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.

Geelong Long Course - 2013

This morning, I signed up to the Geelong Long Course Race (1.9km Swim, 90km ride and 21.1km run). For some reason, it is not branded as 70.3 but has the same distances. Last year, the Long Course race was 2km swim, 80km ride and 20km run. This will be my 2nd half ironman after Shepparton.

They are spaced 84 days apart (12 weeks) so it would give me plenty of time to rest after Shep and build up again to this race. There is Hell Week in December which would be an excellent training spike leading into Geelong.

I am excited about this race! I am familiar with the terrain and course as I raced the Olympic Distance last year. The swim is fantastic (nice and flat as it is sheltered), the ride has its moments but with a bit of consistent training on the new bike, I should be more comfortable and the run is through the park and then into the main street.

If timing is right, mum would have moved to Geelong which will be good for accomodation and having mum watch me race (for the first time ever).

I have a few people in the squad who have also signed up for either the Long Course or the Olympic distance race so it should be a great weekend!!

Tough Love

Something which I have noticed lately, is the way I react when I am asked to step out of my comfort zone with regards to training. The challenges with training for a triathlon is not only physical but it is also mental. The way one reacts to training demands depend on one's mentalility and ability to process the thought and translate it into action (or not).

3 or so years ago, all my training was done as part of the beginners group. It was done lightly and this was my mind setting the boundaries so I could just get through the session. That was my comfort zone.

For my swims, not only was I in the beginner's lane, I was also at the back of the group, trying my little heart out to just keep up. Mind you, back in those days I had no technique so whilst I only had to get through 1.5km or so I would be absolutely buggered by the end. Today, it would take a pretty intense swim session for me to feel that tired again - either sets which consisted of  swims at T5 or a tempo swim of 2-3km or so.

Being more at ease with swimming didnt happen overnight - it actually took several years of consistent swim sessions to finally understand the techniques - to feel the water and to use that resistance to push the body forward. Back in those days, I rarely reacted well when (some of) the coaches pushed me beyond my comfort zone and they often told  me off for stopping at the ends of the pool to recover. In my mind, I was exhausted (is anyone ever in a good mood when they are tired?), I also questioned their understanding of what it is like to not know how to swim.

Today, I accept the commands of any of the swim coaches as I see the benefits of being pushed beyond the comfort zone and how much more comfortable I would be, come race day.

Another mental change with swimming is that previously, I would be lazy if I was to swim on my own. I relied on the (coached) swim session to actually swim. Without a coach, a specific set to do or even other athletes in the lane with me, I would be lazy - I would cut my warm up short (if I ever do one), I wouldn't complete all the sessions and I most likely would not even do a cool down. The intensity of these sessions would also be low as I had no one to chase. Today, I am able to do a swim session outside of the schedule and actually complete it from start to finish. In my mind, it is no longer about taking short cuts where I could but actually getting into the (swim) zone, concentrate on technique and keep breathing and before long, I have done 1-2-3 kms.

Rides are no longer scarey and windtrainer session are no longer an hour of lets just get through this sweat session. Long rides are now done with purpose - either riding 100km+ in distance on the flats or riding hard in the hills to build strength all within a reasonable time. Windtrainer sessions are now about pushing myrself on the bike, holding the core and working on the stroke technique. As I am now a coach, I also have to lead my example. Being in the group taught by Coach Greg is also a plus. He is very stringent on our posture and reminds us (with a boastful voice) that we need to always hold our core - suck the gut in.

Runs are now a whole different ball game. Years ago, getting through the Thursday night run sessions would be an achievement in itself and I would have only ran 6-8km or so. I hardly did the Sunday run sessions  (I would have only done about 2/year) as I struggled to keep up with the group and never reacted well when asked to push faster.

