Long weekend in Bright and only one ride.

In Melbourne, we had a long weekend due to the Melbourne Cup. The public holidays in on the Tuesday but out work closes on the Monday as an RDO.


Our little family went to Bright (about 4 hours from Melbourne) to do some riding and I did a session with Lead Out.


As we only arrived on Saturday afternoon, I didn't end up riding with the group to Mount Buffalo and only did the ride on Sunday. The ride started at 9am and it was warm enough for no arm warmers and just the standard jersey and knicks. We rode from Bright to Porepunkah for a short coffee break. After the break, we rode along the rail trail to Myrtleford for a toilet stop before hitting the climb up Rosewhite. I stuck with the group until the turn off at Ovens as I am not as strong and just rode by myself pretty much the entire way.


Before the climb, the ride itself was pretty uneventful, the scenery was wonderful and I got swooped by one magpie (for about 10 attempts). I kept my cadence at 75rpm the entire climb so I was pretty impressed with myself but I know the gradient was manageable.


The group stopped on the top of Rosewhite and I could take a break before the descent down. The descent down was great and I am much more confident. The first time I did this loop was in 2015 and I remember being really tired and needed assistance in pacing by the coaches. I ended up riding by myself in between two groups at my own pace. At this stage of the ride, my feet had started to swell hurt. The group stopped for lunch at the Tawonga Gap general store and I had half a roll and a bottle of coke emptied out in my bidon.


I ended up starting early from the group towards Tawonga and climbed the route. I have always hated Tawonga, the gradient is just steep enough that I am grinding on the gears and nothing much else. I am purely just surviving at this point. Having 90km already in the legs and temperature at about 28 degrees, I had the worst climb in a long time...


This was my worst Tawonga Gap climb, it took me over an hour to climb and I stopped 2 times to rest. My feet were so swollen that I undid my boa laces completely and I could still ride. Having Coach Mick there did help for me to not give in but it was also embarrassing that I found this climb so hard to do! My cadence hovered between 40 - 55rpm and my heart rate never went below 170bpm. The break on the top of the gap was great and I had a chance to take off my shoes and rubbed my feet to relief. The descent down from Tawonga was great and I felt more confident and comfortable.


I was totally dead after the ride that I didn't do anymore rides that weekend. I was just so fatigued and couldn't pick myself up to get on the bike. I haven't been back on the bike since then but planning on doing some climbing this weekend in training for Giro della Donna. Fingers crossed I am mentally strong enough to get myself out there again.

Cycling Update

I haven't done a general update of my "activities" in a while (since September). However, I have been doing regular updates on the significant rides (and milestones). I do like to write about them as much as I could - it gives me a chance to reflect on the event, ride, day and how I went and what I can do to improve and more importantly, allows me to be thankful for being able to achieve those milestones. It also gives me a chance to read them and then reflect on changes in my life, especially on days when I am feeling a bit low on performance.

Since I changed my "sport" from triathlon to just cycling, my training schedule has been manageable and I have been able to tick off more of my key sessions well compared to juggling the three disciplines of swimming, cycling and running. With the addition of strength sessions since May 2015, it was just too much to balance training with work and life in general.

With regards to ticking off my 7 Peaks Challenge - I have done 5 so far! I have Omeo-Dinner Plain scheduled for this weekend and then Mt Baw Baw in February. I am actually scared about this ride and I will talk about it in a separate post. Since the challenge started in October, I had ticked off the following:

1) Mt Hotham - 25th Oct during the Bayside Tri Club Bright Camp
2) Falls Creek - 7th Nov
3) Mt Buffalo - 8th Nov (both Falls Creek and Mt Buffalo was done during a weekend away at Porepunkah with my friend Dale)
4) Lake Mountain - 15th Nov with the Domestique/Hells500 crew (and the Canadian and Dale too)
5) Mt Buller - 29th Nov (rode from Mansfield) with Dale

I have also done a few cycling events since I came back from my holidays in Japan:

- Amy's Gran Fondo
- Dirty Gran Fondo
- Around the Bay
- Giro della Donna

I have one more cycling event in 2016 (Audax Alpine Classic) before the big one in March. I need a few more 8-10 hour rides with 3500+ of elevation climbs under my belt before I am comfortable about tackling this event and making it within the 13 hour cut off. I have never had a fear of making the cut off time for Ironman but this is different - this event is actually a challenge and they warn you that if you can't make certain training goals and climbing segments comfortably, you have no hope of finishing within 13 hours (not as blunt and crude as that but it's close enough).

My weekly training schedule is pretty much as below:

Monday - Rest/Strength - depending if I had done a big event on Sunday the week before.
Tuesday - Spin on Wattbikes + Altitude with CF Racing
Wednesday - Strength
Thursday - Spin on Wattbikes, spin bikes at GESAC or road ride.
Friday - Rest/Recovery ride
Saturday and Sunday is different each week - it ranges from big rides on both Saturday and Sunday, big ride on a Saturday and then recovery on Sunday through to only doing one big ride due to the 4-5 hours of driving required to get to the big mountains for training.

With the long rides I have been doing over the last few months, I have been a bit obsessed with audio books (through Audible) - I have been able to get through 5 books since 25th Oct - pretty much one book per week (for every return trip out of Melbourne). It really beats listening to music which can be annoying when the reception gets sketchy outside of Melbourne and listening to one of the three CDs I have in the car - Chet Faker, Lorde or City and Colour.

I am still reporting to Chris at Excite on a weekly basis and this makes me accountable for my training - both on the bike and strength. We are currently on week 32.

