A Morning Kind Of Person

It amuses me to hear myself say I'm a morning kind of person, because I don't think there is much truth in it. Who doesn't like not setting an alarm and waking when you do? I think it is more a habit kind of thing, getting up in the mornings to train. A habit that helps build discipline in training. So despite SWMBO pleas to sleep in for the sake of those who cant and have to get up to go to work, I find the best way to maintain consistent training is to keep with the 6.00am sessions as per a normal work week. It keeps you in the groove and prevents the desire to just put it off another hour.

This all said it is post morning session that I find the best rewards come forth. The intrinsic reward of being out on the trails as the sun is rising and the pleasure in eating post session are the best parts of my day in most occasions.

So the first week into build the second wrung, moving from bits and pieces back into consistent accumulative overload training, was all about the AM sessions. For the first week the load was about making sure the discipline was in place to be out of bed at 5.30am and onto the session by 6.00am. The afternoon sessions will build next week.

Largely a task achieved, though the 5.30am was a bit shaky on a couple of occasions. Due to the dominant gene over the recessive that is wake up when the alarm starts rather than when your body decides it has heard the alarm for long enough.

Monday 3rd January
AM joined with 13 other keen runners of BMMC and PIS allegiance for 2-3 laps of the Knapsack lap course. The constant question prerun being "are we heading down the stairs to Knapsack Bridge?". Now how many friends do you think I would have if I set a 4.5km lapped 12hr race and made people negotiate the escarpment each time for the 12hrs? Maybe Mister G but I think I must be much friendlier than the upper mts chapter. First 2 laps were done at around 35 minute pace with about 9 runners taking a third lap in 26mins. If a runner can hit 30 mins a lap for 12hrs here on race day I will be suitably impressed. Over all felt great given my digestive acceleration of the previous week.

Tuesday 4th January
AM with the standard BMMC Sleep Train circuit from the round house. It seems this run gets more high end every time I turn up. Sleep Train, Sprinter, Heart n Soul (come White Rabbit), Paul Robertson (what kind of a name is that must put some cognition into this one), Fat Kiwi, Sam Appleton and I. think this is the first time BMMC has had a current Australian U/23 Triathlon Champion run with us. As expected solid pace up front early to the end. I hit the hill out of Sun Valley harder than normal then eased back to watch the masses lead off into the distance over the last few km for a 1hr 1min lap.

Wednesday 5th January
AM to the 'woods' by 6.20am, the first signs of the body refusing to accept the auditory signals sent from the small grey box by the bed. 100/50 session today with 500m warm up, 5*100 on the 2min cycle, 50 b'stroke, 5*50 on the 1min cycle, 50 b'stroke, 5*25m with 25m b'stroke recovery continuous, 500m kick and 100m medley w/down. All up 2.2km with the intervals hitting around 1.45 to 1.50 for the 100's and the 50's coming in around 50sec. Fairly happy for first real swim in a month.

Thursday 6th January
AM and it should have been the standard Thursday BMMC basic hill circuit from the Mansion on Marshal. Unfortunately the decision not to match the going to bed times with the return to getting up for training times had me wake to the sounds of the 6.00am news not the initial beginnings of the alarm 30mins earlier. A brief appearance in boxers to the crowd assembled instructing them that rules are rules and I will meet them on course sent them on their way. A quick superman esck change and it was off heading straight down Mitchell's to cut them at the junction onto the city rail access trail. Some confusion as to linking and my self doubt in terms of instructions issued had me heading up the hill chasing runners that were behind me. Voices from behind at the top preluding the arrival of Sleep Train, Paul R, Heart n Soul then Dr Phil. Dr Phil's brother in law left to the agitated cougars infuriated by Cougar Baits absents for holidays. Personally around 52mins having cut out the Knapsack section of the normal run.

Friday 7th January
AM to the woods to find a broken pool. Thoughts of early coffee soon erased as Sleep Train suggested a trip to the Brook instead. 50m without a tumble turn felt like forever after 6mths in 25. Locked in 500 warm up 1000m pull bouy tt (19.02) 500m kick and 100m w/down. total 2.1km. Never got that coffee.

