Tri the The Improbable Dream

The Plan for 2011

2011-02-12T00:04:00.004+10:00

Six weeks into the new year and its only now I am declaring my goals for 2011. Which just goes to show how hard its been to get my thoughts together.

By the end of last year I had completed a number of different challenges, and I was pleased with my results for the 12 month period. I finished the year by running the Mt Coot-tha 10km challenge in November in a good time for me, but a slow time compared to every one else. I knew I had to do better if I was ever going to be able to call myself a distance athlete, if I was ever going to achieve the Improbable Dream.

So what to do? What should I do this year to ensure I ‘do better’?

It took me a while but I’ve now decided. This year I will do some of the distance events of last year but the main focus will be on getting faster, fitter and stronger. For the first time ever I will train for, and enter, short and intense races.

I want to be able to call myself a distance athlete, and I don’t think I can do that until I can easily compete over the shorter distances. I need a short and fast ‘base’ so I can be faster and fitter over the longer distances. I also need a fast short base so that I can enjoy training and competing with friends and others.

So this year I will train and compete in both long distance challenges and shorter ‘speed’ events. I will teach myself to ‘race’.

Among a number of challenges there are 4 key events this year = a sprint distance triathlon in May, an Olympic Distance triathlon in June, the 210km Around the Bay in a Day bike challenge in October and the Noosa Triathlon, also in October (assuming I get accepted)

It’s going to be hard - very hard. I am not naturally strong, nor am I naturally fast. And worse, I’m never been overly competitive at sport.

The physical limitations of my physiology doesn’t help – I have poor lungs from too many years of smoking, I suffer from blocked airways due to a constant sinus affliction, and I have low oxygenation of my blood; I have low haemoglobin, known as mild chronic anaemia. Basically I run out of oxygen soon and more often than most people.

So I am never going to be a world beater. But I am determined to be ‘respectable’. I will put the work in, I will train my body and my mind, and I will see what happens. It will be a challenging, difficult and interesting journey.

I’ve made up my mind – My key events and goals for the year are listed on the side bar. It’s exciting, but also very tough. You can see why it’s taken so long to decide!

Can I do it? I honestly don’t know. It seems like an Improbable Dream.

But its my dream and my plan for 2011, and I will give it a go.

Wish me luck.

More later, journey on…..

James

Word Count - 473

The next page in the travel journal

2011-02-03T22:12:00.001+10:00

I turned 53 last week. Its always the same - For me, birthdays trigger a period of self reflection and assessment.... you know, all the usual stuff - who am I? is this the life I want? am I 'living' or merely existing? Am I living a valuable life? Am I really enjoying my life?

I would probably prefer to avoid such deep introspection but after so many birthdays I know it is instinctive and there is no hope of stopping it.

This year I realised The Improbable Dream was adding a wonderful and fulfilling dimension to my life. It is rewarding and satisfying on a daily, weekly and an annual basis.

Yes, there are many days when I am dissappointed with my effort and my progress but overall, the realisation of the Dream provides me with a strong base of fulfilment and self respect. On a regular basis I am able to pat myself on the back, and say 'Well Done' - be it completing a stronger training session than previously or just overcoming my internal laziness and going out to train or pushing myself hard into the really uncomfortable anaerobic zone. Sometimes its just taking the time to reflect on a training session and looking for the lessons to learn. Whatever, there are many many times when I can, and do congratulate myself.

To continue my non-stop use of cliches from last year life is a journey. Its a series of little steps; a collection of individual harmonic notes in the 'opus' of our lives. Each step, each major note should be celebrated and enjoyed. Each one should be recognised as another beautiful step in the 'rich tapestry called life'

It took me a while to realise this. In the two months since my last post I have had some serious doubts as to whether or not I can achieve the Improbable Dream - am I too old? will I ever be fit enough? When am I going to be able to call myself 'fit'? Is it all worth it?

Eventually I realised the answers don't matter.

What matters is I enjoy 'being' an emerging distance athlete. I enjoy how it feels, I enjoy the challenge it presents to my mind and my body, and I enjoy thinking about my various achievements.

So I am back on track and ready to get into this year's journeys. Soon I will write about my challenges for this year. One thing is for sure - They are challenging and 'improbable'.

But over-riding everything this year will be my attitude. This year I will REALLY celebrate my efforts, my successes and my failures. I will remember to really LIVE LIFE, to love the journey, to enjoy the various parts of my personal symphony.

So its a new year. Happy Birthday to my self and my dream. This year I will live large, train hard, achieve much...oh, and only drink GOOD coffee.

It's time to write the next page of the journey. As the cliche's say 'Bring it ooonnnnn!

More later, journey on....

James

Word Count - unknown

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Sunday is my fun day

2010-11-21T17:12:00.005+10:00

           "Sunday is my fun day, my 'I dont have to run' day..."

For me, the lyrics from the Bangles 1980 pop hit are only partially right- Sunday is my fun day but that's because it is my run day. I look forward to Sunday every week - It's my day for either completing events or for doing a 'long' run or ride. Its my fun day.

I love the 'long' sessions. Yes, the weekday training sessions are good for improving my fitness and are tiring and satisfying, but its the Sunday long sessions that are fun. It's the day I find out how my endurance fitness is progressing and it's the day I'm reminded of how much I love going long.

2010 will be remembered as the year I also discovered I actually like doing 'events' on Sundays. I used to think the fun was in the training, and the events were just there to establish a fitness level. But not so. I like 'doing' events - the anticipation, the preperation, the early morning starts in the dark, the social aspects of waiting at the start and during the event itself, the great feeling of finishing, and the after-glow of the following week and sometimes months. I've done quite a few events this year, and I've enjoyed all of them. Each one is a strong memory in my mind.

True, I've been dissappointed after each one - happy to have completed the challenge, dissappointed I wasn't competitive. Its now time to build a training plan that will make me competitive in 2011. This seems like a natural progression for the 'Improbable Dream' journey and its getting me excited. I'll tell you more later (when I work it out!!)

The last two Sundays have been 'event' days - the last for the year. A fortnight ago I rode the 'Brisbane to the Gold Coast' challenge. Despite a headwind, I rode strongly. I was happy with my riding technique- I used a high cadence, was strong up the hills, and needed only a few 'rests'. I wanted to be faster but was happy I felt strong the whole way. Did the 100kms non stop in under four hours, an average of over 25kph which was good considering the headwind. I also haven't done much riding since Melbourne so I was happy with the results. I'm sure I will do better in my riding events next year.

Last Sunday I ran the 'Movember Mousdash' 10.5km Mt Coot-tha Challenge. I still can't run strongly up hills so I fast hiked up the hill and ran most of the rest. Finished in 1hr 16minutes which isn't too bad considering I did the 10km Bridge to Brisbane in 1hr 4min earlier in the year. Lots of people did it much faster - including people in my own age - but again  I learnt a lot, and I'm sure I will do better next year. Funny thing - I hiked past a lot of people who were supposedly 'running'. Bet they weren't happy! The other pleasing thing is the photos of the event show me running with good form - a lot different from the early 2010 photos.

For both events my average heart rate was in the 120-130 range, indicating my 'long' fitness is getting better.

These last two events have reinforced what I started to learn earlier in the year. They taught me how to compete, and they will help me to do better next time. I learnt there's a right mental attitude to approaching an event, to selecting the right pace during the event, to understanding how to address motivation, and in how to deal with the dissappointment of not doing as strong as expected. I haven't learnt how to do this, just what I need to do.

Soon, I will work out my events for next year, then train specifically for them. I will look forward to each event, and make sure I am prepared. I will look forward to my 'fun' event days in 2011.

And in the meantime, over the summer, I will enjoy my Sunday training days, my long days, my weekly 'fun days'. Yep, my 'I want to run day'.

More later, journey on

James

Back in the Saddle

2010-11-06T19:57:00.000+10:00

The 'Brisbane to the Gold Coast' Bike Ride is on tomorrow morning. Originally scheduled for the weekend before Around the Bay, it was postponed due to terrible weather. (see my blog http://improbabledream.blogspot.com/2010/10/countdown-to-melbournes-210km-bike-ride.html )

Now re-scheduled for tomorrow, it will be only the second time I've been on a bike since The Bay. Hmmm could be a problem! When I got back from Melbourne I rested for a couple of days then started run training in preperation for the Mousdash 10km Fun Run up Mt Coot-tha next Sunday. I've been training reasonably hard with quite a few interval sessions, a few long runs (including one run up Mt Coot-tha last Sunday and a run up Anzac Hill in Alice Springs yesterday) so my overall fitness should be OK but I must be seriously short of cycle fitness.

Only one thing to do. No point in worrying or regretting , I'll just go for a cruisy cycle down the south Queensland coast and enjoy the experience of a beautiful Sunday morning with lots of like-minded fellow madmen and women. If I feel strong, I'll have a crack and if not, I'll take it easy.

I've done this ride before and I know the ride is well organised and the scenery sensational. The vibe from the other riders is good, there's always a nice feeling of fellowship and community in the air and it seems everyone is determined to get into what is a very special ride.

I'm going to do the same.

At the moment, the weather is 'brilliant queensland spring sunshine' and everything points to a great day- good weather, scenery, organisation, company and most of all, a good attitude from me.

Actually, I think I'll go the whole hog - I will make the ride a 'smile every mile' day..... I'll 'Live Life, Laugh, Be Happy', I'll connect with others and most of all, I'll enjoy the journey. Another day, another great experience in my journey to achieve The Improbable Dream.

Gonna be a heap of fun! Cant wait...

More late, journey on

James

Word Count - unknown

A review of my 'Around the Bay' adventure

2010-11-02T20:42:00.004+10:00

Two weeks since Around the Bay In A Day (ATBIAD) so I'd better get the day documented. I need to move on to the next part of the journey but its important to record this milestone.

So here the bottom line- ATBIAD was interesting and challenging, part scary, part embarrassing, lots of fun, and full of lessons to learn. The weather for most if it was 'poor' at best, with rain, cold and headwinds; sometimes all three at once. There was also a lot of riders involved, with large pelotons often going past at quite surprising speeds.

So the event was a lot different from what I've been used to - It was uncomfortable, challenging and at times scary but I enjoyed it, and learnt from it.

Here's what happened (Its long! sorry.) -

I met Dr BiL before 0500 at Port Melbourne and we took off at a fast pace in the cold and the dark to our starting point. Already my heart rate was up from the speed and the excitement, and I was concerned I would blow myself out too early. I knew I could easily handle the 100ks or so of the first half so I wasn't overly concerned, just anxious about the long day ahead.

The fast, fun pace continuued as we joined up with other riders, and we rode through the dark, around Brighton, Beaumaris and the other beach suburbs. Not much talking, just a good fast ride as sun came up on a cold Sunday in Melbourne.

Just after Beaumaris the first big peloton of about 30 riders went past. Dressed as they were in smart BMW uniforms it was like being passed by a very British cavalry regiment from the 1800s. Impressive, structured, uniformed, intimidating, I was just glad they didn't have lances.

Through Frankston at sunrise and all going well, our group of 4 riding strongly. We stopped at a red light just near the Frankston Pub and the change in leg position gave me a strangling cramp in my left quad. Bugger - end of the group of 4.

A little while later I caught up and passed the other three enjoying a short break halfway up a hill. I didn't want to stop halfway up a hill so I yelled out 'see you at the top' and kept going, only to find the top was the first in a series of rolling hills.

Through Mornington I continued on my own, at my normal pace confident the others would catch me in no time. It actually took them a while to catch up and it was good to be back riding on my own, at my usual pace without the distraction of others. I realised as I rode that I can't change my nature- I actually love being on my own, and facing my own challenges. I had enjoy the fast ride over the last couple of hours however, and I realised I needed to learn to ride with others- if for no other reason than it will make me faster. OK, so one lesson well learnt- join a cycling club near my home and learn to ride in a group. Will do.

From Mornington to the scheduled ferry crossing at Sorrento I faced a series of challenges, and frankly, I stuffed up. Dr BiL let the others go on ahead and he stayed with me to provide assistance, support and company. I was embarrassed at first to have him with me as I stumbled and fumbled but eventually I realised he was genuine when he said he was happy to ride with me. I also realised my previous cycling experience with others had coloured my view, and made me think I was a burden. Dr BiL didn't see it that way, and I benefited from his fellowship and company - in many ways.

The challenges weren't too hard, just annoying - A flat tyre (which BiL fixed) and some ongoing trouble with my shoe clips casused by mud I'd picked up when changing the tyre. I also fell over at very slow speed in a rest stop when I was distracted, which was naturally very embarrassing! Poor Dr BiL.

The rest of the day was mainly smooth sailing. BiL and I rode together for some of the way and in procession for most of the day- me behind, naturally. We faced the challenges of wind, rain, cold and rolling hills together. In the afternoon we got a tail wind and enjoyed a flat fast ride from Geelong back to Melboune, although we also had to find our way back on course after I got us lost for a short while. Poor Dr Bil.

We also stopped for a much needed hot coffee in Geelong that pepped us both up, me in particular; a good memory that will stay with me.

Riding over the Westgate Bridge into Melbourne was a blast, and an experience I will treasure. The view was awesome going up, and the downhill was super fast. What a hoot.

The ride through Melbourne was slow and annoying, stopping at a dozen or so traffic lights. Lots of riders, not much talking but plenty of camaradarie.

Coming down the finishing shute was exciting as everyone clapped and yelled. We looked, but didn't see our wives but when they found us in the finishing yard, they were more excited than us. Nice.

And as you can imagine, the dinner that night was very satisfying, and well deserved.I think we all felt quite close.

Another good day on my journey to become an endurance athlete. A long way to go, but a start.

And a great wayto get to know my Brother in Law. Thanks Dr BiL.

More later, journey on
James

Word Count - unknown

The BEST way to start the day

2010-11-01T22:28:00.000+10:00

Have you ever noticed it's hard to have a bad day when you start with a damn good exercise session? For me there is nothing quite as good as an early morning bike ride, or an early run. Its an amazing way to start the day, its a spectacular way to see the world. and its fantastic for the soul.

No matter where I am I love the idea of seeing the sun come up while giving the body a bit of a flogging. Last week I ran around the small country town of Tara in Central Queensland on a foggy morning after rain, along the McIntrye river on the border town of Goondiwindi and through the outback town of Longreach. Good for the soul, good for getting the day under way.

After a week of travel, it was also nice to get in a really nice early run around my home town on Moreton Bay on a gorgeous spring Saturday morning. It was great. Good for the soul. Good way to start the day.

As my old mate used to say 'Wouldn't be dead for quids'. A funny saying that comes to mind whenever I get in a good, hard early exercise. It ALWAYS makes me feel great.

So my suggestion to anyone reading this....., I reckon it really is worth it, get out of bed and give it a go!

Enough lecturing......

More later, journey on
James

Word Count - unknown

Around the Bay in A Day - Success or Failure?

2010-10-25T23:45:00.001+10:00

The mind is a strange thing. Its taken me over a week to figure out how I feel about completing 'The Bay' and I'm still not sure I know.

On one hand I feel very disapppointed with myself. I had vision of setting a cracking pace over the whole course, and triumphantly crossing the finish line feeling like a true endurance athlete. Instead I completed the course at a slow 22kph with a couple of rest stops along the way.

I also wanted to show my family how strong I am now. This didn't happen - it seems I'm not strong yet and there is still a lot to do before I can claim to be either strong, or an endurance athlete.

On the other hand, I feel quite pleased to have finished the 210kms - my longest ride to date. I'm also pleased I did it with an endurance mindset of being persistant, patient and within my plan. I finished the day with a lot of energy, and I was nowhere near exhausted which I guess means I could have gone harder and finished with a faster average. My average heart rate for the day was 122bpm so I rode it well within my target aerobic zone.

I'm pleased about the great memories of the day, and of the pleasure of riding with Dr BiL. I found out he is patient, helpful, genuine and good company. I also disovered he is one hell of a cyclist, with the aerobic ability to maintain a high cadence for hours on end.

I learnt to ride in cold, wet and windy conditions. The wind gusts from the side were hairy, the head winds were tough, and the cold stinging rain was uncomfortable and a little scary at times. But I survived and I now have the pleasure of knowing the ride was not easy.

I enjoyed the experience of hundreds of riders getting on and off a ferry, and the joy of a chicken and salad sandwich after a few hours of hard exercise. I enjoyed the views of historic Queenscliff, the quick ride from Geelong to Little River, the awesome views and fast descent of the Westgate Bridge and the frustrating stop/start of the ride into Melbourne through endless red traffic lights.

Lastly, I enjoyed the congratulations and the fun of sharing the result with all my friends.

So the mind is a funny thing. Should I feel dissappointed I didn't live up to a vague dream, or just enjoy the pleasure of reality?

Obviously the later, especially when #10 of my Training Philosophy (see Sidebar of this blog) is to always focus on my own efforts, and not compete with what others think or do.

But the mind is a strange thing, and my mind seems to be able to find creative ways to dissappoint myself.

That, in itself, is an important lesson from the day.

More later, journey on
James

Word Count - unknown.

Brothers-In-Arms...er....Legs

2010-10-24T21:29:00.005+10:00

(Written Sunday 10th October 10- I'm still catching up on my blogging.....)

Doctor B.i.L - my Brother in Law - rang the other night with the final arrangements for ‘Around the Bay in a Day’.

It’s unusual for BiL to ring. We’ve been related by marriage for over 25 years yet a phone call to each other is rare. And to spend a whole day together is unheard of. We’ve lived in different parts of the country, had busy careers, he’s had a family to raise, and I’ve had beer to drink/ bad habits to develop. Different lives, different interests.

With his family he has visited my wife and I many times yet we’ve never really done anything together, just the two of us.

This journey, The Improbable Dream, is changing so much in my life. Months ago BiL heard of my long term dream to ride ‘The Bay’ and when he realised I’d been doing some serious training he signed us up. He then set about organising everything involved in the day, including the odd phone calls and email to keep me informed. He also occasionally checked to make sure I was on track with my training.

His efforts were both a very pleasant surprise and a delightful thing to do. I am staggered by his generous spirit. And I am so very pleased the journey is bringing us together. I’m looking forward to our day cycling together.

I think of it as ‘Brothers in Arms…er..Legs’.

I’ve got a problem though. He has organised for us to ride ‘The Bay’ with some friends of his in a standard cycling group formation. I've never ridden like this – all of my riding is solo, with no attempt EVER to slice though the wind/ share the load, peloton style. To now start riding in a group of experienced riders sounds daunting.

Bil also says they are planning on riding at a faster average than I’ve trained.

It seems I will have to learn fast group riding on the actual ride. If I had been thinking better, I would have joined the local cycling club and learnt how to group ride over the last few months. Too late now. I don’t want to let BiL down so I will just have to accept the challenge and do what has to be done.

