Day started with a rush to transition due to taking a little too long to get all the gear from the lovely York Apartments we were vacating and getting a sick athlete (me) and sick bub ready for a long day. Poor Sam. Managed to get in with a small amount of time to get everything organised. All done as they were calling the last guys out of transition for lock up as I was trying to inflate my tyres. Unfortunately my connector for the disc blew apart and left me with a flattened back wheel. Luckily the guys from shimano service said they'd fix it for me as I was escorted out of transition by the officials. Well, a great start to the day hoping that they would remember to fix the back wheel.
Got a good position at the start line and short swim warm up felt a bit chesty but ok. With the gun and the usual argee-bargee but managed to get away with a couple of guys whom I assumed where Sam Hume, Brad Campbell and other elite age-groupers. Immediately felt the chest and sinuses making it hard to breathe. So I had to change tact and breathe every stroke rather than my normal bilateral breathing. Made it a bit harder and lost some ground on a couple of guys but for the most came out in the top 3/5 so all going well. Swim 27:30.
Bike became a one man TT which is how I like it. I sat on my power and went a bit by feel also as the HR was a bit high due to sickness but only a little. Whole ride passed people and never once got in a group/person to rotate legally with. Which was perfect as it gave me a good individual data for analysing for the coming Port Ironman. Went well on the hills and long straights. Need to spend some more time in the TT bike saddle but this will come with summer blocks of training. Good nutrition strategy and completed the bike with plenty of energy left in reserve. Bike 2:33:08.
Good start to the run and plan was to sit in 145-155bpm and hold the whole way. Canberra is relatively flat for the run and a great race for pacing practice. After 3km I found that my HR was all over the shop. My sinus/sickness was playing up a bit even though I was feeling good energy wise. I was unable to get the HR out of the 90-120bpm range unless I pushed it and then it would shoot up to above 175+bpm. I check the HR strap and it was fine and reading well. Obviously things were not right due to the sickness so I made the decision to ease into a 120bpm pacing and try to hold off some guys. I dropped a large amount of time from the 8km to home doing this but still managed to grab 5th place. Run 1:39:28. Total of 4:39:21, 5th in age, 31st overall.
Post race the sickness flared up but the body was good. In all, a good hit out and fairly easy on the body for a high end result in approx 800-1000 competitors. I raced to a quicker time than the Port Half Ironman on a harder and longer course with an easier run pace due to sickness. All good indicators that the training is coming along.
Leaving transition I was approached by a guy, Duncan Blake, who offered up his spare aerobar forearm holders to me. This was great as mine had cracked and they do not make replacements any more. Looks like I will now have a working set of aerobars and can get that much needed time in the TT bike saddle in the lead up to Port IM.
Cheers,
Bevan.
Tuesday, 5 January 2010
Thursday, 10 December 2009
Canberra 70.3 Triathlon and Leach Early Xmas
Hi Guys,
Sam, Frankie and I are heading up to Canberra this weekend for the Canberra 70.3 triathlon and an early Xmas with the Leach family.
The Canberra 70.3 has a great field lined up as it is the final race in the Australian Half Ironman Series and also a qualifier for the ITU World Long Distance Championships in 2010 in Germany. I will be using it as my last big training run to test out a few things before I knuckle down into my build up to the Australian Ironman in 2010. It is one of the toughest courses in Australia and normally can break a few of the packs up. Run by some great guys, Nick Munting and Graeme Hannan, it is one of the races I love doing in Australia.
The trip could be interesting as both Sam and I have picked up Frankie's sickness. Should make it a fun trip down in the car. It is starting to get bad so I will just have to see how it is race day to determine how hard I can push. I am already having great difficulty breathing and the heart rate is terrible on light exercise. But I will race no matter what albeit at a lower level so that no damage is done.
Cheers,
Bevan.
Sam, Frankie and I are heading up to Canberra this weekend for the Canberra 70.3 triathlon and an early Xmas with the Leach family.
The Canberra 70.3 has a great field lined up as it is the final race in the Australian Half Ironman Series and also a qualifier for the ITU World Long Distance Championships in 2010 in Germany. I will be using it as my last big training run to test out a few things before I knuckle down into my build up to the Australian Ironman in 2010. It is one of the toughest courses in Australia and normally can break a few of the packs up. Run by some great guys, Nick Munting and Graeme Hannan, it is one of the races I love doing in Australia.