Then spent the rest of the morning leading the mothers club on a walked lap, baby's in tow of the Knapsack lap course as a recie for their baby sitters club attempt at the 3hr teams. Up till now I would have scoffed at suggestions leaches exist in Knapsack Reserve. Post walk coffee and I managed to meet another father, Martin the 3.05 Canadian marathoner. Looks like he will be at Kedumba next week for the half so very keen to see how he goes on this course.

Saturday 8th January
AM the first of the big runs leading into 6ft 2011 (assuming the wait list is progressing). With the last long run ending in a week of misery there was some trepidation leading into this one the first running of The 6ft Simulator since last years 6ft. Glenbrook to Woodford to Faulco providing 25km of muscular endurance followed by 9km of tempo running back down to Faulco. A deliberate easing into it was the aim and I soon let Sleep train, Terry, James & Dr Phil go as I settled into a conversation with Gareth (another 3.05 marathoner, I got to do something about my soft PB). Pleasantly surprised to find a regroup at the Picnic Area, then again at the heli pad. The early conservative pace meaning I felt good through the long haul to the Heli pad and through the hills to Woodford.

The Prince bounded towards us through these climbs and returned with us through the hills to Woodford then guided us on trail to Linden. Helping avoid the side of the Highway. Tempo was the plan but in reality this was never going to be the case on the first running of the Simulator. So found a nice rhythm and ignored the pace back down to Faulco:

• 3:20:39 all up with splits of
• 43:52 to the picnic area
• 36:12 (1:20) picnic area to heli pad
• 1:08:38 (2:28) heli pad to Woodford
• 51:56 (3:20) Woodford down to Faulco

A starting point to build off over the next 2 months. PM saw a recovery swim at the woods. 1.5km of bits and pieces as I made up on the go. Very pleased to have done this and will repeat when ever possible.

Sunday 9th January
AM Cycle the block in an up the windies direction with Animal and Fat Kiwi. Dr Phil joining in for the early stages before turning to get back for work. wet but pleasant for the 60km loop with the legs feeling pretty good, though a little fatigued when it came time to climb Hawkesburry hill. About 2hrs 15mins but didn't have the clock on. Really enjoyed getting out on the green machine, a very tidy frame still at 20 yrs of age.

So a solid 1st week hitting every planned session for the first week in. Over all a bit tired as to be expected but nothing that should be holding me back in terms of injury's etc. Now to the first full week, the first week of no excuses for 2011.

And a song for Genevieve:

Pete Murray - So Beautiful
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Transition 2010 to 2011

The only point in looking backwards is to clarify where your going forwards to. Or to save production costs for all those TV shows that do a year in review type program. So with this in mind a quick look at 2010, but only so I can help direct myself for 2011.

A tops year really for me in general terms. Started with a shaky start having a DNF at Hotham from Bogong in excessive temperatures and lacking directional capabilities required to join the 'normal population. Even this can be put aside though, as a number of people have calculated 9 months latter the best part of my year hit the pool at Nepean Hospital. But more on that latter. Perhaps my mind was just not focused on running the toughest course I have attempted to date.

Things sat in the good range for the rest of the next 6 months with a pleasing but not great six foot track debut and a very satisfying North Face. Again set up as my first attempt at this kind of solo run. I remind myself that the purpose of 2010 had always been to get a feel for these longer runs knowing "building endurance is to be endured". The catch phrase for 2010 and beyond I suspect.

June was, as it has become accustomed, time to show the poncey private sector that CHS Rugby is far superior to their player poaching over glorified systems. It also provided a month of distraction following what had been the biggest volume of running I have taken on in my life. A 3-1 record for my team leaving a bitter taste to a generally successful program again. A 4-0 outcome sits there waiting for to ease my public education aligned heart.

Late winter, early spring was about just rocking up and having a run to be social. Surprisingly it also produced my best two runs for the year at Glenbrook from Woodford and Bilpin from Wilson. Recording PB's at both courses of over 10 minutes. It seems the volume of the early year combined with a month of bits and pieces paid dividends.

September to the end of the year was dominated by the expansion of the family. A cheeky marathon run at Sydney, with no where near enough kilometers in the legs, enabling Sponge Bob Square pants (and a chick to top it off) to smash me. A PB again but at 3:36 still well below the place I want to be at. Then out she came.

Genevieve Anne Berriman, 1.11am 17th October. For the rest of the year who cares about my times (I guess I did but it is an easy card to pull before a race). The 'Mear Cat' is with us, a gorgeous girl with a desire to always know whats going on and who is that sitting over there. "Shes advanced you know".