Mentally, I would think of it as a waste of time to drive 30km just to run by myself. On the days when I did do my own runs along the beach, the intensity would be absent as all I could think about was which house would have a tap at the front where I could drink some water. This year, I have turned up to the Tuesday morning run sessions, Thursday evening sessions as well as the long endurance sessions with Coach Greg at Fairfield (not the MSAC group). Not only have I started to enjoy these run sessions, the strength of my legs have improved (no injuries so far this year - fingers crossed) and I am no longer struggling or feel more comfortable about not being part of the faster group. I am also not offended if Greg starts to remind (almost a yell) at me to run faster, hold my core or land on my forefoot. I am starting to train to be a better (at competition) triathlete rather than just getting through all of my sessions.

In summary:

• No longer training (just to get fit) but rather training to improve performance
• Want (and invite) to be pushed beyond comfort zone - don't mind a bit of tough love!
• No longer holding myself back in training (whilst still training smart) - Don't want to suffer during competition

Pilates = Wonderful!

I have been attending the Pilates Reformer classes at MSAC for the last 4-5 weeks now as part of my strength, core and balance training. This is done after a 15-20min weights/resistance session at the gym first.

I attend both the Monday 6pm and Wednesday 6:30pm classes as they are being taught by different instructors, work on different parts of the body and use different types of supplementry equipment.

For those who are not familiar with Pilates (reformer) - it conditions your body to develop flexibility and helps build long, lean muscles, strength and endurance in the legs, abs (core), arms, hips and back. It has improved my coordination, balance and core stability greatly and this is evident as:

• I am now able to hold a plank for about 80-90sec  (5 weeks ago, the longest time I could hold a (front) plank before my lower back hurts is about 70sec)
• I am able to balance on one leg and activate my calves (stand on forefoot) without the need to hold on to something for support
• My lower back requires less stretching out during long runs
• I am better balanced on the bike and able to hold my core in for longer when we do windtrainer sessions.
• I have been told that my body positioning is better during swim sessions

On a side note, the Monday classes are great for stretching out tight leg muscles from the weekend's training and I am able to recover at a faster rate. The Monday session can sometimes be difficult if we use paddles as part of the swim session in the morning.

I know there is a Pilates Mat Moves class on the Monday 7pm which uses your own body weight against gravity but it clashes with the Monday PM swim (coaching) which I sometimes take with Mick. Most of the time, I just want to go home, have dinner, pack 3 bags and a bike for Tuesday's multi session training schedule.

I am glad I decided to join the MSAC gym (discount benefits as part of Tri Alliance) as now I am able to utilise the equipment and classes to improve on my triathlon performance.

Game Change - A Race Report

There are a couple of topics which I have in mind for my blog entries. I also have drafted a few which ranged from Pilates through to Goal Setting (realistic goals vs big picture). However, I thought I would get this one out of the way whilst it is fresh in my mind.

So yesterday I ran the 10km run as part of Run Melbourne. I decided to follow the progression as per my Long Course program rather than setting goals outside of the schedule which may compromise my training. Being sometimes the stubbon mule I am, I compromised my training last year when I trained for a half marathon (goal of < 2 hour) in July whilst on the Olympic Distance program for my first Olympic Distance Triathlon for Noosa 2011. I had increased my running repidly (and blindly I might add) to enable me to be able to run a sub 2 hour 21.1km. The increase in load lead to shin splints 1 week before Run Melbourne 2011 and I could not run for a further 4 weeks after that. It was a dreadful time for me and I promised myself that I would pull back and train smart in 2012 rather than trying to do too many things too early.

In my previous entries I had also spoken about how I would stay in the 5km run time trials until after my 10km Run Melbourne as this race was to be my base. Well a base is now set at 53:56 (official time) for my 10km benchmark and from this day onwards, it is a matter of getting more efficient and trying to beat my own pb.

My first ever 10km run would have been in 2008 when I ran 1:09 in the first Run Melbourne event. The same event in 2009, I improved by 4min to 1:05. In 2010, 6 months after I joined Tri Alliance, I ran 56min as part of the Sandy Point event. I had not done a 10km (run only) event since then so yesterday's time of 53:56** (lets call it 54min) was definitely an improvement.

