Now lets work on the run...

That's what winter is for right?

After a little time off after a season full of ups and downs both in triathlon and in my life, with work and friends coming and going, it was a good time to get focused on my run. The run has been my weakest leg since I got into the sport, I just never had the speed. I would hold my own in the water and generally grab a few spots on the bike, only to watch people run away from me on the run...

It was time to fix this. The goal was sub 90min.

Gotta love a 10km Bondi Fit foot race to gauge your form!

First goal was the SMH Half in May.

I had pretty much dropped hard bike work and cut back a few swim sessions (wish I didn't!!) in order to both focus on the run as well as spend some more time at home with my fiance who I'm sure wondered if I was leading a secret life.

Progress was looking good, I was feeling reasonably strong although I knew that there was so much more in the tank I thought that it would be a good early run season race to see where I was at. Being the first Half Marathon that I'd ever run fresh. Spot was going to pace me through the first 10km at 4:20 pace and then wave me on for the back end to bring it home.

Although the Tuesday before the race that all came to a halt with a little slide in the wet on the bike in Centennial Park... Not the first, won't be the last... No serious damage besides a good bit of skin gone and a ripper bump on my hip that pretty much restricted me to a limp until the Friday afternoon... not the best lead up to a race... I managed a few 1km efforts at race pace on Saturday with a little bit of pain so I figured that I should be able to put up with it for 21km. Right?

Gotta love a bike crash...

Race morning I felt pretty good actually, besides the arctic weather that Sydney greeted us with. Couple of run throughs with the squad and the mandatory photo and we were off to the start line.
It's a bit of a downhill for the first few km's and I'm sure that even though coach always says not to go out to hard and get caught in the start line rush that we ran out too hard and got caught in the start line rush... but no harm was done and we settled into race pace pretty soon after without much trouble. No real pain. Sweet.

Traditional run throughs pre-race

The course is pretty windy and up and down so it was always interesting with stuff to keep your mind occupied. Well until you get to Pyrmont and those lovely hills! I lost coach on the hills a little and figured he was hurting, I was a little surprised that he stuck with me through those first 8km really as I hadn't seen him run for a while and wondered how he'd go! But after I came out of Pyrmont sure enough he was running next to me again, albeit a little out of breath and not interested in a chat!

All smiles on the start line

We stuck together till the 10km mark where he waved goodbye and jumped the fence to where his car was conveniently parked :)

The back end of the race was pretty good, nice views and I managed to stay pretty consistent which was nice as well as having that great feeling of running past a constant flow of people who had blown up! The only real time I was cursing was running past the finish chute at about the 18km mark and down to Mrs Macquaries Chair, knowing that I had to turn around and run back up... That is a shitty run... I held on though and pulled out a 1:32:57 with a nice 15sec negative split. Pretty happy with that considering!

SMH Half Splits

Official race timing

I'm still kind of happy with that, although there were a few people that suggested that there is more to give than I thought, so we re-evaluated some goals for the Gold Coast Half in a few weeks... Not just sub 90min, but 87/88min instead. Now that doesn't sound like much, but that's 4:16min/km pace for a 90min, or 4:07min/km pace for an 87min... that's a bit of a difference...

But it was about time I started believing that I was a runner, so what the hell. Lets have a crack.

After the SMH Half, Spot gave the reins for Track sessions to fellow athlete Julie, who just happens to be an ex AIS athlete with some pretty solid credentials. This was great for me as I was able to really work on some specific goals week to week to go after the goal. Julie was great and pushed me pretty hard, which I needed as I'd obviously been slacking in the past!

Coach Julie has me working hard under lights...

I was super lucky to have to spend the week before the race traveling around the state for work which once again wasn't probably the best lead up to a race, although the fact that I wasn't going to be able to fall off a bike I figured that it couldn't be any worse! Plus, I managed to have a taper run around Lake Jindabyne in stunning (yet freezing) conditions, so I suppose it wasn't that bad.

Ripper location for a taper run!

Goldy time!

Getting up to the Goldy on the Friday night, we scored an upgrade at the Crowne Plaza (thanks Aimee!) which also happened to be the official hotel for the festival which meant that all the elite athletes were wandering around. This was pretty cool, although depressing knowing how much faster they were!! haha
Having the Saturday to pick up the race bib, check out the expo, have a taper run and just generally be cruisy was great to be able to clear my head from all the craziness from the last week and get ready to run.

Room upgrade? Hell yes!

Come Sunday, we jumped on the free shuttle to the start line (probably cut it a bit fine!) and quickly got through a proper warm-up and stretch leaving just enough time to get into the start pens although not enough time to get to the front, so I started in the middle of a tight bunch just behind the bloke with the 1:30:00 balloon... not ideal...

Once the gun went I spent the first 1km jumping over people's feet and trying to get my own space and get around the people who had high expectations of themselves... In hindsight it may have helped slow me up a little and not get caught in the rush!

After the initial 1km was out of the way I settled down and found a rhythm. That rhythm was a little quicker than planned race pace at around 4:07min/km. But I was feeling good and comfortable so I just held it there. I hit the timing mat at 10km in 41:27 (4:08min/km) and was feeling pretty good. I had managed to grab at least a mouthful of water at each aid station so was reasonably confident, so I opened it up a little and tried to come home strong and see what was going to happen.

I wasn't really aiming for a pace on the way home, just looking to be slightly uncomfortable. That turned out to be between 3:55-4:00min/km pace. It was stinging the legs a little but it was only 10km and I was convincing myself that I was feeling good so I stuck with it, passing more and more people only made me feel better as well. Happy days!

