Familiarity is key...

Another awesome weekend with Taupo doing its best to impersonate a tropical paradise with very hot temperatures and a fair bit of humidity as well. We are truly blessed to live here in Taupo, it is in my opinion, the best place to live and train in the NZ summer. The variety of rides and runs is tremendous and we get to swim in the water that most of the people in the upper North Island drink!

I was lucky enough this weekend to be a part of the Cam Brown training camp based in Taupo with around 25 athletes of varying abilities. Being based in Taupo allows the athletes to become familiar with the course and feel what its like riding back to Taupo into the wind and how massive those wee hills on the run course actually are when your fatigued. There were a number of Iron Virgins as well as some seasoned IMers and Coast to Coasters taking part. It was a really good bunch of people and nice to meet and be motivated by some fresh faces. As always at these camps there was one individual who fit the old saying of "all the gears and no ideas". It was very funny when after shelling out plenty of questionable advise to anyone who listened he promptly fell off his bike at one of the pre-ride briefings :-O. However, I'm sure he learnt a lot from the wise council of Brown and Watson and will go away a more educated and humble athlete;)

Friday was a pretty lax day with me just doing a normal squad session in the a.m and then a group 1hr run in the avo. This was more a meet and greet time and a chance for people to become accustomed with the environment and lodgings etc.

Day 2 was a biggie, Andy MacKay and I were given the task of swimming the IM course, and then meet the rest of the crew at the motel for a 200km ride, completing the full course plus a bit tapped on the end. We had our fair share of efforts to do as well so it was a full on workout. I have just changed saddles to a ISM racer that took a bit of getting used to but was very happy with how it felt and helped my position on my QROO Lucero. We then had a run off the bike that was pretty intense, I held Cam and Andy for 15 mins but even with my new Pearl Izumi Streak racing flats the pace was too quick for me so I chose to back off and run my own pace back to base camp. The shoes felt great and will be my choice for the IMNZ run. All in all a great day and I was very happy with how I scrubbed up.

Sunday came with the intimidating prospect of running for 2.5hrs with one of the best runners in the sport! After a leisurely start the group soon thinned to 6 with Coach Mark Watson half wheeling all of us, cranking up the pace to around 4 min kms. I found this quite fun and was happy with how my legs felt so went with him. Mark isn't in the best shape of his life at present so he had a 5 min rest just before the run turnaround before jumping back into the group and slowly turning the screw again! We went with him and were back into town before we knew it. Mark pulled the pin and limped off looking for a coffee and cream bun and the group thinned to 4, Brown, Cam Durno, Andy MacKay and me. We decided to do the last hour off road so ran the beautiful mountain bike tracks to Huka Falls and back up the other side to town. The sun was shining and the cicadas chorus was deafening, long may this Summer continue! It was a great run and I was rapt with how I felt.

There is still room to improve before IM so it will be a case of staying smart and listening to the bod before the taper starts and Race Day is upon us. I'm like a kid in a candy store at the moment and can't wait to get to March 7 and show myself how fit I have become!

Take care, tune in next week....

Dunc:)

Jake the muss.......

Gordon Walker wrote an article in Multi Sport magazine a couple of years ago detailing a 2 week training camp he had been on in the Gold Coast. For most that attended this camp it was preparation for the Hawaiian Ironman, for Gordon it was leading up to the Motu Challenge here in NZ. In that article he referred to Cam Brown as "Jake the Muss" (for those of you outside of NZ and haven't seen "Once were Warriors" think instead of the roughest, toughest movie character you can think of). Last week I learnt that this description of Cam in relation to triathlon training was very apt!

