Sunday, January 31, 2010

Race Day Report

Overall happy with the race, a much better result than 2 yrs ago when I last did this race by 4 mins.

It was a non-wetsuit swim wasn't sure whether that was good or bad, as wetsuit helps swim but getting it off can be tricky (its pretty new) we swam against the current for about 1km it was very choppy, until a left turn, then another left turn and finally swimming with the current, I feel that I swam pretty well - I was definitely not overly taxed - maybe I should have tried a bit harder??

Long transistion to the bike, felt good running to the bike, off on the first of 4 laps - wind was up (nothing new there) so sidewind on way out and headwind on the way back, I stopped my watch at every lap - with each lap around the same time, so very consistent.

I did not feel great on the bike - legs were complaining from the very beginning - was a bit upset by this as I have felt so good this week, but I put this out of my mind and just tried to keep the cadence up, what was good was that I didn't feel that I got worse and my lap times show this.

Off the bike and into transistion - pretty short T2 legs were complaining - they didn't like running off the bike too much. Shoes and cap on and out on the run, took the first lap (3 laps overall just over 3km each lap) pretty steady - at least that's how it felt and stopped my watch at the turn - saw the time and thought that this was ok, ran the next lap I felt faster, but the lap time shows 5sec slower, on the last lap I definitely speeded up but the time was the slowest lap, it does include the extra for the finish shute but not enough to justify the extra time!

Nutrition wise - a bit of a disaster - this is my really weak area and one of the reasons my half ironman attempts have not been great - this needs to improve if I am to do a full Ironman!!

Ate pumpkin, sweet potato, egg white, olive oil and apple sauce for breakfast just after 5am this seems to be good for me, tried this before - drank at least 1 ltr of water before the race and also took a gel about 30mins before the start of the race.

Race started at 8.15am, so about 3hrs after breakfast, out onto the bike and drank coconut water but only drank 500ml for the whole of the bike leg - also took 1/2 gel on lap 2 of the bike and 1/2 gel on lap 3 of the bike - not a great amount!

When I got off the bike for the run, my stomach was not happy and I had a minor stitch and "stomach full" feeling - but it was not as bad as I have had before and it did not affect my run - it got better as I ran which was good - I took water at every drink station on every lap 3 x 3 - but poured most of it over my head and just took a small mouthful to drink. Its the running that is affected when I eat, the biking is fine, but I always worry about eating on the bike and then having issues with my stomach on the run.

Overall I did not actually feel great for most of this race, and felt that I didn't "attack" the run like I did at the three smaller races that I did at the end of last year, but I think this was more a mental thing as I haven't done this distance for nearly two years. Not sure if the nutrition played a part in how I was feeling or whether that was just me getting used to racing again?

At the end of the race, I took Paleo Recovery Drink ate an apple and raisins + more water. Stayed for prize giving so didn't get home to eat until about 3hrs after the race - did not feel great had a headache and my body was not happy either - ended up taking painkillers and lying on the sofa feeling sorry for myself. Took another 2hrs for me to feel pretty good and ate dinner about 3hrs after lunch - that has made me feel sooo much better and now I feel pretty normal but its about 8.5hrs after the race.

Below are my results from today, my bike has improved enormously and so has my run, the swim I'm not overly concerned with as we swam against a strong current today and I don't see my swim improving too much - I only took up swimming when I started Triathlon about 10yrs ago.

Looking at my results compared to my age group I need another 2mins at least on the bike - which is 3secs a km - I'm sure that this is achievable with the time I have to train for Busselton.

Swim 30.05
Bike 1.12.47
Run 46.30
Total 2.31.43
Overall 6th in my age group out of 18 and 32nd out of 92 female starters
Best leg was the run, followed by the bike then the swim - which shows an improvement as usually its run, swim, bike (my bike being my weakest leg)

We stayed for prize giving and I won a spot prize of a $300 Orca wetsuit - how cool is that :) - I'm actually hoping that I can use the voucher for a couple of tri-suits instead as my wetsuit is pretty new.

Next olympic distance race towards end of March - although this race is not as important to me as this one was.

Saturday, January 30, 2010

T'was the night before . . . . .

My race :)

Just about to go to sleep, have had a good day and a great evening.