My weight has not gone down the right direction but I know that my muscles in my legs have developed more than ever. My guts however have not shifted - I am putting this down to the lack of running and swimming and the fact that I am either sitting on the chair at my workstation, sitting on the saddle whilst cycling or on a chair at the sewing machine (sewing cycling caps). I am going to have to introduce some other cardio form of training such as elliptical trainer before my strength sessions to assist with that. I am still hovering around 65-66kg. I don't think the fat around my stomach weighs enough that if I get rid of that that I am able to get down < 60kg....

My bike strength has been improving and that is something which is the main priority and not necessarily the numbers of the scales. Mental strength on the bike has also been improving but I am putting that down to the naivety of exploring new climbs and training for new goals. I can climb for 3 hours comfortably (Mt Hotham) but I struggle to ride more than 2 hours on Beach Rd....

Nutrition wise, both The Canadian and I have gone pretty much vegetarian in our house. We still consume meat but its more like thin slivers of salami or prosciutto on our homemade pizzas and we still consume seafood and animal products such as diary, eggs and honey. We sometimes make vegan meals for dinner but this is not on purpose. The reason for this is to increase our intake of fruits and vegetables in our diet and not rely on meat for nutrition 3 times a day, 7 days a week.

Anyways, apart from not looking like a typical lean cyclist, I am looking and feeling stronger in my legs. My fitness on the bike is always improving especially with the Wattbikes (and added bonus of Altitude chamber) on Tuesday nights.

I am looking forward to my work holidays - you will see me riding more mountains, exploring new boundaries and napping.

Coffee, Donuts and Cycling Thighs

Bright Camp - My Climbing Adventures

So over the weekend, I joined a training camp with Bayside Tri Club out at Bright. Not being a “snow person”, I have never been to the Alpine Region since I moved to Melbourne in 1997. I have always been a summer/beach person and the thought of the ice and snow just never appealed to me. I know that the Alpine Region is also great for mountain biking too but my skills need to improve significantly before I get any benefit out of travelling all the way to Bright for some riding.

Because I couldn’t take any leave off work on the Friday, I couldn’t join the club when they rode up to Mt Buffalo on the Friday afternoon. Mt Buffalo was one of the 7 Peak climbs and only a few km from Bright. I left work at 3pm thinking that I could beat the traffic out of Melbourne but I was sorely wrong. It took me nearly 2 hours to get through the Monash Freeway and then the Tullamarine Freeway before I could get onto the Hume which was where I could finally drive over 100km/hr. The rest of the journey took 3.5 hours and I finally arrived at the accommodation at 8:30pm.

I had missed out of the briefing for Saturday but I had a few choices in what I was going to do:

1)  Do a short loop with the group when then head back and climb Mt Buffalo

2)  Do the entire loop with the group and climb Towonga Gap.

I decided late on Friday night that I was to go with option 2 as Towonga Gap was the first peak for 3 Peaks Challenge. I prepared my nutrition ready for the 6:45am departure from Bright. Due to the unfamiliarity of this being my 2^nd ride with the Bayside crew, my anxiety played up and I stressed out about how I would keep up as I was one of the slowest people at camp. A pretty restless night's sleep was had with 3 bathroom breaks during the middle of the night due to nervousness.

Saturday we left at 7am instead of the planned 6:45am which gave me some time to calm the nerves before we headed out. The ride out to Ovens was good and I could keep up with the group as they rode at a steady and manageable pace. Once we turned off at Ovens towards Rosewhite, I dropped off due to the incline. I am still getting used to my new bike and the additional cassette teeth. I am still grinding up hills and I am not sure how to increase my cadence without tiring out my legs. The climb up to Rosewhite was slightly challenging and I was riding amongst two athletes all the way to the top. This was where I started to feel warm and unzipped my gilet on the way up. We rested for a few minutes before the descent and I forgot about unpausing my Garmin for about 3km of the ride.

Down the bottom of the descent, it was a good ride into Tawonga. We stopped here for refreshments and I bought a small can of coke to get me through the climb of Tawonga Gap. The climb started at about 80km into the ride and there was no preparation for the % increase. It was just straight up from the T intersection.

I found the 8km climb quite taxing. I was fatigued and my legs just didn’t want to move. Negative thoughts started to creep in and I was uncertain on how I was to manage the 3 Peaks challenge as this was the shortest climb of the day and I was already disliking it. Luckily Rob (one of the coaches) came down and accompanied me and my mood changed as I didn’t want to appear like I was about to burst into tears. When I got to the top, I was so relieved. Looking back, the climb was hard but manageable. I was more frustrated that I was the last person on the climb and I didn’t want people to be waiting for me at the top.

After a photo or two, I rode by myself down to Bright. The descent was manageable but I was still uncomfortable about not applying the brakes. I had missed the accommodation when I rode into Bright and had to get the phone out to find my way home.

I was exhausted by the time I finished and I could barely muster enough energy to decide on what to eat for lunch. I drank my protein shake and then made myself a banana and peanut butter wrap (and a carrot). A shower later, I felt human again and went for a nap before getting up for dinner at the local pub.

We had planned on a 7am start (on the bike) at Harrietville so we decided to leave Bright at 6:30am in our cars. I forgot about my water bottles which I stored in the fridge the night before but luckily I had enough drink bottles in my car that I had a 750ml and a 500ml hydration with me. The climb towards Mt Hotham started pretty immediately so I lost the crowd pretty much straight away. I knew this would happen so I listened to my iPod on the ride from the start.