That’s the thing with this journey. It has a constant stream of surprising twists and turns. It’s challenging but fun.

It also brings me into to contact with great people who are prepared to help me achieve my dream. And it constantly takes me out of my comfort zone.

It seems that once you set a goal and start working determinedly towards it, things happen, people join the journey, and the challenge takes on a much greater dynamic than originally expected. It becomes more fun, and more personally satisfying than originally imagined.

What a great lesson – It’s an Improbable Dream, but it is also a fascinating journey. Having the Dream, and making it come to life, makes for a better life.

More later, journey on
James

Word Count - 508

2nd Goal for the year achieved

2010-10-20T21:27:00.000+10:00

Finished Around the Bay in A Day.
Will update the blog in the next few days - Sleep and rest first :-)

More later, journey on

James

Word count - 20

Countdown to Melbourne's 210km Bike Ride

2010-10-10T19:14:00.000+10:00

Spent the day alternating between the lounge and TV, and short sessions on the spin bike. Late this afternoon, ran an easy 2.5ks over hills.

Between now and next Sunday, my plan is to exhaust my legs and lungs early in the week, then rest easy from mid week until the ride on Sunday. I'll have an easy ride on Friday to check the bike but apart from that, the legs 'get a few days off'

I know I haven't done enough, but its time to accept what's happened and get ready for this long-dreamed-about adventure.

The bike gets packed-up tomorrow ready for Wednesday's flight so its spin bike, weights and running from tomorrow until Friday.

More later, journey on
James

Word Count - unknown

So much for 'The Plan'....

2010-10-10T07:09:00.000+10:00

'The gods laugh when you make plans'. This ancient saying seems very real this morning as I sit here inside my comfortably warm and dry lounge room with a freshly brewed coffee.

Far more comfortable than the planned event of a 100km bike ride. The annual 'Brisbane to the Gold Coast Bike Challenge' scheduled for today was cancelled late yesterday due to 'severe weather conditions' forecast for the Queensland coast.

This is good in one sense (in addition obviously to the unplanned hot coffee opportunity). The weather conditions this morning are terrible- its been raining for days so the roads are flooded, everything is soaking wet making it very slippery underfoot and the wind gusts are strong and inconsistent. It's uncomfortable and dangerous weather for riding a road bike. I wasn't keen on taking any chances with either my health or the bike with only one week to go to Melbourne so I was secretly pleased when it was called off.

But its one more hiccup in the plan for preparing for my longest ride to date. The Gold Coast ride was supposed to be the last big hit out before Melbourne giving me a chance to ride in a large group, over a longish distance, at a fast pace. No joy!

This is just one more roadblock, which feels like the story of the last few months. It's been the wettest few weeks for years so there has been a lot of weekends when road rides have been called off. It's been hard to get long hours on the road.

The plan has been off almost from the start. My overall strategy was to get aerobically fit by training and competing in half -marathons. No problems, done. I then expected to get 'bike-fit' by participating in the 10 day Queensland 'Big Bike Ride' but I had to call this off due to my wife's foot operation. There was also a long period when I lost my motivation and didn't train for ages.

So the preperation has not been as good as I'd have liked. I've put plenty of hours in on the spin bike and the weight gym since getting my mojo back, and I've ridden whenever I can, including some great rides in the country. I'm reasonably confident I'll be OK. Not as fit as I'd expected, but still should be OK.

So much for the great 'plan' though. This journey seems to be as much about adapting to what's presented, staying motivated and being mentally strong, as it is about planning and logistics.

Planning? Who's that laughing?

Oh well, might have another coffee.

More later, journey on.....

James

Word Count - unknown

Love my food - and my fuel.

2010-09-30T19:24:00.000+10:00

There's only two weeks to the big bike ride.

I obviously dont want to carrying any unnecessary kilos with me so becoming 'leaner' has been a focus for the last few weeks. And the ride will present me with an anticipated 9 hours of hard aerobics so I'm going to use a lot of energy. I'm going to need food- and a fair bit of it.

It's complicated - I need to lose weight before the ride and then eat lots during the ride. Hmmmm.

The organisers will provide some food on the day and obviously I can take some with me. But there's a limit to how much I can carry and there's a limit to how much I can eat quickly at any one time without making myself sick.

So what to do? The answer is to prepare my body to efficiently process good carbohydrates. I need to eat healthy to lose weight, I need to make sure my body is fully 'fueled' before the race (some people call this carbo-loading), and I need to make sure its able to handle sufficient 'fuel replacement' on the day.

So I'm working hard at my pre-ride daily 'fuel'. I like my food, and lots of it, so in the past this has been an issue for me. But now I've found the secret to great tasting food that's also good 'fuel'. - It loses weight, I can eat as much as I want, its very filling and very tasty, and it provides energy that's like a great big kick in the pants....

Eat raw and small, eat often. I now choose small servings of raw or unprocessed food (i.e. no more than two steps from its natural state) and eat every two hours. This includes staying away from (as much as possible) ALL things processed, including breads, snacks, soft drinks...and alcohol! I haven't given them up completely, just staying away as much as I can.

Here's what I've been eating. I've lost inches around my waist, look better and feel fantastic. And I'm not hungry. Its also incredibly delicous - really!!

Breakfast - Small bowl of bircher muesli with additional serving of mixed seeds and a handful of cranberries , mixed wtih natural yoghurt. (Absolute awesome energy and taste!!)

Morning Tea - VitaWheats with vegemite (I'm an Aussie Kid)

Lunch - 2 wholegrain wraps with fresh salads and occassionally some protein eg can of tuna. (Another HUGE kick, and lots of sensational tastes)

Afternoon Tea - Large bowl of prunes with yoghurt or more vitawheats
(get me..er....'going')

Dinner - piece of protein (eg chicken, fish, meat - grilled) plus either a large salad or veges (boiled or roaasted).

Throughout the day (every 60-90 minutes) I have a piece of fruit (most likely a Pink Lady apple - love 'em!!!) and whenever I feel like it I have my own personal piece of naughtiness- plunger coffee with milk and sugar, or a cappaccino. I also drink water constantly throughout the day.

Its an amazing eating plan - The weight drops off, the energy levels are unbelievable, and I know I am preparing my body for the ride. I can feel it getting used to using good carbs for daily energy, and I can feel it getting rid of any crap that might still be there.

The good news is its easy to do when I'm travelling, it's eco-friendly (I choose what's in season), and its adaptable - I choose ingredients I feel like eating.

Soon I will start planning my fuel for the actual ride. In the meantime, via this smart food plan, I'll continue to prepare my body for the adventure ahead.

Gee it feels good!

More later, journey on....

James

Word Count - unknown.

Getting there.....

2010-09-26T14:38:00.000+10:00

Only three weekends to 'Around the Bay in a Day' so my training and thinking is lazer-focused on the requirements of bike riding- getting fitter and faster, going longer and getting leaner.

After a good week of mainly twice-a-day exercise sessions - including a massive weight session on Friday morning that left me a shattered mess! - this weekend has been all bike riding.

It rained yesterday so I did two very hard 60 minute spin sessions on the indoor bike. Cranked out a pleasing and challenging 60kms over the two hours with a lowish average heart rate of 126.

Today I did an easy 100km early morning ride over the usual rolling hill course for an OK average of 23.3kph. Didn't kill myself, just enjoyed a long-ish ride. Finished it off by acting like a 'real' bike rider, and had a 'life saving' coffee at a coffee shop on the coast. (see photo- my favorite 'local'... Moreton Bay and Stradbroke Island in the background )

As I write this, my legs are sore but I feel fine. I think I'll should be right for the big ride, although I am nervous.

More later, journey on....

James

Word count - 192

Staying focused with three weeks to go

2010-09-23T19:25:00.000+10:00

With my motivation back in place and with only three weeks to go until we leave for Melbourne and the 'Around the Bay in Day' bike ride, my training is back on in earnest.

Last week I had some great rides around Goondiwindi and Tara during the week (flat, fast, long country roads) and backed it up with some really nice afternoon runs. This is a nice photo I took whilst running along the McIntyre River at Goondiwindi at sunset. Scenes such as this one make it easy to get outside and exercise.

I finished the week with a very pleasing 120km bike ride on Sunday morning- I finished strongly and pulled up well, so I was happy. Finished the rolling hill course without stopping at an average of 24kph. A good 4.5 hour workout.

I'm certainly getting fitter but I'm still finding it hard to self-coach. I'm sure I've wasted some time due to some bad decisions. Still, a key part of this journey is learning and self discovery, so its a fair trade off.

Speaking of self-coaching, I recently read that its important to make sure every training session has a clearly defined outcome. I agree, but actually think I need more than this - I need every day to be specifically targeted to a defined outcome.

With that in mind, I have developed four broad outcomes for what I'm currently trying to achieve and I keep them in mind throughout the day, and during exercise. Each outcomes has a specific goals attached to it. But rather than go through each specific goal consistently, I just constantly remember and repeat -

Fitter
Faster
Longer
Leaner

Each word has a specific outcome and specific goals. Each word means something to me, and what I am trying to achieve. Its a great way for me to stay focused - both during the day, and during exercise.

More later, journey on

James

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Motivation, Inspiration and Perspiration

2010-09-20T21:07:00.000+10:00

I haven’t written a post for a while. A disappointing result in both my 3rd Half Marathon and the 10km Bridge to Brisbane left me de-motivated and thinking the whole thing was a waste of time. I ran 62:10 in the Bridge to Brissie which was actually quite an improvement on last year (74minutes) but it was less than my target and I was very unhappy with my effort. I felt like I failed and when I then had to cancel The Big Ride due to my wife’s foot operation, I lost interest in trying to be a distance athlete. So I spent a few weeks exercising only occasionally, eating way too much and drinking bucket loads of alcohol-which reminds me, thanks to everyone who helped me with a most enjoyable ‘lager frenzy’....... Deb’s effort in Charleville stands out.

The problem was that although the diversion was fun, I knew I was committed to riding the 210km Around the Bay in a Day cycle challenge in October with my Brother-in-Law (Doctor Bil) and the day of truth was fast approaching. This long ride was always going to be a huge stretch for me, and I knew I was facing severe embarrassment.

So I sat down and worked out where I was at with The Improbable Dream. I realised I really wanted to be an endurance athlete, I wanted to complete the ride in a reasonable time, I liked the feeling of being fitter than before, and I enjoyed the hours spent training. I realised I was prepared to do what was necessary.

Yep, I re-discovered my motivation.

And I realised, once again, that motivation comes from within. Other don’t motivate us, we motivate ourselves. Motivation speakers etc help us articulate our inner, perhaps undiscovered, reasons for wanting to achieve goals but at the end, they are still our own thoughts and desires. Others can’t motivate us, we do it ourselves.

Other people can inspire us though. And since finding my motivation, I’ve been inspired too. I had a great chat with David, a fabulous bloke who recently rode from the Coast to the Outback and was then generous enough to tell me about his preparation and the actual ride. And it was inspiring to hear firsthand from some-one who had already faced the challenge of a long distance ride. I’m looking forward to going for a training ride with him when I’m next back his way.

I was also inspired during a great coffee with ‘The Savage One’- a sweet-looking but no doubt sadistic personal trainer who would surely take great delight in watching me sweat in pain if I gave her a chance. Instead we had a coffee. Her interest in what I am trying to do and her many insightful questions made me remember how many aspects there are to this journey. And it inspired me to go deeper into my understanding of what’s possible.

With my motivation in place, and feeling inspired by these recent conversations I bought an indoor trainer to help me get my bike fitness to the required level. Who needs The Savage One when I have my own torture rack. End result- Perspiration. Lots of it!

So there it is; Motivation, Inspiration and Perspiration. I love it all but especially, I love being inspired. Thanks to all who inspire me!

More later, journey on
James

Word Count - 564

Affirmations for August - My FAST Month

2010-07-25T19:43:00.000+10:00

'You create your own life'.
'create' is a verb.You have to actively do something in order to get the life you want.'

This comes from Brett, the author of the blog 'Zen and the Art of Triathlon' and I think its a great quote' . So with this powerful thought in mind, here is what I will do in August to 'create' my life.

Firstly the goals -

1. Next weekend, I will participate in my 3rd Half Marathon in 4 weeks. My goal is to achieve 2hrs 15mins again- and beat it if possible.

2. 4 weeks after that, I will attempt to run the 10km Bridge to Brisbane in 55 minutes (this time is a HUGE stretch but I will see what I can do)

3. The following two weeks will see me ride the Queensland Big Bike Ride from Yeppoon to Bundaberg (a 9 day ride- should be fun!)

4. In October (5 weeks after that) it is the 210km Around the Bay in a Day in Melbourne.

It's a very challenging program (Improbable?) and I need to get a LOT fitter, and in a hurry.

Its actually quite scary and I am not sure I can do it. I've always been slow and these goals are all about being fast.

I am going to work really hard to achieve them, to bring me closer to achieving my Improbable Dream.

I am creating my own life - but only if I get off my bum and do something.

So here's my Affirmations for August....

'August is my FAST month. Its the month I will get a lot faster in my running and my riding. I will do this by hard aerobic training, and by improving my technique.

I will focus on two things only -

1. Complete the Bridge to Brisbane in 50 minutes
2. Be riding at an average of +28kph by the time I start the Big Bike Ride.

This month I am improving my speed fitness and my technique. I push myself hard at each training session.

I commit to completing the interval training sessions without whimping out.

I am improving my running and pedalling technique, my riding position and my gearing selection.

Each workout is focused on getting faster for longer by getting both fitter and smarter.

Every day I push myself harder for longer, and I improve my running and riding technique.

I will CREATE my own outcomes.

And when I get this right, in September I will develop my long rides in preperation for the next stage of my dream.

I will celebrate my result in the Bridge To Brisbane.'

If you want to leave me a comment you can do so below....

More later, journey on.....
James

Word Count - unknown.

A Head Full of Snot

2010-07-25T10:12:00.000+10:00

I feel terrible today and it's making me anxious. Actually its p#issing me off! I want to go hard but my body is insisting I rest. Dont you hate that!!!

I spent a large part of this week in Goondiwindi and Toowoomba, and as usual when I visit my the old stomping ground of the Darling Downs - especially during ploughing and sowing time - I end up with a head full of sinus. And it makes me feel like crap. Worse - I get anxious because I cant exercise. I dont have time to be sick. Coming soon I've got the Bridge to Brisbane 10km fast run and the Around the Bay in a Day 210km Bike Ride. There's no time to waste.

Since arriving home I've tried to clear my head by exercising hard. I figured the best thing to do was to try to blast it out of my head with some hard aerobics. Over two days I ran a fast-ish 5ks, did a hard 30min spin on a stationary bike, and then fast-hiked up Mt Coot-tha to the lookout.

Instead of fixing it I seem to have made it worse. It feels strange- my body is fresh and ready to go but my head is cloggy, achey and I'm quite dopey. I hate having sinus... and I should know 'cause I've had it regularly throughout my whole life.

There's no choice - take the day off, take some anti-histamines and stop whinging. And get ready to go hard from tomorrow. It's time to be positive - I will regard today as a rest day in my personal 'Improbable' journey. And try to enjoy it.

So where are the tissues. And the TV Remote! :-)

More later, journey on.....
James

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Jetty to Jetty 1/2 Fun Run - my second ever 1/2 marathon

2010-07-18T18:58:00.001+10:00

I didn’t have a lot of expectations for my 2nd go at a ½ Marathon. After I pulled up quite well from the Gold Coast event two weeks ago, I made the late decision to enter the Jetty to Jetty 25th Anniversary ½ Marathon. But as I say, without any great expectations – just go along, build on the confidence I took from the Gold Coast, have fun and see what happened.

In the back of my mind I did hope to beat my previous time but it wasn’t critical- more of a training run than an attempt to prove anything to myself.

I finished the run in almost the exact time – 2 hours 15 minutes 9 seconds (6 seconds faster) but two good things – I stopped for a pi%s stop that took about 2 minutes and the course was a LOT hillier. So overall I feel like I did better than last time. I also achieved my goal of – having fun (heaps!!), improve my confidence (yep- see above), and go with the flow.

The whole thing was good. It was a glorious pre-dawn drive to the north side of Brisbane, and to then get ready for the run as the sun came up over Moreton Bay was just special, a rare thrill. The run itself - as the name suggests – is a run along the coast, out and back to a jetty, through a Sunday market, along the beachfront, up and over hills, around the North Moreton Bay coast.

The best bit was I ran the last 2ks with a girl from the organising runners club and she encouraged me to run hard to the line ‘Knees up, pump your arms, push hard, go James go!” It was great fun, I felt like a runner (although tired) and I learnt how to push to the end. Thanks heaps to that nice girl.

The rest of the run was like a training run- just as I’d hoped. I found a pace runner for 2:15, quickly settled into a good rhythm, and joined a good chat with a bunch of other 2:15 runners. The chat lasted for 15ks before we spread out and got home on our own time.

So... a really good chat, a beautiful early morning coastal course, lots of laughs, a comfortable running pace and a great result. That’s a good way to spend a Sunday morning - No expectations, good exercise, lots of fun, and a huge feel-good factor afterwards.

More later, journey on.......
James

Word Count - 406

Gold Coast 1/2 Marathon 2010

2010-07-05T21:48:00.000+10:00

So there I was..... Southport Queensland, a winter's Sunday morning, slightly chilly at 06.30am, standing nervously at the back of the pack, bouncing with excitement.

It was an amazing sight to be on a small hill in the middle of the Gold Coast highway just on sunrise looking at a writhing snake of humanity determinately making its way through the starting gate of the 2010 Gold Coast Half Marathon.

9000 runners taking up both sides of the highway, crowned with morning sun, all heading in the same direction, all pulling me forward. What an inspiration.

It was my first distance event and surprisingly I felt quite relaxed. I knew I had put in the training (although not enough- never enough), I knew I was determined to finish, and that ‘my time was now'. So I made a commitment to not waste this opportunity, to put in a big effort, to run hard, and most of all, to have fun!!

My goal time was 2hrs 30min so when I found the pace runner for 2:20 I decided to run with him for a while. I figured I'd stay with him until I got tired. But in the excitement of the event, with everyone around me trying so hard, I just didn’t stop running. I ran and I ran. I couldn’t believe it – I’ve never run so far before. What a buzz. What fun.

Suddenly there was only 3 kms to go and I was ahead of the pace runner. I realised I had a great chance to record an incredible time. Everything changed in my head. It put a smile on my face; as you can see in the photos, I was having a ball. I picked up the pace and ran hard to the end. I entered the chute, the crowds were cheering and clapping, I got another burst of energy and I sprinted to the finish.

2 hours 15 minutes 19 seconds. 15 minutes under my target. Wow!!!!!

