“It is the brain not the heart or lungs, that is the critical organ, it’s the brain.”
- Dr. Roger Bannister
Yes, THAT Roger Bannister…Sir Roger Bannister….the guy who broke 4 minutes for the mile…
I love that quote for lots of reasons and one of them is who said it.
Another one is that supports all that I have read, learned and now believe on the Central Governor Theory …but also what I have experienced and focused a lot of development on improving….strength of mind.
The Sir Roger quote is within an awesome paper recently published by Prof. Tim Noakes…yes, that Tim Noakes I’m always going on about…the guy is the Man…!
You can read the full paper via the link within this blog post by Amby Burfoot of Runners World….the blog is a good source of information in itself…but I would encourage you to read the full Noakes paper…
Don’t be put off by the “intensity” of the information…its really valuable stuff to know and think about it…see it as an educational exercise….its worth the time and effort.
Anyways, here is the spoiler…..the common preached theory that acidosis within the muscles (lactic acid) is the trigger for fatigue and ultimately the end of the exercise…. .is not the complete picture.
What is missing is the role of the brain in this argument.
We all know that the role of the Central Governor is to self-regulate our systems to prevent us from harming ourselves….so when the brain kicks in, it is basically protecting us from killing ourselves….
So what this means is that no matter how hard you push yourself…there is always more left…
Yeah, I know we’ve all buried ourselves…emptied the whole tank…left everything out there on the course…but the truth is that there was more left….just we couldn’t access it because the brain wouldn’t let us…
The brain basically said “fuck this, you’re getting a bit close to fucking yourself up…I’m pulling the plug mate.”
In this case – its an Aussie brain speaking….:)
No jokes about Aussies and brains please – you can mail me them separately…!
Anyways, what I’m saying is that because you’ve never been that deep into the “hurt box” before, the brain doesn’t know you can handle it…so it tells the muscles to shut down and call it quits…
The question Noakes always asks, as it drives him crazy, is…in a race for the line…what causes one person to win and another to “accept” 2nd place….when there is no physiological difference between them…?
He proposes its because the 2nd place athlete has accepted 2nd place….and basically given up…
This is the question which drives Noakes to explore the role of the brain in self-regulating the fatigue.
It’s cool hey?
So what about all we have heard and been taught about lactic acid, lactate thresholds, VO2 max etc?
Now, this is where I defer to the Noakes paper as I’m stepping way out of my comfort zone….but my take-outs are that there are clearly physiological indicators but these are not the defining factors in determining effort and ultimately termination of the effort…
But…I will say that it has been proved numerous times that VO2 max is no indicator of athletic performance and….
…that the proponents of the lactic acid – acidosis – argument have conveniently ignored the role of the brain in their argument.
I love this quote from a paper written in 1948…..how could this be ignored for so long…by so-called experts?
“…physical fitness cannot be defined nor can differences be detected by a few simple physiological measurements…obtained during limited tests…To do so results in focusing attention on some erroneous concept. Man is not a pulse rate, a rectal temperature, but a complex array of many phenomena…Into performance enters the baffling yet extremely of motivation, the will-to-do. This cannot be measured and remains an uncontrollable, quickly fluctuating, disturbing variable which may at any time completely alter the performance regardless of physical or physiologic state”.
- Bean and Eichna (1943)
And this where I do feel strongly about how the “modern scientists” argument is flawed…
Anyone who has ever listened to a motivational speech or team-talk will testify to how these can power you to “run through walls”….
…the hairs on the back of your neck standing on end….
…the locker room pumped full of energy….
…chasing down loose balls…the last defender etc..
…that “willing to die” for the team feeling….
We’ve all been there…willing to suck it up for the team…willing to bury yourself if it means we win the game..
Now tell me…what the fuck has the level of lactic acid in my legs got to do with that?!
Fuck all. Thats what!
If you want it badly enough. …if your motivation is strong enough…your brain will drive your body to deliver it….
“The difference between my world record and many world class runners is mental fortitude. I ran believing in mind over matter.”
- Derek Clayton, former marathon world record holder.
Another example, as if you need one…..is the role of music in affecting performance…
I know how important a role my race-day playlist had in my mood on the morning of IM Melbourne…it was one of the best tools I’ve ever used…
…I owe The Chemical Brothers a huge favour for ‘Leave Home’….
So again you know that feeling when a song you love comes on?
One which gets you pumping your head up & down…
…singing out loud….fisting pumping…getting you totally fired up?
Tell me what the fuck has that got to do with lactic acid in the legs?
So there you go that is my answer to those who have proposed for decades that fatigue is driven by the muscles and not by the brain…
I find all of your lab experiments fascinating but irrelevant….I know what the real experiments…out on the road…in the pool…on the trails…tell me…
So as much as I focus on developing my “body”…I also recognise that we are a whole , complete system…which is driven & regulated by the brain….so I also focus on developing my mind…as there is where the real gains will come from…
“Mind is everything. Muscles are pieces of rubber. All that I am, I am because of my mind.”
- Paavo Nuurmi – 9 x Gold, 3 x Silver Medal Olympian
I know I always go on about how much I love reading and studying etc, etc but I really do, I’m not bluffing.
