So tomorrow I make the 4.5 to 5 hour journey to my home town Shepparton to compete on Sunday in the Challenge triathlon race consisting of a 1.9km swim, 90km bike and 21.1km run.
Over the past 3 months I have swam 36.4km, cycled 1,784.9km and ran 265.3km. I have dialed back my running mileage over the past four weeks, as a result of a minor calf injury on my right leg, which evidently also gave the Achilles on my left leg a chance to settle down. The Noosa race flared everything back up a little, but I seem to have recovered well and am ready to give this a good nudge.I have previously written about being injury free is my goal as following this race I commence a 16 week training block to my next ironman in New Zealand.
So lets talk about this weekend, here is my plan & predictions:
We are making this trip a family reunion and I am very excited to have the support of all my mum & dad’s brothers, sisters their partners and children (my aunties, uncles & cousins). My sister, her husband and their children are also joining us on this journey/holiday. The grey nomads (my mum & dad) have planned their travels to be in Shepparton for the race also, so it really is a full family affair for this race, NO PRESSURE.
As a family of 10 (4 adults & 6 kids all under 10) we fly out on Friday. Sorry if your on a Jet Star flight from Brisbane to Melbourne on Friday, pray you don’t get to sit near us! I’m hoping to squeeze in a pool swim once we hit Shepparton in the afternoon, just to loosen everything up from the travel.
I haven’t transported my bike by plane for a long time and had to invest in a new bike bag. Thanks to the Scicon Triathlon bag, I’m hoping this is a stress free trip. Packing the bike was a quick simple exercise following the YouTube link and video prepared by Scicon:
Scicon Bags Triathlon Bike Travel Bag Tutorial
A couple of calls to my training partner Ian, who happened to purchase the identical bag and has use his for a couple of trips already. I was now confident that I had it packed correctly and set out putting a few extra thing strategically around the frame. Wetsuit rolled and jammed in, the aero helmet packed in the supplied bag (not certain its meant for a helmet but it fits), some tools, drink bottles and it was at the weight limit!
Saturday morning I am hoping to do a gear check ride, maybe part of the bike course. Alternatively my uncle has invited me on his normal Saturday morning group ride, however I am conscious that I am on a TT bike with full aero helmet, not the best group riding setup!
challenge-shepp-course-maps-2016-bike
I’ll rack my bike between 11am & 4pm as required and then head some where quite to relax and prepare of the what may come the next day.
I have previously written about my OCD tendencies and Sunday is all about the process, always methodical about my preparation. Up early to have a breakfast, probably french toast with banana & maple syrup. Heading to transition when it opens, I tend to use almost every moment before my race start. Reviewing and visualizing each leg and each transition, checking the layout of my gear and double checking it again. The race will look after it self, there is little I can do now to improve my performance, but there is plenty I can do to sabotage it! So between now and then it is all about being mindful and visualizing the process.
My goal for the race is simple, a swim as close to 30 minutes as possible, ride under 2.5 hours and run under the 2 hours (hopefully closer to 1:50). Including transitions I am hoping to break the 5 hour barrier, which I missed by 6 seconds at Sunny Cost 70.3 in 2015. Lets hope that by putting that out there I can make it a reality on Sunday!
I don’t believe they have athlete tracking or live results, so if your interested in following my progress you may have to be patient, I’ll put links up on my facebook & instagram as soon as I find out. Oh and obviously Strava & Garmin Connect will have my unofficial results live as soon as I finish and can get near my phone.
I’ll hopefully be blogging about a super successful race on Monday (maybe Tuesday allowing for travel)!
I need to take a moment to thank my amazing wife and kids for supporting me. Our family holidays almost all revolve around my bucket list of races which seems to be growing quicker than I can tick them off. Your patience is never-ending & words cannot explain how grateful I truly am! As I embark on my next journey this summer having you by my side is my true north. Thank you for your unending support. To all my friends competing this weekend in your respective events, Hervey Bay 100, Eamonn Ring, Emily Donker, the Morgain Tri Crew and Redline Tri Club members good luck, trust your training, enjoy the race and keep smiling.
If you need some inspiration, follow me on Strava, Instagram and like my facebook page and let’s get out there swimming, cycling & or running. The biggest regret we can have in life is to not TRI!
Till next time build consistency, keep smiling and live to Tri!
SO, YOU WANT TO BE AN IRONMAN? 
Got Get it mate!!!
Thanks heaps!