Wilson's Adventure Racing, Multisport & Triathlon Sanctuary

Like i mentioned before, i have a second chance at doing well for IMWA now. The other races are, well, training as far as i can see. For a 1st IM, it's going to be a cracker of an event. The field is deep, deep, deep. Some of these age groupers should be fully professional, according to Chris.

Bloody Upper Murray is giving me the shivers now. The urge to go hard, particularly on the run, and since i did this event last year, is hard to resist as a whole. Bugger this crook right foot... if it were not fot it, i woud be training hard on the trails right now.

I really should look into the training program and incorporate more off-road runs/bikes, plus time in the boat, in order to really shape up in time for a good shot at Coast to Coast. Remember folks, to complete the Coast to Coast is one task not yet mastered by an athlete from South East Asia, to my knowledge. It is my responsibility to sort out myself, in order to get it right next year, no injury and no disasters in the lead-up.

Running must be consistent... a theory that has to be applied from the world of AR. Time on one's feet is still key to surviving.

Low-impact sports = lots of mileage can be had, but focus has to be very specific - aka biking, swimming, and kayaking. I made the mistake of REMOVING TOO MUCH FOCUS from the run, especially off-road ability, aka 'trail fitness'. It came as no surprise that the unseasoned stabiliser muscles took too much of a beating, and a trail-induced injury surfaced.

I really should be kun-ing now, as there's a 615am ride tomorrow. We'll see how we go with the Monash team for Around the Bay.

Well well, did a ride today on my MTB. Still haven't lost the touch apparently... could do with better hill endurance though. Not many days left t the 12 hour, so i'm going to focus more on that for now, with also 1 long ride on road to get the back back in shape riding in aero.

I feel i've been given a second chance to make it good at WA. NOT A STRESS FRACTURE!

Praise God and thru him, i'll be up and about with careful rehab.

Actually the bone scan looked pretty gory to me. With hot spots everywhere, i could not tell where the problem spot was at all. "Typical of a runner" was the observation from the doc, referring to the masses of black over my toes, heels, and joints.

Oh well, if every spot looks that 'bloody', i can't be in very poor shape overall now, can i?

This shite won't happen again, not if i can help it!

WE NEED to set some new goals...

Scrap the 12-Hour, Scrap UMC, scrap even the Mont 24-hour... and especially scrap Ironman WA!!!

Where R-Day = day which the doc says rehabilitation of injury can proceed
and where N-Day = day which the doc says resumption of normal activity can proceed

R + 14 = swimming fitness base re-building complete
R + 28 = swimming strength fitness achieved
R + 35 = open water swimming commences
R + 49 = race fit for Anaconda Lorne

N + 1 = walk 1km today, 2km the next day, then rest 3rd day
N + 4 = walk 3km today, 4km the next day, then rest 3rd day
N + 8 = walk 5km today, 6km the next day, then rest 3rd day
N + 14 = balanced L-R flexibility attained, commence progressive gym training and cycling fitness
N + 28 = plan revised race goals for 2006-2007 season
N + ? = can run 5km non-stop
N+ ?? = proceed to leg plyometric training / resume mountain biking
N + ??? = attain 255 cm for standing broad jump
N + ???? = attain trail running fitness for Anaconda Lorne (highly technical, rock-hopping, coasteering)

N - R = how many days???
Kayaking fitness = in line with swimming fitness???

F*** f*** f*** f*** f***... every minute i stay in this room, i feel myself getting weaker, the walls closing in a little more tighter; while out there, on the road and in the bush, others get stronger.

Alas, a shift in the kinds of events to focus on seems inevitable. The best i can do now would be the Max Adventure Sprint on 19 November, then the Red Yeti Midnight Assault 25-27 November, then the big one, Lorne Anaconda. The tricky part is being race fit in time for any of these.

To be continued....

Updated: OK, we are still on track, but it won't be easy. Still got 1 more week of no running, so i won't pull off anything stupid in this time for now.

Today, i officially declare my off training until further notice (aka, a trip to the doc's to have my foot examined, maybe X-rayed even).

Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo! =(

But... you can't spend your whole post-race mulling over what might have been. That is do-nothing defeatism. Time to get up and do the things you really enjoy.

As Arthur Lydiard once said, you got to understand why you do the things you do in training. I resolve, as of tomorrow, to conduct my training as how i see it fit in preparation for the next race, the next event.... Not just "oh, i'll just do this race this weekend and see how i pull up". That's just dicing with luck, that's just fooling around with no clear goal, that's setting yourself up for a fall if you push that bit too hard, which you inevitably do. That is asking for trouble, as i've so painfully found out for myself. I reckon i had a better race at the OSIM than i had with this past half-IM... but that's dwelling on the past, and i'd promise that i'd stop that.

