Noosa dreaming...

Where do you start?

Noosa is so legendary that no matter what I dribble about here I will miss pretty much all the best bits. But maybe it's better that way? Maybe the whole idea is that you have to actually get to Noosa for that first weekend in November and experience all that there is to offer for yourself?

Seriously though. Get the fuck to Noosa Multisport Festival.

Bondi Fit legends in our new kit

This year we had an extra couple of days which was great to hang out with some good friends just out of Brissy for a day before driving up the coast, catching some family and making it our sweet little pad in Little Cove in time to get out and enjoy a bit of mexican with some friends before crashing out.

Garmin Hill

The usual Friday morning course ride was a beauty, remembering that the sun comes up before you go to bed in Queensland which means by 6am it's freakin hot already, always nice. Looking back we made the mistake of caring too much about the race this day, as it was nice and sunny yet we decided that was the day to register and organise instead of soak up the sun and relax on the beach, rookies...especially considering that the rest of our time there would be cast in shadows... booo

Gatecrashing the Witsup Breaky ride

Saturday morning was played a little differently this year with Witsup holding their breaky today instead of Monday, not so bad. I gatecrashed the morning ride before breakfast and got to chat to a fair few people and hear some cracking stories that continue to make me laugh! Aimz came down and joined us for the breaky this year after a bout of food poisoning the night before ruled her out last year, good decision as she managed to win the Specialized helmet as well which means she is one step closer to getting on a bike... ;)
The panel was great; Blatchford, Granger and Snowy are a bunch of great people with a heap of experience and even more stories. You know it's a good panel when you have the likes of Mel Hauschildt and Jamie Jacobs sitting in the back row for kicks. Scored a kick arse goodie bag this year as well, Witsup flat caps? Well played Stef, well played!

Stef and the great panelists for the morning! Thank you all!
Photo credit to Korupt Vision

Saturday is the most awesome day of the weekend I think. There is just sooo much going on. Yes, yes the day before a race you should be feet up chilling out of the sun... But when you score VIP tickets to the Asics 5km bolt, the Legends race and the Women's and the Men's Crit then how could you possibly not go and watch?!?

Benny J from Noosa Bike Shop off the front of the Men's Crit

I did drag myself away long enough to jump in the water with the crew for a swim of the course. First time in my new Huub swim skin also which was good, surely this last minute purchase would dramatically change my race right? Haha. Rest assured that I have been thinking about one for ages as I race in a 2 piece suit, and if you have ever tried to swim in a 2 piece suit you will understand...! I liked it, felt sleek and fast and not restrictive, good sign!

Saturday arvo pre-race swim is always a good laugh!

Most nights before a race I like to sneak away and have a quiet diner to relax, although when in Noosa the race is just part of the trip, so what's a glass of wine and a meal with half the squad the night before? Love it.

Nothing new on race day = wine the night before

I'm not sure who decided to interrupt the weekend with a race (rude), but come Sunday morning I was with the masses setting the bike up for the day. Feeling relaxed and casual, which I'm never sure is a good or a bad thing? Either way my wave start wasn't for 2 hours again so I had time to go home, chill out and relax a bit.

Transition. Well not even half of it actually... crazy place!

Unfortunately my magic swim skin didn't save the day for me, I felt like I had a reasonably good swim to be honest, my wave must have been full of Poms as I'm almost certain that I was one of the first few out the water, as I don't wear a watch in the swim I didn't have any idea of how I actually swam (not great) which meant at least I was positive heading out on to the bike!
 

25-29 Wave start... Punch on lads

I love the Noosa bike course, that slow climb out of town to the bottom of Garmin Hill lets the legs warm up and the body settle down. We were lucky this year to not have the sun beaming down on us which I think made a difference, although it was windier than last year. I hit the base of the hill having no-one pass me which is always a nice feeling, keeping a solid tempo up the hill I let 2 guys go past who looked like they wanted KOM, all theirs... Across the top section I was caught by another 2 guys and couldn't quite hold on as they went past which was pretty frustrating, started to think that my Port 70.3 legs might be coming back to haunt me... From the turn I managed to pick up a TO for pretty much the entire leg back into town... They weren't watching me so much as moving from bunch to bunch up the road from me, although as I was moving quicker than the bunches ahead I kept catching and passing them... not really an issue until they decided to have a conversation with someone on the decent doing about 60km/h and I had to actually scream at them to get out of the farking way as clocked 85 on the way down (love that hill).