For along time I’ve wanted to share some of my readings, via book reviews, but have never got around too it.
One of the reasons for this, is that as soon as I’ve finished one book I’m straight onto the next.
If I’m honest I can often spoil the enjoyment of reading by being in such a rush to finish the book, consume the knowledge, and then move onto the next new book…
But I guess that kind of sums up my personality…
I need to enjoy the present more…
Anyways, after a tweeted a link to Inigo Mujika’s site (see right-hand side) and a “Twitter mate” asked me what I thought of Inigo Mujika’s book on tapering – ‘Tapering and Peaking for Optimal Performance’- I thought answering via a blog post would be a cool way to kick-start my book reviewing ambitions…
I’m not sure this constitutes what would formally be known as a ‘book review’ but I’ll run through it, and also say how I applied what I learnt…hopefully this works for everyone…
Now, you’ll have to cut me some slack here as I read Inigo’s book back in March, in my lead unto IM Melbourne so my memory isn’t a fresh as it could be….a lot of red wine has been drunken since…!
Lets go back to how I came about “discovering” Inigo and then purchasing his book….
Inigo is a world-class coach who works with top-class international athletes, including Eneko Llanos, and has a great reputation in the sports coaching world.
My coach, Ed @athleteacademy, has met Inigo and recommended to me that I should look into his work, especially on tapering as this is Inigo’s renowned area of expertise.
Ed said that we would be using Inigo’s principles on tapering when designing my taper plan for Melbourne, so I was keen to understand the logic behind what we were going to be doing.
Inigo’s website (see left–hand side) is pretty impressive, it has a lot of his posts and articles on there as well as some cool videos.
Me, being me, immediately ordered his book. Its worth saying here that it wasn’t cheap – I think it was c£25 – and considering it is only just over 200 pages – you could present a case for it being expensive…
However, it comes out of the Human Kinetics publishing stable and I am a fan of the books these guys publish albeit they are not the cheapest…
What I will say is that I find the value comes in that you can continue to use these books as reference tools moving forward….they are not one-hit wonders…they are designed for ongoing use and do this very well.
Its also worth noting that I am reading these book as a non-academic, so where I find some the data a little overwhelming or just not that interesting, this doesn’t mean it is not stellar material, it clearly is.
So from a “civilian” viewpoint, and from the viewpoint of someone who is participating in sport as an “athlete”, I was looking for key take-outs which I could apply, or understand the application of , within my own training.
From this perspective, there was lot of very useful information within the 200 pages.
In addition, to the immediate application of the key take-outs, my own understanding and knowledge also increased.
Admittedly, there were no eureka moments as I already had a general understanding of the principles of tapering, but these were very much your standard “reduce workload” views and nothing more concrete than that.
And I guess this is where the real role of this book kicks in, for the first time I put together a very solid and robust taper plan for my final two weeks leading unto Melbourne.
Importantly, I had total confidence in the plan. You cannot underestimate the value that that confidence brings.
Interestingly, the book also provided some very useful insight into the role of long-distance travel and how to combat against the fatigue and disruption this causes.
Clearly, this a major consideration to take into account for Melbourne and that I was travelling only 9 days before the race.
Ed & I took this seriously enough to put together a plan for how I would manage my eating & sleeping on the flight over to Sydney in order to support acclimatising as quickly as possible…it wasn’t easy….you try staying awake for the first 12 hours of a 10pm flight…but I believe it did make a positive difference.
Ok, so what I’ll do now is just very quickly pull-out what I took away in the short-term from the book and how I applied it to my Melbourne taper….
This is by no means a summary of the book and its information, its jut me saying this is what I did…got it?
So the reduction in my training volume worked in two phases – note – the key word here is volume…
Week 1 of the taper – I reduced my training volume by 60%
Week 2 of the taper – I reduced my training volume by 90% (of the original amount – not week 1)
Ok, so the volume reduced in substantial increments.
However, it was only the volume that decreased, the frequency and structure of the week remained unchanged….I’ll come onto the impact of the travel in a sec…
So, I had a reduction in volume but the weekly schedule stayed the same.
The key ingredient now was intensity.
I would rev the engine in the shorter sessions to ensure that the pipes were opened and everything got a chance to fire up.
This is what science has proved to be the ideal blend – reduced volume + increased intensity.
Get that?
Reduced volume, increased intensity, same structure and frequency.
Now in the book Inigo goes into scientific studies and a lot of data on exertion levels, recovery metrics etc which was interesting but I basically took as “rev the engine and open the pipes.”
I found the above plan to be exactly what I needed.
I still got to train regularly, which I enjoy doing, but I also knew the teach session was shortened and therefore not mentally draining, plus the increased intensity woke me up a little too.
That last paragraph is important as it demonstrates the value of the plan for my mental, neurological state, which we know that is the key metric of fatigue…
Ok, so that was the core plan, over which I had to lay the adjustments for travel and jet-lag…
What Ed & I went through was a plan for the flight – basically working off Sydney-time as soon as I stepped onto the plane at Heathrow, so this meant I had to stay awake until 9pm Sydney time….which meant the first 12 hours of my flight…not easy…
We also evolved the taper plan – using Inigo’s work – to take into account the flight. This meant that for the first 3 days of landing in Sydney, I wouldn’t train in the mornings, only in the afternoons or evenings.
