Since we’re in Canberra this week, myself and Tom brought the bikes down so we could get some mountain biking in. On Monday night we headed out with Dean, aiming for Majura Pines. We got to the entrance to the forest when Tom decided he was going back to the hotel as he was still a bit jetlagged and wasn’t feeling too good. Myself and Dean proceeded to ride singletrack for two hours, making it back to the hotel just after dark. We were a bit worried when there was no sign of Tom, or his bike, in the room, thinking that he must have been feeling a bit worse than he thought!

We checked at reception to make sure he hadn’t shown up and were in the garage about to go looking for him when he rang from the room. He’d gotten a puncture just after leaving us, and by the time he’d fixed it he was feeling OK, so he’d gone for a ride after all. Hed’ found himself without a patch, or a spare tube, after a second puncture, so he was forced to walk home, which explained how we’d got home before him despite not passing him on the trails. To be honest, the first place we were planning on looking was Debacle, figuring he’d settled in for some food and a Duvel!

Paul brought us to Kowen Forest, site of the MONT 24hr race, on Tuesday evening. It’s a 17.3km course consisting mainly of singletrack with a few bits of firetrail as joiners. It was raining, but we went anyway as it was still quite warm. I’d given Tom a spare tube, but he was still getting slow punctures, so we’d end up cycling for 10mins, then stopping to pump up his tyre before getting going again. He was getting a bit sick of it by the end of the lap. We opted for the short course as we had no lights and didn’t want to be caught in the middle of an unfamiliar forest after dark, but I’m keen to try the long course the next time we’re down, this time with no slow punctures ;-)

B: 37.3km

Made it to La Perouse on the way home after all, though it was bloody hot. It amazing what a pain in the arse it is to ride in traffic. It was about 33km in total, yet it took over 1.5hrs. As soon as I’d get going I’d have to stop at a bloody traffic light. Got home just in time to shower, have something to eat and head out for the swim, only to have the bus fail to show up so I never got to do it after all.

S: 5200m – B: 82.3km – 3 * core

Got up this morning and did a core session before heading off to work on the bike. I had intended cycling to La Perouse on the way, but didn’t have time so I doubled back at the roundabout at Maroubra Junction. Did a pretty good session in the pool at lunch time, but my legs totally cramped up towards the end of the session, probably because I never didi any stretching after the ride in the morning, and hadn’t really eaten any decent food (a muffin doesn’t count). Must force myself to eat something decent for breakfast in future.

600 Warm Up
2 * {
    100 Single Arm
    100 6 strokes FS/BC } on 3:50 (3:05)
2 * 200 Pull on 3:30 (3:10)
4 * 100 FS on 1:40 (1:24)
2 * 100 FS on 1:35 (1:24)
2 * 100 FS on 1:30 (1:24)
3 * 100 IM on 1:50 (1:30)
100 Warm Down
Total: 2600m

I got in to work relatively early, so I might cycle home vis La Perouse. BRATs are holding a 1km sea swim this evening at North Bondi, so I might give that a go as well. I’ll see how I feel after the cycle home.

S: 5200m – B: 47.3km – 3 * core

Yesterday was Australia Day, a public holiday, so myself and Kevin headed off to the Blue Mountains to do a bit of mountain biking. We decided en-route to have a go at the Linden Ridge trail which turned out to be an inspired choice. After a few kms of fire trail we found the start of the singletrack section off to the side. It was a little overgrown, so we were getting scratched and scraped by bushes & small tree branches as we travelled along, crashing through plenty of spider webs (we took turns leading). The terrain was quite varied, alternating between rocky, sandy and leafy, with plenty of puddles from the rain that morning which kept things interesting and fairly challenging. 6.5kms later we got to the end – no expansive views or anything special, just the trail petering out, so we turned around and came back. The return journey seemed quicker, maybe because we knew what to expect and just balsted through most of the puddles as we now knew how deep they were.

