Still on track…….just!!!

Just over a month has gone by and the training hours have increased yet again which is now mixed with the early season races that help towards the preparation for the "A" race. 

After the success of the Marathon, the Martinborough 115km fun ride was a different matter. I was looking forward to riding around the beautiful Wairarapa on smooth, unpopulated roads and very little wind compared to Wellington. What I didn't expect was the large pelotons (large groups of riders working together saving energy through drafting or slipstreaming), and the inevitable crashes that occurred. Over the winter months I watched the Tour de France while on my turbo trainer and saw a lot of crashes; it was only until the Martinborough fun ride when I saw the crashes right in front of me and the subsequents cuts and bruises did the attraction of riding in a big peleton fade away very quickly. 

As a result I elected to drop off from the peleton and enjoyed my own race playing a game of cat and mouse for the final 30km. The peleton, typically going 5kmph faster as a group would slow down on the hills where I would catch them before they regrouped and broke away again. This game was played out for the final 30km was  hard work but ended in success as I finally caught them to cross the finish line together.

The Kariprio Half Ironman on the other hand, was a good race; my nutrition plan worked well and a big improvement on my first half ironman race in Auckland in March, over 30m minutes faster which was reassuring to see the hard winter training paying off. The run was a good time even though it was an extra 1.8 km longer due to changes in the course. The bike is still my weakest discipline so the next month has to be bike, bike and more bike!!! 

My support crew enjoyed the weekend mini-break in Cambridge with little Mia keen to get in on the action trying a different approach to using the aerobars

In summary, while I had a good race there was also the realisation that I have to do twice as much in 2 months time...some serious traing is needed!!!! 

My training is now at the peak period…..swimming session are now up to 2 hours, bike sessions upto 6 hours and run sessions and now upto 3 hours….the weekends are getting harder as 5:30am starts on a  sunday morning just so I can be back at a respectable time for family time…...fortunately these are key sessions each week and not every training session. It is always a relief seeing the next days training session when it is a "45 min recovery ride". As the hours increase so do the aches and pains. Slight niggling injuries are starting to emerge so I am having to stretch as much possible and an ice pack is not far away. Fortunately running is my strongest discipline so I can swap the occasional run session for a bike session to rest any injuries. 

There's always time for some fun though…..some of the easier training sessions are mixed up with a little bit of mountain biking along with open water sea swims as the sea temperatures warm up. This weekend is the December Scorcher  and rather than doing the whole triathlon myself, I am part of a team. We have managed to get 3 teams together from work along with Theresa to each have a go at either the swim, bike or run leg for the first time which will be great fun. As it is early in the season, there are already mentions of participating in over events…but lets wait and see how the first event goes!

Supports Crew's View

Ian has done great this last month.  Mia and I enjoyed supporting him for Karipiro and treated him to a big fat steak after.  I had a glass of wine whilst ian had orange juice.  How times have changed ha ha.  We are doing a team triathlon this weekend, not sure how i got roped into that.  A 10km run for me.  This will no doubt remind me once again how far Ian really has to go on the big day!!!  He has been a bit slack these last few days so am finding myself waking in the mornings to kick him out the house :D  

Kia Kaha.....The top 2 inches

Now the training is getting serious and there are only two words to describe it……Long & Hard. Each session is typically 2hrs plus with a total weekly hours approaching 14hrs. As we move into spring and the clocks have gone forward which means less time on the turbo trainer and more time out on the road. This is great news as I have exhausted watching all the DVDs possible while burning the hours on the turbo trainer. Spring also presents a new challenge in NZ, the equinox winds! Wellington is famous for being the windy city with regular gusts typically around 30-40kmh and regardless of my bike route there always seems to be a headwind when I am on the bike…..its good training I keep reminding myself….yeah right

While the focus is on the three disciplines: swim, bike and run, the more I hear and read it is really about the "other" disciplines….nutrition, stretching and the mental approach. With the increased amount of hours in training, the mental aspect of training is now coming into play. The body seems to be constantly aching, the training relentless and now I really have to mentally focus for each training session. As part of the mental preparation I draw upon a variety of motivational sources….ranging from images, favorite music tracks, Make-a-Wish foundation and a few friends that provide motivation and inspiration. One person Piripi Rangihaeata, who I have named "The Maori Motivator " provides regular Facebook updates at the very early hours of the morning with his latest amazing challenge……always ending with a "BOOM" which is always inspiring and motivating.

