Pre Race Post - BRANSON 70.3

Ok yes im slack at keeping you guys updated weekly on my U.S adventure...

So heres the apology... Im Sorry :P

Now you all have forgiven me this is what I have been up to...

 Training, Eating and Sleeping! 

(oh and a lot of coffee whilst playing UNO)

haha yep pretty cool catchup huh..?

But no seriously I have been training very well and its finally come to a Taper for Branson 70.3 this coming weekend in Branson, Missouri. 

I am very excited to get back into the racing as I have not raced much in the last few months and have been spending a lot of time getting my endurance base up. My last 70.3 was in May at Busselton 70.3 and since being in boulder I have only raced twice as being 1 olympic and 1 sprint.

The course is set to be very challenging especially on the bike, as last last years pro winner Ben Hoffman told me "The bike course is a Monster". It was also a bit of a cooker that heated up the run to just add a bit more of spice into the mix. 

However with all the training I have logged since arriving in boulder and the lovely hot weather on offer I am confident to tackle all the course has to offer on the day. My riding has probably been the most significant improvement that I have noticed. With a lot more attention in focusing on body position whilst riding and good pedal technique, I am looking forward to see what I can achieve on the weekend. 

My Goals For The Race

TO WIN and HAVE FUN... :) 

haha thats why we do the sport right...

But no seriously I am focusing on my performance for the day and not on the uncontrollable's such as positions and the like.

This race is a perfect time to measure my fitness for ITU Long Distance worlds that follow after in 7 weeks.  The course offers a similar profile so I see it as an opportunity to practice my race nutrition which will be one of my main focuses for the day as I have not really ever dialled it in properly before. 

As for the swim in past races I have always found myself doing it solo except for busselton earlier this year. So the plan is to try and position myself to stay with a pack, however if for some reason it doesn't work out I will relax and give a solid sustainable effort to shore to set myself up for the bike.

My plan on the bike is to try and keep a good consistent average effort throughout the 90.1km with a higher cadence. With it being a rolling hill course I have to try and not get sucked in to the attack, attack, attack attitude. This is how I gained my nickname "SONIC"(thanks to Guy and mark) because at some point in the race I end up going "BOOM"and its generally within the first 6kms of the run.. 

And in saying that after analysing all my past races I have found I have never executed my true potential on the run from the result spoken above "riding to hard and not smart". 

So this race I am focusing on running well and to do that iv realised if i have to ride 5min slower and keep the legs fresher I may be able to get 10mins quicker on the run...  

So the run goal is to run on a perceived exertion rate with a result of negative splitting the 21.1km and not run out of transition at full speed like a greyhound cocaine junkie... 

Some outcome goals that would be nice to achieve;

70.3 Race Run PB (21.1km) 

(current 1:38:00)

- 1:35:00 great some improvement

- 1:30:00 solid effort with improvement

- Sub 1:30:00 my work has paid off and let the beers flow :)

Qualify for 2012 70.3 IM Vegas World Champs

I have based my goals from my past results and are keeping them realistic but challenging on that basis. If on the day I do a lot better than expected its a bonus and I can take extreme confidence with knowing my training has been working. As for my journey to becoming a professional triathlete I acknowledge where I currently stand and don't expect to all of a sudden pull out sub 4hrs. I am still young and inexperienced in the sport and look forward to the many years on the road to perfecting my skills and fitness. If I can achieve a 04:30:00 or under on this hard course, I will get on the flight back to boulder a happy athlete acknowledging my days achievements and re design new goals to keep me improving and moving forward. 

As For Training

My last good hit out on the schedule was this weekend and gee was it a good feeling to get the last bit of hard work in. 

Saturday morning I was happy that a few boys had not gone to compete in Vegas and gave me a group for that little extra motivation...

We did a 3hr ride with 3x 20min TT's increasing by 20watts on every one

(The Group: Torsten Abel, Dirk Bockel, Eric Young, Myself and taking the picture was Todd Neville)

An awesome ride that had me on the rivet at times and a great lesson in mental strength that I am hoping to take with me from now on. 

I rolled back home and whacked the running gear on for a solid 30min tempo run. The legs felt great and I was having to slow myself down to a more realistic half marathon race pace.