From what I had read and from the advice of people who have ridden up Mt Hotham before the ride was split into 3 sections so I will provide my report as such:

Part 1 – I found this part to be hard as I felt I was already 1km or 2 behind everyone else. My climbing needs work as I couldn’t increase my cadence to anything recommended. I was warned about The Meg but I didn’t find it too hard to manage and I rode out of the saddle for about 10 or so strokes. I noticed that I got warm pretty much straight away from this section and stopped to take off my gilet and arm warmers when I was comfortable enough that I would be able to get back onto the bike. The scenery was amazing and I noticed a few butterflies flying back and forth in front of me which distracted me from the pain. My speed along this section varied from 4km/hr – 8km/hr

Part 2 – This was the false flat section and I took advantage of it by riding > 25km/hr where I could in the large chain ring at a management cadence. The only thing about this stage of the climb was the height I was at and the distance of the trees and road up ahead. I got slightly scared due to my issues with height and anxiety that I decided that I would ride in the middle of the left lane until I could hear the cars coming up behind me and I would move to the side to let them through. Luckily, the cars along those roads were really friendly and I didn’t have any issues at all.

Part 3 – After the gate, the gradient of the climb went up significantly. The steep pinches followed by descents and then the long climbs across the side of the mountain proved to be a bit overwhelming at some points. I was nervous about the height and how exposed I was to the cross winds. There was some points where the road was so close to the edge that I couldn’t look left at all. There were points along this route where I would look across to the other mountain a noticed the road ahead and had to prepare myself that I would be riding along that soon.

At Mt Hotham, I stopped to take a photo of my bike next to the Peaks Finish sign and then rode down to the General Store to buy some refreshment and to get my first stamp in my passport. I noticed the temperature at Hotham being significantly cooler especially as my body was covered in sweat. I bought a Gatorade to fill up my bottle along with a small bottle of pineapple juice as I wanted something different (not coke). A toilet visit later also at the General Store (and pub), I was back on the bike and on my way down.

There were a few climbs along the way before steep descents and I tried to maintain some speed. I kept my descending speed somewhere between 25 – 40km/hr depending on the road ahead and the angle of the corners. If I could see what was ahead, I was comfortable about being faster. I was actually singing for most of the ride down.

When I got to the car, I was feel good and drove back to Bright pretty much straight away. It was a vast difference compared to the day before. The climb was longer and steeper but because I had my music on, I didn’t feel defeated and enjoyed the tunes streaming into my left ear. The music also helped with several anxiety triggers – height, cornering on the bike and descents.

After lunch, I showered and had a small rest in bed for a while until I noticed there was no noise around and everyone had pretty much packed and left. I quickly packed the car and said thanks to the head coach Clint and headed back to Melbourne.

I was actually starving on the drive home and stopped twice for food and coffee. Once at Milawa where I stopped at the bakery and the Olive shop and the second time along the Hume Highway where bus loads of school kids ruined the entire establishment by food mess and leaving their rubbish on the tables! It was just disgusting!

I got home around 6:30pm and unpacked my bags. Compared to previous camps, I didn’t have too much to do as I only cycled twice and didn’t do any runs or swims. I had all my dirty clothes already in a bag so it was a quick unpack before dinner and then bed.

I am thinking about coming back to the Alpine Region again in about 2 weeks as I wanted to do the following pretty soon:

•         Climb Mt Buffalo
•         Climb up to Falls Creek from Mt Beauty
•         Climb up the back of Falls Creek (the 3^rd Climb of the 3 Peaks event)

I have been told that Mt Hotham is harder to climb compared to both sides of Falls Creek but due to the distance in the event it is, it could make or break a person. I would like to do the last climb before the event as I want to understand what is coming up ahead. The two other climbs are related to 2 of the 7 peak climbs. There is one more within that area which is the Omeo-Dinner Plain climb. The other climbs are not within the Alpine Region – Mt Baw Baw (shortest yet hardest due to gradient), Mt Buller and Lake Mountain. I will be climbing up Lake Mountain on the 15^th November.

Things I need to work on over the next few months:

• My cadence!!!!
• I should introduce something solid in my nutritional fuel – I have been having my homemade solution since May.
• My glute (bum) strength and core. 

Lorne Camp - 2014

Wow....this was my 5th Lorne Camp with Tri Alliance.

2010 - no blog

2011
2012
2013

No matter how many times I have attended Lorne Camp, I learnt something every year. I attended Lorne Camp as a coach for the first time this year. I only attended as an athlete the previous years. I decided that as a coach, I would stay onsite to provide as much support to the athletes as I could.

I decided to head into Lorne on Friday afternoon. The same routine I had been doing the previous years - arrive in time to check in, do the Friday night run, dinner at pub.

Friday was my first "big drive" in my new CX5. I had borrowed a bike trailer from a friend and had my mountain bike and my road bike at the back instead of being inside the car. This was so much more convenient. I could just throw all my bags at the back and not have to worry about playing jigsaw with bikes, bags and boxes.

I arrived in Lorne around 2:30pm, walked up and down the life saving club with all my bags, doona, pillows, bikes. During one of my last trips to the car, I slammed the car door into my left index finger. I haven't really appreciated how much I used my index finger until then - I couldn't really do anything with the left hand without the use of the index finger.

Fractured Finger

So during the camp briefing, we received our packs - gotta say - BEST PACK EVER!!!! Not only did we get heaps of swag from our sponsors, we also received a Tri Alliance visor and some booties (which I didn't own already!).

FREE STUFF!!!!

So after the briefing, it was off to our rooms, get all your stuff ready for the next day. As I have attended this camp on several occasions and have collected several items over my years in triathlon and was able to pack all my clothing/accessories into bags ready to go for the next session - 3 cycling bags, 3 run bags and a swim bag.

I was asleep by 9:30am and the alarm was set for 5:45am as breakfast was to be served by 6am.

