There is a lot of information out there for newcomers to triathlon but the following four pieces are particularly important to me. I thought I’d share them with you and I strongly recommend seeking further knowledge from their sources.

The Four Pillars

Gordo Byrn has written so much great material. This piece in particular is a good introduction to the method behind the madness of Ironman preparation.

Continue Reading “3 Essential Reads for Ironman Newbies” »

In case you’ve been out running an multi-day adventure race or something, there was a frenzy last Saturday among athletes wanting to enter the 2011 edition of Ironman Australia. In fact, the whole field sold out in less than 24 hours!

Since there was a limited field of 1000, I’m guessing there are around 500+ athletes around the country who wanted to race but missed the boat.

So, what do you do if you missed out?

Cross the Dutch (I mean, ditch)
Head over to New Zealand for either Ironman NZ or Challenge Wanaka. Beautiful scenery and great races (from what I’ve heard). Ironman New Zealand is experiencing record demand for entries in the aftermath of Australia’s sellout.

Enter some Half Ironman/70.3 Races
For the seasoned competitor, perhaps a season of shorter races will provide the performance boost you’ve been looking for. For those stepping up the distance, maybe another year of half Ironman racing is just the base you need before attempting a big one.

Try something different
Have you been doing the same races year in, year out? Why not challenge yourself to something new. It could simply be a different triathlon. Or, a different sport! There are a few semi-ultras around if you fancy a 50-60k run. Maybe some mountain biking. Or an adventure race! Have a look through a race calendar and pick something new!

Learn something
Take the opportunity to learn some new skills. Join a cycling club and take part in some road races and criteriums. Get an introduction to clinical pilates or yoga. Training your brain and body to acquire new skills is just as important as another swim, ride or run.

Be ready to enter the mystery race
With IMWA and IMOZ now at either end of the Aussie triathlon calendar, there is a gaping wide hole in the middle of summer just waiting for an enterprising race organiser to come along. Who will it be?

Whatever you choose to do, do it smart and go hard!

How do you define “fitness”? Until recently, I hadn’t thought about it that much. I mean, you do a triathlon, or an Ironman – fairly decent athletic achievements – and figure your fitness is pretty good. That is, until you stretch the bounds of your workouts. Let me explain…

It’s easy to continue swimming, cycling and running. As triathletes that’s what we’re good at!

Lets translate that to what I like to think of as “real world fitness”. If you found yourself out in the wilderness (a la Man vs Wild), how long would you last? With a purely swim/bike/run background, I have a feeling it would be ok for a little while but sooner or later a situation would arise that could be a bit too much to handle. How do you think you would go?

Being a weakness of mine, strength and general gym work has been something I’ve dabbled with but never really worked hard at. Hence, the weakness! Inspired by the contestants on the Australian series of The Biggest Loser (yes, regardless of your athletic accomplishments, everyone can learn something from this show!) and in particular, Commando Steve, I’ve stumbled upon the CrossFit training methodology. On the CrossFit Journal (a brilliant resource) site they ask “What Is Fitness?” (Check out the PDF link on that page).

Continue Reading “How “Fit” Are You Really?” »

It’s been just over a week since I raced Ironman Australia. During that time, I’ve had an abundance of moments to feel sorry for myself. You see, things went pear shaped, just like I described in The Curse of the Ironman PB!

I should have seen it coming. It was whilst riding one of the steepish rollers past Flynn’s Beach just before the 60km mark that a guy stepped out from the side of the road and yelled “you’re sweatin’ like a pig mate!” that hinted things weren’t quite right. Upon reaching the crest of the climb, I looked down and noticed I was absolutely drenched. At the time there was no need to panic and I focused on maintaining my fluid intake. In hindsight, the damage was already done.

To complicate things further, my dehydrated state was making it difficult to digest anything sweet. Gels had to be forced down with the effort akin to a child eating their most hated vegetable at the dinner table. It’s a painful, drawn out affair!

Through 120km I could feel my muscles tightening slightly. The jaggedness of the roads made climbing hills a refreshing retreat, thanks to the easing of pressure it provides to tired arms and hands. The descents became agonizingly tiring.
Continue Reading “When the Pear Hits the Fan” »

Finishing an Ironman is hard. Going faster next time is even harder! But it shouldn’t be.

Heading into your first IM, there are so many unknowns. How will I feel on the run? Will I be able to hydrate enough? Will I even finish!?! You listen to all the advice, proceed with caution and hopefully come away with a finishers medal.

Next year rolls around. You’ve got an IM under your belt. You’ve trained better than last time. Been there, done that.

Race day arrives and you feel the nerves – everyone does. The cannon goes off and you begin the journey. This time however, somewhere along the way it goes a little pear shaped. Maybe it was a neglected piece of equipment. A niggling injury. A missed aid station. You dropped the ball – and that champion mindset suddenly meets the Ironman gods, who put you sharply back in your place. You’re reminded that this game isn’t easy, and everyone earns their finish medal – fast or slow.

Continue Reading “The Curse of the Ironman PB” »