Love a bit of speed!

Off the bike in 1:04ish I thought was reasonable considering how I was feeling, 2mins slower than last year but that's cool. Really wanted to have a good run, so eyes up. Plus Tommy hadn't caught me yet where last year he got me as we came in to T2 so that was a good sign.

Telling myself I feel great heading out on the run

Hit the run and tried to settle down, running around 4:05-4:10's which I was comfy with as I just wanted the legs to come good so I could have a real crack in the back half. What's that saying about best laid plans? Hrmmmm.... Once again the few km's either side of the turn I struggled, slipping back to 4:20-4:30's for a while there... Someone always used to tell me to talk yourself through the run when you are tired and focus on form, so I was just going over and over in my head to run tall and have quick feet. Must have worked to some degree as I managed to come good (well better) the back half and run home reasonably strong. No where near what I wanted, but happy that I managed to dig myself out and come home strong, good mental win.

Anyway, that's enough race talk. Finish chute was amazing as always, over the line, grab a cup of water and flop back in the river. Done. Beer time.


Quick bite to eat and the first of a few vodkas for a mate who won't take no for an answer before heading to the Surf Club to enjoy the afternoon. Like every year th.... --INFORMATION MISSING-- ..r pizza which was delicious!

Epic party image

The next day in Noosa is usually beach day, but with the rubbish weather it was a let down... A quiet BBQ on our rooftop was about all that could be mustered. Pretty quiet night with some good people and not a drop of alcohol to be seen anywhere as we are all athletes.

Unlike last year, we managed to stay around for the Melbourne Cup this year. Excellent decision. Ended up a pretty good crew who stuck around for it.

Civilized and glamorous Melbourne Cup

It's a shame that the sun came out to play on the day we were dressed to impress. Really would have been a great day for an afternoon on the beach and a bit of a swim. I bet the water would have been warm and inviting... Shame that we will never know... Right?

What Watts? Port 63.7

It's official. Summer is here. And that's not just the sunburn talking... First race of the season under the belt in Port Macquarie definitely marks the beginning of Summer.

 

Port Macquarie in all it's morning beauty

It has been an up and down kind of winter, and a damn cold one at times... My running has come a long way which has been a good positive. Which reminds me, I never followed up on my last blog with an ambitious goal of 56min for the City-2-Surf... Well I'm happy to say that something clicked that day and I pulled out a 55:16... Winning!

That final painful km of the C2S

So really from a results perspective it was a great winter, perhaps the only up and down bit was inconsistent training and some mindless personal issues that are seemingly irrelevant. I can live with that.

So roll on the first race of the season. One of the most honest courses on the calendar but also one of the most scenic, Port Macquarie 70.3. It's a great tough course in a great little bogan town, and I say that with endearment.

This race has gone from a goal race, to a B race, to a don't care race, back to a training race and then to a what the hell have a crack race and back to a training race (see above personal ups and downs over the winter! haha) so when I checked the bike in on Saturday I really had no expectations at all and stomach full of nerves... go figure? At least I had my #1 fan up there with me this year to take me out to a pretty cracking lunch on the Saturday and put up with a 5:30pm dinner :)

Aimee's stellar lunch from Grape & Petal

This year was a strange start, we were herded into the carpark at the swim entry before the race start (missed out on a warmup swim!) and held until our wave was ready to start, then funneled into the water and out to the start bouys where we floated around and joked about waiting for instruction and then a horn went off! I guess that was the start then? Good thing we all knew what was going on... A 30 second warning would have been nice, but I guess not!

So the usual 25-29 age group start was amplified as we grew this year to include 18-29 which ensured that we started like there was a shark in the water (maybe that's what the horn was?). Pretty sure that I didn't punch anyone in the head this year which is nice, considering that I didn't get punched in the head either, maybe we are getting soft?