**53.56 is the "Gun" time. My actual running time (with my Garmin) was 52:30.

The major difference between the previous runs and what I did yesterday was definitely in the Mental Game. The game has changed from just participating or just finishing an event to being competitive amongst the other runners and to push beyond my own capabilities. It was the first run where I decided to seed myself faster than my previous times - I seeded myself at the 50-55min group rather than 55min-60min group. During the run, I also made an effort to hold my posture throughout and tried to run past people if I could by targetting runners to run pass. I refrained from looking at my Garmin (for the pace) and just ran in accordance to my perceived effort. The effort was not to be complacent but rather lift legs high and increase cadence to run faster.

In relation to the distance ran and strategy:

0 - 1km - Just tried to weave through as many people as I could

1 - 4km - Got into a good rhythm. Activated calves whilst running uphills and let gravity push me forward when I ran down hill. Did some run plays to break up efforts.

5 - 7km - Maintain posture, didn't let the legs slow down. Did some run plays to break up efforts.

7 - 8km - Legs started to hurt so visualised the finish line to take mind away from pain on quads.

8 - 9.5km - So close to the finish line I could hear people cheering.

9.5 - 10km - T5. Large strides (like the ones I do during drills) and ran off the forefoot (close to tippy toes), arms swing back more to increase momentum forward.

10 - 10.05km - Could of thrown up but had a big burp instead!

I will need to work on increasing the load and intensity during the next few weeks. I have Long Course Apollo Bay training camp over 3rd - 5th August weekend and will be flying into Sydney to run 14km in the City2Surf on the 12th August. I purposely wanted to do a 14km run in between now and October to gauge how the body holds up for a good run > 10km. City2Surf also has a good hill too - will be exciting.

Major events are getting closer with

90 days until Half Marathon

111 days until Noosa

125 days until Shepparton 70.3

Eat. Train. Laugh.

Cyclists and Safety

Over the weekend, I was once again the allocated coach for the Saturday Long ride but this time with Group 4 instead of 3. Part of the responsibility for a coach for these sessions is to brief the group, remind them about lights, tubes, food, where they are to ride to (depend on their season) and make sure they are to ride with the people who they feel are at their similiar levels. It is impossible to ride in a bunch with 30+ people especially with different abilities. All the coaches have been briefed on what to say before each ride and all athletes have been briefed about what their expectations are in the newsletter which gets issued out weekly.

I had about 8 people who rode with me past Mordialloc towards Frankston. A few of the athletes decided to turn around at Frankston BP with the rest who followed me up Oliver's Hill and up Humphries Road. The ride up Oliver's hill and Humphries Rd did get easier but I am yet to do the Two Bays Loop. Emily who is one of the junior athletes (she is only 16) rode with us and she kept getting left behind. I didn't want to leave her alone so I rode with her (her behind me) from Humphries Rd until Black Rock where she told me to ride ahead as she was just going to head home. I made her text me once she got home (which she did). I then rode by myself to Port Melbourne then to TAHQ which made the total distance of the day at about 110km which took nearly 5 hours due to the pace for Group 4 and also to ensure the safety of a junior athlete.

Once I headed back to TAHQ, I found out that one of my athletes who turned off at BP Frankston was in an accident and was taken to Frankston Hospital. Apparently a group of cyclists rode past and merged too early which resulted in one of the cyclist clipping her wheel. She was taken to Frankston Hospital by an ambulance which happened to be right beside the group at that particulat moment. Once I dropped my bike off for service, I drove home and called the hospital. Due to the privacy laws, I could not get any information from the hospital other than that she arrived and she is currently somewhere in the emergency department. I could not find out if she was ok, in xray, resting or anything. As Geoff (her husband) was next of kin, he was the only one who could see her and unless I am him, no further information was available. This made me frustrated. I had already contacted Coach Sarah to let her know of what happened and she had Geoff's details so she could contact him to see if she was ok.

