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.

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!

IM Melbourne Relay Team - NO GO!

Just got an email response back from USM, here is their response back when I asked them about when the team entries open and how much would it cost:

Hi Evalin

Management have confirmed that there will not be a Team event at the IM Melbourne 2013.

Kind regards

HEARTBROKEN!

Body Fat % - EXCESS

Over the Lorne Camp weekend (wrap up on that later), Jarrod Evans (AIS Coach) presented several talks on triathlon, training and nutrition.

One of the talks he gave was about skinfolds and Body Fat % (BF%). I volunteered to do this measurement (as did about 20 other people) to see where we are at now.

He took 4 measurements as part of the skin fold test - biceps, triceps, back and stomach. There are several methods of doing skin folds and calculating BF% but the important thing is that you must have the same method of measurement and done by the same person for the purpose of comparing like for like.

So, the good news is that my skin folds of my arms and back are OK. The bad news is that my BF% was blown out of the water by the skin fold measurements around my stomach area.

Using both the BMI measurement (BMI x 1.2) + (0.23 x Age) - 5.4** and Jarrod's skin fold measurement, I am at 32% which is classified as EXCESS FAT (OBESE) for a female.

For a female:
Essential Fat - 10 - 13%
Athletes - 14 - 20%
Fitness -21 - 24%
Just Average - 25 - 31%
Excess Fat - 32%+

I pretty much came out as the fattest female from the squad (who volunteered) and was very disheartened as I am fitter now than I was 3 years ago when my measured BF% was around 28%.

Breaking it down to compsition - my body consist of 68% muscle & bone with 32% fat (10-13% essential fat). I need to be around 14 - 20%. My ideal would be 42kg + XXkg, where XX is calculated as 20% x 61kg = 12.2kg. 42kg + 12.2kg = 54.2kg (max race weight).

Essentially, my goal (as it has always been for the last 5 or so years is to get down to 55kg) and this is EXACTLY in line with losing BF% down to the Athletes range.

Getting down to 55kg is not new news for me but the fact that my BF% is so high scared the living daylights out of me. Now I see the problem (again), it is time for action (again). Will seek a specialist to review my diet and training to see what is the missing link is as currently, I am tracking below my calorie allowance of 1100Cal/day. It could be the type of cardio excercise I am doing to use up my fat stores. I would like to see that there is a solution for this other than blaming it on genetics (fat stores around stomach area).

** BMI Calculations = (BMI x 1.2) + (0.23 x Age) - (10.8 x SEX) - 5.4 Where Sex = 1 for males and 0 for females.

Reasons...

Why do we do what we do? What are your reasons to get out of bed at 4:30am on a chilly Melbourne morning, to drive 30km (home in Mentone to Northcote) to swim and then drive another 50min to work afterwards? What are your reasons to leave home at 5:30am on a Saturday to drive 65km from home for a hilly 70km ride in the freezing cold? Believe me, these feats are not big nor are they admirable as they are only the tip of the triathlon iceberg.

You see, I am yet to ride my bike for over 4 hours, I am yet to run for more than 2.5 hours and more than 22km, I am yet to swim more than 4km in a single swim session, I am yet to do all this before the ungodly hour of 5am and I am yet to fit in 15+ hours of training in a week. I know that as part of my half ironman training for Shepparton (and beyond), it will be something to look forward to and believe it or not, I am actually excited about it.

The Build Weeks of triathlon training are noticeable. The sessions are getting more intense and longer. The rides have moved away from Beach Rd (thank God for that!) We have started to incorporate paddles into the swim sessions to build up strength and our run sessions have gotten longer and with more intensity. This increase in load has resulted in the body being more sore and taken a longer period to recover - noticeably on a Monday morning. I might also add, the introduction of a more stringent Strength and Core work into my training, I couldactually feel my shoulders, back, pecs, lats, stomach being activated more often than ever before.

Just last Saturday, we rode the Wildwood Loop as part of the long endurance ride session. We always do this ride a week before we head off to Lorne Camp (over Queens Bday weekend) The first time I rode this loop in 2010, I hopped off my bike when we were riding up any slight inclines (that's how unfit I was 3 years ago). Mind you, I also had no idea how to use my bike then and for the life of me, I was probably still in the large chain ring and may not have used my gears properly to enable me to ride any slight molehills. In 2011, I rode the loop twice but hesitated when we had to ride the 2nd loop as I was exhausted (and most likely had bonked).

