I didn't realise putting on my helmet and shoes and taking the bike out of the boot took so long! 5:47 by the time I was rolling down the hill towards the roundabout. I quick look up and I didn't spot any riders at the bus-stop. Who am I kidding? 5:47 means they left 2 minutes ago. Right, lets see if I can catch them!
Well, not much to report here. I set a hard steady pace into an unwelcome SE'ly wind and hoped I would catch a glimpse of the group. I eventually did crossing Eric street but they were some distance away and I knew I couldn't bridge the gap, especially through the Arc' de Leighton sprint point.
I looked behind and saw the Floreat group approaching. I figured I'd tag on to them, peel off at the bridge and then catch the boys as they came up Stirling Hwy.
As I pass the cop shop, I slow right down to let the legs recover a bit as I'll need a small burst to tag on. As they come past, the leader says something to me. Odd. Hang on, it's Andre on the front - even odder! :-p
Turns out I was chasing a phantom Floreat Renegade group. The real FR group was Toomless today so they departed Floreat a tad after the scheduled 5:45am!
Well, not a bad effort then, staying in front for 16km.
I join the 3 FR riders, Andre, Jake and Karl and discover that ShaneL is also with us, although off the back and looking to do the bridge shortcut. The Arc de Leighton sprint is into a headwind today and Andre backs himself right in going early, just after the right hander. Brave man. Karl jumps on and sticks to him like glue. Jake and I just watch as they power away. Karl's plan works a treat. As Andre roasts himself into the headwind, Karl tucks into the not-insubstantial draft left by Andre the Giant's 6 foot plus stature and jumps out to take the win.
We catch ShaneL at the top of McCabe and catch another group at the bottom of the Water Tower climb (my phantom group?). Karl and Jake set a goal to pass everyone before the top. Karl misses out by 2 riders, Danger by 5 and Jake by 7 but still a good showing nevertheless. It's a great feeling to pass bucket loads of people on the climb! Andre and ShaneL are off the back, no doubt not impressed with our non-consultative goal setting process.
Feeling a little out of my league with only Jake and Karl around, I simply try to hold on up Devils Elbow. Jake leads strongly and I feel the limit slowing approaching, but a little slower than usual. Karl makes a half hearted move and half wheels Jake for a while but then drops off. Odd, he was much much stronger up Water Tower.
So it's me and Jake and we have just gone over the last speed hump. I figure I might try my new sprint technique here since I am at my limit but not beyond it and the finish is in sight. I launch the Danger Sprint v2.0 and make a gap quickly. I then seize up over the flat bit before the elbow and push again up it. Yay!
Re-group at CCGS although ShaneL and Andre don't know about it (that's right, they never did a Main Group Floreat Ride). We spot the green of ShaneL's jersey and chase him down. He's going for it, trying to catch Andre who has tagged onto the group in front. For a laugh, I sneak up on ShaneL and as he is standing on the pedals, pushing hard to catch up (impressive effort!), I shout an encouraging "Can you go a bit faster please!" Haha ;-)
We re-group and push on, chasing Andre but to no avail. My turns on the front fizzle out pretty quickly to embarrassingly slow pootles and Jake and Karl pull away at the new Birdwood Parade sprint, which Karl takes convincingly. I shut down completely here and wait for ShaneL. I have to give it to the guy, he doesn't give up. As he tags onto my wheel, I can here him breathing meaning he's been busting it from the moment we dropped him.
J&K ease back a bit and we catch them at the lead out junction near UWA. Jake leads (he always does so much work!), Karl 2nd and me off to the left 3rd. After a while, Karl decides off the left is also good with the E'ly and thinks that since he is left, no one else will go there. I pounce with DSv2.0 and catch him off guard (looking to the right!) and hold it for the sprint win! Yay x 2!
Struggle into the wind thinking of doughnuts.
Karl asks about the sprint points and after a discussion, we both agree that having random sprint points, decided by whoever is first, is a great idea. That will keep things interesting!
Running (Golf Course TT) 7:40 1.43 km (5:22 / km) +4m5:17 / km ahr:156 max:169
U-oh. Struggling to keep up on the warm up. Not a good sign. Lucky I got all my smack talk out before the warm up. Playing mind games while panting uncontrollably doesn't carry much cred.
Running race 24:24 4.95 km (4:56 / km) +54m4:40 / km ahr:179 max:186
The plan was to go out hard to the 1st corner and build a gap over Linda, ease back along Empire and up the hill near Valencia, wait for the pass and then hold on. However, the reason I had this plan is because, secretly, I know I was going to be rubbish today so why not have some fun with the other runners?!
Last Friday's session was very hard for me and the heat/ humidity only accounted for part of it. I've been stressed, lacking sleep and training too often in the last 4 weeks. The Doctor really took it out of me and I haven't felt quite right since then. And also, only 7 running sessions since the last TT with only 4 of those being proper high intensity runs.
It all went to plan in the end (that is fast out of the blocks and then blow up). First km at 3:54 and then I slowed down to recover: 2km 5:04 and then recover some more 3km 5:06. By this time, I knew I wasn't going to recover and with Durston approaching: 4km 5:47! Final dash downhill was better but still slow at 5:24 pace.
Neverthess, still under 5:00min/km.
Next one I'll do properly, promise.
p.s. thanks tRicky, only bought 1 tub, already gone!
Absolutely dead legs this morning. Another poor night's sleep hasn't helped.
5 PM
Paddling (Downwind) 49:48 8.95 km (10.8 kph) ahr:145 max:163 shoes: Stellar SES
I rushed out of work and towards Ocean Reef. The Mazda even did 100km/h, with the air con on AND the ski on the roof! That's a sign that the wind is well over 20knots S ;-)
However, when I arrived, it had dropped of significantly and had also swung around to the East. All hopes of broken records were dashed :-(
We paddled out to a reef marker instead and then turned downwind. Still managed to have some fun out there with the left over swell.
Sigh and sigh again.
I had promised myself I would go to bed on time tonight. All day I pep talked myself to try to cement the goal in place. I didn't sleep well last night and I sure as hell didn't want the same again tonight. A lack of sleep creates a cranky, miserable and depressed Danger.
After returning to work post paddle and tying up a few loose ends, I make my way down to the change rooms. I change, grab my bike and go to my car. I approach, get my keys and discover that the car key is not there - it's in the ignition.
Anger, rage and frustration build up inside me. The disappointment floods me. Why must life be so difficult!? My must I sabotage myself like this? Why oh why, when I am a reasonably intelligent person, do I do silly things like this? I've had my memory tested and I scored in the top 5-10%!!
To prove that I am intelligent, I try to break in. I use the roof rack straps, I devise a clever system where I use two straps, one to grab the window lever and the other to change the direction of the force of the 1st strap so that it unwinds the window - no go though. I manage to use an improvised tool (that's up there with chimps) by removing my wipper blade and using that to push down on the window lever (the window was slightly open). I then use the wipper to hook the strap around the headrest to change the direction of force again.
I think laterally and use my bike tool to rape the passenger door look. The tool enjoyed it but the lock kept on saying no. I even try swearing and puncing the car although it proved ineffective.
Eventually, dejected, I ride home and grab the spare key.
In a cruel twist, I discover that my memory of the direction of rotation of the window lever was reversed. I could have easily pulled it to correct way to get into the car in turns out. See!!! Smart enough to
1hr 30mins gone, wasted, never to be returned.
I'm almost at the stage of
Paddling (Downwind) 46:23 8.67 km (11.2 kph) ahr:160 max:178 shoes: Stellar SES
Downwind with a difference! I paddled from Ocean Reef to Hillarys. All the signs were good for an awesome paddle and it almost didn't disappoint.
The main waves were NW'ly and WNW'ly with the usual bounce back there too. However, it took me ages to get used to it.
Also, the waves were pretty big and fast and interfered with each other a lot. I just wasn't strong enough to stay on them at times when other waves came through.
And with the waves heading into shore so quickly, I didn't have the skill to use them very much before I had to paddle out, away from shore again.
However, it was a great learning experience with some ripper waves to boot.
Swimming (Ocean Swim) 27:07 [3] 0.91 km (29:48 / km)
Partly to cool down and partly to improve my weakest triathlon leg, I popped down to Floreat for an ocean swim.
My mates, the stingers, were there to meet me too. However, I found that by staying close to the shore I managed to avoid most of them.
Staying close was good for testing out how I felt in a big swell. Many a time I felt waves, only a few moments from breaking, pick me up and down as they passed through.
Struggled a bit with this swim though. I just felt tired. I'm sure the Wednesday Tri, Wednesday paddle and Friday running session resulted in a lot of stress and I am still recovering.
Running6:50 [3] 1.13 km (6:03 / km)
Short and easy beach run to the drain and back to get some blood flowing through my sore legs.
I took a longer roundabout route to running to try to midly simulate a ride to run transition. That is, not the actual transition but the action of running straight after getting for the bike.
Sweated buckets.
Running intervals (Toomey Run Group) 50:47 9.27 km (5:29 / km) +10m5:27 / km ahr:167 max:187 shoes: Bare feet
During the warm-up, I noticed I was working quite hard and when Tooms 2 others ran past, I couldn't hold on. It's gonna be a tough one!
15 x 300m with a goal time of 1:20. Every 3rd a touch quicker.
I felt I did these a lot better than usual. I tried to keep a comfortably hard pace where my breathing remained under control.
Every 3rd rep I upped the pace so that my breathing would pick up and I would be panting towards the end. I think that is what I was supposed to do but I still managed to have some big differences between reps.
This really puzzles me. I wasn't running the 3rd's flat out by any stretch of the imagination and the normal reps were still hard. Oh well.
Last 4 reps I walked the first 100m of recovery and jogged the 2nd 100m. Despite ditching the shirt early, I was getting very hot and concerned about my temperature.
Absolute zombie at work today!
On the way home from paddling yesterday I had plenty of energy. I even stopped by the shops to get a few things. My fatigue must have started at that point though. I enter to buy celery and feta cheese for a potato salad and greek salad I wanted to make later on. I leave with celery and feta, pizza, chips, ice cream and another thing I forget about now.
After eating both pizzas and not making any salad, I veged in front of the TV unable to move. This meant that I just sat/ slouched there rather than being in bed and didn't actually get to sleep till late.
Sigh.
Interestingly, I think I had the same experience on 20 & 21 December 2009! I must be a slow learner ;-)
Swimming race (Australia Day Triathlon) 14:56 [3] 0.76 km (19:39 / km) +1m19:34 / km
Results:
Overall 1:26:04, 45th of 83 & 119th overall (just outside of top 50%!)
Swim 19:29, 71st of 83
Bike 40:41, 15th of 83
Run 25:54, 68th of 83
Good swim today with goggles on so I could see where I was going. I think I also swam about 1 minute quicker than in Rockingham too. It was certainly a lot straighter although I did have a head on with a swimmer from a later wave.
Also had a wardbrode and brain malfunction. Approaching the water before the start, I realised the hat and sunnies I wanted to wear on the run and bike respectively, were still on my head. I quick thinking shove down the back of the tri shorts saw them stowed away nicely.
Or so I thought. About 300m into the swim, as my arm followed through past my hip, I felt an odd sensation from my leg as my hand grabbed my sunnies. They had worked there way down my leg and almost escaped. Another quick thinking manevour saw them, and the hat, stashed down the front. I did think of the possible consequences of sun glass hinges but took the risk.
Other stuff race (Australia Day Triathlon) 1:50 [4] 0.29 km (6:19 / km) +15m5:00 / km shoes: Bare feet
Run from the water, up the switchback path and into transition.
Other stuff race (Australia Day Triathlon) 2:54 [1] 0.18 km (16:07 / km) +1m15:51 / km shoes: Bare feet
So slow!
I had to re-attach my number with water logged hands and a brain in oxygen deficit after they came loose when I put my jersey on. 3 minutes in transition! I will have a tri-suit and race number band for the next one I think. I really do see the sense in them now. Fighting with a jersey that sticks to went skin and safety pins that pop open and poke you isn't fun, nor is it quick.
Now, what colour should it be...
Roadie race (Australia Day Triathlon) 38:49 21.71 km (33.6 kph) +114m shoes: Giant TCR C1
Determined not to repeat the Rockingham (lack of) effort, I took off on the bike leg with vigour. I knew the hills were short so I was prepared to go over the limit on them and recover/suffer on the downhills and flats.
I'm pretty sure no one overtook me on the uphills but the same can't be said of the flats. Still, I mainted a good speed on the flats of about 35km/h. And, if I do say so myself, made up even more time on the hairpins (all 3) and roundabout as many riders, even ones with fast bikes, were going very slowly here.
I caught Alex here (mate from work), saw Wally and never saw Dave (rival from work!). I knew I had to have Wally on the bike leg otherwise he was gone for all money. That may had contributed to me pusing quite hard towards the end and tiring a bit. Not a good sign for the run....
Other stuff race (Australia Day Triathlon) 1:25 [3] 0.09 km (15:44 / km)
A much better transition here. On the way downhill after the roundabout and after I had overtaken a potential slowpoke, I undid my shoes and managed to get on foot out before the hairpin and climb. I hammered the climb and managed to roll and remove the other foot before dismounting.
I did have a bit of trouble finding my spot as another bike was in it but other than that, happy with the transition. I even remembered to drink some water - something that was missing from my bike!
Running race (Australia Day Triathlon) 25:45 4.96 km (5:11 / km) +18m5:06 / km shoes: Salomon XA Pro 3D
Argh! So hard!
My legs were rubbish from the start of this run. Even the downhill started proved too much for me and I couldn't take advantage like usual and open up the stride. The rest of the run was me trying to push and getting pushed back.
I did see Dave at the turn around point. He was in pain and didn't notice me. I figured I had 40seconds to make up and tried my darndest to up the pace again. It hurt and although he did seem closer, he never got close enough for the Danger sprint.
Interestingly, 40 seconds is double what i lost in transition!
Pretty happy with this race however. Swim was good and controlled. Bike was almost perfect. Run was 20s/km slower but I put that down to 1) hard bike leg, 2) Tuesday morning ride + hard bike leg and 3) no water on the bike.
4 PM
Paddling (Downwind) 1:29:22 19.11 km (12.8 kph) +2m ahr:154 max:174 shoes: Stellar SES
Leg 1 Cott to City @12.9km/h
We arrived at 4:12 which I thought was a pretty good estimate on my part however it took another 5 or more to get onto the water. All the while, a lone shape floated in the lee of the Cott groyne... It was good to see Tooms out on the water, especially since he had paddled from Freo already.
I started off gently, wanting to warm up and remove the soreness I had in the arms and shoulders after this morning. I put in a few hard efforts and realised fatigue was nearby so I held back a bit, especially between waves and only went for what I thought were certainties.
Murray was out in front looking strong and Tooms was just behind, taking it noticeably easy.
Leg 2 City to Scarborough @ 12.6km/h
Sorrento from City is still a fair hike so I cruised this part doing the same no effort between waves and full effort on certain waves. It seemed to work well enough.
I did have a boat issue too. The cockpit had flooded a few times despite my best efforts to avoid burying the nose. No drama, my fault really. However, it wasn't draining as fast as expected. While I was waiting for it to drain, I discovered a great way to speed the process up. Actually, I discovered 2
1) lean over and let the water spill out. I got about half of the water out that way in one go!
2) remove the drain hole plug from the drain hole.
I arrived very much last at Scarborough but with only 1 leg to go, I knew I could make it back without blowing up now.
Leg 3 Scarborough to Sorrento @13.8km/h!
Bang! I took off and promised myself 2 things
1) smart skate catching with no stalls
2) proper technique and constant hard effort between skates.
It worked well :-) I aborted more waves on this leg than any other. It was the right thing to do as I maintained more speed and used that speed to catch the following skate. Otherwise, I would have caught a skate that would have probably ended early, stalled and have the skate behind come through and leave me!
And.... (I'm really proud of this) I overtook a wave at one point. As it rose up, I was too far right, on the waves shoulder. I zoomed down the shoulder, onto a smaller wave slightly in front and then used that one to get onto the one infront of the wave I was on originally!
Landing was smooth after an aborted effort when I came in, lost the skate and speed and thoght bailing was a better option than risking it.
Absolutely stuffed once on the beach though. I even let my ski start to roll in the wind before summing up the energy to stop it. Tooms'es interesting landing technique made me gulp and Murray's effort, although less scary, still made me wince for his boat.