Training again!

Well it's about time, i am writing a blog regarding training :D

The week just been has been a good one for me, with some solid sets finally in the bank. Surprisingly enough the best were swimming ones. I also had some great rides and runs as well, all topped off with a small race on Sunday, the Left Bank triathlon.

Haha what a laugh. I have not raced sprint distance short course in a long time and boy did it show. The swim was the roughest i have actually ever had, with it a constant slug fest for the entire 400 meters, it was tough but a solid swim and i was glad to be one of the first few out.

I had a great transition and was onto the bike in no time. One word to describe the bike course hrmmm. WINDY. My god it was blowing a gale. It was a real struggle into it but we were pushing close to 60kph on the flats on the way back. I rode ok, but was really on the rivet the whole time. It was great riding with no speedo or watch - only by feel.

It was nice to see afterwards that my position is getting pretty aero as well as comfortable. As i said I'm not use to the pace of short course but it was nice to feel that pain and taste the lactic acid on the bike. The drafting however....well lets not go there...grrr

After a tough 20k, it was onto the run for a 4k hilly death run. Boy that hurt. I pushed hard and managed to maintain a reasonable pace to come in 7th overall. Not bad for a pretty poor few weeks of training and no short course racing since April.

It was also great to see my girlfriend Paige racing out there, picking up first in her category after a long lay off because of sickness.

Afterwards it was good to catch up with a few mates for coffee and a race re cap :) but i was ready for a nap in the arvo. The start of this week has been filled with a good few sets and i can feel the fitness coming back :D

In other exciting news, i am really pumped to be trying a new nutrition product. Hornet Juice is a powered sports drink that is loaded with Amino Acids with some pretty exciting research and results backing it up. I can't wait to take delivery of it and try it out. It looks really promising - have a look, and tell them mark sent you ;) http://www.hornet-juice.com/

Things are looking up and I'm looking forward to my next post! Good luck everyone racing Busso pace yourselves and you will have an amazing race, i'll be there cheering :)

Cheers guys

Markus.

More delays

Well once again, I've let my readers down, no blogging. But more unfortunately this lack of blogging is due to a more unfortunate factor, letting myself down.

Sometimes we have ups and downs, highs and lows and from a training/racing perspective i am going through a bit of a low.

This has come from a combination from a number of things. Lack of motivation (still unfounded), work commitments, university commitments and personal happenings. Since the Gold Coast i have struggled a little. Every time i seem to start to get back into it i am hit with something new, either from work, uni or elsewhere. I hit up some good sets with Seano, then exams (a priority) took their toll. I hit up an amazing training weekend with the training crew down at Busso and work took over immediately after.

But it's ok i am persistent, and i will be back. Exams are practically over AND NOW I AM SICK, urrgghhh. But you don't get anywhere through complaining so enough of that.

But it's ok i am persistent and i will be back.

In the past few weeks i have still been getting some good sets in though :) a few really solid runs with seano (including somehow a 5k pb?!) Some solid swims and some nice rides. Just not a lot of volume. This means unfortunately i am going to have to miss the first Olympic distance race of the season, scheduled to be my first open race :(

But it's ok i am persistent and i will be back.

Although this is disappointing it will only make me stronger and i will be back with a vegence :)

For now, well done to Big Andrew T for an awesome performance at Anaconda Augusta a couple of weeks ago. Well done to Todd and Elyse :) and Scotty for Port Mac. It's also awesome to see one of my best mates Seano ripping it up in his Busso prep, he is going to have a killer race, i honestly cannot wait. Also to my girlfriend Paige, who just today chicked me on the training front - ouch. But it's so good to see her out there again :)


I can't wait to be back my hunger is still there - watch out.

Lack of posting..

Well there has been a serious lack of posting on my behalf over the last few weeks after the Gold Coast and I apologise.

It seems as though i have lost my mojo after the GC and have been struggling to get it back! The week following the race i had to physically hold myself back from doing any training, and let myself recover properly. However after that week and for the past two weeks i have struggled to get any real consistency in my training, the odd swim ride and run but nothing really structured.