Well, we'll see how waking up tomorrow morning goes. Might be a light run on mixed terrain just to get the feel of the float back in my feet again. Oh yes, and the mountain bike... THE good ol' mountain bike!!!

"Rising up, back on the street, took my time took my chances... with the distance now i'm back on my feet, just a man and his will to survive".

Never have i been more disappointed with myself in a race. The half-IM did not go down well in terms of compliance to my principle of "come off feeling great after every race". Back ached like heck, and the right foot is in pain.

Now to top it off, i'm somewhat injured (yup, the right foot) and taking the whole week off. I've been scaring myself silly in the meantime doing research on what ails my right foot. I'd like to think it is just mere ligament strain, or the odd bone bruise, but other things like plantar fasciitis, nerve pinching, or the dreaded stress fracture seem to crop up in the online literature i've been sieving through in my confinement. The worse thing is that the imbalance is causing my left hip to act up, a much-feared biomechanical imbalance that warrants corrective running technique upon resumption of training.

Every day i sit in this room, waiting for that next training session, let alone the next race, and i get weaker. And every day, my competitors are out there doing the hard yards, the early morning starts, out on the roads and in the bush, getting stronger. I can physically feel the degenerative effects of a long lay-off after a race effort. Who said anything about recovery? I know myself well enough. 1 week of recovery for 6 hours of competition is too much. Is it because it is somewhat more intense? 5 hours plus going at full bore might be too much to hack for someone used to the lower intensities of AR... but then again, didn't i not crack the UMC, also at a rather high intensity, without coming off so crook??

I'm confused and somewhat weary at what this bodes for the rest of my build-up to IM, and CtC.

The only reason i can give for this pitiful performance is the lack of specific training. Not enough open-water swimming, not enough time in aero-position, and just plain not enough running mileage in the legs to come away uninjured. I really thought i'd crack 5:15 easy.

I have resolved this issue: i know myself the best. The nutrition, the lead-up, and the specific conditioning. I probably did more specific conditioning in the lead-up to UMC than any other race, thus the relatively unscathed results. True, more hill work was needed. So that is what i'm going to focus on as soon as this right foor settles down. Now, only six weeks out, is the time for the really focused stuff. I can say i've been hoodwinked into thinking that the training programme would be enough for a half-IM, not realising that it was a lead-up to the full-IM instead.

I can't go on smashing myself in the smaller races and not enjoying it, somehow hoping that i will redeem myself in the big one on Dec 3. EVERY RACE should be cherished as a chance to give a good account of oneself, and the only way to do that is to give some specific preparation for each event, knowing full-well the negative effects that injury and enforced lay-offs can play on the rest of the season.

Ow ow ow ow... my foot hurts!

This hasn't turned out the way i would have liked, this Half-Ironman. Poor swim navigation, a buggered back from the bike, and now a niggling right foot injury... hope it is nothing serious.

A bit depressed, plus pressed for assignments all in a row! Got to lay off the tips section for awhile, but i promise i'll be back soon.

My humblest apologies for not following up with the (in)famous Tip of the Day! As promised, here are the 3 which i owe you for the past 3 days.

Tip#14: Recycled bits = equipment straps

The leftover neoprene-Velcro of Lizard Skins fork and shock boots make great makeshift straps for securing equipment such as pumps, tires, inner tubes, tools, and battery packs. Cut to the correct width and experiment. You can even combine straps to give extra-long ones for bulkier bits.

Tip#15: Sticky food

A top tip from the multisport and triathlon practitioners: cut and stick pieces of energy bar to your bike frame, aero bars, or kayak paddle. Just pluck and eat on the go as required - adhesive quality subject to weather/temperature variations and type of bar used. This has also been used with some success on fruit roll-ups and fruit bars.

Tip#16: Customised MTB wheels (1)

The tools you need for customising your tires:

- some spare time
- a sharp pair of pruning shears or heavy duty scissors
- a pair of gloves for protecting you hands (optional)

First do the research on the stock tire you wish to take to pieces. Often, most people go with heavier trail bike or free-ride treads, then shave off knobs to give better rolling resistance to give a more XC-oriented ride quality.

The key portion that most people trim down to size are the centre knobs (always a concern where rolling resistence is the enemy). Occasionally, they may take off knobs at intervals to give bigger gaps in-between each other for better mud clearance.