My friend came round and did some NLP stuff with me to rid me of my negative feelings - am feeling good, will have a great race and excited to be racing - this is the only key race for me in the build up to my half ironman in May - all the others are just stepping stones to my goal - or as my affirmation states:

"Every race (& training session) is an opportunity to excel and learn from"

P.S. I don't think I mentioned this before, but I have also just this week decided to commit to my first ever Ironman!!! I will be entering the Busselton Ironman on Sunday 5th December 2010 - am excited by that too :)

Friday, January 29, 2010

Rest Day - lovely :)

Today is a rest day for me and after my sports massage yesterday and a good nights sleep I feel great.

Getting excited now - only two more sleeps to go :)

Thursday, January 28, 2010

200's

Today as part of my taper week I "only" have to run 8 x 200m with 2min recovery

I feel soooo good and bursting with energy this taper week is definitely having the right effect.

I was supposed to run at 75% and I didn't I ran harder, not quite 100% but not far off, now I have the opposite problem - when I need to work harder I sometimes hold back and now I need to work less hard and I can't hold back!!!

Anyway splits were as follows (ran out and back so up and downhill slightly)

Reps 1 – 3 – 5 – 7
44s / 41s / 39s / 40s

Reps 2 – 4 – 6 – 8
46s / 43s / 41s / 40s

Also having deep tissue sports massage this afternoon as part of my taper / race preparations for Sunday :)

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

"Helen" is my friend

Only 1 x WOD today, being a taper week for me, and it was Helen at 70% - I kind of forgot the 70% bit when I was working out and did work harder, managed this in 10mins 20secs with orange band for pull ups.

I last did this on 11 January in 10mins 42secs so an improvement and I did work hard, but not "eyeballs" out hard

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Extract from Paleo Diet eNewsletter - Paleo Breakfast for Champions

Below is an extract from the Paleo eNewsletter about eating paleo, I thought it may be of interest to those who are either eating paleo or thinking about eating paleo.

When converting to a Paleo lifestyle, many people find breakfast to be the most challenging meal to keep Paleo. No doubt, this is probably due to the conditioning we’ve likely all received that a healthy way to start the day is with a grain-based product (cereal, bagel, toast and so on). Many of us view certain foods as being for breakfast, others for lunch and dinner, and others for snacks.

The first step is to throw that thinking out the window! Food is food no matter what time of day, and the morning is a great time to eat vegetables! I personally, eat veggies and red meat, chicken or fish for breakfast on a typical day.

But, what should you eat if you’re an athlete preparing for a workout? I change my usual breakfast if I’ve got a big workout to do right away. Rather than the protein and veg-heavy foods I mentioned above, I’ll opt for a starchier (via yam, sweet potato or banana) and easier to digest (like egg whites) combination so that I’m not only well fueled, but I don’t have to wait too long to digest.

The amount you should consume will be determined by body weight and the intensity and duration of the workout. Experiment a bit and see how much you need to eat based on how you feel during the workout, and change the subsequent meal accordingly. Here are some great ideas for athletes looking for a great way to start the day, pre-workout, while remaining Paleo.


Baked yam, hard-boiled egg whites, olive oil, banana, and raw almond butter


Homemade smoothie: chilled green tea, egg white protein powder, banana, raw almond butter, and flax seed


Baked sweet potato, natural (unsweetened) applesauce, sliced lean turkey breast, and olive oil


Stick with higher glycemic fruits right before and after a workout. Also, remember to add some table salt because athletes need to replace lost electrolytes. We athletes may need to supplement with electrolyte tabs, depending on the intensity and duration of our workouts, as well as ambient conditions and individual sweat rates.

Experiment with the above suggestions and make changes to keep it varied. Try pineapple in a smoothie instead of banana, or use baby food banana instead of applesauce.

Whatever you do, DON’T make the mistake of thinking that you have to resort to non-Paleo foods to support athletic performance. If I can stay Paleo while racing Ironman, and my husband can stick to it while racing 100-mile endurance runs, I think it’s safe to say that Paleo provides 100% of the support needed for endurance racing, or any other athletic endeavor!
Written by Nell Stephenson

Training on a public holiday!

Today is Australia Day so it is a public holiday, had two workouts today, but as it is a taper week for me nothing too major.

Decided to do these back to back so that I could enjoy the rest of the holiday with friends :)

1st was 5 x 3 back squats at 70% weight, so chose 40kg and handled these pretty easily.

Then on with the wetsuit and drive 10mins to the beach to join my swim squad for an ocean swim, 3 x groups this morning 1500m / 4km / 8km (for the mad people doing the solo Rottnest Swim in Feb) I choose the 1500m and felt pretty good for this swim and tried to draft on the feet of some of the faster swimmers - hoping I manage to do this on Sunday in the race!