Over the last weekend, the loop felt shorter and there was no hesitation as I rode the loop the 2nd time around. Mind you, I fell behind the front pack but was only about 1 min behind them the whole way through. I rode up the hills well (could definitely have been better) but I was confident enough throughout. Weather wise, it could have been worse (Wildwood is known to also be very windy) but it was freezing. At 4 degrees, my face was frozen and it did hurt to breathe. During the 2nd loop, the number of trucks and cars on the roads increased which meant that at some points where cars passed each other, we were forced off the roads. With my sh!t luck, this happened on the steepest hill climb on the weekend so I had to push the bike up the hill after I was knocked off the road onto the barrier as I gave way to 2 trucks passing each other.

On Sunday, I joined the North group with Coach Greg again for the long endurance runs. This week, we met at Fairfield Boathouse instead of Northcote YMCA so we didn't have to waste time in driving the car back to Fairfield to soak our legs. I actually loved the Sunday run session with Greg as we ran through the trail paths of Fairfield and Studley Park. Greg made us do drills and reminded us on how we should be holding our posture during long runs when our bodies are fatigued. We ran 14km plus strength and core work within 2 hours and I loved every minute of it. We ended the session off with a soak in the freezing river just below Fairfield Boathouse. Icing the legs after a run reduces swelling and also aids in recovery. I know this method works wonders based on my personal experiences. The water temperature was so cold that you felt the following sensation when you are waist high in freezing water:
1) Bones and joints hurts upon contact with water - this went on for about 2 minutes
2) Body goes numb from the coldness - for the next 5-8 minutes or so.
3) Body starts to ache from the coldness - this was a sign that it was time to leave (10min in the water was plenty enough). Ideally, we should be moving our legs constantly through the cold water but we had to make do. I know that for Lorne, we will be doing this after every ride and run session to help in recovery.

An ordinary person would read this entry and think why the hell would anyone put themselves through this much torture over a weekend when most relax or party hard after a week of (paid) work...well as of today, there are 167 days left until Shepparton 70.3. Just over 15 weeks and I will be racing my first halfironman - 1.9km swim, 90km ride followed with a half marathon and all within 7 hours.

Coach's Page

So my official coach's page was uploaded on the Tri Alliance website a few nights ago. Getting there is still a mystery and hope to have it resolved soon.

http://www.tri-alliance.com.au/about/coaches/evalin-ling/

I am THAT person...



Forever Young - Sixty Minutes shown 27th May 2012



Last night (27th May 2012), the show 60 minutes broadcasted a story about mid life crisis and endurance sports titled Forever Young.

It was a look into the uptake of endurance sports such as triathlons, cycling, open water swimming, marathons and the age group demographic who sign up to do such events (majority happen to be 40+). Some reasons why I personally think this is true include:

• The need to tick off life goals
• Being pulled into doing it as part of your work's corporate involvement - BRW/Nissan triathlons, corporate games, work sponsored runs, tour de cure cycling and MS Gong cycling rides etc etc
• DINKs - Double Income No Kids - married but with no kids - you are able to afford the gear and no need to be home so you can be out there training
• Taking up these sports to (lose weight to) keep up with their kids (as couples are having children at a later age)
• Taking up these sports as the kids have grown up - middle aged people who have teenage kids who don't require 24/7 supervision
• To lose weight
• The social aspect of doing triathlons - training with like-minded people (very different in my experience compared to going to a gym)

Apart from the being married and with kids part, I saw similarities of myself in the show last night (albeit 10 years earlier than what they termed a mid life crisis). I took up triathlon (seriously) due to the "turning 30" life crisis. I was single at the age of 29, I was not happy with the way I looked (I weighed around 65kg, a BMI > 30% when you are only 156cm tall, not good news) and I started to morph into a size 10/Medium in my clothing. I was not fit, felt sluggish and I was unhappy. The previous year, I was in an unstable, emotionally draining and unsupported relationship which played havoc on my eating as well as setting time aside to take care of myself and doing things for me. The year I was turning 30 (in 2010), I decided to change my life for me.