This enabled me to adjust gently to training whilst still in a jet-lagged state.
Whilst I didn’t feel that jet-lagged, I know that if I wanted to hit the intensity required then I needed to wait until I woke up more, which was the afternoon session…
Inigo’s book does an amazing job of explaining the physiological effects and reasons behind these practices, and I’m in no position to even attempt to attempt to repeat them, but they did give me confidence in the plan and the respective feelings that come with the taper.
From my layman’s view, I can simply testify that they stack up.
I enjoyed each of my taper sessions.
I enjoyed knowing these was structure.
I enjoyed the confidence the plan gave me.
I felt incredible in the last 48 hours before the race, genuinely pumped and chomping at the bit to get racing….trust me, this has never happened before…
So would I recommend this book to someone who is keen to learn more about performance, tapering and peaking in particular, and has an interest in the physiological aspect of sport and also an interest in studying coaches and coaching?
Yes – without a shadow of a doubt – this book is a stellar resource for all of the above.
Would I recommend this book to someone who doesn’t have such a passion for studying and is simply looking for some bite-size ideas to try out in their own training and racing?
No – I wouldn’t – I’d say take the £25 and put it towards a consultation session with a good coach.
And therein lies the point I guess, and that is there is spectrum of resources and information out there, and without wishing to see overly-disrespectful….if you want to read comic books like 220 Triathlon, Triathlon Plus, Traithletes World…then you will just read horse-shit material….
Note: I’m not anti-magazines per se, I read Runners World, Triathlete & Triathlete Europe, and find them to contain some good articles & information.
If you want to learn more and understand the why behind why the top coaches are the top coaches and why the top athletes work with them….then you need to read the appropriate material…
Horses for courses hey?
So there you go, my first attempt at a books review, I’m not sure if it hit the mark for all & sundry but I enjoyed getting some points across so it was hopefully of some use to others…
I’ll look to do the same for some more key books I read or have read….any excuse to re-read a good book…
“Hayward explained that you don’t change your form by holding yourself differently, but by strengthening the muscles you need to be more effective”.
That is a quote from the incredible book ‘Bowerman and the Men of Oregon’, and I have begun this post with it for 2 reasons…
- The quote is from a book about one of the greatest coaches of all time – Bill Bowerman.
- The quote mentions Bill Hayward – Bowermans mentor – and was made over 60 years ago.
Point 1 is one of my favourite past-times – reading about coaches.
Coaches from all sports and all generations.
Point 2 proves that good coaching principles are timeless.
I love reading and learning about what coaches were doing “back in the day.”
I find it both motivating and revealing that it makes me realise some of these “modern-day gurus” are talking modern-day horse-shit….
Strangely, at the moment, I don’t find reading about coaching as interesting as I find studying about coaches and the old-school coaches in particular.
Why?
I guess its like my view on Management or Marketing text books….they tend to be horse-shit.
I’d rather read from people who are out there in the wild, in the field, who have actually coached great athletes…..instead of some academic who has never left the comfort of the classroom….
I believe that whilst I am studying the great coaches, I am studying what it means to be a great coach.
Last week, I listened to an awesome interview on BBC Radio 5 Live with Stuart Lancaster, the new England Rugby Head Coach. It was really inspiring to hear what a self-mad man he is, very grounded, with a passion for learning about and from great coaches.
As someone with no athletic pedigree, its very motivating to hear how someone can still progress to the highest point of their sport through hard-work and dedication.
I’m especially finding the works of the old-school athletic coaches to be particularly interesting and powerful too.
The likes of Bill Bowerman, Bill Hayward, Peter Coe and Arthur Lydiard were master coaches who worked with their athletes in such way that they got the very best out of them but also, importantly, as people too.
I love the beautiful simplicity of their coaching principles and practices. In the absence of science, these guys worked basic physiology and also “feel”.
In a modern world, full of sports scientists and highly academically qualified experts, its amazing how much of what these guys were saying decades ago still stacks up…..
So far I have seen the above point apply to such “modern” theories of rest, recovery, quality not quantity, the role of strength and conditioning, the mental game and the total environment of the athlete.
The only topic I have seen genuine advancements in is the role of nutrition. This area does seem to have come on significantly in recent years and I personally put a lot of that down to the work being down in South Africa by the likes of Noakes, Dugas & Tucker.
I won’t turn this in a nutrition-centric post but just to say the whole myth around the the role of & need for carbohydrates which has been rammed down our throats for the last 10-15 years is bullshit.
A good podcast to listen to as an introduction to this cargo-myth is available on iTunes – its the Talk Ultra Training Talk Episode 1.
So, where I was going, was that these old-school coaches are really worth studying and listening too. There is a lot of proven sense in what they were / are saying.
Personally, I would rather study these guys than listen to what is out there in the mainstream media today.
Don’t get me wrong, there a still some coaches around today who I think are very stellar but these guys tend to preach what the old-school guys practiced.
I’m also starting to question what the true role of a coach is and also starting to form a view on the modern-day industry of “remote coaching”….