Monday, January 25, 2010

Rest Day and Taper Week for me :)

Today - Monday is a rest day for me and I am also into a taper week as I have an Olympic Distance Triathlon on Sunday 31 January - this will be my first oly tri since April 2008 and I am really looking forward to it as I have been having good results with the 3 wks of training that I have been doing with Max.

Sunday, January 24, 2010

Thrusters - Again!

More thrusters today, but thankfully not 50 of them :)

1-1-1-1-1-1-1 Thrusters - managed the following 20 / 25 / 30 / 35 / 40 / 40 / 40kg

Attempted 45kg but this was way too ambitious so had to stick to 40kg, but this is better than I have ever done before

Saturday, January 23, 2010

Thruster Hell!

2 workouts today - 1st was 30min bike for distance - chose to do this outside in the wind managed 15.5km - felt ok'ish - could feel the row & run in my legs

2nd workout was 50 x 30kg thrusters for time - 30kg is heavy for me I'm not that strong - had to break the reps down 10 / 7 / 7 / 6 /5 / 5 / 5 / 5 - this took me 6mins 40secs - wow that was tough and then I have thrusters again tomorrow!!!

Friday, January 22, 2010

Row - Run - Row - Run etc

Only 1 WOD today - yah :)

5 x 500m row + 400m Run managed this in 22mins 20secs - could probably have worked harder, but I find rowing so hard, that if I put in a lot of effort I end up slowing right down - so I end up working just a little out of my comfort range so that I can maintain a steady pace - but running after rowing isn't pleasant either.

Run was ok, was a little wary after the calf tightening that I experienced on Weds, but put a heel raise in my right shoe and that seems to have helped - so will try that again next week

Thursday, January 21, 2010

I love Ocean Swimming!!!!

Another double session day today, 1st session was ocean swimming with swim squad at Cottesloe beach, am finally feeling more comfortable in the water and actually think I’m swiming much better than a few weeks ago.

2nd session was 2 x 5km bike TT with 3min recovery – did these at lunchtime along Brockway Road – wind was up – why is it I never seem to get used to the wind even though its always there?

Anyway, did 9min 03secs for the first and 8mins 58secs for the next.

Thankfully not so hot today - just around 30degrees

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Motivation up & down

2 sessions for me today

1st session – Run 5km TT did this at 5.30am when it was nice & cool with a light breeze – did this in 22mins 18secs happy with this was hoping for no more than 22mins 30secs so a good result.

Felt good even though my right calf started playing up as soon as I started running and was looking forward to this session - even more so with no wind!

2nd session – 2 x 20 box jumps / squats / push ups / situps run 1 mile – I subbed the run for rowing as my right calf was still tight after the run this morning – rowed for 7mins in each round – overall did this session in 21mins

Was not overly looking forward to training tonight and really had to "talk " to myself, although once I started the session I worked well - this is the lowest I've been since starting on 1 January - so I suppose I can't complain it could be a lot worse, I think the calf issue is having an effect too - back to the physio again to see what else I can do to prevent the tightness returning.

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

17km TT Bike - Improvement

Oh I love this CF training :)

Today I did a 17km bike TT in Kings Park I have done this before at the end of December and begining of January - today I rode a PB! managed 34mins 01sec and I felt pretty good.

Was initially a bit uptight that my legs didn't feel too fresh riding to the race, but then I remembered that I had virtually back squated my own body weight yesterday - so I accepted that they might be a bit tired which helped my attitude.

Glad to only have 1 session today though

Monday, January 18, 2010

I am strong !!!

Did 5 x 5 back squat this morning, last time I did this on 2 January I did 5 x 5 @ 40kg - that session was a bit of a confidence thing as I hadn't BS for a while and I was on my own in my garage gym.

So - today I decided I would grab the bull by the horns and go for it - I am really pleased with my results

Warmed up with 4 x 3 of 20kg / 25kg / 30kg / 35kg

Then main set I managed:
40kg
45kg
45kg
50kg
55kg

Did 45kg twice as this is about the max I have done before (maybe 47.5kg) and was a little unsure, but they both felt good so I decided to move on up!

I don't know where this strength has come from, maybe the break I had over Xmas has helped my body consolidate the work I was doing last year? However, I am happy that I am finally seeing progress as I have been stuck around the 45kg mark as my max for a while :)

Saturday, January 16, 2010

40km Bike TT - Result!

