Michael Silk
San Francisco Bay Area/Oakland, California, USA
 
‘Quality is sometimes better than quantity.  I’m learning that I perform better when workouts are high-intensity, focused on building one aspect (FTP, Aerobic bases…), structured (intervals, warm up, specific targets) and allow time for full adaptive recovery.’ 

This month, our Fast Five feature athlete is Michael Silk. 

​Michael’s a relatively new addition to the T:Zero team but has been participating in triathlon for about six years. Over this time, he’s completed Olympic distance, 70.3 and iron-distance races, including the incredible Patagonman Chile in 2019 (you’ll want to check this one out - trust us!). 

Iron-distance is definitely Michael’s jam; with both the long training blocks and race day itself  pushing him to experience breakthroughs and moments of physical and mental clarity that keep the fire alive. He also credits the distance for pushing him to be more organised with his time - both in training and every day life.

Since becoming a T:Zero athlete, Michael says he’s started to focus more on hydration and core stability. Outside the standard swim/bike/run, he consistently incorporates strength training at the gym and is inspired to keep training and racing through seeing his own progress and improvement. He’s also deeply inspired by others who are pushing their own bodies beyond perceivable limits too. 

Under the watchful eye and steadfast guidance of Coach Rich, Michael’s plans for 2021 include tackling Ironman Arizona and attempting a sub-six hour bike leg. And while he does not currently possess a race day mantra, he’s keen and up for suggestions, so over to you team! 

Why and how did you get into triathlon/endurance/multisport?
I played sports growing up. I was injured playing post-college rugby and decided to take up running. I found a magazine that was advertising a sprint triathlon in a sauna at a YMCA in San Francisco. After finishing the sprint, I knew I loved the sport. 

Favourite race? Why? 
Patagonman is a tough ironman-distance race through the world’s most striking landscapes. You swim through a Chilean fjord, bike through Patagonia then run a trail marathon along the Ibanez River next to beautiful lakes, waterfalls, sheep herds, mountain towns and ends at a small port town on the border of Argentina. The community and race organizers are some of the most friendly and passionate people you will ever meet. Truly a bucket list race.

What’s your favourite thing about triathlon/endurance/multisport? 
Achieving a “runner’s high” or ‘peak/flow’ state while training or racing. It is usually followed by a sense of clarity and I believe it makes me a better person.  I also truly enjoy the opportunity it provides to connect the natural world through ocean swimming, running trails or biking through pristine forests.

Have you ever had an apparent training or race day “failure” that has set you up for later success? 
I wasn’t able to find my bike during the Oakland Triathlon because they were all racked tightly and in one corral. Since then, I’ve attached a flag, swim cap or bright coloured tag on my bike so that I can find it quickly after the swim. 

Do you have any tips for athletes struggling to find some motivation or who may have temporarily lost focus?
Go on an unfocused adventure (swimming, biking or running), try not to focus on HR, metrics or goals. Rekindle your love for the outdoors. 

And one more for good measure (and a big head) …
 
Why do you love being part of the T:Zero Multisport team?
It’s an admirable group of coaches and athletes. 

Ciaran Kelly
Perth, WA
 
‘Every session has a purpose. Coach Scotty drills in the “turtle gains” every now and then to remind me of the big picture. You can get caught up in the present without understanding the longer term plan’

​Our October Fast Five athlete is Ciaran Kelly who has been training with Coach Scotty for just over 12 months. 

Ciaran’s been participating in triathlon since early 2017; finding his way in the sport after working FIFO for a number of years and making a personal promise to practise a healthy lifestyle once he finished working offshore. 

Most recently, he’s competed in both Challenge Roth (2019) and Busselton 70.3 (2020). While Challenge Roth has been his favourite race to date (see question below), Ciaran is partial to the 70.3 distance, feeling that it’s just the right length to allow flirtation with pace to find that tipping point.  

Although he finds it challenging to incorporate triathlon training with the demands of his full time job, Ciaran’s favourite thing about the sport is the people he meets along the journey - everyone is here for different reasons but bound together by a common interest. 

Ciaran counts his proudest triathlon moment as placing 3rd in the Western Australia AG Triathlete of the Year Awards 2019. 

Currently, he’s gearing up for the Tour of Margaret River - a 3-day cycling race in November - and plans to focus on strengthening his run off the bike coming into the 2021 season. 

Favourite race? Why? Has to be Challenge Roth. It’s a race on everyone’s bucket list and now I know why. 200,000 volunteers and the area just stops and gets involved for the week. 

Favourite training session? Coach Scotty has a few classics, however, he likes dishing out a long bike session with a steady increase in power with a nasty 20min TT at the end. It requires a lot of disciple to hold back early on. 

Have you ever had an apparent training or race day “failure” that has set you up for later success? Watch not working. When this happens you forget about the data and just concentrate on yourself in the moment and run/bike to feel. Since this I try not to use a watch while swimming. I’ve realised that when I come out of the water I can’t change what has just happened so I might as well be in a good head space and keep pushing on for the bike/run legs with a positive approach.

What motivates or inspires you to train/race/participate? To constantly try and improve my performance. While I’m new to triathlon I’m also behind the majority of other triathletes who have been in the sport for a number of years. It’s good to try and keep pushing myself to progress and develop.

Best piece of advice for someone starting out in the sport? Or best advice you’ve received? It’s not all about the data (although some coaches might say otherwise). Don’t get caught up in the numbers when starting out. Progression comes from building page upon page of sessions stacked together and before you know it, you will have developed and learned quite quickly.

And one more for good measure (and a big head) …
 
Why do you love being part of the T:Zero Multisport team?
The personalisation of the program and the relationship with Coach Scotty. With a busy work schedule I need a coach who understands my work/life balance. 

​My name is Khloe Healy and I am a long course triathlete who enjoys long runs on the beach and carb-fuelled dinners. 

I found triathlon in 2018 after I went in search of health and a hobby. Since then, it has become so much more. 

For the first year I fumbled my way through on average bikes, tri suits from the op shop and a “give it a crack” attitude before signing up for my first Ironman. 

In 2019 I did Ironman Australia as a dare - I got help from a club coach, borrowed a friend’s bike... and absolutely loved the experience. I probably trained as much for that race as I did under Rich's guidance for Sunshine Coast 70.3, but more on that later. 

After Ironman Australia I stopped with the coach and bombed out at Ironman 70.3 Sunshine Coast later in the year on the path to Ironman Western Australia where I qualified for the Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii.  

World Championship qualification was not even on my radar but in the hype of the moment and FOMO, I emptied my savings account and booked my spot. 

A few weeks later I ran into a family friend at the pool who told me about a tri guy he used to train insane with and I was given Coach Rich’s number. On Boxing Day 2019, Rich and I met up at a coffee shop in Ashgrove and to this day, whenever I ride past that coffee shop to go on to  climb Mount Nebo I point out to my friends the coffee shop where my life changed. 

Since starting up with T:Zero nine months ago I have grown so much as both an athlete and a person. So much so, it’s even hard to put into words. 

I think back to 2019 Khloe and I am almost sad about how little I believed in myself and my potential. If I’m honest, I knew I had ability in there somewhere but I was too scared to address it. As Coach Carter says ‘our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate, it’s that we are powerful beyond measure’. 

When I joined T:Zero I slowly started to understand the other part of that quote - ‘our playing small does not serve the world and there is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around us’. I was now in an environment that showed me it was okay to believe in myself and do all the crazy shit we do as triathletes to try and get the best out of myself. Not everyone gets it; in fact, a lot of people think the work we do is bonkers, but I’ve realised that as long as we’re loving the process and chasing our potential that’s what matters. 

To round out my Coach Carter theme - ‘we unconsciously give other people the permission to shine’ and that is what T:Zero did for me. T:Zero’s drive, passion and commitment gave me permission to shine. I’ve been able to leave my self doubt and fear of failure in 2019 to become a better athlete and person. 

I actually used to be a very anxious, chaos chasing and unsatisfied person. It’s like I was never quite happy with where I was or where I was going. I didn’t have a reason or a purpose. 

As most of you would know, triathlon has an amazing way of changing that! It has given me such purpose in my life that everything else has started to fall into place. I’ve stopped worrying what other people are thinking or what might happen because I am mindful and present in a process. I don’t have energy for drama because I am grateful for the opportunity and moments I do have and I’m satisfied because I am living my potential. 

My lifestyle has changed so much as a result to become what I lovingly call ‘the vanilla life’. It’s all about eating right, getting sleep and removing stress so that we can get stuck into the process and achieve our goals. 

I learned pretty early on into training with Rich that I could not keep up with the demands of the dream if I wanted to get drunk on a Saturday night and hang around people who weren’t good for my psyche. It was an adjustment but one I would never take back as it has lead to so many great feats in both my personal life and my triathlon life. When the simple stuff remains constant in my life I am able to nail the exciting stuff.

So, with all that said about the mindset and lifestyle changes, the real proof of T:Zero’s impact has been in the pudding… the results! 

Throughout COVID we had to get creative in keeping training inspired and consistent. We swam in murky waterholes while the pools were closed (ps. great way to help overcome a fear of OWS!), used the lock down time to learn how to “vanilla life” and set our own personal goals or events. 

To stay super motivated I set out solo to achieve my 2019 running goals of cracking 20min for the 5km and 90min for the half. I never quite achieved them in 2019 but 3 months into coaching I ran a 19.14 5km and three months later, brought my half marathon from a 1.34 to a 1.28. Quite literally my old 5km pace became my new half marathon pace and these achievements were very important for me. They instilled a new sense of confidence in myself, the process and the coaching experience. 

I was able to carry this confidence with me as we then decided to build for Ironman 70.3 Sunshine Coast this year. I did more volume, hours and intensity in the lead up to that race than I ever did in any self-guided ironman builds and it completely paid off, as hard work usually does. 

It was my first time with a race plan and we managed a 20 minute PB from Sunshine Coast the year before and went from 8th in my age category to being the first female age grouper over the line. Holy smokes. I didn’t imagine that in my wildest dreams. But my team did and they basically orchestrated the whole thing right under my nose. 

I came to T:Zero with a hint of ability I wanted to tap into and now I’m here I’ve found a potential I want to tap into! 

Thank you T:Zero for giving me support to shine. 

​Our August Fast Five athlete is self-confessed “race fiend” Khloe Healy who has been training with Coach Rich and T:Zero for 8 months.

Khloe’s triathlon debut was at Kingscliff in early 2018. Since then she has completed 30 events including sprints, ultra trail runs, long course triathlons and marathons. 

Qualifying for Kona at Ironman Western Australia in 2019, Khloe is now firmly focussed on Ironman - her favourite distance simply because she loves racing and triathlon so much that she wants to be out on a course for as far (not long) as possible! 

While Khloe can’t pick a favourite training session (Parkrun, weekend long rides and pool sessions tick all the boxes), her least favourite is the wind trainer recovery ride (boring!).

Khloe loves triathlon, endurance and multisport for many reasons including “the people and sense of purpose” it brings as well as “hitting the numbers and seeing progress”. She also appreciates the fact she can eat just about anything she wants with the training load that Ironman requires! Khloe lists “chafe and the logistics” as her two least favourite things about the sport … and we quite agree! ;-P 

Outside of triathlon, Khloe enjoys cooking (and eating) good food, reading and hanging out with her friends and family. 