Having being exposed to triathlons for several seasons (I supported then partner for his training and supported his races) and I did my first race in 2008. It was only in 2010 (4 months after the break up) that I joined Tri Alliance and routinely started to include training in as part of my lifestyle and defined who I am today.

I reflected on my lifestyle whilst I drove the car at 5:30am to my 6am swim session this morning. I pondered upon the whole image of being a triathlete and the lightbulb moment came to me whilst I parked my car. Yes, I became that person:

• I am that person who wakes up at 4:45am to swim at 6am at a pool 25km away from home.
• I am that person who trains after work and doesn't get home until 9pm.
• I am that person who is unmarried and has no kids or dependants so she is able to train
• I am that  person who spends way too much money on the sport when she has piles of overdue bills to pay
• I am that  person who spends more time with her training squad than with her own family and friends
• I am that person who chooses to run in a singlet when it is 5 degrees in the morning
• I am that person who wears lycra 7 days a week
• I am that person who rides a bike in a pouring rain
• I am that  person who carries several bags in the car everyday to cater for training needs
• I am that  person who eats processed food so she can keep moving
• I am that  person whose friends finds it hard to have a conversation as they feel obliged to ask her about how her training is going
• I am that  person who enjoys sweating whilst swimming, cycling and running
• I am that person whose work colleagues marvel at her commitment level to this sport 
• I am that person who forgoes attending people's catch up drinks on a Friday night so that an early morning bike ride would not be compromised.
• I am that person who is no longer unhappy and uncomfortable about the way she looks
• I am that person who is comfortable about signing up to do events when others find it impossible to do in this lifetime
• I am that person who enjoys being exhausted after a big day of training
• I am that person who has never been more happier and can't imagine life without triathlon.
• I am that person who had a life crisis and made a change.

I wonder what I will be like when I am 39 (and turning 40), will I be panicking like I did when I was 29? Will I be sorting out some other challenge which appear to be impossible to do (albeit raising a family or doing an ultra marathon)? OR will I be THAT person, sitting on the couch eating bags of chips? I just hope that I don't become that person, as that person is not what this person aspires to be.

Stepping It Up!

It is only within this week that the long course training program has differentiated itself from the Short Course training. The last few weeks, most sessions were the same as it was about getting back into winter training and working on technique.

Swim

For the swim sessions as an example, I completed a 3.2km set on Wednesday morning (albeit nice and slow) - a step up from the 2km I was swimming in the first few weeks of May. I have also tried as hard as I could to keep up with the guys in front of me in the swimming lane, at the same time, making sure that I don't lose my technique when my arms and shoulders get tired. 

Bike

The core coaches have also started to split the windtrainer sessions into different groups - beginners/sprint, olympic, half ironman and ironman to cater for the different technique work (as required) and to cater for a longer time in the saddle for the long course athletes. 

Long rides have been split into five groups - advanced long course(long time half and full ironman athletes who can complete these races in a reasonable time), advanced short course (for athletes who are in the Olympic and Sprint distance races but are fast and generally place top 10), intermediate long course (for athletes like me who are doing longer distances for the first time or are slower on the course), intermediate short course (newer short course athletes racing olympic and sprint distances) and the beginners group who are new to triathlons and joining sessions for general fitness rather than in preparations for triathlon racing season.

Run

I have also stepped up in the run sessions (on Thursday nights) doing more longer interval sets. Like last night for an example - we did a 3km + drills as warm up, main set consisted of 4 x 1km @ T3, 2 x 500m @ T3-4 and 3km or so cool down. The short course athletes worked on their technique and did several short runs as part of their set.

Strength/Core

I have really noticed a change in the training load compared to the previous two years of training with Tri Alliance. For one, strength and core sessions are now included in my training and it is up to me to keep it as part of my weekly routine without relying on the coaches. So far this week, I have done two strength/core sessions with bands, weights and a swiss ball. Planking has become less painful on my lower back and I have also done some research into other exercises to do which strengthens the core other than planking.

Injury Maintenance & Prevention

I am also keeping a close eye on my legs and have been icing my legs after run sessions to prevent inflammation. I am on the rollers almost on a daily basis for my ITB, hamstrings, glutes, back, shoulders, quads and calves.

There is 177 days left until my first half ironman.

Time Trials (are painful)!

