Weight of Mileage

Yet another week with lots of running. The mileage is still coming easily, but the legs are feeling a little heavier. I've got no injuries, but the general aches and pains seem to be a little more frequent. It definitely feels like I am at my body's limit as far as run mileage goes. This coming week will be our last in the foundation building phase before we start adding some intensity.

Elaine's cycling enthusiasm is at an all time high and she produced another 80+km ride. Once again she rode on the Challenge Melbourne bike course, this time she was lucky enough to have Tania as company and Leah has hinted she'd like to join them next time.

I would have liked to have competed in a cycling road race with the Southern Masters on Sunday, but unfortunately my arm injury is still causing problems. It pulled up quite sore from Saturday's 3 hour ride  and is also giving me some trouble during the swim sessions. The injury improved a lot in the first few days, but has not improved so much over the last week.

Run Mileage Clicking Over

I'm still in base training phase, or as Daniels calls it - Foundation and Injury Prevention Training. In regards to running, this means lots of mileage all done at an easy pace. I don't really plan training, I just try to run every day and let how I feel influence the distance. It is usually obvious by the 3km mark if I'm feeling good or not and this determines how far I run (anywhere between 6 and 15km). Of course if I wake up sore - I have a rest day.

This strategy worked well at the start of the pre-season and my weekly run mileages were 44, 54 & 57km before things went off track when I suffered quad soreness from the Long and Hilly Run in the Dandenongs. My legs came good just in time for the Puffing Billy Fun Run, but I needed an easy week to recover from this race.

With the interruptions now behind me, my run training is now back on track and this week I clocked up a career high 64km of running. This mileage came so easy I took Sunday as a rest day even though I didn't feel sore. There was temptation to push my mileage over 70km, but I decided anything over 60km was great and even though I was still feeling good, having a rest day would provide extra insurance against injury (not time to get greedy).

For some athletes 60km in a week would not sound much, but I can remember not long ago when I could not do consecutive 30km run weeks. So I'm extremely happy with how things are going. The only problem has been an arm injury (incurred in non-triathlon related activities). As a result I missed Friday's swim and Saturday's mountain bike session at Lysterfield Park. Hopefully I'll be OK to swim again on Tuesday.

With Elaine having entered her first Half Ironman (Challenge Melbourne in Feb), she now has far more incentive than usual to get back on the bike. This was very much in evidence on Saturday morning when she ventured out and rode 2 laps of the Challenge Melbourne bike course (race will be 3x30km laps). The course is 10kms away so the total riding distance was 80km - her longest ride in 3.5 years.

Ronde de Bayside (Autumn Classic)

Bayside Triathlon Club now holds three bike events per year with Sprint and King Of the Mountain (KOM) points - they are officially referred to as a training session with sections of max effort. Last year I competed in the Bayside Spring Classic and the Ben Griffin Classic. Now I have completed the trilogy with the Ronde de Bayside (aka Bayside Autumn Classic).

Being so early in the season my riding form is close to non-existent, so I wasn't really expecting much. My usual plan under these circumstances is to simply pretend I'm in form and go for everything. Elaine has also done next to no riding, but with the Half Ironman on the horizon she decided to have a go as well. Our house is located at the 20km mark of the ride, so the plan was for Elaine to leave 10 minutes before the group was due to arrive. This would give her a chance to ride up the hills at her own pace before everyone caught up to her in Mt Eliza (or there abouts).

When I caught up with the group, I was surprised how large it was - must have been close to 80 riders. Riding passed my house exactly 10 minutes after Elaine was due to leave, I was hoping she had a good lead on us. In the meantime the first Intermediate Sprint just before Frankston was approaching. I found a good position in the leadout train and was in 4th wheel with about 200 metres to go. In perfect position, I sensed the right moment to launch my attack but the legs simply didn't respond. There was nothing there and all I could do was hold 4th place (points are only awarded to the first 3). The Sprint Points went to Clint, Tom and Will.

Unlike the other events, we skipped Oliver's Hill in this event and went through the back streets of Frankston. However we still had a KOM on Kara St - longer but not quite as steep. I haven't climbed this hill very often, but I thought it would probably suit me. Again I moved into a good position for the start of the climb and again my legs failed me. Within the first 50 metres of the 1km climb it was obvious it just wasn't going to happen, so I eased off to save myself for the rest of the ride. Again Clint and Tom took the honours with Ray in third.