 A great days training was finished off with enjoying a treat of frozen yogurt at BoomBoom Matty Reeds new "Boom Yogurt Bar". I demolished the first bowl and then went back for seconds! It would be great to have one of these places back home. 

Today was a double run and swim, I also had the great motivation of watching the 70.3 IM world champs in vegas with alot of fellow mates racing. 

So all in all it was a perfect weekend 

Keep Posted For Branson 70.3 Results

you can also track me on www.ironman.com with the link provided

A big thanks to 

Science In Sport

Garland Cycleworks

Armando Sports

Boulder - Catchup & Race Report

Boulder - Catchup & Race Report

Well this is the reason iv been out of blogging action...

Lesson: 

Dont leave your bike near your computer!

(The bike is ok though)

FIRST OF ALL 
I would like to give a shout out to Timmy Berkel! Iv been honoured to spend a lot of time training with the karate kid himself lately. If you have not been following him, Tim pulled out another awesome race at Challenge Copenhagen the other weekend to claim back 2 back Titles which now makes him a
3x Iron Distance Champion.
Well Done Buddy!

Also a big thanks to my Coach Tim Reed for putting in the countless hours to get me where I need to be. If your looking for a change in coaching and want to get the best value I definitely recommend to contact Tim from Transition Fitness.


Race Report

So for the some that have an idea on how this race ended up playing out you know this Race Report is well worth the read for a laugh or two.. So enjoy on my stupidness haha!

My Way Or The Tri Way Sprint 

I was up bright n early waiting for Reedy & Monica to collect me on their way through to head off for the long 1.5hr road trip to the Aurora Res. After getting down the road and realising Reedy's phone had run out of internet and therefore maps not working for directions we had to wing it with a few stops to the gas stations on the way. We eventually stumbled across the reservoir with hearing an announcement of 20mins until race start. With a few equipment difficulties Reedy told me to go get myself sorted and focus on the race. So off I went to the registration table only to have more difficulties with my name not being on the sheets however received the confirmation email and in telling them that they quickly grabbed my details, gave me my timing chip and sent me off into transition to get ready for the race.

As i walked in to rack my bike the race officials gave me a heads up it was 9mins to race start. Trying not 2 panic I layed out all my gear got my number marked and did a quick check over. At this time I thought i still had about 4-5mins. I had a quick look for Reedy and could not see him in sight so I started to walk down to the start. 

As I got to about 60metres away the gun went off and I was left sprinting my bum off to get in the water and not lose the front pack by to much to keep me in the race. I hit the water about 10seconds behind the field and by the turn of the first can I had worked my way through to almost the front pack. At this point I had doubts in my head of what was going on with not seeing Reedy or Monica pre race but thought mate your racing it doesnt matter "Win this bloody race". By the last bouy turning to head back in to land I had managed to swim through the front chase pack and put myself in second overall with the leader about 20metres ahead. My mind was now focused and it was all about having a good bike. I got into transition feeling awesome after a good swim and before I knew it was on the bike and into the lead within the first kilometre. It was a awesome little undulating course that was a bit short with a total of 17km and I averaged 39.9 km/ph. At this point I was stoked with my ride coming into T2 in first overall my best race so far to date... The legs were feeling fresh and after putting in some good running weeks I was confident I could finish it strong and hold on to first. the start of the run looped around the back of transition to where the swim start was and back alongside transition. I had a quick glimpse and noticed 2nd place was only just racking their bike which gave me approx a 2min or so lead. The legs were out to play and I was running at a decent pace with comfort with the thought of saving a little extra for the 2.5km home stretch. As I got to the 2.5km mark the lovely volunteer pointer he folder and said excellent work keep running whilst pointing down the road. A little confused with not seeing the course maps I was sure that was the turn around yet still in the zone kept pushing the pace thinking the course would loop me back around to the finish. Well sure enough after running another 2.5km I had reached no finish line but an empty aid station saying "olympic turn around".... 

this would have been great if I was bloody doing the olympic race but no I was doing the sprint. There for the stupid lady back at the turn around had sent me 2.5km off course in which resulting in losing my first time overall winning chance. I decided to run back to the official sprint turn around and give the lady a bit of my thoughts. After a few friendly words were exchanged and an apology was put on the table and I hitch hiked back to transition with a friendly park ranger to in which the race director also was waiting to give an apology.