I’m going to save that for another day, as it is a subject which I would really like to explain in sufficient detail to help support my views…
So for now, I will leave you with my view that you should question anything you read or are told by so-called modern-day coaching gurus….
Question the origin of their view and also ask yourself would Lydiard or Bowerman agree?
If you feel they wouldn’t, then chances are that, the modern view is a crock of modern-day shit….
Study the old masters. Their work is timeless. Just like the Renaissance Masters. These guys created masterpieces too.
Also, they were not endorsed or financed by any pharmaceutical, sports industry-related organisation….
Just saying….think about it.
One of my great passions in life is reading.
I love to read, as I love to learn and study.
Ironically, the only period of my life when I haven’t loved to study is the very period when I was supposed too….
….but back then the distractions of alcohol and chicks just proved too strong…
I guess I’ve been trying to make up for those mistakes ever since…
So enough about my demons (for now), because I want to share something which I came across a few days ago which really hit me as a relevant manifesto for not just its target audience (entrepreneurs) but also athletes, and in particular endurance athletes….
This is a list which has been put together by Jay Conrad Levinson in his impressive book ‘Guerilla Marketing remix‘….I doubt I am allowed to reproduce it but fuck it….I’ve given him credit and a link to his book…what more can I do?!
- Knows that the journey is the goal.
- Achieves balance from the very start.
- Is not in a hurry.
- Uses stress as a benchmark.
- Looks forward to work.
- Has no weaknesses.
- Is fusion-orientated.
- Faces reality.
- Realises routine leads to sanity.
- Lives in the present.
- Understands the precious nature of time.
- Always operates according to a plan.
- Sees the destination and how to get there.
- Is flexible.
- Aims for results more than growth……this is the one I would challenge as results are not as important as growth in my opinion…
- Is dependent upon many people.
- Learns constantly.
- Is passionate about work.
- Focuses on the goal.
- Is disciplined about tasks at hand.
- Is well-organised at home and work.
- Has an upbeat attitude.
Not a bad list hey?
As I mention, I’d challenge the “results more than growth” point – as to me the results just follow on the back of growth….they are not the be & end all…
The more reading I do on certain, apparently, un-related topics, I come across similarities and harmonies between what constitutes success and growth….regardless of their “field”…
This is why I find the whole area of coaching so intriguing….what makes a good coach and is this now the era for a new wave of coaches…?
Just quickly on this point, I listened to an awesome interview with the new England Rugby Head Coach Stuart Lancaster….who is a very impressive self-made coach…10 years ago he was a PE teacher at his local school…
He has gone out and studied from great coaches in all sports and also impressive leaders in Business….and then applied those learnings to his own coaching skill-set…
I find this so motivating and inspiring….as it would definitely be an ambition of mine to work with elite athletes in some role further down the line…
For now the journey is just beginning but by adopting many of the traits listed above, along with my passion for learning and self-development, who knows where it could lead….
Its all about the Process…not the destination…for now..
Pura Vida.
…that is actually the title of an awesome book by one of my heroes, the legendary Hawaiian surfer, Gerry Lopez.
I’m not going to gone on about who Gerry is as I’ll never be able to do justice to the Great Man.
What I will do is direct you to the short videos of Gerry on his recent tour of Australia which are on my one of my favourite blogs, The Cleanest Line, Patagonia.
http://www.thecleanestline.com/
Gerry is an ambassador for Patagonia – and when you watch the videos you will appreciate why – and why I find both Gerry and Patagonia to be the pinnacle of what I aspire to be and what The Endurance Experiment hopes to chronicle.
Gerry isn’t just an ambassador for Patagonia, he is more than that, just like one of his heroes Duke Kahanamoku…..Gerry is an ambassador of Aloha…
A goal to which I can only aspire to reach.
Aloha
Success isn’t something that just happens – success is learned, success is practiced and then it is shared.
-Sparky Anderson
So as much as I appreciate all the “pats on the back” I’ve received since IM Melbourne….and I do genuinely really appreciate them as they do mean a lot…..I really wish to get across that it was not “all about me”.
By that I mean, it was not an individual effort. It was a team effort. I was simply the vehicle which executed the team output.
Let me explain…
Through my journey, the process, the experiment I am learning and conducting here I have formed several key pillars upon which I have built my approach to my lifestyle, training etc.
One of these key pillars is the approach of building the “total picture”, or as Prof. Tim Noakes describes it..the “totality”.
This is creating a total environment which is conducive to a positive and productive training lifestyle.
In my opinion, this is the key component of supporting a positive progression in personal development.
Its not all about the training….training more, training harder, chasing data output…blah, blah, blah…
People who do that break or blow up….I’ve always seen great “trainers” implode on race-day when the numbers don’t come in right….
But thats a whole other post which I would like to spew about in the future…..but just for short-term completeness….I raced Melbourne “nude”….no power meter, no HRM….just my little wristwatch…
Shit, so where was I…oh yeah, the totality….the whole picture…
So back to where I was at the start, for me Melbourne was not about me…it was about the “team” I was representing…the collection of great people who I have worked with to get me in a position to execute our plans & philosophies on race-day.