As we rode into Mt Eliza, the group thinned a little as some riders turned back early. I was impressed with Elaine's effort as we hadn't caught her yet. However when we got Mornington and still hadn't seen Elaine, I realised she had obviously left home very late and was actually behind us.

My legs were starting to loosen up a bit and I was considering my chances at the next KOM (Balcombe Hill). The start point begins with a fast descent leading to the bottom of the hill. Tom launched an early attack on the descent and I charged off after him. At the start of the actual climb, Tom was about 30 metres in front and I had a slightly larger gap to the chasers behind.  It is a 2.5km climb, so rather than try and close the gap straight away, I decided to pace myself and just keep Tom in sight. Unfortunately the chasers led my Ray caught me in the first kilometre. I slotted into their draft, but now I was sitting in 4th place and Clint was sitting on my wheel. Even though I was starting to feel better, I was not going to beat Tom, Ray and Clint from this position, so I backed off to save my legs for more efforts later in the ride. At least 20 other riders passed me before the top. This time Tom managed to pip Clint to the line and Ray scored another 3rd place.

We stop at the half way mark at the BP service station in Dromana, but there is a Sprint just before this. Knowing that we would have rest straight afterwards seemed to encourage a lot more riders to compete for points. Young Martin was one of the early riders to set the pace with Clint sitting on his wheel and I was following Clint. Then Darren launched an early attack and scored a handy gap before everyone picked up the pace in pursuit. Lots of riders were passing on the outside and I found myself blocked in. Luckily the road widened just before the Sprint finish and I used this extra space to pass Clint and Martin on the left as I charged for the line. Darren held on for the win, Tom got second and Adam pipped me in a photo finish for third.

Being a triathlete, I know nothing about sprinting. I usually feel like I have all this extra power that is too much to transfer through the pedals. The Dromana Sprint was one of my better efforts and if I hadn't been blocked in could have done much better, but I still couldn't convert all the power available. Maybe it's gear selection, I'm not sure. Hopefully I'll work it out with more practice.

After a quick stop at the BP to fill up water bottles, we headed through the undulating and twisty Mt Martha Esplandade (one of my favourite cycling roads). Having pulled out early in the previous two KOMs, I decided I would ride hard up Beleura Hill regardless of my position. Ironically only Tom and I really put any effort into the contest. Tom beat me easily, I took second and Ray was a distant third. A bit of an anti-climax, but at least I finally got some points on the board.

My legs were definitely feeling better now and I was looking forward to the next sprint in Seaford. This time everything seemed to go right - I was in good position, didn't get blocked in and was sitting in third wheel behind Will and Clint as we approached the last 100m. The problem was that the Sprint finished at a set of pedestrian lights and these lights were now red, so Clint called the Sprint off. Initially I thought this would mean I'd get points for third, but it turns out the Sprint was nullified and no points were awarded.

Still feeling good I continued on past my house and stayed with the ride headed for Black Rock (another 20kms away). Once at Mordialloc there are no more start points, so breakaways are now allowed. There are 3 more Points after Mordialloc - Sprint at Parkers Rd, KOM on Ricketts Point and the finish line at Black Rock. By Mordialloc the group had thinned to about 20 riders and the pace immediately picked up - it was now an 8km race to Black Rock.

We were travelling so fast, Parkers Rd came upon us quicker than I expected and the Sprint happened without me - Clint, Will and Tom took the points. The peleton re-grouped and pace picked up once again. I was feeling OK, but not great and I knew the further I continued on, the further I'd have to ride to get back home, so I pulled the pin at Mentone and skipped Ricketts Point and the finish.

Tom, Clint and Adam scored the KOM points on Ricketts Point and Clint, Will and Tom took the honours on the finish line. Hayley was the first female rider home.

Another great ride organised by Clint. It was very enjoyable and would have been even better if I'd done some training beforehand. Even though Elaine missed the group, she still had a good ride and hopefully this will kick off her ride training.

Geelong or Melbourne

Over the last 4 seasons I have competed in one 'half ironman like' distance race per year. In 2011, Geelong only had an Olympic Distance event so I raced in Torquay, but every other year I have entered the race in Geelong.