And there it was –in a click of a timing machine I was a half-marathoner! I smiled with satisfaction. A great feeling. As I always say to myself - The discomfort of the run is temporary, the result is permanent. Damn right.

There were lots of fun things along the way. Towards the end I saw a sign held up by a random supporter that read ‘Your feet hurt cause you’re kicking butt’. ;-) Thank you to that person. Nice.

I saw an overweight guy jogging slowly, wearing a black t-shirt that read ‘I am NOT a virgin’. What the??? Funny!

I followed a girl for a while who was wearing the three layer of clothes; you know the bra, singlet, t-shirt look. I was thinking; ‘Gawd I’m glad I’m not female and have to wear all those clothes to stop things bouncing.’ When we hit a turnaround point I saw she was amazingly flat-chested. ‘Ooops’ I thought, ‘maybe it should be me wearing all the clothes, get my man boobs under control, stop the big buggers from bouncing.’ It was funny in my head at the time. :-)

I ran for a while with a bunch of ladies from the Hamilton Running Club from New Zealand, which was really nice - It reminded me of the great support I get from Chrissie in Hamilton and our other friends in NZ.

In the second half of the run I listened to my I-pod to the music from my 50th birthday. Thanks Therese.

The last thing I should mention is how well I did with my nutrition. Two hours before the start, at 0400 I had two pieces of fruit, a cup of coffee and a Growling Dog energy bar, and I drank 600mls of water. Along the way I grabbed cups of water from the aid stations, and then, at the turnaround point I had an energy gel. This was a great idea as it gave me a heap of energy and I’m sure it was what gave me the energy to finish with a burst. A smart thing to do.

So it was lots of fun, I learnt a lots of lesson and in the end I gained a lot of satisfaction. Best of all, for the rest of my life, I can now say I’m a half-marathoner.

I recommend it to everyone.

More later, journey on
James

Word Count - 748

First goal for the year successfully completed

2010-07-04T19:41:00.000+10:00

Today I finished my first true distance event and I'm proud to say.. I nailed it! I can now say, for the rest of my life that I am a half-marathoner. In my first event I ran the whole way, I beat my 'hoped for' time by 15 minutes and my 'expected' time by 25 minutes. It's awesome to be able to say I ran the whole way... I really am a half-marathoner now.

I ran the 21kms in 2:15:19, a LOT faster than my 'hope for' time of 2 hours 30 (see blog 8th June)and I am beside myself with excitement. I am soooo pumped.

It's an amazing feeling to train for so long and with a heap of determination and consistency, to set - and also state- a very specific goal, to put myself out there via this blog, to have a go and then, to nail it!!

It feels great. I started this journey asking 'Can a fat and unfit 50 y.o. - with a poor lifestyle and no sporting ability - turn himself into a Distance Athlete?'. At the moment it seems the answer is a resounding YES!!.....Perhaps its not such an Improbable Dream after all.

Tomorrow, when I've had a chance to rest and reflect I'll tell you about the race, and the lessons I learnt. For now though, I think I'll just enjoy the experience of finally being a successful half-marathoner. :-)

By the way, thanks for all your feedback via phone and email. If you want to leave a message on my blog, click on the 'envelope' symbol at the bottom of the post. Thanks!

More later, journey on.....
James

Word Count- unknown.

Child-like excitement has set in.

2010-06-24T19:58:00.000+10:00

Only a couple of days of training to go before attempting the first organised events in my new life. The Gold Coast 1/2 Marathon is on Sunday week while this Sunday it's the 50k Brisbane to the Bay Cycle Ride.

It will be my second go at the B2B - it's a good-fun, short and sharp, rolling-hill course so I'm EXCITED.

I haven't done much bike riding lately. Most of my training recently has been focused on running, for a number of reasons. One, I changed my running style to avoid injury. I changed from heal strike to pad strike and this took some time to learn. Two, as I've detailed previously, my running fitness was low and I had to learn to 'run long' - again, this took some time. My constant recent travel has taken me away from my bike so often my only option has been to run. Lastly, I got a new bike (Thanks Aaron - I'll tell you all the story later) and its taken a while to get it set up correctly.

Anyway all this means I expected to do the ride with a low level of bike fitness. This was a good plan until I started getting really nervous earlier today. What if I cant finish? What if I undermine my own confidence regarding my fitness with only one week to the 1/2 marathon? What if..what if... what if...

End result is I decided to get off my bum and do the fast training ride I had scheduled for yesterday. I chose a flat-ish, fast circuit along the waterfront near where I live and set out to see what happens.

I did just under 40kms, quite fast and finished with plenty left in me. A few short rest periods, a lot of long fast sections, and a few 'cruisings'. At the end, a little sore in the feet (new shoes /pedals will take a while to settle into) and my legs were un-comfortably tired - it has been a few hard days for my legs so not suprising! I do tend to expect a lot from them. Overall I felt strong and quite fresh.

I achieved an average of +25kph despite a) a brisk headwind 2) tired legs and 3)the fact I'm still learning the new bike/ new gear changer/ different brakes.

I'm very very pleased. I now expect to do even better on Sunday when hopefully I'm more rested, there's less breeze and there's people around for me to draft.

Come to think of it, I'm more than pleased - I'm PUMPED! Yes, I know- Despite today's ride only being a short 40kms there were still periods when I had to slow down and rest but that's OK, no need to worry - once I start focusing on bike training I'm sure my results will improve dramatically. For now I think I'll just enjoy the good parts of today, especially....

Along the waterfront in a flat, short, protected (ie no wind) area, on a fast new bike, in the aero position on my tri bars, I very quickly got up to 47kph - thanks to my legs and my lungs. Awesome!!!!!!! Starting to scare myself. I think my fitness might be starting to exceed my riding ability haha :-)

Anyway, I guess all this means I'm as ready as I'm going to be. So now its time to test myself in some organised events.

What will happen? I dont know, but let's find out.

I'm so EXCITED!!!!. I'm like a kid again. An excited child.

Great for me, but for anyone who knows me..... Spare a thought for Shirl. Poor thing. :-)

More later, journey on.....
James

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Just do it!

2010-06-23T20:21:00.000+10:00

Great workout tonight. I was scheduled to complete a fast bike ride but it was raining heavily and I got back from Carindale late so I changed my plan and went to the gym instead.

The spin bike was busy which was kind of good because it meant I could hit my favourite - the treadmill. Cranked it up to a fast walk 8.2kph with a 3 degree incline and went hard for 60 minutes.

What a feeling. I remember, just a few months ago, when I couldn't do more than 7.2kph on a flat treadmill for 40 minutes max. In just a short time I've been able to make HUGE improvements.

So when it comes to thinking about the 1/2 Marathon, there's no point in sweating over whether I am ready or not. I just need to enjoy the fact I have improved a lot over the last few months, I should trust my training and all the hours I've put in, and then I should just enjoy the event and the challenge.

As Shirl (and some-one else) says - "Just do it!"

More later, journey on.....
James

Word Count - unknown

13 days to go...

2010-06-22T19:14:00.000+10:00

Just under two weeks to go to my first half-marathon. I'm in heavy training, working hard, I'm having a blast and I dont really know what I'm doing. What a combination.

I'm trying to 'peak' this week and then 'taper' next week. All sounded straight forward when I read it in the textbooks but now that I'm doing it I really dont know if I'm doing it right. I guess I'll find out in two weeks.

This 'experiential learning' is why I call this um, er, whatever it is, a 'journey' - I really dont know what will happen, and what it will mean. I make plans based on what I've read, I give it a go on a day-by-day/ event-by-event basis, I find out what happens and then I learn. Just like any other journey.

And I've got to say - I'm loving it. I enjoy the planning and the goal setting, I enjoy the activities, and I enjoy the way the leanings pop in to my mind, the way I learn by doing and by reflecting. Experiential learning at its best!

The lessons are ahead of me. For now, its about getting as much training in as possible before slowing down to ensure my legs are fresh for the challenge.

More later, journey on....
James

Which way to go?

2010-06-14T18:42:00.000+10:00

After a good week of hard and honest daily training and a long 10 hour drive on country roads in the last two days, I felt tired and fuzzy on Saturday morning. But I was scheduled to complete a trial, self-directed pretend '1/2 marathon' in preperation of the Gold Coast event in three weeks...... so I had no choice - I hit the road.

I finished in 2hrs 40mins which is longer than my target time, and dissappointedly I struggled to run very far (I ened up fast walking most of the way), my legs were heavy, my lungs crappy, and my mind soft. It was a hard 160 minutes.

And very dissappointing. I had hoped to be much stronger at this stage of my preperation. I assumed I would be a 'runner' by now, that I would be a well trained, awesome-type distance athlete.

So I've been down on myself - sad and dissappointed mainly, although also concerned I'm making a fool of myself.

I guess all I can do is put my head down, work hard and see what happens.

Not happy though.

More later, journey on.....

James

Only 26 Days to go and still plenty to do.

2010-06-08T20:09:00.000+10:00

On Sunday the 4th of July I am running my first half marathon. I've been working towards this since before Christmas and now its almost here. My first real endurance event! I'm excited about it and also nervous. I know I wont be fit enough to run the whole way but I'm much fitter than ever before so I will be happy enough if I complete the whole 21kms within the required 3 hours.

And I'll be absolutely thrilled if I can complete it in 2.5 hours (150 minutes.) Wish me luck.....and stay tuned.

I still have four weeks/weekend to finish my training. I want to 'peak' at the right time so I'm training twice a day most days and running/ fast walking 10kms nearly every day. When not running, I'm working on my fitness by cross-training on the road bike, the stationary bike, rower and stepper or by putting in some short, sharp weight sessions.

And just to make it harder for myself, the weekend before the race, again on a Sunday morning, I've entered the 'Brisbane to the Bay' 50km bike ride. Its a hilly and fast course so it'll not only be a good training session,it will also show me where my bike riding, and my overall aerobic fitness, is at.

And in the week between the bike ride and the 1/2 marathon I'm travelling through Far West Queensland staying in a diffent town every night and spending long days driving and working. This will present challenges for me in terms of diet and rest. I've planned it as a 'taper' week of minimal running so it should be OK. Actually, it'll also be my first ever 'taper' so I'm looking forward to learning how it's done. I am nervous about it though. Self coaching is hard.

It'll be a busy, and challenging month, I'll let you know how it goes.

More later,journey on......

James

Word Count - unknown

I now believe in cliches, and a new challenge

2010-05-30T22:04:00.000+10:00

This post is much later than I promised in my last entry but trust me, it's mainly due to telco connection/ technical issues and not really because I'm slack! Everything is now fixed (hopefully) and so I'm back to recording this journey into the unknown. I'll try not to be cynical about the potential of computer problems re-appearing.

Anyway, enough of the geek stuff, back to the journey. Amongst lots of good training sessions recently, I've been listening to some podcasts and reading books on 'mind training for the endurance athlete'. My goals still seem to be a long way off, still seem improbable. Yet not impossible! The more I read the more I realise how much I have to do and learn, but all that does it makes me more excited......

The Mind Training stuff has reinforced what I've discovered since starting the journey. Over the last few months I've learnt if I keep a positive attitude to my training, if I approach every situation as an opportunity to learn more about myself by pushing myself, if I never let my mind talk my body into giving up before it has absolutely has to, then the Impossible will become the Improbable and then the Improbable will become a reality.

Its a cliche to say 'its all in the mind', to say 'What my mind can conceive my body can achieve' and all the other well known positive affirmations. Yet I've learnt the cliches are also truisms.

As an example, recently I have been concerned with my running. For ages now I have only been able to run for a few minutes at a time. I could fastwalk for hours but only run for a short while before having to stop and walk. This was annoying me but I didn't know what to do.

The podcasts etc suggested it was all in my mind. It said to 'reframe' my mind, to believe my body could do more, and to find a new way to view it. So I decided to enjoy my running. I told myself I love the feeling of being out of breath, of the feeling of tiredness when running. I came up with a running mantra that matched my footfalls. The mantra reminded me to run using good form, to run with relaxed muscles and to love the feeling of running. I said to myself in time with my footfalls - 'Smooth...Relaxed.. I LOVE...distance....running'.

As well, whenever I thought I'd gone as far as I could, I started 'scanning' my body to learn how I was really feeling. How did my legs feel? my lungs? my feet, ankles, glutes, chest, eyes, lips, jaws, throat, shoulders, arms etc etc. I told myself to discover how I felt, and no matter what it was, to enjoy it.

Guess what.

Overnight - and on every run since- I've been able to run HEAPS longer than previously. I went from struggling to run 6 minutes without stopping to running 30 minutes, 40 minutes or more. And I could back it up with more and more running in the same session.

Today I ran/walked about 13kms in 1:21:15. - Started with a 30min run, 5 min walk, 7 min run, 5 min walk, 6 min run, 4 min walk, 11 min run, 3 min walk and finished with a strong 13 min run. Awesome.

Yes, its not as far as I want to run, but that initial overnight improvement was staggering. So yes, the cliche's really are truisms - it really is all in the mind.

Its shown me I must make the next step, I must decide to control my mind to achieve my goals. Can I do it? The answer, of course, is in the day-to-day experiences of this journey! The answer IS the journey.

Other people have done it. The great Percy Curetty, a man who redefined distance running in his 50s (among other great things) said he never believed what his mind told him, he told his mind what to think. When his mind said he was in pain, he told it to enjoy the feeling, to learn from it. By doing this he found he could do things other people said were impossible.

A good lesson to learn. So now its time to see what my body can do, its time to over-ride my mind, to learn, to really live the adventure, its time to discover myself by living the journey.

Wow! Better get going....

More later, journey on....

James

Word Count - unknown.

Responding to lack of motivaton.

2010-05-23T09:51:00.000+10:00

I've started my new job/ work contract and its made 'normal life' very busy. The excitment of getting my head into this new challenge, combined with lots of travel every week has made me a little distracted from The Improbable Dream lately.

And yes, I admit- a little demotivated as well.

But not for long! After three consecutive days of NO training this week (for lots of different reason) I woke up very early in my motel room in Roma Western Queensland Saturday morning (yesterday) absolutely disgusted with my attitude and laziness.

So I went for a pre-dawn run around the street and back lanes. In the cold, in the dark, watched by inquisitive kangaoos sitting in the middle of the roads, and uncaring cows looking at me with big round eyes. It felt good to get the blood flowing! And I was sure the wild life was urging me on and sharing my delight at simple pleasure of 'running into the day'. (There's nothing quite like a sunrise run ot get the day off to a great start.)

Later I flew back to Brisbane and did a good solid weight session in the gym in the late afternoon. A much better day than the previous few.

Two good training sessions yesterday, a hard 40 minutes on the spin bike this morning and a planned Gym Tri this afternooon will get me back into the groove. I feel like I've reconnected with my dream- and it feels good.

I'm also committed to not forgetting about this blog so I will update this log, and my training diary either tonight or tomorrow night. Guaranteed it will be done by the time I go to sleep on Monday!

I'm travelling again this week (4 days in Sydney for a conferenece) but I am determined to get good training sessions in, to keep this my dream foremost in my mind, and to keep my blog up to date.

So, as always (but this time it will be in the not tooo distant future)..... More later, and...

Journey on!

James

Word Count - unknown.

No need to panic!

2010-05-08T14:03:00.001+10:00

I've been worried all week.

Last weekend, with less than 2 months to the Gold Coast 1/2 Marathon, I decided to start pushing harder with my training. I made this decision even though I was struggling from a big bout of sinus, and this turned out to be a very dumb idea! The consequence of listening to my head instead of my body was I paid the price all week of NO TRAINING. Instead of increasing the training load I was forced to call it off completely.

The sinus attack did not go well with last weekend's 4 hard aerobic sessions and it quickly became firstly infected and then a long lasting, very heavy head and chest infection (URTI). The URTI became worse during the week with 3 long flights, 4 days in a cold and dusty arid zone and a lot of air conditioned sleeping quarters. It's been a miserable week physically and mentally. Not being able to train just made it worse.

I was also worried all week. For five days I struggled to breathe and to get through the work day, and it was clear exercise was a no-go. And this annoyed me. I was sure my fitness was slipping, and I worried I was losing my chance to complete the 1/2 marathon. I was miserable and worried. What a combination.

But good news. Today, despite still feeling the last remaining effects of the head cold I decided to go for a walk (no running!) and see how I felt. I ended up fast walking for 1 hour 48 minutes, including some small hills, and I felt great, I handled the distance and the pace easily. A little tired afterwards but in much better shape than I had expected. Later, I did a short spin session on the stationary bike, and although I struggled for breathe and energy, again it was better than I had feared.

I'll try again tomorrow (Sunday) and then figure out my plan for the week ahead. There's no time to waste BUT - as I've now learnt the hard way- I MUST listen to my body.

More later, journey on
James

Word Count- 325

I love weekends!

2010-05-01T08:18:00.000+10:00

I love weekends. It's the time when I pretend to be a 'real' athlete, a time when I push myself hard, relax hard, eat well and then reflect on the past week's activities and the journey so far. Its a time of personal challenge, reflection and reward.

With my new work arrangements now in full swing its obvious weekends will become even more special. And critical. I can see I will often be time poor during the working week so fully using my weekend time will be important to achieving my goals. I'll need to reflect on what needs to be done and what I need to do. Sounds like something to think about...... probably next weekend!!! :-)

Anyway, these rambling thoughts were prompted by the events of last weekend - it was a beauty! I woke up early on Saturday determined to complete a long run. I've done some good runs recently but with only 71 days till the Gold Coast Half Marathon it was time to benchmark my running/fitness situation. I knew I had gone too hard too early on recent road hikes (that's I call my long run/walks)so it was time to get smart and see what I could do. All the literature I've read has said to concentrate on time rather than distance; train yourself for how long the event will take you to complete then work on the distance. So my plan for the day was to run for 5 minutes, walk for 5 minutes over a two hour period. I was interested to see if I could maintain the effort over the long haul, and to see how much distance I covered. I thought it was a good achievable plan that would give me my current fitness position.

Well it was, and it did!! In 120 minutes I ran/walked 5 minutes alternate sections and covered a very pleasing 16.4kms. This is exciting. My eventual goal for the 21km 1/2 marathon is 2hrs 15min which is just over 9kph. Today I covered 75% of the distance at an average of 8.4kms (93.3% of target time) and I only ran for half the time!!!

All I need to do now is increase the time (i.e take it to 2hrs 15) then gradually increase the total amount of time I run. So there's the motivation for next weekend ; Increase the running time to 6 minutes, walk 4 then continue this small increase each weekend until I am running the whole way. (By the way, this is also the motivation during the week - do short runs of 6min run/4 min walk as preperation)

Back to last weekend- I was not tired at all when I finished the session, so I had a quick protein drink and a shower then went to my Mother-In-Laws for morning tea, alway lovely! Then as reward for all my recent good efforts, Shirl and I went clothes shopping at David Jones. I bought a pair of very smart looking moleskins, a pair of good jeans and 2 beautiful country-style shirts.