At the moment, she is training for both the love of it (v. Important) and Kona, where she is hoping to achieve her endurance goal for 2021 and break 10 hours. We’re behind you all the way, Khloe!

Why and how did you get into triathlon and multisport? 
It's been a bit of luck, magic and accident... One minute I was partying and travelling and the next I'd printed a Parkrun barcode and started trying to run 5km without walking. I met some triathlon people at Parkrun who convinced me to free trial their club and I just kept showing up and the habit and then love of training just kept growing. 

Favourite leg and why? 
The swim! Helps that it’s my strongest leg but I also like that you’re very much in your own race in the water- you don’t know who’s who or what’s what so you just swim your swim and deal with catching up or staying ahead when you’re out on the rest of the course. Also the water is refreshing instead of hot and sweaty.

Any funny or embarrassing race memories you’d like to share? 
I didn't realise how embarrassing these things were at the time but looking back I did so many silly things because I didn't know any better. You don't know what you don't know. Like insisting that cleats didn't make a difference so I didn't use them for sunny coast 70.3 2018. Or when I signed up for the whole QTS series as an 'open' because I thought that meant the 'fun for everyone' category not elite!

What motivates or inspires you to train/race/participate? 
My parents and brothers. My parents were unwell and absent which has greatly impacted my life but they gave me a good set of genetics for triathlon and I feel that triathlon is my way of being connected to them and learning to appreciate what they gave me instead of what I missed out on. Triathlon has really shown me how to let my past make me better not bitter. 

Best piece of advice for someone starting out in the sport? 
Don’t get caught up in all the gear and technical stuff. Just start moving and let the bike upgrades and fancy workouts come as your increasing fitness and experience demands the upgrade. Best piece of advice I ever got given was to always keep it fun. Even since starting more serious training I keep training as social as possible and probably joke around a bit too much but training has never felt like a chore and I think that’s lead to great consistency and hopefully longevity in the sport. 
 
And one more for good measure (and a big head) …
 
Why do you love being part of the T:Zero Multisport team?
Having access to Richard's expertise and support.

With the recent announcement from IRONMAN that, “due to the continued impact of the COVID-19 global pandemic, the 2020 editions of the IRONMAN World Championship and IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship have been cancelled”, perhaps it’s time that we (the athletes) readjust our reasons – our ‘why’ – for training and participating in all things swim, bike and run.
 
While the recent announcement will no doubt leave many athletes deflated, disappointed and unmotivated – perhaps even adding to the negative mental health impacts that this pandemic has had – with everything going on at the moment (looking at you, Melbourne), really, the decision doesn’t come as a surprise.  
 
And, deep down, we all know this is the right call by IRONMAN.
 
“It is with a heavy heart that we have made the decision to cancel the 2020 editions of the IRONMAN World Championship and the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship,” said President and Chief Executive Officer for the IRONMAN Group, Andrew Messick in a statement released by IRONMAN.
 
“While we were hopeful that we could welcome our athletes, their families, and supporters to these events in early 2021, the continued impact of the pandemic makes this impossible.  It’s tough to make this decision in July, but it will provide the necessary clarity for our athletes, cities and partners."

"We will endure … and look forward to the day when we will again assemble the greatest professional and age-group triathletes in the world, and crown world champions.”
 
TAKE STOCK AND READJUST
 
For many athletes, a big motivator to train – especially in winter, when it’s cold, dark and possibly raining outside – is a looming race.
 
There’s nothing quite like the fear of a race on the horizon to help you get out of bed at 4:30am.
 
Am I right?
 
But now with a lot of races off the calendar, perhaps one way to stay motivated is to readjust your ‘why’.
 
Besides race day, what are your other reasons for training? What are the other benefits for getting out the door for that run, ride or even swim?
 
Some of the reasons for training could be:
 

• Mental health. It’s no secret that exercise makes you feel better (hello, endorphins). For me, this is a big reason why I’ve continued to train.

 

• Getting back to basics. T:Zero coaches time and time again speak about the benefits of getting back to basics.

 
So, think about training during COVID-19 as an opportunity to strip it all back; to build a serious base, without the added pressure of an upcoming race.
 
I, for one, have reaped the benefits of this, especially when it comes to my running – thanks, Scotty!
 

• Exercise as a way to spend time with friends/family. While this one is a little tricky, and social distancing measures still have to take place, during COVID-19 think about training as a way to spend time with a friend or family member – this is especially beneficial for those who live alone.

 
Getting out for a run with a friend can enhance the feeling of connection while living in a world of social distancing and isolation.
 

• If nothing else, think about your health. As someone who has been covering the pandemic for work over the last few months, it’s no secret that staying healthy is beneficial to avoiding infection.

 
While, of course, there have been stories of even the strongest, healthiest people contracting the virus, exercise will help you stay as healthy as possible.
 
Every time you step out the door, think about the good it’s doing for your body and mind.
 

• Think about the long-term game. While races are being cancelled left, right and centre, use this as an opportunity to develop your long-term mindset.

 
COVID-19 doesn’t have to crush your race dreams completely, and certainly not forever.
 
The virus will eventually pass, and races will once again fill calendars – remember this.
 
Because before you know it, it’ll be 2021 or even 2022 and what will you have done? Use this time wisely.
 
A conversation I recently had with a friend from Melbourne went a little something like this:
 
“Looks like my running will be the only time I’ll be allowed out without a facemask … think I’ll be running a bit more now (laughs).”
 
“Haha yeah, use it as an opportunity to get super fit, too! By the time we have some fun runs back … at this point we might all qualify for the Olympics, haha!”
 

• Try new things. Why not use this time to try new things.

 
Always wanted to do yoga but didn’t have the time? Do it now.
 
Adult ballet taking your fancy? (*raises hand slowly*) Why not! It’s a great way to work on strength and core, and to improve your balance.
 
Now is the time to try all the things you never got a chance to do because you were too busy … #training!
 
LEAN ON YOUR COACH
 
As with other disappointments in life, one of the best pieces of advice I’ve ever received is that it’s also important to feel all the feels when trying to get through a tough situation or setback – be that an injury or a cancelled race.
 
Allow yourself some time – cut yourself some slack.
 
If you feel down or unmotivated, don’t beat yourself up about it. Chances are, a lot of athletes are feeling the same.
 
Take the time you need to come to terms with the situation and to readjust to the new normal. Just don’t stay down for too long.
 
And if you’re struggling, speak with your coach.
 
Coaches are great at getting you to your race, but they can be so much more than simply the experts who keep an eye on what colours are appearing on your TrainingPeaks.
 
So, reach out to your coach. Speak with your fellow athletes, friends and family. You don’t have to go through this alone.
 
As Coach Heidi says in her recent blog: “As we hit a potential second wave of the virus and uncertainty, it may now be the perfect time to review your trajectory and create a second COVID inflection point by making a decision about your direction, locking into a goal or creating a positive change to your mindset.” 

#liveyourpotential #tzeromultisport

1. The swim is “unreal” 
… in the immortal words of Coach Scotty, who knows this course so well. Other words often used to describe the swim include “magnificent” “breathtaking” and “magic”. Set in the pristine waters of Lake Taupo, one of the world’s largest fresh water lakes, the swim course is crisp and clear; and golf balls lining the bottom of the lake offer swimmers a nice, novel surprise, as do the friendly scuba divers waving from down below! Combine this with the haka at sunrise and the starting cannon sending athletes off from a deep water mass start … it’s enough to send chills down your spine. Be warned - the swim transition run to T1 is significantly longer than normal, although the fact that it’s lined by a red carpet eases the pain somewhat… 

​2. Community support is second to none
One of the universally-loved aspects of IMNZ is the incredible support athletes receive from the local community. Crowds of locals line each leg of the course to ensure that athletes are never left alone with a dark thought in a dark corner for even a moment. And they never stop cheering. Campervans, cars and people abound, and the ability of the locals to embrace the visiting athletes and make them feel at home makes all the difference. Local school children even pen letters of encouragement to distribute to athletes which provides a unique gift and a welcome boost too!

​3. The volunteers are awesome
An extension of #2, the volunteers make this race incredible. Consistently voted as one of Ironman’s most well-run events, Ironman New Zealand’s 2000+ volunteers provide an army of support for athletes, ensuring the day runs as smoothly as possible. Time and again, professionals and age groupers consistently mention the incredible support provided by the volunteers, who sure know how to throw a party (particularly at the aid stations), making themselves a memorable highlight for many athletes.

​4. Taupo itself … is a gem! 
Taupo offers visitors spectacular scenery and a relaxed small town feel, because it is, in fact, a relaxed small town! Despite the small population, Taupo has plenty of shops (great coffee shops!) and restaurants and is brimming with culture, rich in local Maori history. The town is packed with sights, attractions and activities for athletes and their families to enjoy, pre or post-race - whatever floats your boat. And if you're struggling to move on the Sunday, you can rest up and enjoy the lake and mountains that surround the town - natural beauty is plentiful here. 

​5. The bike and run courses keep you honest 
Nail these two legs and you’ll know you’ve done an Ironman, that’s for sure. The two-loop bike course is technically described as “undulating”, providing a good challenge for athletes who’ll enjoy some spectacular scenery (think farmlands and forests) while battling the potentially interesting headwinds amongst other things. The run course is a three-looper so you can get into your groove here, taking in lakefront scenery which eases the pain of some interesting changes in terrain on the run (which, incidentally is described on the Ironman website as “flat”). The run course also takes athletes through town three times which helps if you need a boost of support from the amazing crowds (refer #2, above). 

All in all, Ironman New Zealand offers spectacular scenery, a challenging course and incredible local support. It’s certainly one race in the suite of Ironman events that’s best placed on your bucket list now if it’s not already. Good luck to all our T:Zero athletes racing IMNZ 2020! ​

Hi everyone,

I was able to enjoy some time off training at the end of the year and have started the year easing into it again with some light volume and have gradually built each week. I wanted to have been running more by now but have had to ease off the running over the last 4 weeks due to a niggle in my knee. Thanks to a friend who reminded me of the saying “If we listen to our body when it whispers, we won’t have to listen when it screams.” Although, it’s frustrating being limited by the duration, intensity and amount of running training, I know I have plenty of time up my sleeve to get fit and sharpen up my run before being able to race this year. Once I am confident that my body is good to go again we will focus more on steadily building my run volume over the first half of the year.
​
Apart from the niggle that’s been puttingthe brakes on my run training, I’ve enjoyed riding my bike with mates. I’ve even had a couple of goes at trying to stay on my partner’s (Damien Collins) wheel on some long rides through the Sunshine Coast hinterland. I still have lots of work to do to be able to keep up with him but I have been enjoying the challenge and it’s great to see him riding so strong early on in the year. I’ve also loved being back at the Nambour swim squad a couple of times a week.
​
This month’s blog I thought I would write about tips on how to qualify for Kona as an age group athlete. The qualifying process takes lots of hard work and heart so I have come up with a few tips that should be able to give any age group athlete an advantage on their quest for Kona.