It has become our February holiday long weekend (we take Monday off work), something we look forward to each year. Eastern Beach is a beautiful foreshore filled with lovely cafes and restaurants on the waterfront and lots of well priced accommodation located less than 400m from the event site.

During the Geelong Multisport Festival this small (and probably best) area of the town is completely overrun by triathletes. An Event Village contains 50 or so stalls full of desirable tri-gear (and sometimes wine). This year Specialized were conducting free test rides of their bikes - I test rode a Venge whilst Elaine tried a Shiv. The cafes, restaurants and bars are all overflowing with athletes and you are constantly bumping into people you know throughout the whole weekend. There is a great vibe and we always get swept up in the atmosphere of the whole weekend.

Each year our friend Dave travels down to Geelong to watch Elaine and I race. Afterwards we have lunch at the pub before taking our beers to a table on the sidewalk to watch the Elites race in front of us. The transition is literally 2 metres away from our table and the races are designed to continually loop past. We'll then meet up with other athletes for dinner at a restaurant before taking our weary bodies back to the hotel or apartment (often only 200m away). Next morning, after a nice sleep-in, we'll head down for a relaxed breakfast before making plans for the rest of the day - maybe a quick trip across to Torquay before heading home.

Now our February tradition has been turned upside down with the announcement of Challenge Melbourne - a Half Ironman distance race situated at Sandringham. With the race being scheduled one week before the weekend usually occupied by Geelong, it is not feasible to consider doing both races. Personally I think this is dirty tactics by Supersprint (race organisers) and it is the local triathletes that loose out.

The beach at Sandringham is far less protected than Eastern Beach, meaning there is far more chance of rough water during the swim (most people will remember Ironman Melbourne). Also Sandringham has a 500 metre steep uphill run from the beach to transition - swim splits will certainly be significantly slower than Geelong. However the 3 lap bike course between Brighton and Mordialloc on high quality road surface will be much faster (somewhat depending upon the wind). Also the 3 lap run leg will be no where near as hilly as the Geelong course. Even with the more difficult swim, I think overall Sandringham will be a significantly easier and most likely faster course than Geelong.

The hours before and during the race will not be lacking in vibe. But it will be nowhere near the whole weekend experience of Geelong. Even is Saturday registration is compulsory, most people will pop in and out as quickly as possible. And after the race, most people are likely to simply head home. In reality it will be the same as a local Sprint or Olympic race, it will just last longer.

So which race will Elaine and I do ? Whilst not suited to my strengths, I like the Geelong course and enjoy comparing my results from year to year. Elaine and I absolutely love the long weekend away - it is the highlight of our season and the only race for the year our friend Dave comes to watch. However in the end it comes down to cost and when you subtract travel, accommodation, cafes, restaurants and bars - Sandringham will save us some where in the vicinity of $800 (and money is very tight at the moment).

The issue of money will be significant for most of our friends, so I suspect most will choose Melbourne. And having lots of friends doing the same race is a big factor in choosing races. To say the location is local to our Triathlon Club is an understatement, as our club rooms are effectively on the course and only 300m or so from transition.

See you at Challenge Melbourne

PS. Did I mention Challenge Melbourne will be Elaine's first Half Ironman. Geelong used to conduct an Olympic Distance and Half Ironman event at the same time, but not Challenge Melbourne - so Elaine is doing the Half (1.9km swim, 90km bike, 21.1km run).

Puffing Billy Fun Run

This is a 13.2km fun run where you race a steam train called Puffing Billy from Belgrave to Emerald. I've been on this train numerous times and the trip seems to take forever. I'm sure the race eventuated because someone claimed they could run to Emerald faster than the train. Elaine has raced Puffing Billy three times before, but this was going to be my first attempt.





























Parking at Belgrave is limited, so the best idea is to arrive by metropolitan train - the 8:11am Sunday morning train from Ferntree Gully was packed, I'm sure this only happens once a year. Catching the train is a good way to meet up with people before the race - we met Peter, Tanya, Sarah, Brent and Leigh (Brent's brother). It also gives you the opportunity to have a late toilet stop at the station and avoid the long toilet queues at Belgrave. It doesn't seem to matter how many times you go to the toilet at home, somehow a car trip before a race always makes you need to go again.