The trip could be interesting as both Sam and I have picked up Frankie's sickness. Should make it a fun trip down in the car. It is starting to get bad so I will just have to see how it is race day to determine how hard I can push. I am already having great difficulty breathing and the heart rate is terrible on light exercise. But I will race no matter what albeit at a lower level so that no damage is done.
Cheers,
Bevan.
Monday, 23 November 2009
Port 70.3 Wrap up
Well, I had a good hit out at Port. Drove up/back with Andy Sawatske from High Tide Photography who took some great shots as usual of the Port 70.3 athletes.
Race day came and had a couple of athletes I help out that were racing with differing objectives. It was great to see them both going well in the end with one having a great race dropping time on a build week towards Busso IM and the other placing 4th on only a couple of light jogs after a very bad lower leg injury.
Personally my race day went well in regards to the training and data collection for my build towards Port IM in March 2010. I got enough information to be able to find training grounds around the Newcastle region to suit the race and build.
I swam ok but at a comfortable pace so that I worked slowly up to the lead groups. Just couldn't bridge the last gap to the pro's who had a head start. Too busy in a wrestling match with people who do not know how to swim straight and draft properly. I was happy to lead the groups that I swam through and bridge up. Still work to do on top end speed but strength was there. Time to up the distances in training and get regular speed work in. Time: 23:49.
Slow transition, lost places, not normal for me.
Bike, aim was to sit in my wattage 290-350 with a comfortable heart rate. Took a lot of control as first part of course was hilly so had to back off normal pace and as such groups got time on me. However, sitting on the wattage I worked my way up through the groups into the top 10 and picked up a couple of pro's I couldn't shift. Slowly bridging up to main group in 3-8th positions when the CPU from the powermeter wasn't there. Had to do a u-turn and go looking for it, found it approx 1-1.5km back. This was the main reason for the race as I needed that information to train for the next 5 months. The CPU worked so I plugged it back in and got on with the job. This happened before the last portion of the first lap before the hills so a bad position for it to occur. Lost a lot of time [ post race checked my splits on CPU (2:25 including both transitions and continue over so approx low 2:20's) vs the race 2:32 so a good 7mins plus lost]. Sat on wattage and over next loop rode back up into the top groupings and back to near 10th?? Dragged a few people through but didn't worry just got the info. Passed a big pack that I dragged for a while with 20+ people in it to near the end. I was happy with the ride as was working but comfortable and a pace I could keep going for the IM.
Run, got off with a chance to consolidate top 10/15 overall and win age or stay with the plan and run IM pacing to get the training information. Sat at required 150-155bpm HR with the plan to test different drink combo's/salt each lap. In the first 2km I got swamped by guys from the 20+ group. It was hard not to go with them and 'race' but I was there for a different reason. Slowly I built into each loop getting faster (or it felt like it) with the same HR. Although I lost a large amount of placings, I got the information I needed re the HR vs pace vs course layout to train for the IM rather than flooring it for a placing with no help for the IM training. I could have continued running and completed a marathon at that pace. Time: 1:45. Overall time 4:41hr 56/750 [with 7mins (7-10mins actual lost) off from bike CPU lost = 4:34hr which would have got me a top 30/750 with a training day effort].
Nil problems after the race and some great information/baselines to focus for Kona qualification. For the fitness I have at the moment things are moving forward. I am racing Canberra 70.3 on December 13 and will be able to compare pacings and push harder as the fitness and body slowly recovers its normality/race fitness.
Cheers,
Bevan.
Race day came and had a couple of athletes I help out that were racing with differing objectives. It was great to see them both going well in the end with one having a great race dropping time on a build week towards Busso IM and the other placing 4th on only a couple of light jogs after a very bad lower leg injury.
Personally my race day went well in regards to the training and data collection for my build towards Port IM in March 2010. I got enough information to be able to find training grounds around the Newcastle region to suit the race and build.
I swam ok but at a comfortable pace so that I worked slowly up to the lead groups. Just couldn't bridge the last gap to the pro's who had a head start. Too busy in a wrestling match with people who do not know how to swim straight and draft properly. I was happy to lead the groups that I swam through and bridge up. Still work to do on top end speed but strength was there. Time to up the distances in training and get regular speed work in. Time: 23:49.
Slow transition, lost places, not normal for me.