To add to the anxiety of doing "am I doing enough training", Make-a-wish and NZ Triathlon & Multisport  magazine teamed up together to write an article for the magazine which highlights the challenges of fundraising, training and maintaining a work/life and family balance. It is a really nice article and fantastic that they are supporting me in raising the fund raising profile and motivation……there's no turning back now!

Along with all the mental preparation to keep me motivated, there is one motivator that cannot be beaten…..New Zealand's great outdoors! Here's a little extract from my training log…."Just had a awesome long run along the Wellington skyline……I look ahead and see the sunrise and Mt KauKau, I look to my right and see Wellington's beautiful harbour, I look to my left and see the Tasman Sea and the snow capped Kaikoura Mountain ranges…..I look around me and I am the only one around on the hills……I just kept on going for 2.5 hours…there are days like these which are just magical !!!!! 

My running continues to progress well. Last weekend was the Wairarapa Country Marathon where the weather conditions were great for running……cool, overcast and occasional mist, my support crew had a slightly different view of the weather. This was my first proper marathon and I was mentally ready for the "wall"; for those who are not familiar to the term, the wall is the point in a marathon where all your strored energy (glycogen) in your muscles run out and force you to slow down considerably to the point of walking. As the race was a little early in my training program me I waited and waited for the wall to come and yet it did not materialise. My nutrition plan with gels and liquids worked really well and ran the second half quicker than the first finishing 4th in my age group and 10th overall with a time of 3hrs 19mins. This was a great confidence builder so early on….I just hope the bike is progressing as well which is my weakest of all 3 disciplines.

The next couple of weeks include some long swims (4km plus), long bikes (6 hours plus) and as you would expect….yes, long runs too. The Karipiro Half Ironman is only two weeks away and I am really looking forward to having a trip away with my support crew and also to test out the winters training.

For mini updates I am trying to update Twitter…if you interested for the occasional mini update follow me @IanRich

And now for the unedited viewpoint from Theresa and little Mia...

Support Crews view

Ian did an awesome job of his first marathon….I think he was motivated by Mia and I driving by and Mia shouting 'daddy daddy daddy'.  Ian has seriously taken his training to new levels though, some are admirable and some are pure bonkers.  I came home from the shops to find him on his bike on the turbo trainer in the BEDROOM watching the TV as he couldn't get a signal on his laptop to watch the ITU world championships.  The man has gone mad.

Seriously though, his training is hitting new heights each week.  Not really that many weeks left until the big event…..

Cough and Sneeze !!!

The countdown towards January 19th seems to drawing closer and closer at an exceedingly alarming rate, the anxiety that seems to hit to the majority of triathletes preparing for a big race has started….."I need to do more training, more time on the bike, pool and on the road" seems to be a repeating mantra. A couple of bouts of the winter colds along with whatever little Mia brings home from the nursery doesn't help the training so at the moment it's 3 steps forwards and 1 back. 

The last couple of weeks have been focusing on increasing the time and distance on the run which has comprised of four or five runs a week all greater that 90 minutes plus. The end of the week finale has been a 2 1/2hr run around the bays. The endurance base training over the last 4 months seems to be paying off as I am now able to continue training the day after a long run; previously I would have needed to have at least 2 days off to recover.  To aid my recovery I now have a foam roller to help out my back, hips, thighs and IT band (The iliotibial band is a tough group of fibers that run along the outside of the thigh and is a common and often persistent injury for runners and cyclists causing pain mainly on the side of the knee.) I could never understand what everyone was doing with a foam roller in the gym and was warned that with the amount of running I would need to undertake I needed to look after my IT band as it would be continuously sore. The foam roller has been a savior and while I am not sure Theresa appreciates me and Mia " playing" on the floor with a piece of foam it has definitely helped me avoiding feeling too old.