For the Saturday, I was riding with Group 2 as an athlete. I started out OK but did realise that my quads were very sore as I couldn't stay in the water to recover as I had to rush to attend the Coaches meeting the night before. Sore quads = slow Ev. In addition to the sore quads, my finger was still throbbing. Every bump on the road could be felt through my finger. I rode on the hoods with the index finger sticking upwards (couldn't bend) and when I needed the brakes or change my gears, I had to lean my hand forward and grip onto the levers with the middle finger onwards. Couldn't really steer the bike properly too as my balance was completely out of whack!

Group 2 - I was coordinated with pink

The program for Group 2 was to ride to Apollo Bay and back within 4 hours. I only did 70km (instead of 90km) as I turned around after 1.5 hours. Into the water I went to recovery and then I went to bed for a nap as I was exhausted.

I woke up for lunch and didn't really have an appetite - not sure if it was the amount of gels I had taken (3 within 3 hours) which is the most I have had since Ironman Day in March), work stress or that I was injured. After lunch, I went back for a sleep and got up in time for the Mizuno talk. Trent from Mizuno gave out free t-shirts! We love free stuff! I don't normally wear t-shirts to run in but I do love my Mizuno shirts.

Before Saturday Run

The Saturday run took us around the caravan park and then up the hills through Lorne. My calves (being tight since last week), were tight from Friday night's Mountain to Surf run. It was not functioning 100% and the hills hurt my calves rather than my quads. The run down the hill was a welcome relief and the run along the flat was also good. After the run, it was a quick rest followed by dinner and then another team meeting.

On Sunday, I was coaching Group 4 for the ride. The plan for the group was 2-2.5 hours in total. My plan was that I would ride up Deans Marsh road after this session and it worked out well as some of my athletes from Group 4 who were stronger riders wanted to challenge themselves and do the same. We also rode up the hill in time with some of the Group 2 and 3 riders.

Myself with some of Group 3 and 4

I had real trouble getting my core temperature up after I ascended down from Benwerrin that I couldn't recover in the water for too long. There was a water session on after lunch and I opted for the Pier to Pub swim - this was the BEST!!! The water was cold but when you started swimming, it was actually refreshing. Sighting was a bit of an issue as the route was slightly on a curve and we also had to dodge the surfers out there.

Pier to Pub Swimmers

My calves were tight and niggly so instead of the run on Sunday, I rode around Lorne on the mountain bike instead. Great fun and can't wait for another mtb session with my friend Sally next weekend - we are heading to the You Yangs!

On Monday, there was only 1 session left to do but I was also coaching. I took group 3 (and 4) out on a neutral ride out for 45min and then we seeded them for a TT ride back to Lorne. I think everyone pushed themselves extra hard as it was the last session for the entire weekend. Everyone did well.

I really love Lorne training camp - it happens early in the winter season that it gives you a good spike in training and a big kick up the bum to the work that needs to be done in the months ahead to get to your potential again.

What I loved:

• Pier to Pub Swim
• The Great Ocean Road!
• The Mountain to Surf run
• The goodie bag

What I didn't like:

• My broken finger
• My stomach - gels....bleg....
• My tight calves - dry needling helped (I do love a dry needling session)
• The endless amounts of washing to be done post camp

Will I do another Lorne Camp? Only time will tell. Another year, over and out.

XX

Lorne Camp Weekend - 7th - 10th June

Here is a quick summary and reflection on my Lorne Camp weekend.

Beautiful Lorne

2013 is my fourth year with Tri Alliance and this was also my fourth Lorne Camp. The first three camps, I had achieved more and more, year by year in terms of cycling and running. The sad news is, this year's Lorne camp was not my best nor did I achieve any significant personal milestones.

Friday - 7th June
So I arrived in Geelong just before 11am to drop off some things for my parents and to also pick up some food which my mum has made for me. Lately, she has been loving her pressure cooker which also does risottos and other rice dishes. She has been making me Zong Zi - which is a rice dish with shitaki mushrooms, chestnuts and sometimes meat. I was never a fan of it when I was younger but now I just crave these traditional dishes as they are often so healthy and good for you.

I left Geelong around 12 after saying bye to my Dad (he went back to Malaysia to see my grandparents for a week). Arriving in Lorne around 1:30pm, I checked into my accommodation which was across the street from the Lorne Life Saving Club. Unpacked, went to the supermarket to buy some essentials (such as bread, butter, eggs, lettuce, cheese and a toothbrush!), had lunch and got ready for the run session which starts at 4pm.

Michelle (housemate for the weekend) also arrived when I was having lunch so she also settled in for the weekend.

The run session was split into 3 groups. This was an optional session for those who arrived in time. I was placed in Group 2. Group 1 did the Mountain to Surf trail and a bit more (through Lorne), Group 2 did the Mountain to Surf trail and Group 3 ran along the flats.

My running is still pretty shocking (compared to what I was able to achieve 3-4 months ago) and so I drifted to the back during the warm up. When we ran along the trails, I stayed at the back and ran at my own pace. Similar to the Sunday runs, my shoes are not the best for slippery conditions. When we reached the end of the trails, it was a hill climb which meant that I was on my forefoot and doing little steps consistently until I reached the top. I didn't stop until I reached the top which meant that my legs were burning - what a mental game it was.

The soak in the water post run session was my first of many swims in the cold water. From experience, I found it colder and less toleratable to only dip your legs in the bay and fighting to stay dry when the waves hit compared to immersing your full body in it. I had my entire body in the water and only had my head above when the waves were not hitting. This was also a better method when I was past the break as the waves were not as high and I didn't experience any white wash. We then went back to get ready and went to dinner before the camp briefing.

During the camp briefing, we were told which group we were in for both cycling and running. I found out on Thursday night that I was going to be in Group 3 for both. I thought I was going to be placed in Group 2 for cycling but I guess the coaches thought that my pace wouldn't be fast enough for it.

Saturday - 8th June
I kept my bike in the car and drove down to the lifesaving club. This way, I had all my bags ready for the post ride soak.

At the start of Group 3's ride, I was in the middle of the group. I felt the pace was just too slow (even for a cold cold morning) so I decided to ride at my pace. What ended up happening was that I broke away from the main group and had 4 people joining me at my pace. I lead the entire way until I had to stop to remove a layer of clothing around the 1 hour mark.

You see, due to my past experiences with Lorne, I had on too many layers - my Mountain Design merino thermal, my full bib (which covers the chest in a fleece layer), my short sleeve jersey and I had on top of that, my long sleeve jersey. I got too hot too quickly and I couldn't take it any longer when my back was just covered in sweat. To safely pull over, I decided to do a big surge and pulled over the side of the road where there was a lookout so that the pace of the group didn't have to slow down. The removal of the layers I was wearing was such a relief. My thermal layer was soaked. I then pedalled off for about 10min before I decided to turn around as I wanted to do the Benwerrin Climb at the 1:10 mark.

Apart from another girl in the group (who did a slightly shorter ride than me) did the Benwerrin Climb out of Group 3. Only a handful of athletes from Group 1 did the climb on the Saturday.

Climbing Benwerrin was my main goal for the weekend. I needed to tick that goal off considering that there was a big chance that I wouldn't be able to on the Sunday as I needed to do the bike cleaning session.

After the ride, it was a swim and then back to the accommodation for some rest.

We then got ready for the run session which started around 4pm. I was placed in Group 3 with Coach Daz and we started on the flats and ran along the trails close to the beach and turned around. I was towards the back of the group but I wanted to be able to maintain my comfortable pace. About 3km in the run, I stepped into a hole along the boardwalk and rolled my ankle. It became a painful jog/walk and I had to slow down my pace to accommodate for the tenderness of the ankles.

We then did a hill climb from the roundabout opposite the information centre for about 2km. We then ran down one of the many steep roads around Lorne. I swear it was the steepest hill I had ever encountered on a run and luckily we ran down the hill and not up. Coach Daz said that it was a steep enough hill that he would not even drive up in a car.

Another session, another swim in the sea.

My ankle still felt tender during dinner so I made a decision to see how it goes in the morning for the ride but completely stop my run sessions for the weekend. I prepped everything I needed for the ride in the morning.

Sunday - 9th June
I was anxious when the alarm went off at 5:45am....my heart was beating fast as I psyched myself to get out of bed to see how the ankle would hold up....step off the bed, step on the ground, pain was felt when I slightly twist the ankle on an angle. Damn...not good news. I decided to stay off the bike that morning taking to account the repetitive motion of the pedal stroke may make it worse (?)

I had a quick lunch before I got myself ready for the bike cleaning session at 11am. This session was attended by a dozen beginners. Ollie had this session filmed too.

After the bike cleaning session, I finished cleaning off the demo bike and then sat upstairs in the common room to watch a video on nutrition (which was recorded during the QLD training Camp). I learnt a thing or two and a few things were reiterated (currently doing).

We then had a learn to massage session with Bo who works closely with the Endurance.net guys before getting ready for our open water swim session.

What I thought was a Pier to Pub swim became the aquathon. We first started off by getting acclimatised to the water. We swam out and back to adjust to the waves and temperature of the water. My jaw was throbbing from the coldness of the water when we had to put our face in it as we swam but that pain slowly subsided the longer we were in the water.

There was a buoy placed out a few hundred metres away and the first task was a swim to the buoy and back. I was tossed about amongst a large wave so I didn't make it back to shore in any sort of reasonable pace.

What we ended up doing was that the coaches had us line up in the order which we arrived back to shore. We had 22 athletes within this session so Sarah counted 1 through to 11 until the middle and then 1 through to 11 from the other end. We had to then match up with our paired number for a handicapped relay race.

Passing on the rubber band baton

Finished 2nd place

Avril and I - 2nd Place Superstars

I was number 6 (from the slow end) and paired up with Avril (6 from the fast end). I sent her off first in the relay and she did well. She came out of the water first! She then handed over to me the baton (which was a rubber band) and off I went. I ended up coming out of the water 2nd place having one person pass me around the buoy.

As I decided to not run that afternoon, I went back to the house to eat and do some reading.

During the Sunday night's camp briefing, Ollie mentioned about what the Monday's ride was about - a ride out (for Group 1 and 2, it was an hour) and Group 3 was 45min and then a staggered (handicapped) TT back (all guns blazing). I really wanted to do a 2 hour ride but not the TT in case my ankle would not hold up...I decided to do Group 3's ride instead (45min out and then TT back). Group 4 was a latte ride with a coffee stop at Wye River.

Monday - 10th June
Again, similar to Saturday, I was at the front of the group, mainly due to my fresh legs. At this point, I agreed to do the TT back as my ankles were feeling ok. We then self seeded ourselves ready for the TT back to Lorne. I was again paired up with Avril as she was considered one of the stronger cyclists amongst that group that morning. We were the last to start the ride back to Lorne.

I was surprising myself that I was actually having a good crack at this TT thing...maybe because I had fresher legs compared to others or maybe because I was considered the strongest out of the group that morning. There was a point where I was slowly catching up (and about to overtake) when.....PING.....something flew off my bike and I could no longer turn the cranks.....my chain broke.

I ended up calling the sag wagon and that was the end of my ride...15km from Lorne. I stayed with the Sag Wagon until the last person arrived back in Lorne from Groups 1 and 2. A quick soak then it was packing the bags to check out.

I went back to the club to attend the Strength and Conditioning session with Kemble before I finished packing and checked out of the house.

We had a BBQ at the club which was a great way to end the weekend. Prizes were awarded and I received my 2nd prize pack which contained a Giant Drink Bottle (I have 4 from the weekend now), a new Tri Alliance Swim cap and Rocket Science swim goggles.