I plan to delve into each one of these in more detail over the coming days & weeks, as selfishly, I get a lot out of writing about each of them as a means to help cement my own learning….selfish is as selfish does…
So lets start at the top…with the brain.
Again, look up Prof. Tim Noakes and his view of the Central Governor Theory. The brain is the daddy. It determines everything. Get the brain right & the rest will follow.
So where do I go to help my brain develop, learn and “grow”?
I go “into the field” and to the best collection of experienced, educated and eloquent long-course triathletes out there….the Biestmilch ‘Biest of Friends’.
Ok, so I know that the cynics amongst you will shout me down, giving it that I’m just pushing the Biestmilch piece but wind your necks in and listen to what I’m telling you….this isn’t an advertising message, I’m trying to share with you what I have learned from these guys…
I’ve taken away a different component from each of the guys which I then apply to my own views and trust that the sum of all of these inputs will make the whole more complete…
So we all know Chris McCormack. Well, Chris is just the best teacher out there. Just listen to what he has to say.
I’ve taken a lot from Chris but there are 3 points which really stand out….
The Process…..focus on the journey, the evolvement and the results & performances will speak for themselves.
Be Smart….it doesn’t matter if you’re in the quickest car, if the driver is as dumb as donkey shit, you will lose..
Roll The Dice…if you want it, you’ve got to for it…fire the bullet…take that chance…
Next up, is Ronnie Schildknecht…the King of Cool.
Just being around Ronnie chills me out. Ronnie has taught me to remove all unnecessary stress. No fuss, no bother. Get the job done. In, out. No dramas.
Ronnie has always taught me that you don’t need to train long, long hours. Train hard, train smart. Less stress.
Then its the “young guns” Terenzo & Sebi.
These “groms” have shown me what it is to love to race. They love triathlon and they love racing.
Sebi has one speed – balls-out. I love his attitude. Its respectful, yet full of “fuck you” too. I love it.
Terenzo is just a great triathlete.
T epitomises to me what I aspire to be. Great across all 3 disciplines, and great at joining them together.
Its a triathlon…not a I can’t swim, awesome bike, shit run….its a fucking triathlon..
Now for the chicks, well apart from giving me a kicking every time I dare to train with them…..they epitomise professionalism to me.
Nicole, Edith & Yvonne are superb role models for any aspiring athlete. Its been a pleasure to observe how they conduct themselves.
I know Rachel will be of the same cut, and am excited about learning from Rachel.
And finally, the Dr.
I could be here all day talking about the huge role Susann has played in educating me and helping me learn more about myself.
For reasons of brevity & context, I will simply say that the Dr has got my Central Governor re-wired and in a position to grow & develop. My gratitude & appreciation is indescribable.
Moving on and taking the outputs from the guys above, I wished to surround myself with good, good people, effectively building my own personal support team. And thats what I have done.
If we are all in agreement that the brain is the daddy then it needs to have a vessel in which it can flourish….
And this is the single biggest development I have made over the last few months….I am now building a capable vessel.
Since working with a strength & conditioning coach, @athleteacademy, my physical progress has been significant.
My body is now structurally stronger than it has ever been – it is finally in a condition to function properly.
I am absolutely convinced that this is under-pinning foundation upon which everything else can be built.
I’m also convinced that correctly-applied strength & conditioning work is one of the most lacking features in most endurance athletes training.
I’m not talking about “core” exercises. I’m talking about functional, whole-body conditioning.
I will come back to this topic much more in the future because, as per above. I am adamant that this is the absolute key ingredient in enabling the body to truly deliver its full potential.
For now, here is a quote from an awesome book on Bill Bowerman – the legendary US coach…..
“(Bill) Hayward explained that you don’t change your form by holding yourself differently, but by strengthening the muscles you need to be more effective”.
Its one thing developing the body to be able to function correctly, but then you need to ensure it stays in a condition to perform correctly.
This is where my physio & masseur come into play. I see both on a fortnightly basis and place a huge value on these sessions – from both a physical & mental recovery standpoint.
The work I’ve done with my physio (backintoaction.co.uk) on releasing my hip flexors, pec minor and hammering my glutes has been the most painfully beneficial work I’ve ever done. Again, its all about enabling the body to function correctly.
Combined with the S&C work, I finally feel like in a position to train in a way which is not fighting my body but working with my body.
Again, I repeat the point, that you cannot execute perfect technique unless your body is in a position to be able to hold perfect technique. Running with perfect technique for 10km is wonderful, but then what happens when your body is not strong enough to hold that?
Ask Brett Sutton for his answer to the above question. I’m sure he will give you a polite & courteous response….
Ok, so finally (I promise), I wished to complete this environmental broadcast by introducing the reminder that you can have the most wonderfully designed & functional vehicle in the world but if the fuel you put in it is junk….then guess what….you get a junk performance…
This is where my work with my nutritionist (@jrnutrition) has proved so beneficial. I mean, we had my lead-up to Melbourne dialled in. No stone left unturned.
This breeds confidence. Confidence is King.
Again, I’ll come back to this topic in more detail, because again I’m super passionate about this and get very animated when I see how fucking dumb some people are when it comes to fuelling themselves….