With the amount of running and hours on the road my iPod has taken some abuse and there is a real risk of overkill from my favourite motivational tracks. I have started to listen to triathlon podcasts; coach Jeff http://www.coachjeff.com.au and Ironman legends http://www.legendsoftriathlon.com as they provide great advice and motivation as I am running, plus, it beats me talking to myself after a couple of hours on the road. On the Ironman legends podcasts they interview the "legends" of triathlon such as Scott Molina, Spencer Smith and Greg Welch.  I use to follow these are the guys some 20 years ago when I started in triathlon racing in my budgie smugglers....not a pretty sight ;0)

As we move into Spring the triathlon season is not far away so I have now planned and entered a series of "preparation" races as part of my build up to the big one. While some are to build up my competition endurance, others are focusing on speed on a specific discipline or getting use to transitions and testing out my nutrition.

Below is my race plan…

14th Oct 2012     Wairarapa Country Marathon 

(A little bit early in the season for a full on marathon race, but I thought I would test the legs out)

28th Oct 2012     Martinborough Fun ride (115Km)  

(A practice time trial while still having some fun, I am not sure how the "roadies" will feel having a triathlon bike there?")

3rd Nov 2012      Karapiro Half Ironman 

(The first real test of the season to see how well the winter training has paid off)

11th Nov 2012     Scorcher (Sprint) 

(A small sprint race to keep the speed in my legs)

2nd Dec 2012      Scorcher (Olympic) 

(Another speed race)

15th Dec 2012     Rotorua Half Ironman 

(Any lessons learned from Karapiro should be sorted in this race and the final race before the big one)

19th Jan 2013      The Big One - Challenge Wanaka !!!!!

(No turning back now, all the training should be done along with all the sponsorship possible achieved.....let's hope the weather is on our side)

After each race or event I will give everyone an update..with all the trails and tribulations that goes with them.

If training, nutrition, podcasts, foam rollers and stretching with little Mia was not enough I have started to read Chrissie Wellington's autobiography "Life without limits". 

In one chapter she talks about one of her hero's and the story of John Blais who was the first ironman finisher with ALS. John Blais was a self proclaimed ALS poet warrior and wrote the poem Westward Bound...I thought I would share it with you:

Westward Bound

Live…

More than your neighbours.

Unleash yourself upon the world and go places.

Go now.

Giggle, no, laugh.

No…stay out past dark,

And bark at the moon like a wild dog that you are.

Understand that this is not a dress rehearsal.

This is it…your life

Face your fears and live your dreams.

Take it in.

Yes, every chance you get…

come close.

And by all means, what ever you…

Get it on film.

And with that in mind…onto the next training session…"Just Keep Going" :o)

Support Crew's view

So we have been a sickly household in the last month….Ian has had to spend a few days without exercising and has been getting under my feet!!!  He is right that Mia brings all the bugs home from nursery for us….teaching her how to share.

Ian continues to push the limits and I dropped him off out of town today so he could cycle back and he comes home telling me he hit 80kph…now there's a worry!!!  We are planning on going circuit training in the park next weekend (weather permitting or he is on his own), I might just make sure he can do as much as he says :-D  Run Ian Run!!!!

The time is flying !

The original plan was to provide a monthly update on my progress; what has happened in reality is that time has flown by over the last 6 weeks. Training sessions seem to be blurring into each other and 5:30am starts are becoming the norm…even on the weekends!!!!

It was great to have a break in Sydney, after 4 months of hard going a small break was just what was needed….I still managed to go for several runs and a couple of swims just to make sure my body didn't forget what lactic acid and endorphins felt like. Sydney was a good 5 degrees warmer that windy Wellington which helped on those early morning starts. Some of the runs at sunrise around the Opera House with the Harbour Bridge as a backdrop were some of my all time favorites. As runners, I am sure we all have memories of fantastic locations, sunsets and sunrises and I have been so lucky to run in different parts of the world ...from the Charles river in Boston, snow covered streets in Helsinki to the jungle in Brunei. As I enjoyed the views it reminds me of how important that the make-a-wish charity is in providing young children the opportunity to have an experience to remember. 