Its an awesome feeling to buy clothes that are seriously smaller than I've ever worn before e.g. medium in place of XXL!! and even better when the reflection in the mirror matches what's always been in my mind. A great reward!!!!

Still on a high and after a short rest, I went to the gym in the late afternoon for a hard 'Spin Tri'- After a long warm up on the rower I did 2 minutes flat out on the spin bike (heart rate in Zone 3, ~140bpm, Level 7, 100rpm) then a brisk 8 minutes on the treadmill (7.7kph at low Zone 2, ~125bpm.). Then repeated this for 30 minutes. Overall an average 123bpm over the half hour, not counting the 20 min easy row.

Afterwards I was exhausted, a little sick from Lactic Acid, and very very leg sore. But boy, was I proud of myself. And pleased. What a day - A brilliant two and half hours of hard exercise, and some rewards. Gotta love weekends!

On Sunday I did another hard 90 minutes of interval training similar to Saturday night. Again, tired but very pleased with myself.

Yep, I love weekends- how long to the next one??

More later, journey on
James

Travelling and Fuelling

2010-04-25T14:54:00.000+10:00

Written Monday 13th April 2010

It's hard to travel and maintain a fitness regime. In particular, its hard to eat well, or should I say, its hard for me to stay disciplined to my food plan.

I'm at the minesite for a week, and it is not a problem to eat well here. The food is abundant, fresh, healthy and designed to give the miners a balanced healthy diet. The problem for me is I am weak, I eat way tooooo much!

Take yesterday, for example. Instead of my usual muesli, fruit, yoghurt (it was available) I opted for the baked beans, mushrooms, lightly fried egg and lean bacon. No starch, all fresh, well cooked etc etc but still, what happpened to my will power??? For lunch I made a fabulous tuna and garden salad. Good, all fresh. No problems.

Then dinner... a plate of roast lamb (lean)and roast veges. Succumbed to 2 roast potatoes (what willpower???) but the rest of the plate was all veges and meat- a good combination of complex carbs and protein.

The problem was the buffet- Instead of resisting, I kept going back for more. And more. I ate way too much and felt sick afterwards. Serves me right, eh!

And to finish off, I couldn't resist a sensational slice of pavlova smothered with fresh fruit so I could pretend it was 'good' for me. (That's what's meant by a balanced diet isn't it ????)

So I cant stay here long- the food's too good to resist, and I am disgustingly weak. Oh well, seeing as I am here now,maybe just one more slice of that lamb????

More later, journey on.....
James

Word Count - 264

A New Stargate Emerges from the Fog of Tiredness

2010-04-25T12:59:00.000+10:00

Written Sunday 18th April 2010

In a previous post I compared 'getting fit' to the TV show 'Stargate'. Today I think my personal Stargate is back and I'm about to reach another 'Gate' to pass through....

It's been a long since I've been truly fit. As I age it's really really tough to get to a higher level of fitness. It seems I have to push myself hard for ages, then push myself even further to break through to this new level. But when I do, I feel different; stronger, more aware, bigger and better. I'm in a new world, a new perception. Just like the Stargate show - Go through the 'Stargate' and explore the new reality that now presents itself.

I mention this because I've had a huge week of training, I've pushed myself hard and I feel like I'm knocking on the door of a new level of fitness.

Actually, I really just feel incredibly tired but strangely I also have more zing than usual and I feel suprisingly energised. Contrary to what you'd expect, I'm looking forward to each training session with a high level of anticipation, I have lots of energy and determination and all this despite feeling very tired. It's a strange combination of weariness and power.

It has been a great week so I'm not surprised I'm tired. Last Saturday I did an early morning 12km run/walk, including running 3 minutes and walking 2 for an hour then power walking the rest of the distance home. I was really pleased with my effort as this is more consistent running than I've done in the past. In the afternoon, went to the gym and did 2/3rds of a GymTri- 30 minutes on the rower, 15 fast minutes on the stationary bike. All up, nearly 3 hours of aerobic exercise so a big day.

On Sunday, in place of the scheduled long ride I did a short and fast 80 minutes over 32kms for an average of 24.1kph then a weight session in the afternoon.

Monday was a good 5km road run in the morning and a Gym Tri session in the afternoon; easy paced 30 minutes on rower, 15 minutes on bike, 15 minutes on stepper. Yep, another good day of exercise over 120 or so minutes, now exhausted after three big days! :-)

On Tuesday, I did a quick 30 minutes on the treadmill in morning then my first 60 minute 'Boxercise' class in the afternoon. Didn't go flat out 'cause I wanted to see how the class works. The good news is my fitness is Ok and I'll be able to go much harder at future classes. Tell you what though - its a hard workout! And it was another 90 minute day of exercise all up.

Wednesday was a day off to complete some work stuff, then Thursday back into the 5km road run in the morning, travel to a remote W.Queensland minesite in the afternoon and a 30 minutes rower/bike session after dinner at the mine's superbly appointed gym. Say 90 minutes again, all up.

On Friday, I ran the 3.5kms from the minesite to the Permanent Camp wearing a 6.5km backpack then hit the gym for a short but hard GymTri. After dinner, did another 30 minutes on the traeadmill at 7.0kms speed with a short incline, just to finish off the day. 120 minutes all up.

On Saturday, after work at the mine, I did a hard and intense 40 minute weight session. And today, to finish the week, I ran the 3.5kms back to the camp (in early afternoon desert heat!!) then did another 35 minutes on the treadmill, again at 7kph with a 3 degree inclide, a total of more than 60 minutes of intense exercise in hard weather (after a full day's work)

So I'm putting in the hours and the intensity. I'm feeling great physically and mentally and I'm sure a new level of overall strength and fitness is not far away. Bring on the Stargate I say!!!.... but better hurry,before I kill myself hahaha

More later, journey on......
James

Word Count - 615

Preparing for the Half Marathon in July

2010-04-25T12:07:00.000+10:00

Written Sunday 11th April

There's only 84 days to the Gold Coast 1/2 Marathon so its time for me to get serious about my running. I'm back from holidays and so no more mucking around. Enough slacking James!!!! :-)

As of now, my head goes down, 'my bum goes up' and I start working consistently and determinedly towards my 2010 goals. I have to teach my body to run, or at least complete the 21kms in less than 3hours. My target is to finish in 2hours 15minutes (135 minutes). I reckon this is achievable but only if I use the my time wisely over the next 84 days.

While doing this I also need to maintain my bike fitness because I'm booked to complete the 'Around the Bay in A Day' 220km Bike Ride in October. I dont have to overly worry about this as I have a Big Bike Ride training camp scheduled for September but it needs to be in the back of my mind. I also need to continue to build my core body fitness and my overall strength to ensure I dont injure myself when training and competing.

I know I've written about this before, but its important to keep my goals and targets clearly in mind.I need improved aerobic fitness, strong running fitness, bike fitness and core strength. I need to balance my time and have strong motivation and mental strength while also not expecting too much from this old body.

Here's the training plan I will use to ensure I achieve them......

Monday- Rest morning, Gym Tri in afternoon (a 90 minutes circuit of rower, stationary bike, stepper.)
Tuesday- 5km Road Run in Morning, Boxercise or weight session in afternoon
Wednesday - 5km Road Run in Morning, Gym Tri in afternoon
Thursday- 5km Road Run, Weight session in afternoon
Friday - Day Off
Saturday - Long Hike in morning, easy aerobic session in afternoon
Sunday - Long Bike Ride in morning, weights in afternoon

Some thoughts.... This plan provides lots of opportunity for developing my aerobic and endurance capacity while also providing me with rest and variation. Its a tough schedule but answers all of the requirements. It doesn't take up a lot of time but it does deliver consistency to my life and my training.

Three points -
1. My travel schedule WILL mean I'll have to adjust the plan on a regular basis. No problems, like all plans its a guide to help me schedule my time and its subject to change.
2. The goal is to be ready for my target events, not to complete a training schedule. This means I will listen to my body and the demands of my life, and will be prepared to adjust as required.
3. It will be exciting but demanding. Any and all assistance from friends and family will be greatly appreciated and accepted.

One last comment- This plan means my weekends are going to be fantastic fun. Its when I get to spend whole days testing myself and my current fitness. It means long hikes and rides in new and current locations, and it means I can spend long hours learning to be a distance athlete. Works for me! I cant wait.

More later, jounrey on.....
James

Word Count- unknown

Self Coaching is difficult- but who cares?

2010-04-20T22:20:00.000+10:00

Written Tuesday 6th April 2010

Self coaching - A seemingly continuous choice of conflicting approaches, and I reckon, a damn hard thing to do! It seems the more I read, the more I reflect and the more I try to find the best path forward, the more the contradictions emerge.

Our family Easter holiday through NSW continues. In planning the trip I realised I would have no opportunity to bike and gym so I figured it was a great opportunity to work on my running fitness, an opportunity to go from walk/run to run/walk. But now that I’m doing it, I’m thinking; How much improvement can I really achieve in one week? What is my real ‘current’ position of running fitness against my current ‘comfortable’ position? Sometimes when I run I struggle to put together a short run and at other times it feels like I can run for miles. I just can’t really decide where I really am at.

I read recently that we should not give up when training but to push yourself further and further. But I also read that it’s important to start gradually, train gently, not do too much too soon, and to not over-train or over-strain – it’s important to give your body time to catch up to the new demands being placed on it. So my challenge, as a self-coach, is to balance these competing thoughts and to find a way to constantly improve.

In the end I think it comes down to listening to my body. Today worked well. I’m in Wagga visiting my Mum and Dad so I went for a late afternoon run/walk around Lake Albert. It was one of those days when I felt really strong and I achieved a run time of 35 minutes over the total 47 minutes of exercise. Pleasing – not great, nowhere need where I need to be for the ½ marathon in 89 days but better than before so I’m happy. It was a great run and made me yearn for the day when I can run the whole distance in total comfort. Today it seemed that goal was not too far away. So I need to work out how much I can do, do it and make sure I reach my potential.

But strangely, today these things didn’t matter. It was just great to get outside and run in a different location. I was very motivated, I felt strong and I very much appreciated the beauty of the run. It was lovely; Late afternoon, overcast with some light rain and threats of more, a little chilly for the first time this year. Perfect running conditions. The lake is full after recent rain, the threatening clouds kept other runners indoors, and the birds and other wildlife were also noticeable by their absence (no doubt also bunkering down). It all added up to running in perfect peace – quiet, comfortable, contented. Meditative, even. Very much in tune with nature, and invigorating at a much deeper level than just physically.

For me, sometimes the actual physical act of getting outside and exercising is worth it, regardless of any goals, dreams or outcomes I am trying to achieve. Sometimes it’s just great fun.

Self coaching may be confusing, it may be difficult and it may be frustrating, but sometimes I need to say - who cares, the exercise itself is simply fantastic. It’s the journey, not the destination that matters.

More later, journey on...
James

Word Count - 567

Two lessons on motivation

2010-04-13T16:28:00.000+10:00

Written Monday 5th April 2010

I got a good short run in today although it was different from what I expected ....

I’m still on Easter holidays visiting family and friends in NSW. Yesterday was Show Day which is another way of saying ‘a 6 hour walk around a country show in the city surrounded by city people trying to figure out the country, and looking to spend lots of dollars and eat an amazing array of deep fried junk food’. lol. Anyway when we got back to our host’s place we hopped into a few glasses of wine and any chance of formal exercise went out the window. Show Day became a ‘no exercise day’.

This unexpected ‘day off’ combined with Saturday’s excellent log run/hike meant I headed off to bed determined to hit the road early to maintain my fitness. I was ready for a short, fast run around the suburbs first thing in the morning. I thought about my commitment during the night and was looking forward to it – right up until it was time to get up.

Then I suddenly became tired, sore, stiff, thought about how I would disturb Shirl if I got up, didn’t want to disturb our friend’s house, maybe this afternoon would be better..... etc etc. Basically, any excuse to stay in bed.

Eventually I got myself out of bed only to discover I actually was a quite stiff and sore. I was feeling the effects of Saturday’s Long Hike and yesterday’s show activities. I hobbled out the door and started on a slow, stiff jog.

This reminded me of a story I’d seen on TV last night about a woman attempting to run around Australia. She told the reporter the first 5-10 minutes of any run is the hardest, it gets easier after that. That seemed like a good tip so I decided I’d run for 5 minutes to loosen up, then walk 15 minutes from home then turn around and run home, approximately 15 minutes. I committed to not stopping on the way home. Run, no matter how I felt.

Guess what! I did and it worked brilliantly. The first 20 minutes run/walk loosened up all the muscles and the run home was strong, really strong. I felt great and I wanted more. It seemed I could have run much further. Quite a surprise after my hard-to-get-going start.

What a strange mental journey- I went to bed looking forward to a good run, woke up not wanting to get out of bed, and finished with a really really strong run. What a great lesson about motivation.- 1) The best sessions often happen when least expected – so just get out of bed and get going, and 2) They ALWAYS happen when the head/ my thinking is set right - The lady runner’s advise changed my perspective totally.

More later, journey on
James

Word Count - 471

An awesome workout around Wilberforce NSW

2010-04-12T21:34:00.000+10:00

Country Roads of Wilberforce

Written Sat 3rd April 2010

Inspired by Dr Bil and the confirmation of Around the Bay in a Day (see previous post) today was a great day of exercise. An amazingly supportive wife and some wonderfully gracious friends meant I was in western Sydney with a whole morning off from family and holiday duties. So with visions of the challenges ahead, I went for a long run/hike. I had an absolute ball – It’s a beautiful place and a great way to spend an autumn Saturday morning.

I knew I was lucky to have the time available so I was determined to use it effectively. I pulled on the running shoes and hit the country roads around the historic town of Wilberforce. It was a beautiful clear cool morning, I had some great podcasts and plenty of music to listen to, and I was determined to train hard. I ran/hiked for 2 ¾ hour from the centre of Windsor to Wilberforce then on to Ebenezer and back to Wilberforce. It was good country but a few too many cars on the narrow country roads for comfort.

I used a fartlek style i.e. run for 2 songs, walk for one for a while then one song/run followed by one song/walk. After a while I just walked fast and enjoyed the view while still throwing in some random runs.

It felt fantastic. Tiring yet powerful. Interestingly, during the run sessions my lungs were hurting and telling me to stop but later in the day it’s the quads that were sore. I look forward to the day when my lungs no longer let me down and I can work on just strengthening my legs.

I’m really thankful for my friends and family to give me ‘the morning off’ from holiday duties. I used the time well, trained hard, enjoyed the sights and sounds and had a ball. I love this journey!

More later, journey on
James

Word Count - 312

An unexpected bonus

2010-04-11T20:04:00.000+10:00

Written Sat 3rd April 2010

My thoughtful and generous Brother-In-Law (B.I.L.) - a country doctor from Victoria nicknamed Doctor Bil (hehe get it?)- heard of my desire to complete the Melbourne ‘Around The Bay In A Day’ (ATBIAD) bike challenge on the 17th October this year. And he knew I was travelling through NSW at the critical time of registration so he rang and asked if I would like to ride it with him and his mates, and then was kind enough to go to the trouble of registering me. What a awesome gesture – I get my registration successfully handled for me, and I get to ride at least part of the day with him.

So I’m now committed; I’m booked into the 25-30 kph group, and Dr Bil expects me to achieve a +27kph average for the 220kms. This is longer and faster than I’m currently riding so I’ve got some work to do before September.

But not yet. First on my calendar is the Gold Coast Half Marathon on Sunday July 4 (a 21km run) and then the Bridge to Brisbane 10km fun run on Sunday 29th August. I’ve also got some bike training runs scheduled to help my cause, including the annual Brissie to the Bay and a 10 day Queensland Big Ride in September.

I am excited about the ATBIAD challenge but even more excited and pleased about Dr Bil involving me in his plans. He’s been my brother-in-law for many years but we’ve never really done much together so it’s good to finally do something. As an added bonus, he’s done the ride before so his guidance and advice will be welcomed. I am excited and thrilled he’s taken the initiative. Thanks Dr Bil!

Another mate has been on the blower too. My mate from Wynnum Manly, now called The Very Manly Mate is planning to run this year’s 10km Bridge-to-Brisbane in less than 50 minutes so I probably need to go along with him, just to keep him honest. This means I now also have to get myself fit enough to run this pace, consistently.

It’s great to have some very clear goals. I’m pretty sure I can achieve 10k’s in 50 minutes at the Bridge to Brisbane (average 12kph) and probably a bit slower for my first ½ marathon - I‘m aiming to run/walk the distance in 150 minutes (average 8.5kph including walking). And now I have to get myself to a long distance 27 average kph on the bike by October.

But more than goal setting, the involvement of others in my plans is a lovely unexpected bonus. The journey is a private effort with many hours spent training on my own (See Training Principles 10). So for others to suggest I be involved with their goals and share it with them is very exciting. I will still approach the goals in a private way but I will look forward to sharing the road with them. It’ll be a buzz, and make each event more memorable.

So the target for the next few month is set. First, I’ll run/walk the ½ marathon in 2hrs 15min, then run the Bridge to Brisbane in 50 mins and finally ride the ATBIAD at an average of >27kph.

I’ve got the targets, I got the plan, now it’s time to put my head down and bum up, and get into some serious base training. I can’t let down Dr Bil and The Very Manly Mate, can I.

So I’m committed and ready for the challenge. And frankly, I’m excited - this will be a challenging and interesting journey, shared and enjoyed with some great people. And its unexpected so its a real bonus to the adventure, and for me.

More later, journey on
James

Word Count - 615

Inspiration and Frustration

2010-04-11T12:58:00.000+10:00

Written 30th March 20110

Talk about cranky. After a recent good period of sustained training (see previous blog) today I went for a bike ride and was feeling very pleased with myself. I was going pretty fast – 24-25kph average over a 40km hill circuit - and then, without any warning, on the way up the last hill a fat bloke on a bike went flying past me and shattered my good feeling. So much for going fast! To make matter worse, when I weighed myself this morning I’d put on a kilo over the last week. Yep, cranky. It felt like all my hard work was getting me nowhere.

In need of inspiration and motivation I searched the web and found a fantastic blog of a passionate female triathlete from San Diego. I recommend her site - it’s full of exceptional insights, very honest reflections and excellent writing into the life of a committed distance athlete. Rachel’s stories of her ultra runs and half ironman events – see Diary of an Amateur Triathlete - puts my challenge and my journey back into perspective. In particular I now realise I should not worry about people going past me ‘cause all of us are a long way from the life and the achievements of a distance athlete.