1. ​Talk to your close circle of people
It isn’t going to be an easy feat so you will need as much help as you can get. Before setting out a plan on what race to qualify at etc. you will need to talk to your loved ones and propose to them why you want to go on this journey. If you can get their approval and support it will make the next 12-24 month (or sometimes years) journey much easier. Come up with a plan together and work out where you want to try and qualify. You will be a team from that point forward. Ironman training is demanding when you’re in the thick of it, especially, while working full-time. It’s nice to have a couple of people who are looking out for you and can pick up the slack around the home when you need to catch up on “ironman related activities that are not training” such as; naps, bike maintenance, stretching, eating or going to body maintenance appointments. Let your friends know the reason that can’t make a special event and 9 times out of 10 they will understand. Your loved ones will be affected by your decision to go on this journey so make sure you take the time to listen to any concerns that the may have.
​
2. Hire a coach that will work around your lifestyle
Good coaches have experience and knowledge in specifically building your training up safely to get you ready for your chosen event. Training can be difficult enough so I don’t see the point in wasting further mental energy on planning your sessions. I am motivated by being accountable to someone and having feedback on certain sessions. It’s even better if you can hire a coach who will plan your training around your lifestyle. There’s no point in paying for a coach if you can only fit in a few of their training sessions around your busy schedule. Success in Ironman is based on consistency and this is what you want to aim for with your coach. You will need to map out your approach to qualifying with your coach and come up with some process-orientated goals. I believe you will be 100% more prepared physically and mentally on race day knowing that a professional in the field has planned the work for you.

3. Pick a race that suits you
If you’re thinking of qualifying for Kona you should know your strengths and weaknesses within the 3 disciplines by now. You want to reduce as many “unknowns” on race-day and select a course that is suited to your strengths. Look at what time of year you want to race and research each Ironman course around that time and select the one that BEST suits you. I find other athlete race reports/blogs to be VERY helpful here as well as the course description on the Ironman website in regards to race conditions. Know your strengths e.g. are you like me and have NO swim background as a child? Possibly, you need a salt-water and wetsuit swim rather than a lake swim so everyone spends less time in the water which will decrease the gap between you and the faster swimmers. Do you suit flat or hilly bike courses? Would you rather race in the heat? You don’t want to be adding any extra stress on race day by throwing in conditions that you know are playing your weaker cards. 

4. Race at a regional champs
Age group racing has become so competitive these days and most Ironman races offer 40 qualifying slots which guarantees only one Kona slot per age group. The age groups with the highest percentage of competitors will be allocated the leftover slots and may end up with 2-4 in the densest age groups. At regional champs, there are usually 75 allocated Kona slots so therefore you almost double your chance of qualifying for a slot and double the chance that it might roll down to you. Yes, usually your competition increases at a regional championship but you have to remember that Ironman is a long day and anything is possible if you keep believing and focusing on your race. 

5. Ask yourself if you really want to do this
Ironman training is hard. There are lots of fun and rewarding moments along the way but there’s also a lot of times that you will question why you’re doing it. You need to know YOUR why so that you stay disciplined and consistent in getting the work done. Develop a no-excuse policy because no one will do the work for you.

6. Recovery is key
Yes the work needs to be done but keep in mind you still need to be realistic in terms of your recovery and listening to your body. We’ve all stayed up late to finish off a session or set our alarms to some un-holy hour to get the session in before a big day of work. Sometimes we have no option but if our bodies aren’t recovering properly we won’t be getting the benefits from training and will increase our chance of burn-out or injury.

​7. Surround yourself with positive people
There are going to be people in your life who are inhibited by fear that will judge you and tell you all the reasons why this is a stupid idea and why you can’t do it. They will be the first ones to say, “I told you so” when you come across your first deviation from the original plan due to injury or any other obstacles. While Ironman is mostly about being consistent in training, you will get so much more out of yourself if you’re in a positive frame of mind. You won’t have much spare time anyway so make sure you spend it with the people who make you feel refreshed after spending time with, make you laugh and celebrate the small things along the journey. 
 
Good luck on your quest to Kona and/or happy training :)

Thanks for reading and I hope you find my tips helpful,
Ash Hunter ​

Hi Everyone,
​
Wow – and just like that 2019 is done and dusted!

I hope you’ve all had a great festive season. I’ve been on my off-season since Ironman Cozumel and have really enjoyed the time away from structured training. I’ve been keeping the body moving with some light enjoyable exercise. It’s been nice having more time to catch up with friends and family over the break and do things that I wouldn’t usually do while in training like going to a couple of live music gigs. Off-season is now over though and I’m slowly getting back into consistent training. Getting back into training this year hasn’t been an easy feat. I’m not struggling so much with motivation but more so… (GETTING OLDER haha) now some of you may laugh at me saying this as I’m only 28 years old BUT I feel like my body is trying to tell me I’m getting older haha. I don’t remember feeling so many aches and pains in so many places! I’ve noticed the more I eat well, maintain consistent sleep patterns, wear supportive shoes at work, try to keep on top of massage and rolling the aches and pains go away and it’s easier to get going (hope those tips help you too if you’re feeling like getting started again has left you on struggle street).

It’s been GREAT to have a break and all but I’m ready now to start thinking about and working towards my next goal. Yay! So I would like to share with you what that focus is going to be.

My coach and I sat down to discuss my goals for the up and coming year, recently. As many of you know I have come from a strength background (powerlifting), which has mostly given me an advantage on the bike leg. But Ironman triathlon isn’t all about how big your power file is on the bike but mainly how well you can execute the run after arriving into T2. It’s been apparent in long course racing that I arrive into T2 usually at the top of the female amateur race or at least near the top. And it’s always my run where I am trying to not give too much time away and/or where I get overtaken.

Seeing as my run is letting me down quite a lot we have made a decision to focus on building my run volume over the first third of the year. I’m excited to spend more time running and working my way up to some pretty solid run volume (for me), we’ll aim at trying to build up towards 100km’s of running per week dependant on how my body reacts and adjusts over the block. Obviously, there is a chance of injury here so I have to be 100% aware of my body and communicate with my coach when anything feels out of place so we can move progressively forward.

I would like to take 20 minutes off my marathon time. I really enjoy the challenges of Ironman training and working towards trying to be the best athlete that I can be so I will try and provide myself every opportunity to do so while trying to balance “life.” I’d like to try and execute a marathon that I’m happy with in my home town at Ironman Cairns.

After Ironman Cairns we plan to bring back in higher bike and swim volumes in the lead up to the Ironman World Champs 2020.

I can’t wait to share how the run progress goes over the next few months.
 
Thanks for reading along
Run Happy,

Ash Hunter ​

Hi everyone,

I’m home now from my 2019 “A Race.” I am so stoked with my race that I thought it would be a good idea for this month’s post to be my Ironman Cozumel race report. It wasn’t all smooth sailing, I made a few mistakes throughout the day but I’m happy to take onboard a few lessons for future racing. I am super happy to come away with an overall time PB, swim PB and Bike PB. I am excited to share with you how my day went over in Cozumel. 

Race Morning 
I woke up after a really good night of sleep in our little villa and started the morning off with oats for breakfast and a coffee. I felt calm and focused while ticking everything off my pre-race checklist. 5:00 am rolled around pretty quickly and so it was time to leave the villa to pick up the rest of the T:Zero crew (TB, Robbie, Murph, Loz and Crackers) and head to transition 1. We piled into the 8-seater van, then Damo drove us to Chankanaab Beach for T1 check. We agreed on a quick stop, “get in, do your business and meet back at the van.” No one had any major issues with their T1 set up so we were on our way to find the swim start nice and early. Luckily, we were a couple of cars behind a huge Ironman bus so we followed it which took us right to the start of the swim. Although, Damo and a couple of the guys may or may not have had to sweet talk a security officer working on the boom-gate to let us into the Marina. A quick goodbye to Damo then we made ourselves familiar with where we’d need to line up for the rolling start, then we made our way back to the marina for some time to chill.
​
We found a nice quiet spot right next to a multimillion-dollar boat parked in crystal clear water, which had a huge barracuda swimming off the back. This was a good spot to do some final stretching. I played over in my mind what I’d like the day to look like, I then ate some Clif Bar, put on one last body glide and carefully placed the swim skin on (big shout out to my friend, Jody, for sending me her swim skin - thank you). All of a sudden it was time to drop the morning bags off, have one last toilet stop and head to the swim start. I enjoyed starting the day off surrounded by a group of larrikins, I’ve never laughed so much before a race. We watched the Male Pro and Female Pro races start and then we seeded ourselves into the rolling start. Before I knew it, we’d all said good luck to each other and the group of age group athletes were quickly moving forward through a makeshift doorway and out onto a skinny, light blue, slippery pontoon. I somehow ended up on the rear side of the pontoon so I was trying my hardest not to accidently fall in on the wrong side. Ha-ha. I saw Robbie make a B-line for the very right-hand side and enter the water with a powerful dive so I followed his lead, although I didn’t look as graceful entering the water. Go time!  

Swim – 52:37
I took it pretty easy for the first 300m as I couldn’t do a proper warm up. Then a pair of feet came swimming past me which looked to be going at the perfect speed for me to jump on their feet. We swam to the very right of the group which is perfect for me as I breathe on my left. It was quite choppy for the first half of the swim but the water was still clear enough to be able to see the feet in front of me. I stayed with this athletes feet for a couple of kilometers until we got to a section where we had to work our way through a few athletes, this varied our speed and I remember touching his feet for the first time all morning about 4 times in a row. Oops! He did not like that! I got kicked so aggressively (although, I didn’t end up with a black eye like two of my team mates – it was brutal out there) and then sprinted off. I could still see him so I spent the next 500m lengthening my stroke feeling strong to try and jump back on his feet but he seemed to always stay at that illusive 20m ahead until he all of a sudden disappeared.

​In the last kilometer I couldn’t really find any suitable feet to sit on so I found a rhythm and was happy swimming by myself. I knew that this swim was always going to be fast with current assistance but I couldn’t believe when I hit turn buoy. Where did the time go? I got to the ladder and tried to pull myself up but my legs went to jelly and I fell back into the water. Ha ha. Up I went on the second attempt. I hit lap on my watch and realised why I swam so fast, the course was about 300m short. Transition went so smoothly apart from nearly missing the female change tent, I ran to where my bike was racked, grabbed it and started heading towards the mount line, thinking, “gee that went a little too smoothly, I hope I didn’t forget anything...”  

Bike – 5:01.57
Successful flying mount for the first time using my new Bont cycling shoes and Speed Play pedals which were all clipped in ready for a fast transition. Hmm, so you know how I was saying how comfortable my swim skin from Jody was and how quick my transition felt? Yeah, well, about 1-2km I slid my hand along the outside of my thigh on the way to grab some nutrition out of my rear drink bottle and as soon as my hand hit my outer thigh I realized I still had the swim skin on. I made a quick decision to get off my bike completely, take the swim skin off and stuff it down the front of my tri kit. I didn’t want to throw the swim skin away so it came along for the first lap with me.