But the sentiment to take away from today is that “less is best”…..put the Powerbar down….teach the body to fuel itself…
And for all of you who maybe sniggering right now….fuck you…I proved it works…
I’ve (we’ve) earned the right to express this view and if you want to carry on scoffing your Powerbar Energy Bars, your Gatorade sugared-water, your 15 energy gels, your 2 litres of carb-drinks…..then carry on….shitting yourselves on the run…
Boom! Rant over.
Lets leave this on a positive vibe, which is one of thanks, gratitude and appreciation from “me to we”….
“We” had a good day in Melbourne guys….theres still a lot more to come but The Process is working…lets keep it going and see where we end up.
Thanks for everything.
4am alarm goes off.
Pumped. Slept like a baby.
Feel good. In the mood.
Take my Biestmilch Booster.
Get in the shower. Warm the body.
Clean teeth. Feel fresh.
Liberally apply the chamois cream. Put on race kit.
Put on warm-up kit.
Put on headphones. Play race-morning playlist.
Make brekkie. Rice Pudding & Mango Strips. Easy to eat. Goes down well.
Final kit check.
Say a few words to the photo of my nephew. Get a bit emotional. Promise to do my best.
Travel to T1 with mates. Good banter. Good mood. Good to have some “smack-talk”.
Getting amped.
Into T1. Loving the atmosphere. Look for Rachel Joyce. Can’t see her. Know she’ll cope.
Loving the playlist….feel like I am titanium.
Quick bike-check. More pressure for front tyre.
Get changed into wettie. Leave T1.
Visit portaloo. Meet mates. Give them my post-race kit-bag.
Listen to the Pros get introduced. Awesome atmosphere. Best I’ve experienced.
Definitely amped. More than ever before.
Get zipped up. Say goodbyes to mates.
Join the procession to the swim start. Frustratingly slow. Only compliant of the set-up.
Enter water. Have a short warm-up. Make my way to start “area”….where is the start line?
Boom! We’re off.
Messy start. Get away ok. Then get hammered.
Fuck I hate this bit! Just keep breathing and trying to move forward.
Settles down. Thank fuck. Still can’t see anything. Too dark.
Shut Up! Just keep fucking swimming.
Make first turnaround. Time to up the effort level. Remember to sight. Dick.
Pleased with effort level on way back. Make way through packs. Still a lot of people around.
Lose swim cap. Grab swim cap. Why am I swimming with a swim-cap in my hand? Lose it you prick.
Throw swim cap away.
Is that the 2nd turnaround buoy? No, keep going. Fuck me, how much further?
Don’t know, don’t care, just keep swimming.
Final turnaround buoy. Now get back into shore. Remember to sight. Prick.
Keep the effort. Don’t slack off now.
Hit shallow water. Stand up. Dolphin dive. Get out of water.
Check watch – 64 mins. That’ll do. Could’ve been worse. We’re still on plan.
Hear my mate cheering me out. Gold! Makes a difference. Pumped.
Don’t fuck-up T1. Not a bad effort. 5 mins. Room to improve but that will do. Still on plan.
Leave T1. On the bike. Amped. This is it. Let’s have it.
Remember Macca at Kona 2010 being pumped to be in the main group…”I’m here boys!”
Feel the same. Super charged.
Smack it up the climb to the tollway. Fuck it – lets have it – “roll the dice”….
Give it some hammer on the way out. Hurts like hell. How much do you want this?
A lot. Its everything. This is it. No surrender. Keep hurting.
See a group up-front. Pretend I’m Ronnie in Kona 2011 trying to catch the main group. Shit or bust, lets “roll the dice”.
Hurt like hell. Can’t get across to the group. Still pleased with pace & effort.
Keep hydrated. Use a super-concentrated solution of Elete electrolytes. Know it works.
Hit 45k turnaround.
Know this is going to be honest but quick. Lets give it a rip.
Smack it on the way back. Ride through groups. Get blocked in on way through. Get a yellow card. 4 min penalty.
C’est la vie….
Come back into town. See mates. Gold.
Rode 2.20 for 1st 90km. Its on. Fuck, 4 mins in the box. Off the bike. Speak to the marshall. Agrees I was blocked.
Tough shit, should’ve made more of an effort.
Add some more water to my gel bottle. Super-caffeinated Clif Bar Espresso Gels. Boom.
Back on the bike. Lets keep the effort high on the way out. Know the way home will be quicker.
Start to suffer. Hang tough. This is it. Are you going to let it slide away? Fuck no.
Take my Biestmilch Booster. Know my gut will be settled for the Coke.
Still hurting. Pick off a few more riders. Just get to the turnaround.
Hit the Coke. Boom. We’re back in the game.
Smack it on the way home. I want that sub 5.15 bike. Love it. Working hard. Feels good.
Too hard? Fuck it. Back yourself. Do it.
Hit T2. Rode 5.14 with 4 min penalty. Pumped.
Off the bike. Pain. Shut up legs.
Slow T2. Legs get shy. 6 mins. Not good enough. Fuck it.
Visit toilet. Piss like a horse. Told you Elete works.
Hit the run. Pain. Suck it up. You’ll come good.
47 mins for first 10.2k. Hang tough kid.
Coke is the Bomb.