A few messages back and forth with Sarah and I found out that her bike was being kept in a shop in Seaford and as I lived along the coast, I drove down to pick it up for her. The bike was in a ridable condition with broken hoods. I tried to shift gears and found it hard to switch between the small and large chain ring but wasn't sure if it was a pre-existing condition of the bike. The bike will be kept with me until further notice.

I was physically and emotionally drained on Saturday. I had not rested until I was sure that the athlete was ok and that there was nothing further I could do to help. I ended up sleeping from about 5pm until 10pm on Saturday and then from 12am to 1pm the next day. This accident has occured too close to the anniversary of Coach JC's death (22nd July 2011) and the incident has hit close to the heart. I was so frustrated at the behaviour of other cyclist and this is something which I see every week when I am on Beach Rd. These large groups ride past and merge way too soon. Once you past another cyclist, you must ensure that there is a safe enough distance before you merge into the line. This is the way we expect cars to drive around cyclist and just because you are riding a bike instead of a car, the behavious is expected to be the same.

The good thing is - the group of cyclist who caused the accident did stop and details were exchanged. She is having her surgery today (Monday 7th July) and we all wish her a speedy recovery. Good thing is that she won an all expenses paid trip to volunteer at the London Olympics in 2 weeks time so it would be a great recovery period for her. We wish her well.

Why I love my bike(s)...

I recently answered a tweet from SheRidesCycling asking women "Why do you ride?"

Well, my answer (albeit cheeky) is pretty much the reason why I spend (most of) my hours with my bottom on a saddle....week in week out. http://sheridescycling.wordpress.com/2012/07/02/112-women-answered-the-call-why-do-you-ride/

I am Number 71. 

Squeek on top of the Felt B2

I am not an everyday commuter - I am a triathlete. Because of my training schedule (I am currently training for my first half ironman 70.3), I have to carry at least 2 bags every day and equipment (a bike, windtrainer, swim toys including flippers etc). On my recovery weeks, I may commute to and from work. This only happens if I manage it in between training sessions that dont require me to start training at 6am.

I actually live about 35km from my work and about 40-45km from Northcote pool where I swim Monday and Wednesday mornings and 25km from MSAC. The distance makes it great if I incorporate it into (bike) training, but a pain as training starts at 6am in the morning and finishes at 8-8:30pm at nigjht. I have commuted to and from work a dozen times or so this year and hopefully will do more in the coming months. For commuting, I have my Diora with Sora groupset which I have named Squeeky.

I don't ride mountain bikes or trails. I tried this once and failed miserably. I have poor bike handling skills and going downhill (even on a road bike) still gives me anxiety. I was going to sign up to do some MTB skills but due to cost and value (do I actually have any time to do any mountain biking along with my training?), I decided to park the biking course aside.

The Italian

As I had mentioned before, I am a triathlete (in my 4th year) and mostly spend my time on the saddle to train to be a better athlete. I have a good road bike - Wilier Imperiale (The Italian)with Campagnolo Chorus groupset, I have two time trial bikes - my Felt B2 with Dura Ace groupset which I am currently selling and my Cannondale Slice 4 with Rival groupset which is still sitting in the shop. I ride The Italian for the hills and long rides in groups. The time trial bike comes out from October onwards for the racing season. I will be bringing it out for windtrainer sessions to get the legs accustomed to the larger 53T chainring (as it has 650c wheels). I enjoy riding my road bike during training especially when we ride through the quiet towns and over the hills. I like to admire the scenery and gives perspective to how lucky we are to live in such a great city.

The Working Girl

On the side, I do have a few non-training bikes (such as my vintage ladies "The Working Girl" and my single speed bike "The Falcon") which I love.