While on the break in the sun, I managed to have my first glass of wine in 3 months and as I enjoyed the Pinot Noir I realise on how much the training has changed me….hopefully not too much but all this training can be addictive. A friend of mine sent me a link to a youtube video that reminded of the risks associated with Ironman training….not that its depicting a stereotype at all  ;o)

The training plan is gradually increasing in hours and my body is slowly adapting to it. The line of my body adapting to the increase and not getting injured is a very fine one; it has already been crossed a couple of times with a slight groin strain and a sore back. The groin strain just required rest while my back needed a few cracks and words of guidance from my chiropractor. Stretching exercises seem to dominate the evenings after the day's workouts with a pitiful attempt to get  my aging body to retain some level of flexibility. LIttle Mia is also helping me with the stretching as she enjoys sitting on me while I am straining on the next stretch.

As the hours increase it is reassuring to see that progress is being made. A year ago a 2 hour run would have required at least a days rest, now it is backed up by either an hours swim on the same day or a 3 hour bike the following day with out any noticeable problems. 

The last 2-3 weeks have really focused on the bike and getting "time on the saddle"…..the early morning rides have been fantastic on a clear day but when the weather has not been so kind I am on the wind/turbo trainer in the garage for hours and hours. My saviour has been watching the Tour de France and the Olympics. Watching both events has been both inspirational and dangerous. With the TV coverage being so good there have been numerous occasions where I have felt that I was in "the peleton" with the other cyclists; the result being an easy recovery ride turning into a full on workout with maximum heart rate without notice due to being so engrossed in the race.

Have a look at the brief video snap shots of the early morning workouts….

So the next couple of weeks there is another ramp up in training with specific focus weeks on each discipline. What this means is that either my arms and back ache continuously from the swimming, my thighs throb from the cycling or my calves are sore from the running…I just glad that hopefully it won't be all at the same time (I can leave that one for the race itself). To to give you a little insight, here's a snap shot of my training graph and the progressions required. 

Going forwards I will also provide mini updates rather than one big update; easier to read and more manageable to compile.

Support Crews View

Our house has been full of activity - the Olympics, Mia running around and Ian doing stupid distances.  He can practically swim faster than i can run these days!!  Mia is addicted to his cycle hat and says 'daddy's hat', and even says 'bike'.  Ian is doing great with his training, he is always full of energy even after a 2 hour run.  He mentioned he had his first glass of wine……imagine the savings we are making…….if only they weren't spent on sports nutrition instead!

More, more and more

June has been the month of increased volume, all of a sudden each session has increased by at least 30% percent which doesn't sound like much but getting up at 5:45am to 2.5km in the pool is definitely noticeable. The great thing about the early morning swims is that there is plenty of motivation once you are in the water with the Karori pirates swimming club in the lanes next to me….I will ignore the fact that they are twice as fast and more than half my age; it is inspiring to see these young adults religiously pounding the lanes with the support of their coach in preparation for the next competition...how to make someone feel old, especially aching after the previous nights workout. 

As the training is increasing my body is slowly adapting, a slight groin strain has emerged which is frustrating as my progress has been solid. Fortunately, this doesn't affect the other 2 disciplines so I have no excuses to steal an extra hour in bed. 

With the slight groin strain I thought that I would step down from running the Armstrong 10km road race with my support crew and cheer from the sidelines. While it was a cold and dry day it was perfect for a fast race and I watched people with envy start their 10km, half or full marathon. Theresa had a target time to work to and I thought that I would find a spot with little Mia two thirds of the way around. Regardless of my careful planning of where she would be at a specific time I received a phone call from the finishing line..."where are you, I have finished " .... Oops...so much for supporting my support crew.

As Winter starts to take a firm hold of Wellington with biting southerly winds the cycle has become a reliable source of pain....the outdoor sessions are now left to the weekends along with other "roadies" who are wrapped up In warm clothes and leggings. I have had a few weird looks as we pass as I am the only person wearing shorts…I don't have time to tell them that I plan to go for a run straight after the bike and get too hot while running to wear full leggings.