Today I had to do another 40km TT on the bike, was not looking forward to this because of the epic day yesterday, lack of sleep and another very windy morning, however, all was not as it first seemed!

Went out at 5.30am to avoid both the traffic and the large packs of cyclists who use part of the route I am on as part of the ride round the river, very, windy today, checked the weather site and said strong gustly easterly's :(

So off I went and surprisingly felt pretty good - did not seem to have any after effect from yesterday, wind was hard work, it felt much stronger than when I did this on 2 January. I felt that I rode well and I felt strong in my legs, just started to suffer in the last 5km when I turn straight into the wind. Overall I rode about 35secs faster than last time, in stronger wind conditions and I felt really good - I'm stoked :)

Triple Trouble

So another triple session today!

5.30am squad swim, main set was 4 x 4 x 100m with recovery of 20s/15s/10s/5s between each block of 4 x 100m - felt good and managed to swim each 100m around 1.32 - 1.35 and did not drop off at the end when the rest decreased.

12noon (not a great time to run in 35degree heat - but no other choice) did 4 x 1mile repeats with 8mins recovery. 1st decision run 2 lap course from home, about 1 mile maybe slightly over, or go down the road to where I do my bike intervals and my 10km run TT - chose home, this turned out to be a good decision as I needed the toilet after the 2nd rep!!

Managed these in 7.08 / 7.06 / 7.13 / 7.18 - these were hard, by the last rep I was hangin on for dear life - my legs were absolutely shot - how on earth was I going to do the 3rd session and go out for dinner and a movie?

5.30pm last session of the day - thankfully very short, 10 - 1 of burpees / squats / situps managed this in 7mins 10secs - had to slightly modify the burpees as I have a really sore right calf, I think I may have strained it.

Was so hungry I thought I could eat half a cow! Had a nice Thai meal of chicken and veggies washed down with a lovely coconut water drink. Off to cinema, managed to stay awake and actually felt pretty good, did not get to bed till later than I would have liked but can always have a power nap on Saturday :)

Thursday, January 14, 2010

12 Miles - Wind or Windtrainer?

Today was full on with 3 x separate sessions – I had to back-to-back two of them as I had a meeting which lasted most of the day today and couldn’t train at lunchtime.

Luckily have pulled up ok today after Tuesdays run I could not have done todays sessions yesterday.

6am – 60mins ocean swim at Cottesloe with my swim squad, had a great swim session and the water was excellent.

Then straight home for a CF session which I started at 7.30am with CFWU + windtrainer & mobility – session was 5 RFT of 400m run (subbed this for rowing as calves still tight from Tues run) 20 x box jumps / 20 x 5kg wallballs – managed this in 20mins 37secs – hard work rowing – so impressed that I can box jump at last :)

After my meeting finished I went home and had a 20min power nap – I was knackered – then back to work.

Last session of the day was 12 x 1 mile repeats on the bike with a 1min recovery. Next decision was do this on the windtrainer or on the road, windtrainer would drive me insane for 12 x 1mile + it's 35degrees today and I was not sure that I would be able to maintain the focus other option was to go out on the road where the wind would play a factor in speed and effort but would also cool me down and I wouldn't notice the heat so much - I opted for the road and the wind!

Did this on an out and back course into the wind on the way out and tailwind on the way back which is reflected in the times, which were about 3.05mins on the way out and 2.46mins on the way back.

Feel good today, another 3 day session coming up tomorrow - Max is a masochist!

All the one's - Deadlift

Sooo glad to only have one session today as yesterdays run has really taken it out of me!

So I could choose to lay in bed another hour and do the session in the evening :)

WOD was 1-1-1-1-1-1-1 max weight DL - now I know that my PB is 75kg for 3 reps, so started with a weight that used to be my PB - and was for a long time as I couldn't seem to lift more than 60kg - its now my starting weight

So I managed the following weights

60kg / 65kg / 70kg / 75kg / 80kg / 82.5kg / 85kg

Very impressed with myself and only started to struggle at 80kg so feel that this is a good achievement

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Nutrition Thoughts

Following up on what Max emailed about nutrition I thought I would share my eating habits and what works or not for me.

I have been following zone & paleo since I started CF and been fairly strict paleo for just over 3 months. I used the zone initially to help me with quantity of food, I've never been very good with portion control - although with paleo you can eat large quantities of food as it is mainly veggies and fruit.