"BUT WAIT IT GETS BETTER"

In the back ground I see Reedy and Monica finishing a jog with him calling me over in which it all hit me....

THIS WAS NOT THE MY WAY OR THE TRI WAY RACE....

I had just spent my last hour busting my balls to get lead off course to in the end find out we rocked up to the wrong race. Which is why they didnt have my name at registration and I never seen reedy at the start...
None the less it was a pretty silent car ride home until we all started pissing ourselves laughing!

Good Times..!

Training

Training has been awesome with a few solid weeks. My body has finally adapted to the altitude and training is starting to feel good. Every week the training hours have been slightly increased. I am very happy with my progress with last week being a cycling focused week, I managed to bank 17.5hrs on the bike! I think thats the most iv sat in the saddle in one week to date which included the toughest 6hr ride of my life with an approx total of 2600meters of climbing and headwinds in every possible spot. The legs also got in 6hrs of running and 5.5hrs in the pool.
So come sunday I was very happy to call it a week and acknowledge I had a achieved the goals I set to hit and rewarded myself with a few beers, nachos and enchiladas :)

Some photo's from the 6hr ride of hell...

As for the other weeks heres some photo's to catch you up

Nice decent from Estes Park to Lyons

Old School Winery

It even had a fishing Pond.. Was very tempted mid ride to cast a line :)

Friday Recovery Ride - Lunch at Oscar Blues Brewery in Lyons

At the top of Super James Climb - its all nice normal road til here...

Nice sunrise on the way to an open water swim at the Res


Upcoming Races

Hyvee 5150 U.S Champs - Sept 4th

I had qualified and was scheduled to race Hyvee 5150 U.S champs for september 4th. However I have decided on a financial basis its best not to go.
Instead I am looking for a local sprint or olympic race to replace it to still get a good hit out.

Branson 70.3 - Sept 18th 

This is my priority 1 race that takes place in only 3weeks. I am looking for a good result here to see how all the training in boulder has increased my race fitness. I am told the Course is very tough and is somewhat similar to the bike profile of the ITU Long Dist Worlds that I will be competing in 6 weeks after. Last years pro winner winner posted a finish time of 04:02:00 which tells its a tough day. My goal is to finish between 04:30:00 and 04:35:00. After analysing all past races my run has always been under performed. With having more bike fitness now I hope to be able to come off the bike with fresher legs to be able to run within 6% of my normal running fitness. I think a sub 01:30:00 half marathon would be a good achievement for the day with the course offering a challenging day. If I can come away with achieving those goals I know I have had a good day and can take that confidence into my last 6 weeks of preperation for Long Distance Worlds

ITU Long Distance World Champs

November 5th

I'll leave the chat on this one for a bit closer to the event however its the number 1 priority race of my season and its what I have been working hard for and the whole reason of my trip to boulder.

Thanks Again To My Awesome Sponsors

The best nutrition on the planet

Number 1 for all your bike shop needs in Perth

Anything and Everything you ever need in sports under one roof  

Boulder - Week 3

Boulder Week 3

Bringing A Bit Of Boulder To You :)

A short video of my decent down from Jamestown 

Monday, my second favourite day of the week... why? its a Recovery day :)
After a solid weekend monday's are the days to put the feet up and let the body adapt to the past 2 days of solid training. But it doesnt mean I have a day off... Theres still an easy swim, 1.5hr ride and a core/gym session. I'v learned the quicker and earlier you get them done the more time you have to spend the arvo relaxing and watching DVD's :)
Another good thing about the states is you can rent dvd's for $1.... yes i said $1
Lets just say the dvd rental machine is going to get a good workout by myself on this visit :)