Swim start, no punches thrown...?

Spot's voice was ringing in my head as usual and this year I did listen (a little) and backed off a bit. The pack did it's usual swim the wrong way trick so by the time they had figured it out, corrected and half of them blown up already I was pretty much swimming next to them all again. I didn't jump on the back as they were still all over the place so I just swam my own way again. Turns out it wasn't a bad idea as I had a pretty good swim for me, well that or they all got lost out there somewhere... 27:14 and 11th in my division... I'll take that (and damn right it was short! haha). Even saved a spectators sunnies as I ran up the carpet to T1 (at the cost of my Huub goggles which I dropped...! :( )

Doing my duty, note the flying sunnies top left ;)

Heading out on to the bike I figured I had a pretty good swim, although I don't wear my watch in the swim so had no idea really, but I felt good and that's all that matters. I did wonder though if I had put in enough work on the bike lately to get through the next 90km on the bike at the speed my head wanted me to ride... Only one way to find out, hit the road and keep an eye on the power.
I said keep an eye on the power.
Shit.
Power meter not working... at all... Reset watch... Nope... No HR either...
Watts? What watts?
This is gonna be fun

Transition

I'd love to know what I was actually riding at out there, although it was great to ride blind to some degree as it definitely helps you to understand your body rather than rely on numbers, I think I may have pushed a little too hard considering the lead up I have had... haha. Not sure exactly when I figured that bit out, perhaps when somebody tried to slow me down by sticking 2 dozen knives in my quads the second time up Mathew Flinders... Fun

Heading out for Lap 2

The bike course was the same as I remember, just with less people. Maybe the early start wave? maybe the better swim from me? Or just less people in the field? All 3 I think.
Whatever it was, for the most part I didn't have anyone infront or behind. Was a pretty lonely 90kms, aside from the adoring fans up Mathew Flinders and my #1 fan clapping solo for me as I rode through the outskirts of town. I kinda like it that way.
Just wish I knew why the course was so slow this year...? I'm sure that we must have ridden over carpet at some point. 10mins slower than last year... anyway, that's starting to sound like an excuse, so I'll stop.

Coming back in to T2 feeling a sting in the legs

Coming in to T2 I felt every minute on my black pocket rocket. The quads were shot to pieces. Woo Hoo! So load up the crotch with some chamois cream, throw the Mizuno's on and hit the pavement. At least my watch decided to display my pace on the run, still no HR, but it was an improvement.

Feeling good at the 7km mark

Like I said, I felt pretty average, so forgot about the pace and just focused on form. I settled down eventually and the legs started to come around. Not where I would have liked them, but I was looking down the road at a 1:35 and thought I'd settle for that. This is a training race anyway. Right? I'm confused.
I carried on through the first lap holding that together somewhat, slowing a little up the hill in the back end which is normal. Although my body forgot to speed back up again. I got stuck in that gear. Either that or someone poured concrete in my legs while I was distracted. It took every ounce of mental strength not to stop when the nice lady gave me my 1st lap completed wrist band... The energy I had left after that went towards the walk/jog second lap. Hrmmm... Never quite had an explosion like this one. I had nothing. Slipped back to a 1:49. Ouch. Should have made this one a 63.7 rather than a 70.3...

Pretty glad that is over...

Nice to know that I found my limit. Now as I try and pick up the pieces and put the puzzle together I just hope that I can learn from this so that it doesn't happen again. I know that it might take a while (like forever) to get the balance right, but it was not a nice way to finish what started as a reasonable day in the water (no, I'm not a swimmer, stop smiling) so I need to take some lessons away

Now I have 2 weeks to remember how to walk before ripping what's left of my body to pieces in Noosa! Hell, at least there is a holiday and one hell of a party attached to that race. See you up there!