​The bike lap was made up of 3 x 60km loops. I experienced head winds and slight cross winds on the far side of the island but then on the other side of the island just after going through town there was a hooking tail wind. During the first lap, things seemed to be going to plan, I was approximately pushing the power I needed to, hydrating and eating well and I’d even managed to find a group to legally ride with. At the start of the second lap, I remember thinking how much fun I was having and how fast I was going but the heat really started to pick up this lap and I had to stay focused on nutrition, dodging athletes who were starting their first lap, and hydrating properly.
​
Halfway through the second lap I made a decision not to stop to collect my special needs because it would have meant losing the group I was with while riding through the head winds (which at 12 meters drafting makes a difference) so I’d decided to drink the on-course hydration/nutrition for the second half of the bike leg. Each time I drank a bottle of the on-course nutrition I would throw up a really pretty pink coloured vomit over my tri bars and top tube. None the less, I was still happy I’d made the decision to stick with the group and knew I had to get calories in so I really focused on consistently eating whatever Clif Bars and Bloks I had left on my bike. Just before coming into town at the end of the second lap, I freewheeled around a corner and at the same time I hit a hole and bumps in the road which threw my chain off. My chain managed to get stuck between my frame and power meter magnet and then it also came off my jockey wheels and locked up between the jockey wheel and its housing. I pulled off into a safe spot, got off the bike, stayed as calm as possible and after a few attempts I managed to get everything running smoothly again. 

​I’d lost a bit of time to that group so I made the decision to try and ride back up to them, in hindsight, I should have known that this would come back to bite me, especially with already losing nutrition and the day had really started to warm up. After about 10-15km of chasing, I started to cramp really bad. Each time I would cramp I’d have to back right off the pedals, rinse my mouth with Crampfix and eat more calories and the cramp would be relieved and I’d find my groove again. I would go to over-take someone and then I would suffer from a cramp again, I looked like a real jack*ss on the last lap, overtaking people and then slowing right down after making a pass because the sniper was out and he was after my right adductor. I remember hitting lap with 20km to and thinking if I ride no slower than 32.5km/hour I’ll into T2 with a sub 5 hour bike split. I enjoyed having this as a carrot to keep me moving forward. I got to the 180km mark in 4 hours and 58 minutes but I didn’t realise the bike course was a couple of kilometers long. So anyway, I rolled into T2 licking my wounds and a little anxious about the run but at the same time I was really looking forward to using different muscle groups. 

Run – 3:51.31
Transition felt like a hot sauna. I sat down to put my shoes on and my adductor locked up a couple more times. I rinsed my mouth out with some CrampFix and then didn’t see any cramps again until the final 10km of the marathon. Coming out of T2 I had a 19 minute lead on 2nd place and realized that I wasn’t feeling great and that the heat was pretty gnarly. I saw Damo at the start of the run and he let me know that it was a super-hot day, I wasn’t going to set any marathon records but if I wasn’t smart I’d be walking the final lap of the run. He advised me to pick a comfortable pace I could hold onto, keep eating and to stay cool. The marathon was made up of 3 loops as well. The first lap I found a pace that felt comfortable and like I could hold that pace all day.

Each aid station I able to chuck ice and cold water over me to bring my core temperature down thanks to the awesome race volunteers. I was eating Clif Bloks every 2km until I got to the 12km mark were I realized that somewhere along the way my second packet had accidentally dropped out of my sports bra. I sort of started to panic a little, very briefly, then I came up with the solution to drink coke and sports drink at each aid station. Once again, the volunteers were great and I didn’t miss a cup.

​I got to 16-18km and just felt like I wasn’t getting enough calories in and that I was drinking too much liquid so I tried one of the on-course gels. It was weird and made my stomach feel weird so I avoided them and stuck to coke only until I got to the 22km mark where my special needs bag was waiting for me with 2 more packets of Sodium Clif Bloks and a few more CrampFix sachets. I felt instant relief and was feeling confident that I’d make it to the finish without walking. Second place had put 3 minutes into me in the first lap and then another 3 minutes again on the second lap so we seemed to be slowing at the same rate, even though she was running faster than me. 

​I started out on the 3rd lap trying to do some calculations. I ran past Damo who let me know that I could secure the win if I just kept moving forward, no plodding along and no walking. I left for my last lap feeling super determined to lock my pace in and not slow down. I also know that anything is possible in an Ironman so I was running pretty scared for that final lap with my head down incase 2nd place had a miraculous last 10km. I suffered from a cramp at the 30km mark, right before an aid station so I rinsed my mouth with a CrampFix, walked through the aid station grabbed two cups of coke and drenched myself in ice cold water, the cramp stopped and I was right to go again. This happened again at the 34km and 38km mark. It was relieving to know with a rinse of CrampFix and intake of more calories that my cramp would be temporarily relieved. I didn’t know where second place was so I didn’t waste any time down the finish chute. I was so relieved and happy when I reached that finish line simply because I knew I’d given it everything I had all day. 

Post-race (Overall time – 9:51.46) - 1ST F25-29
I’d never been this sore after a race before, I was worse than after my first Ironman. I hopped into the ice bath in recovery and my calf locked up. It was sooo painful I let out a huge yell. None of the Mexican volunteers knew what to do (poor things) but another fellow athlete grabbed my foot and pulled my toes towards my shin which seemed to do the trick. It was a team effort to get me out of this baby pool. Ha ha. It was pretty funny trying to walk around, I waddled through recovery, found Damo waiting at the end. He let me know of my position which was pretty rad to find out that I’d won the F 25-29 AG and secured my spot to Kona 2020!
Damo put me in a taxi to get me home not long after I’d finished as I was shivering and in a lot of pain. I would have rather do another Ironman again with fresh legs than to have to bend my legs to get into a taxi after the race. Ha ha.

​The next day I was so hungry when I woke up so I suggested to Damo that I ride into town and he meet me there so we could get Subway for breakfast. About 7 hours later he ended up with the start of some pretty severe salmonella. He stayed at home for presentations and roll down. After getting home, I realized he wasn’t getting any better that night. We decided to drive him to the nearest hospital at 11pm. The staff at the Cozumel General Hospital couldn’t have been more helpful and caring. We were super lucky to have Damo’s sister there who could speak fluent Spanish to the Doctors and Nursing staff. After spending the night in hospital and recovering the next day we were finally able to celebrate with a scuba dive and a few sunset drinks with new friends on our final day in Cozumel. I’m now looking forward to some down time before we start building for next year’s season.

Thank you to “Team Ash”
To set a goal, work towards it and then actually achieve it is a pretty surreal feeling. There is no way I would have been able to have the race that I did without the help from many. Here are just a few people that helped along the journey that I am incredibly grateful for:

My Coach, Richard Thompson – thank you for always believing in me, also, for your incredible balancing skills between the art and science of coaching. I am truly lucky to have you guiding me through this journey.
My swim coach - Coach Lise - Firstly, thanks for creating the best environment to train in! I am very grateful to be under your watchful eye in the pool, its pretty rad to think how far we’ve come in the last 2.5 years since I started swimming with you. Thanks for showing me how to believe in myself among many other things.
Race Day Support – Thank you to the Collins family (Brad, Cristina, Alana and Damo), Leanne & Richard Crack and Wil Delfin for coming all the way to Cozumel to support me. It was pretty special to see you on the sidelines.
My Cycling training buddies – Thank you to Erik Dodwell, Brendan Cooper (aka Coops) and Peter Westrup (aka Crabs) for riding with me over the last 6 months. I still look back at some of the rides we did and think that we’re slightly crazy. Haha! I always felt stronger and safer knowing I had you with me. I want to also say a big thank you to each of your families for allowing you to be out helping me which no doubt was taking up valuable family time. I am very grateful for you legends!
To my local school communities – Thank you to Chancellor State College, Beerwah State High School and EPC Relief Teaching for always supporting me and trying to work around my training schedule as best as possible. To all the lovely staff who I admire so much thank you for your support and kindness.
To my friends and family – I have missed birthdays (sorry Harry for your 18th) and many other important events or I’ve shown up after a long day of training and haven’t completely been there. I thank you for being patient and allowing me to do what I love. Looking forward to catching up over off season!
Innovation Podiatry – Thank you for keeping my body in one piece over the last 6 months, Ness. I feel so lucky to have found someone as passionate, knowledgeable and experienced as you are.
Andrew Duff at Sports and Spinal Physio– thanks for all your time and effort at the start of the season getting me injury free.
My parents and older bro – for always being up for a chat on the phone whether it was a call because I’d be feeling tired, down or anxious and I just needed to speak to you or simply just a phone call to share my day or week of training with you because I know you would listen. Thanks for always being there and for your support.
My supporters & Sponsors for making it possible to spend more hours training and less hours at work, thank you for everything you do:

• T:Zero Multisport
• Clif Bar Australia
• Brooks Running Australia
• CrampFix
• 17 Hours Triathlon Clothing
• Di’s Fitness and Massage
• CycleZone Maroochydore

 
My brother Jordan, kudos to you for living with two Ironman triathletes. Thank you for everything you do for us. I have treasured our time living together again.

Last but not least, my partner Damien Collins – thank you Damo for being my rock throughout this journey, picking up the slack around home when I couldn’t and always listening to me ramble on about my training. Love you heaps! 

​
I look forward to sharing next year’s build with you towards my 2020 Ironman World Championship and 70.3 World Championship campaign.
Thanks for following along,

Ash Hunter 

This weekend marks the 16th year of Ironman Western Australia. Held just south of Perth in the seaside town of Busselton (or “Busso” as it’s affectionately known) against the iconic backdrop of the town’s famous jetty (fun fact: the longest timber-piled pier in the southern hemisphere!), there are few Ironman races found in more idyllic locations. There are so many reasons this race should be on your bucket list if you haven’t ticked it off already, but here are our top five … ​

1. The town 
Busselton itself is a picturesque little seaside town, of which its residents wholeheartedly embrace the Ironman event year after year. And what an appealing factor this is! Big enough to have everything you need, yet small enough to establish familiarity quickly and get around with ease, Busso is the kind of host-town that athletes dream of. Must-do’s include pre-race practice swims at the jetty foreshore in Geographe Bay, breakfast at The Goose and a coffee at Fat Duck Cycles & Espresso! 

​2. The swim 
Prior to 2018, the swim course took athletes on a 3.8km jaunt around the jetty, however a “too-close-for-comfort” shark sighting during the 2017 event led race organisers to revise the course which is now 2-loops, closer to the shore. While the “cool factor” of the swim leg may have suffered a blow (and sharks aside), the swim is still hands-down one of the most stunning that athletes will ever experience. Crystal clear turquoise waters with views straight to the ocean floor, you’ll be hard-pressed to find better. The new course also has the added benefit of more protection and more favourable conditions in the bay. 

3.  The bike + run course & conditions (generally…)
Ironman Cairns in December would 100% be a no-go. But Busselton in December? The weather conditions are generally perfection, if a little on the cool side. A wetsuit swim and mostly sunny but cool conditions on the bike and run will serve most athletes well, provided strong winds stay at bay. The race is renowned for being one of the flattest and fastest around, guaranteed to help foster a PB performance or two! The two-lap bike route along coastline and through bushland provides the perfect combination of distraction and protection, and the four-lap run course along the waterfront and through the crowds of support crew and friendly locals serves as both a source of motivation and a simple way to break the marathon down into four mentally-manageable stages. 