On returning to the firetrail we decided to keep going for a few more kms until we found another, shorter, section of singletrack, approximately 1.5km long. Did that too, then decided to turn for home. There was a little more firetrail to go, but it was downhill to a turnaround (with nothing spectacular to see there) and since we’d been riding for almost 3 hours at this stage and were both getting a bit tired, we decided we couldn’t be bothered adding any more climbing to the route. The return journey wasn’t as uphill as we thought it would be, but there were still a couple of big hills which we had to struggle up. By the end we were both exhausted and commented that perhaps we should have turned around a little sooner!

All up it was bloody good fun. After a pint and some wedges we headed home and had an Australia Day barbie at mine with Niall & Mayra. We’de pretty much finished eating before we realised we hadn’t had any lamb so we rectified that by throwing on a few chops. It wouldn’t do to be UnAustralian!

Woke up this morning with scratches & scrapes, a bruised hip from falling over while clipped in on a tricky rocky bit and a nice sunburnt neck. I was also totally exhausted – maybe the beer, wine, wedges & bbq meat was less than optimal refueling nutrition ;-)

The ride is definitely one we’ll do again with the rest of the guys, though maybe with long sleeve shirts!

S: 2600m – B: 29.8km – 2 * core

Got up yesterday morning and did another core session before heading in to work. Got a decent swim in at lunch again.

400 FS Warm Up
8 * {25 K/ 25 FS, 20sec }
3 * {
    200 FS 3:30 (2:32)
    200 FS Easy on 4:00 (3:06) }
6 * 50 FS on 1:00 (38)
300 Warm Down
Total: 2600m

I had planned to go for a run last night, but a sore toe put paid to that. It’s like as if I’d stubbed it on something, but I didn’t. It’s been like that for a week or so and I aggravated it by running on it last Friday. Hopefully it will have calmed down by Wednesday.

S: 2600m – 1 core session

Felt much better in today’s swim, which bore a remarkable similarity to the one on Wednesday, probably because we had a new coach who I’d never seen before. No cramps, stroke felt pretty good and the session was much easier. Cycled in and out of work as well.

400 FS Warm Up
4 * {
    50 K on 1:10
    50 P on 50
    50 FS on 45}
6 * 100 FS on 1:40 (1:24)
4 * 100 IM on 1:55 (1:30)
4 * 100 Form on 1:55
4 * 50 FS on 45
200 FS warm down
Total: 2800m

S: 5200m – B: 30km – R: 7.5km – 3 core sessions

Got another core session in this morning and followed that up with a run this evening. I did 5 comfortable laps of the local park in a time of 22:51. I’d estimate that the distance was approximately 4km, but I suppose I’ll have to take the bike up and measure it some day soon.

S:2400m – B: 15km – R: 7.5km – 3 core

Got back in the pool at lunch, for the first time since before Christmas and I really noticed it. The pace was a bit slower, everything felt a little tougher and I ended up with both my legs cramping which finished my session a few hundred metres early. Hopefully it will only take two or three more sessions and all will be back to normal.

400 FS Warm Up
3 * 200 FS on 3:20
4 * {
    50 K on 1:15
    100 P on 1:45 }
2 * 100 FS on 1:40
2 * 100 FS on 1:35
3 * 100 FS on 1:30
100 IM
Total: 2400m

S: 2400m – B: 15km – R: 3.5km – 2 core sessions

Got a lot done in the last two days. I’ve been waking up with a sore lower back on and off for the last couple of months. Nothing serious, just a bit of an ache that goes away pretty soon after getting up. Nevertheless, I was wondering what was causing it, since I hadn’t done myself an injury that I could recall. After doing a bit of reading up on general training I’ve figured it out. Since I’m doing a fair bit of cycling and running, my hip flexors are getting a good workout. They tend to pull my pelvis/lower spine forward, and my abdominals would tend to pull it back. However, I can’t remember the last time I did a sit-up, so my abs are seriously weak and it’s most likely this imbalance which is causing the problem.