With going paleo I initially found giving up bread quite tough, but managed it and my biggest weakness was yoghurt - then at my CF Gym we did a 30 day paleo challenge so I took the plunge and went strict paleo for 30 days and I've not looked back.

I have had body composition scans and my last one after starting CF & going paleo showed that I weighed exactly the same as the previous scan but I was 3.4kg (7.5lbs) less fat and more muscle!

I have days where I have non-paleo foods, but these are very few and far between. I feel good, I don't lack any energy and I have had massive improvements in my body composition and therefore strength and power.

I am still experimenting with what works for me during racing as due to my injuries I have yet to race long since I've been eating paleo.

I also don't have a strong stomach, especially when it comes to running and eating. I am currently experimenting with coconut water rather than a normal energy drink and I'm not really able to take any solid type food if I have to do any running - what I ate before the races that I did at the end of last year was sweet potato & pumpkin with egg white and apple sauce - this seemed to work really well, provided I left enough time from eating to racing - I think part of what I need to do is to eat smaller amounts more frequently - that is something that I need to practise.

If you are not eating paleo, I suggest you give it a try there are some excellent resources around - a couple of the best ones I know of are:

Rob Wolff, probably one of the best and he understands CF

http://robbwolf.com/

This is what prompted our CF Gym Paleo Challenge this is from a crossfitter:

http://whole9life.com/2009/07/the-w30/

This site is by the author of The Paleo Diet & The Paleo Diet for Athletes books

http://www.thepaleodiet.com/

I have both these books and the Paleo Diet for Athletes is really useful as it takes into account the needs of athletes for dense carbs such as sweet potato and pumpkin and also has a great recipe for a recovery drink and it details what types of food to eat before, during and after exercise.

I hope you find some of this useful - a number of my CF gym buddies eat paleo and have also had great results.

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

10km TT - Mind Games

Today’s session was a 10km Run TT – this really played with my mind as I have not run this far since about June 2008 before my stress fracture and given the achilles issues I have been having in the last few months it was my head that needed help rather than my body – was disappointed with my time – although I knew when I was running that I was not going fast enough – today was more about getting my head around the distance – completed 10km in 47mins 8secs was really hoping for 45mins but its done now and I have survived although my calves are really tight - I have iced / stretched / rolled them but think I will also do Bikram yoga tonight to have another good stretch

Monday, January 11, 2010

Shark alert!

Today was my first ocean swim session of 2010 with my swim squad - only 4 of us braved it today (I put this down to the shark sighting on Tuesday where they closed the beaches) I was very apprehensive about getting in, but the water was lovely, the thought of a shark definitely makes you swim faster!

Straight home from swimming for the 2nd session of the day, bike tabatha 32 x 20:10 - did this on the windtrainer and managed 6.4km - that was hard work and my legs are tired and I have so much muscle soreness its not funny - this is what happens when you throw yourself back into training after 1 week off and the 2 previous weeks being very low key.

Last session for the day was 5 x 3 max weight DL - couldn't remember my DL PB and bit unsure about lifting on my own, so did 3 x 3 at 50/55/60kg then did 5 x 3 of 62.5/65/67.5/70/72.5kg only started to feel this at 70kg and feel that I could have actually done more, my PB is 75kg so next time will start heavier, but still happy with the progression of these lifts.

TT or not to TT

Nothing like being thrown in the deep-end with a 40km bike TT - on a very warm and windy (its always windy in Perth) morning. I had been out and measured out a course, but didn't take into account that I would be doing an out and back course and forgot about the uphills into the wind on the way home - not until I was actually out on the bike - but too late now I'm committed to this course so that I can see some improvement - oh well, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger!

Managed the course in 1hr 23mins 15secs - hope the next time I do it I am much faster as this is not a great time

Then later on I had to do 5 x 5 max weight back squats, haven't done these for a while and was a little nervous about what weight to use, so played it safe and stuck with 40kg. With hindsight I should have really upped the weight, but I will know next time.

Heatwave training

Nice easy day only 1 session so can get this done out of the way early to avoid the 40oC heat that is due today!