Feet are going numb. Seriously numb. Loosen off shoes. Keep moving.
Fucked-off with running alongside traffic. Where’s the beach?
Start to get hot. Ice, need ice.
Ice down the top. Water all over.
Slow to a walk. Need to cool down. Head is too hot.
Start to run. That hurts. Bad. Keep going. You’ll come good.
Come good. Run well. Back under 5 min kms. Hang tough kid.
Get hot again. Fuck this.
Ice. Water. Coke. Keep. The. Faith.
Hold form. Get those hips forward.
Come good.
This is it. Sub 10 has gone. Give it fucking everything you’ve got.
Remember what you said to your nephew. Empty it. Nothing to be left.
Bury myself. Run as hard as I can.
Run well. Enjoy the pain….”roll the dice…”
Pass runners. Feels good. Crowd support. Awesome.
Fuck me. This is it. I’m hammering myself in an Ironman in Australia.
That was the dream. This is it. You’re living the dream.
Fuck me it hurts. Love it.
Finish line. Keep smacking it. Feel like how Sebi Kienle looks at the end of a run. Broken.
Hit the line. Hit the deck.
Done.
My way.
Special thanks to Biestmilch, Clif Bar & Elete electrolytes for providing the fuel….and Coke of course….
Very special thanks to the Biest of Friends (@biestoffriends) for providing me with the inspirations & visualisation of what it means to “roll the dice’….
I can’t believe its been almost 2 months since I last posted on here.
In fairness I have been posting regularly on my Posterous account which to be honest I find easier and better in many ways – you can follow me here - http://enduranceexperiment.posterous.com/ .
I’m currently giving some thought to which platforms I continue to use and right now I think Tumblr & Posterous are better than wordpress for what I like and need.
But thats another topic for another day.
Below is an email I sent to my Aussie mates who have been chasing me for updates on my preparations for IM Melbourne.
Context:
You will know that I’m obsessed with ‘The Process’ of developing a complete system which is tailored towards each specific goal or objective, in this case IM Melbourne.
I support the view of “doing all the right actions and the result will take care of itself” – which I guess is similar to the view of “take care of the controllables and don’t worry about uncontrollables”.
Without a shadow of doubt, this is THE biggest point I have taken away from spending time with Chris & Ronnie.
If you have read any of my previous posts, you will know that this obsession leads me to spend a lot of time and effort in studying the works of people such as Dr. Tim Noakes to learn more about the whole system. I’m a huge believer in the philosophy of “totality” – so looking at the whole environment which we operate in, ie not just the training but the rest, recovery, nutrition etc.
This is why I have created the brand – The Endurance Experiment – which I use as my medium for my “work in this field”.
‘The Process’:
So knowing the context of where I am coming from, my philosophy for IM Melbourne was to leave no stone unturned.
Melbourne has excited me like no other race I have ever entered, even Roth. The combination of the city, racing in Australia, spending time with good mates and the opportunity to put ‘The Process’ to the test has just got my pumped like never before.
2011 was bloody frustrating – all my own doing – but I never really got going and got caught in the trap of trying to be all things to all people.
Therefore, the goal leading in 2012 was to have clear, defined plans. I’m really pleased with my race calendar and if I hit them all then I will have an awesome year.
I guess the headline statement for 2012 is that I want to be the best I can be at what I have chosen to do.
I am 100% committed to getting my body & mind in the best possible condition it can be.
Actions not words…:
Following some “bodywork” I had from Ian McKellar in Kona (& previous conversations with my physio) – it was clear that I had to get my body in a better position (literally) to train and race well.
Ian couldn’t believe how I had managed to train and race with a body which was so tight & constricted. He immediately prescribed a daily routine of myofascial work – focusing on my quads, ITBs, chest and upper back.
Basically, I needed to get all of these areas released and lengthened. I am a reasonably tall guy at 185cm and am relatively muscular but as this muscle was shortened & constricted, it was effectively dead-weight.
For someone of my build, I don’t generate a lot of power and this is the reason why. All of the constrictions within my hip flexors were causing issues with my pelvis and preventing my glutes from firing independently. Therefore, a lot of the work on the bike was being done by my hamstrings and quads, instead of the real powerhouses – the glutes.
My exceptional tight pectorals were pulling my shoulders forward, impacting my swim stroke and breathing capacity – and restricting the engagement of the real powerhouses – the lats.
So those are the words,what have the actions been?
I’ve been having daily foam roller sessions, weekly massage sessions and a monthly session with my physio. They have broken down the constricted areas, pushed, prodded and beaten me up.
The results are sensational. I have never felt so free.
My hip flexors feel incredible, my chest and shoulders never so far back and open and glutes so strong.
At this point, I’ll introduce the complementary work I have done on the functional strength side of things, as it is this “total” work which has caused these breakthroughs.
Simply put, due to the above issues with constrictions etc, my functional strength wasn’t great – certainly not as good as it should be based on my attributes.
Its an important example of how one issue was causing another issue – which led to the acceleration in the first issue – so the whole loop was self-deprecating….
In December, I started working with an incredible strength coach who works with some seriously impressive professional athletes in rugby, F1, athletics and skiing.