The camp was to be 5 days, the top dogs were Cam Brown and Gordon Walker with myself, Andy MacKay, James Bowstead, Jaime Whyte and Wayne Oxenham along in an attempt to keep them honest. All in all we covered over 600km on the bike, Auckland to Whangamata (155km) on the first day, the infamous K2 cycle race course (192km) and the return ride to Auckland were the 3 biggies. We ran around 90km, most of which was off road and had 2 swim sessions.
One of the standout sessions was the first day, following the grueling ride down we had a 55min run, I thought this would have been fairly moderately paced but this was the session that would set the precedent for the rest of the week! We started out steadily and then turned off the road into a forest trail. This trail went up, and up, and up and up some more. After 15 mins of climbing, Cameron casually informed us that there was 5 mins of climbing left. At this stage we were blowing and the elastic was stretched to the limit! Andy and I hung in for 2 more mins before dropping and Cam, Gordy and James trotted off up ahead. I was close to redlining and with 4 more days of punishment left to go decided to save a bit over. Once at the top we admired the views of Whangamata below and then it was a rapid descent back to sea level stopping at a stream along the way to soak our hats in, as the temperature was over 30 degrees. We all met up at the bottom and ran back to town as a group, thankfully Jaime who had dropped on the ride was just getting out of the shower so it was pleasing to see he had made it safely (he called it a day after the next session laid up with a virus).

Following a quality run on the 2nd day we finished at the end of a Peninsular across the harbour inlet from town. There are 2 ways to get back into town, either run back the way we came, or swim in full running kit complete with fuel belts and sunnies across the channel to the harbour. Given we were already 10 mins over time on our run, the 2nd option was taken, it was a great way to finish and I recommend it to anyone (who can swim of course:)), the water was beautiful and it helped us all forget the pounding we had just taken trying to keep up with Cam on the 100 min run!

The last day had us retracing our steps from the 1st day. This was the 3rd time we summited the Kopu Hikuai, a 15km climb from bottom to top. I had dropped from Cam and James on the 2nd ascent during our K2 loop so was keen to hold them today. I managed this and as we went over the top the group was down to Cam, James and Me, not a bad effort given I'm lugging 13kg more body weight than both of them! Once home we had a short easy run of the bike to do, or so I thought. It was full noise for me, at times on the flat Andy (who had a Garmin watch to show our running pace) said we were running 3min 40s kms. To be doing this at the end of such a tough week and solid ride, in what was 30 degree plus weather was great. Awesome for me to push the limits some more and create some more mental toughness to use in IMNZ in 6 weeks.
We all collapsed into Brownie's neighbours' swimming pool with bottles of Electrolyte and water to cool off and reflect on what was a great week. Training with Cam and Gordy really showed me what it takes to be the best. Absolute commitment and follow through on every session is critical and the need to push the limits from time to time prepares them mentally and physically for the ardures of race day. Cam never dropped from any of the sessions and never showed weakness. The old adage of "if you haven't been there in training, you are not going to handle it come race day" fits well. This training approach for IM is new to me but it is clear that combined with rest strategies and periodisation, it is what is required if I want to develop as an athlete.

We have another 3 day version this weekend with "..the Muss" after a couple of easy days, I'm looking forward to it already and will update you all next week on what happens there.

Cheers
Dunc:)

...raising the bar.....

One week on from the Mt Half and I am finally starting to come to terms with the win. It was all quite surreal and it was small snippets of video and photos that helped me believe that it was in fact me out there and not some other bloke! I guess I wont be totally convinced until the race coverage is aired and I can re-live the day!

Following the race I had 3 days off normal training. I had a spin on the rollers on Tuesday and then was back into things come Wednesday. My recovery has surprised me as in the past I would have been a write off for a week! This improvement is undoubtedly due to the change in approach to my training. Mark W.s programmes have increased my durability and hardened me to the effects of racing. By being able to train again earlier will also increase the "training effect" from the 1/2 allowing me to springboard on to the next level.

This week I'm back to my job at Tenon, if only for 2 days before heading off to Auckland to join Cameron B. and a few other elite athletes for a 5 day camp. This is going to be wicked and I'm really looking forward to the hard work and more importantly the wealth of knowledge these guys all have. The schedule is impressive and I will be very interested to see how I handle the week.

I have been lucky enough over the last week to do some training with Dirk Bockel, an ITU triathlete from Luxembourg. Hes the guy that had all us Kiwis nervous at Beijing when he lead of the bike and held off the best runners in the sport for much longer than any Kiwi was comfortable with! Dirk is here in Taupo through to the Ironman where he is lining up for his first hit out at the distance. I have already learnt much from him especially in the pool where he is extremely proficient. It is great he is here and we will be able to help each other in the lead up to the big day.

That's all for this week, tune in next week for a run down of the big camp and no doubt some interesting tales stemming from it.

Cheers

Dunc:)

Mission Accomplished:)

Following up from my last Blog, I achieved what I set out to do at the Tauranga Half by going sub 4hrs for the first time. In fact my final time was 3.56 so I managed to take a shade under 10 mins of my last time for the race so naturally I'm elated. Oh yeah, did I mention I won? To repeat what my bike sponsor said when I texted him to let him know, "you're sh%$ing me?!!" To be honest I'm a bit lost for words as I think it's going to take a few days to sink, in but yes I am the NZ Long Distance Triathlon Champion! The day was full of drama for many, I will run through things as I saw them play out....

Race start was 6.30am, this means for most being in transition by 5.30am. Not an easy task to wake a sleeping baby at 4.30am, get her ready, have breakfast and get to the event on the other side of town but we managed. I had a good spin on the wind trainer and a 15 min warm up swim so was amping to go when the gun went. My plan was to mark Jaime Whyte and James Bowstead in the water as I knew they would ride hard all day. This went off without a hitch, I had to work hard on the downward leg of the 2nd lap but the rest of the swim was pretty cruisy. That was until we caught the slower age group swimmers completing their 1st lap. There was heaps of them, making sighting the people I was trying to swim with very difficult. It broke our pack up and we had to swim over quite a few. My apologies to any I bashed on my way through! It was our only option though as missing the train on the bike is not an option; riding solo is far harder than the combined energy of a group, even with no drafting. James had got up the road a bit from us so Jaime, Bevan McKinnon and I took to chasing him down before focusing on catching Cameron Brown, Kieran Doe and Steven Sheldrake. By the turn at the far end of the course we had caught them, pushing over 400 watts at times to make up the ground. Sheldrake punctured just before we caught him. He can't have had a spare as he didn't finish. I was feeling pretty comfortable but there was the odd surge that forced me to crank things up to stay in touch. Most of us were keeping to the drafting rules and riding clean but there was one in particular that was sucking a bit of wheel and looking around a lot. Cameron and Kieran both gave him a serve at different times. I said nothing but I think in future I will say something as it's not something I feel has a place in the sport. Apart from the first outward leg of the ride we had no draft busters with us at all, only press photographers and camera crews. That seems strange to me as we are the ones competing for the $$ so surely more focus should be placed on keep our race free of drafting?
We hauled in Kieran at the end of the 2nd lap before Jaime and James broke clear to try to put time into us. I was tempted to go with them but thought better of it. We could have gone with them but we were already averaging over 42kph so I felt that the extra effort they were expending would likely cost them on the run. Not long after Cameron pulled off with a flat tyre. Rotten luck for him as it was clear it was coming down to a running race and he would have easily been odds on to win that. I went to the front for the return leg to minimise the time lost to Jaime and James and entered transition 3rd. Kieran out transitioned me and quickly caught James. I eased into the run and before long found myself catching them both. Half way to the turnaround I caught them. They heard me coming up and Kieran turned and gave me a look of "what the...?? I ran through them and set my sights on Jaime. I caught him before the base of the Mt and took the lead as he stopped for a drink. This was unreal, I'm leading the Mt Half Ironman!! What a buzz, it was awesome for about 5 mins until my stomach started doing somersaults and I was forced to take a "pit stop" to relieve the pressure. Paula Radcliffe would have been proud of my effort, made all the more complicated by wearing a one piece! Thankfully I had a track clear of witnesses and was back into it without Jaime catching me. Running on this track is horrible for me, I lose all momentum and running and breathing rhythm. Back on to the flat stuff I felt heaps better (and lighter ;) ) and found my rhythm again. My family were all there along with many Taupo friends yelling at me to keep hauling ass. Along the water front I got heaps of support and by this stage people were telling me I had it in the bag. I don't thing they quite remembered Cam Brown's run last year making up 7 mins of Kieran's 8 min lead and it was still a threat that he may do the same and more this year by catching me. He was flying, his technique and form is so efficient and he clearly had all intentions of giving everything to try to catch me. I was confident no one else would come up but had to make sure I did enough to hold him off. Onto the base track and I ran it a little better than the first lap, it was still a real battle but once I got back to the Mall and could see the finish I knew I had it in the bag. I enjoyed this stretch making sure to high five all my family and supporters and even do a little dance! I was well under my goal time and wanted to have some fun. Crossing the line was awesome, a real buzz and wonderful to win my first Tauranga Half and 2nd Half Ironman Title (after Auckland 1/2 IM 2008). I had a few interviews and pics with Cameron and then was whisked off to my first drug test which was an interesting experience!

All in all it was a great day, I had my fair share of luck and my condolences go out to Cameron as his misfortune clearly benefited me. That's the way it goes though, 3 weeks ago I had my tough luck story with a mechanical at the Taupo Half resulting in me pulling out. Regardless of my position I have definitely developed into a better athlete this year and I can't wait to get back into things to get ready for the NZIM in March.
Another positive for me from the day was to see how strong our sport is becoming at the top level especially in the men's field. Jaime Whyte, James and Mark Bowstead, Blair Jordan, Andrew MacKay, Paul Westwood, Liam Scopes just to name a few are all class athletes still developing. It's great to be a part of a group that are all intense competitors but without egos to get in the way of friendly competition.
On another note, my coach Mark Watson has invited me to a Training Camp with Cameron at Whangamata in a couple of weeks, that will be a fantastic learning experience training with the world's most consistent Ironman performer and a chance to push myself further and find new limits. Mark has opened many doors for me since taking me on after the Auckland Half last year. His passion for the sport is infectious and his approach of doing the hard yards and pushing the limits is one that constantly motivates and enthuses. My sincere thanks to Mark for all he has done to help me over the past year.
Thanks also to all my family, friends, sponsors, partners and general supporters for your ongoing support and belief in me. It is very satisfying to be able to pay you all back in some way though this performance and I look forward to securing a similar result in March :)

Cheers....... Dunc.

Taper, carb load, race........

Race week is apon us, the Mt Half IM (NZ national long dist champs) is looming large and its time to freshen up and get ready for the day. I'm really looking forward to this years race to mix it up with some of NZ's best Triathletes. The field is always such a good one that for me to have positional goals is not optimal for my performance. This year I'm gunning for a sub 4hr race, my PB at the Mt is 4.06 so to take 6 min's off would be a great performance. I believe this is achievable with 2 years more racing and training under the belt since the last effort. I will have to be on my game in all disciplines, strong in the water, sensible on the bike and gutsy on the run. If I achieve this I will naturally be at the sharp end of the field! Its going to be great to see where I'm at and another good step along the way to IMNZ in March.

The last 3 weeks training have gone very well, my Quintana Roo Lucero is flying, Ive got a great powerful position on it and it will be well suited to the Mt course. It will be interesting to see what plays out as the guys who really attack the bike never run well around the Mount, I will be sticking to a plan and will have the blinkers on to what anyone else is doing. The goal after all is to get to the finish line as quickly as possible! Ian Thorpe wrote on this topic in his book that he approached all his races with the goal of swimming his best race possible. That never included thinking about what anyone did in the lanes beside him. If he swum his best race possible and was beaten, it didn't matter so long as he got every thing out of himself. That's the philosophy I try to apply to my races and will do the same on Saturday:)

This week is very light in terms of training, something every day but the goal is to be jumping out of my skin on race morning. I don't really like taper weeks as they can be quite boring but hopefully we will have some Cricket to watch on TV! Alex will keep me occupied anyway, shes just on the brink of crawling so is very amusing to watch and cheer on!

See you at the race....Dunc.