I've put this down to uni, work and my body telling me i need a little more of a break. HOWEVER that is all about to change with this weekends Endurance Fitness Systems Ironman training camp in Busso!! I cannot wait! There are a few real good athletes going down and it's going to be just what i need to get me raring to go again (i can feel it in my bones). The only negative being my best mate Andy T has had to pull out due to other training commitments :( BUMMER!

Through the last few weeks i have been quite moody and most probably annoying, so thank you to Mum, Dad, Lisa and Kate for putting up with me at home. Seano, Scotty, Benno, Todd and Andy for putting up with me whenever i train with you. Finally Paige for putting up with me during all the time i spend with you. Although it is impossible to get shitty when i am with you, if i have been i apologise.

However i have found time over this break to do a few things i never usually have time for which has been really good for me. Sleeping in, getting drunk (once - 'rebelll'), camping, bush trekking, rock climbing, swimming in dams, mini road tripping, going to a party or two and spending time with people i like/love. I think as obsessive compulsive athletes we don't take enough time out to appreciate and take stock of what we have. I have over the last 2 weeks and certainly feel better and refreshed for it :). My advice, do the same ;).

So back on the horse and into some training!! Woop woop cannot wait! Can't wait 'till i can write a solid training blog!

Cheers people

Markussssss

Race Schedule

I have thrown an extra page up on my blog with my race schedule attached...*look up, up, up, to the right, right, no to far back left, yep there it is.

It's just a tentative schedule and as it reads, if anyone thinks there are better races to be doing, let me know! As for training, i hit the run track yesterday and felt pretty heavy, but ok. I'll be hitting up a swim this arvo and will be chatting to my coach about my plans for the next few months. Can't wait!

Train hard

Markus

A week of rest..

Well, what an incredible weekend for our sport.

You would have to have your head 6000 feet under to not know our sports biggest race was on the weekend, the Hawaii Ironman World Champs and boy, it did not disappoint. With so much talk about prep and favourites it is such an amazing part of the year when this day finally roles around.

I'm sure everyone knows how the race went, but just in case a short recap. Potts (surprise surprise (ex collegian swimmer)) led the boys out of the water in a slick 48.48. However the introduction of the new swim skin rules didn't break the front pack up nearly as much as some thought it might. Perhaps a sign that the pro's were more concerned about loosing time due to the new rules?

Onto the bike and here is where the decisive move was made - or perhaps not made?? Lieto as expected went out like a bat out of hell with an eventual 4.23, but the big moves came from Macca and Raelert, who put 8 mins into crowie by the start of the run.

From here it became an eventual ironwar between Macca and Raelert. With Macca running a 2.43 for the win, Raelert for a close second and Marino for a strong third. The champ Crowie ran an incredible 2.41 for 4th, he couldn't quite make up the time he lost on the bike.

Call it a bold statement, but i believe today's race has changed the future of Ironman racing forever, for the better. No longer is it safe to swim in the pack, ride the bunch and run away for the win. And before i continue i do not condone this as a bad way of racing, Crowie had a perfected Kona formula with a strong swim and a solid ride where he all ways rode his part, all ways backed up with an incredible run. Crowie is in fact my hero and i absolutely respect the way he races, however it seems as though things have changed.

Macca and Raelert today showed, that wow things are about to change. A ride off the front and a 2.43 marathon!? That is the kind of direction the sport needs to head. If you look at the history of the world champs, it is all ways won by a runner with a stupidly fast run split and a pack bike time or biker who breaks the group and holds on in the marathon, rarely, rarely do they win with a move like today. I am very excited for the future and can't wait to see where the sport heads. Where, we can't be exactly sure but i am sure it will be a positive direction.

As for my week/weekend. I was shattered mon-thurs, before i finally started to come round Fri. Just a lot of feeling sorry for myself, before i snapped out of it and got excited about continuing to plan my season :) after a week off (and a few more days) i am motivated again and am raring to go :) I spent a really good weekend watching big andy t race the sorrento challenge and the champion lakes duathlon, well done mate (videos and photos up soon). I also managed to spend lots of time with my girlfriend, which, i believe was good for the soul :).

Hopefully the next blog will be filled with more training related updates, so until then, stay classy :)

Markus