4.  The flies … 
Okay, so this one is a bit tongue in cheek (and may prompt a smirk or two from those in the know who’ve been there before), but you won’t find a better motivator (or bigger annoyance) on the run leg than the thousands of incredibly persistent, sticky little flies that flock to Busso to lend their support to athletes on race day. While this kind of fly torture may not be appealing to everyone, their presence sure does serve to speed up even the slowest shuffle on Lap 4 of the run. Prepare yourself. You’ve been warned.

5.  Its proximity to additional perks! 
Wine tasting, anyone? When race day has been and gone and all is said and done, there’s nothing like celebrating all your hard efforts and months of training than with a few days of rest and relaxation in the Margaret River wine region. Busselton itself is a gem, but drive just 30 minutes south and you’ll find yourself in one of the world’s best wine regions too. Stay, play and unwind if you can find some time - and enjoy all the perks of a slower pace on the west side! 

Lining up on the start line this year at the Ironman World Championship in 2019 was a pretty incredible experience.  Although I had competed at this event on three occasions prior to this one, this year it was very different for two reasons.

1. I was an athlete and a coach and I viewed the event through both of these lenses.
2. It was the first time that age group wave starts had been implemented – no room to hide in one big gender specific pack.

 
Reflecting back on this, on race morning, I was acutely aware of the incredible density of human emotion packed into a very small area – the age group corrals before the swim start. If the tension and emotion could have been jammed into a bottle of start line champagne and then the cork popped, the spray would have easily covered the Big Island of Hawaii.  Highly intense to say the very least.
 
From my own perspective, I sailed through race week with no hint of nerves or worry.  The lead in to Kona is a busy week with expos, events and athlete catch ups – and lots of positive energy.  Come race morning, it was a different story – and I had felt it before.  That feeling of something being on the line, the slow creep of nausea at body marking, a rapid heartbeat and sweaty palms. 
 
It was a classic sympathetic nervous system response – fight or flight. Was I reacting because I was in danger? Definitely not. It was just a triathlon, after all.  When it came down to the nuts and bolts of what was happening, all it meant was that I cared about what was going to unfold.  And if I interpreted it as a good sign, a positive sign – I could manage that response without it derailing my race. 
 
There were 2000 athletes in those corrals experiencing some form of pre-race emotions before the start line that day.  Emotions that had the potential to contribute positively or negatively to their day on course.  I witnessed it.  There were athletes in those corrals in tears, athletes sitting on the ground shaking, nervous overflowing chatter, those laughing, smiling, jumping up and down and those with blank stares.  It was an interesting sight.
 
I am no psychologist.  But as a coach and an athlete, I reckon those individual prerace emotions were highly likely to be linked to a number of factors. 

1. Race goals – whether the goal was to finish a first Kona, achieve a certain time/ placing or go for an age group win. 
2. Outcomes - The meaning the athletes placed on achievement on that goal – what was riding on their achievement or ability to finish.
3. Confidence and Preparation – the confidence the athletes brought to the table – in their preparation, their ability to manage their day and their own ability to achieve their race goal.
4. Experience – knowledge of the course, the conditions and the intense nature of such a global event.
5. Support -  the athlete’s level of belief in the team that were there to support them
6. Personality – this was no different to the world outside the start line – present were the personalities of the innately confident, the anxious, the resilient, the cool as cucumbers.

 
All those factors feeding all that emotion - tightly crammed into a very small space.  Super intense.
 
With the Aussie season in full swing, athletes in our neck of the woods are about to find themselves in similar situations at their own races.  Pre-race emotions running rampant at race start lines.  As an athlete, how do you prepare for this part of your race?
 
A great first step is to chat to your coach and work out the factors that are feeding your start line emotions. Work on those – confidence, preparation, belief, expectations, positivity and support to be in the best possible headspace leading into your event.  Predict how you might feel and how you will manage your pre-race emotions. Practice your strategies before race day.
 
In my opinion, just like the emotions on the start line, the effective strategies to manage prerace emotions and that fight or flight response can be highly individual.  Deep breathing, meditation, mindfulness and self -talk can all be used in the heat of the prerace circus. I am certain sports psychologists have more strategies to share.
 
In essence though, there is tremendous benefit in exploring and find a strategy that works for you.  Being prepared for your race both physically and mentally is part of the ticket to a great race experience. 
 
The next step is practice. Placing yourself in similar situations in training can help your practice your strategies – being mindful to create similar emotions around training races, unfamiliar or challenging workouts and training camps.  Outside of training, visualisation of your start line with all of its sensory input can help create your pre race emotions and give you some experience at managing them.
 
So what was my strategy?
 
Lets go back to that Kona start line corral and the emotional overload of the athletes jammed inside it. How did I manage myself?  Deep breathing works for me – big intentional diaphragmatic breaths to switch off that sympathetic response. It’s a common strategy, it is my go-to strategy, I have practiced it, and I know it works for me. So that is what I did.
 
Once my heart rate settled and the nausea dissipated, things then got rather fun keeping that right combination of anticipation and excitement in check.
 
Finding friends, laughing and chatting, jumping in front of the ironman paparazzi for photos.  Hugging random strangers. All purposeful strategies in the “this is my A race of the year” start line corral. Totally odd behavior for me in real life.  But whatever works on race day, hey!
 
Have fun exploring and finding your pre race strategy. Get after it!
 
Cheers
H

When it comes to Ironman, it doesn’t get any better than the World Championship. Held every year on the Big Island of Hawaii in Kailua-Kona, it is, quite simply, the pinnacle of our sport.  
 
As we speak, athletes from all over the world have started to descend on the Island and in a few short days, they will take on an incredibly challenging course that pushes wannabe world champions to the brink of their physical and mental ability year after year. We’re getting tingles just thinking about it!
 
There are so many reasons why triathletes everywhere continue to put themselves through their Ironman paces every year in the hope of cracking a spot at the biggest dance of all. Here are five reasons we can’t get enough of the Ironman World Championship … 

​1. “The Vibe” 
 
In the immortal words of Dennis Denuto*, it’s just the vibe. This one is hard to explain but trust us, when it comes to Ironman mecca, there’s no competition. As soon as you step foot in the town of Kona, there’s no denying the fact it is the epicentre of endurance sport for that one week. This is the world championship - the day of days - where every athlete (from professionals to 17-hour specialists) arrives tapered and ready to race what is likely the biggest, most significant event in their athletic life. 

An incredible calibre of athletes from all over the world roam the town by foot or bike, at the absolute peak of their fitness, many of whom are preparing themselves to fulfil a lifelong dream. Professionals and age-group world champion contenders aside, there are also Legacy Program athletes and Ironman Global Ambassador athletes who are represented - people who have achieved or overcome incredible health or other personal feats to participate and live their own potential on race day. Witnessing these athletes cross the finish line and the moments that precede and ensue often rivals and surpasses even the most impressive professional performances. 

The Big Island. From the Mountains to the Lava Fields, the pristine ocean and everything in between, there’s nothing quite like it and no way to replicate that extraordinarily special feeling that fills you from head to toe as soon as you step off the plane. And how could there be? After all, it is the spiritual home of Ironman. 

​​2. Location, Location, Location 
 
From the moment you land at the airport which is flanked by lava fields, you know you’re somewhere special. Kona really is quintessential Hawaii. And there’s no place on earth like the Big Island. Rent a car for the day and you can drive the Island, passing through no less than four of the five major climate zones that exist on our planet. It is truly one of the most ecologically diverse places in the world. 

It’s also a relatively handy flight from Australia, all worldwide destinations considered, which may be one of the reasons our country is so healthily represented at the Ironman event each year. The locals for the most part are incredibly welcoming and wholeheartedly embrace race week which is no doubt a key contributing factor to its enduring success. 

In terms of all your race-related requirements, everything is centrally located, so although a hire car is handy if you’re hauling a bike(s) and other equipment, it’s not a deal-breaker provided your accommodation is close to town. Should you choose the car-less path however, just a word of warning - the free shuttle bus and its incredibly loose schedule certainly sing from the Island Time hymn sheet!

​​3. The Course 
 
Picturesque location aside, this Ironman course is a unique beast. Nothing gives you all the feels quite like a conch shell and cannon fire do, signalling the start of the race. Athletes set off on the swim leg in ridiculously warm (no wetsuit) water, often escorted along the way by dolphins, turtles and a myriad of other marine life clearly visible in the pristine waters of Kailua Bay. 

The ride is generally fast and fun, but the hills, the heat and the trade winds still need to be battled and managed. Finally, the ultimate test for athletes is the lumpy and insanely hot run, including an extended stint in an infamous section called the “Energy Lab” – notorious for siphoning energy from athletes, rather than providing them with any. 

Whether you’re a professional, age-group contender or just out there to make it under 17-hours, on race day all athletes are equal, each one battling the same course and conditions as the next. Being the World Championship, spectators and supporters abound, but they’re mostly concentrated closer to town which is understandable. After all, spectating in the middle of a lava field doesn’t seem all that appealing! 

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4. The Expo
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 For spectators and supporters, a trip to the epic expo during race week is essential. And to be fair, even as a nervous athlete with the best intentions to keep unnecessary “noise” to a minimum, it’s probably still unavoidable. With two decent setups spanning a road, sponsor freebies and bargains abound and with a steady stream of professional athletes turning up throughout race week for signings, product promotions and interviews, the expo is heaven for tri-gear nerds and groupies alike. If you do indulge in any pre-race purchases however, just remember to avoid committing the cardinal sin of christening them on race day!

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​5. The Extras  
 
When all is said and done and race day has been and gone (or for a few treats in between), nothing beats the iced coffees of Lava Java and ice-cream sandwiches of Huggos on the Rocks, flanked by a cocktail or two at sunset. If you’re taking travel notes, these are essential stops. And an acai bowl from Basik Acai (the Kilauea is our recommendation) is the breakfast of (world) champions! 
 
For a break from your food coma, or for non-triathlon related activities, options abound. Swimming with manta rays and spinner dolphins, or indulging in a spot of snorkelling in various locations around the Island should tick a few boxes. A Kona Coffee tour or trip to Kona Brewing Company also come highly recommended. And no visit to the Big Island is complete without stopping in to Volcanoes National Park. 

With so many athletes arriving a week or two early for pre-race acclimatisation, the post-race exodus is generally swift so if you’re keen to holiday after the big day, stay a while longer on the Island and enjoy everything this little town has to offer, once its Ironman hosting duties have concluded for another year.
 

While few of us have managed to reach the “holy grail” of Ironman this year, we can still watch with bated breath on October 13 (Australian time) and cheer on our T:Zero athletes with gusto. In all honesty, it's virtually impossible not to be moved and motivated by this incredible event. 

 
* Do yourself a favour and download “The Castle” for essential wind trainer viewing 😉

Before I get started on this month’s blog, “A week in the life of me – Ash Hunter,” here’s a small summary on my experience from Sunshine Coast 70.3 a couple of weeks ago.

Ironman 70.3 Sunshine Coast wasn’t intentionally on the cards this year as we were in the thick of Ironman training. BUT… 10 days out from the race I’d won an entry… Thank you to Multisport Mecca and Cyclezone for this!! How could I turn down an awesome opportunity to have a hit out and see where my current fitness lies? It was an absolutely stunning day, apart from a little wind on the bike course we had ideal conditions.