I love that I can just pop on a helmet and ride down to the shops to buy an ice cream during the summer months, I love the days where I take my single speed through Brunswick, Fitzroy, Clifton Hill and Northcote and explore the side streets and check out some nice and quirky houses and cafes. I love how carefree I feel when I am on my fun bikes and it takes me back to my childhood when my brothers and I would cruise our compound (we lived on campus as my dad was a high school principal for remote areas).

I am fortunate to live in Melbourne - it has a better cycling culture compared to Sydney or Darwin. In Melbourne, we have more infrastructure which makes it easier to pedal around in with the single speed.

I don't think I would own so many bikes if it wasn't for triathlon. I guess I do spend so much of my time on the saddle so I can be a better athlete - I want to do well in races but I also enjoy the ability to get from one point to the next with my simple bike(s).

No PB Trifecta for this little lady

Last week was time trial week and from Monday through to Thursday, I was on a roll. I had 3 PBs for my swim(s) and my run but unfortunately, my 20km bike time trial did not go as well.

This was my 2nd 20km bike time trial. I had a goal  of < 45:22. Having had a great run time trial on Thursday night, my legs were shattered and did not improve by Saturday. I was in need of a good massage and couldn't get one in time before Saturday (note to self - if I have another week like this, get massage on legs early on Friday).

I felt my legs getting heavy during the warm-up lap and I couldn't keep up with the rest of the half ironman group and turned around early before heading off to the tear-drop loop. The course was drier compared to the last time trial 6 weeks ago which was a good thing. This meant that I could stress less about slipping over if I accidently rode over the white painted lines. We rode 2 laps of the loop to familiarise ourselves before the actual start of the time trial. I was seeded at the back with Nikki (another half ironman first timer).

There isn't much to say in terms of the 20 loops I had to do for the time trial (describing a ride which consisted of 1km loop x 20 times can be boring) apart from the following:

• I had no grunt in my ride as I was just pushing my legs through (the uncomfortable pain)
• Cornering skills are still shocking and this is something which MUST improve
• Riding up hills - need to push through the lactic burn
• Riding up hills - what is the best? Small chain ring or stay in large (and stand up)?
• Nutrition - I think this was right but are there benefits to drinking (sipping) after every lap? 45min or so is a long time without drinking on the course
• Need to learn to negative split 2nd 10km compared to first without blowing up

I know I shouldn't be too hard on myself (after all I had an awesome improvement on my run PB). Often not achieving a PB is the same as failing a task and I have not been brought up to fail from young.

Things to work on before the next time trial:

• Riding up hills - gauging which gears work best
• Cornering! Cornering! Cornering!

Running through mud - 5km run time trial

Last night was my 2nd 5km run time trial for 2012 around Albert Park lake. Having done a pilates class the night before, my core and legs were were still slightly sore but luckily, that was the only niggle I had for the day. Both my shins and my knees have been good as I have laid off running since Sunday. The inflammation have subsided as I have applied creams, iced and massaged them regularly. The glutes were still tight and that was attributed from tight hamstrings which I need get a proper massage for.

We met outside Lakeside Sports at 6:15pm. Prior to the time trial, Coach Sarah mentioned that the wind conditions were not as perfect as last time and we should not be disheartened with a slower run from the 2km to 4km mark compared to our previous run. When we walked outside and dropped off any excess clothing we had, we could feel both the coldness and the strength of the wind. It was definetly unpleasent. We started our warm up run towards the finish line and then an anti-clockwise 2km run out and back along the lake. We then went into our warm up drills which included strides, knee lifts, butt kicks to loosen up the muscles. My hipflexors were tight but it helped when I did several high kicks and strides.