(To be continued...)

#13: Light configuration

With the huge growth in the AR and endurance mountain biking sectors, night-time mountain biking strategy has advanced to the point where it having two lights - one on the handlebar and another on the helmet - is now almost essential for staying competitive.

Having the more powerful light on your helmet is best for handling the really technical trails, while the less powerful light can act as a backup ato the handlebars. On roads or open, easy off-road terrain, the helmet light can be switched off to conserve battery power. One shortcoming of having a top dollar, super-bright LED or HID unit on one's head, particularly in AR, is that when reading maps, the glare created can cause a swift loss of night vision. To combat this, installation of a pilot light can be beneficial. The Princeton Tec Pilot is just such a unit that is purpose-made for auxillary, low-level lighting for reading maps, documents, and other close-in work. The main light is turned off when stationary map work needs to be done, and then turned on again when movement resumes.

While having the more powerful light on the handlebars may be the way to go for the team navigator, the ideal setup is to have two powerful units, with the light levels on the helmet unit adjustable to the point where at its lowest setting, it can comfortably allow accurate map reading without creating blinding glare, and allows a degree of map-ground comparison to be done on the move, in easy terrain.

As far as possible, the team navigator should strive to maintain his night vision, and guard against becoming blinded by him/herself or team mates. The economic and careful usage of powerful lighting is crucial as night navigation on the bikes rates as one of the most demanding aspects of the sport. Other team mates should act as spotters, observing the lay of the land and the surroundings for crucial navigational features with the help of powerful helmet lights. The navigator, on the other hand, has to keep a constant watch on the input of his team, sensory data, cyclo-computer & altimeter readings, and map-ground comparisons... but he/she must still be prepared to use his/her own lights at full power to spot features and confirm ground, if required.

I've reverted back to my old Hutchinson Python rear tire. After experiencing TWO blow-offs today, my trust in the end-2005 batch of Pythons has just gone down the proverbial brown drain.

Tip#11: Not all tires are created equal

Some MTB tires have beads that, due to their composition or quality control, can snap or stretch. According to the Stan's Notubes website (www.notubes.com), certain brands are not recommended to be used with their tubeless system - which converts a pair of standard tires and rims into a lightweight, self-sealing system with all the benefits of a UST wheelset.

The only good these tires are good for, perhaps, is their ease of removal when doing quick tire changes on standard tubed wheelsets. Kevlar beads are usualy dependable as Stan's conversion candidates, and all wire beads work well, stiff and un-stretchable as they are.

Tip#12: Bike computer drama

Bike computers have an uncanny ability to fly off and disappear into the oblivion of trailside vegetation by themselves in the heat of a demanding trail ride or race. If this happens during a particularly gruelling bike section/race, where one is keeping a keen eye on speed, pacing, distance counting, and navigation-by-computer... you're screwed.

The best solution for this is to just tape the damn thing down. For wired units, take care when stretching the tape not to tension the housing in such a way that the metal conduits lose contact with each other.

Unlikely though it may seem, a wheel magnet disappeared off my front wheel once. The fix: my next magnet was secured with a dollop of Superglue. Alternative adhesives include silicon grouting, Aquaseal, and the ubiquitous Loctite... in a pinch (in a race situation), a tiny strip of duct tape or electrician's tape will do.

Read this and weep my friends...

Oh yes, it's time for "Tip of the Day" again! Let's not forget that! I bring you two more quickies from the land of AR.

Tip#9: Old newspaper

Stuff old newspapers into your shoes whenever in transition, or waiting for the next lap (usually during an endurance-style mountain bike race). Even if they end up at the bottom of the transition box, at least the shoes will be somewhat drier, and will stink less too.

Tip#10: Tape is important

The all-time AR Hall of Fame Invention - duct tape - must be available at all times. Standard practice is to have 2-3 metres of the stuff wrapped carefully around a water bottle, or 1-2 metres around a trekking pole or bike pump. No point carrying an entire roll, which is bulky as hell. Incorporate the tape onto existing equipment instead.

But why stop there? The same goes for surgical tape, electrician's tape, and cloth tape, which can, and should be wrapped over anything from pens and pencils, lip balm sticks, and bike frames. If really pressed for space (as in a mandatory first aid kit where an entire roll of sports tape would be superfluous), grab a suitably-sized piece of cardboard or stiff paper, and go a few rounds around that to form a thin 'card' of tape which tucks in nicely within the confines of a small Ziploc.