*note: I have learnt a lesson from this that is unrelated to my racing, although it's a lesson none the less... If someone has a bad race, you don't have to try and tell them it was a good race, they know they had a bad race, they are not looking for someone to pump them up and make them feel like they are a winner, not everyone wins a prize, it's OK to have had a bad race. I had a bad end to a race, that's OK, I know that, I'm not looking for sympathy, it's just a race, shit happens.
NB: I am absolutely totally 100% guilty of being 'that person' who tries to pump others up after a bad race... guilty as charged! I'll save you the long list of apologies that are due, but those people know who they are, and to them; "I'm sorry, you had a shit race hey" :)

Redundancy. Not always a bad word...

Well I've pretty much been a professional athlete the last 3 months... It's been fantastic as well as scary. But one thing is for sure, it's given me a good chance to think about my life and what I want out of it.

A hard life being a pro... Bondi in all it's glory

It's been three months now since the company I worked for since completing my degree had to make me redundant. Sure, at first I was upset, angry, confused... I had given almost 7 years of my life to this company including spending countless hours/days/weeks away from my friends and family with projects trips all around the state as well as months spent in Melbourne and finally culminating in a move to Sydney with the uncertainty of whether Aimee would follow me or if we would spend even more months or years living apart...

But. The day after I was given the news I was lucky enough to be able to get on a plane and head north to Noosa for the Noosa Triathlon festival. After a great weekend away in Noosa I started to realise that it might not be such a bad thing. I only really told a few people that are really close to me what had happened, and it made me realise exactly why those people are really close to me. Such amazing support and full of positivity no matter what they were going through in their own lives. They made me realise that I had been in the same company for so long that it was going to be a good thing for me to be able to have a change in my life! You all know who you are, so thank you :)

Absolutely loving Noosa National Park!

So with that change in attitude I decided that I wasn't even going to entertain the idea of looking for a job until the New Year, giving me almost 2 months to try and enjoy a summer in Sydney. A big part of that was being able to focus on my training and really get some solid sessions in.

Two of the best training buddies you could ask for

Hence the life of the pro athlete... there were lazy coffee sessions after the morning training, double swim sessions, midday core sessions... it was great. I rediscovered a love of the sport again.
I had all this time to relax and sleep on the couch, although I don't think I ever really did... it's amazing how the day gets away from you so quickly... I did manage to complete some great tasks while I had the time, including setting up a new website for one of my best friends as well as taking our coffee addiction to another level by starting a blog to voice our untrained and totally biased opinion. I was resident chef and dishwasher in our household which (hopefully) made life a little nicer for everyone, and took to baking pretty heavily! The no-sugar “diet” (I use that word loosely as I don’t like the word) had officially ended, although it had caused a permanent shift in our mentality and now we still follow it, although allowing a few more exceptions ;)

The 9am Mug

 
So this pro life was always going to come to an end. And this week was that time. I have now started with a new company and the role is really exciting and something that is outside of my comfort zone. Something that if I was still with that same company I would never have looked at. But given my time and my assessment of my life this new role fit the mould perfectly and would allow me to explore the industry from a different light and add another feather to the cap so to speak which is never a bad thing I don’t believe.
I discovered that my life, although needing challenges, needs to be supported by my working world rather than the other way around. My old company had (past tense) some great perks, although they soon became further and further apart until to be honest they almost disappeared... it was never a bad company and I learnt a lot, but the culture started to change... My new company has a sensational culture and attitude towards the work life balance. One that promotes a great flexible work environment, in which people are comfortable, which in turn promotes hard work and loyalty. That's a good thing and I’m very excited to be able to be a part of it.

Not all doom and gloom

Now that I have started a new role I have had some time to think about the old company a bit. One of the things that I never really thought about at the time I was made redundant was the customers I dealt with and how the news of my redundancy was treated? The word 'redundancy' is generally a cuss word, so I wonder what they were told when I didn't show up again? Did they get told 'Shane is no longer with us'? Which seems like a generic and harmless statement. But is it? If someone told you that the person that you have been dealing with was 'no longer with the company' what would you think? Me, I would probably think that they were fired or they had found a new job (although if they had a new role would I not have been told and had a handover with the replacement?). So no matter what they think when told, you can be almost guaranteed that they think it was my decision or my action that has caused me to not be 'with the company anymore', where in actual fact I was made redundant, which means that it was neither my decision nor my action that caused the result. It was in fact in part the company’s action and decision that has caused the result as well as the market, including potentially the customer, which would no doubt change the perception of me in their eyes, which might seem trivial, until your paths cross once again in business...