Her stats are staggering. Apart from everything else, her bike cruising speed of 25 MILES PER HOUR i.e. over 40kph, is staggering and sobering – She not only achieves this incredibly fast speed, she does it after a long swim and while keeping herself fresh for a long run. And she’s an amateur. Wow! These triathletes are amazing!

Now I realise I am way older than her, and not blessed with natural athlete genes so there’s no point in trying to match Rachel’s stats. It does mean I have to get serious about getting to my target of 30kph average on the bike AND I now know I have to greatly improve my endurance fitness and my overall strength. Reading Rachel’s blog has made me realise I am only at the beginning of this journey. This is both motivational for me and also sobering.

Overall, I know I very much want to achieve my goals, and to build a new life. So I must put my head down, stay focused on this year’s goals, train hard and see where it takes me.

I also need to enjoy it. Have fun James! It’s a journey and an adventure

More later, journey on
James

Word Count - 406

The Rower is an awesome workout, especially when time poor

2010-04-11T12:47:00.000+10:00

Written Mon 29th March

It’s been an interesting week- We’ve had friends visiting from Greece with their new baby (I'm Uncle James!), I’ve had a lot of work on, and we spent four days at our niece’s place in Biloela in Central Queensland. Normally this would mean I would have missed a lot of training but not so this week. I’ve been for a run every day and on some days, twice a day. I am now running more than walking, with some fast running sections. Still too slow to reach my 5km and 10km target but I’m not due to reach these targets until the End of April and End of May respectively so all’s good- Be patient James! The fitness level is improving as planned. Yes, it’s frustrating but it’s the best this old body can do! Slow and Steady Always- see training principles #1.

Today was interesting. We left Biloela early and had a great drive back in convoy with a damsel in distress - the load kept moving on her trailer so we fixed it then followed her back to Brisbane. This meant we got back later than expected and I did not have time to complete my planned exercise session.

With only 40 or so minutes available I went to the gym and did a hard 30 minute workout on the rowing machine at maximum level (Level 20). What a surprise. This is a truly AWESOME workout, I recommend it to everyone. The rower is totally under-rated. It’s a total body workout that hammers the core, the upper body, the quads and the lungs. A fantastic aerobic workout that also pushes the Lactic Threshold.

It also occurs to me the rower is a great way to get ready for swim training later in the year- it’s a pull motion which sort of imitates half of the swim stroke (swimming is essentially a combination of pull/ push).

So there’s a heap of benefits to a hard rowing session – It builds aerobic fitness, its works the whole body, it pushes LTHR and it’s a way to build a base fitness for future swim training. I’m going to start including hard rowing into my gym sessions, and I will also keep it in mind as a good ‘default’ session when I find myself time poor.

Today’s lesson- Don’t underestimate the short, sharp full-body workout of the rowing machine. The Rower rocks! Go on- try it!

More later, journey on
James

Word Count - 398

Lessons from the Great Brisbane to Mt Coot-tha Bike Ride

2010-03-30T14:27:00.000+10:00

Sunday 21st March 2010
(Photo of riders exiting Clem 7 tunnel - not me)

There’s no doubt about it— riding hills is totally different from riding the flats. After completing today’s 80km Brisbane Mt Coot-tha Bike Challenge I have a whole new level of respect of all the Kings of the Mountain/s. I struggled through 4 hours of grinding myself uphills, then scaring myself going down. I’ve learnt hill riding is hard and it requires a different riding style, a definite mental approach and different strength and fitness.

Lance Armstrong’s ability to crush the opposition via a sustained high cadence of pedalling (for him, over 110 spins per minute) comes at a high cost to the body, and is only suitable for people with the specific DNA for the task. That’s not me. However, I know it is possible for mere mortals like me to climb hills effectively. And although I’ll never be fast uphill there is much I can do to make the hills an enjoyable challenge. I know this because today’s challenge was not fun, it was just hard- but with the right training I reckon it could be fun AND challenging.

It should have been fun. The day started at Southbank Cultural Precinct with a few thousand other riders watching the sun come up over the Brisbane River/ Brisbane City on a beautiful autumn Sunday morning in the sub-tropical capital city. A cyclone to the north had sucked all the inclement weather away and the day was clear, cool and perfect for riding.

The organisation was brilliant- event staff, police and volunteers were stationed throughout the whole route to provide an enjoyable and very safe ride and from what I saw, the event flowed beautifully.

From 6.30am onwards we were released from the starting gate in groups, in order of our riding speed. My group – the 20-25kph average riding speed- was the largest and the first few minutes were a bit hairy until we had a chance to spread out and ride at our natural pace.

After winding our way through the inner city, we turned suddenly onto a freeway and rode into and then through the newly opened Clem 7 tunnel, Australia’s longest road tunnel, under the Brisbane River. It’s a very rare occasion for the authorities to close the tunnel for cyclists so we were very lucky.

Well, kinda lucky..... If you get the chance to ride it, no doubt you will have great fun. But be aware, it’s hot and humid, it’s smelly and it’s long. There’s an awesome, fast downhill entrance into the tunnel followed by a long flat and then, inevitably, a long slow climb out. Bugger! And then there is an even longer and slower steep overpass that takes you onto a suburban highway that leads you up and over a series of rolling hills and into the entrance to Mt. Coot-tha. So the tunnel ride is a fast buzz that is paid for by multiple steep slow hard hills. Worth it! but only just :-) lol.

Mt Coot-tha is the tallest hill in the Brisbane area, with a 2.35km 9degree constant incline. I walked part of the way as my mind told me I wasn’t able to ride it. In hindsight, if I’d been more mentally resilient I probably would have made it, I was just impatient and did not have enough confidence in my ability and capacities. I will learn from this, and I’m sure I will be able to ride the whole way next time. (I’ll try again in a couple of months, just for fun). Interestingly, my hiking fitness is such that even when pushing the bike uphill I was still walking fast enough to overtake quite a few slow riders.

At the top there are a series of small rolling hills that are a surprise (more up hills damn it) and then there is a long downhill run starting at the City Lookout. With the road closed to all traffic it’s possible to ride safely fast although I rode the brakes all the way down. Again, my lack of confidence on the road bike came through- I’m sure I would have gone faster on the MTB with its wider wheels. Still I was hitting speeds of 60kph so parts were fast!

Finally I was at the bottom of Mt Coot-tha so I could relax and enjoy an easy 50km ride back to the start.

Nope. A good ride back but certainly not easy. Brisbane is built on a river (the Brisbane River) and today’s course meandered through the river suburbs, or more accurately up and down the river suburbs. It was fun having a full police and volunteer support through the streets (much safer) and it was great seeing the varying Brisbane home architecture- including awesome Queenslanders AND it was fun going through suburbs I’d only heard of. But what was not fun was the constant grind up hills for four hours. Why are the up hills so much longer than down? Why have I not trained for this?

Actually I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Not fun, but enjoyable. Although I was slow, and walked a bit, I realised I was much fitter than last year, and my riding skills have improved immeasurably. With one ride under my belt, and a bit more specific training I will be better next year.

I’m glad I did the ride, I saw lots, experienced the Clem 7 tunnel on bike and saw a great Brisbane sunrise. I enjoyed the full ride- even Mt Coot-tha and all the other hills, and I learnt a lot about hills and my current fitness level.

So all up, a very good day out. I'm looking forward to putting the lessons I learnt into practice and doing it much better next year. I'm also looking forward to boringeveryone I know with tales of the Mt Coot=tha Challenge of 2010. Be warned! lol.

More later, journey on
James

Word Count = 942

Good Motivation

2010-03-30T14:24:00.000+10:00

Written Friday 19th March

Today was supposed to be an ‘easy’ day to get ready for Sunday’s Brisbane Bike Ride. I woke up with a head full of sinus so I walked the hills and felt much better. I stuck to my plan and resisted the urge to run home, and just enjoyed a brisk morning walk. I spent a few hours in town with Shirl, including a big lunch of veal scaloppini and when I got home I had a nice sleep on the lounge. Quite a deep sleep that lasted about an hour – a result of too big a lunch, I think; big meals sap your energy, as the stomach demands lots of energy to process the food that’s just sitting there.

Anyway when I woke up I was really sleepy, hot and sweaty and cranky. Everything was annoying me and I thought about cancelling the planned afternoon stepper session and continue to ‘lounge on the lounge’. Eventually I realised I would probably feel better after a hard gym session. It was a little hard to convince myself but eventually I got up and got dressed.

So I went to the gym, did a really hard workout and felt much better afterwards. My instincts were right and I must remember this- If I feel cranky or out of sorts, go for a hard session, and my attitude will improve.

Two other things occurred to me during this session =

I thought I was working hard on the stepper at a steady pace on Level 10 until some-one got on the stepper beside me and went faster than me, so I went faster to keep up. I ran out of breath but I realised I wasn’t working hard enough. In future I need to go faster, at least for part of the session (ie interval training)- find my threshold level at least once each session, and spend most of the session in Zone 2 (slightly breathless)

The other thing that came to mind was the idea of ‘just do it’ – when feeling unmotivated, just go do the session even if it’s not as hard as planned. When base training, it’s better to do something than nothing- the key is consistency. What’s more, when you are out there doing your session, what starts out as easy quickly reverts to the usual intensity. (This happens with my weight sessions regularly)
I’ll be interested to see how today’s session affects Sunday’s ride – my plan was to have an easy day of exercise but I think I went harder than I should have. Never mind, some good lessons were learnt so I’m happy with the results.

More later, journey on
James

Word Count - 439

Country Bike Ride- Oakey

2010-03-30T10:52:00.000+10:00

Written Sunday 21st February 2010

A most enjoyable day.

One of the great benefits of this adventure is the way my employment and my dreams can work together. My dream is to travel to places all over Australia for my work, and while there, to enjoy a training run or ride. I've already done this in many places and I love the variety it adds to my training. I also love what I get to see and do. If life is a combination of experiences then I've led a full life! The opportunity to travel through some magnificent country inspires and energises me and I am constantly looking forward to, and planning, the next 'event'. I've run through the canefields in Childers, the arid zones of Charleville, ran to the top of Castle Hill in Townsville, hiked around Dove Lake in Tasmania and ridden the back roads of NSW, NT, the country roads of the Biloela valley and ridden the steep hills and gorgeous scenery of East Coast Tasmania. I'm a lucky man. And there's more to come!

Today I had another opportunity. I'm delivering two days corporate training at a minesite in Oakey in country Queensland tomorrow and Tuesday so I drove to the town earlier today. I took the bike and enjoyed a lovely ride around the outskirts of this small mining town in the western foothills of the Great Dividing Range. I could have gone for my usual Sunday morning ride around home but why not spread my winds a bit?

Beautiful countryside after recent rain, with not much dust and plenty of great rural scenes to enjoy. The town is in a small valley on the west of the mountains so the roads either look over a huge flattish plains towards Dalby, the Darling Downs to the south or back towards the mountains in the East and the North. Its cattle and farming country so lots of farms, gum trees, country fences and ploughed fields providing patchwork vistas.

It was a lazy Sunday afternoon, quiet, with a nice air temp and not much breeze. Well, at least for some of the time.... At one stage I was 'flying' down a country road, the slight uphills were not trouble, the view magnificent, and the downhills fast. Boy was I flying, must be getting really fit. Eventually I decided I'd gone far enough so I turned around to come home.... and hit a solid headwind. Where did that come from? Explains why it was so easy going out- I'd been getting the free ride from the wind. Bugger!

So the ride back was not so fast but it was still good, and the whole experience was invigorating. There's nothing quite like being on a quiet country road with just the sound of the bike and the occasional half-awake bovine to keep you company. Sounds corny, but the wind in your hair (?- helmut??), the sun on your face, the wide open spaces- they make for a very special ride. Inspirational. Mother Earth rocks!

Got back to town, and still feeling inspired, I rode around and checked out the homes and other points of interest. An old town, a small town and a specific purpose town (accommodation for the mine, a nearby military helicopter base and a power station) so not much to see but still- an interesting and different way to spend a Sunday afternoon training. Fully pumped by the time I got back to the motel.

Dinner in the nearby pub afterwards - a excellently cooked locally grown steak with soggy steamed veges. After a great ride, everything tastes great.

The ‘Improbable Dream’ adventure is not just about completing challenging events to prove my fitness to myself and to find myself through difficulties. It’s also about enjoying myself as much as possible. Days like today are highlights of the journey. I love them, they make me feel alive, close to nature and inspired. To use a much used cliche, they are truly 'AWESOME!!!!!'.

More later, journey on.....
James

Word Count – 661

On the way to the first major goal

2010-03-20T09:43:00.000+10:00

Written at 20th February 2010

I‘m happy. Today I did a half marathon on the treadmill within the required time of 3hours. It’s a start – still a long way to go but it’s a start. And it’s a good feeling.

Surprisingly it’s not as boring as I expected. The gym’s got new gear so it’s possible to watch TV – both cable and commercial- and to also keep yourself amused by checking heart rate etc. My interest changed a bit over the three hours. Sometimes I listened to the news on Sky Channel, at other times to triathlete podcasts or music on my i-pod. But after a while, when the going got tough I tuned out and went inside my body and my own head. Tried not to think too much, just tried to find a meditative zone. I repeated my usual mantra; one word for each footfall - ‘relaxed, smooth, every- step-counts’ and just tried to get into an unstoppable body and mind set. It didn’t work but it was interesting trying. I’m sure I’ll get better with more practice.

Towards the end of the 3 hours I again found out how the body can achieve a lot more than we realise. For a while I was thinking about stopping at 2 hours, then 2 1/2 hours. I actually found all sorts of crazy reasons to stop, including the most ridiculous- I really really really have to get to my mother-in-law’s for morning tea. Bloody hell, my mind can create some weird thoughts when it thinks it’s tired. On reflection, I probably should have re-fuelled at this stage; perhaps a carb gel would have made me feel different.

Found my second wind when I realised I was not far off 21kms. And that’s the thing –I got worried I wouldn’t get to 21ks in the regulation 3 hours so I pushed the kph up to 8kph and finished the sessions really strongly. Much stronger than 15 minutes earlier. At the 2 ½ hour mark I thought I was done, and then I found a new source of go-juice within me. Go figure!

It’s all in my mind. After thinking about quitting, my mind found a new way to frame the challenge then found a whole lot of new energy within. So once again I learnt the body can do a lot more than the mind thinks it can. (Training Principle #3) A very interesting and satisfying session.

I also think there’s some things I should learn about what I need to do to get stronger and fitter. Now that I know I can do the distance within the regulation time, I need to get more consistency to my run/walk training (a combination of short and hard, and long and slow) and also more speed (increase my total running time using fartlek concepts). After that, I’ll have to bring on hill work to increase my aerobic capacity and my ability to complete a half marathon in road conditions.

In short, my plan for improving my fitness for the half marathon needs to include –
• Short regular runs to build running aerobic fitness – eg. plan to run every day, using fartlek concepts ie some running some walking over 2.5ks then 5ks until I can run the whole distance fast.
• Regular long workouts on the treadmill again using fartlek principles to improve speed over the distance; probably one long session each week.
• Do some hill work occasionally to start preparing my body for real life road half-marathon
• Occasionally get outside and do the distance in ‘real life’
• Work out how to fuel my body properly over 3 hours.

Lots to do, and as always, lots to learn

More later, journey on
James

Word count - 611

Weight Training Plan starts to show results

2010-03-14T15:16:00.000+10:00

Written 16th February 2010

My new weight training regime is working well. Initially I was doing low weights and high reps with the goal of just getting my body used to the resistance training. Now I’ve moved into a more ‘Body for Life’ process –

• a warm up set of reasonable weight 12-15 reps
• a middle set of high weights 8-12 reps at maximum effort then
• a third set of a weight that is currently too heavy- its my aspirational set, designed to shock my muscles into growth. This last set is often only a couple of reps or even ½ reps but involves an all out ‘exhausting’ effort. It feels great every time!

I’ve been increasing the weights for each set quite quickly over the last few weeks and it’s starting to show results, on paper and when I look in the mirror.

The other thing is I’ve been nice to myself. My commitment to my Weight Training program is to go and do a session even if I don’t feel like it. I’ve written previously that I will do a set even if it’s not a hard one – If I’m tired and unmotivated, I do an easy session just so I stick to my commitment.

This is working- I’ve completed my sessions regularly and even the ones where I don’t feel like doing them usually ends up being a good session once I start. Once I get into it, it feels a bit silly to waste my time on a soft session so I generally end up going quite hard.

I’m sure it will be a while before I start seeing really good results from my weight training, but I’ve started – and I’m pleased.

More later, journey on...
James

Word Count - 284

Struggling to get my weight down

2010-03-14T14:05:00.000+10:00

Written 16th February 2010

One area that still needs work is my Diet and Daily ‘Fuel’ Intake. Today was my usual weigh-in day and the result was not good – I’ve put on 0.4kg in a week. Admittedly it was the Easy Week but it’s still annoying. It is taking forever to get my weight down to the target 83kgs even though I’m sure my overall plan is working. With a week of home cooking and lots of exercise I’m sure I will lose the extra weight this week.

But I think I need to be a bit smarter about it all. In particular, I need to think about ‘Cause and Effect’. Lots of issues come to mind but one that highlights what I am talking about is; what effect does my lunch consumption have on my day. i.e. what am I doing at lunch (cause) that results in me being so hungry at 4pm (effect). Am I not eating enough at lunch or am I eating the wrong stuff? So I need to not only think about what I am eating at 4pm but also at 12.00. And this Cause and Effect thinking is a key part of every meal. Is my overall eating plan ‘adding up’ to success throughout the whole day. I don’t know the answer but it is something to think about and resolve.

A couple of high level thoughts that I need to remember –
• Weight loss comes from daily calories expended exceeding calories consumed.
• Protein fills you up
• Good Carbs give you energy
• Avoid empty calories
• Delete trans fats from the diet totally
• Small portion sizes, regularly consumed is the key

Perhaps lunch should contain more protein and a whole heap of salad or veges. Maybe I need more of a ‘meal’ at lunchtime? Certainly all exercise sessions should be high energy to consume calories.

As I say, something to think about. A lunch meal is worth a try, I think.

My main approach to food remains ‘Paleo’ – Raw and Small. (Raw means close to the source i.e. very little processing between the food growing and being consumed. It doesn’t mean it can’t be cooked!!).

More later, journey on...
James

Word Count - 360

Motivation brings success

2010-03-14T13:54:00.000+10:00

Written 16th February 2010

Today’s Exercise notes - Great two hour non-stop steady treadmill. Completed the time with a total distance of 15kms for an average of 7.5kph. This is pretty much the minimum average kph for the 1/2 marathon so a pleasing result with room for immediate improvement.

A very enjoyable journey today. I love this challenge!

I woke up realising I had a time trial ahead of me; how far can I ‘walk’ in two hours on a treadmill. My plan was to set a high average pace and do my best to maintain that pace over 120 minutes.

I was excited about this..... and then it got even better! Over a great breakfast of muesli, seeds and yoghurt I watched some You Tubes of endurance races in the UK. By the time I got to the gym I was visualising myself completing them, and I was ready for anything. Endurance James was ready to cut loose.

It worked. During the two hours on the treadmill I visualised various mountain courses, and this helped me to power through the hard parts.The distance covered is my best 'fast walking' distance so far.

It worked so well it’s now a tactic I might employ often; from what I can see, there are lots of videos on You Tube to watch over brekkie. Hopefully I will find them equally motivating. I have a lot of improvement required in my running and cycling so any help will be most welcome, especially in my motivation during the coming cold winter months.

Anyway it was great fun ‘seeing’ myself powering up and down the mountains of Europe and then it was fun enjoying the results of the workout. I feel confident my times and distances will improve quickly so overall, a most enjoyable journey today.

More later, journey on...
James

Word Count - 283

Thoughts on Motivation and Physical Strength

2010-03-13T12:14:00.000+10:00

Written 14th February 2010

What an usual week; It was an 'Easy Week' of exercise; I prepared for and participated in an important work-related phone interview for a potential large contract that will be life-altering if I get it; and we had a wonderfully relaxing surfing weekend away. Certainly a different week from normal.

Anyway, it all combined to give me plenty of time to reflect on the journey so far. And I can tell you - It's been a rollercoaster ride.

With no training to eat up the daily hours, I started the week by driving to the Mt Coot-tha Lookout overlooking Brisbane to suss out the upcoming Mt Coot-tha Bike Ride, an 80km bike ride around-the-city including a 2.3km 9% timed climb up to the Lookout and down again. It's a steep climb and it was quite depressing to realise how far my fitness still has to go. I saw lots of riders struggling on the way up (but getting there!) and a few coming down looking very much like 'real' bike riders. I doubt I could do it and that shocked me- I felt shattered to realise how far I have to go before I am at a starting point of endurance riding and other such events. All sorts of people ride and run this hill and I am a long way behind them; and that's after three months of consistent training. Bugger!

On the good side, our weekend surfing showed me how much fitter I have become. And when I weighed myself, I had lost more weight. All good.

Also on the positive side my motivation is high and I am committed to my goals. I have stuck to my new eating plan, I have trained consistently and I have worked hard ; All things to celebrate. I have to remember the small steps forward that I take and celebrate the small wins. I also have to realise my age, and my former life stlye are issues that will take time to overcome.

So, a roller coaster ride of emotions. On reflection, it's a straight forward case of being a long way from 'fit and strong' but closer than I was a month ago. So I need to maintain a positive attitude. As the Buddha says, a journey of a thousand miles starts with the first step.

This week its back to training so more 'small steps' each day/ session. I must stay positive, and believe all these small steps will eventually add up to a strong starting point for becoming an endurance athlete. I just need to be patient. And consistent.

Overall, when you add it all up, it's all good.

More later, journey on.....
James

Word Count - 395

A Weekend Away during Easy Week

2010-03-11T21:32:00.000+10:00

Written 13th February 2010

My wife Shirl and I are in Caloundra, staying at a flat overlooking the surf beach, and we are having a ball. It’s been a great day.

We got up earlyish- about 6.00 – and took a long walk along the coast as the sun came up along Kings Beach. Took some photos, had a chat and a nice time. Afterwards had a body surf (sore arms after yesterday’s surf) then enjoyed a coffee at Happy Valley that seemed to me at the time to be the best coffee I’d ever tasted. We watched the surf, the boats and the early morning crowd while lazing over our brilliant coffees. OK, so perhaps I was just in a ridiculously good mood but who cares. It was a good coffee and a spectacular start to the day.

The day didn’t stop there....Back to the flat for a quick shower then down to the Kings Beach for an awesome breakfast of corn fritters, green tomatoes and creme freche. Yum. Brilliant. RAving about how good it is... Obviously still in a great mood but it does raise the question- Why is a damn good breakfast so rare??

Another long surf after brekkie, including catching some surprisingly good waves (for someone who hasn’t surfed for over a decade!) and showing off to Shirl who spent most of the time sitting on the beach, doing her 'beach babe' thing. It was good to realise how much fitter I am now. I still need more strength in my arms and my overall aerobic fitness needs more work but there’s no doubt I am fitter than before.

Another great meal for lunch, this time in the town square helped the day just get better – Fresh made tuna burger with fresh salad and a ice-cold Berry Smoothie, some easy company an a relaxed read of the local paper was great preperation for a lazy snooze back at the flat.

In the afternoon I went for a long easy walk along the riverfront and enjoyed the laid back coastal ambience and the spectacular views of the river and the mountains (it really is a gorgeous place) while cruising to some Marley regaggae on the i-pod. Everything was just great. I occasionally thought happily of my last few weeks of training and what I had achieved. The whole walk was relaxing and frankly, invigorating. Certainly a nice change from the usual long Saturday bike ride.

Sunset drinks on the balcony overlooking the surf, a walk along the beachfront and a chinese meal of Schezuan Prawns, Scallops, Pork Ribs and Duck for Chinese New Year 2010. I even broke the drought and had a few beers and a couple of glasses of wine. The company was great- our friends talked about their trip through China in the early ‘90s and made us laugh.

It was a wonderful night to finish off a great day of relaxing during my Easy Week. Best of all I lived the ‘Easy Week’ dream and this made me feel good about myself and my achievements to date– some good food but not too much, a lot of enjoyable and not taxing cross-training, a heap of relaxation and a bit of celebration. It seemed like just rewards for the hard work of recent weeks.

I reckon I should do more of this! Can’t wait for tomorrow.

More later, journey on
James

Word Count - 517

Learning to enjoy the Easy Week of training

2010-03-11T18:05:00.000+10:00

Written 8th February 2010

After weeks of hard training, it’s a time to rest my body AND my mind. It’s time for A Week Off.

The base training phase is a time to push myself, a time to find new limits. This means it’s necessary to have a week off occasionally to rest and refresh. These so-called ‘Easy Weeks’ are also a good time to reflect on what I am trying to achieve and how I am going.

From what I’ve read, ‘Easy Weeks’ are important. As pro-triathlete John Hirsch says about training plans on his blog “We are a pool of gasoline and with a spark of motivation we can burn ourselves up pretty fast. I keep telling people to relax, be patient and let it come. Our fitness is thin this early on, and we often can’t do what we wish we could do…just yet.’ So we must let our body catch up every now and then. We need the body to relax, to rest, to rebuild and to refresh. A good week off training is critical to this process.

There are a few things to keep in mind during Easy Week. Firstly, any exercise
should be for fun only. No timed runs or rides, no demanding workouts, no scheduled commitments. The only exercise is relaxed cross-training, just for fun.

Secondly, with little exercise each day, the total food intake must be controlled- or even reduced- to ensure body weights doesn’t blow out. This is not the time for lots of food and drink. Some, yes – just not too much.

Despite this, it’s also important to find ways to ‘celebrate’ throughout the week. The best way to do this is to reflect and enjoy what has been achieved over the last few weeks, to reflect and enjoy the journey so far, and to just enjoy not having to exercise for a week. It’s time for fun, for rest, for doing different stuff from the normal regime. Yep, it’s party time.

More later. Journey on...
James

Word Count - 347

Training for the 1/2 Marathon in July

2010-03-11T17:58:00.000+10:00

Written 7th February 2010

A key goal this year is to complete a half marathon. The cut off time for the 21kms is 3 hours. This is good news because I’ve walked this distance many times in around 3 hours so I am sure I can complete the challenge by fast-walking. But that’s not good enough- I have to train myself to run it.

I’ll have to do it in an organised way, and to build up slow and steady yet deliberately. My plan will have me peaking at just the right time for the Gold Coast Half Marathon in July. Like I did with the bike, I will have to run and walk lots of miles and be looking for constant improvement- consistent, constant improvement, patience but always pushing forward.

I have to be careful of my damaged knee so I think the gym is the best place to start. Hard fast bike riding will also help my breathing and my endurance. And the cross- trainer will take my legs and my lungs to new levels. I also need to add progressively longer road runs to my schedule.

This is not all. My other goals for this year include the 220km bike ride ‘Around in the Bay in a Day’ and a short triathlon in the Spring or Summer. So I need to do run training while still maintaining/ improving my bike fitness and also working on strengthening my core. Talk about the time management issues of distance athletes!

According to Triathlon and Cycling magazines and books, the fitness required for these goals is varied. Triathletes need aerobic endurance, explosive power (to respond to the needs of steep hills, normal demands of racing, big finishes etc) and core body strength. Also needed, especially for the long endurance events, is good body balance and coordination. And it’s important to think about the areas of the body that are most prone to injury during endurance training and events. These areas need to be strengthened not only to improve performance but also to minimise the risk of injury. This includes the core body, the back and the key muscles involved in running, swimming and cycling.

So I have to balance a whole range of training requirements – weights, fast bike, long bike, interval and fartlek runs, long hikes, Step Machine, Rest and Recovery and Diet. Quite a challenge.

Here’s my initial plan for managing all these requirements. As much as possible, I will train twice a day, with a day off on Fridays. I will also continue to work on losing the extra kilos I am carrying by aiming for a daily maximum of 8,500kilojules intake against two hours of hard exercise.

Mon – Fast Bike/ BRICK in morning then Weights in afternoon
Tues – Interval Run on treadmill in morning then Hills or cross trainer in afternoon
Wed – Long Bike then Weights in afternoon
Thurs – Interval Run and cross trainer in afternoon
Fri – Rest Day
Sat- Long Hike
Sun - Long Bike (or race where possible), Weights in afternoon

What a good plan.

More later, journey on...
James

Word Count - 500

Managing food and exercise at work

2010-03-04T21:57:00.000+10:00

Written 2nd February 2010

Damn, a tougher day today after such a good start yesterday.

I now realise I must plan my food intake for the whole day, otherwise I end up eating crap. I work as a Corporate Trainer so there's lots of food provided on each work day; food like scones, jam and cream, fresh-made biscuits,sausage rolls etc etc. All the stuff my sweet tooth LOVES to eat.

I need to plan every food break, especially morning tea which is when I got the most hungry, and therefore tempted. I think the best thing to do is to take nuts and seeds to work, or maybe peanut butter sandwiches. Basically good stuff that's easy to eat and is as appealling as the yummy stuff at work.

I didn't do the hills this morning (as planned)because I was tired after yesterday's first day back. I was worried about falling asleep at work. It seems it will take some time to work out how to balance work, exercise and diet.

A tough day but lots of learning.

More later, journey on....
James

Word Count - 181

Mixing work and exercise

2010-03-04T21:40:00.000+10:00

Written 1st February 2010

I'm very pleased with myself today. On my first day back at work I still managed to exercise twice- once before, then another great session after work.

I also resisted the standard 'corporate training' food and had a good day of calorie intake. It will be interestiing to see how the motivation holds up as the year progresses but it sure is a good start!

I also weighed myself today. More good news - now down to 92.6kgs (from 108). Still >7kgs to go but its going well. Plenty for me to be happy about.

More later, journey on...

James

Word Count - 95

The Trouble with Rest Days...

2010-03-04T21:36:00.000+10:00

Written 31st January 2010

Lots of things on my mind today. Total rest days are like that- too much time on your hands. Its a forced rest. I’m off to work tomorrow after a few months off. For the last few months I’ve been focused on improving my fitness but now I have to turn my mind and energies to my ‘other’ passion. I’ve decided to rest all day today to ensure I am ready to earn a quid tomorrow.

So work is on my mind. I have to admit it’s a little hard to start thinking about anything other than exercise, diet, recovery, my goals etc. but alas, it has to happen. After all, it’s important to keep a good balance in life.

Actually I think this is a key aspect of being an endurance athlete. I need to keep a laser-like focus on my endurance goals while also keeping a good balance between work and exercise. Now that it’s time to go back to work it will be interesting to see how successful I am at balancing the different expectations. I’m sure this is a key part of the overall jigsaw of the life of an endurance athlete; not just the time management, tiredness and motivation aspects but also the ability to truly balance two competing goals. I will look forward to learning how this will work in my life. In Buddhist terms, I will need to be ‘mind-ful’ of my thoughts and actions to ensure I achieve a true balance. Should be fun!

Also on my mind is food. Daily Calorie Intake to be exact. When I don’t have scheduled exercise time in my day I tend to fill in the hours by eating more. But this is not good. On ‘normal’ days I have to be vigilant and focused on total calories consumed, and I need to be even more careful on days when I’m not burning them off. All this extra time makes it hard - especially when I go to the movies and get tempted by lots of yummies. (Thankfully I resisted!)

I saw the film ‘Invictus’ today and two great quotes struck me –
- I am master of my own destiny and
- I am master of my own soul.

Apparently it’s what Nelson Mandela kept in his mind when he was incarcerated for all those years. These thoughts have big implications for distance athletes, and therefore for me. These simple statements bring lots of thoughts, for example it says to me ‘if it is to be, it’s up to me’. It also says ... It’s all in my mind, it’s an attitude thing, no-one else can or will determine my fate, what I can conceive I can achieve etc etc. I know, I know there’s a heap of clichés here but I’m sure they will ‘all ring true’ when ‘the going gets tough’ Oops, can’t help myself, ‘I’m on a roll’. Enough, stop it. :-)

My thoughts also turned to my performance in my training lately. I’m still in a base training phase yet I can feel what’s happening. It’s obvious from my previous athletic attempts (or whatever they should be more accurately titled) and from my current performances that I will never be a world beater, even in my age group. But I need to ignore this and stay clear in my own mind of what I am doing – and it’s not to be a world beater.

This journey is a very personal journey, a voyage to experience life to the full, to find a better world through endurance, and to find the real me by pushing myself beyond my limits. It’s not about beating records, or beating anyone else. It’s about finding myself.

It’s easy to get side-tracked – and even de-motivated- when I compare my current performances with the racing times and achievements I read in magazines. I need to see those times as benchmarks only, and to focus on what’s important. That is, my physical, mental and spiritual strength, and the development of personal skills in each discipline.

So, far too much on my mind today. Good thoughts, yes- but I think I prefer the training days.

More later, journey on

James

Word Count - 697

Updated Training Plan 28 Jan 10

2010-03-04T21:31:00.000+10:00

Written 28th January 2010

It started in January, and stopped in March! I was so inspired by my efforts in last year’s 100km Brisbane to the Gold Coast bike ride I started to put long ks on the bike to prepare for the annual 100km Glen Innes Mountain Sportif . Now that it’s less than a month away I know I have not done enough hill work to do it justice. So I’ve decided to forget it for now. Maybe next year.

Actually I think this is good because I am starting to worry I am not putting enough in to prepare myself for my major goal of the Gold Coast Half Marathon in July. I am still recovering from last year’s knee disaster so the truth of the matter is I am less ‘run-fit’ than this time last year. I can hike a long way but running is both slow and short.

What to do? Well firstly, I can’t lose what I’ve gained. I need to maintain my bike fitness by continuing the twice-a-week 90 minute fast ride/ BRICK sessions designed to improve my average kph. The numbers are straight forward – If I can average 30kph I will ride about 45kms in 90 minutes. I also need to continue to put plenty of long Ks in each week so I’ll have to put at least one long ride each week.

But I need to do more than just work at improving my bike average and logging long rides. I have to start putting some serious work into my running fitness, and I need to prepare my total body for the stresses I will be subjecting them to.

This can’t be a ‘hope and pray’ plan. I need to ensure I have specific targets that provide the base for the long term journey. Not sure what the targets are yet but these are the areas involved –

1. Bike riding - base training for ‘Around the Bay in a Day’ and future Triathlons. Maybe find another bike ride locally to complete and train towards it.
2. Weights – build an overall strong body using the ‘Body for Life’ system to guard against injury and to prepare for future swimming and kayaking requirements.
3. ½ Marathon Running – build leg strength, aerobic endurance, distance running technique. Again, maybe find a couple of local runs to complete – perhaps 10kers or something.

Every training session will have to address at least one of these issues. As well, I need to develop clear goals and a specific training plan.

The one question that remains is – how will the knee hold up?

Lots to think about.

More later, journey on....
James

Word Count - 464

A wannabe Endurance Athlete....

2010-03-02T21:22:00.000+10:00

Written 25th January 2010

Today’s stats on bike riding – 55.52mins, 24.13kms, 25.9kph.

Thanks to my current work situation, I have regular days off during the week for the next couple of months so I’m very lucky – I get to live the life of a pro athlete for a bit longer. haha. Kind of true I guess.... really its just the way you look at it. :-)

One things for sure - At the moment I have the opportunity to exercise twice a day, relax and recuperate in between training sessions and spend the balance of the day learning how to fuel my body correctly. I am immensely thankful for this rare opportunity to build a solide base level of fitness without having to fit it in between heavy work commitments. I'm going to make sure I use this time wisely.

Today was a good day- A really fast bike session as part of a brick session then in the afternoon, a hard and honest weight session. A good food day too. How good do I feel!!!!

Today's results build on the hard work of the last few days so the plan seems to be coming togather - From what I can see from the stats and with how I feel it seems I am really am getting fitter and stronger, if ever so slowly. Still a long way to go but getting better.

Best of all, its nice to know I am using my time as a ‘pro-athlete’ wisely and effectively

More later, journey on....

James

Word Count - 193

More insights into the mind of an Endurance Athlete during ½ marathon hike

2010-03-02T20:38:00.000+10:00

Written 23rd January 2010

Today I power-walked/ ran 21kms, the distance of a ½ marathon. Left home on a hot summer’s morning @ 5.30am to beat the heat and completed the course in a non-stop time of 2hrs 58mins, a very pleasing average of 7kph. I went from my home to Cleveland Point and back – an out-and- back, mainly flat course.

My goals for the sessions were –
1. Continue to prepare my body for 3 hours continuous exercise
2. Convince myself I could complete a half-marathon within the required time by power-walking (as my fall-back position during this year’s ½ marathon)
3. Get a starting point for my marathon training.

I achieved my goals and I was very happy with the outcome. I ran 5 minutes each ½ hour then walked the rest. Pace was up and down but this will improve as fitness increases. I’m also pleased how well the body pulled up – no problems at all! (note –very tired the next day after a hard week of continuous training)

The big lesson I learnt from this activity was once again about the mind- what some people say is the most important muscle. And I agree!.

So what did I learn?

Well firstly, everything is relative. When I first walked to Cleveland Pt it was a really long way. Now, after hiking 46kms twice recently, 21ks is just a training run. Lesson – To put distances into perspective, train for higher kilometres than the event; Convince the mind the distance is not an issue.

Secondly, pain is largely in the mind. During the run my knee hurt and, interestingly, for the first time ever, the pads on my feet hurt.( I guess this will happen as I run more Ks). I also felt very tired during the second hour. Yet when it was all over, my knees and pads felt fine and my body was not overly tired. So despite what my mind was telling me during the session, I had plenty left within me. Lesson – don’t listen to the mind when it tells me of minor irritations and discomforts or when it presents excuses disguised as pain. I should however, be aware of real pain. I think it’s a case of listening to my body and understand what it’s telling me.... and NOT listening to the bad voices in my head.

So today was a good day - some good lessons learnt, and one very pleasing training outcome achieved. I am happy.

More later, journey on.....
James

Word count - 432

Negative Splits on the bike/ The BRICKS continue

2010-03-02T20:20:00.000+10:00

Written 22nd January 2010

A good, short yet fast road bike ride this morning, followed by a run. The ride was 30 minutes with the first 20 minutes very fast. At one stage my average was above 27kph and I had visions of finally getting to an average of 30kph one day. Rode hard around Wello Point and along the waterfront until just around the bend on the Keys, had a short breather up to ‘Woolies’, then home. Eventual average for the short course was a Personal Best of 25.8kph over 31 minutes.

A good place to start working on my overall average. One thing I need to do is think about ‘negative splits’. This is when the second half of the ride is faster than the first half. I also need to ride fast for 90 minutes, not just 31 minutes. Both issues are fitness related and will come in time if I continue to push myself hard over these short rides.

So from now on, for the fast bike session/ BRICK sessions I will leave nothing in ‘the tank’. Exhaust myself, to build speed and distance.

For the Fast Rides it will now always be a simple case of ‘Go hard, or go home!’

After the bike ride I made a quick transition to a new shirt, no cycling nixs and the right shoes then out the door to do the 4 Hills. This was great – ran freely off the bike for 2 minutes then power walked for 27 minutes (including bounding up the hills) then ran the 5 minutes to home. How powerful is that! Awesome effort, felt great!!

What’s more, another practice run of a BRICK session. A very powerful day although tired afterwards. An hour of high energy, sport–specific training. Good!

More later, journey on.....

James

Word Count - 287

When it comes to weight sessions, ‘just do it’.

2010-03-02T19:44:00.000+10:00

Written 21st January 2010

First weight session for ages today, mainly due to a sore back last week. This is not good enough. At my age I need to be constantly strengthening my core and my other muscles to minimise the risk of injury and to provide a good physical base for achieving my goals. I also need to tighten everything up so it looks better, and doesn’t sag quite so much.

So I have to find a strategy to overcome my soft mind when it comes to weight sessions. Here’s what I will do.....

Every time I have a weight session scheduled, I will complete at least one full circuit, and I wont worry about the heaviness of the weights ..... that will be my only commitment to myself. I will physically go through the motions even if I don’t do anything hard or worthwhile, light weights are OK if I don’t feel like pushing myself.

This is not a great solution, but the mere effort of going to the gym and doing some weights will be enough to get me started. The fact I will allow a soft effort will eliminate whatever excuses my mind can devise for me to not go in the first place. It will become a habit and from there, I can start doing some good work on the weights.

So there you have it- no more excuses! Time to do some weights.

More later, journey on...

James

Word Count - 258

Mindful Thoughts on a 100km Bike Ride

2010-03-02T19:29:00.000+10:00

Written 20th January 2010

Training Log 20/1 – Mountain bike, 99.72kms @ 20.6kph, 71rpm average- a long slow tough ride with poor fuel intake, including several unhelpful sugar highs. Some energy sapping sprints early in the ride. Very hot, physically draining. A dumb day of riding, but achieved the 100km goal.

This journey is as much about the mind as anything else. And today was a hard day in my mind.

The good news is I won, I beat my mind. Or perhaps more accurately, I didn’t let the bad voices in my head beat the good voices. Here’s what happened and what I learnt.....

After the social and emotional excitement of my birthday yesterday, I woke early with lots of doubts in my mind; all the usual – work, customers, money, whether I was ever going to get fit enough, and (of course)... should I go for my planned long ride. The last two were doubts encouraged by sore legs courtesy of yesterday’s BRICK training/ fast ride.

Anyway I had a coffee in bed with Shirl then talked myself into going for the ride. All this procrastination meant I went for the ride without a decent breakfast (just an apple and a coffee). It also meant I started out with two thoughts in my mind; one, I’m scheduled to do 100ks today and two, I may only go for a short while, we’ll see how it goes.

Surprisingly, the first two hours went really well – Along the foreshore of Moreton Bay; Wellington Point, Cleveland Point, Victoria Point for an average of 23.5kph including a long fast energy-draining but exhilarating blast into Cleveland Point.

That’s when the trouble kicked in. I’d exhausted myself with the fast blast and it quickly became difficult to finish the long ride. I couldn’t get the legs to go fast, it was bloody hot, I kept stopping to get food and Staminade into me (I was hoping sports drinks would re-energise me). No luck. I was so tired, for the first time ever I walked for a while a couple of times. I stopped and rested more often than previously, which made me feel unfit and fat, and added to the voices in my head.

Anyway, despite all this I eventually convinced my mind to keep going, and even to ride past home and add another 20ks just to achieve the 100k target. So despite being slow, and with lots of stops and rest, and without proper nutrition, I eventually completed the 100ks, and in a reasonable time overall. Good on me!!

So what does this teach me? –

1. Use my mental strength and a focus on my goals to stay positive when my mind is being negative. Trust in the good side of my mind, and recognise the bad side for what it is.
2. When in doubt, just go out and do it. Some days will be strong days, some weak but whatever don’t let the bad voices win. ‘Just do it’!!!
3. Always prepare / consume proper nutrition. Don’t rely on sugars/ lollies or even Staminade.
4. Set strong goals for each ride –try to avoid soft options like “I’ll go for as long as I can today”
5. This is a long long journey. Some days it will feel like I am tilting at windmills, and other days I will see real progress. Regardless, all of it makes up the journey, and so it is there I must focus- find the fun, search out the lessons, enjoy the small and the large incremental increases, and learn to use my body and my mind to achieve strong goals. Learn from everything.

The main overall lesson from today? Enjoy every moment within the journey, love both the good and the bad, remember to enjoy the whole experience, and respect my body - prepare the mind and body properly before long rides.

And never, ever listen to the bad voices in my head.

More later.... journey on!
James

Word Count - 673

Timeline of this blog

2010-03-01T11:37:00.000+10:00

I started writing entries into a notebook a month or so before deciding to post them to a blog (this is my first ever blog - see original post). Over the last month I have been trying to 'catch up', to get all my previous thoughts entered but as of today (1st March) I am still only up to the 20th January. It means I often want to write about what's happened today, yet think I can't because I'm not up-to-date yet. It's starting to get frustrating.

So here's what I will do. I will enter my thoughts in 'real time (ie whenever they enter my head basically :-)) and I will catch up on previous posts whenever I can. This will mean some ideas and 'lessons learnt' will be out of order.

My apologies to anyone who finds it confusing. (if anyone is actually reading these meandering thoughts and trying to make sense of them lol). To minimise confusion, at the top of any 'delayed' posts will be the date I originally wrote it. I hope this helps. Eventually (sooner rather than later hopefully) I will be up-to-date and it will no longer be an issue.

This blog is really for me - it chronicles my own reflection and learning of my journey. If it helps anyone else, great. And sorry for the confusion.

More later, journey on....

Word count - 225

Losing Weight and BRICK runs

2010-02-26T20:37:00.000+10:00

Written 20 January 2010.

My new Paleo based Easting Plan is amazing, especially when combined with my high intensity training plan. The plan is about getting me eating as naturally as possible to give me the energy to achieve my goals. And it works. I feel energised, and the weight is falling off.

Paleo Diets are based on the food cavemen ate when they used to run down woolly mammoths. These days it includes no alcohol, very limited amounts of starch, avoiding anything that's not fresh, avoiding everything that has been processed. I get most of my carbs from fruit and veges, protein from natural resources (in the absence of woolly mammoths, meat and fish are OK!!) and I try to consume no more than 8,500kJs a day etc). In the last 2 weeks I've lost over 2.5kgs. I now weigh 93kgs which is the lightest I've been since 1991. And what's more- I'm now starting to believe I will actually get to my target weight of 83kgs. If I get to this weight I will have lost 25kgs! So far I've lost 15kgs, which is still fantastic.

The loss of the weight has made me realise I need to tighten up my muscles, not just because I will need the strength for the adventures and challenges ahead but also so that my physical image matches my mental picture. Move the flab to muscle, from fat and flabby to lean and mean! Alright! :-) I need to start strength training, and I think it needs to be both weights and swimming. Somehow I now need to include these into my weekly training plan. (Swimming can wait until I've got some strength from weight training - and some money to pay for a swim coach)

BRICK RUNS.

Another thing. To ensure I am getting ready for distance events and other endurance adventures, I've decided to change my fast bike rides into 'brick' runs i.e. immediately after the ride, go for a run. Bike rides are now Bike AND Run!

I started today. After a really strong bike ride (average 25kph over 30 minutes) I changed my bike shirt to a run shirt and walked the hills. No running, and my legs felt sore but its a good start.

I'm looking forward to these BRICK runs. They will teach my body to respond quickly and effortlessly to TRI transitions and also to other types of muscle confusing exercises. I reckon they will also make me incredibly strong!

More later, journey on....

Word count - 409

Lessons of a Fast Bike Ridden Fast.

2010-02-25T21:16:00.000+10:00

Written 18th January.

First ride on the road bike for a couple of months, and boy - was it fast! And it taught me a valuable lesson;

While the bike wants to go fast, for me to make it do so I have to have bike fitness and good riding skill. I will have to approach the bike with a more 'aggressive' attitude than I have in the past. I will now try to 'attack' my bike riding using strength, speed and skill. There's lots I need to work on, including -

- Choose gears that enable me to maintain optimum cadence at all times. Spin, dont grind.
- Improve my riding position to ensure I engage my hips and my buttocks for maximum power and endurance
- Work at increasing my Lactate Threshold so I can maintain a high cadence for longer. Progressively go faster, harder and longer.
- Combine all the above to provide a base for faster and longer hill climb.

So here's my decision for today-

I will always ride the road bike fast. I will always 'attack' my bike rides by committing to high cadence, high average kph, increased lactate thresholds.

I will start off riding short and sharp and build up to fast and long. The objective will be to always achieve fast average kph and a high cadence.

I'm pleased with this decision. Its a good plan, and its a decision that goes towards completing my goal of 'Around the Bay in a Day'

More later, journey on....

Word Count - 256

Me as a Soul Athlete

2010-02-25T20:12:00.000+10:00

Written 14th January 201o

"Do, or dont do. There is no try" Buddhist wisdom from Yoda.

Buddhism says success is in the act of doing and not in some arbitrary definition of success. So if it's not to win races or to complete distance challenges why am I on this journey? What's my purpose?

I heard a story recently about the TV show 'Stargate'. Apparently it's about going through a Stargate into a whole new universe, a place where things look the same but everything is different. To me this is what being a 'soul athlete' is all about...... To really find the true me by going through my own personal stargate of self-imposed mental limitations to arrive at a new reality - my own next realm.

There's an old saying that talks about 'finding the field out beyond where true understanding can be found'. I believe I will find this field of understanding by pushing my body to find new 'stargates' and to pushing my body and mind through them.

This is why I am on this journey. It's also why I have related it to Don Quixote. He, and I, dared to dream of a better world. My 'better world' starts with gaining a true understanding of myself and from there, starting to make sense of the ways things are, and might be.

The concept of 'stargates' to understanding is an exciting combination of buddhism and distance athleticism. It resonates deeply with me and it's why I'm on this journey.

So why am I doing this? Its to find myself, to make some sense out of my life, and to hopefully give it greater meaning.

More later, journey on.

Word count - 279.

The Improbable Dream is a VERY Personal Journey

2010-02-18T19:47:00.000+10:00

Written 13th January 2010.

All this recent time on my own; sweating, swearing, gasping for air, pushing myself to new heights (heights that I alone can see or even dream - and perhaps others might not even think they were heights!) has taught me many things but one above all - This is a very personal journey.

I know it sounds obvious but its a truth that you can know mentally yet it takes a while to learn emotionally. This is my journey, no one can do it for me. There's no one else on the bike pushing up the hill, there is no one else pushing through those last few yards when the legs are burning, there's no one else getting out of bed when its cold, there's no one else.

Ok but there's more - Other people can provide some support, offer occassional assistance and guidance, and even act as role model or motivator but after all is said and done, I must do all of this myself. I cant rely on others to do the hard yards, to plan, to sweat, to motivate. And fair enough- the only 'role' of the people I meet along the way is to help me learn, to add great colour and interest to my life - an activity that is fundamentally a solo effort. They have their life to live and I have mine. I'm looking forward to meeting and interacting with these others, people who will add much to the overall story of the journey.

there is much I must do for myself. And like all journeys, the devil (or rather, the success) is in the detail. It's also in the attitude of the individual - me!

Basically, achieving a goal like this is a project management issue. And thats good, cause I'm trained in project management.

Apart from the more obvious issues, some of the major 'headings' I will need to get my head around are -
* Planning of training and activities including training plans, choosing equipment, understanding intensity and duration, training and eating while travelling plus lots others.
*Decision Making of an athlete, including time management, sourcing events/ activities
*Preparing for each event including tapering, logistics, finances
*Executing the event - timing for each sector, food and water for the event
*Enjoying myself during training and executing, including time on my own

So we're not just talking a simple training program here, we're talking about a complex project management exercise. And yes, I think it will be fun.

Journey on.

Word Count - 395

A good recovery

2010-02-18T15:42:00.000+10:00

Written 16th January 2010

Felt surprisingly good after my big hike (see previous post) although as the day wore on I was suprised to realise I really was quite tired - not muscle tired so much, more 'body tired'. I felt 'knackered' (a fabuloulsy technical term!)

However in the morning, despite a little bit of soreness,my motivation was high so to keep my training going and to loosen my legs I fast-walked the four short hills near my place and finished with a 5 minute jog home.

It was amazing. I bounded up the hills with lots of energy and oxygen, and felt fantastic. The run home was really strong too - Felt like i could have run for miles.

Then wham - I felt buggered for the rest of the day. Still, I am really pleased with how well I pulled up, and how motivated I am. Life is good! I feel happy!
:-)

Journey on....

Word count - 143

The Cross Trainer rocks!

2010-02-18T15:05:00.000+10:00

Written 11 Jan 2010

My plan today was to hit the treadmill for interval runs. The 4pm timeslot I chose was dumb 'cause all the machines were in use so rather than give up I decided to see what I could do on the X-trainer. Turns out this is a great machine - this little baby will really help me build my fitness.

The good thing is it vaguely resembles the position of standing up on the bike and so it works the quads hard, and the glutes etc. Best of all..... does it work the lungs!!!

I think I will use it to build my aerobic endurance for hills - both in technique (dont grip the bars, pushdown with the heal, weight over the crank etc) and with general endurance fitness/ lactate levels.

So decision time!! I will build this machine into my weekly training during my base phase- I'll work at quickly increasing the resistance level, go as long as possible, try for high cadence and increasing power. Basically, just keep builiding a strong base on this machine, and from this machine.

Today I did 20minutes at Level 6, 51rpm, 1.66kms, 149 cals and my heart rate was in the 130-150 zone. I'm sure this will improve quickly

Journey on.....

Word count - 209

Maybe its possible after all !!!

2010-02-15T13:16:00.000+10:00

Written Friday 15th January

'Victory belongs to those who believe in it the most, and those who believe in it the longest.' Colonel Doolittle.

Today I overcame my inner voice to fast-walk a marathon distance - and in the January heat too!!

I left at 6am after a good protein-based breakfast and walked to the far end of Manly and back again, a distance of 43km in a reasonable time. So what? I done this before. Why do I think this changes anything?

Because I talked myself into not quitting, to not giving up. All day I had a sore knee and I kept thinking about the doctor telling me yesterday that my heamoglobin was low and this would make it hard to be a distance athlete. Also in my mind was Shirl's advice to 'catch a train home if it started getting too hot or if the knee starts to hurt.' All these things kept playing on my mind and I made a few unscheduled stops because of my knee, the heat and tiredness. So I had plenty of reasons to quit. Despite deciding to quit several times I eventually overcame my mind, finished the course and completed my target for the day. It was a tough day - physically and mentally- and I got there in the end. Here's what I learnt -

1. It feels better to finish than to quit. Both feelings last a long time. Finishing feels better than any mild discomfort during the exercise. What's more, if I'd stopped at say the 30km mark and caught the train back home I'd have let myself down and still have sore legs. By finishing I keep my commitments to myself, I made the sort of decisions that distance athletes make, I ended up feeling great about myself and I did it despite a sore knee and legs.

2. I learnt to enjoy the discomfort, it can feel good. I know the hurt will stop eventually but while it goes on, it helps me to learn more about myself. Not sure what that is just yet, but as I push myself further I know I'll learn. (On previous long hikes I started seeing into myself. Once I saw a room with some sort of buddhist chrystal in the middle and on the walls there were pictures displaying my memories. Very nice- some sort of mental graphic depiction of my inner self.) So I actually look forward to more 'tiredness'

3. I need to learn more about re-fuelling. I drank a number of Gatorades and had a few sport gels so I had plenty of carbs, along with lots of water. I also ate a small protein bar at 20kms. Did it help? I guess so but I had trouble feeling it. Did it do any harm? Did I do too much? Too little? I dont know. I'll have to read more and then try to connect with what's going on 'inside' me.

For the overall walk I was strong for the first 20kms but by the time I got to the Manly foreshore my knee was hurting. Near the Wynnum Pool I had to sit down for a while and then I needed to stretch my knee when I started again. At the turnaround point I was hot, sore and tired but OK. On the way back I kept arguing with myself as to stop or not but by the time I got to the top of the Manly foreshore - with only 10ks to go I knew I'd complete it, even though I physically had to walk past Lota station. The last stretch - Collingwood Rd - was very slow and hot. A bottle of soft drink that I bought and drank at Thornside did not help!

Aftermath - I iced my knee and legs and was thankfully it was not very sore the next day. On Day 2 & 3 I was weary both mentally and a bit physically.

Overall,a very good effort. Great to know I can overcome my mind and my doubts. And it feels great to have made the right decisions when tired and/or challenged.

More later, journey on.

Word count - 677

Motivation overcomes Sore Back

2010-02-14T21:13:00.000+10:00

Written 12th January 2010

Today I learnt about motivation, and how much more I have inside me than I realise. A sore back muscle caused me to cancel the scheduled weight session and yet I eventually replaced it with the strongest gym interval run so far - A fast speed (12kph) for 100 secs at a time (longest yet) for 50 minutes.

Yet really, it was all in my mind. Here's why....

While checking my emails I found an emailed training plan 'for beginnings' for the Gold Coast 1/2 marathon. The plan started today with a '20 minute run'. While I cant easily run 20 minutes at the moment I know I can currently walk/ run the half marathon distance in less than three hours which is the cut-off time. I now just have to increase my running time.

I had a good long think about my goals and I made a GOAL decision - I will complete the Gold Coast Marathon this year in a competitive time.

2 key points -
1. My goal is to finish not necessarily run the whole thing.
2. My objective is to experience my first distance running event - It's a another definate step on the way to a full marathon/ an ultra marathon / ironman triathlon

So this leads me to my thoughts about The Power of Motivation - On the strength and excitement of my decision I went to the gym, and with my back still sore I ran the long hard session. I finished with plenty in the tank, although hot and tired. There's four reasons I can think of for the good session-

1. I was motivated by my decision. Motivation is an amazing thing!
2. My training to date is starting to have a noticeable effect on my performance
3. During the session I listened to a podcast about running ultra-marathons and this added extra motivation.
4. I have power-walked the 1/2 marathon distance a couple of times now and this is great encouragement to keep getting better/ stronger. In my mind I KNOW I can do it

This session proves I can do more than I realise. Now i just need to find my true physical limits. I know I will be amazed, surprised and energised. I can hardly wait.

More later, journey on.

Word Count - 378

Lessons on the Moutain Bike

2010-02-14T20:31:00.000+10:00

Written Sunday 10th January.

A good bike ride this morning on the mountain bike. Rode a suburban/ part rural route via the Capalaba - Mt. Gravatt Rd and tried to ride up the long hills standing up (to keep a high average kph for the whole ride.) Unfortunately I still cant stand up for long but I was strong for a lot more of each hill than I expected. So I did Ok and was happy with the effort (for now!)

One weird thing happened; I was riding along in my own world, totally vagued out thinking about other things when some really good riders surprised me by riding fast past me. I realised I had started riding much slower than I expected. Ooops.

Did a fast ride back from Victoria Point to meet with friends for morning tea- amazed at how fast I could ride and it seems to me I never really know how much I can actually do - until I do it!

Lessons from today....

1. Learn to focus - dont vague out during the ride. Bike riding is not the time to be thinking of other things, it's a time for training, a time to focus on speed, power and technique.
2. Push myself harder but not too hard- Find out my limits while still staying within my base training program.

More later, journey on.

Word Count 225.

Managing Food Intake while travelling

2010-02-05T22:09:00.000+10:00

My first week on the road since starting my food/ fuel regime has shown me how much I have to learn about travel and food.

After 4 weeks of eating at home and learning how to get the balance right each day I got it totally wrong over the last three days. I did everything wrong - ate irregularly, ate too smaller meals then overcompensated with large meals, bought junk like sugary lollies to feed my late afternoon hunger AND – hang my head in shame – succumbed to a MacDonald’s burger meal today on the way home (a 3 hour drive. The only good thing is I didn’t exceed my overall daily kilojoule target. Stuffed up the balance (fat content, protein balance, bad sugars, eating times etc) but my daily exercise sessions combined with the overall daily kJ probably means I haven’t put on any weight and may have even lost a little.

But all that does is show me how much I need to do to work out my food regime while away from home. Here’s a few things to start –
1. Take breakfast with me on the road – I already know it’s a good start to the day so I should take it with me. (Buy tubs of yoghurt and fruit each day. Also take a bowl and spoon from home)
2. Find good, healthy snacks to take in a container on the road – nuts, seeds etc like now but also add dried fruit for my sweet tooth
3. Ensure I eat regularly (constantly) throughout the day - especially fruit, nuts and trail bars. Avoid peaks and troughs of hunger.
4. Choose dinner carefully – big steaks are OK but watch the watery veges and the chips/ potato bake.
5. Plan meals as much as I can before going on the road, then get my head right as to my commitments to fuelling and to weight.
6. Take the small food scales, my daily food log, the Calorie Counter and a calculator.
7. Remind myself fuel is as important as exercise and rest

So it’s been an interesting week. I’ve made lots of mistakes and realised I have a lot to learn. Pleasingly, I’m looking forward to working it out.

More later.... journey on!

Word Count - 374

Lactate Runs are Great Fun

2010-02-05T18:21:00.000+10:00

Written 3rd February 2010

I have often wondered about this thing called ‘A Lactate Run’. Apparently it occurs when you push yourself so hard your body goes from an ‘aerobic’ state to ‘anaerobic’. My understanding is it’s when your body runs out of oxygen after extended hard exercise, and your muscles are forced to operate from energy stored within. This energy releases lactate acid into the blood and eventually forces you to slow down. The good news is aerobic endurance is increased by hitting the anaerobic level, and pushing the level of your ‘Lactate Threshold Heart Rate’ (LTHR) further up the scale. By training at Lactate level, overall fitness improves.

I’ve wondered about it but never experienced it. That changed today – yep! I hit the lactate level. And it felt great....

You see, I was scheduled to do a long bike ride but some unexpected commitments meant I didn’t have the time. Instead I went for an easy 60 minutes ride - or so I thought. After the first 10 minutes I realised I felt great today and I had a ‘lot in the tank’ so I started going harder. And harder. And longer. And longer. Harder and longer than I ever have. Boy, did it feel great. On several of the flat straights I was hitting high 30s and although my lungs were gasping for air and my quads were burning, I just kept going and going. Eventually I had to slow down. And each time I did, I felt sad and a bit disappointed - I wanted to do more. My eventual Average KPH was my only second best time ever but that didn’t matter too much. I am just really pleased I am now physically and mentally strong enough to get to this level, and I am really looking forward to doing it again. I’m also looking forward to not only getting there on the bike but also being able to do it on my runs (although I realise this will be a while off).

Afterwards I learnt some good things-
1. Lactate Runs are exhausting- I was desperately tired all day and into the night. I will need coping strategies if I am going to do a lactate run before work. I also will need to realise there is a limit to how many I can do each week – rest and recovery is important
2. Food becomes critical – I was ravenous all day and ended up eating crap to satisfy the hunger. I will need to rethink my food plan for Lactate ‘days’
3. Lactate Runs are physically and emotionally draining – I felt a bit sick all day and I was a bit out of sorts (hunger didn’t help). Again, I will need strategies to manage this.
4. Lactate takes a while to leave the body – I still felt off all night, more than 12 hours later.

Overall though, the main lesson was how much fun they are- I reckon they could become addictive!

More later. Journey on!

Word Count - 496

Reality Check

2010-01-30T18:01:00.000+10:00

Written 20 Jan.

The only place I can start my journey is where I am right now. So where is that? Time to have a good hard honest look at ME as of today - Warts and All.

MEDICAL.
Yesterday I turned 52. My blood pressure is at the high end of good,resting pulse rate is fine-and will improve with training, Cholesterol is good (5.2 from a recommended range of 3.9-5.5), weight is 93kgs and dropping - compared to 108kgs a year ago!!, and all other medical indicators are good.

According to the doc,I am healthy and ready to perform.

Except....

For unknown reasons my Heamoglobin count is very low and has been for the last two years (131 against acceptable range of 135-175). This is the part of the blood that transports oxygen around the body so a low count creates problems for distance or extended period exercise. It is obviously bad news- It means I will run out of oxygen much earlier than everyone else, regardless of how much training I do. I will see a specialist in March to try to get to the underlying problem. My G.P. says this is a problem but to me at the moment it doesn't mean I wont be able to achieve the Improbable Dream - it just makes it harder, and I will be much slower than most people. Oh well - So be it. I will still do the very best I can- even if it is slow at the end.

Another issue is my damaged left meniscus (the gristle in my knee joint). Again, not much to be done here medically so I just have to be gentle with it and wait for it to get better. I tore it in March last year and aggravated it again last April. It's now much better than 6 months ago, when I couldn't hike or run on it for several months. It's now say 85% corrected. Still uncomfortable when I walk or run but I know I just have to ignore it, or learn to live with it.

Physical.
At school I had no natural ability in any sport. Plenty of desire, just no ability.

Since then, I've lived a boozy, lazy, indulgent life- A physical job and poor lifestyle in my 20s, an office job and poor life style in my 30s and 40's. I did do some bike riding and hiking in my 40s; I completed three 'Big Bike Rides' ie 10 days x 100kms per day rides, several multi-day bush walks and ran 5ks races occassionally, yet still manged to combined these with poor food, lots of alcoho, late nights, a stressful exercutive job and some smoking.

In the last 12 months I have stopped smoking, started eating and exercising to lose weight and started exercising regularly for improved fitness. My damaged knee meant I couldn't hike or run so I started bike riding after a few years break. In the last three motnhs I have exercised regularly to build a base level of aerobic fitness by biking and hiking - with the occassionaly short run when my knee allowed. Late last year I rode the Brisbane to Gold Coast ride (100kms @ 25kph average) and completed the 10km Bridge to Brisbane Fun Run in 70 minutes. In December I joined a gym and I am now trying to build a strength regime into my weekly activites.I recently fast-hiked 20 kms non-stop and pulled up OK which is a good start. Today my fitness is better than three months ago but still not good. It's clearly going to take some time!

I have not swum - or even been near a pool or the beach - for years.

Skills.
Honestly? I ride like a clown, run like a girl and swim like a stone.

My road bike riding technique is slowly getting better. I am now more confident with the thinner tyres/ ligher frame and I'm now understanding how to ride in traffic. My average cadence is higher (but only for as long as fitness allows) and my ability to ride in the aero position is improving.
My running technique feelis like it is OK but fitness only allows me to run well for a few minutes. This is worse than this time last year but it's a result of the sore knee. I'm sure it will improve with focus and commitment.
I have never been a strong swimmer , or even a good swimmer so I will need lessons.
Last time I operated a kayak was in high school, about 35 years ago.
I have no bush navigation skills and no first aid training. I have not compete in any real 'race' for 30 years... afun run/ride is the closest I have come.

There is much for me to do and to learn.

Mental Strength.
I have a history of achieving my goals, although I am not a good finisher- I 'vague out' and get distracted as the finish gets close. I know this and I can usually force my mind to focus and to complete. I am not a 'detail' person and have to work hard at moving from big picture/ dreams into the hard work of reality. I also tend to be a lounge lizard, and can easily find reasons to put things off. Procratinate NOW! I say. :-)

I am confident I can work with my mind to accept things like tiredness and discomfort. I am ready to accept pain although I'm not sure how I will go. (Does anyone really know until thery've been there?). I try to constantly train my mind (its my buddhism at work!) but I know I will need to work at making it strong enough to handle the journey ahead. Again, a good starting point but plenty of work ahead.

Lifestyle.
I have no children, a wife who is understanding ans who also likes time on her own/ with her family and my friends are spread wide. My job allows free time. I am confident I will be able to dedicate the time to the task. I had time to complete a Masters when I had a more demanding job and personal life so now it should be easier to find the necessary time.

So there it is- Some health problems and plenty of learn and to do. Overall, a good place to start the journey to 'The Improbable Dream.
So let's hit the road.

More later. Journey on!

Word Count - 1106

Buddhist Philosophy

2010-01-28T11:31:00.000+10:00

Written 2nd Jan 2010

Buddhist thought has been part of my life for more than 3 years now so I was excited to discover ways to connect my philosophical approach to life with 'The Improbable Dream'. As mentioned in the last blog, I am following an excellent blog and podcast titled 'Zen and the Art of Triathlon' (ZenTri).I dont know much about Zen Buddhism so a few recent podcasts from ZenTri helped me to connect all three of the above ie my goals, my 'buddhism' and Zen Buddhism
Here's a few random thoughts -
1. The journey IS the point. Completing challenges and achieving goals is fun, yet their only really purpose is to give me some indication of where I am at, at that point in time. The Improbable Dream is a lifelong journey of making the right daily choices/ decisions, accepting the daily challenges and making constant progress. Its about Life Itself. The races and events dont make me a Distance Athlete, my daily choices do. I need to live, love and deeply experience the daily journey. I should live for now. And make the life decisions befitting a distance athlete.
2. Life is inter-connected. Everything we do is related to other parts of life. Likewise, Endurace training is a jigsaw where everything I do impacts on my results. It requires the correct balance of aerobic endurance, core body strength and a focused sensible regime of diet,rest and recuperation. It requires consistency and good decision making about life choices. It about inter-dependance.
3. 'Think like an athlete, Become an athlete'- Buddhism says we create our own world. We dont become an athlete by competing in one, two or twenty events, we become an athlete by making the right decisions each day. Zen wisdom says "Do, or dont do. There is no 'try'." Kinda like 'Just Do It'
4. A Simple life is a Pure Life- Although there are many inter-related parts to the equation, a simple life is the most pure life. I need to constantly consider how to simplify my life to its most pure form. A good starting point is to ONLY focus on the important things in life, and clear my mind of the unneccesary clutter, the 'noise'. Meditation is good, as is long training hours with only my own mind as company. Think less, feel more, experience life right now!
4. Life is REAL - The way life is now is REALITY. Pehaps it could be better in some way and it most certainly could be worse. Perhaps I could have done things differently in the past - too late, the past is a different life. So live for now, try not to be negatively influenced by things that have happened in the past, try to understand where I am at, dont demand of 'now' more than it can give- Celebrate life by enjoying 'now, enjoy the moment.

All good thoughts to keep me motivated into the future.I want to lead a simple, aware, inter-connected life. These thoughts will help too-
1. Dont complain about the equipment- Lance Armstrong could get on my bike and ride a much faster time. My times are influenced by what I do, not what I have.
2. Accept the results- Good or bad, they were the result as at a moment in time. Give it my best, learn the lessons then move on.
3. Compete with no-one except my self- This is not about being the best in the world, its about being the best I can be. Challenge myself.

When I bring these things into my life, I will be a 'Soul Athlete' (to use Zen Tri's term.) which sounds even better than a 'Triathlete' or a 'Distance Athlete'

Cool!

More later, journey on!

Word Count - 582

Food is my Fuel

2010-01-28T10:59:00.000+10:00

Written 1st January 2010
I’ve been reading a lot about the structure of food and how it can add or subtract from my efforts to be fit....

-For a start, I need to lose the spare tyre around my middle- what’s the point of wishing for a faster, lighter bike if I’m carry an unnecessary extra 10kgs with me?
- Endurance Athletes who don’t pay attention to correctly fuelling their body- at the correct time -will ‘bonk’ and will have to stop. A self induced defeat!
- It’s well known we eat lots of bad foods that cause unnecessary health problems such as diabetes, energy spikes, unhealthy chemicals in our body etc etc.
- The excesses of our modern society are not good for our bodies, or our environment. And it is unneccesary – we don’t need that much food, or even that sort of food.

So I have been researching by reading lots of good books and articles on diet and eating habits. I found the blogs of ‘The Holistic Guru’ and ‘Zen and the Art of Triathlon’ to be the most thought–provoking. They have convinced me to change my eating style - I now live by the Spartan Creed of ‘Small and Raw’. This means I eat ‘as close to the food source as possible’. It means lots of fruit, veges, legumes, natural sources such as fish meat etc, and almost no processed foods including starch ( bread, rice, pasta). It also means I now limit my alcohol- in fact, at the moment I am totally alcohol free.

This is basically a Paleo Diet (ie Caveman)- That is, if you can’t pick it off a tree or kill it, don’t eat it. if you're interested, check out the above mentioned blogs for more details.

Here’s my rules for eating –

1. Food is fuel – what I eat today, I exercise with tomorrow. No empty kJs
2. Portion size is critical – keep it small and regular. Eat small amounts throughout the day. No big meals -ever!
3. Small and Raw – I get most of my carbs from veges, fruit, nuts. Protein from meat, fish, mushrooms etc.
4. A Paleo diet- i.e. what my cave-dwelling ancestors ate- eat ‘close to the source’
5. Monitor / record what I eat- keep a detailed track of what goes into my body and when. Learn by reviewing the data. Look for continuous improvements in ‘Raw and Small’
6. No processed sugar- severely limit, or stop, alcohol, soft drinks, cakes, biscuits, processed breads etc

At the moment I am trying to lose the 10 useless kilos I am carrying so my daily goals is 8,500kJ per day, with a strong dose of active exercise to provide negative energy requirement for the day. Here’s my daily targets for the 8,500kJs – 80g max of Protein, 300gs of good carbs, 80g max of fat, 35g Fibre.

I’ll let you know how it goes. Thanks to the Holistic Guru(http://www.holisticguru.blogspot.com) and Brett at Zen Tri (http://www.zentriathlon.com) for the inspiration.
More later, journey on!

Word Count - 498

My first blog- 31st December 2009

2010-01-27T21:47:00.000+10:00

This is my first ever blog, and therefore my first ever post. So don’t expect too much just yet. I’m sure it will take me a while to work out how best to write these posts, how to make them interesting and easy to read. I will work hard with every post to improve both the content and the quality of the writing.

The good news is I am confident that I am clear on why I am writing the blog, and what will be in it.

Why the blog? As the heading says this is an improbable dream yet one I’ve had for a while. The more I’ve thought about it, the more I realised it was achievable.... Difficult, challenging, confronting but not impossible.

And this means that for now at least my motivation is high. There is much I want to achieve, and to do them I need the aerobic endurance and the mental and body strength of an endurance athlete. And I need a lifestyle that enables me to achieve my goals. My plan is to work consistently and determinedly towards this lifestyle and this person.

Naturally, I don’t know how long this motivation will last. I’ve been living the life of a full time sports person for the last 12 weeks so one of the questions is how will I go in maintaining this goal when ‘normal life / work etc’ kicks in? Time will tell but at the moment, and for at least the last three months, I have been totally focused on improving my fitness and on ‘finding my goals’. I now feel committed enough to my new path to be able to detail my goals and my journey on a regular basis.

So this blog is how I learn to live the life of an endurance athlete, and how I become a better person as a result. What about the posts themselves? What are my rules for ensuring readability and focus?

Well firstly, I will keep them short. Don’t know how long exactly. I will learn the optimum word count and try hard to keep to that limit.

Second, I will keep them focused and reflective. This blog is not a travelogue. It is not about what I do, but rather it’s about what I’ve learnt from what I do; about becoming an endurance athlete, of changing my life, of getting fitter and stronger, about setting goals, and achieving them, of failing occasionally, and what all that teaches me about myself.

Lastly, I will try to write in a style that uncovers the lessons learnt, rather than preaches some sort of version of the truth. I will try to make each post a search for new ideas, of discovering new concepts, of a new way of thinking about life in general.

By the way, I found some great tips on blogging at http://www.bloggingtips.com/

So that’s my first posts. Hope it’s of interest......
More, later.

Word count – 477.