Everything in life has a cost. How we pay each cost varies. You might pay for new shoes with money, pay for a mistake by spending more time getting it right, or you might pay for an accident by enduring physical injuries.

There is one particular method of payment that athletes, particularly Ironman athletes, need to be acutely aware of. Turning a blind eye to this little beast can end in tears – either on the training track or on race day. Fatigue. It’s the sneaky beast. It’s the elephant in the room, sitting behind the worn out training gear, the nutrition boxes and your array of high tech gadgetry. Fatigue.

Fatigue can be your friend. It is an essential element of a training program but it needs to be managed. Unfortunately for many, once taper time rolls around, their body is in such a fatigued state that there is just not enough time to dig back out of the hole in time for race day. Essentially, these athletes arrive at the start line with their bodies already partially worn out. Clearly not an ideal way to start a race, let alone an Ironman. Continue Reading “Fatigue – The Silent Injury” »

It’s funny how once upon a time, riding your bike inside was something you wanted to do but your mum wouldn’t let you. These days, time on the trainer, ergo or rollers is something many of us dread! Having said that, if you set yourself up correctly and regularly pump out quality sessions, you’ll love the benefits once summer rolls around. Not all of us are lucky enough to have a CompuTrainer or Wattbike, but that’s no excuse for not training well inside. Wade at CyclingTips gives a good run down of some indoor training specifics but I thought some more general advice would also come in handy. Apply the following tips and you’ll find you’ll get more out of pedaling indoors…

Continue Reading “Executing Quality Indoor Cycling” »

If you read my previous post – Traralgon Marathon – you’ll know last weekend I picked up third place, albeit twenty odd minutes behind the winner. Besides coming home with a little trophy, I got a taste of competition again and arrived home with a sense of drive that has been missing for a while.

There’s something about that feeling when you put it on the line – when you’re in a race, right on the edge of blowing up, but so is your opponent. That feeling that you’re waiting for one another to drop back an inch. Make a mistake. Tighten up. Give in.

Somehow, it had been a while since I’d felt that. I suspect that pressure of competition sometimes got to me when I raced as a junior and later in the VIS development squad. Maybe it was the thought that future opportunities balanced on the outcome? Maybe it was just not knowing how to handle that pressure?

Perhaps those few years since then have let me appreciate how to embrace the pressure of competition. You have to want it. And back yourself.

Do you want that feeling? Maybe a taste of competition is just what you need too.

Credit: www.traralgonharriers.org

I ran the Traralgon Marathon last Sunday. Our little running group had a boys weekend away in the country, which was a perfect way to focus on the task at hand and have fun at the same time.

It is Australia’s longest running marathon, and has a rich history including a 2:13 marathon by Derek Clayton back in 1970. The current course is out and back, with a defining feature being a 6km dead straight stretch of road at the far end of the course. With only two houses along the length of this stretch, there’s not a lot to look at and can challenge even the strongest mindset. When you get to the end of this road, you turn around and head back again!

This year, the conditions were close to perfect – cool temperatures with a slight headwind on the return trip. However, after 30km a slight headwind definitely feels stronger than it is.

Continue Reading “Traralgon Marathon” »

I thought I might try a weekly post with a list of links I’ve tweeted during the week. I find I sometimes miss a quality link from my favourite tweeters and this kind of post would come in handy. If you find it useful, let me know and I’ll keep it up…

• Some great photos from the Giro d’Italia prologue
• Pre-race photos from the Rev3Tri pro triathlon in Knoxville, USA
• Race day photos from the Rev3Tri
• Triathletes to race time trial at Tour of California
• Police blitz on cyclists without lights this winter in Melbourne, AUS
• Carlos Sastre’s Cervelo P4 TT Machine with SRAM & Zipp
• Lance Armstrong vs. Chris Lieto 2

Enjoy!