The long course (10km) athletes started 5min earlier than the short course (5km) group. After the first group departed, we then walked towards the boat shed where the 5km time trial start line was. When the signal was given to start the run, we all started our Garmins for our own records. Once again, the first 1-1.5km was a breeze and I actually ran at a lower cadence but increased the length of my strides. My pace actually went down below 5min/km mark but it wasn't something I could hold on for the rest of the run. I had one of the girls in my squad pass me during the entire run and this occured at the 1.5km mark. Then the 1.5-4km mark was like running through mud due to the heavy winds. Unlike a bike ride where you are able to position yourself (either down on the drops or on the aerobars) to be more aerodynamic -during a run, you can't compromise a good running technique by slouching. It felt harder to lift the legs high and it felt strenous to push the body and arms through the wind. I was grateful with all my work with hill running on Sundays with Coach Greg as they helped to push through the pain of running into the headwind. I really didn't want to look at my Garmin too much and wanted to run on feel rather than with technology. I looked at my Garmin once (by mistake) at the 3.5km mark and it was then that I realised that I could beat my PB of 27min.

At the 4km mark, I saw one of the squad on the side due to an ongoing injury and so after I made sure he was ok (by asking him whilst I ran past), I tried to finish off the last 1km as strongly as I could.  With only 500m to go, I felt my legs becoming heavier and it was hard to increase my speed and intensity. Once again, I felt like I was running through thick mud. When I could see the red blinking lights of the finish line, I took several deep breaths and ran as hard as I could.

I am pleased to say that I finally cracked the 27min mark and ran (according to my Garmin) a 26:14 for my 5km. This is about 45sec improvement which I am ecstatic about. This is slow for most triathletes out there but this is still my personal best.

I will be doing a 10km run in 2 weeks time and that should be a good base for my first 10km time trial. From Run Melbourne onwards, I will be doing a 10km time trial as part of the program. I am pretty sure I am the slowest person out around the lake but it is all about setting my own goals and running to set my personal best times.

Its onwards and upwards from here!

1km Swim Time Trial -- Faster than my own expectations!

For the people who follow my journey may have picked up that I have mild anxiety stress when it comes to the unfamiliar things/tasks. I stress out about it so much - I either pass out from hyperventilating or throw up and this morning was no different...

This morning, I completed my first ever 1km (swimming) time trial. Prior to the actual swim, the lead up to this morning was not as smooth as it should have been. I already had completed a 500m swim time trial on Monday morning and had planned on doing the 1km as part of my progression of time trialing as a long course athlete. I am still working on this progression and won't be doing the full half ironman distances until after Run Melbourne. So last night, after the (active recovery) windtrainer session, all that I could think about was how the hell I was going to do a 1km swim non-stop the next day. For the last few seasons, I had only swam 500m for time trial and although I have seen dramatic improvements close to 4 minutes over 500m, doubling that distance to 1km was still unchartered territory.

I had a sleepless night as I dreamt about things which held me back from completing a 1km swim smoothly - this included being late to catch a bus to the pool (I drive 35-40km from Mentone to Northcote), swim time trials being cancelled (as if that will EVER happen) and the most disgusting one of all - the pool filled with blood and we had to swim through it....yeah I know - disgusting.

Once I arrived at the pool at 5:55am, the nerves had not subsided. My stomach churned up my morning coffee and Up and Go around so much I had to have a little spew before I headed outside (yeah, 3 degrees celcius thank you very much).

After doing a 500m warm up which included free, pullbouy, back, we were seeded in our lanes ready for the actual time trial. There were some people in the same lane as me who were to do the 1km where as others had 500m. I knew that I could not go out as hard as I did for the 500m time trial as I had to double my distance so I decided to start at a T3 pace and see how I would go after the first few hundred metres. I wanted to negative split my second 500m as part of the 1km set so I made sure that I had enough in the tank to swim at a slightly faster pace leading into the last few hundred.

Overall, I actually felt better this morning than I did on Monday. I guess that was due to the reduced intensity. I completed the last 50m at a T4-5 pace/intensity and just made it under the 21min mark! So my first 1km swim time trial (Personal Best) is under 21min. I did several fist pumps in the air when I heard the good news - albeit a longer time than most long course athletes, this is my personal best time and much faster than my own expectations.

As a time closer to the 22min mark was anticipated, I am ecstatic about getting below the 21min mark. 