We hopped off the train in Belgrave about an hour before the race start (scheduled at 9:30am). It was around 8 degrees Celsius, so we were fairly rugged up. The race organisers will deliver bags to the finish line in Emerald so you can put on warm clothes after the race. But we needed to dump our bags in the truck by 9am which would leave 30 minutes of just wearing our race gear. It was a tough choice of how many clothes to leave on - not being too cold before the race or not overheating whilst running up the long hills in the race. I chose to strip down to shorts and a running singlet and went for an easy warmup run after dropping off my bag to keep warm.

All competitors were asked to assemble in their coloured groups about 15 minutes before race start. Everyone listed their 10km time on the entry form which was used to grade runners into different groups - identified by the colour of your race bib. Brent, Peter and I all had green bibs, which was the 2nd fastest group. Apparently you need a 10km time of around 37 minutes or better to get into the fastest (red) group. With 10 minutes to go, the competitors are led around the corner (theoretically staying in their groups) to line up behind the official start line where we are addressed by the race announcer standing on a fire engine. After a minute's silence in respect to the victims of the Boston Marathon bombing, we were introduced to the train driver and then Mike Brady sang the national anthem before the race got underway. Note that the train driver has to run to the train from the start line - about 300 metres down a steep hill.

Even though the organisers had done a great job seeding the competitors into different grades, people still move too far up towards the front for their ability (or else they lie about their 10km times). The first three kilometres were frustratingly slow as we were hemmed in behind a horde of runners who were never going to beat the first train. Going a bit slower at the start of a race can sometimes be a good thing, but it actually took more effort to work my way through the crowd - darting into small gaps and continually running the long way around to get past people. Brent was much better at threading his way through and was already out of sight within the first kilometre, whereas Peter was worse than me and probably fell 50m or so behind in the crowd.

After 3kms most of the slow runners were behind me and while the road was still reasonably crowded, it was at least travelling at a good pace so I could settle into a nice rhythm. In the early part of the race the roads are winding and undulating. My first five kilometre splits were 3m55s, 4m15s, 4m18s, 3m49s and 3m44s - noticeable difference after I cleared the slower runners, but the terrain definitely played a part in the slower 2nd and 3rd kilometres. Just after the 5km mark begins a climb that is roughly 2 kms long. For the most part it is not that steep, but the hill is quite consistent and feels like it goes on for quite a way - my 6th and 7th kilometre splits were 4m42s and 5m04s (much slower, but at the same heart rate in the low 170s). It was during this climb that I caught and passed Brent.

The run route passes either side of the railway tracks. Sometimes the train goes over a bridge, but on 4 occasions it is a level crossing. If Puffing Billy beats you to the crossing, you have to wait and watch it go past. This is part of the fun and tactics to the race. The first 3 crossings are fairly vital, if Puffing Billy gets ahead here you are highly unlikely to beat it at the finish. The 4th and final crossing can go either way.

I can't really remember where the first 3 crossings were. The early part of the race seemed to happen really quickly. Initially I was concentrating on threading my way through the crowds and then my focus shifted to my technique and breathing patterns. During this time I was amazed how quickly the kilometre markers seemed to be appearing. After we had finished climbing the big hill, we only had one more level crossing to negotiate and I was starting to get delusions of beating the train. Before the race I didn't give myself much hope, but now I was over half way, feeling good and knew I was still in front. Occasionally we would hear the train's horn, but within the forest I had no idea of how close or far away it was.

My mind was now fixated on beating the train to the last crossing. I'd been told this would pretty much ensure you would win (against the train). Unfortunately every bend in the road started to look like a potential crossing and I would surge each time only to find the tracks turned with the road. The horn was becoming more frequent and starting to sound closer and at the 8.5km mark I could see Puffing Billy approaching. It was now pretty obvious that the train would beat me to the last crossing. Still not giving up on overall victory (against the train) I tactically eased off the pace. My intention was to time it so that I'd arrive at the crossing just after Puffing Billy went past so that I would not have to stop. It was at this point that I was passed by Peter.

At the 9km mark the train had drew level beside me, but it was not actually passing. At first I thought the driver was simply teasing us, as we were running slowly up a hill (not many flat sections in this fun run), but when I looked across at the tracks I saw a 10kph speed limit sign for the train. It was like a race in slow motion, although I think the train was speeding a fraction because 10kph is 6 minutes per kilometre pace and despite the hill we were still running faster than that. In the driver's defence, I suspect it is very difficult to hold an exact speed on a steam train.