4 Weeks latter Nepean Tri where a ridiculous PB again given an absolute lack of training and sleep accumulated for the month preceding. Then on to Canberra Half Ironman where in all reality the quad explosion should have come at a race long ago.

Overall too much fun had back into some real events after a decade and a half of pretending. But more importantly the first stepping stone towards future goals and progression in both standard of performance and distances raced at. Starting with 2011, the year of the next rung.

A basic plan, events to begin with. Maintaining the philosophy I do this for recreation and not to take over my life I am out of North face 2011 with a wedding in Fiji knocking a block of training out early in the year. So some new targets needed. The first big one being the, I believe, inaugural 6ft-Husky Double. At this point there are 3 of us wait listed for 6ft and entered Husskisan Long Course. With 2010 as the model I have confidence the wait list will go so the made afternoon car poo from Jenolan Cave to Husskisan is on on.

Earlier will be back to solid training, with a potential trip to Canberra to visit my nieces (and their Dad/Mum) and to have a run at Stromo lightning Strike for training. Latter is not yet confirmed but 12ft track is jumping up and down at me, a real crack at a marathon and  block of training building to Ironman length event (though I have talked about this since yr 12 in 1992).

So with the 6ft-Hussky double the immediate focus a plan has been hatched and accountability through the blog diary is the corner stone. As the best training in 2010 clearly coincided with this process. A run heavy program is nutted out and the next 3 months will look like this:

Mondays
AM, Recovery Run min 30 mins but should be longer
PM, Swim - Pyramid sets

Tuesdays
AM, Run BMMC Sleep Train Circuit
PM, Run track session with the Spilling Squad

Wednesdays
AM, Swim - 100's/50's sets
PM, Cycle mini LSD

Thursdays
AM, Run BMMC Standard Hill Circuit
PM, Cycle

Fridays
AM, Swim - Open water or pool time trial
PM, Cycle - Mt Bike

Saturdays
AM, Run LSD BMMC Saturday 6ft Sessions
Pm, Run (optional) recovery max 30mins

Sundays
AM, Cycle LSD with hills
PM, Swim - 300's sets

So Beer Betters there is the plan from this silver stubbie contestant. Take it or leave it. Just have the knowledge that whilst I ran my 1st 10km as an 8 yr old in 1982 last year was my debut season in my own eyes to being back at it. 2011, the year of the next rung is amongst us.

Now to avoid wrestling evil prawns for the remainder and a song for Genevieve (ignoring the introductory ref to cigarettes please):

December: Crawling Across The Line

December has been an interesting one for me, as reflected in the lack of posting going on here. It seems a lot of things have caught up to me and I haven't really taken the time to adjust my expectations as required. It has still largely been a lot of fun as the rest of 2010 has been. However a couple of 'races' have slapped me fairly sternly in the face. A reality check I suppose on how much you can cram into one life.

Early December saw me grace the start line for my first long course triathlon since Sri Chinmoy and Penrith 1994. Strangely enough it seems I missed the changing of the name for this distance to half ironman only to find I am in the last race under this title as they are reverting to 70.3. Which makes a lot of sense given we use metric measurement in Australia.

None the less the last half ironman for Australia turned into a 1/3 ironman due to the flooding of the lakes in Penrith, with the swim cancelled and the bike leg adjusted to avoid the need for carrying flippers on the ride. Having seen the lake I was pleased not to be entering, not mearly due to my natural sinking ability but more in watching the floating Islands now gracing the views from Parliament House.

Starting in one of the last 'dry waves' I set out intending to sit up frontish without being silly. A constant reminder floating in my mind that I had in fact only covered the 90km distance of the ride once in training since the Perth to Sydney ride of 2006. The plan of sitting on 4min k's panned out perfectly with a run to feel process bringing me in on 16mins 11secs.

Having racked the bike the night before it seems I managed to check everything but the distance of the computer sensor to the magnet. No info available so the ride to feel process remained the order of the day. I was hopeful of lapping around 30mins a lap for the 17.#km circuit and felt comfortable in this as the ride began, the first 3 laps feeling great. Out the back end of the course however the wind was starting to knock me around a bit and the 4th lap felt much tighter. Going into the final lap of the cycle it was evident that my lack of time to train (or time I made to train) on the bike was starting to affect my fluidity and the wind was bloody hurting.