10 - 20 - 30 reps of 24" box jumps / push ups on toes / burpees / pullups (with small orange powerband)

Have always struggled with box jumps having very little strength & power, so was amazed to find that I could actually do this, all that CF'ing has paid off :) It also helps to have a very handy husband who very kindly made me 2 x boxes on Saturday so that I could add them to our home gym in the garage

Liked this workout and managed to complete it in 17mins 7secs although I have to say the burpees were looking a bit strange by the 30 reps and I had to break the pullups into sets of 3's - I really struggle with these too!

Rest Day :)

Rest day - all bliss - lovely to have a rest after being thrown in the deep end after a weeks rest - enjoy

Cindy does it

Took part in a 17km Bike TT in Kings Park, I did this particular TT at the end of December so thought it would be good to see how I compared.

It is a 5 lap course the way out virtually all downhill and therefore the way back all uphill (not my strongest point)

There was a fair bit of wind around this morning, more than when I did this before, managed 34mins 54secs (previous time was 34mins 29secs) I putting the difference down to the wind and the previous training sessions - legs were definitely not fresh.

In the evening had Cindy to do - used small powerband for pull ups and all push ups on toes, managed 18 rounds + 5 pullups + 10 push ups + 12 squats!! dam I missed 19 rounds by 3 squats

More Rowing

Again only 1 session today, but think that I will also slip a bikram yoga class in as I am starting to tighten up - I have been doing bikram yoga for about 6mths and it has been really good for my body, don't need the chiro anymore - so I need to try and fit a couple of classes of this into the program too.

This mornings session was row 500m / 50 12kg KB swings / row 500m / 40 13kg KB swings / row 500m / 30 12kg KB swings / row 500m

Those KB swings are hard work after rowing (but so is everything after rowing) and I am definitely feeling it now!

Managed to complete this session in 13mins 24secs.

Did bikram yoga at 6pm and was pleasantly surprised by how bendy and flexible I was feeling, although the backbends were hard after not having done yoga for nearly 2 weeks.

Triple Session!

Had to do a 20km TT on the bike this morning, chose a different route than the 40km TT - less wind than last week, but still hard work, managed this in 39min 42secs.

Then a couple of hours later I attended an open water swim coaching session which was useful - didn't really learn anything new but at least it got me in the ocean again and there was a bit of a swell so it was like being in a washing machine.

Onto the last session of the day which was 30 x DL @ 50% BW (30kg) + 1000mtr row, completed this session in 5mins 32secs, but know that I didn't work hard enough will try harder tomorrow!

Row, Row, Row your CF!

Only one session today :)

4 x 500m row + 15 press ups (on toes) tried to work harder on this WOD than I did yesterday - time 11mins 37secs - I hate rowing - it takes no prisoners!

Swim / Run Day

Swam with my swim squad this morning, first squad swim for about 3 weeks and didn't I know about it! Also my arms were very tired from the CF training this week so struggled a bit.

2nd session of the day I did at lunchtime which was run for 200/400/800/800/400/200mtrs resting exact time interval took, I didn't have a run track to use so did this for time 3min / 1.30min / 45sec - hard work, legs tired.

New Year - New Regime

Ok so I thought I would start training again after the Xmas break on Monday 4 January, but Max had other ideas so it was with a little reluctance that I got up early on New Years Day and did 4 x 800m with 2min recovery. I had forgotten how yuky these are and was suffering after the first times were 3.07 / 3.07 / 3.12 / 3.19 and I was dying by the end.

Oh well, time to recover to do the 2nd session of the day later in the afternoon which was 5 RFT of 6kg DB Thrusters and 5 x pull ups (using small orange powerband) managed all sets unbroken with a time of 3mins 35secs.

Happy to have the day's training over with as very hot today

Starting Point - TriMax Training

I've competed in Triathlons for about 10 years, prior to that I was a runner (very average) and have taken part in 2 x 1/2 ironman races in 2007 & 2008, missed 2009 through injury (stress fracture) had ok'ish results with both 1/2's but feel that I am capable of so much more and would really like to do a full ironman, but not until I feel that I have done the 1/2 justice!

I was fortunate to take part in a CFE running course where I met Carl, I had already had some contact with Max about starting to work together in 2010, Carl was very positive about Max and working with him so I knew this would be the right decision.

I started CF in August 2008, and got my stress fracture in October 2008 so missed the whole triathlon season, so I have yet to see the effect the CF training has had on my triathlon performance as our season has only just started here in Perth, I'm very excited to see how the combination of CF & CFE works for me.

I have 17 weeks until my 1/2 ironman race which is in Busselton, Western Australia on Saturday 1 May and Max started my training program on Friday 1 January.