Swim Time Trial - 500m

This morning, I ticked off one of my goals for 2012. The goal was to be able to swim under 10min for a 500m - I am pleased and overjoyed that I completed it this morning and felt better than my last time trial 6 weeks ago.

Swimming in the morning (at Northcote) really made a difference in my swimming over the last few weeks. The lanes are not as crowded and as I am at the back of the middle lane, I have had to work a little extra harder to keep up and not get left behind.

The time trial started off slightly more intense than I had planned and it showed as I was getting slightly tired after the first 50m. I made sure I wasn't going to give up too quick and slowly got into a smooth rhythm with my breathing and my strokes. I made sure that I wasn't just turning my arms through the water and that I used the technique work I had picked up with Ryan's swim classes over the last few weeks. I tried to feel as much of the water as I could as the more you feel, the better your technique. As I was only swimming 500m, I pushed hard in the last 50m and swam at T4-5 intensity. I doubt I could do this for my 1km (on Wednesday) but I don't want to get too complacent and not push to my best ability.

Hopefully more good news for the next few days with my running time trial (still running the 5km until after Run Melbourne) and the 20km ride time trial on Saturday.

Yippeee!!

5 Weeks of Swim Stroke Correction

I had just completed the 5 week (swim) stroke correction sessions with Coach Ryan Bourke. These sessions ran on Saturday afternoons for 5 weeks. After having spent some long hours on the saddle Saturday mornings from 7am (sometimes a car trip over an hour is needed to some of the locations), a love-hate relationship was also formed over the last 5 weeks for the Saturday afternoon swim.

The good thing with these sessions is that they are not too long (< 2km) or intensive (luckily not a standard swim session) and nothing above T2 as we work on our technique both above and below water - the purpose of these sessions.

The bad thing was that they cut into my (after ride) nap time. Once I got home from a ride, I may have a small shut eye (for about 30min max), then packed about 3-4 more bags for the next few days before I headed off to the actual swim session.
Bag 1 - Swim bag
Bag 2 - After swim bag (non training clothes) as I use Sat nights for dinners with friends
Bag 3 - Run bag (for Sunday morning North sessions)
Bag 4 - Any 'after run' plans I had over the last few weeks which ranged from bbq, lunches, football and general catch ups. Bag 2 + Bag 4 are often combined into one large bag too.

Management issues aside, these swim sessions have been priceless. Over 5 weeks, we learnt the following:
·         Streamline body position and its advantages
·         Correct body position and rotation
·         Breathing technique and head position
·         Feeling the water (hands)
·         Catching the water
·         Hand entry and exit
·         Recovery of the freestyle stroke
·         High elbows with rotation
·         Bilateral breathing and its benefits
·         Building a strong underwater technique
·         Strength Bands and their benefits
·         Getting the most from each stroke
·         Polo, citing and open water swimming

Ryan utilised techniques which he had learnt/used in the past for non-swimmers to understand how your hands/arms/elbows/body position should be/feel for a good and effective swim. Simple things like:
- Shark Fin - using the elbow to form a fin (learn how to lift your elbows above water)
- Monkey Scratch - extend the shark fin method to drag your finger tips along the side of your body to your armpits
- Pull bouy touch - with the pb, making sure that your complete your stroke and touch the pb between your legs after the push (or backsweep) before the recovery.
- PB single arms - with a pb or kickboard in front of you - touch the edge of the pb/kickboard during your entry - this teaches you to not cross your arms over in front of your face which causes drag/resistance
- Single arms - no pb/kick board in front of you are you just use single arm to swim but making sure that your fingers enter in the right spot and the entire stroke (all five phases) is efficient.
- Bands - this uses all your upper body technique to swim - no kicking (as your legs are tied together)

As these sessions were nice and easy, we could practice the methods as we never have a chance to do so during our normal swim sessions.

I will also be shadowing Ryan for the next block of technique classes to learn more from him (as a swim coach) and to be a better swimmer myself.