Tuesday, and so the fun begins for the week!
It was up early for an open water swim at the boulder reservoir for a few 1km laps. The res is pretty good but its pretty much like a brown swamp to swim in. I would compare it to the swan river minus the jelly fish really. All in all you still get a good session in and still get the open water feel even though were in the middle of no where with no beaches in sight but plenty of mountains :). Which in saying that it was time to gear up the bike and roll up the mountains for a 3.5 hr ride with a few heavy gear strength efforts. I can definitely say I am enjoying every ride and getting stronger for every minute I am spending in the saddle here. After riding with Reedy a bit we have worked on my position to get the glutes firing more as they should be the biggest driving muscle instead of my quads which is probably the reason my run has suffered a lot in most races. Needless to say my ass has been on fire ever since and getting on the foam roller has no fun part in it at all. To finish the day the runners were on and I enjoyed a cruisy 45min run up to wonderland lake. After a big day in the bank the bed was looking pretty good and I hit it pretty hard with the lights out and snoring my head off in no time.

Wednesday morning I enjoyed and awesome sleep in until about 8am then I packed the bag and headed down to the outdoor pools at scott carpenter which is about an 8min cruisy ride from the house. I was lucky enough to meet Gregg bennett the week prior at the swim squad and he told me of a good running path that takes you all the way along the boulder creek that starts right next to the pools. I had an hour on the program so I thought it would be a great idea to hit it up prior to the swim session. The path/trail was awesome, I managed to get my 1hour easy run in and still didnt get anywhere close to the end of it. Its a mix between path and trail that runs right through the middle of the town. I havn't ever experienced an awesome run like this thats smack in the middle of the town that makes you feel in the middle of the bush. Definitely a new run course to put on the list every week.
So after the run it was time to finally jump in the pool for a swim session. The body felt good and then started to struggle pretty quickly about mid way through the set. Jane the BAM swim coach had decided it was going to be a not so fun set packed with speed efforts.  I cant express how glad I was when I heard the magic words of "Alrighty ur done guys".
 I was completely smashed!!! Just getting out of the pool and walking to my towel and gear gear was a complete mission. After I struggled out of the swim centre I found myself losing my mind because I was so smashed and found the nearest food place and ordered like a king.
Chipotle.... :) the biggest burrito's your eyes have seen! these things are awesome and the first one only lasted about 2mins and got downed with about a gallon of coke for the sugar hit.
I was all smiles after leaving that joint and headed home for a afternoon nap... the favourite part of each day! All refreshed and ready to go the runners were back on and I was in for a surprise with Reedy and a crack session.. i'd had no idea what was involved but I knew either way it was going to hurt... Just my luck he decided to change it to a more cruisy session and we hit the trail for an hour. Id have to wait until next wednesday to find out what the crack session was...

Thursday and the fun keeps going for one last day!
Up early and back down to the res for a few kms in the wettie. After lap 2 the gauntlet had got me! for those tri dogs u all no what im talking about haha... the wettie was off and I was running haha
Later that day the bike kit was on and I was heading back up the mountains for a few jamestown reps before heading back to the flats and bumping into Reedy on the highway. All up I got 4hrs in and was ready to call it a day.

Friday, my second favourite day of the week! Yep another recover day :)
A bit more relaxed than a monday which brings a smile having more time for more dvd's / sleep or a casual stroll down town during the day. After an easy swim set in the morning I met up with a few of the lads for a coffee in town and then later on in the arvo we caught back up to catch a glimpse of the new Captain America movie in 3D.

Saturday, back to the start of a 2day flogging :)

After dragging my sorry sleepy ass out of bed it was time to put the game face on for the number #1 session of the week...

A 4hr ride and 40min tempo run brick session
I don't think there is ever more to say than it hurt and I was glad when it was over :)

Sunday, Double Run / Swim day
Before coming to boulder I started a running block which was the start of double runs for me. At first I didnt like the idea of putting the runners on twice as one was a struggle enough to mentally get out the door at times, but now I really look forward to these sessions. The first for the day is a slow 90min, pre breaky run to get the endurance fat burning gear kicking in on a flat trail. Iv learned its pretty hard to find a flat run course here if I start from straight out the front door as I spend the first 20mins on a small incline and then I hit the flat-ish trails with a nice decline on the way home. The running trails like I have already explained here are awesome and you can always take a different route every time starting from the same place as they all generally link up.
Just after lunch and I found myself jumping into the lovely cold indoor 25m pool at the North Boulder Rec Centre for an easy few kms and then followed by the awesome spa mentioned previously.
Last Session of the day and the runners are back on for a 40min Tempo build run starting up the lovely incline to wonderland lake and then hammering it back down home before finishing with a 5min easy cool down. Another double run completed and a smile still on the face because it was dinner and bed time!



