Confidence is built one small step at a time. This week has given my wife and myself another boost in confidence. We treated this week as an easier one, with a bigger, tougher workout on the end.
We both devote time each week to our body maintenance programs. Without that we’d fall apart before we got to the start line. Sandy has her massage/body maintenance guy. I have my chiropractor/kiniesiologist and we both have an accupuncture session once each week. On top of that we aim to eat meals “which we …

We’ve been through a few battles this week. It usually takes us more than two days to get over a big Sunday session. We always have Monday as a rest day. All I do physically is take my girls Mollie and Missie (dogs) for our coffee walk. We walk about two km, they get to say hello to all the school girls and boys passing the coffee shop. We sit on the footpath which is right near the underpass to the train station.
I’m sure those dogs know it’s Monday. If …

My past week has been another step up in confidence. When I write the programs for my athletes, I set out to have every major workout be, a confidence building experience. After all, when you stand on the start line, or when you reach 20km in the Ironman marathon. Your level of self belief and/or confidence is the most valuable assett you have.
At that stage of the race all those around you will have done a similar amount of training and will be of a similar level of fitness. The …

I’ve had a busy week and I’ve skipped straight from nine weeks to go down to seven weeks. Once we get into single figures it drops down fast.
My last week’s training was uneventful after my health event. I managed to get in 12hrs training, five of those hours was racing the Capricorn Half Ironman at Yeppoon. We drive up which takes eight hours either way.
In our busy lives, my wife and I don’t get much time to talk, so these road trips are eight hour conversations, motivational talks, race analysis …

I’ve had a bit of a setback. I missed last Sunday’s 100km time trial. I like to complete regular time trials as a measure of my progress on the bike. I have been putting in some good base hours on the bike and was looking forward to testing myself.
It was a cold morning at Walloon, the site of our time trial course. Someone recorded 2 degrees C. It’s about the coolest place in South East Queensland. By 10am it was up around 18 degrees, so the cold doesn’t last long.
I …

The easy week. I have been looking forward to this week. Last week I was smashed. Lots of cycling and running, really great base work, but I really pushed the limits. To reach the heights we seek, we have to push the limits.
This week I’ve hardly trained at all by comparison. I took advantage of this being an easy week to have a “BCC” (bad freckle) removed from my back. I haven’t heard back from the pathologist, so it mustn’t have been a melanoma. This meant stitches and no swimming since …

I’m walking like an old man today. I ran the Gold Coast Marathon yesterday. It’s amazing how my dogs adjusted their pace within the first five minutes of their morning walk. They normally run down steps or run up them. I naturally pick up the pace with them. This morning the first set of five steps I held them back and went down sideways, the next set of up steps, they looked back at me and walked up slowly. Another part of our walk there’s a downhill ramp, I held them …

Well my first week of training has consisted of two one hours swims. Both taken cautiously. The cold has almost totally gone. Just a little congestion left.
At this stage of a recovery from a cold or flu, there are still things I can do to make my Hawaii preparation more effective. I’m able to still work on my flexibility and core strength. As long as my muscles aren’t weakened by a flu. (in my case it’s just a cold, the muscles are fine. I haven’t had a temperature)
My swims have …

On Friday night my wife and I flew down to Sydney, to present an Ironman specific training seminar with Pete Jacobs. The plan was to present it from two angles. From the viewpoint of a young pro athlete at close to the top of his game. And from an age grouper with many years experience at Ironman coaching and competing.
Between us we have completed over forty Ironman races, about fourteen of them in Hawaii. Together we have a lot of experience to share with other athletes. We’ve made our fair …

It’s getting close to our official start to the Kona buildup. In three weeks we’ll start seriously building the base. I’ve just entered my wife and myself in the Gold Coast Marathon. We’ve been training for this as out “off season” event.
I mean no disrespect to the serious marathon contenders, but for us it’s just a reason to get out of bed in the dark and go running. When I say we’re not training for Hawaii just yet, it’s a bit misleading. We’re building a running base on which we’ll …