This week is the first week back training after the New Year, so I decided to incorporate some ‘core’ work, ie: exercises to strengthen the torso area, back and front. Did them on Monday, got up on Tuesday and did them again, then cycled into work and home again, then went for a 20min run last night. According to the scales this morning I’ve lost 2kg since Monday which gets me back to pre-Christmas weight, though it must be just a loss of water. Anyway, I’ll take it.

B: 15km – R: 3.5km – 2 core sessions

Got back on the bike yesterday to cycle in to work, then got a few laps of Centennial Park in on the way home. I can feel the difference now that I’ve sat on my arse for a couple of week, and the fact that I’m almost 1.5kg heavier after Christmas excess doesn’t help either.

While working at home today, I got the call from Jacqui: “I’ve forgotten my lunch. Can you cycle in and bring it to me?”,1),
(

That’s another 10km training ride under my belt ;-)

B: 53.4km

Took the day off work yesterday as it was Bevin’s last day before flying back to NZ. She decided she wanted to do a bike safari around Olympic Park, so she got to wear my snowboard helmet in lieu of a real bike one, and ride my new mountain bike as it was the only one without clip pedals. As luck would have it, Bondi Junction train station was closed for track work, so we had to cycle to Edgecliff. Bevin wasn’t too impressed with the climb out of Double Bay! Got the train to Central, then ended up sitting there for ages waiting for the train to Olympic Park. The trip planner web site said there was one, but after 30mins of waiting I approached a station guard who told us we had to go to Lidcombe and change there! You’d expect the latest information to be on the web!

Got off at Lidcombe and decided to cycle to Olympic Park as it was only a couple of minutes. Once there we cycled around the place checking out the various venues – Aquatic Centre, Stadium Australia, the SuperDome etc. and then got out the mini map with the cycle routes marked on it and followed a few of those. I had brought the video camera so I did a few pans of Bevin cycling past various landmarks to document the trip. We spent about 90mins out there looking around, then had to get on the train before 3pm as there would be issues with having bikes on the train during peak time.

Cycled home from Edgecliff via Bellevue Hill and then up the hill on Old South Head Road. Bevin definitely wasn’t impressed with that one, but she kept going and made it to the top without stopping so she was pretty chuffed. After that it was a quick shower and off down to meet Nathan at Icebergs for some well-earned beers and a bit of food.

So, that’s the first bit of exercise for 2005. Bevin flew out today, so the holidays are officially over now and it’s back to the grindstone.

B: 20km

Cycled in and out of work on Tuesday, with a few bonus laps of the Park on the way home. Got some reasonably quick laps in (6:58) without too much effort. When I got home I decided to go for a run straight off the bike to see what it was like – bloody weird. HR was about 8-10bpm higher than normal and it just felt a little odd. Had intended to do 5km, but stopped after 2.5 as my legs were knackered. Winding down the training now for Christmas. no more swimming and not much cycling. Will try to keep some running going as that’s my weak area.

S: 2500m – B: 26.4km – R: 7.6km

After a relatively easy week in Canberra, and having recovered from teh mild cold I had, it was back in to the pool for a unch-time session yeasterday. The session was a little all over the place as the regular coach wasn’t there and the guy who took over just copied the morning’s session and adjusted it to fit the shorter time frame.

400 FS SKPS
2 * {
    100 FS on 1:50 (1:18)
    100 BC on 1:50 (1:28) }
4 * 25 FS Sprint on 30
6 * 50 FS K, 10s/50
100 BS easy
3 * 200 FS on 3:20 (2:37)
100 BS easy
4 * 50 Choice on 60
300 FS Cool Down
Total: 2500m

Went for a run when I got home which felt pretty good. However, i’ve been trying to get my run cadence up to 90bpm (180 footstrikes per min) and though I was doing well. Decided to test it yesterday and see what I wasa actually doing and discovered it was as low as 75bpm! I already felt like I was taking babay steps, but I’m going to have to shorten my stride further as a high cadence is the easiest way to avoid injury and significant pounding on the legs.