Post race timing shows the ride to feel is still fairly accurate with splits of 30:45, 1:00:09, 1:30:22, 2:00:45 and the blow out lap for 2:35:21. Not brilliant average speed but happy to have found the pace early and settled in.

As with the final lap of the ride the run falls into the basket of all over red rover. Cramps from the 1st km restricted me to a gentle shuffle and walking the aid stations to regain control of spasming quads. Quite aptly put by former student Alex S with the comment "come on old man" as he ran by during one of the more spectacular sessions of quad rapture. In the end a 1:58:58 for a total time of 4:50:30 gave me a rude upper cut to reality in terms of the difference between rocking up to an Olympic Distance event half hearted and the longer races. None the less happy to have found myself back in the scene.

The rest of December was dominated by a ridiculous work finish, trying not to get an N-Award for new parenting and Christmas stuff. Must say if I could be Santa for a day then this would be way too much fun. Particularly if it was say for Genevieve's first Christmas. The end result being however that I actually missed a lot more training that I had been maintaining up to this point. Including the vast majority of the BMMC Saturday 6ft Sessions.

Having not learnt a thing from what is now something like 28 years of experience of under training (1982 to 2010 I think = 28) into events lead me to the false expectation that a cruisey 36km around the Royal National Park might be a good way to finish the year.

Not being able to claim the biggest hit the wall experience of my life, for all present will know that a lap of Bell around 2000 as the first ride back in a year will always hold a special place in my head space. The Awesome Audley certainly lays claim to the blow up of the past 5 years. I believe the official sequence with around 8km to go was, Call Kel "I'm out pick me up please", sit down, bag off, sook like a baby on the side of the road until 12 mins latter a runner comes by and suggests it is not that far and it is ok to join him if I can get over myself.

Thankfully I managed to finish off because a DNF in training is never going to be allowed to be forgotten in BMMC sessions. All though a 5hr:10ish min lap may well be mentioned a few times as well. All I can say is it is now 3 days latter and I now have an understanding of why I felt so crap. Given that writing this is most likely the longest period of time I have spent off the duny since getting home from the run.

Now for the more tasteful (oh to be able to eat without fear) as promised a song for Genevieve from today's post:

Nepean Triathlon 2010

Love doing Nepean as it was my first triathlon back in 1991 when my then Maths teacher Tricky Bullant convinced me to stop talking about it and to have a go. Must say though it is no longer quite the same without the descents onto wooden bridges, dodging bike wheel wide cracks and over sized bolts, and the run leg will never match Sanctuary Drive. Things move on though and the current course certainly has the speed aspect that enables fast times given the right conditions.
Speaking of which I noticed it was hot out there yesterday. as much as you try to tell yourself you have no control over it and it is the same for everyone. There comes a point you have to accept it is hot.

The swim being my worst leg normally leads to feelings of dread as I anticipate being crunched by those around me and laughed at as I exit the water trying to hide my swim cap so the crowd don't notice that I'm from the group that got out some time ago. But this morning it was just pleasant relief to soak up the coolness of the lake in waiting for the gun.

Got to the end of the swim fairly clean with not too much water polo type action, having decided to start out on the 2nd row of markers just past the boat on the start line. Stood in 19mins ##sec making it to the mats in 20mins 02sec. My best swim for a long time.

The bike felt good and being in a latter wave gave the opportunity to pick off cyclists from earlier waves for motivation along the course. I really like the corners of the industrial area as a brake from the long stretches around the lake and along Castlereigh Rd. as such found myself drawing back some time on better swimmers as the the ride continued. Racking the bike with a pleasing 51mins ##secs including the two transitions.

Having done my first tri in 2 years a couple of weeks ago I was confident I would run OK in comparison to those around me at this point. However my confidence took a battering as a mad Beer Betting Frenchman in BRAT speedo's and calf compression socks screamed past me over the bridge.

I had planned to have a crack at sub 40 mins on this run to stick it up some beer betters on another thread who have been gloating over 10km times and found the metronome paced perfectly going through 5km in 19mins 58sec. As always though the 3rd quarter was the mentally tough one. Particularly on this course with it's persistent straight down the back end of the lake playing tricks with my mind every time I run here.