Bike, aim was to sit in my wattage 290-350 with a comfortable heart rate. Took a lot of control as first part of course was hilly so had to back off normal pace and as such groups got time on me. However, sitting on the wattage I worked my way up through the groups into the top 10 and picked up a couple of pro's I couldn't shift. Slowly bridging up to main group in 3-8th positions when the CPU from the powermeter wasn't there. Had to do a u-turn and go looking for it, found it approx 1-1.5km back. This was the main reason for the race as I needed that information to train for the next 5 months. The CPU worked so I plugged it back in and got on with the job. This happened before the last portion of the first lap before the hills so a bad position for it to occur. Lost a lot of time [ post race checked my splits on CPU (2:25 including both transitions and continue over so approx low 2:20's) vs the race 2:32 so a good 7mins plus lost]. Sat on wattage and over next loop rode back up into the top groupings and back to near 10th?? Dragged a few people through but didn't worry just got the info. Passed a big pack that I dragged for a while with 20+ people in it to near the end. I was happy with the ride as was working but comfortable and a pace I could keep going for the IM.
Run, got off with a chance to consolidate top 10/15 overall and win age or stay with the plan and run IM pacing to get the training information. Sat at required 150-155bpm HR with the plan to test different drink combo's/salt each lap. In the first 2km I got swamped by guys from the 20+ group. It was hard not to go with them and 'race' but I was there for a different reason. Slowly I built into each loop getting faster (or it felt like it) with the same HR. Although I lost a large amount of placings, I got the information I needed re the HR vs pace vs course layout to train for the IM rather than flooring it for a placing with no help for the IM training. I could have continued running and completed a marathon at that pace. Time: 1:45. Overall time 4:41hr 56/750 [with 7mins (7-10mins actual lost) off from bike CPU lost = 4:34hr which would have got me a top 30/750 with a training day effort].
Nil problems after the race and some great information/baselines to focus for Kona qualification. For the fitness I have at the moment things are moving forward. I am racing Canberra 70.3 on December 13 and will be able to compare pacings and push harder as the fitness and body slowly recovers its normality/race fitness.
Cheers,
Bevan.
Friday, 30 October 2009
Port Macquarie 70.3 this weekend
Hi Guys,
I head up to Port Macquaire this weekend for the half ironman triathlon. It is a bit of a fact finding mission and test run. This is predominately the identical course that will host the March 2010 Australian Ironman which I have as a major goal to qualify for the Hawaiian Ironman World Champs in 2010. Port Half traditionally has a good field with athletes building into Busselton Ironman in 5 weeks time or looking for points in the Australian Half Ironman Series.
With that in mind, I head to Port to try a few different things. I will be using a powertap and aiming to sit at a certain wattage to see how the body copes and what this means for my run off the bike. I am working towards full recuperative fitness by the end of this year and then a long lead in to the Australian Ironman in March. I will also try a wheelbuilder cover on the powertap and test if this is appropriate for the course and if it 'works'. This will an initial test run on the product so here's hoping there are no mechanical issues with it.
Port is normally a very wet and windy weekend but forecasts are for a hot one. I will push to see where the limits are in the swim and run. I am looking forward to a good hard hit out and then being able to analyse the data post race to develop some specific training for the March Ironman goal race.
I am also looking forward to seeing how the coaching guys go and touching base with my triathlon mates I have not seen in a while. I will touch base after the race.
Cheers,
Bevan.
I head up to Port Macquaire this weekend for the half ironman triathlon. It is a bit of a fact finding mission and test run. This is predominately the identical course that will host the March 2010 Australian Ironman which I have as a major goal to qualify for the Hawaiian Ironman World Champs in 2010. Port Half traditionally has a good field with athletes building into Busselton Ironman in 5 weeks time or looking for points in the Australian Half Ironman Series.
With that in mind, I head to Port to try a few different things. I will be using a powertap and aiming to sit at a certain wattage to see how the body copes and what this means for my run off the bike. I am working towards full recuperative fitness by the end of this year and then a long lead in to the Australian Ironman in March. I will also try a wheelbuilder cover on the powertap and test if this is appropriate for the course and if it 'works'. This will an initial test run on the product so here's hoping there are no mechanical issues with it.
Port is normally a very wet and windy weekend but forecasts are for a hot one. I will push to see where the limits are in the swim and run. I am looking forward to a good hard hit out and then being able to analyse the data post race to develop some specific training for the March Ironman goal race.
I am also looking forward to seeing how the coaching guys go and touching base with my triathlon mates I have not seen in a while. I will touch base after the race.
Cheers,
Bevan.
Tuesday, 13 October 2009
Maitland Triathlon Unofficial Results: 1st Mens 30-34 years, 9th male overall.
Hi Guys,
I completed my test event in Morpeth over the weekend made that little bit harder by attending the Mauling for Muscles black tie charity dinner for Muscular Dystrophy the previous evening. The triathlon incorporated a 1.5km swim, 55km bike, and 12km on/off road run. I decided to race on my road bike with powertap to record data to enable me to have working numbers for the half ironman races coming up. Results will be posted sometime this week but from the presentations I came 1st in the Men's 30-34 years division, 9th male overall, and first overall using a roadie ;) haha. I found that I can definitely make some big changes in the way I distribute my energy with large power ranges in the bike. I purposely did not hang in any groups taking a turn then sitting off the back to get an even power recording. I also noticed a big change in power legally drifting through a group of up to 150-250 Watts. Also the aero advantage of a tri bike compared to a roadie and the extra wattage needed was noticeable. Good points for the race were coming out in the top couple of the swim, a good consistent run that I was able to build on throughout, and no further problems to the rehab. I am now looking forward to banking some specific training and working towards the seasons goals.
Cheers,
Bevan.
I completed my test event in Morpeth over the weekend made that little bit harder by attending the Mauling for Muscles black tie charity dinner for Muscular Dystrophy the previous evening. The triathlon incorporated a 1.5km swim, 55km bike, and 12km on/off road run. I decided to race on my road bike with powertap to record data to enable me to have working numbers for the half ironman races coming up. Results will be posted sometime this week but from the presentations I came 1st in the Men's 30-34 years division, 9th male overall, and first overall using a roadie ;) haha. I found that I can definitely make some big changes in the way I distribute my energy with large power ranges in the bike. I purposely did not hang in any groups taking a turn then sitting off the back to get an even power recording. I also noticed a big change in power legally drifting through a group of up to 150-250 Watts. Also the aero advantage of a tri bike compared to a roadie and the extra wattage needed was noticeable. Good points for the race were coming out in the top couple of the swim, a good consistent run that I was able to build on throughout, and no further problems to the rehab. I am now looking forward to banking some specific training and working towards the seasons goals.
Cheers,
Bevan.
Thursday, 8 October 2009
Update and New Partnerships Formed!
Hi Guys,
Well a bit of time has gone by since the last update. Things were going well for a bit and then I have had some set backs with the recuperation. I was still able to race the Worlds on very limited training and was happy with the result placing 18th in the Aquathlon and 9th in the Sprint. I lead the sprint for a large portion but the lack of running training let me down as I ran 3:30min slower than normal and lost out by 1:51min. I went for the win and could not have done anything more, so was happy with the result and getting through with no further injuries. I have picked up a few muscle imbalances from the bike crash and am now slowly working through these to get the body back up in shape. The major objective for the season will be Port Macquarie Ironman March 28 2010 and gaining my spot to the Hawaiian Ironman World Championships in October 2010. I will be using cycling races and Half Ironmans to bring the body up to speed for an all out assault in March. I have already locked in the Port Macquarie 70.3 in November to test the course using a powertap for the first time and then the hard Canberra 70.3 course for a challenging race. I will look for more racing in the New Year in the lead up to Port IM with the Oceania Long Distance Champs as a probability.
Other great news is that I have formed two new partnerships. I am greatly appreciative of the support that they will provide:
The first is with Hunter Industrial Ceramics Pty Ltd (www.hunterceramics.homestead.com/index.html) who aided in providing the Giant TCR Advanced SL Team Road Bike for all my road racing, short course triathlon racing, and training. Hunter Industrial Ceramics are involved in quality on-site tile maintenance for the coal preparation industry, the use of wear technology in the coal mining industry, as well as servicing the grain handling and power generation industries. Based in Newcastle, they also service the Hunter Valley and Central Coast - with a newly opened Mudgee office providing further servicing options.
The second is with endurance Junkie (www.endurance-junkie.com). This is a company that will be aiming to develop, manufacture and sell multisport apparel that is world class in terms of quality, performance and design. I will be involved in the development, testing and marketing of this top-notch triathlon apparel and look forward to getting it on as many podiums as possible. A media release can be found on the endurance-Junkie website on our new partnership.