As the distances start to increase, this phase has been to workout what is the best nutrition to use. From all the reading and my experience at the Auckland Half Ironman it is clear that nutrition and hydration is going to be the key to survival. In that race I suffered severely from cramps and realized that salt and electrolytes were critical. Challenge Wanaka  is double the distance so food is also fundamentally important. I have been using Nuun electrolytes that are great to address the cramping but don't sit well only stomach, which is proving to cause problems when running so I am experimenting with salt tablets from salt stick and Leppin gels. Cliff bars are great on the bike but I can imagine after several hours the novelty may wear off of eating the same bar. There are so many options with suppliers and experts advising the "best product"….. it can be quite confusing (from gels, bars, electrolytes, liquid food).it's just great that I can keep trying all the different products without having to think about my waistline.... It's just a shame that the good old fashioned pie is not on the list of sports foods. My plan is to find a combination that sits well on my stomach, avoids all the cramping issues, have a nice refreshing taste and is not too costly…I will let you know if I find this holy grail.

Support Crews View

So June has come and gone and involved me doing a 10km race - plan was for Ian to push Mia in the buggy but we found the night before after reading the T's & C's that there were no buggies permitted.  Ian was kind enough to let me run the 'race'.  After my severe lack of training I managed to beat my target time - the only things that kept me going was my friend also running and knowing the pain Ian will have to go through to do this Iron distance in January.  Holidays to Sydney didn't even stop Ian's training - only wish we'd bought Mia's buggy so I could have gone running round the Botanical Gardens and round the Opera House….but that might have been more of a 'walk' for Ian at my slow coach pace…….

Preparation Phase Completed !

Eight weeks into my forty-week programme and the going is fairly good. I have now completed the preparation phase of my programme that felt like a baptism of fire. A quote I liked was the “This period is preparing to train”…. which is a slight understatement as it required two training sessions a day with variable times from 30 minutes through to 2 hours and averaging 9 hours a week. The first couple of weeks were hard work getting into a routine with all the logistics……how many pairs of shorts and tops to take to work; food and nutrition planning;  what days to go swimming either on the way to work or leaving work; Every Sunday night seemed to be a pattern of reviewing the training plan, packing and unpacking my bags for the week.

As for the training, that is going well and a 2 hour bike ride or a 90 minute run followed by an easy 45 swim is no longer as frightening as it was in the first couple of weeks. All being said I still look forward to my rest day.

As the New Zealand winter has started some of the 2-hour cycle rides with a strong headwind that has come from the Antarctic quite easily turns into a ride of survival. I am fairly comfortable with the tuck position on my aero bars but there have been quite a few occasions where I have tried to curl into a ball still on the bike to be as aerodynamic as possible to hide from the wind.

When the wind is too bad my cycle training moves from the road onto the cycle trainer; otherwise known as the machine of pain. The monotony of constant cycling and feeling like a hamster in a wheel and no excuses of stopping for traffic lights means a quality training session that hurts all the way…..at least there is some light entertainment.

Machine of Pain….

My running, being my strongest discipline, has been really enjoyable, amongst the sunsets and sunrises, there have been some “challenging” days when the weather has not been good and I have been soaked within the first 10 seconds of stepping out of the door…those kind of days are put down as “mental toughness days” rather than the “what’s that idiot doing in that rain”

As for other races, there are various half marathons, marathons, long swims, and half ironmans now lined up over the next 7 months as part of the race preparation. My support crew have entered the Armstrong 10km road race this month as team effort so we can have some fun along the way….. Guess who is pushing the buggy all the way around? ;o)

Support Crew training…

The fundraising campaign has had a good start with some fantastic donations and words of support which I am hope will continue to gather momentum as I have a big target to achieve to support the children.

The next phase of my training is “Base” where the endurance building phase really starts and a marked increase in training hours peaking at around 16 hours a week…more opportunities for eating and sleeping as much as I can…..

Support Crews View

Ian hasn’t mentioned who does the piles of his stinky washing after the said training sessions!!!

We did the Powerade Challenge last weekend which is an 8km run round the waterfront and you get timed and rewarded with a free bottle of powerade at the end.  I now have an excuse that Ian has to push Mia all the way – she loves going fast and puts her hands in the air as if she is on a rollercoaster ride.  It was the first run I have done in about 2 months and I managed to run most of it.

I have to say this training take some discipline – early starts in the winter and running extra fast home so he gets to Mia’s nursery in time when I get called out just adds to the challenge for Ian…..