Go Hard

The following are the guidelines I plan to follow for my next training stint. I prefer to use the term guidelines instead of something like protocols. This way of thinking suggests that there is room to work around what has been put to pen. Which is something I need at this stage. I'm not sure how I will respond this my new take on training. Of course time will tell. Six session cycle made of Crossfit style foci, Parkour and Specific work. Specific work will generally be geared towards upcoming races. Hours of training are to be averaged out over 7 days 6 hrs training if work > 50hrs/week 8 hrs training if work 38-50hrs/week 10 hrs training if work Any training deficit of > 1 hour is be made up within the next 4 days The next 7 day count will begin 1 day late per every full hour in deficit For races the 2 days lead up should be easy, regenerative work or fundamental skills Following a race take 1-3 days recovery as required The structure will always continue as above, but rec...

In developing my training program I have drawn on a number of different sources. In particular I looked beyond the usual triathlon or distance running bank of information. Areas I searched out included olympic weightlifting powerlifting sprinting parkour méthode naturelle middle distance running military training various team sports gymnastics As a result I have developed a large amount of enthusiasm to try different methods. Furthermore I now have a few ideas on how to improve various fitness elements within limited time constraints. The problem now is how do I incorporate such a wide variety of ideas into my training program? In my search for ideas I ventured across a program called Crossfit . While I do not agree with a number of concepts or positions promoted by this company, I do find they are a good source of ideas. In fact I have drawn heavily from the following two articles in developing my own program: What is Fitness? A Theoretical Template for Crossfit's Programming I wo...

translation: Be strong to be useful. Georges Hébert was a member of the French navy at the start of the twentieth century. He was inspired by the fitness and function of the different indigenous people he encountered while travelling the world. This inspiration led him to develop the concept of méthode naturelle. This involved training using the natural environment and a variety of random modes of exercise including, running, swimming, jumping, climbing, quadrupedal movement, moving objects and fighting. To further develop the members of the French military, obstacle courses were developed. Training was termed parcours du combatants. The concepts of parcours du combatants and méthode naturelle have evolved to what is now termed Parkour. There is much debate over what is truly parkour or any of its related spinoffs such as freerunning or tricking. For me I like to keep things simple and useful. The following definition works well for me: Parkour is navigating any environment quickly, co...

Training and completing an event does not make you a better person. You can find out a lot about yourself by challenging yourself. You can improve certain skills and attributes. You can use all this to work on changing certain things about yourself. It isn't the event itself that does it. Sometimes working towards a big event can be detrimental to other areas in your life. Time taken away from family or other responsibilities is an obvious example. Do I define myself as a triathlete? I used to, but gradually over the last few years I have moved away from doing so. Triathlon is now simply one of the things I enjoy. It is the same concept as defining yourself by your job. For me I enjoy my work as a Paramedic, but again it isn't all that I am. Now I prefer to keep away from labels. It feels good to believe that I have a long way to go. That I have so much more potential in many different areas. What would happen if you reached your peak in everything? Personally I believe there w...

Having taken some time for recovery I am feeling ready to look at what is next. I am fully aware of the requirements for listening to my body and that some elements can take as much as three full months to completely recover from the Ironman. Lessons learnt the hard way really help that learning curve. Over the last few days I have dabbled a bit in getting back into the exercise swing of things. Everything has felt exceptionally good. Yet there are the odd little niggles here and there. Nothing major, just some tight spots, or a reduction in some range of motion. Where to now? Simply put, I plan on taking a different approach yet again. There are a few things happening later this year that will demand an alteration to my training commitment. Which is really just another way of saying I will have keep an upper limit on my training volume. Naturally I'll talk about these commitments at a later time. Importantly, another Ironman is not in the plans anytime in the next year. This isn...

I'll have to agree with Ewen, that it was not the best of my ability that I raced to, but the best of my current fitness. That is more accurate. PRE-RACE We arrived in Port Macquarie on the Wednesday before the race. Staying with me this time were my parents, sister, brother-in-law and my wife. We had an apartment out at Flynns Beach, which was close enough to town, but far enough to feel removed from all the race hype. This year, I only attended the compulsory registrations, and briefing. This had me feeling very relaxed leading into race day. The clock said 03:51. Four minutes before my alarm was due to sound. A good start to race morning. The coffee was soon brewed and I enjoyed my morning breakfast. I poked my head outside to check the weather. Rain. Not just a light shower. This was a heavy downpour that only became heavier when we hopped in the car to drive down to race start. The walk from the car park was through mud and ankle deep puddles. I was hoping it would clear up so...

Well I'm back in Melbourne. Just a quick post on how I went at the Ironman. A proper race report will follow soon. My race went very, very well. Those following may not think so based on times. I finished in 12:06:51 which is about one full hour slower than I was anticipating. In short that was the speed I was capable of due to my training. During the race itself I definitely raced to the best of ability. That is the amazing thing about Ironman. Often your overall time just doesn't mean much. I put my plan into action and was able to hold it together to get reasonably close to my perfect race. It was definitely my best effort on the day. I was hit with a good dose of reality to remind me that there are no short cuts for the bike leg. My run was also slower than hoped, but again that was a result of training. What I managed to draw out of myself during the race was phenomenal. This year I was able to make the most of the finish line. I finished completely spent, but in good cond...

"If God invented marathons to keep people from doing anything more stupid, triathlon must have taken Him completely by surprise." - P. Z. Pearce, M.D. Firstly I'd like to thank all those who have supported me in so many different ways. Training for an Ironman is so much easier when you have the support of those around you. I won't mention names as I am guaranteed to miss someone. Everyone should know who they are anyway. “Swim 2.4 mile, ride 112 mile, run 26.2 mile. Then brag for the rest of your life.” - Commander John Collins Chances are I won't be posting anything until I return from Port Macquarie. I quite like the idea of not touching a computer for a week. Naturally I'll be putting my effort into a full race report when I get back. For those interested in following the race check out the following two sites: http://www.ironmanoz.com/ http://www.ironmanlive.com/ My race number is this year is 978. "The secret of health for both mind and body is not t...

Eat and drink every 10-15min. 70g CHO/hr 700-1100ml fluid/hr Keep it simple. Use what worked in training. Pre Race 0400 Breakfast: Bowl of cornflakes, honey, banana, low-fat milk. Strong coffee 0545 200-400ml Gatorade Race 0630 Swim: Nil T1: Mouthful of water Rinse out the salt water. Bike: 10/15 Minute plan. I plan on consuming fluid and carbohydrate every 10min on the bike. I will reach between 700-1100ml of fluid per hour depending on weather conditions and take in about 70g of carbohydrate each hour as a combination of sports drink, gel and powerbars. The majority of carbohydrate will come from sports drink. The 15min part will only come into play if I find I have trouble consuming all of this. If I start regurgitating my intake, feel too bloated or I sense my gastric tract is shutting down then I will extend the time frame out to feeding every 15min. If this still doesn't solve the problem within two feeds, then I will have to slow down. Higher intensity can contribute to prob...