Swim was amazing with crystal clear water. I felt comfortable navigating my way around the swim course, then onto the bike where I came into T2 with my highest ever NP split for an Ironman 70.3. The run felt great for the first 8 km and then after the second Alex Hill I started to fall apart but I gave it all I had for that last lap. I was happy to be able to come home with a PB 70.3 time of 4.42:07 and 3rd place in F25-29 AG. I hadn’t given much thought whether I’d take a spot to the Ironman 70.3 World Championships held in Taupo 2020, until after the race.

Over a quick lunch with my friend, Sarah and brother, Jordan I’d kind of made up my mind. I didn’t think there’d be 3 spots in my AG but I came to the decision that If there were 3 allocated spots then I would get the trusty old credit card out to pay for the entry + the 8% active fee ha ha. Waiting at the roll down ceremony I heard Pete Murray announce, “25-29 Female age group has 3 + 1 allocated spots” Whattttt???!!! I looked over to my bro, trying to contain my surprise and excitement. Although, I may need to work 2 jobs over the summer holidays to pay off that one! A super unexpected result and qualification but I’m looking forward to heading over to Taupo in November next year for the Ironman 70.3 World Championships.

Hi everybody!

I’m Ashleigh Hunter AKA Ash Hunter, a long course amateur athlete (currently in the F25-29 Age Group). I started this sport back in 2015 coming from a powerlifting and team sports (soccer & touch football) background. I went over to the Big Island of Hawaii to spectate the 2014 Ironman World Championships which is where I became inspired to start triathlon. How could I not gain inspiration through watching my partner, Damien Collins place 4th in his AG and Mirinda Carfrae take out 1st female?

I started with T:Zero Multisport in April of 2016. In the 3.5 years I’ve been coached by Richard Thompson we’ve been able to achieve some pretty cool things in this sport; AG Ironman and Ironman 70.3 champion, Ironman Asia Pacific AG champion and 16th place in my AG at Kona. Looking forward, I’ve set a goal to have a crack at qualifying for the 2020 Ironman World Championships and then race to my potential back on the Big Island.
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I have been asked to share my journey with you by posting a blog once a month. This makes me feel pretty uhhh… vulnerable but I am also really excited to be open with you and share some of the ups and downs of what’s to come. Even if it is just my Dad following along ha ha. So I thought my first blog post should be about why I have chosen Ironman Cozumel as my “A Race” for 2019.
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Why I Chose Ironman Cozumel
Some of you are probably wondering why on Earth I would travel all the way to Mexico for an Ironman considering; I’m an age grouper, it’s such a long way to travel and Busselton Ironman is on at the same time on year… in my own country.
Well, here are my reasons for choosing to race abroad for the 2019 Ironman Cozumel

Race-cation / World Class Travel Destination
The biggest attraction for me, travelling ALL the way to Cozumel for an Ironman is being able to add on a small holiday after the race in a bucket list destination. Cozumel is a world premiere diving destination, with the second largest barrier reef in the world. Not too far from Cozumel are beautiful underwater caves (cenotes) that I plan on visiting after the race also. I grew up very close to the largest barrier reef in the world and have been scuba diving for the last 14 years now. I am pumped for a little holiday after the race to wind down the year with my partner, friends and family.

Timing
After sitting down with the coach back in April we looked at the ideal time for me to build up and be ready to race an Ironman again. It looked as though November-December would be the best time considering minor injuries and sickness that seemed to be hindering my prep at the start of the year. So looking at that time frame I had a few options to ponder on… Busselton, Malaysia, Arizona or Cozumel? Considering Busselton is in Australia it’s still quite a resourceful trip and it’s still about a 12 hour travel day so why not go somewhere I haven’t been before??? Malaysia looked to be a good option and then I heard about the MONKEYS on the bike course. Apparently they run out at people and you’re not allowed to get off your bike to help other competitors if they crash (because the monkeys will attack you)… I’ve already come off my bike during a race overseas so I didn’t think that would be a good option... been there done that. That left me with the choice of Arizona or Cozumel…. They are both so far away! Then I got word that 5 other training buddies were also racing Cozumel AND Damo (my partner) could potentially be racing there too so… DECISION MADE!  Let’s go to Cozumel.

Travel with Friends and Family
After breaking the news to family that Kona isn’t on the cards for this year there was actually a lot of relief as we’ve been there a few times now, 3 times for Damo when he raced AG and once for me. There’s nothing better in life than to be surrounded by people who make you feel good. I am so excited to go on an awesome adventure with Damo, training buddies, Damo’s family and a couple of family friends who are coming over to support us. I really want to put in a good prep and perform well to do the family and friends proud who are travelling across the world to support us.

The course
The course looks great for me, being a slower swimmer, it is a current assisted swim so the less time in the water, the better. The bike course includes 3 laps around the island which looks to be a flat fast course. I love nothing more than buckling into TT position on my trusty old steed and testing the mind in that last 60km of the Ironman bike. The run course is 3 flat loops also. This will be a massive booster as I’ll have plenty of opportunities to see the people who are special to me out on course as well as on the sidelines. It reminds me of my “why” to help get through those tough times during the marathon.

Increased Experience Racing in the Heat
As mentioned earlier I want to go back to the Ironman Hawaiian World Championships and this will be a great experience to practise racing an Ironman in the heat and humidity again. I will be taking in everything that the race and travel experience has to offer.

Conclusion
Thanks for reading my decisions behind choosing Ironman Cozumel as my “A race” for 2019. I am really excited for the rest of this preparation because we still have so much time to develop fitness and strength over the next 14 weeks! I’ve made a couple of lifestyle changes to allow myself a better opportunity to recover from training sessions and to have more time to focus on this prep. I can’t wait to share with you my journey over the next 14 weeks and beyond. 

Thanks for reading! I can't wait to give you an insight into my little world each month!

: ) 

Ash 

Ash Hunter is sponsored by 17 Hour Triathlon Clothing, CLIF Bar, Brooks Running Australia & CrampFix and supported by T:Zero Multisport, Di's Fitness and Massage & Cyclezone Mooloolaba.

You can follow Ash's journey here:

I think it’s safe to say my journey is incredibly similar to many who have ventured down the Ironman path. It began with a crack at a bucket list item goal of completing a triathlon to catching the ‘bug’ and suddenly an entire day of exercise is the ‘norm’.

The main reason to give an Ironman a go was to learn what it’s all about, to see if my partner Luke and I were those foolish folks that enjoyed an entire day of absolute punishment. Turns out we are, 3 down and no doubt soon to be planning the next one.

Safe to say it wasn’t all smooth sailing for Ironman number one, two or three. But what is an Ironman journey without a few rough days at sea? What do we take out of each time is experience, lessons and fun that we won’t forget. I am writing to share my experiences and maybe you are bordering on entering an Ironman for the first time or after years of experience you really relate to the ride we have been on.

In our eyes the first step when looking to do an Ironman is to engage a coach from an Ironman background, by chance I happened to meet another triathlon ‘freak’ Steve who hooked us up with Rich. It’s been a few years now and we are so stoked to call him our coach as well as be a part of the culture and crew that is T-Zero. Rich might have other things to say about coaching us, it’s never an easy task to coach a couple who request to be nearly joint at the hip but are of different abilities, for us, it works and he makes it work.

We chose Ironman Australia as our first stop. The first one was all about getting our bodies used to the miles that come with the long distance. That wasn’t without its hiccups, Ironman training is never an easy ask with full time work as many I am sure, can relate. The main obstacle that was thrown my way was Achilles Tendonitis greeting me with 4 weeks until the race. After some serious down time for the 4 weeks I had reached a point where the medical advice was positive enough for me to line up on race day.

Race day was a new experience, there was that sense of complete unknown ahead of us, and on top of that I had in the back of my mind how on earth will I get through this, four weeks of no weight bearing running (subbed in some water running) I have to run a marathon. That little back of the mind voice had to be silenced. The mindset was so important that day, my mind turned to the previous six months and the training I went through, I found confidence in that and kept positive.

As the race went on I was perfectly positioned on the bike and was rolling back into town with about 8km left, only to hear something go terribly wrong, I look back to find an entire de-railer hanging, while I was prepared for all things flat tyres and chains off, can’t say I travelled the course with a spare de-railer! Eight kilometres from home it was time to get my hiking boots on. I kept strong, it was just a hurdle, one I had to jump over and keep moving. Lucky as I was on my walk the mechanic turned up and 20 minutes later I found myself on a fixie bike and 7km of hills. What happened was completely out of my control, what I could do, nothing but accept and find a way to make the best out of a bad situation. I was there for the experience and accepted this was part of the experience. I managed to pull off a really strong run, with my Achilles issue I was stoked, I knew I could do it. The overall result was unexpectedly close to punching a ticket to the ultimate Ironman World Champs at Kona with the 20 or so minutes on the side of the road with a mechanical being the difference. That certainly wasn’t within my control and knowing that left me comfortable with where I was with my ability and gave me drive to continue the Ironman journey.

What next was always going to be on the cards, it was an incredible experience and we were ready to improve.
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Ironman Texas was the decision. We caught the bug but wanted to expand our horizons outside Asia Pacific. The build was near on perfect and our goal for the race was to better ourselves in the sport we chose, this is important for me especially, Rich has taught me, the goal is the best out of myself on the day, my square metre, my race, my goals and that will lead me to do what I deserve. This lead to a solid day out for me but not what I knew was my full potential. An opportunity for a Kona spot a whisker away, a mere 2 minutes over 9 hours 30, but because that wasn’t my end goal it was easy enough to accept. That Kona spot would come when I have my best day and the external uncontrollable fall my way. I took my learnings and spent the next 12 months finding that continuous improvement and enjoying the adventure. 

​Next back on home soil we decided we were all in for Ironman Cairns, our own personal goals were set. We were all in, as mad as our friends and family thought we were this was ‘fun’. It was all going to plan until….
Four weeks before the race in the best form I had ever been in, 28km into my 32km run I tripped over, I am a clumsy person and it wasn’t rare for the odd trip over but this one was different, it was at pace and getting up something didn’t feel ‘right’. Turns out I fractured my elbow. The next 4 weeks was a mind battle but as the coach said, there was no time for a pity party race was on and we would get through it. At the time I wanted a pity party, but looking back he was setting me up for success. There was no time for me to be upset or stress over what was happening, it happened and I couldn’t take it back, we get on with it and remind ourselves what this is all about, our goal to get the best out of ourselves and to enjoy the process whatever is thrown our way.

Race day came, the arm, while it had not fully healed, I had the tick of approval from medical professionals that it was ok to give the race a crack. Swimming training had been non-existent, running was short and sweet and a nagging hip was sending a few signals to me, but it was on.

​Talking to Rich pre-race, mentally it was all about the path I chose to take was going to lead to either success or disappointment. The easy path was “tough race, tough conditions, I have a fractured arm, everyone will understand when I pull the pin” or “get on with it, pain is temporary and my arm is strong enough to get through this”. The day wasn’t without its twists and turns, the swim was a long way but I created my own path and stayed away from others, last thing my arm needed was to end up in a washing machine situation. The ride was amazing, that coastal road are just so beautiful the whole way and the run was full of on course support. Essentially throughout the day the path I chose allowed me to get on with the job. In this circumstance the mind helped the body achieve.

That resulted in my body giving me all it could on the day, 2nd in my Age Group and 3rd overall female age grouper and the big island. What a dream!

CAIRNS 2018 RACE REPORT
WOW! WHAT A DAY – LUCKY NUMBER 9
SWIM 58:32  – BIKE 4:55:21  – RUN  3:19:45 – TOTAL 9:19:18
T1 3:42 –  T2 – 1:56
Overall 36th (including pros) – 16th Age Grouper – 5th in 35-39 Category.

After having a pretty good day setting a new PB in Port, it was to be another short 5 week turnaround to Cairns.  Nothing that was new to me, as I’ve done both of these races for the past three years.  The day after Port Mac, Rich had me back moving again with a short Swim / Bike  / Run on the program.  The next day the same, but a bit longer.  Seems daft, but it works.  By the following Saturday I felt a million bucks, my body was ready to rip in, and the mind was strong to now focus on getting a full head of steam up as we go into Cairns.

The biggest challenge for me between these two races is that it is my busiest time of year at work.  Years ago I made a promise to myself, and my boss at that time, that I would never let IM affect my work, and my passion for what I do for a brand that I love, and I still stand by that.   Another promise I made was, to my best ability, try and limit the impact the training has on my beautiful family.  Yeah I might miss a couple of binge sessions, or the start of a team dinner or two because I need to head for a swim or run once the day is done, but neither my good work colleagues or my family ever question my commitment to what I do, and are always full of support.  The time disappears between these two races extremely quickly because of this busy period!

So the body was recovered, the niggles that I had before Port seemed a distant memory, and I was firing.  I was swimming consistent pace, my bike was strong as ever, but my running was peaking as I headed towards Cairns.  I had a couple of real key runs in between the two races that really put my mind in a place where I believed I could achieve whatever I set my mind to (within reason of course).  As always, it is a bit of a mental battle to keep dragging your arse out of bed as winter joins us, but if you haven’t realised as yet, I’m a pretty determined little shit!

I had some real good chats with Rich in the couple of weeks pre-race, and it was decided that with the data that I had put together in this lead up, we would do a straight run rather than the run/walk that I did at Port.  I was happy with this!  Race week was here, and I was off to another conference for a couple of days, home on Tuesday night, to be on the plane to Cairns on Wednesday morning.  As you probably know, I work up there in the expo from Wed – Sat, which isn’t the ideal prep obviously, but once again, nothing I’m not used to. 

Rich called Friday night to discuss the plan. He had taken on board some of my comments and presented me with a plan that I was super confident of nailing!  Previously, I’ve got the plan and tried to convince myself that it was achievable, a “I reckon I can do that” mentality.  Not this time.  This plan was perfect for me, and my head space during a race.  It was to be more power on the bike than previous, faster pace on the run than previous, but it was the right way around for me!  Put a few in the bank early, and FKN hold on!

Here’s how the day unfolded.

No stress getting to the race start. The long walk down to transition from the carpark as per normal, got my bike sorted and chilled out with Mandi and Carl from work until it was time to get my shit together.  I was a little more nervous than normal, but pumped!

SWIM – 58:32 – 1:32/100m avg - 9th in the age group
I took the same approach as always, into the cage early to get towards the front of the rolling start, however, I did go for a short warm up swim as time allowed.  This gave me a bit more confidence that the water wasn’t quite as horrible as previous years.  Before we blinked, the pros were away and we are being released into the water.  The heart rate sky rocketed as I punched through the swell on the way to the first turn buoy.  Not a nice feeling at all.  But I just knew that once I turn that first can, we will get settled.  From there it seemed to take forever to get to the far end of the course; the orange cans just seemed to keep appearing in the distance before I finally reached the next pink turn can.  It was another tough little section heading back out into the swell, but then seemed like a quick trip home once we made that turn.  I found a few sets of feet during the swim for a bit of help, but for most part I was in my own space.  Once the HR settled down, I was pretty comfortable and felt strong!  I came out of the water feeling that I hadn’t spent too many cookies.

T1 was smooth, there were only a couple of volunteers in there again, as per last year, so no help.  I had decided to carry my shoes to my bike rather than running in them as I was close to the transition exit, and the transition is quite long.  I also took note of the guys that I came into T1 with, and a couple were recognisable as being in my category.  Onto the bike feeling good. 

BIKE – 4:55:21 – 36.24k/hr avg – 12th in the age group
The bike plan this time round was heavy, but I was very confident in getting it done.  I was to ride 255 – 260 watts for the first 40k (which would take me to PD) and catch as many athletes as I could, geeing them up on the way past to come with.  And then settle in to 240 – 245 watts for the remainder of the ride.  To hopefully end up in T2 with a 240W avg, ready to run. 

To put this into perspective, I averaged 208W in last year’s ride, so quite an increase.

I felt good onto the bike, and picked up Duncan who I knew from a previous race, he is a very strong athlete and he came with me, sitting his distance.  Some hot heads took off past me heading out of town.  Before too long I’d picked them back up and had a decent train behind me going into Port Douglas the first time, with a 39k/hr odd average (many thanks to the tail wind).  The lead changed a few times, but it seemed that once they came around me, it was time to relax and back off, and put me in a bad position, so I’d make my way around them again.  I wanted to race my own race and stick to my plan, but it definitely helps if you have others in similar performance to pace off.  I was feeling strong and pushing my power into the headwind on the way back to the turnaround for the second trip to PD, taking stock of how many riders were ahead of me.  Outside of the pros there were only one or two trains of five or six riders.

I had a quick stop at special needs to grab my bottles of nutrition, and then had to track back down these riders, which didn’t take long.  I was back in contact at Rex’s lookout, and before too long back to the front.  I could see that a couple of the guys were starting to struggle on the hills, so knew that they would drop off at some point.  Back into Port Douglas the second time and I was still bang on the plan.  Coming out of town, I was back on the front and pushing my power, still feeling good, limiting any highs or lows by keeping a cool head.  About 10k out of town I took a look over my shoulder on a long straight to see no one behind as far as I could see.  I guess they are gooooooone!  Sticking to the plan, I just kept ticking off the k’s picking up a rider here or there and spitting them out.  J  I had a young guy come past me who was riding strong, so I went with.  This was a blessing, as he was riding really consistently and keeping me honest on the power.  I sat back off him the whole way back to town, never going to the front (I didn’t owe him anything). We were punching into a solid headwind in certain parts of the trip home, but it was bearable.  There were a couple of occasions that I questioned if I was going to have legs for the marathon, but I just kept telling myself that “today is your day”.  Throw it all out there!  One of my challenges I’d set myself was to ride under 5hrs, and I knew that if I nailed the plan I’d achieve that, so that kept me interested as I got closer and closer to town looking at the numbers.         

Back to town and into T2 feeling good knowing that I had belted the bike!  A 7 minute PB on this course. 

THE RUN – 3:19:46 – 4:45 pace/km – 6th in the age group.
Another smooth transition and out onto the run feeling really good.  The plan for the day….  the first 5k at 4:30 – 4:35 pace… the next 5k easing off to 4:45 pace, and then I had 32k to hold onto 4:45 pace.  Which is a reverse of my previous plans where I would go out conservative, and attempt to get faster each lap.  I was actually having to pull myself back in the first couple of k, as I was on 4:20 pace, comfortably.  Good problem to have I guess. The first lap went pretty quick, and I was feeling good.  There was some awesome support on and off the course which made things a little easier to deal with.  Mandi spent most of the race down in a dead part of the course where you double back on yourself, which was a massive help to me on the day. Not only to see her smiling face, but to be able to concentrate on what she had to tell me in regards to splits, how far to the guy in front, and what was going on behind me, also messages from Rich… and some wise words of her own of course.  I had the RTC crew hanging out of the RSL on each pass, the TZero crew giving me updates in town of positioning and messages from Rich who was back home in front of the computer… probably more nervous than me. I even had random people telling me my position.  They know how to pump a guy’s tyres up!

I knew that Nathan Sandford from Cairns was only about five minutes behind me, and Duncan not far behind him.  Both these lads can run, so I knew I was in for a race today, especially with me coming off the bike in 9th position.  I had plenty of work to do to hold on to this placing, let alone pull some of the guys back that were in front.  But knew all the same that it was mine to take, and mine to lose!    

I will say here again that Kona wasn’t the be all to end all leading into this race, Rich has instilled in me that this result will come when it will, and that I just need to focus on having my best day, getting to the finish line as fast as possible, and have no regrets of leaving anything out on course.  It’s not a matter of if, but a matter of when he would say to me. 

But wholly shit it came into my head space when I got to the second lap of the run!  Haha.  I was now in 7th position, knowing that there were 7 slots to Kona in Cairns last year, and a few more spots were on offer this year across the categories, I needed to hang in there.

After taking off out of T2 on the first lap, nailing the first 5k at 4:31 pace, the next 5 at 4:41 pace, I was a little bit ahead of the plan and feeling really strong.  This is where the top three inches comes into play, the mental strength to battle from the 10k mark through to the 10k to go mark is what makes the difference between a good race, and a great race.  It was time to hold on to a 4:45 pace for the next two laps.  The big message from Rich pre-race in this marathon was, if you’re going to actually die by running the next k at 4:45 pace, stop.  If you’re not going to die, run 4:45 pace.  Fair enough.

I’ve done it enough times now to know the mental games that you have to play with yourself to keep ticking off the k’s.  “we only have to run out to this deadshit part of the course one more time” “just get back into town and use the crowd” “Mandi is just up here, get there”.  You’ve got to have your triggers, and turn negatives into positives. 

I was nailing my nutrition all day, and the stomach was reciprocating well, along with my muscles.  The second lap is a bloody battle, but even when I felt like I was struggling, I was still holding onto my pace, which keeps the mind strong.  I had conversations with Mandi as I passed, around the guys behind me, and that I felt like they were catching me.  The message back was, don’t worry about what’s going on behind you, concentrate on sticking to the plan, and you will catch the guys in front.  After news early in the race that these guys behind were close, and the guys in front were 4 plus minutes ahead, it was all about holding on to what I had, staying consistent on my plan, and what will be, will be.

I was getting word through the back end of the second lap, and the start of the third that I was now in 5th place, and the excitement was growing after battling through that middle 20k, whilst still holding my pace.  The reality of running a sub 3:20 marathon was real, and the new mind games start with 10k to go, to get to that finish line as fast as possible, ticking the k’s off one by one.  The message came from Rich as I came back through town.  “you are on a treadmill, stay there!”  The other word was that the guys behind were fading further back, and 4th place was only just ahead of me.  Wholly shit…. Where’s third, I want to catch that rooster!  Haha.

Knowing that I was in this position, and that it was mine if I wanted it, I was asking myself the question of “how bad do you want it”?  “DO YOU WANT IT”???  Turns out that I wanted it pretty bad.  I hadn’t cramped all day, but with 8k to go,  my hammy showed signs.  I gave it a big NOT TODAY BROTHER, threw in a crampfix, and found a spot where I didn’t aggravate the little bugger!

Back passed Mandi for my final run out to the last turn around, in fourth position.  Hearing those beautiful words “see you at the finish line baby” was music to my ears.  I received word on the way back to town that I was now in 4th place, with 5th place only 20 seconds behind me, but that’s ok, I just need to get to the finish line as fast as I can. 

I started talking to myself again to get home.  “Enjoy this last six k, you are going to remember this run home, this race, for the rest of your life”.  “This is the day you achieved the pinnacle of this sport”.  “Head up high, and take it in, enjoy the crowd’s attention, and know that Mandi is waiting for you at the finish chute”.  This will go down as my most memorable, knowing that I had ticked every box possible on the day, and that I had achieved what seemed like an impossible reality only a couple of years ago.  Sub 10 was a goal back then, and now I’ve hit a 9:19, the sixteenth fastest age group athlete on the day, and I’d left nothing to chance with roll down.  Wholly shit!  I’m still battling to get my head around the achievement.  The finish line was a relief to see, and the emotion was hard to hold back!  Mandi was so excited, SO GOOD!  “you did it babe, you’re going to Kona” she said to me!  WOW!  The pace for the last 32k was 4:48 pace, which left me with a 4:45 pace overall!  Nailed the plan!     

I was a little crook after the race, but I got a magic pill from the medical tent to settle my guts, and I was good to go.  Bit of recovery, some food, and into the VIP tent to watch the finish line… with a couple of cheeky ciders!  All whilst answering some of the 1000 messages I had on my phone from my awesome support network.

Fair to say that I didn’t sleep much on race night, it could have been the copious amounts of caffeine in my body, or the thought of what tomorrow brings for me, but either way, I was lying there at 1am with possum eyes.

Bit of an extension to this report…..

I can’t not talk about Monday, WORLD CHAMPS ROLL DOWN TIME. 
I’ve really enjoyed attending the roll down in the past, even well before I was ever in the mix.  There’s so many good stories, and achievements come out of it, with people reaching this incredible milestone in their journey… some in their first effort, some 15 IM’s down the road.  It was quite a surreal feeling walking over there with Mandi knowing that I had secured my spot with my 5th placing, and I didn’t need a roll down to be heading to Kona.  I’ve grown a great long standing friendship with the Voice of IM Pete Murray, and over the last fourteen years of being involved in events with ASICS, he has seen the path that I’ve been on.  He knows the battles I’ve faced of getting to this position, having been to Kona twice himself.  It would be a special time today for the both of us, as he gets to call me up on stage to receive my slot to Kona.  He didn’t disappoint.  It took forever to get to my age group however, but once there, he called the four names out that beat me on the day, and none of them were there.  Pete did a quick mic check to see if it was on, and then led into his announcement for myself.  The hairs stood up on the back of my neck as he told a bit about my story “MR ASICS” as he calls me, and I bounced up onto stage for an embrace with the big marn! 

The support, and messages of congratulation that I have received since is out of control, thank you so much everyone.

I’m not going to get all soppy here and thank Mandi, the kids and Rich, as they know how I feel about them, and that I can never repay them for what they have aided, and allowed me to achieve.
Watch this space though, as I’m planning on putting together some words about my “journey” of sorts from the fat kid to Kona qualifier, and the coping mechanisms that we have introduced as a family to get to this point. 
​
It’s nearly been two weeks, and I’ve been gently training since race day.  Another week or so of cruising, and then back into it for the run to the big show!  

Cheers
Cheyne
 
 
 

For the last two seasons I have watched incredible ironman athletes run down the finish chute in Cairns. Wanting to be a part of the action, I signed up to compete in 2018. After watching my partner Larissa do an amazing job at Ironman Cairns 2017, I decided to ask her coach Em, if she would be willing help me reach my ironman goal. Seven months later it was race time, and thanks to Em’s preparation I was feeling excited and confident of making it down that chute.
 
Swim
This is by far my strongest leg of the race, I followed coach’s orders and got to the front of the swim start. After 200-300m I managed to find some clear water and get into a great rhythm. The plan was to swim strong but hold back given how long the day would be. I swam mostly alone until just after the turnaround, before swimming into a group of five. I stuck with this group until the end which was helpful considering it felt as though we were swimming against the current. Although, it wasn’t exactly a ‘free’ ride to the swim exit with this group, I had to put up with a few blows to the face, including losing my goggles at one point. Happy with my debut ironman swim, time of 56:55 and still feeling fresh.
 
T1
My first experience of an ironman transition. Turns out it comes with a helpful volunteer and chairs – very luxurious compared to other T1 experiences. My plan was to wipe down my feet and face, before the usual socks, shoes, glasses, helmet routine and then apply sunscreen before jogging off to the bike. Spent a little too long fiddling with my bike shoes, but apart from that happy with my T1.
 
Bike
Having only started using power 6 weeks ago the race plan for the bike was something new to me. The plan was to ride at 70% for the first 90km and if feeling good, up to 75% for the final 90km. Apart from my heart rate monitor disconnecting itself from my watch at the start of the ride, the first 40km went according to plan. This was probably aided by the friendly tail wind all the way into Port Douglas.
 
At that stage, as I headed back from Port Douglas, my legs started to feel a little heavy - which had me worried given the 140km or so to ride. In hindsight it was probably just the fact that I was now riding into the wind. I had to really focus on my race plan during the next 10-15km, constantly reminding myself to avoid surges. Although with some great views along the course it wasn’t too difficult to forget about any struggles I was having. Eventually my legs got over their little tantrum, and by the time I was turning back to Port Douglas everything was on track once again.
 
I followed the plan for the rest of the race, as expected there was an unwelcoming headwind for the final 20km. The reward for getting that final 20km done was the ride through the crowds along the esplanade, a great feeling. After the race I realised my average power was lower than I had hoped, in some cases by upwards of 10%. Perhaps my inexperience riding to power, especially over this type of terrain had contributed to the low numbers. In any case I was delighted with my time of 5:26 on the bike. There is no way I would have been able to pull that off six months ago, but there is definitely room for improvement.
 
T2
I once again enjoyed the novelty of the chairs and volunteers. They even put sunscreen on my neck while I changed socks – incredible! Off to the run.
 
Run
My plan was to run/walk the marathon at between 4:45 and 5min/km - 14 minutes on, 1 off. The idea was to stick closer to 4:45 for the first half marathon. The first 10km went to plan, everything was feeling good and even the weather was perfect. My stomach then really started to get sick of gels and chews. On my next walk break I couldn’t stomach another chew and skipped it, thinking I was better off not feeling sick.
 
At the beginning of the second lap, I tried to continue with my plan and get back on the gels. My body didn’t approve, and my stomach problems got worse. Skipping my nutrition then caught up with me and I felt zapped of energy, becoming light headed with very heavy legs. At this point I decided to slow right down and see if I could recover – rather than continue and have to be sick. So, I walked until I felt I could try to run. I couldn’t get back to my planned pace, rarely dropping below 6 min/km when I was running. A few aid stations went by before I decided to try and take on different foods. Over the next few stations I had some banana, watermelon, coke, and even found a cookie. To cool down I also started using ice and pouring it down my trisuit. Eventually something started working, I was able to run for longer periods of time and the pace started increasing. For the last 10km I felt back to normal and was able to maintain between 4:50 and 5:10 min/km, although I continued to walk the aid stations.
 
In the end I was proud of myself for turning around what looked like a potentially long run leg. I finished with a run of 4:11, much slower than planned but much better than it was looking at one point. It goes without saying but running down the finish chute was a great feeling.
 
Delighted with my first Ironman race, I can’t wait to pick my next one and have another go. Huge thanks to my Coach, Em, who not only prepared me for the race but was a brilliant supporter on course - as I’m sure all T:Zero athletes would have experienced. 

​It’s taper time, time to start getting fresh and prepping yourself for the big day ahead in a couple of weeks. It’s a time to reflect upon the work you have done, the sacrifices you and your loved ones have made for you to be where you are and to remember how lucky you are to be in a position to be doing an Ironman in the first place.
 
In a perfect world, we remain completely zen about it all, cruise into the race with linear, cool as you like emotions intact and crush race day like it’s a walk in the park.
 
However, this is so far-fetched from what normally goes on. For most of us, we go into self-sabotage mode. We reflect on our training, but rather than focus on how much we have done, it’s about what we missed. We begin to doubt our strength and fitness and enter into a somewhat negative mindset which from where I sit, isn’t going to help things in both the lead up and on race day.
 
Whilst hindsight is a beautiful thing, let’s instead bring our focus to what lies ahead, what we can control and how we can set ourselves up for a kick arse taper.
 
Control the controllables: we say it time and time again. There are a few things you have control over. Such as the few listed below:

• your perceptions/mindset/attitude about all of the things – keep things positive and focus on your strengths. Limit your time talking about your prep (what’s done is done- you can’t change it) and how you’re feeling- focus on how much you’re looking forward to race day and how tough but fulfilling it is going to be;
• your training and recovery – stick to the program set, sleep like a log and eat well. This is not the time to be cramming in last minute volume or sessions that your coach hasn’t prescribed. The hard work has been done, let the taper take it’s course and you will arrive to race day feeling amazing;
• your equipment (to a point) – make sure your bike is serviced, your shoes, goggles, helmet etc is all in good condition. Do it now. Obviously you can’t stop a random flat or mechanical, but you can make sure you have everything in as good a condition as possible to minimise the chances;
• travel and accommodation – confirm it and plan ahead, make sure you have a nice bed and quiet location;
• an itinerary/timetable of sorts – there’s so much going on in your head leading into a race without having to think/worry about where you’re eating, when and where you’re training, when you’re meeting your coach or team for a coffee etc. If you have all this written down or at least thought out, especially if you’re the nervy type (let’s be honest- that’s all of us), then things might flow a little easier for you;
• people – choose the people you surround yourself with carefully. Hang out with the peeps that keep you smiling and lift you up. And the ones who can put up with your rolling emotions;
• race guide/maps etc – read the race guide from cover to cover… a few times. Transitions and gear bags and special needs… lots to sort so read the guide and get it right. It’s good to be prepared and know what’s coming in an Ironman and this will help you.

 
Embrace the butterflies:
You’re going to feel nervous leading into an Ironman, particularly if this is your first one. But rather than trying to suppress these feelings and be super positive all the time, embrace the nerves and butterflies – it means you care and it really is a part of why we do this amazing sport. If we didn’t get the butterflies, it wouldn’t scare us and then what’s the point right!?

So embrace all of the feelings that come your way and whilst it’s important to keep things positive and focus on what’s to come, remember that they’re all a big part of the journey to that finish line. It’s a rollercoaster is this Ironman thing, with big waves of emotions - the better you can navigate your way through it all and stay mostly positive, the better your experience will be.
 
Enjoy the experience:
As mentioned earlier, it’s a time to reflect and be grateful for everyone and everything in your life that has lead you to being able to be where you are today. It’s a privilege to do this sport, so get out there and enjoy the experience, soak up the atmosphere, the highs and the lows, embrace it all! You deserve to be there, but you are also very lucky to be who you are – adopt an attitude of gratitude!
 
Go forth and race well. Find your flow, race with grit and above all, embrace everything that comes your way both in taper and race day. It’s one hell of a journey you’ve been on to get there and such a very cool moment in time it will be when you’re smashing down that red carpet like a young Jane Fonda!
 
“Things work out best for those people who make the most of how things turn out” Coach John Wooden
 
Coach Scotty Farrell

Click here to find out more about Head Coach Scotty Farrell