The final level crossing arrived just after the 10km mark. I could see a fair number of competitors had been caught and had to wait whilst Puffing Billy went past, but the runners were let through again just as Peter arrived. Unfortunately I backed off a little too much and was still about 100m back by this stage. In previous races (when Elaine has raced), I've caught the train as a spectator and the train has usually stopped for a fair while at the station just after the crossing (up to 5 minutes). The train was stopped at the station as I went over the crossing, but I was horrified to see it head off after only stopping for about 90 seconds. With only 3kms to go, it looked like the train was following the same route as the run. At this point I was resigned to the fact that I would not beat the train. Before the race I wasn't expecting to beat the train, but the first half of the race had gone so well I had started to believe I could.

My 8th, 9th and 10th kilometre splits were 3m55s, 4m19s & 4m37s. After running a very hilly 10km in 42m35s, I was obviously feeling a lot of fatigue. Without the lure of victory (over the train), there was simply not enough incentive to push through to the finish, so I backed off the pace and my heart rate dropped nearly 10bpm as a result. However other runners were now charging. Peter had been one of the few people to pass me in the first 10km, now there was a constant flow of people flying past. We were on a narrow trail and ironically I was now the person getting in the way of other runners. I thought all these people are idiots, there is no way they can beat the train from this position - the race is over, just give up.

I could hear the train's horn in the distance and guessed it was Puffing Billy already at the finish line giving a victory salute. But then I saw the smoke approaching from a different direction. Unbeknownst to me, the tracks take a big detour around the other side of a lake and I was still a chance. With less than a kilometre to go, I picked up my pace and gave it everything I had til the finish. Puffing Billy passed me, but I knew the driver had to stop the train, get off the platform and then run down the finish chute, so I continued running hard.

With Puffing Billy sitting on the Platform, I could hear the excitement of the assembled crowd. The commentator was talking but I couldn't make out what he was saying. There are a few twists and turns in last 100m or so and not much of it is flat either. Finally the finish line appeared and I crossed the timing mat not sure where the driver was. As I walked over to talk to Peter (who finished about 1 minute ahead of me), I heard the commentator announce the driver crossing the line - so I knew I'd WON!!! (by 13 seconds). My last 3 kilometre splits were 4m21s, 4m04s & 3m56s.

Unfortunately Brent was beaten by a few seconds - he saw the driver standing there as he crossed the line. Tanya, Sarah and Elaine all beat the second train (sometimes referred to as the women's train). Although not her fastest Puffing Billy run, this is the first time Elaine has beaten the 2nd train, so she was very happy.

Other Bayside members: Kate, Christian, Simon all had good runs but just missed out on beating the first train. Andrew and Chris (who were graded in the fastest group) beat the train convincingly with times of 49 and 52 minutes respectively - very fast (Peter was 54, I was 55 and Brent was 56 minutes). Mark just missed beating the 2nd train, but still a great effort in his first race since Ironman.

After the race there are 2 priorities: getting some warm clothes on (in the Dandenongs, it is always cold in May), and the next priority is trying to get on board the first train back to Belgrave.

Once rugged up, we all headed back to the platform ready to board the train. As you can see from the photo, the train back was pulled by a diesel instead of a steam engine, but the trip still took over 50 minutes. We had a celebratory lunch and coffee at Belgrave and then continued the celebrations later in the day at Armadale with wine tasting and then a Thai Restaurant.

Getting Back on Track

Training started to get back on track this week. After overcoming the quad soreness and recovering from the weekend's cold, I started the week with an easy 10km run on Monday. I swam Tuesday morning and ran on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

Thursday's run felt terrible. My legs felt very heavy and it just wasn't happenining - not ideal with the Puffing Billy run on the weekend. To help freshen up I decided to have a complete rest day on Friday (didn't even swim) and only did a 2 hour ride on Saturday morning. Despite not running quite as much as planned, after Puffing Billy I'll still have clocked up 50km for the week.

My original intention when I signed up for Puffing Billy was to beat the train. Elaine and I did a hill training session back in early March. But since then I have changed my focus to preparing for the Worlds in September. So other than that initial session, there has been no training targetting Puffing Billy. As a result my expectations are not high.