there was another group who started behind yellow who were the designated walking group). The run through the CBD was brilliant as most of the shops around the street provided much entertainment. The run through the tunnel was also interesting but not as long as the Burnley run for R4K.

After the tunnel, it was pretty much up hill from there - starting with the famous Heart Break Hill which is about a 1.5km incline. This is where many people stop jogging/running and started to walk. This frustrated me so bad as I didn't want to lose my momentum. I engaged my calves and just ploughed through the crowd - often squeezed myself in between people as they gave me no room to go around.

I am proud to say that I ran the entire way up without slowing down or stopping. I think doing all those hill runs in Studley did pay off - Thanks Coach Greg. I only slowed down to grab cups of water which showed that my fitness had definitely improved.



After the 1.5km hill, the run felt like it just kept going up and up! Surprisingly, my body felt good and I actually felt that I increased my pace from the 10km-13km mark. I noted the times on my watch and I did approx 27:15 for my 5km and under an hour for the 10km - it was hard to judge as there were no signs and my garmin let me down.

The last 2 km was glorious - I still felt good (no niggles) and I could see that many people were struggling at this point. I noticed that there were also people who had the green and blue bibs on within the group that I finished with so it meant that I had caught up with them. The run towards Bondi was beautiful - it was then that I could see how many people were in this event as all you could see was a sea of people on the road running towards the finish line. Now the finish line was not a straight route from the road, it was a big loop which could be deceptive for a first timer and as there were no route markers, I had no idea how much energy I should be conserving for the finish line. Luckily, I had plenty left in the tank and finished strongly with a time of 1:20 on my Garmin. I was stoked!

Offical Result from the Sydney Morning Herald 14/08/2012

I stuck with my plan of a recovery soak in the water (was the ONLY one who did it) and the water was surprisingly warm and so I knew that I would still have DOMS the next day (and true to that, I am struggling with stairs this morning). After the soak, it was a wait in line for the bus (50min), then a bus trip to the station (30min), then a train ride back to Central station (20min) where I also got a little bit lost (no phone on me) on the way back to the accommodation. The time it took me longer to get back to the hotel that it took for me to run 14km.

A quick shower and lunch in Chinatown, I then headed back to the Airport back to Melbourne.

Things to note/ improve on for next year (if I chose to do it again):

• Register early so I get to start with people who actually want to run this course
• Book accommodation and flights early - splurge and pay for hotel. Need to see if it is better to book at Bondi or Central for accommodation.
• Fly in on Friday night - fly out Sunday afternoon 
• Nutrition was spot on (1 bar at the start, 1 Shotz Gel at 30min, 1 isotonic gel at 60min)
• No to Gatorade for running as I found that my stomach was no OK with it - luckily it was washed down with water too.
• Get faster!
• Turn Garmin on as early as possible (so it is able to search for a signal out of the way of others).
• Eat fish or chicken the night before (no red meat) 
• I love my Nike Free shoes - def going to use them for the half marathon - just need to watch out for my arches.

I wanted to add here - a friend from the squad slapped me on the bum so hard (it throbbed like crazy when I ran) when she saw me that her hand print is still on my poor bottom.



If you look closely - '
there is a hand print on my cheek.



Journey to Race Weight

Just thought I would give a little update to my journey of reaching my race weight...

This morning, I weighed myself and to my surprise (at the numbers) that I am below 58kg (at 57.9kg). I have not seen my weight below 58+kg in a while (prob about 6 years) so since this morning's weigh-in, I have been walking on cloud 9. My race weight is not just about the scales but also measurements and I have noticed a vast reduction in my problem area (stomach) and also my chest.

What have I done to achieve this? Since my reality check at Lorne Camp 2012, I am tracking my calorie intake and output using MyFitnessPal.

During Build Weeks
I have watched what I ate to ensure that I am able to load up my body with the training demands of up to 15 hours a week, whilst at the same time, making sure that I am not stuffing my face from being hungry after training sessions. I am fueling and feeding my body with what it actually needs rather than what I feel like eating. I am taking in recovery foods after demanding sessions such as runs/windtrainer and bike rides whilst taking in the correct amount of energy during these sessions.

During Recovery Weeks
As my training load decreases during recovery weeks (down to about 8-10 hours), I make sure that my calorie intake is also reduced to reflect this. I also give my body a better chance in recovery by sleeping more hours (and sleeping in until 7am rather than 4:30am).

Mind you, I don't have the diet of a rabbit.

• I eat as much fresh foods as I can as I do cook my own meals most of the time.
• I enjoy coffee and drink up to 2 cups of coffee a day (6 days a week) with full cream milk (no sugar)
• I don't drink alcohol. 
• I drink 2-3 litres of water a day.
• I consume a can of softdrink every fortnight (if any).
• I still eat chocolate (but making sure that it is within Build Week)
• I have cut out lollies (the jelly ones, my fave)
• I have introduced coconut oil into my diet (replacing olive oil when cooking)
• I have cut down on my red meat intake to only 2 meals at most per week - replaced it with fish, white meats or just eggs.
• When eating out, as much as I can, I try to replace the chips with either mashed potato or double servings of vegetables/salad
• I always drink at least a full tall glass of water with every meal

Ideally, I would like to reach my goal weight of 55kg by the time I race Noosa (87 days) and maintain for Shepparton (in 101 days) at the rate of 1kg per month by end of October.

Long Course Training Camp!

Head Coach Ollie said as part of the team briefing on Friday night - "This weekend, I want you all to step outside of your comfort zone". Training camps are about increasing volume as well as pushing your body beyond what it does ordinarily. Well, I am proud to say that I definitely stepped outside of my comfort zone once again and did something which I never thought would be possible (for someone of my sporting ability).

I decided early on that I would take the Friday off work so I could calmly pack and head down to Apollo Bay in time for the run session. I arrived at the accommodation with 10min to spare and barely made it down to the run start at 4pm but it didn't deter me from doing my run. The run was from Noel St (where the head coaches were staying) along the Great Ocean Rd towards Laver's Hill and return which was a 5km loop. The other guys ran 8-12km but with the lack of nutrition (no lunch due to the drive), a 6km was all I could muster up that afternoon.

After the run, I took a quick shower and headed to the shops and bought some essentials for the weekend. I stayed in a house with Lidia, Dave Nealon and Alistair. Both Lidia and I are doing Shepparton as our first long course race. Alistair is racing Busso and Melbourne and Dave has done a few halfs before and racing Geelong and Melbourne in 2013. It was an interesting mix of athletes with our own abilities and race plans.

We headed to the main house for the briefing and this is when we found out from Ollie what distance we were doing for Saturday. I was expecting to ride 90km and run 8km for the weekend (as per the itenery for the lower group) but when Ollie told me I was to ride 110km (Apollo Bay - Lorne + Benwerrin Climb and then back to Apollo Bay) with a 14km run, my jaw dropped! I knew I could ride the distance as I had done it during 2011 and 2012 Lorne Camp but I had never done the hill climb in the middle of the ride - it was always done at the end and to run a 14km run when I only just made the 12km interval run 2 nights ago - Crazy?!

Even with Greg's Sunday run sessions, the runs have reached 17km (max as we often got lost) but there had always included breaks in between so a 14km endurance run was definitely out of my comfort zone (especially after a 110km hilly ride) outside of an actual sporting event.

So Friday night was all about psyching myself ready for a big day ahead and preparing my bike and nutrition  ready for the next day's ride.

We had to be at the main house by 6:30am for the 6:45am roll out. After Sarah's briefing (about safety and routes), we were off. I have never been a fan of riding in a pack along the Great Ocean Rd as I am not great at descents and I pedal up inclines slowly (in my large chain ring). I was happy to ride towards Lorne at my own pace and ready to ride up the hill at my own time.

Lessons learnt from my previous rides - I carried a vest to put on when I reached the top of the hill and took it off once I reached Lorne - once again the plan worked! As the weather was kinder to us, I could descend down Dean Marsh road more comfortably and only applied on the brakes a dozen times or so. The ride back to Apollo Bay appeared to be a piece of cake compared to riding up the hill so I felt more comfortable. I had to slow my pace down a few times just so the train of cars could drive past. Compared to 2 months ago, we saw more cars and tourist buses on the Great Ocean Rd compared to Queens Bday weekend.

I completed the 110km around 20min quicker than Lorne 2012 (2 months ago) and I also felt more comfortable/relaxed during the entire ride. The ride was also done in perfect weather conditions (little head wind on the way back) which made the descents much easier to do. When we arrived back to Apollo Bay, it was the mandatory 10min soak in the bay which helped recovery. I quick lunch, a 15min nap later, it was off to see Emma and Ryan for our debrief before we headed out for our runs.