S: 2500m – R: 5.1km

Well, it’s Friday and I’m about to leave Canberra for the final time this year. Good news is that my contract has been extended for another six months so there’s no worries on the job front. Bad news is that I’ve managed to acquire a cold, so training is out the window. I got another run in on Tuesday evening, then went mountain biking with Dean and Tom on Wednesday, ending up at the pub splattered with mud. It was Christmas party time yesterday, so many more beers were had, so it’s been an active week on all fronts. No more training for the rest of the week, but I’m collecting my new MTB this weekend, so we’ll be out for a ride in the Royal National Park.

S: 3300m – B: 20km – R: 8.9km

Got a good run in last night on the treadmill in the hotel. Felt a bit shitty after about 3km, but decided to stick it out and it came good in the end. Still recovering after Frantic on the weekend! Got up at 5:15 this morning to go swim training with the local triathlon club, Bilbys, here in Canberra. Although the last time I got up this early to go swimming was about nine years ago, it wasn’t that hard to get out of bed, though I’m sure I’ll pay for it this afternoon. Felt pretty sluggish in the pool, which was to be expected given the hour. The session was pretty easy, as none of the rest of the squad came from a swimming background, but it was good to get a session done. I had intended to go to last night’s session, but managed to leave teh hotel without putting a towel in my bag. Everyone was very welcoming and invited me along to other sessions, so I might take them up on that if my contract gets renewed. In the meantime, I can lie-in until Friday morning’s session.

300 FS warm up
2 * (100 FS/ 50 BC) on 3:00
2 * (100 IM/ 50 FS) on 3:00
4 * 50 FS build on 60
2 * {
    2 * 300 FS @ 70% on 5:30 (4:15)
    2 * 100 FS @ 80% on 2:00 (1:20)
    4 * 50 FS Hard on 2:00 (35) }
200 FS cool down
Total: 3300m

S: 3300m – R: 5.1km

Bought myself a new MTB at the weekend. It’s a Rocky Mountain ETSX-50 and I managed to score a bargain. It’s the 2003 model, so the importer was having a bit of a fire sale trying to clear out their remaining stock, so I got it for half price! I’ve put a deposit down and will be picking it up at the weekend.

Got a good swim in today. Was feeling a bit lethargic this morning, but once I got into the pool everything fell into place and I got some good times done without too much effort.

400 FS warm up
4 * 200 as {
    50 K/ 100 Drag/ 50 FS } on 3:50 (3:05)
2 * {
    200 FS on 3:00 (2:40)
    200 BC on 3:30 (3:05) }
3 * 100 IM on 1:50 (1:23)
5 * 100 as {
    75 Hard/ 25 Easy } on 1:40 (1:20)
200 FS cool down
Total: 3000m

S: 8800m – B: 45.2km – R: 5km

Cycled in and out of work yesterday with a couple of laps on the way home again. Wasn’t feeling the greatest after being at Jacqui’s christmas party the night before, so took the bike on the ferry on the way in. Still wasn’t too enthusiastic about cycling home either and debated leaving the bike in the office, but leaving a good bike without a lock wasn’t a good idea. I’m sure it would have been fine, but if it did get nicked I’d be screwed, so I cycled home.

S: 5800m – B: 45.2km – R: 5km

Can’t remember what the session was yesterday, though it did total 3100m ;-)

S: 5800m – B: 22.6km – R: 5km

Cycled into work yesterday and did a couple of Centennial Park laps on the way home as well. Once home it was a quick change then out the door for a run. I upped my run/walk intervals to 7min running, 1min walking and it felt fine. Four of those totalled 5km and my legs are in good shape today, so things are looking up.

Run session:

5min walk warm up
4 * {
    7min R/1min W }
5min walk cool down

S: 2800m – B: 22.6km – R: 5km