In the end I was pleased with my 41min 33sec and 1hr 53min 05sec for the day. That gave me a 3 minute improvement on any times I have recorded since my Uni days when work constituted 8hrs of lectures a week and the rest of the day was spent training or playing with the lifeguards equipment down the local beach. All in a period of semi relaxed I'll do what I feel like 6ft preseason training and learning to live with our newest resident the 4 week old Genevieve.

Once again well done to Warrick and his extensive crew on the organisation that makes the oldest triathlon in Aust one of the best year in year out. And congratulations to all who finished on such a trying day. Also good, despite the preseason status of most of those racing to find myself amongst a number I have been a long way off for some time now.

The rest of the week has been quite slow though to be honest. Managed to crank out an easy recovery swim on Monday but then struggled with sore hamstrings and lack of sleep through Tuesday and Wednesday. After another sleep reduced night into Thursday drag myself around the basic hill circuit with Sleep Train, vstaR and Cougar Bait in an attempt to gain redemption for missing the Tue run.

Should manage a swim tomorrow morning and then it is off to do some reco of  the run course at the next event. Whilst squeezing in a Great Auntie/Uncle visit and a weekend with the nieces et al. Hoping next week should see a return to consistent training (sans reports and marking) and the continued pleasure of teaching my daughter about music, for Genevieve:

Thinking About BMMC 6ft 2011

It has been a disrupted couple of weeks training since I had the pleasure of Genevieve coming to stay at the Mansion on Marshall. However I am convinced going back to work has had more of an impact than Genvieve so I think if something has to give it is going to have to be work.

As predicted by many people the tiredness has been the biggest hurdle. However I am determined to prove that how much exercise you can do when you have children is more to do with how much you did before children than the fact you now have a 2hr wake up call each night.

Having taken this into account I have been fairly pleased with how the preseason training is progressing. Given that the primary focus is to ensure BMMC take the 4 major men's titles at 6ft track in 2011. To make up for the injury plagued version that was 2010. Recruitment has begun for BMMC eligible runners to maximise the chances of not just taking out the win but to ensure that the podium remains green man free.

The depth of the team has been investigated and two new BMMC eligible residents have expressed an interest in moving to the good side. Current team members have recommitted to the cause and see the future of trail running resting firmly in the inner sanctum that is the home of National Parks Australia.

From the not quite that fast perspective the Beer Bet has once more been infiltrated with intense discussions taking place on how redemption might be sort for what in all honesty was a less than satisfactory performance in 2010. Lets just say I hope the Silver and Gold fields are ready to run sub 4.25 to match it with the highly fancied stock of runners emerging from the hinterland  of distress that was this years attempt. Nothing like intrinsic negative motivation to raise the stakes (or sausages or chicken kebabs for that matter).

So with the plan in place and the actions prepared it is simply a matter of recalling the nature through which BMMC was established. That through the inconsistency and non committal actions of one GPB, a need to find a way to establish an organisation that aimed purely to not let him be a part, and the desire to poke a bit at a clinic for running. The now strong hold of running trophies sets forward to dominate 6ft 2011.

Personally I have had more fun playing with my 3 week old daughter, but still the sessions are coming back with the standard Tue and Thur runs back on the agenda (though some who turn up on Tue may argue this point), swimming in the woods is largely returning to 4 sessions a week and the bike has been dragged out of storage for around 3 rides a week average. The longest having been last Wed arvo with 80mks of m7 cycle way knock over.

The triathlons marked out for the preseason have begun with the club mini tri (honestly the old name still best describes it) last Saturday. As always the swim was diabolical, however it would rather have my strongest leg last as I cant imagine what it is like to watch people run by continuously to finish an event. Splits of around 14mins 50sec swim, 37mins ## cycle and 19mins 15secs for the run were OK.

Nepean is now 1 week away and with a better swim I will be pleased (particularly if I can hit high 38's for the run). With Canberra around a month away. Given this I'm happy just to go about the continued semi reliable training strat as required for a preseason, knowing January and February are really going to hurt. Also reminding myself that Genevieve is most likely awake when I'm out and asleep when I get back. There are only so many times I can claim she just woke up before SWMBO will drag out her Rugby Union playing nature with me.

Let things continue for now, and as promised a song for Genevieve: