Weekly training 15Feb-21Feb

Great week (last week) of training and felt tired on the bike Sunday. I started the new week Monday 22Feb swam out of this world and then I fell sick later that night and haven't trained all this week.

Swim

3 swims Total:7800m

Bike

3 bikes Total:66.16miles

Run

3 runs Total: 26miles

Join the movement and we'll start a revolution - stop all unnecessary shopping - separate your needs from your wants.

Weekly training 8Feb - 14Feb

The missing ingredient - harder faster work. After my downer from the race I had a swim session of 15x100m on Friday (which I haven't done for a while and then on Saturday I did a timed 2400m swim in the pond. I just swam normally and put in a hard effort in the last 200m. The time was 37.07min. So I was relieved - I knew I was swimming ok. I think at the race I got complacent after Whangamata and I got myself boxed right in the middle of the pack, lack of racing. And on Sunday's bike ride I rode really well. I am now where I should be a month before my first race not at the end of the season. In swimming I'm now doing lots of timed 100s and always timing myself in the pond -accountability. I felt embarrassed about my last performance.

Swim

2 swims total:5100m

Bike

2 rides total:53.02miles

Run

2 runs total:15miles

Join the movement and we'll start a revolution - stop all unnecessary shopping - separate your needs from your wants.

On a downer - The race at Kinloch

I have stopped work to do this - I need to get this off my chest - it is making me miserable.
What is you might ask? It must be something really important.

The answer is it isn't important really but it matters to me.

I had a really bad swim at my race last weekend. After the euphoria of my last race swim I have come down to earth with a bump. I feel disappointed all round really.

All the work on the swimming in the pond and pool. I think I got trapped amongst slower swimmers and spent time looking around me. But I worked really hard.

The bike was extra hard this year instead of 3 laps they made it 2 and it took in a really big hill which was harder than my bike training was good for but I managed it not fast but comfortably and my bike was rideable. And I know that I haven't done enough work on the bike. It is where it should be a month before my first race of the season. So next year my first race will be Rotorua at the end of November and my cycling should be where it is now but at the end of October.

The run was the same 4 lap with small hills affair which I ran strongly and finished with a flourish thus achieving my goal but only 2 minutes faster than last year. But last year I hadn't run much in the month prior to the race and it started hurting on lap 3.

I think with the exception of swimming I am just impatient to be competitive and faster. I don't like the idea of being 36 th out of a hundred. But I know it takes time. It also takes confidence to put in the effort and pace required. It is still only my second Olympic distance race in 14years.

My final race for this year is on the 13 March in Wellington, the national champs so I will get a real reality check as to where I am (get my arse kicked). Although the course is flat and I have the tough Kinloch race under my belt so armed with that knowledge I plan to push a bit harder on the bike and run and try to have a good swim.

Now with my therapy session over I can get some work done (business is booming) and go for a run.

Join the movement and we'll start a revolution - stop all unnecessary shopping - separate your needs from your wants.

Cameron's 5th birthday

Cameron's chocolate cake baked by me with the children's help. Teresa decorated it.


My beautiful boy having his party food on the deck. We invited 4 of his friends from kindergarten but 2 couldn't make it. It was short notice, straight after the 6 week summer holidays, back to kindy on Wednesday and gave out the invites and the party was on Saturday. Cameron wasn't bothered he still had a great time.

His kindergarten birthday when everybody farewells the person turning 5 and leaves for school. Cameron is handing out pop corn to the other children and then takes the rest home. Because Cameron will be going to Napier Central School where Teresa works and not the local he won't see these children again.

I'm writing this on day three of Cameron's school life and he loves it and I love having the house too myself most of the day I'm getting tons done especially as I no longer have the daily walk to kindy. I was sad to ending my relationship with the Kindergarten but I won't miss the walk and am excited about this new chapter in my/our lives.

Join the movement and we'll start a revolution - stop all unnecessary shopping - separate your needs from your wants.

Weekly training 25Jan-31Jan

Had an easy week in swimming and cycling.

Swim

Only one pool swim . I was supposed to swim in the pond but the weather was atrocious. Wettest January in Hawkes Bay for a 10years total:2700m

Bike

2 bike rides. Sundays ride on the road was another 3 hour ride in torrential rain .I decided I had to harden up in the UK I used to ride in all weather rain and snow in winter, this was warm summer rain. I was also thinking what would Armstrong do? What would Whitfield do? What would Brownlee do? The answer each time was ride in the rain. total: 52.49miles

Run

3 runs and loved it. total:25.5miles

Racing next weekend at Kinloch hopefully I've fixed my bike setup issues and should actually finish - I'm in really good shape.

yesterday the children and I were stuck in the house all day because of the weather and Teresa was at a teacher only day so I read the Michael Phelps book 'No limits'. It reinforced in me -to do what others won't. This what I have been doing learning to swim from scratch starting from just floating, swimming with the ankle band and balls in each hand , to undo all my bad habits. To aim (dream)really high - this means for me my goal is to swim 20minutes for 1500m, which I am told is impossible for somebody my age - soon to be 43 from a none swimming background. And lastly I got from the book the correlation between hard work and success. I have seen the difference already in my swimming in open water by taking the plunge and adding 500m of band swimming per session in my pool swims. I am planning to add another 500m in the build up to my race in Wellington on the 13th March.

Join the movement and we'll start a revolution - stop all unnecessary shopping - separate your needs from your wants.