The 14km run was done with legs made out of lead. It took about 2km for me to become one with my run legs. Although my pace was slower than everyone elses, I still did my 14km (only stopped  a couple of times to turn around and/or take a quick breath) in about 90min. Having done this 14km run, I am pretty confident that I would be able to complete the Sydney City2Surf this weekend.

On Saturday night, we went to the pub for dinner and caught the start of the Womens Triathlon at the Olympics in London. We then headed off to the main house to watch the end as we had another briefing about the next day's distances. The women's triathlon race was a close one with Erin Densham claiming 3rd.

During the night, I had bad stomach issues (not sure if it was the food from the pub or just an increase in the amount of processed foods (and sugars) during the day). With a restless night, bad stomach aches, the I need to vomit feeling and a slight bleeding from toilet visits, I decided to pull the pin on the ride up to Laver's Hill. I was so disappointed as some of the guys who rode up there felt a great sense of accomplishment. I was shattered that I could not tick off that box for the weekend. Instead of feeling sorry for myself all of Sunday, I regrouped my thoughts and decided that a run would be better than nothing. At least with a run, if I felt worse, I was not far from home/facilities. I ran 4km away from Apollo Bay and turned around on top of the first hill out of town and decided to turn around as the black clouds started to appear along the horizon. 2km from home, the hail storm hit me like a firing range of bullets. I felt like I was going to die from the force of the hail storm that I hid behind a tree for about 2 minutes before I started to freeze. It was an option of hiding behind the tree to avoid the beating from the hail but to freeze or to suck it up and run as fast as I could back to the house. I chose the 2nd option as I could not think of anything worse than that feeling I had when I nearly froze to death during the middle of the Kinglake 2011 Ride.

That was pretty much the end of training for Apollo Bay Long Course Training Camp. Althought I didn't ride up to Laver's Hill, I felt that I stepped outside of my comfort zone. I am more confident about racing Shepparton 70.3 (in 105 days).

Stats from the weekend:

Total Ride Distance = 110km

Total Run Distance = 28km

Total time spent in the bay for recovery = 40min

We have another training camp coming up in about 6 weeks time. It is the pre-season Apollo Bay training camp which will be similiar to the weekend just passed. Hopefully, I will ride up Laver's Hill and step out of my comfort zone once again.

The Sydney City2Surf will be this weekend (12th Aug). I want to do well in this race so fingers crossed that my little legs hold up throughout the run. I would like to finish this run in under 1:25. Need to keep my pace well under 6min/km. That would be my goal.

Eat.Train.Laugh.

Just when you thought you have learnt everything...

Now...I thought I had learnt plenty about swimming in the last few months (with Ryan's 5 week correction classes and taking some coaching sessions) but it appears that I have picked up on even more (of my own) technique flaws and as a result, remediating it to be a better athlete.

Recently. I have worked on my core strength and as a result - I am able to hold my body better (and more evenly) in the water and hence, the subtle differences from head to toe, from my left to right are more evident.  

1) Uneven Sides - During the single arm drills we have been doing the past few weeks, I have noticed that I have a preferred side (my right). My strokes are more complete as I am pushing through the water better, using not only my arm muscles but also engaging my shoulder and back muscles too. I also found myself getting no where when doing left side single arm drills. This also evident with my strength training when I can do more reps on the right side compared ot the left. This is because prior to Tri Alliance, I would only breathe out of the left side and therefore I am reaching out further and pushing myself through the water more with the right arm. The next few weeks, I am going to try to do more strength work for my left side and engage my (left) muscles more too.

2) Sculling - After 3 years of being asked to do sculling drills and getting no where (literally in the water) - I have finally learnt how to scull properly. It came to me like a Christmas Miracle - I could actually feel the water with my fingers and was able to scull the water in a manner which propelled me forward. Since I learnt how to scull, I have noticed the feel the water with my fingers during my hand entry before the catch.

3) Hand Entry - Due to my uneven sides, my hand entry is more towards the centreline on my left which has been picked up by the coaches and I have started to improve on that as I am able to hold my body better in the water. Hand entry should be aligned with the width of your shoulders. The level of hand entry must also be balanced with the whole stretching out as far as possible to get maximum catch in the water.

I guess you will never stop improving if you are consistently training.