After lunch, I stayed back to help with some of the cleaning before the drive back to Geelong to have dinner with my mum.

-------------------

Compared to previous years, I had completed the least amount of training ever and I had not reached new benchmarks. I guess I am a different athlete compared to what I was this time last year. My load has dramatically increased over the last 12 months and having just finished my first Ironman triathlon.

The journey back into the groove of things has taken a little longer and turned out to be more painful than I had anticipated. No one has really mentioned this lately - how painful it is to get back on the wagon, maybe it's not that painful and maybe I am just very unfit....I don't know, only time will tell.

Totals for the weekend (guesstimate for now):
Swim - Plenty
Bike - 70km + 30km = 100km
Run - 8km + 9km = 17km

Lorne Camp 2013 - The Plan...

So here we are again, the day before Lorne Camp and I am yet to pack for the weekend... We received our training itinerary on Tuesday and there are several changes compared to the last 3 years I have attended as Jarrod Evans (and his Endurance athletes) won't be joining us this year.

So here is what I am planning on doing:

Friday
Get there in time to check in and get ready for run session at 4pm. I will most likely be part of Group 2 which is an easy-moderate run of about 50min.

We will be having dinner at 6pm then the team meeting/briefing at 7:30 where we will find out what we are doing for the next day and also which group we will be riding with. Here is where the coaches will outline expectations and the houserules for using the life saving club.
Saturday
Rides will start at 7am (onwards) and I am guessing that I will either be placed in the following:
Group 2 - 3.5-4 hours (otherwise Group 3 - 2.5-3 hours)
I am guessing group 2 because I am a long course athlete and I have been attending Lorne camp for a few years now. I am hoping to be able to do Deans Marsh road again this day.

After lunch, there is a seminar with Lakeside Sports Medicine from 1:30 - 2:45pm followed by a run seminar by Mizuno from 3:15-4pm.

Runs will start at 4:15 and I am guessing I will be part of either:
Group 2 - 60-70min
Group 3 - 50-60min

Then it is dinner at 6pm followed by team meeting/briefing at 7:45pm.

Sunday
As I am been allocated to do bike cleaning session at 11:15am, I will need to be back (inc soak) and ready by 11am. Depending on which group I am to be placed in:
Group 2 - 4 hours
Group 3 - 3-3.5hours
I may have to start an hour earlier than everyone else as I will need to be back early yet cover the distance on the program.

We will have an open water swim session at 2-3pm which I am looking forward to. I am hoping to swim from the pier to the life saving club.

Runs will start at 4pm and I will be doing either:
Group 2 -70-80min
Group 3 -60-70min

Then it is dinner at 6pm followed by team meeting/briefing at 7:45pm.

Monday
The rides will start from 7am onwards and most likely, I will be riding for 2 hours followed by a Strength and Conditioning session with Kemble at 10:15am.

The final lunch/bbq will be at 11:45 followed by camp de-brief and then we can leave Lorne around 2pm.

I am planning on staying at Geelong on Monday night to spend time with mum (dad is flying to Malaysia on Friday and Sam is in LA for a wedding).

Not sure if I will be covering as much riding this year as I did last due to the bike cleaning session which will be immediately after Sunday's run session - I am guessing Sarah placed me there so that I can teach the newbies who will benefit more than the advanced guys.

Looking forward to a training spike this weekend.

Mental Strength - Apollo Bay Camp Wrap Up.

Whenever I do Plan of Attack for a training - it never goes according to plan...

The itinerary was that I would leave Melbourne in time to check in a do the Friday afternoon run. Because I never sort out my nutrition plan on the Friday (have breakfast around 9am, leave Melbourne around 11:30 and not having lunch whilst driving), I took a gel on a fairly empty stomach about 15min before the (planned) 8km run. 4km in and the cramps and bloat started to happen. A 8km run became 5km which included 1km of walking and 100m of sprinting between car and toilet.  Lessons learnt - don't consume a gel on an empty stomach or you will need to find a toilet very soon.

After the soak in the ocean for the legs, it was a quick dinner and off to our Long Course briefing with Coach Jarrod Evans. The plan for me was a 110km ride from Apollo Bay - Benwerrin (via Lorne) and return with a 12km run off the bike. Jarrod also talked about doing it in accordance to time (duration) rather than distance - for me it was no more than 5 hours on the bike and no more than 1-1.5 hour for the run. It was then back to the house and pack for the next day.

I was trying out a few things out over the weekend - one was consuming gels from a flask rather than from the packets. I have to say - this worked a treat! Not only can I consume the gels easier (a quick squeeze of the flask which delivered more gels than the small opening of the packet) it also was better for the environment - less wrapping and less chances of rubbish being left on the ground when they accidentally drop them when riding. It is also more cost effective to purchase the gels in bulk than it is in their individual packets. This solution is good if you only like one flavour gel when riding. Multiple flask will need to be filled if you like multiple flavours. I will bring 2 flask as I like to also have a caffienated gel during my rides too.

So on Saturday, the ride was 110km - nothing too interesting to report back as I had ridden this route half a dozen times before. The weather was perfect, little to no wind and the sun was also out. Took the arm warmers off after the descent from Benwerrin. I will add that my descents is getting much better. I am more confident about turning left (with the left knee slightly turned outwards) but right turning still felt really unnatural. I found that I can only turn right whilst riding in the middle of the lane to gain much control. Stayed in the large chain ring the entire 110km even up Benwerrin.