Free time at Flat Irons Mall during the week with the lads

Next Weekend - Week 4

RACE:
My Way Or The Tri Way - Sprint Distance



BIG THANKS TO 

For sending me my nutrition for the next few months to keep me fuelled up with training and racing!

To Check out their awesome nutrition products visit
 http://www.scienceinsport.com.au/

My Favourite Recommended products:
Orange Go Gels
Lemon Burner Gels
Berry Super Hydro
Rego Recovery Powder

once you try this stuff you will never go back to any other nutrition companies! :)

Boulder - Week 2

Boulder Week 2

Another packed week in B town with some good training 

Highlight of the Week

First ride up the mountains
The start of our climb on lee drive to the town ward



The Week started with a recovery day after racing the Boulder 5150 the previous day.
I was surprised on how well the body pulled up and I was off to the pool for an easy swim set with a good chilled out spa afterwards. The spa's here are awesome prepared to the cold ice blowing ones back home. There hot and actually have jets... I know where il b at any chance I can be from now on!
Later that day I met my friend pain when it was time to jump on the foam roller.
No matter how many times you get on that thing it always gives you the same result... Tears!

The next day It was time to harden up n head up the mountains for the first time to the town ward for a 3hr ride

The start of Lee Drive off Lee Hill

Boulder in the distance and this is only about 1km up Lee Drive....

Yep I had my granny legs in gear n got flogged by these two jets...

At the top of Lee drive

2nd week here n already got a flat! 

Next stop Ward

This is Ward.... The best town on the planet....? Population about 6 haha
Altitude of 2700 meters
Elevation gain from Boulder approx 1100 meters

It was an awesome ride and after losing the boys on the decent I was in for a solo ride home. After heading back the same way we cam I later found out they were waiting for me at the bottom of the highway which was a different way we came so I ended up climbing back up Lee hill to go home. Another lesson learnt!


Wednesday was a Double Run & Swim Day

After a slow 1hr run up to wonderland lake it was time to go for my first squad session at scott carpenter pool which is a nice outdoor pool. It was a great session with meeting some awesome people including Gregg and Laura Bennett which I had a good chat to after.
Later that after noon the runners were back on and it was time for a 45min tempo session. After scouting the town iv found myself a nice run path right next to the house that takes me straight to wonderland lake and all the trails. The lovely part is its all uphill there and down hill home :)


Thursday didn't go down to well after making a rookie mistake n not reading the program properly. I found myself doing my saturday's session of a 4hr ride and 40min tempo run brick session....

All I can say is wow it hurt and I definitely learnt my lesson.. Especially after the bid day prior!


Friday couldn't of come quicker n i was delighted to have a Rest Day :)
After an easy 3km swim I decided to go in downtown to pearl street and see what was happening.
Pearl street is the go to place in boulder, it kind of reminds me of Fremantle back home but minus the beach as were in the middle of nowhere at the foot of the mountains.
It was sushi on the menu for lunch and would have to say its the best sushi iv ever had!

As for the weekend it just hurt... haha no other way to say it!
saturday was a 3hr ride 40min run
sunday was a double run and swim

which rounded the week for these totals

Training Log

(Training graph is in Total Hours)

Boulder Peak 5150 Race Report

Boulder Peak 5150 Race Report

Sunday July 10th

My first race at altitude with only living here for just under a week and every one told me I was crazy.

Well it was hard but I posted an ok result....

Wave start 6:55am.... Wave start 6:55am.... Wave Start 6:55am

I was off to a great start the night before when my coach messaged me giving me a bit of a race prep and then finished it with "what times your wave start"...

Well probably the most rookie move I have made, I didn't check my wave start at registration...

So I was up and on the bike riding to arrive at transition for as soon as it opened at

 5:00am knowing the first wave was at 6:30am. 