So I hope that the people and customers that I was lucky enough to work with during my time that were delivered the news of my departure were told the truth. There's nothing I could do about my redundancy, so I hope that my previous company and the people in it didn't (unintentionally) harm my image in the eyes of those that I dealt with. Next time you have to deliver the news to a company that a former colleague is 'no longer with the company', do them a favour and tell the truth.

Now, please excuse me, I have a new challenge in my life and I want to get out there and attack it.

PB Festival at the Gong!

A weekend full of PB's!

Glorious day for a swim!

Well what a weekend for a race!
It wasn't so much the weather or the place, but the people. Specifically team Bondi Fit.
It seemed that everyone was out for a PB. And boy did everyone deliver!

After getting down the Gong late Saturday arvo to erect the Bondi Fit temple in the most obtrusive position we could find (in the process upsetting one of our medal hopefuls with our casual attitude...) it was a gentle ride of the bike course that got the blood flowing for the following days race. It was fast. Gloriously fast!

So off to the pub we went to discuss tactics, by tactics I mean how to safely dodge the beers coming from the coach rather than race tactics, everyone was looking forward to it and it was early nights all round (I think...)

Team Bondi Fit! (photo by Bondi Fit)

Sunday morning was a beauty, little bit of wind around but mainly clear.
It was a bit of a late start with some confusion with the buoys on the outside of the harbour, they didn't want to stay put, and I still don't think they ever got them to stay put... hence the swim was a bit of a nightmare. Not to mention the shape of the swim... perhaps "Squashed M" is the best way to describe it... It was brutal. head on collisions all over the place due to swimmers drifting mere meters off the straight line between the cans. Wasn't much fun!

Although lets not let the brutality of it get in the way of the fact that it was a fast swim and there were PB's flying around!

Spot had a ripper in his category, again coming out of the water leagues in front of anyone else (although on a results check it seems that young Scotty may have got the upper hand...!)

Spotty killed as usual

A 20:53 was a massive PB for me, shaving off over 4 minutes! It was bloody nice getting out of the water, looking at the watch and seeing those numbers staring back at me!

Feeling good about the swim

Although it was a little short lived as I jumped into T1 only to find Tommy Tuckerbox's bike wasn't in the rack... Surely not. Little bastard.

It felt great to get out on the bike. After the ride the afternoon before I was really looking forward to getting stuck in to that course.
Quickly found my rhythm and settled in with 2 other guys sharing the work (not drafting I swear!) over the first 2 laps. The road surface was sensational and it was a very enjoyable ride.
There were a few little bursts from each of us trying to drop the other 2 over the first 2 laps but we all managed to wind it back in... I was still feeling strong so put a big effort in at the turn around to start the 3rd lap and managed to put a big enough gap on the other 2 that I didn't see them for the rest of the ride. That was a good feeling!

Off the bike and into the run. That bloody run that breaks me everytime.
For the last half a lap on the bike I had been going over my strategy for the run and trying to get myself mentally prepared. It was getting hot as well which I knew was going to cause some issues, but I threw a gel down and went into T2 strong.
My plan was to hold 4:45min/km's for the first half and then try and build.
I know I should be able to run much quicker, but time and time again the run has broken me, so I wanted to simply run well and run to a plan to get some confidence.

Feeling good early

The first 3km's I ran to plan, but I could already feel my legs wanting to give out. I tried to grab a mouth full of Dextro at each aid station to try subdue the feeling but it really started to slow me down. From then it was a 5km mental battle with myself to stop listening to my legs and just bloody run.
The final 2km's I managed to get to a stage where I was able to convince myself that the pain was only going to be short lived and push through.
Although, coming past the crowds on the way to the line, I was able to put some pace on (gotta love that crowd boost!) grit the teeth and go for it!

Until...

That last 1km...

The final brutal km...