Feeling good coming on the home stretch

About 19.5km in I copped a ripper stitch that brought me to tears and almost stopped me in my tracks... I jammed my hand in it so hard it made me cry although took the pressure off it a little... although it definitely slowed me down a little... With just over a km to go though it was just grit the teeth and get it done, deal with it later.

The last 500m was great with a huge crowd, always awesome to come home to support like that! Managed to get over the line in 1:26:11. Shaving a good chunk off the goal. Pretty freaking happy with that!! Although I couldn't help but be a little shitty that the stitch in the 20th km cost me a sub 40min 10km in the back end and an 85min split... but that's getting greedy :)

Goldy Half Splits

So with that I ticked that goal off my list. It's a good feeling ticking off a goal.

Official race timing. Happy with that

Unfinished business time...

Next on the cards is the unfinished business that I have with the City-2-Surf... the 60:17 I ran last year was so tantilisingly close to sub 60 that I want to smash that this year!

Spot agrees. Goal is set. Sub 56min. That should sting a bit. Sub 4:00min/km including that hill... Bring it on.

A bit of a Husky affair

I love Husky. Actually I would be willing to bet most people do. It's a bloody great place, especially for a triathlon festival.

I hadn't gone down for the Olympic race this year for some reason or another, but I sure as hell wasn't going to miss arguably the best triathlon weekend in NSW, the Husky Long Course Triathlon Festival so wonderfully hosted each year by Emo and the team from Elite Energy. It should be on everyone's calendar as there literally is something for everyone. Swims, runs, mini-man triathlons, enticer triathlons, sprint triathlons and of course the fantastic Long Course triathlon.
 

Photo: Bondi Fit

Last year I just did the sprint (http://s-tri-ving.blogspot.com.au/2013/02/huski-tri-festival-long-course.html), but hung around to watch the long course the next day (staying on the floor of the Bondi Fit brothel...) and I loved it! Such an amazing festival. So this year I was definitely doing the long.

I may have made a bet with a C (or is that D?) grade celebrity about racing the Sprint on the Saturday and the Long on the Sunday, but after spending 2 weeks working in Adelaide and only flying back to Sydney to drive to Husky on Friday night I pulled a heart muscle and didn't race the sprint, although I did go watch and cheer on the Bondi Fit team, including cheering ribbons home for 4th :)

Photo: Bondi Fit

Our age group scored it lucky on race morning having a start in one of the early waves, so we were able to set off just behind the pro's. There was a massive field of them this year including Jacobs, Sam Appo, Tim Reed, Liz Blatchford, Lisa Marangon and Matilda Reynolds so was great to watch them hit the water.

I didn't really have much of a plan for this race, just to try and be steady and solid throughout and try not to explode at any stage. Easy.

The swim start was the same as always. Not sure which gene is responsible for the Male 20-29 age group needing to have a 200m fist fight at the start of every race... but when in Rome... I'm pretty sure I landed more than I copped this time. Once they all sorted themselves out I just went about my own business. I gave up chasing feet in this age group a while ago as 90% of them enjoy swimming the scenic route, so I let them go and swim can to can. Not sure if I'm better off or not, but I feel better about myself :) Turns out I swam alright as well, coming out the water in 32:42 which for me was pretty satisfying!
 

  

Having only done one 70.3 before I kind of knew what I was in for on the bike course, although I wasn't quite prepared for how unforgiving the Husky course actually is. There just isn't anywhere that you can settle in to a rhythm, it's completely undulating, it was going to take a bit to make sure I rode the 3 laps smart and not blow up... I built my speed from the first lap to the second pretty well, there was a few guys around me that we paced off for a while, I sat at the front for a lot of it as there was a mate on a motorbike who followed for quite some time and I didn't feel like having a rest. By the third lap there was only two of us left and the young lad was happy to sit a few bike lengths back for most of the lap before I tried to pull away on the last few km's. Turns out the wind had picked up (excuse #1) a little on the last lap and required a little more energy for less of a result which is a shame, although that's life.

Coming into T2 I swung the leg over (always interesting after over 2 hours on the bars) and felt my left hamstring file a pretty serious complaint (excuse #2)... Hobbled my way through T2 while filing the complaint in the "deal with it later" box, although within the first 200m it was escalated and I had to stop and try stretch it out as I couldn't see where I was running through the tears in my eyes. I decided that I didn't need this right now and would just pull the pin. But I started running again. No idea why. It was absolutely excruciating till about the 7km mark when it loosened up a little bit and I was able to run without crying. Excellent. The run is great when you start so early, it's such a massive boost to cross paths with all the pro's and watch their race unfold. Cheering on the likes of PJ for the win over Reed (looked like they was out for a bloody jog! check Karl's footage here: ) and also getting to watch good mate Tils chase down a quick Liz Blatchford was bloody great and kept the mind off the pain. I held a pretty consistent (albeit slow) pace for the whole run besides the last 2 km's when I had a mini blow up and slowed a little.

Now. This is the bit where I have a bone to pick with the official timing... My watch, as shows below, said 4:29:22. Which I'm positive is accurate. Although on the official timing I'm down as 4:30:53... Usually I wouldn't care that much. But when it's the difference between sub 4:30 and not sub 4:30.... faaaarrrkkk....! haha. Oh well

 

After a friendly hip and shoulder with Pete Murray on the finish line and a good massage I was happy. And I'll be back next year. And so will Aimz to race in a team as she still hasn't officially said no (looking for a swimmer and a cyclist!) :)

Big thanks to Dee for having a place for us to crash over the weekend as well!

TP data:
 - Swim: http://tpks.ws/2hWb
 - Bike: http://tpks.ws/XJwn
 - Run: http://tpks.ws/kNMH

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: