Check out a great interview with Charlesy (from Epic) on xtri Can't wait to hear the stories from Epic Italy ;)

Cesenatico 2

Got back from Italy on tuesday... the last couple of days had been a bit rainy, so it wasn't too hard to leave. The second week was great fun, and I even got quite a bit of work done - a good test of whether the training-work balance will work out long term.

The good news is that I have a new hobby for the next few weeks- aquajogging. The bad news, then, is that I was a bit hasty in saying my shins were recovered. After the first week, they didn't bear up too well so I'm off running again and going to see the physio/podiatrist etc - whatever it takes. What this means for the season is that I won't be racing IM CdA, which is a big shame. I'll still go over tho, so I might well do a race prep brick there. Good practice. Hoping that I'll be all sorted and back on track for IMUK in September, tho it seems my race season is slipping and slipping. At least my ride and swim will get some quality time :)

All in all, the camp was a great fortnight, with some amazing people on it. Was also great to catch up with the legend that is my coach, Steve, swim coach Dan (www.swimfortri.com) and even Kev was there (www.cycledoctor.com). Good luck to everyone else for the race season ahead - especially for the Ironman first timers!

Photos of aquajogging thanks to Julian.

Cesenatico 2008

I'm finally feeling better. Until last week wednesday I was still pretty much off training, but now that period seems a world away. I've just got off the phone from one of the specialist sports docs from Pure Sports Medicine (amazing integrated sports medicine outfit in London - www.puresportsmed.com) who confirmed that I've probably been suffering from post-viral fatigue, following my miserable January virus which knocked me out for 2 weeks. Epic camp off the back of 6 days recovery after that probably wasn't the best way to recovery, and hence I found Feb and March hard going, and April a complete write-off training (and racing-wise). The shins are doing ok ... the rest helped that too - and the fatigue was probably the main reason that they kicked off in the first place.

But now that's all in the past, and I've just finished a week's solid 'test' training here in Italy to make sure I am back on form. Only my run feels a bit sluggish, unsurprising given 6 weeks of little or no running, but my cycling and swimming are feeling good. With another 6 days in Italy (and GLORIOUS sunshine so far) I'll see how I cope with some longer sessions :) I love this stuff! Its also with a great group of people (and some incredible athletes), and all very relaxed. Just finished my rest day (total 6kmin the pool and that was it!), now we're headed down the beach to a local pizzeria for dinner. Ciao!

IM beer

This is what I was greeted by on my way out to the start on race day thanks to the next door neighbour, AJ. It sums up the generosity and enthusiasm of the Port residents :)

Race day

It didn't go as planned! The swim started well, but after about 15-20 minutes my lats and shoulders started to feel really tight. So I slowed up a bit, then my shoulders started to cramp up repeatedly. Must have made for some comical swimming. I managed to finish the swim just about - and hauled myself over to the change tent. The time was now irrelevant - the swim was over and that was all that mattered. I was just glad not to have to use my arms again any time soon. I was struggling in T1 - getting things into the pockets on the back of your tri suit when your shoulders don't really want to move anywhere is quite challenging, but the volunteers were very helpful! Collected the bike, still feeling a bit dazed from the swim. Out onto the roads, my legs weren't feeling too good and through town I could barely get the bike moving. I just told myself I needed to warm into it. Then the first of the rollers out of town hit and that's when the problems became apparent. My right glute started cramping severely. I hit the top of the hill and got off to stretch it. A couple of minutes later and resorting to using a large fence post to put pressure into it (much to the entertainment of a couple of spectators) I got back on the bike returning to the 'maybe it just needs to work itself out' theory. But then it got worse. The next rise was done one-legged. As I couldn't turn over my right leg. Stop. Stretch. I'm now only about 5km out of town. Another spectator looks at me and says "just over 170kms to go!" in an encouraging way. I try to squat to stretch out my legs and ass but don't manage to get more than half way down. Back on the bike, I can't even clip in my right leg so I free wheel down to a turn off, remove my race belt and roll through the back streets towards Bob and Jan's where luckily Erin is in and I tuck into some breakfast. That was about 8am. The rest of the day was spent trying to loosen up - I couldn't lift my arms above shoulder height at 8 and my glute was a knot, but mobility eventually returned and I did a shift in the massage tent as a table cleaner for a few hours in the evening to soak up the atmosphere. Last year I had a real issue with the DNF here (pulled ligament in back during race week) and just wanted to disappear that afternoon, but that was then. Of course I was a little gutted that I wasn't finishing or achieving what I come to achieve, but there's plenty more races to be had this year and this was just a 'test race' at the end of base. I had a great day in the end and really enjoyed the week.

Remarkably, Port Mac is one of my favourite races. One of these years, it'll be good to me. Until then, its a great town with beautiful scenery, amazing local support and the friendliest bunch of people you could hope for.

Big thanks to Bob and Jan (and Ian and Erin) for putting me up (or putting up with me) over race week. Its been very relaxing! Also to Natalia - wthout whom the dirty dancing competition would have been lost ;) (the meltdown party is HILARIOUS). AJ next door for the support and adopted family at CBA.

Congrats to Charlesy for a cracking time and getting a spot at Hawaii (and thanks for the wheels - sorry I couldn't break in those tyres any more for you).

I'm taking a few days off, letting the cramping go completely. Plus the weather here has taken a turn for the worse... must be nearly time to flee the country. I'll revisit this cramping issue in a few weeks/months post a trip to the doc back in the UK... there's a bit of an involved story behind it!

See you next year, Port!

Rolling up for the start line

Race day is tomorrow... legs seem good enough to have a crack, so its game on. The last few days have been hilarious, begging and borrowing kit from all over the place to make up something to compete on, as I only came to Oz with training kit. The kit from sponsors hasn't made it to me yet, as this race is a bit early in their schedule.

So... thanks to Charlesy for the wheels (and Mike too but unfortunately his wheels - Zipp 440s (stet) from the early 1990s - were a little risky to ride on), Jan for the hat, Natalia and Bob for the CO2 cartridges, levers etc, and a few more I am sure I've forgotten. Entertainingly, my old training bike looks very scraggy in the pro line-up (and

Its 4:30pm and I'm fed and winding down for a good night's sleep. See you tomorrow :)

Difficult choices

I've been a bit quiet on here for a few weeks - mainly because I don't like writing about the bad stuff. But I guess its time to come clean. I've been nursing an injury for a couple of weeks. Shin splints - the version where the membrane on the medial side of the lower shin bone gets inflamed and painful. It started out very innocently, and caught early I figured it would be dealt with pretty quickly. Ironically, a mate back home emailed me when it all started off with his own injuries, and I remember thinking how lucky i was to be getting it sorted early! Little did I know that it was going to become a bit of an extended episode. Tried a few things/various experts advice, most recently just having 4 days completely off training (just ice and anti-inflammatories) to let them settle. Having already missed most running sessions from the 10 days prior, and even the bike sessions becoming a little soft as my mood got worse, this didn't come as a complete surprise. I wasn't even allowed to swim! This is not exactly how I had wanted the last few weeks before the first race of the season to be, but you gotta roll with the punches, right? Feel a bit sorry for the poor house amtes who have t bear the brunt of an injured athlete not allowed to train!

So it seems that in the next week I will have to make a few decisions based on whether I'm recovered at all/enough to race (I sure as hell don't fancy a marathon with shins and then a few months of no running to pay for it!), or just to do the swim/bike or not even start. Am still hoping that it all settles down and its fine come next week. Hope for the best, plan for the worst. Luckily its just one of many races, so it wouldn't be the end of the world. Will be taking advice from coach and sports doc in the next few days and see what is/isn't possible.

No sign of bike. At least that's one less thing to worry about - getting a new bike set up the week before an IM! My cervelo's in for a service instead.

Will check in over a few days!

Number 37

Port Mac is only 4 weeks away - that has come around VERY quickly. Have been pretty relaxed about the return of race season as my base continues right up to Port, and then training changes for the race season, with Port just being the end of base 'test' race. No 37 is my start number - it'll be my first race as a pro. I think nearer the time this might make me feel a bit nervous, but I'm ok at the moment... looking forward to the experience! I'm happy just continue working away at the training schedule Steve sets in the meantime. But still, I can't wait to be racing again :) Got wind that the new bike may be shipped in time - so finger's crossed that the new Trek Equinox (in full-on Team Timex colours - a brazen orange!) lands on the doorstep before the beginning of April... though time is running out!

Hot hot hot

Its 9pm and its still near 34 degrees. Luckily I've been on a couple of fairly light training days with lots of pool work (my back is now markedly browner than my front... must do more backstroke!). The weather's set to break tonight sometime - just in time for a hard brick session tomorrow. Think I'm fully recovered from Epic... had a pretty standard week last week, only dropping a little of usual intensity and lowering the run load. Last couple of days have been fairly light so feeling refreshed and ready for the next round.

Post-Epic Recovery

Since Epic, I've made it back to Geelong and starting to feel more human again. First couple of days I did nothing (partly thanks to a pile of work that needed to be done) mainly due to the fact that my quads were in tatters. Wednesday I started back in with a swim and built slowly from there. Most of the sessions have been fairly easy, nothing longer than 2 hours. Total training time this week only hit 15hours. Finished off the week by doing the run leg for a team at HIM Geelong. It was just a training run for me, so I sat around 4 min kms for the duration, steady and fairly easy... that was more than I expected to be able to do by this weekend, so that's good. Part of me hated doing the run as I wanted to be racing it, but other parts of me (my legs) were quite happy to just watch. Tara Norton (from Epic) was down doing the race and cracke dout 5th. Didn't manage to catch up with her afterwards to find out how it felt, but I think that's a pretty good way to back-up Epic! Way to go Tara! I certainly wasn't in any state to go racing.