Wow, that was cruel. Having to run past the crowd and the finish chute and off into the distance for a painfully hot and long loop before being able to turn and shoot for the line once again... Definitely a blow mentally and it took a lot of digging to find enough to carry that pace over the line...

2:16:03 - Massive PB of over 15 minutes. Gotta be happy with that!

Tommy smashed out a 2:02:24 for 4th (he was robbed by a Kahlefeldt who killed it in 1:57:20!)

And there was Gold for Lisa in 2:13:39 (I'll get you one day soon Lis....)

Gold Gold Gold! (Photo by Lizi Hamer)

 What a ripper weekend of racing!

Huski Tri Festival - Long Course

And I thought Saturday was a good day!

Sinking beers with the team while enjoying some pasta and listening to some of the worlds best, including  Macca, talk about their careers and their passion for the sport I thought the weekend couldn't get much better

I was wrong

Macca went and made a comment about Spot and before you know it Pete had a mic in Spots hand and there he was on the panel. Gold.

 

Photo credit: Laura Siddall

Waking up Sunday morning, again at the crack of dawn, I was able to experience for the first time, life on the other side of the fence, as a part of the groupies.

WHAT A BUZZ!

Starting the morning off down on the beach, watching our first three guys getting ready for their Long Course race I could see the look in their eyes, and I knew that I had that same look the day before, although with the beauty of sitting on the side lines relaxed I could now notice it in others, where as previously it wasn't something that I have ever noticed. A quick pat on the back and a rev up and it was time to watch the pro's hit the water.

They are an uncooperative bunch. The men starting well forward of the line even while the race director barks at them, the women while initially holding back were just as quick to move of the start line a good 10m before the starter went.

Spotty was his usual entertaining self on the start line, showing of his gut and doing his best to sneak off the line. It wasn't enough though, and with the pro girls only 5mins ahead he threw the challenge out to catch the girls. Much to everyone's laughter.

Untill he caught them

Our two boys had great swims and both came out of the water looking strong heading up the stairs to transition.

It was a good feeling watching the team race and the support crew grew and grew as the morning went on.
Some breakfast while waiting for the next start group and the first bike lap was just what the doctor ordered and I was relishing in the relaxed atmosphere of the day.

Then all hell broke loose

Before we knew it, the bikes were punching out laps, controversy with Spot still out in front at the end of the second with our man in the sin bin (guilty as charged!), there was swim wave starts for the rest of team Bondi Fit, more laps on the bike, run transitions, more laps on the bike, more running, more cheering, more everything!

I think from the time I finished breakfast I didn't stand still for more than 30 seconds for the next 5 hours.
There was so much action that I spent the entire day running around the course cheering and taking photos.
I didn't even get to see any of the pro race as Team Bondi Fit were everywhere!

I think I was honestly more excited Sunday than I was Saturday. Don't get me wrong, I had absolutely no desire to be out there on the course with them, but it was exciting to see them push themselves and succeed!

There were so many good moments although the following highlights are what have stuck with me:

Adriel Young

A.K.A Bacon. This bloke is a machine. His ability to punch above his weight is amazing. Coming through the field to finish in 3:51:41 to finish in 10th overall is incredible. More incredible is the bloke rode the 220km home from Huski the next day.

"Lassie"

This bloke was having such a good day on the course that there were 3 specific times that he made me realise that there is more to it than your finish time. You have to love this guy.

#1: Blowing a kiss to the photographer as he strolled up the stair case

#2: Sneaking a kiss off his better half as he left T2

#3: The dog paddle, mid 20km run

Macca & Ambrose

These guys were out for a training run as part of a team. Some training run. They ran shoulder to shoulder for 19.5km at about 3:50min/km, then the race started. The last 500m was as exciting as it gets with an all bets off, elbows out sprint to the line! One for the memory bank!

Tommy v Macca

Our man, Tommy "The Kid", as part of the Bondi Fit long course team with Laura and Scottie, after winning his maiden gold the day before and polishing off some beers in celebration, put together a sub 76min 20km sprint to NOT ONLY snatch team gold for Bondi Fit, but to out run Macca by a full 15 seconds.

Man of the match: