Noosa triathlon

I've spent the weekend here in Noosa covering the Noosa triathlons and multi-sport festival for www.firstoffthebike.com which has been fun and an interesting experience. The following is my race report plus some videos from the weekend. Photos are in a different blog post.

Noosa Triathlon
The 29th Noosa triathlon, the second largest in the world, took place under perfect conditions on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast. With a competitive field in both men’s and women’s sides the competition was shaping up to rival the weather with particular interest on whether Courtney Atkinson could win his fourth Noosa title in a row – and how Chris McCormack would fare – along with new women’s Ironman 70.3 World Champion Melissa Rollison stepping down in distance to challenge world fourth ranked Emma Jackson over the Olympic Distance race.

Mens Race
A field of 35 men started...with the usual ‘creeping’ on the line...but it wasn’t until the turnaround buoy where the pack really split up, with uber swimmer Clayton Fettell leading the group, and McCormack being dropped to eventually come out a minute behind. The leading pack of 15 or so athletes, including all the main contenders, hit T1 in a storm and started the ride together with no one giving an inch.

The group remained in tact up Noosa hill, and on to the turn around point at Cooroy where it looked like it would come down to a running race. But it was here that the heat was turned up and the race ripped apart. Doing a lions share of the work, James Seear was putting even known cyclist Fettell to the sword and worked the group over with only David Dellow, Paul Matthews and Fettell able to keep up – the rest of the group was dropped, including race favourite Atkinson.

The lead four had opened a large gap by T2 – well over a minute – and after a small change up in transition Matthews led the group, closely followed by Seear, Fettell and Dellow a few seconds later after a slow transition. Money was being put on Matthews to maintain his great US form and hold his lead, but Dellow had other things to say and pulled up to Fettell and Seear by 2km, and then into the lead by 4km. From there on he maintained his lead and showed his excitement well before the finish line, being the first local athlete in the history of the event to win, with Mathews coming in for second and James Seear running on for third. McCormack came in 101th and Atkinson faded to 14th.

Marking a highlight in his career, Dellow was ecstatic with his win but it only marks a lead-up race for the ITU World Long Course championships in one weeks time, and the long term goal of IM Melbourne, Frankfurt and Kona in 2012.

Women’s Race
A smaller field of 13 women took to the water, with a mix of short and long course athletes, including two stars of the ITU World Championship Series in Emma Jackson and Kate McIlroy. The field quickly split apart and Jackson opened a break that she held until T1, being clear of the field through T1 and onto the bike. A small group lead by Kiwi Kate McIlroy followed soon after, but it was not until 2:40 mins later that Melissa Rollison came into T2, leaving a lot of work ahead for the bike leg.

Emma Jackson maintained her lead over McIlroy in the 30-40sec range to the turn around, and on the return. But as she neared T2 it would be Rollison who was the BIG mover through the field and as they dismounted she was right on the heels of Jackson, with McIlroy 40 sec later. Demonstrating her ITU experience, Jackson was quicker through T2 and led onto the run by 5 sec with Rollison charging hard behind her, setting up a great run race.

Rollison closed the gap to Jackson by the 2km point, after which they ran in close contract until 4km where Rollison put in a surge that cleared her away from Jackson, into the lead for the first time in the race. The day was heating up but Rollison was strong and cleared away from Jackson, and held her lead to the finish, improving her fourth placing last year with an outstanding win. But rather than gloriously breaking the tape, a slip right before the line sent Rollison head first under the tape, sprawled on the ground on top of the finish line wondering what happened. However there was no doubt that her star rose even higher today, leading Emma Jackson over the line by 44 sec, and McIlroy in third.

Showing the strain of the effort, Rollison was in great distress and carted off for medical attention...a stressful end to an otherwise spectacular season. One wonders what she might be capable of if she was able to improve her swim to the ITU level, but regardless a stellar career has commenced and we are sure to be hearing more of Melissa Rollison in the future.

Men
David Dellow – 1:46:36
Paul Matthews – 1:47:01
James Seear – 1:47:42
Clayton Fettell – 1:47:49
Ryan Fisher – 1:48:14
Byrce McMaster – 1:48:48
Clark Ellice – 1:49:21
Ryan Sissons – 1:50:04
Joseph Lampe – 1:51:04
Chris McCormack – 1:51:37

WomenMelissa Rollison – 2:00:25
Emma Jackson – 2:01:09
Kate McIlroy – 2:01:46
Felicity Sheedy-Ryan – 2:04:03
Matilda Raynolds – 2:08:28
Belinda Granger – 2:08:56
Ellie Salthouse – 2:09:01
Lisa Marangon – 2:09:30
Tara Prowse – 2:10:40
Chloe Turner – 2:10:51
Courtney Atkinon's bike video

Emma Jackson's bike video

Melisson Rollinson's Noosa finish

Racing Machines

A well known sports nutrition company has a memorable print ad which features a photo of a famous, sponsored athlete alongside the words "Train, train, train, train, train, train. Race. Train, train, train...". The point being that these guys spend a lot of time training, and choose their races carefully with the intention of racing well when they do. By implication, you wouldn't say they over race!!!

On the flip side, there are athletes in a range of sports who seem to race almost weekly, especially if you average out their events across the year. In particular, cyclists can go through periods of racing multiple times a week, not to mention team sport athletes who must front up each week to perform throughout a season - surely a tough task. Nevertheless, these folks face up to competition without blinking, like it's part of their DNA.

Those contrasts don't necessarily relate only to elite, professional athletes since the same tendencies permeate through to amateur athletes, also - I'm sure you can think of friends who seem to be always training, and other friends who jump into any race they can. Certainly, in my area keen multisport athletes can find some kind of race on almost every day of the week during summer, let alone just on weekends, to satisfy every desire for an adrenalin fix. Just don't worry about the impact on the rest of your life!!

But are these racing machines onto something that the lesser raced athletes could tap into? They seem to be primed (almost) every time they line up, and even allowing for some performance blips they seem to consistently go pretty well at whatever they tackle. The reality is that the answer is not straight forward, because not only does it depend on the individual but also on goal races, longevity, attitude and more. Let's look a little more at it all...

Firstly, this is not a discussion about extremes - racing a lot or a little - because like everything there is a middle ground, which itself is not clearly defined!! Also, the amount you race can vary across the year, from off-season to peak season, or the lead-up to goal race. There's a lot to be said for/about each phase.

The background for racing is a base level of fitness - this is an assumption. Another critical consideration is the sport you'll be doing the racing in. Swimming is easy on the body, and running is hard on the body. This difference will impact and limit the amount of racing you can do. Typically cyclists can / do race a lot because it is low weight bearing. This is all obvious so the definition of "racing a lot" is relative to the sport(s) you do.

Racing a lot has many benefits, from the skills and tactics you develop and refine, to the top-end race fitness that comes from the associated intensity for nothing really replicates the effort of a race. Then there's the adrenalin, enjoyment and excitement of being in the heat of action. The downsides of racing a lot is that you need to spend time recovering to race again rather than training, and thus over time can experience a net loss in some aspects of fitness - you can only sustain high frequency and high performance for a limited time. Also, there is cumulative fatigue, physical and mental, from continual racing, especially if you put yourself on the line with each outing.

Going back to the key assumption we made earlier - the need to have a base level of fitness - is perhaps the key reason why an athlete might not race a lot. This is especially the case the longer the goal races are since training for a marathon or IM will necessarily require you to devote successive weeks putting together consistent training. The problem with this approach is that it is easy to forget what racing is like, and the mental and physical skills needed to perform. Training can be a comfort zone, and sometimes the more entrenched you get in this comfort zone the harder it is to bring yourself out in order to actually achieve the performance goals you set.

In this context, racing too little is a negative since even occasional racing reminds you about the end point of a training phase. Nonetheless, some people just enjoy training for the joy of being fit and the challenge of seeking variation in training.

On the other hand, racing a lot can be used as a key tool to prepare for key races, to use the benefits we mentioned before of developing top-end fitness so that you're primed for goal races when they arrive. However the value of racing as preparation will depend on the length of your goal race - think specificity - eg, a 5km run race is of limited value in the immediate lead-up to a marathon. But for short course events, lead in races are ideal preparation and with a base level of fitness can and will bring you to physical and mental peak...although the timing and combination of lead in races should be carefully considered.

But what of the people who do race endlessly? Sure, they are well-oiled in the routine of racing, and likely drunk on the atmosphere of an event, but I suspect they are perhaps missing out on what could be a breakthrough performance because they don't really allow themselves the chance to focus on any particular race, and they carry residual fatigue from race to race. Plus, their fitness will have rather narrow range defined by the style of racing they do, which may not be a bad thing, but would likely be filled with weaknesses in their capabilities due to relying on racing as training.

So it really is the middle ground that is most effective amount of racing to do. Vary the frequency, length, format, tactics and intensity of racing throughout the year to suit your training and fitness progress towards you goal events. Choose races with an objective and then set out to achieve them - what you take from a race is not just the end result, but the process to achieve that result. All this means that sometimes you might race a lot, and other times you might not. The excitement of racing will be there when you do, and you'll allow yourself the opportunity to focus on each race and perform to your potential.

NY marathon...on again, off again, on again, off again...

It's been a rocky road since my previous running update last month, talking about redundant body parts when my pesky little plantaris tendon - the "monkey muscle" as it's sometimes referred to in the medical world - was causing me grief. Why oh why, and not two months out from the NY marathon. It seemed like such a silly little injury, but as they say, anything that keeps you out of a major competition is a major issue. How true that is!!

So to cut a long story short, I'm out of the NY marathon (again) this year, finally cancelling my entry last week but in reality the writing had already been on the wall for several weeks. I've accepted it and moved on...but talk about frustration and disappointed!!! Words could not explain my torment and exasperation. But the sun still came up, the birds were singing and life went on...as it always does.

Often it's only when you finally let go of something you've been holding on to - for me it was the dream of running the NY marathon - that you realise you were actually building it up to be a much bigger deal than it actually is. We're not talking life and death here, just the trivial indulgence of running. In looking back I was obsessing about it all...the race, my injury, recovery, will I / won't I be able to run, the impact on my goals...and it was causing unending grief and frustration. So as much as I'm really, really, really disappointed not to be going I'm also relieved that the decision is made and Ms A won't need to endure my grumpiness that went with the situation.

But back to the details of the injury...

In my last update I'd just had a cortisone injection into the sheath of the tendon, where I first learned about the uniqueness of the plantaris...lucky me!! After 6 days of rest / no running I started running. It was OK, but not great. Trusting in the effect of the cortisone I kept on running, and it didn't really get any better or any worse; the trend seemed to slightly be towards being improved. Then I went for a longer run, and at about the 1 hour mark it got a bit worse...but I kept running. Eventually it got much worse - I think I undid the good of the treatment and was back to square one. A dumb, newby mistake.

So back to no running and almost a week later - now 4 weeks post initial injury - I had another cortisone. 8 days later I went for a run and 90 seconds later stopped, injured, and walked home. NY marathon was 4 weeks away and I was seriously running out of time, literally.

As luck would have it, the husband of one of Ms A's best friends is a very good orthopaedic surgeon, Dr T, specialising in foot and ankle. Although I'd contemplated cutting myself open and snipping the tendon I hadn't...just. But Dr T could do it properly, and he generously slotted me in 4 days later to once and for all get rid of the problem. I was relieved, even though it would 100% rule me out of NY, but would be back running within a week or so...pain free!!

Then something amazing happened. I had a work trip to Perth and while at the gym that evening thought I'd hop on the treadmill to confirm what I already knew...but to my surprise, I ran for 20 mins!!! How could that be? The next morning I ran for 45 mins and was in heaven...and NY had gone from < 50% chance to > 50% chance. The surgery was put off, and my spirits lifted.

But that didn't last long. Only 3 days later during a run that felt great, I got to the 30 min mark and things went bad. However, although it was in almost the same spot, the symptoms felt strangely different to the existing tendon problem - this was more like musclar knotting and tension in my calf, adjacent to the plantaris tendon. I can deal with muscle issues, I thought, as I hobbled home. At least I thought I could deal with muscle issues...

2.5 days later I thought it had loosened and eased, went for a run and got 30 seconds this time before turning to walk home. That was a make-or-break run, and since I was broken NY was back off...again. 4 days rest, physio, self massage and I tried another run which went multiple times better than the last one. Three times better, actually, meaning 90 seconds before it started to tighten up. It was like being whacked again, but this time seeing the whack come towards me. I was getting sick of walking back.

So here I am now after seeing my doctor this morning - she's not sure what it is since I'm symptom free now and really does feel like it has eased. The lumpiness where the knot - or spasm - was has softened and gone down. We're going to get an MRI scan done, and also to try a little run...I'm hopeful but realise the recent pattern of trying hasn't been good. Wish me luck...

Failing Gracefully

What's the only thing as bad as a DNF? A DNS. I know because I've done both in the past 6 weeks...failing on two counts and on two occasions. Not to mention another DNS in a goal race in a couple of weeks time. Epic fail. Suffice to say, it wasn't meant to be like this...

This article is not a tale of my woes...I've done enough sulking...but about when and why a DNF or DNS is actually a smart move. Although my issue was a pesky little injury (yet anything that keeps you out of goal competition is major issue) there can be a myriad of things that result in DNF or DNS.

No one takes the decision to DNF lightly, especially if it's a goal race / race you've travelled to do it / you're going well in / you're pride is strong / other reasons. Pulling out causes no end of torment, which is probably why people usually choose a spot where there's few people around to step off the road where only fellow athletes will see you. There's the hassle of getting back to race central, questions from friends about why, and more. Sometimes it would seem easier to just finish, but that's not the point. To DNF means a conscious action was taken for what was a valid reason at the time...so let's consider some of those reasons.

Perhaps the most common reason for DNF is injury, when the decision is usually obvious and is made for you. However some injuries allow you to keep on competing, but with painful consequences afterwards where only you can make the decision if it is worth it. If it is a big, goal event with some downtime scheduled afterwards then perhaps continuing could be acceptable. But what if the injury is compromising / hindering your performance, regardless of how big the race is, would you still push on? There are no black and white rules in this regard, but I'd suggest it would be prudent to think beyond the finish line and what competing with an injury - a high stress situation on your body - would actually mean once the excitement of the event has passed, usually by about Tuesday, and how you would feel then. Sore and sorry, with no magic potion to fix you up. Make sure you can fight another day by acting sooner rather than later.

Other than injury, another reason for DNF could be fatigue. In most cases there is little excuse or reason for being fatigued going into a race. A race is a race, afterall, and is worthy of the respect of making sure you can give it your best shot of achieving the goals you set for it. Nonetheless, things don't always conspire to allow that which is when it is worth considering the value of continuing. On one side is the experience of being in a race, and learning from it about how your body responds while fatigued. On the flip side is the value from saving your body so it can perform to it's potential on a day when you've got your 'A' game in hand.

The other factor in DNF'ing due to fatigue is what other people will think...but question if that is really important to you, or if they really care beyond curiosity. One problem in pulling out from a race once, is that your mind now accepts that this is OK to again, and possibly again. So you need to only use the fatigue related DNF card very sparingly.

Further factors in people DNF'ing tend to be emotional, which is a container for all range of matters that may be affecting you - stress, family, work, etc. No one will truly understand your emotional state, and thus no one is any position to question your actions. Do what you need to do to manage your situation.

Sometimes you hear of pros who DNF saying "it just wasn't my day", and that they're better to line up again soon in order to further their professional standing. This action divides observers who on one hand say they're soft and should tough it out, versus those who respect that their careers are short anyway, are are better off seeking opportunities where they can succeed. I guess we should walk a mile in their shoes before casting opinion.

DNF'ing is an inglorious exit from a race when things aren't going right, whereas a DNS is pre-empting a forecast poor day. Often the same factors come into play as for DNF, and at least you can avoid the spotlight that a DNF shines by not lining up in the first place. The only downside of this is missing an opportunity to see what might have been once the gun goes...lots of people have surprised themselves by just starting and seeing what happens. In deciding about a DNS or not make sure you're only being informed - and not influenced - by others. After all it is you that is facing up to the event, not them.

Whether you DNF or DNS, one things I've learned from coaching athletes is that they're always thinking ahead to what might be next time they can line up - they're optimists. So if you DNF or DNS then make sure you understand why you did so, and then look ahead to the next race and an opportunity to correct the situation. For as Muhammad Ali said, "Inside of a ring or out, ain't nothing wrong with going down. It's staying down that's wrong.".

Changing Plans

I often write about the value of having a plan for how you approach your sporting goals, which provides you with direction and motivation. But a wiser person once said "When you go into battle, have a plan. But then expect the unexpected and be ready to change your plan."

While sports is not necessarily a "battle", as such, the sentiment quote holds well for sports both during preparation and execution of a race. Things rarely ever go perfectly to plan, so it is the people who see the opportunity in change that come out the best. At risk of overdoing the quotes in this article..."When the winds of change are blowing, some seek shelter. Others build windmills."

There's all kinds of reasons for changing plans, whether you do it on your own accord or it is "forced" upon you. In this article I'll look at the forced plan changes and some strategies for coping with them, whether it's because of family / work pressure, bad weather or an injury. While they are annoying there is usually something you can do to make the best of the situation.

Firstly, let's classify changes into micro (1-7 days impact/duration), moderate (1-4 weeks) and macro (more than 4 weeks). The reason for these groupings is that the approach you take will differ. What makes things trickier is when an interruption begins as micro and extends to moderate (or macro) - knowing the length of the interruption in advance helps a lot, otherwise you'll be changing plans blindly on the fly. This is often the case with injuries.

So let's look at each grouping and the kind of things you should consider:

Mirco
In the grand scheme of things, impacts of these nature are a blip on the radar. There's a golden rule of training that says if you miss a session to never try and make it up by slotting it in elsewhere, which is quite correct. However, if you're faced with missing 1 or more sessions in a week then it is possible to re-plan your week to re-prioritise the sessions you can do in order to get the key sessions done, which themselves may need to be re-designed depending on the nature of the sessions.

It's hard to describe in writing, but in essence top priority should still be your long ride / run (of some length) even if every other session is missed. After that, look to include the priority 2 sessions as identified by your coach, allowing adequate recovery between all sessions. The details of sessions may need to be changed (eg, shorter) to fit into the available time, or sometimes (depending on the circumstances) just training can be more important than the details. You're actually making successive mini-plans as circumstances allow.

Even if you miss a whole week of training the impact is greater in your head than on your body. In fact, a week off can be a blessing in disguise. The golden rule holds true, however, in not trying to double up sessions to fit in ones that you've missed...you should still view sessions in the context of week, and not individually.

Moderate
Interruptions of 1-4 weeks will, by necessity, have a bigger impact on your plans, and possibly your goals. During a longer interruption the key is to just do what you can, where the point about just training being more important than the details being even more relevant.

If your interruption is due to injury then look at the training options that you can do. Cross-train, do complementary core strength work, and more. Hopefully you'll have a timeline for return to training, and will need to adjust your training thereafter to allow for the break you've had, and your goals ahead. While injured you need to be very adaptive to the circumstances of your injury, what it allows you to do and when you're able to get back into routine.

If your interruption is due to other circumstances then the likely constraint will be time availability, and probably also training equipment and venue access. In this case your training plan will need to adapt to the scenario to do the best you can. If circumstances allow, try to keep some kind of routine and structure within the constraints or otherwise just train. Be conscious of the combined stress of everything you're dealing with, in combination with the physical training stress.

Following a moderate interruption you'll need to plan for your return to routine, and not just assume you'll pick up where you left off. This will depend on the circumstances of the interruption.

Macro
A long-term interruption requires a long-term view to the impact on your plans, in particular for things like planned events and the feasibility of doing them. Compared to a moderate interruption, on a macro scale the key difference is that you need to accept the situation and be patient about your return whereas often when you're out for 1-4 weeks your goal is to maintain what you've got in terms of fitness so your return is as swift as possible.

On a macro scale you accept that you're reasonably going back near to square 1 once you get going again, and thus your plans need to reflect that. This is not to mean that you can "let yourself go" during the interruption, but that you need to be prepared to invest significant time and patience into your return. It's a state of mind and perspective shift.


Changing plans is not a sign of failure in your plan, but rather than you're responding proactively to the scenario rather than working against the reasons for the change of plan. You need to work with it and not against it and realise that there are always multiple ways to deal with an interruption, and that the path you choose should be based on what is the best direction for you at that time. Just do the best you can in the circumstances.

Race Tactics

What do you think about during a race? Are you hanging on for dear life, out of control and doing whatever you can to get to the finish in whatever state that is. Or are you in control, measuring out your effort across the whole race, and following a race plan which might include changes in effort at strategic times with the objective of getting to the finish faster than, and ahead of your competitors? Whichever approach you take, they both represent race tactics...whether good or bad.

Race tactics often seem to be the things that only the elite use. But just as any well planned training plan covers the three essential aspects of fitness, technical and tactical skills, so every race should include consideration for your fitness level, technical abilities and tactics to maximise the other two aspects. So to that end, race tactics are for everyone, and something only the naive would ignore.

A few weeks ago Chris McCormack did an interview in which he talked at length about tactics in the Hawaii IM, and in particular, what he felt various athletes should be doing before and during the race to ensure the race played out in their favour by both controlling what they did and influencing others in their favour, which is difficult because each other athlete would be endeavouring to do the same!! This is why Macca talked about the importance of pre-race semantics (propaganda?) to put his thoughts in the minds of others that would hopefully reap rewards on race day.

It was a fascinating dicsussion primarily because in 2010 Macca raced one of the best tactical IM races in history, not just on the day but in the years beforehand. It was almost as if he wrote a script with roles for each athlete, and then executed it like a Steven Spielberg directed film. History records that he won a brilliant race, where race tactics came through that involved physical and mental mastery, and intimately knowing himself, the course and the tendencies of other athletes.

However, of course, Macca is unique and very few of us perform at a level to execute tactics like he does. Nonetheless, there are lessons from Macca that we can all learn from and apply to our races so that our tactics - essentially the decisions we make - ensure the best outcome from our races.

Here are some of the key race tactics points:

1. Know yourself and your capabilities. There's no quicker way to bring your race down than to try performing at a level that is beyond what all indications beforehand suggest you are capable of. Great tactics involve pushing to your limits - and occasionally a smidgeon beyond - based on knowing what your capabilities are and how far / hard / fast / etc you can go for. Tactics invole knowing whether you are able to change your pace, by how much, for how long - should the need arise - compared to a sensible base pace. Pacing tactics make or break races.

2. Know the course. The course is a fixed aspect of the race, so it pays to knows the geography in advance to not only train appropriately, but also to plan your tactics and strategy for each part of it, for example, the most appropriate way of climb the hills depending on length and steepness. Knowing the course also implies consideration for the length, since tactics for an Olympic Distance triathlon are vastly different to those for an Ironman. Also, knowing the course can also mean being familiar with prevailing weather conditions, including heat/cold, winds and more.

3. Know your competition. While not necessarily applicable for everyone, for those who are racing for a placing it is due diligence to know who your competition is and their relative strengths and weaknesses...as much as you can. This helps to know how to - or whether to - respond to their performance during a race (within your capabilities, of course!). Also, as Macca points out, knowing your competition also means knowing their mental game, and whether you can influence that.

4. Expect the unexpected. Race tactics really only represent an idealistic plan assuming everything else going according to script. However there are countless uncontrollables that affect your race, and turn your tactics on their head. That is why any plan must have have the capability to be changed on the fly, whether the fall-back is plan B, C, Z or one you'd never considered, which is where experience from training and racing comes into play. The one thing you do want to avoid is being too reactive to events around you, otherwise you have lost control of your race.

5. Manage risks. In conjuction with expecting the unexpected, you need to manage the risks associated with any race tactics you employ against the benefit it might bring towards the eventual race outcome. Put into practice, the risk of going too hard too early will surely bring you undone later on...as will surging too hard mid-race. However, you might decide the effort to bridge a gap to group is worth it for the benefit of the group dynamic. You need to decide these things as you go, based on knowing yourself, the course, competition, etc.

So bringing all these things together - plus a host of others - allows you to plan optimum race tactics in advance, and be prepared for a range of scenarios to occur and know what is the best thing to do. Each race scenario you find yourself in is also an opportunity to learn more about how you body actually responds so that you might be able to better optimise race tactics in the future. Race tactics are something you never completely master - but practice sure does help - and is why sporting competition is always intriguing because no two events are ever the same.

Sports and ballet

I recently went to the ballet for the first time, to see a major production by the Australian Ballet company of the classic "Romeo and Juliet". To say the least it was eye opening - even from our nose-bleed seats - for the scale of the whole performance...it was spectacular. But during some of the slower moments of the show I started noticing similarities between the ballet and sports, and what things we can learn from professional ballet because often it is only when we think laterally that you see where opportunities are for development and improvement.

To start with, one obvious difference is that ballet is non-competitive (although the film "Black Swan" might suggest otherwise!!), without any sign of a start or finish line. Ballet is primarily an artistic expression of a story in a way that is like poetry in motion, with all the grace, beauty and smoothness of a fairy tale. But once you start to look at the dancers, the sets and more the similarities appear...along with things we can learn from.

Starting with the dancers...they are amazing. Like all specialists, they have physically evolved to suit the needs of their performance both in appearance and how they move - duck feet everywhere!!! These dancers have evolved during their career to develop the characteristics to support their activity, honed by hours and hours of practice and rehearsal. Their skill and control of movement is equal to top athletes in any sport, where the principle dancers are the highest ranked ones at the top of their game.

The sets on stage are large and elaborate, providing the setting for a performance that would otherwise lack context. The sets create a scene, and do far more than simply provide background and colour. The sets are much like a race village and finish chute, where without them a finish line would simply be a line in the dirt. Like the sets, a race finish arch provides focus for the effort being put in by athletes, with the orchestra providing the live music.

Ballet performance seems to be a mix of abstract and random movements, but choreographed into a sequence that portrays the story being told. But if you saw a dancer without the context of sets and choreography it would seem to be random, surrounded by support dancers weaving and twisting across the stage...at least that is how it appears to my unfamiliar eye. I often think this is how a triathlon looks to similarly unfamiliar eyes, where there are races within races due to wave starts for different age groups - people are swimming, riding and running everywhere in seemingly chaotic fashion, but to a person who understand the nature of such events, the competition is clear. Each pursuit - and every sport - has aficionados who see and understand the intricacies being demonstrated and the people who are doing them.

These are just three areas where I could see similaries between ballet and sports, and as I pondered further there were also lessons to be learned from the ballet, not just the performance I was witnessing on stage but what must happening behind the scenes and in practice.

These top ballet dancers are so good because of endless practice, but I would venture to say that beyond the basic skills of dancing, there would be volumes of 'deliberate practice', that is, concentration and thought towards every movement and it's role in the overal performance. Think of a dance instructor correcting what is seemingly a minor alignment in a dancer's routine, which might seem trivial but if it was left unattended might lead to further small routine flaws...each of which adds up. As the old saying goes, only perfect practice makes perfect.

The lesson is that when in training, practice and refine every aspect of your performance as if you were doing it in a race...because eventually you will be. Train with the perfection you want to race with.

Continuing that theme, the dancers seemed to move on auto-pilot as if this show was their life purpose. In reality, they had rehearsed the performance so much that it was automatic, like a singer who performs the same songs at every concert so the words and tunes are automatic. Rehearsal would have been repetitive, boring, tiring, demanding and more, but that was necessary to achieve the final outcome.

The lesson is that sports training is also repetitive boring, tiring, demanding and more, but that is also necessary to perform in races. Rob de Castella used to day that (elite) running is 99.9% drudgery, and 0.1% glamour. I think he over stated the glamour aspect.

The final lesson I learned is that the best dancers are all-rounders. They could have stepped into any of the other roles and excelled. They had worked on all aspects of their dance performance so that nothing was lacking, and it would have been this dedication that led to them being the best dancers and filling the lead roles. Carry this over to sports and it is clear you need to work on all aspects of your fitness and performance, and while you will never be able to run like Usain Bolt AND Kenenisa Bekele, your should include elements of each type of training in your overall, year-round program to round out your performance.

The actual story of Romeo and Juliet we saw is well known, and although we couldn't understand why some parts performed as they were, in looking back on the show the story was clear...which a credit to the dancers and director who brought a story to life simply through music and dance. The final product, however, was the combined result of so many things and contributing elements that to consider them all is mind boggling. It's the same with sports performance, where success goes to those who firstly see the whole picture, and secondly who act upon it.

Redundant body parts

I had a bit of a human anatomy lesson yesterday, which is also provides for a great trivia question...how many parts of our body can you name which are redundant? An obvious one is the appendix, that is usually taken out when it causes problems...which happened to me in 2000 when mine burst/ruptured and needed emergency surgery to scrape the remnants out. Personal experience is always a great way of learning trivia!!!

Well there is at least one other redundant body part, about which I now also have personal experience. It is the Plantaris tendon and associated muscle, which is in your lower leg and stretches from just below the knee to the heel. The Plantaris muscle is small and thin. In fact it is so small that it is missing in 7-15% of the population. It is known as a vestigal muscle, which suggests that we have somehow evolved and that we don't really need the muscle (and tendon) anymore. Some friends have already told me that since I still have the tendon it means I simply haven't evolved...but I prefer to think of myself as being a more complete person!!

Apparently the tendon is often used by surgeons as a donor site for tendon repairs elsewhere in the body. There is no apparent loss of function by surgically removing the tendon, and similarly if it ruptures...apart from the associated pain when that occurs.

The reason I know this is that my goddam Plantaris tendon flared up 10 days ago in a race that I was a DNF from...something I haven't done in decades. It came out of the blue, feeling fine during the warm-up, and only starting to hurt about 2-3km before getting worse until I pulled out at 5km. Perhaps a contributor was having a deep massage the day before, in fact Ms A asked if that was normal practice, which I dismissed to an extent, having no problems previously. Anyway, lesson learnt - no massage the day before racing anymore...

Initially I wondered if it was another calf pull/strain/tear, but was soon apparent this injury was "different" and that the tendon was the actual problem...notwithstanding that I always have tight calves!!! The strange thing was why it happened since the Plantaris is such a minor / insignificant part of running. Nonetheless, it was inflamed and after a week and  two physio visits I checked in to see my excellent doctor yesterday morning, with an ultrasound and injection in the afternoon...I do like it when things happen quickly!!!

It was interesting talking to the sonographer / doctor about the circumstances of injury, and hearing about the redundancy of the tendon/muscle. Apparently a Collingwood footballer ruptured his recently and was back playing 2 weeks later once the pain had settled...he simple didn't need it. Some internet research says it is commonly known as "tennis calf" since it is often sudden movements like in tennis that rupture it, again with no on-going problems. So it seems I might have been better off actually rupturing mine rather than stopping short and resting it...sigh...

Anyway, we've taken some positive action and I'll be back running next week...with tendon still in tact!!! At least I'll be better prepared for trivia questions.

Multi-Year Planning

Little of significance gets done without any planning. Whether it is building a house, getting married or an overseas trip, these things don't just "happen" - there is always some planning beforehand. It's the same with sporting performances, from micro-planning of day-to-day training sessions to a season plan of races. But what about your long-term plan of development to really commit and strive towards your ultimate performance in a particular event? What I mean is multi-year planning, with an associated long-term vision and goals, which takes patience but where the finale is well worth the journey.

The Olympic games are four years apart, but it is often proposed that athletes striving to compete there should in fact consider a five-year plan, such is the concentrated effort it takes to perform at the highest level of all. While this is ultimate multi-year planning, it is built on a solid foundation where training, experience and performance level is cumulative and built up over time. This period of time allows the athlete and coach to have extended periods of focus to work on different fitness aspects which contribute to overall and eventual performance. Basically, you don't get faster at running 10km (for example), by continually running 10km races. This is especially so the longer the race distance.

Multi-year planning shifts the focus away from short-term performance - it takes years to really give something your best shot - so that each race is a stepping stone towards a bigger goal, supported by strategically planned training phases to achieve the necessary, progressive improvement. This is not to say that any interim race is not important, and that there are not peak races along the way - there are - but rather that you take a long-term view to your development at whatever you conclude is your best / target / goal distance event.

The best way to explain multi-year planning is with a high-level, descriptive example, using the Ironman as the event in focus. The assumptions in beginning a multi-year journey are that the athlete has some triathlon background, which may even include doing an IM in the past.

Year 1, part 1
Before any plan begins you need to be ready for what is ahead, physically and mentally. So spend the first part getting healthy, doing simple things to be fit and ready to train. Keep your goal in mind so you don't lose focus. Also, identify your key limiter, which is most often speed...even for IM.

Year 1, part 2
Train your key limiter. Build a program that enhances your overall fitness, but which focuses on your most limiting performance component. In saying that is most likely speed, in the context of IM I mean your ability to swim a fast 200-400m, ride a fast 3-4km TT, and ride a fast 1-1.5km. Building this speed begins with the mechanics, coordination and neuromuscular capability to allow you to be fast in the first place, and then adds the fitness to be fast over those distances. You might do a few, short, single sport events during this time over distances you would normally consider trivial, but that is the process to developing the necessary speed we're talking about.

Year 2
This whole year is devoted to extending your speed endurance from Year 1 over longer distances, specifically Olympic Distance triathlon event distances. Train to be fast over a 1500m swim, 40km ride and 10km run, as single sport events. You'll put them together into triathlons but only sprint or OD formats. Essentially, you are building endurance (back) into your fitness but maintaining your key limiter focus since these new speed gears will be your strength.

Year 3, part 1
Now you progress your distances further to be racing IM 70.3 events, and giving them a serious crack. This is a further progression on from Year 2, where you're adding more endurance but still maintaining the speed capability you developed back in year 1 for this will underpin your performances. Be careful not to cross-over the "line" to where you become a one-pace long course athlete, because the gears you added will be your weapon as the race gets longer.

Year 3, part 2
Now it is time to line up for an IM, mainly to get back in the ring and re-familiarise yourself with what an IM is all about. Do an IM as a reminder, but also to see how you feel physically and mentally stepping (back) up to that distance. Avoid putting too much pressure on yourself to perform in this race, but at the same time give it your best shot since IM races are few and far between. Evaluate afterwards how it went and how you performed, not just in terms of time but your race execution.

Year 4
This is the year to maximise the investment of time and effort you've put in. Aim for 2 x IM during this year, with the aim of really giving them your best shot to capitalise on everything you've gained over the previous years. Do shorter races, also, as further opportunities to refine your approach but the IM events are your "AAA" races that you've been training for.


So there is an overview of a multi-year plan, which could also substitute for a sensible progression in triathlons to doing an IM. But the key thing in this approach is that the starting point assumes existing fitness and experience, and that this approach is not so much the progression of a beginner to completing an IM, but rather an athlete who is willing to take a step back in order to take two (or more) steps forward. As with all long-term plans, it requires trust, faith and diligence, and the need to be flexible as life circumstances change...but the benefit is in both the journey and (hopefully) the outcome.

As with all training endeavours, be realistic about your time availability, your physical capabilities and balance between life and sport. Keep your focus on the end goal throughout since at times it will seem a long way away, but nothing worthwhile comes easily. Above all, be flexible in the whole plan. View this as somewhat of a template where the specific details will likely change and adapt...including the overall timeframe...but remember that long-term plans are strategic in nature, and making changes will necessarily impact the outcome in some way. But however you approach it, enjoy the journey and challenge of developing yourself as an athlete and as a person as it will present you with the best of times and the worst of times. Enjoy them all!!

Tips for Kona newbie

The Hawaii Ironman is always a big deal whether you're a newbie or a veteran...and people do go back year after year to try and conquer the island and the race. Many people take years to really succeed in their race, be they pros or age groupers.

As much as experience is hard won through sweat and tears, there is also a wealth of advice around from those who have done the hard yards and who are happy to offer it up, from which we can all benefit. So in putting out the question of advice for a newbie heading to Kona, the following is a compilation of individual tips and tricks to hopefully help make it a great experience.

General
See some of the island. If you've only got a short time then drive up the Queen K, turn right where the bike course turns left and head over to the Eastern side of the island. With a bit more time drive over the saddle between the two mountains and into Hilo, and go to volcano national park. The island is an incredibly beautiful place...if you like seeing that kind of stuff.

Captain cook memorial trip - boat ride with interesting marine lesson on way - kids will love it. The boat stays out on the bay for few hours...you can relax, swim, eat, drink, snorkle. It's an awesome place. Boat provides all required.

Use lots of sunscreen before, DURING (especially) and after the race. Your skin will thank you.

Pre-RaceArrive in Kona fresher than you think you should be.

Take part in the athlets parade, and cruise the expo for the freebies.

If you are getting there a week before hand, you can still check out the important bits (i.e. the ride up and down Hawi) by driving to the appropriate starting point. Doing a training ride up to Hawi and back in strong winds is an invaluable exercise just to know what the day might have in store.

Take it easy. Don't try to do too much. It is easy to get caught up in the hype and spend too much time out and about and on your feet when you should be taking it easy.

Recommend the Hula Bean (on the non-coast side of Alii Dve not far from the swim entry) rather than Lava Java for quality of coffee. Lava Java is THE SCENE so it is the place to go for celebrity spotting and freebies (in the past they have given away fuel belts and other stuff out front).

Acclimatisation - Everyone is different but I you're probably best not to use air-con and get used to living in the termperature and humidity 24 x 7. If you can't sleep or are worried about hydration, this might not work for you.

Swim
The swim will have more biffo than any other race you've done, and you will swim 5-10min slower than you usually do.

Some years there is a bit of a current and all the people planning to stay out of trouble by swimming wide wind up jammed up in a big pack on the left hand side. I think it was best to be in between those trying to stay wide and the gun swimmers. Of course, if you are a gun swimmer you want to get on board at the start and need to be prepared to take your lumps.

Start way left (with the pier on your right) - to get less biffo. Aim for the 2nd or 3rd orange buoy and by that point you should be settled into your pace with less biffo - and very very small over-distance by starting to the left. There are outrigger canoes that let you hang on to if you wish to not tread water.

Bike
Wheels on bike...if it is windy, you will get blown about no matter what wheelset you use. The balance of (eg) Zipp 1080 (rear) with 404 (front) should be OK, or 404 on both. If it is windy, watch out for lost bottles blowing around the road at aid stations. These have brought down a few people in the past. Be prepared to take bottles on the bike with your right hand instead of left.

When riding before race day (or even when walking) be careful to look the opposite way - best to look every way every time. It is very easy to step into the path of a car or to look the wrong way before riding into an intersection.

The bike has the smoothest surface of any race, and the "climb" to Hawi is over rated.

At the 120km mark (after the decent as you turn back on the Queen K) your day is either just starting or starting to finish. Go too hard and it will be finishing.

On the road to Hawi - cross winds are common from approx mile post 14 to 19, with predominantly tail winds on the return from Hawi from mile post 20 to 15, but can have some cross winds gusts from MP 17 to 14. The worst cross winds are on a relatively short stretch from Hawi, after that it's likely to be a head wind. Enjoy.

Run
Pace the run evenly. If it doesn't feel too slow at the start, it's too fast. Break the run up into 25 short runs from aid station to the next aid station. Forget about beating people. Aim for the race to be an exercise in pacing and control - if you come out of the energy lab and you have something left, start racing there.

The run is hot along Alii Dve, and full of spectators. Do NOT get caught up in the vibe and let it speed up your pace. You will need it for the Queen K and in/out Energy Lab where it is has considerably less screaming spectators.
If you lose your focus at anytime during the first 10 mile (the section up and back Alii Dr) and go too hard you will pay for it 10 fold on the Queen K.

Palani Rd hill is worth walking a bit of to save yourself.

Be familiar with landmarks on the way to the energy lab turn-off because it all looks the same and seems to go forever. Same on return.

Have a great time and enjoy that awesome last km of the run leg.