Next up is a mid-distance triathlon training race this weekend in Maitland that will provide a good baseline of where I am at for the start of the season and test how the recuperation is going.
Train safe,
Bevan.
Well a bit of time has gone by since the last update. Things were going well for a bit and then I have had some set backs with the recuperation. I was still able to race the Worlds on very limited training and was happy with the result placing 18th in the Aquathlon and 9th in the Sprint. I lead the sprint for a large portion but the lack of running training let me down as I ran 3:30min slower than normal and lost out by 1:51min. I went for the win and could not have done anything more, so was happy with the result and getting through with no further injuries. I have picked up a few muscle imbalances from the bike crash and am now slowly working through these to get the body back up in shape. The major objective for the season will be Port Macquarie Ironman March 28 2010 and gaining my spot to the Hawaiian Ironman World Championships in October 2010. I will be using cycling races and Half Ironmans to bring the body up to speed for an all out assault in March. I have already locked in the Port Macquarie 70.3 in November to test the course using a powertap for the first time and then the hard Canberra 70.3 course for a challenging race. I will look for more racing in the New Year in the lead up to Port IM with the Oceania Long Distance Champs as a probability.
Other great news is that I have formed two new partnerships. I am greatly appreciative of the support that they will provide:
The first is with Hunter Industrial Ceramics Pty Ltd (www.hunterceramics.homestead.com/index.html) who aided in providing the Giant TCR Advanced SL Team Road Bike for all my road racing, short course triathlon racing, and training. Hunter Industrial Ceramics are involved in quality on-site tile maintenance for the coal preparation industry, the use of wear technology in the coal mining industry, as well as servicing the grain handling and power generation industries. Based in Newcastle, they also service the Hunter Valley and Central Coast - with a newly opened Mudgee office providing further servicing options.
The second is with endurance Junkie (www.endurance-junkie.com). This is a company that will be aiming to develop, manufacture and sell multisport apparel that is world class in terms of quality, performance and design. I will be involved in the development, testing and marketing of this top-notch triathlon apparel and look forward to getting it on as many podiums as possible. A media release can be found on the endurance-Junkie website on our new partnership.
Next up is a mid-distance triathlon training race this weekend in Maitland that will provide a good baseline of where I am at for the start of the season and test how the recuperation is going.
Train safe,
Bevan.
Tuesday, 4 August 2009
Recovery
Hi Guys,
Recovery is going ok. My skin has repaired well but the nerve and muscle injuries are taking longer than first thought. At this point in time I have been unable to ride since the accident. Running is coming along ok. Swimming is a work in progress.
I am still working towards being able to compete in the world championships in September. Unfortunately due to my injuries I have had to withdraw from the WTC Cobra Energy Drink Philippine 70.3 Triathlon race in Cam Sur. I was looking forward to this as I have won the last couple of major championships in the Philippines and really enjoy the challenging courses, hospitality, friendly locals, community support, and the amazing scenery. I had been mentioned in a few media pieces for the race and it looks like a good field for a first time race (Chris McCormack, Cameron Brown, Terenzo Bozzone, Tim Marr, Pete Jacobs). I wish the race a great start and I hope that I can return next year to challenge on Cam Sur.
I am also in the process of obtaining a new road bike after the last one was destroyed in the crash. I hope to provide an update soon and I am looking forward to getting out on the bike again and preparing for the worlds.
Cheers,
Bevan.
Recovery is going ok. My skin has repaired well but the nerve and muscle injuries are taking longer than first thought. At this point in time I have been unable to ride since the accident. Running is coming along ok. Swimming is a work in progress.
I am still working towards being able to compete in the world championships in September. Unfortunately due to my injuries I have had to withdraw from the WTC Cobra Energy Drink Philippine 70.3 Triathlon race in Cam Sur. I was looking forward to this as I have won the last couple of major championships in the Philippines and really enjoy the challenging courses, hospitality, friendly locals, community support, and the amazing scenery. I had been mentioned in a few media pieces for the race and it looks like a good field for a first time race (Chris McCormack, Cameron Brown, Terenzo Bozzone, Tim Marr, Pete Jacobs). I wish the race a great start and I hope that I can return next year to challenge on Cam Sur.
I am also in the process of obtaining a new road bike after the last one was destroyed in the crash. I hope to provide an update soon and I am looking forward to getting out on the bike again and preparing for the worlds.
Cheers,
Bevan.
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