Time Trials

During the winter months, Tri Alliance conduct time trials for all three legs of the triathlon so we can monitor and gauge our (personal) performances. I have always believed strongly that these time trials are about monitoring your own improvements - Love it! That is why I have done all the time trial sessions since it started (except for one run session when I was with Tony Benson for run techniques).

For anyone doing a half ironman program, the recommended distances for time trials were:
Swim - 500m or 1000m
Bike - 20km
Run - 5km or 10km

Swim
I completed my first swim time trial for 2012 on Monday (14th May) evening. My swim TT was still 500m but will step up to a 1km over the next few sessions. On the side, I will time myself (or get some poor person to time and count my laps for me) to set a base. I was placed 10 seconds behind the person in front (and 60 sec in front of the first swimmer) but I could have overtaken her easily but there was just no space in the lane. I did start to lose my rhythm after about 300m as my breathing became a mess. Although I was breathing in, I felt I was not taking in any oxygen and my chest felt tight. Even though I didn't really have a goal time in mind to beat (as I had no idea how my swim fitness and technique was over summer), I did manage a personal best for the swim time trial but not < 10min.

Run
The run time trial happened on Thursday evening around the Albert Park lake. I ran the 5km time trial (and similarly) will step up to the 10km in a few months. My first 10km time trial will be done as part of the 10km Run Melbourne event.

My goal was to get below the 27min mark. I have been hovering above 27min for about 2 years now and it is getting frustratingly close but not close enough. Mind you, my times have improved but I am still to manage a consistent enough pace for the entire 5km. I actually started the time trial in the middle of the pact this time rather than being right at the back. The first 1-1.5km was good and I was actually comfortable at this point - nothing is hurting, breathing is still good and I was able to hold a pace of < 5:15 min/km. From 1.5 to 3km, my pace got slower and hovered around 5:30min/km. The last 2km was where my body started to fall apart. My quads, knees, calves, chest (pretty much everything) started to hurt. I tried as much as I could to stay positive and reminded myself that I must push through this pain to achieve my goal (to get a time < 27min).

One of the guys who is tapering for his Great Ocean Road half marathon on the weekend ran next to be during the last 1km of the time trial. When I couldn't keep up and let him passed, I then realised his pace and he just looked like he was out on a Sunday stroll - God Damn! Here I was, huffing and puffing in a world of pain but compared to others, I was like a sloth.

I managed a PB (Personal Best) but still not below 27min. It was a bittersweet achievement.

Ride
To be honest, I was very nervous about the ride time trial. I didn't sleep a wink the night before and had several small nightmares about it. The small nightmares were about being late and the reasons ranged from being caught up whilst I waited for a train (?!), not setting my alarm properly and just not turning up as I thought it was next week. The nervousness about the ride did not subside with the noise of the rain which started around 4am.

When I finally woke up at 6am, I thought to myself, "This is another day, its only a time trial." I completed an entire warm up lap before heading off to the carpark to meet up with the rest of the Half Ironman people. There are Paul V (one of the Try the Tri guys who is doing Shepparton and just bought a new Specialized - same as Lisa D's), AC, Lidia, another newbie, Coach Daz and myself heading off for the official warm up lap before the start of time trial. I thought we would have had a bigger group but only 6 people turned up for the half ironman group.

I did two laps of the teardrop loop before the start. I applied on my brakes as I wasn't too sure about the speed and how much I would need to handle the bike around the sharp turns. I was seeded at the back of the group and aligned with Lidia. This was the first time I had used my Garmin so I could actually keep count on how many loops I had done. As I had mentioned previously, I lose count after 2.

I didn't go as fast as my 10km time trial knowing that I had to double the distance compared to previous attempts. I pushed myself all the way through and didn't take it easy throughout the whole 45min+. I stood up when I rode up the hill, took a small sip of water/food with one hand and changed to harder gears with the other and rode down and around the loop with speed, increased cadence and clenched teeth.

Coaching
After the time trial, I stuck around to see how the timing was conducted (as I was taking the beginners TT group) for the Olympic Distance athletes and then rode to the carpark to meet the beginners. Only one girl turned up for the beginners group and we rode up Studley Park rather than towards Chandler Fwy as the warm up was only 20min and with beginners, they would be slower on the hills. During the warm up lap, the rain picked up too and it was a very wet warm-up, not pleasant at all.