After racking my bike and setting out my gear ready to race I headed over to the info tent and found out my wave was at 6:55am. It ended up working out well as its probably the best warm up iv had pre race because i was relaxed and knew i had plenty of time to do my thing. I did a nice 15min warm up jog out on the run course and then found a nice silent grassy area for some good relaxed stretching for 10mins while listening to some music. I returned to my gear in transition, got the shoes ready and put on the wettie to head down to the swim start for an easy 5min warm up to loosen up the shoulders. It was the first time I had hit the open water in boulder and to top it off I was in my wettie which is already tight enough restricting my breathing. 

Enough on the warm up and on to the race!

Swim

It was a deep water start with an out and back rectangle swim course. I positioned myself at the front on the left next to another guy that I thought I could swim with. Their was a big glare coming from the sun and my goggle choice was not right going with the zoggs predators instead of the blueseventy open water visions. Reedy told me not to smack myself up in the first 200meters otherwise i'l have no air and struggle for the rest as being in altitude. When the gun went off I found myself hitting the first can in the lead with out going full throttle. Once I got to the second can there was a pack of about 5-6 to my left that swum by and dropped me. From their i was swimming solo through all the other wave starts and was glad when I hit the land and running into T1. 

(I was 5th out of the water in a time of 0:24:23. My last 1500m pool TT was 21:30 so from that I know i was a bit off my usual pace. I came out like a cooked lobster in my wettie with the water temp actually not being to cold it probably would have been a better option for me to not wear it which would have freed up my breathing a little as well.)

T1

0:02:08

The run up from the swim was only a few hundred metres. The race was run very well and they had carpet layed on the bitchumen leading into transition. After watching a few transitions from the ITU guys  when they wear wetties I picked up a few techniques they use. With abit more practice im sure I can still get my time down as they are the seconds that count some times. I found I had a good easy transition and was running out to the bike exit ready for the next leg ahead.

(My S-works Transition and kswiss blades ready to fire)

Bike

1:14:19 

This was promised to be the fun part of the race by a few of the boys. The course included a climb up lee hill, which off course I had not ridden pre race. Its a short incline of about 10% for about 2km or so. But even before lee hill heading out of transition and in towards town the legs were struggling to push a decent pace on the bike. It only occurred to me when I got to the top of lee hill and looking down in the distance at the swim course that it was all a false flat with a slight climb heading up out of transition. With the climb out of the way it was time for some down hill. The only thing is they had a speed limit of 35miles p/h... that was about 50km p/h and there was a cop with a radar gun pointing at you. So of course I slowed down as reedy warned me about it only to find other people flying past me and nothing done. So I put the foot down and played chasy back to transition with more little rolling hills. 

(I came into T2 in 6th place)

T2

0:00:36

As I got into T2 I noticed to my left there was the guy in 5th place which was one of the guys that flogged passed me on the down hill. I had a quick fast transition and passed him as I was going through the run exit.  

Run

0:43:30

With now being in 5th I decided to hold a decent pace for the first few kmsPRE with deciding to leave the garmin off. I had a glimpse of 4th position and decided to put the foot down to see what I could do. 

It felt like I was running really strong sub 4's with the amount I was huffing and puffing but the end run split definitely showed something different. It just goes to show what altitude can do to your race when your not accustomed to it.

I had a finish time of 2:24:56 which may seem slow but on the course it was on and the circumstances I was pretty happy and ended up placing 4th. 

It also qualified me for the 5150 Hy-Vee U.S Champs in Des moines, Iowa on September 4th.

This gives me another good race to look forward to as well as the ITU Long Distance World Champs in November.

All in all it was a great race and run really well by WTC which I thoroughly enjoyed and had lots of fun! 

If only they would run 5150 races back home in Aus....

(Yes its a sectioned off Bar area after the finish shoot.... Y the hell do we not have these back home haha screw the G-rade and banana's...!)

(Old school Ref... was scared he was gonna pull out the whistle)

(Tim O'donnell Pro Winner)

he went 3peat....

Next Post Will Be "Week 2 Boulder Wrap up" on Sunday