The run off the bike was not as graceful. To sum it up - it hurt. Took me nearly 1:10 to do 10km. I was so thirsty that I nearly finished my 3 fuel belt flasks. Not sure if this was normal or not. I tried my hardest to push through the pain and there were a few moments where I had to dig deep and try to salvage my second wind. At the 1 hour mark, I only had walked/jogged about 9km. I needed to find the mental strength to push through the pain and keep running - this is something which I need to work on for the next few weeks. After the run, it was a 15min soak in the ocean, back to the house for lunch (homemade poached eggs on toast) and a quick nap before heading out to the Long Course workshop. We learnt several things from the talks which I will try over the next few weeks leading up to Shep, Geelong and Melbourne. These included warm ups, lead up races, equipment and hydration.

What I also learnt from Jarrod (over our group dinner) was the power to weight ratio. He remembered that my body fat % during Lorne Camp was around 32% (obese) and how I am down to about 28% and he says that losing body fat can also mean a reduction in power which some athletes forget to take into account and the first part which goes when you lose power is in your bike leg. Although you are lighter and can swim and run better - you may not have enough muscle strength for the bike ride which was something which I never considered or even thought about.

The plan for the Sunday was a 90km ride (no one other than advanced Ironman/Half Ironman) were to ride beyond Lavers Hill due to the poor weather conditions and I was relieved at that. As the temperature was around 14, I decided to just wear short bibs, a jersey and arm warmers (similar to Saturday) and this proved to be the wrong choice. It rained overnight and the wind did not calm down. As soon as the ride took you into the Otways, the temperature dropped and the rain started again. I was blown sideways several times and this scared me tremendously. I rode for 1.5 hours in and my heart rate dropped to around 80-90 bpm due to the temperature. I was shivering but I was still pedalling. Jarrod stopped several people around the 1.5 hour mark and asked them to turn around. When he approached me he told me that I had to turn around or else I would die out here, I knew that I didn't look good. He asked if I wanted a lift back and looking back, I should have taken up the offer. Instead, as I didn't want the weather to defeat me, I decided to ride back towards home. The ride back was a nightmare. The conditions were similar to the Kinglake ride of 2011. Not only was I soaked, I was also cold and struggling to keep the bike upright from the cross winds. My heartrate was low and I only ended up burning 800cal over 2.5 hours (when I usually burn around 500cal/hour on a long ride). My teeth were chattering to much, a headache formed from the sides of my jaw. One word - unpleasant. What got me through the tough hour back was remembering what Coach Greg said - you can only control what is controllable. I could not control the weather but I could control my composure and how I dealt with the situation. No tears. I just kept pedaling until I got to the house. It was a nightmare but I still got through it.

There was no run off the bike for me. I got straight into the shower and turned the hot water on and stood there for 30min before I could feel anything. It was then that I noticed that my fingers were aching and realised that I jammed my hand in the door on the way into the house and I didn't noticed it when it happened. I had a heater on in my room and cranked it full ball and had all my warm layers on to warm up. I was physically and mentally done for the weekend. Getting through Sunday morning was a mental challenge which I would like to think I came away with a win. I did what I could (controllable) and there will always be more opportunities for me to ride up to Lavers again. Even on the drive back to Melbourne, I was already planning on a weekend back to Apollo Bay so that I could ride up to Lavers Hill. Will plan this weekend after Shepparton.

So in summary:
Total Rides = 110km + 47km = 157km (63km short of 220km)
Total Runs = 5km + 9km = 14km (18km short of 32km)
Lessons learnt from the weekend regarding training, racing and mental strength = Priceless

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.

Stepping outside of your comfort zone - Lorne Camp 2012

2012 was my 3rd Winter Lorne Camp with Tri Alliance.

Summary/Recap:

My first Lorne Camp was in 2010 a few months after I joined Tri Alliance and I completed the following distances:

Swim - 200-400m

Bike - 70km + 90km

Run - 5km + 5km

In 2011, I went to Lorne Camp with a new bike but with injuries (cold + hamstring tightness) and did the following:

Swim - none

Bike - 90km + 110km (inc Benwerrin Climb)

Run - 5km + 5km



Just over the long weekend of 2012, I did the following distances (with a slight cold):

Swim - Splish Splash in the ocean on Friday

Bike - 90km (inc Benwerrin Climb) + 110km (inc Benwerrin Climb)

Run - 10km + 6km + 10km

 

Friday



Monday Morning - View from Lorne



I had my accommodation booked with another person from the squad instead of staying at the life saving club. We decided to drive in together in one car instead of driving both down in case our accommodation only allowed for one. I drove to Box Hill around 11am as we planned on leaving Melbourne around 12. I realised that I had left my Garmin charging on the kitchen bench when I was more than half way to Box Hill and there was no way I could get through the weekend without my Garmin so drove all the way back to Mentone to pick it up. One and a half hours later....we finally left Melbourne.



Promotion Photo for Giant Bikes



We arrived at our accommodation around 3:30pm. We quickly unpacked our bags and changed into our running gear to meet the group for the 4pm run session. The run route was the same as last year which was the Mountain to Surf route but instead of running back to the club along the flats (in 2011), I actually ran most of the same route as everyone else, through the trails of the mountain. I think having done Greg's run sessions on Sunday helped with the trail running confidence. I was getting tired but I then realised that I hadn't had anything to eat since 9am that morning. After the trails, it was a hard run up and down the mountain roads - as difficult as hill running was, Greg's sessions on Sundays along Studley Park did help with the fitness and the stress on the legs. The total distance for that run was around 10km.

After the run, it was the first (of many) icing of the legs in the cold water of Lorne beach. As I did last year, instead of just soaking the legs in the water, I decided to go for a swim and played around in the water and did a porpoises with the waves (Coach Greg would be proud).

Saturday

We woke at 5:30am to be ready at the club by 6:30am. I was seeded in Group 3 by the head coaches the night before and the plan was to ride 35km out and 35km back with the option of going up Benwerrin Hill.