There was only two athletes for the beginners time trial so it was easy to keep time for them. After the TT, it was a ride home, thawed out in the doona before stroke correction in the afternoon with Coach Ryan.

Thoughts moving forward...
Next time trials will be around the 9th July. Will do the 1km swim time trial and the 10km run (as part of Run Melbourne). Hope to get a base 1km done within the next week or so to set a benchmark standard. 20km ride time trial will most likely be the week after.

My Other Family...

I have a great family. My parents have been married for over 35 years and I also have two younger brothers who are smart, athletic, creative and handsome. My family are close and we have never had a feud that has ever torn one of us apart from the other.

My other family is my Tri Alliance family whom I am in contact with every single day. During the training sessions, I get to catch up and train with an awesome bunch of people who have similiar interests and goals as me. During the non-training hours, I keep in contact with them through phone calls, facebook, coffee catch ups, having meals and twitter.

Words cannot express how much I love both my families but this entry is dedicated to my triathlon family (obviously, as this is my triathlon blog).

On Saturday 12th May 2012, Tri Alliance held their annual End of Season Presentation Night (EoSPN) at Ormond Hall in St Kilda. This is the 2nd presentation night I have attended, I missed out on the 2010 one as I was in Perth watching Hawthorn (lose to) the Eagles at Subiaco.

As part of this evening, we had some speeches from the coaches, annoucements, awards then the party.

Awards were split into three main categories - the serious ones:

• Best Short Course Female - Lisa Dominguez who podiumed (or top 5) for every single one of her races.
• Best Short Course Male - Brad Campbell who podiumed (or top 5) for every single one of his races for Clydesdale.
• Best Long Course Athlete - Marina Jurjevic who won her first ironman IMWA, came top 10 for IMMelb and is off to Kona in 2012.
• Best Newcomer - Shane Buntman for his dedication and enthuasm (he is also my oesteo).
• Team Player - Sarah Lausberg - all round supportive person
• Coaches Award - Dan Brueckner - all round nice guy

Oesteo Shane, Drunk Dave and I

The more social awards were:

• Cab Charge - the athlete who has required the most lifts home from a bike ride due to bike malfunctions - Jay Mueller.
• Bribery and corruption - Nola MacGregor for her baking and generosity
• Facebook addict - Dave Nealon for Sober Dave, Drunk Dave, Hungover Dave and facebook accounts for this dogs - Bronte and Sandy
• Zoolander Award - Brinn Tavener for a memorable photo finish.

The last award was the JC Memorial Scholarship. The description of this award is taken straight from the Tri Alliance Wrap Up Page: "The formal part of the evening finished with the most prestigious award of the night – the John Cornish (JC) Memorial Scholarship. The scholarship was formed by JC last year, originally named the Tri Alliance Scholarship award. However after the passing of Coach JC on 22 July 2011 in a tragic bike accident, it was only fitting that with JC’s family’s blessing, we renamed the award and dedicated it to JC in his memory. The recipient of this award receives full support from Tri Alliance including coaching, consultations, training camps plus more. To receive this award is a huge honour amongst Tri Alliance athletes"

The trophy (the big one) was carved by JC's dad out of Tasmanian Oak (where JC came from) and has 20 plaques on the wheels, which will have the name of each of the recipients on it. Each recipient will also receive a pewter award too for them to keep. Last year, the award went to Dan Weekes who represented Aus at the ITU World Champs in China where he decicated his race to JC. This year, the award went to Marina.

Marina (winner for 2012), JC's sister, dad and mum, Dan

The picture above signifies everything I love about triathlon and Tri Alliance - FAMILY AND THE LOVE FOR A (SOMETIMES CRAZY) SPORT.

The JC Memorial award demonstrates how much we love what we do and make us grateful of the people we take this journey with.

Being Mother Duck....

Ever since I became (an official) coach with Tri Alliance since February 2012, the sessions I coached were set by the feedback I gave back to Sarah and Ollie:
- Try-the-Tri group
- Windtrainer
- (Shadowing) swim sessions

Not being a real great/fast runner and confident enough on the bike (amongst traffic), I hinted that these sessions would not be my preference but I am willing to take beginners out there and teach them the basics if needed.