Group 1 - 90km Apollo Bay and back + 1-2 Hills

Group 2 - 90km Apollo Bay and back + 1 Hills

Group 3 - 70km Apollo Bay and back + (optional) Hills

Group 4 - 2 hour return trip.

The ride was not the most comfortable as it started to rain when we left Lorne. The roads were wet and visibility was low. We stopped at the 35km mark as planned but due to the coldness, we couldn't stop for too long or we would have froze. The ride back to Lorne was better but it didn't stop raining. I was undecided early on the ride if I was going up the hill or not. It was only when I reached Lorne that I had about 2 hours left before lunch was being served so I decided to take up the challenge. I was the only one from Group 3 who did the Benwerrin Hill.

I have never been a fan of riding in my small chain ring. I stayed on my large chain ring the entire ride out and back and didn't change even when I rode up the hill. I know that you are suppose to ride at a cadence of 70-90rpm but I just get tired. I would rather grind the gears at the large chain ring and my job is made easier with compact cranks too.

Pedal, pedal, pedal

I had Ollie and about 3 of Group 1 guys who rode past me on the way up. Apart from that, I got a bit bored (as you do riding up 10km of an incline). I made up little games along the way, one of them was that I stood up for 20 strokes and sat down for 10. On areas where the incline felt more flat, I would change into a harder gear to pedal faster and then have the ability to get into an easier gear when it got too tough.

The descent back down Benwerrin is something I did badly, made more difficult when it rained. My core temperature dropped big time. I was definitely out of my comfort zone as I rode down that hill and at one point, I thought it was the end of me. I was nearly in tears and kept looking at my Garmin to check how far I was from Lorne. My fingers were frozen as I gripped onto the left brakes to slow my speed down and my right hand hurt as I tried to feather the front brakes. When I finally reached Lorne, I was so relieved that I nearly cried.

I didn't ice my legs in the water as I was frozen anyway but took a long shower to thaw out. After I gained back my core temperature back to norm, I went back to the accommodation to change into running clothes and went back to the club for lunch.

After lunch, we were treated to talks from Lakeside regarding body maintenance and core sessions then swapped over to bike maintenance. Both sessions were very helpful to triathletes. Once talk was about common injuries and why we get them - legs, shoulders etc from overuse (increased load) or bio mechanics of the body. The other session was about general maintenance of our other machine - our bikes.

A small break later, we went on our run session. Group 3 were programmed to run at 4:45pm but that would not give us enough time to run 50min and then get ready for 6pm dinner so a few of us decided to run earlier but still do the distances/times. I ended up running 6km.

Sunday
A slightly earlier roll out for Sunday as the rides were longer - we had to be ready at the club by 6:15am. Group 1 - 90km Apollo Bay and back + 2 Hills

Group 2 - 90km Apollo Bay and back + 1-2 Hills

Group 3 - 90km Apollo Bay and back
Group 4 - 2-3 hour return trip.
I ended up riding to Apollo Bay & back to Lorne and included another climb up Benwerrin''s hill (110km in total). I rode the same distance as Group 2 but took maybe 15min longer.

The second day on the bike was dryer than Saturday but there were still showers which made the ride wet and cold. The ride into Apollo Bay was easier and I felt more confident around the hair pin turns compared to previous rides. I lost one of my bars as I rode over a pot hole but just had enough nutrition to last me until Benwerrin (4 gels).

The second climb up Benwerrin was not as easy as Saturday - I placed this down to the lack of nutrition as I had to ration 4 gels over 5+hours and I had also just ridden 90km. Lesson learnt from Saturday's ride meant that I packed an extra vest to wear on the descent which made a massive difference. Although the descent was dryer than the previous day and I was not frozen, my bike handling skills were still horrendous. I was the last person to finish the ride that morning and went down to the water to soak my legs whilst people were having lunch.

Group Shot after the Aquathon

I grabbed whatever I could to eat whilst we listened to another one of Jarrod's talks. After Jarrod's talk, we had Dane from Sports Pych and Jarrod's skin folds talk/test. For my results of my skin folds test, click here.

Due to the 110km ride, I was done for the day. I decided that instead of going for a run on Sunday afternoon, I was going to do my final run on Monday morning.

So whilst people were out doing their Sunday run sessions, I cleaned my bike using a bike stand. As the bike is off the ground (when clamped onto a bike stand) - it made cleaning so much easier. Something I will buy within the next few weeks.

Monday

Aquathon Fun

Most people were back on the bike for a recovery ride towards Apollo (max distance was 50km) and some people just ticked their legs over and did 20km. I ran along the Great Ocean Rd which was priceless. 5km out and back but stopped several times just to admire the views as they were amazing! A soak in the water after the run, shower and waited for people to return from their morning rides.

The Aquathon Championships of the World was held as the final event before the bbq lunch. It consisted of teams doing short swims in the ocean and then short runs along the beach. As I still had my cold and was already packed to go home, I didn't participate in the race. Instead, I cleaned Coach Ollie and Sarah's bikes.

Many people were hesistant about the Aquathon but at the end (as you can see from the photos) that most embraced the event and took it as a challenge beyond their comfort zones.

Overall

2012 Lorne camp was definetly the best Lorne camp (comparing to the last 2 years). There were just better speakers, the sessions were better programmed and we had an incredible group of athletes with us. I guess as my confidence and fitness levels improved over part years, I could challenge myself even further than before. Can't want for the Long Course Winter camp (3rd - 5th Aug) and the Apollo Bay Camp (21 - 23rd Sept). What a great way to spike up the training loads as part of my preperations for Shepparton 70.3.

WRAP UP - Over and out!