On Thursday of last week (10th May), one of the coaches was not available for the run sessions which meant that I took the beginners run session for the first time. The group had 5 girls and we did a 2km warm up run + drills, 3 x (500m T3, 500m T2) with 30s rest in between as the main set and then a cool down jog up Anderson St. I taught them about technique and everything I had learnt as part of Tony Benson's program. This included a comfortable upper body, holding core, the way your feet landed, looking above the horizon, smiling, elbows bent < 90 degrees and thumbs over tits. As it was a cosy group of ladies with similar athletic and fitness capabilities, we were able to stay as a group as much as possible and gave each other encouragement and feedback throughout the whole session.

The second coaching session was on Saturday when Des (another assistant coach) and I took the lower intermediate group out on Beach Rd for our Long Rides. It is hard to ride as a group due to the traffic lights, varied levels of bike skill(s) and confidence in riding in the group. As we had some beginners in our group (who would have benefitted more in Group 4 who rode laps around Albert Park lake) - I stayed back to guide them through and made sure they rode from point A to B safely.

I tried as much as I could to ride at the back of the group, ensuring that all of my riders were visible and that they were doing the right thing. I rode on the right side (to protect them) as we were passed by groups of aggressive cyclists. As I held my line, the other cyclists were forced to ride around me as to not edge themselves around my group who were not the most confident. Looking back 2-3 years ago when I first started to ride amongst traffic, it was the pelatons that scared me more than cars. Some cyclist are not aware of themselves and passed other groups really close, close enough to scare them.

I was very protective about my group, I reminded the other cyclists out there to be mindful when passing and made sure that everyone was ok by riding up and down beside them. I also taught a few of the beginners on how to use their gears as one of the girls had never been on her large chain ring before and had never adjusted her left shifters. I taught her about riding in the large chain ring (whilst not being on the hardest gear at the back), changing to the small on when going up hills (only when required) and changing between the gears at the back depending on the terrain and when we are nearing a set of lights. I will give further feedback to Sarah & Ollie regarding bike handling skills as it is fundamental for these beginners to have them before they take the bikes out on the road. When we finally rode back to Elwood, I was so proud of my group as they had accomplished something which they didn't think they could do (for some, it was their furthest ride - 56km) and all this within 2.5 hours. I felt like Mother Duck - keeping her ducklings close and ensuring that they are safe and learnt a thing or two about the sport.

Strength and Core - the good, bad and the ugly!

Strength and core work is something which I have been neglecting ever since I started doing triathlons. I use to go into the gym at least twice a week for 30-45min and use the machines there to work on strengthening my arms, shoulders, legs, glutes followed by core work on the floor as part of a cool down (as instructed by the gym PT).

I stopped my gym membership after joining Tri Alliance as the weekly gym membership was no longer affordable and I just didn't have any spare time in between training, working, sleeping and eating to head into a training environment I don't enjoy.

Due to my flexibility (I am hyper-mobile) - I actually need to do more strength work so that I am able to hold my body properly through swimming, cycling and running. The other reason (and more important one) is that I need the strength training is so that my joints don't pop out as I have seen recently - my shoulders due to swimming, my knees and my hips due to cycling and running. The ligaments have been stretched and grinding against other joints - causing pain when I am in the pool and over long runs. I have a few things at home such as bands and some hand weights which may be able to help but I think in the long run (and for Shepparton preparations) I will have to join a gym again *hesitation*.

Core work is also important for a triathlete. It helps us hold our posture properly and it also helps with our technique. I admit upfront that I don't know much about physiology but I know that for me, I really have to work hard at my core strength so my abs and back are able to support my spine and keep my body stable and balanced.

 My Transverse Abdominis (TA) muscles (the ones which you don't see) but are one of the most important muscles - helps with stability and protects the spine. One (ugly) exercise which I have been doing (whilst watching TV or browsing on my iPad or phone) is lying on my back with my knees bent (neutral spin position) and drawing my belly in and doing a holding my pee action. The other exercise is to do planks. I have been doing about 2-5 reps x 1min planks per night.

I have pretty good External Obliques and can hold side planks more comfortably than front ones. The Rectus Abdominals are the front muscles commonly known as the six-pack and this comes with a reduction of body fat. This won't happen for me as my stomach area is where I store my fat. I am satisfied that if I get strong TA then it will help me with my training. Having a six pack is more for the image that you are lean but I never show off my stomach area anyway.  

I just have to remember to do these exercises on a daily basis - that is the hard part.