All of my work with Ed is focused on building functional strength with perfect technique. He has torn me apart and put me through some killer sessions – but the rewards are already huge.
For example I am now capable of performing overhead squats under load , heavy load Romanian Deadlifts, single leg squats – all with gold technique.
My body is firing the right muscles , in the right order, at the right time. My range of motion has increased dramatically. My hips are now opening, I’m dropping my butt to the floor with an upright upper body whilst my chest & shoulders are staying back and open.
Its an awesome feeling to perform a stellar set of overhead squats – I’ve never felt it before!
We’ve identified issues with strength imbalances, again caused by constrictions, which then leads me back to the massage & physio tables where these get worked on. I am then free to work on developing balanced strength, which then leads to a better performance and less constrictions (as the load is equally shared)…..
So the circle has now become positive, not negative….
Whilst all of that is exceptionally positive, its real benefit comes when I turn to swimming, cycling and running.
The recovery from the strength sessions is pretty deep so I have taken this into consideration in my other training – however, the performance in the sessions more than compensates for a reduction in volume.
Swim, bike and run….
With 9 weeks to go to IM Melbourne, my summary is ‘very pleased’.
My performances in the pool, on the bike and the run are all very encouraging.
The swim is benefiting from the upper body work, both strength and myofascial release work, and my stroke is feeling strong. Now that my hip flexors and glutes are in a better state – they can now play a more supportive role in the stroke too, helping both body position and propulsion.
I’ve made a slight tweak to my breathing pattern and improved my head position too – again as a result of being less restricted in the chest and shoulders – I’m no longer fighting to hold my head in a stream-lined position and the timing of my breath is more efficient too.
The mid-week turbo sessions have suffered from the accumulated fatigue of the days before and work commitments – so I missed these for last week. I’m not too concerned as I know that if I had forced these through then they would have been junk. My rest & recovery are more important, as I want to hit the key sessions such as Wednesdays long run as fresh as possible.
My riding on the weekend is very encouraging, especially as I’m riding on the back of a solid Friday. My position on the road bike feels goods, my strength is encouraging and my legs are wanting the work. I’m climbing well and also holding a good pace in the efforts. Ideally, I’d like to get a bike-fitting at Freespeed – but being as I’ll be moving onto my new TT bike shortly – then I will postpone until a later date.
I’m hoping to collect my TT bike tomorrow – and then take it to Lanzarote with me – so hopefully I’ll be accustomed to it quickly. Following my bike-fit, and getting the turbo bike in the same position, I am super confident that this position will deliver benefits. Again, the loop becomes complete when I apply my new physiology to an optimised position, enabling the muscle recruitment pattern to fire up and give my every chance of a solid ride…..and be in a position to unleash hell on the marathon.
Its on the run that I am feeling the most benefit from the bodywork sessions. My posture is a lot better already. My hip flexors are now enabling my lower body to move easier, with my pelvis now supporting a more forward position, enabling my cadence to naturally pick up via better hamstring and glute activation. My upper body feels great too. My chest is open, shoulders back and my back is upright. My arms are moving freely, with no tension across the clavicles or shoulders.
Simply put, I’m running in a more natural free-flowing style. I’m feeling light and quick. I’m not wearing any HRM or GPS anymore but working off RPE and previous splits I know I am running well. More importantly, I feel I am running well.
My long runs are being done on the trails, as I prefer this form of running and feel I get more out of it. I get handle the monotony and frustration of long road runs. The trails give me more mental stimulation and are also a better physical challenge. My improved leg strength and posture is also showing itself, especially on the climbs. As I intend to race several trail marathons and Ultras later in the year then I see this as time well spent.
Next Steps….
As I going over to Lanzarote for a weeks training in the sun and wind on 2 Feb, I’m now making sure I hit that week in good shape. By ‘good shape’ I mean fit, strong and recovered.
I don’t want to go over there “under-recovered” and therefore put myself in a hole. I want to be fresh enough to take advantage of the opportunity to put together a solid weeks work. I’m going over with a decent group of athletes (World Duathlon Champion, a 9.23 IM) so wish to use these guys as much as possible.
I’ll be taking the new bike over with me and want to get used to riding a TT bike for long periods.
Work commitments next week mean I will miss a few sessions – so this will provide a forced rest – which I’m not too disappointed about. I’ll look to focus on the key mid-week sessions especially the long run and club swims.
Knowing that I’ll be getting a lot of cycling done in Lanza then I would rather prioritise the swims and runs before we go over.
I’m going to continue with the two strength sessions a week and the fortnightly massages.
My nutrition continues to improve – including an increased desire for more fish and less meat…..but that’s another post on another day….
Nutrition is a subject I could talk for hours on so will look to get something down next week….but for now its suffice to say I’m really pleased with my diet and training nutrition.
I’m already 90% sure of my race-day nutrition, so will just fine-tune in the next few weeks and Lanza will help with this too.
Conclusion:
‘The Process’ has put everything in place, now it’s a case on focusing on the actions, hitting the plan and gaining the confidence that is necessary to deliver on 25th March.
The Weekly Plan:
Monday:
AM: Swim – paddles & bands set (15 x 100m off 1.55) - I will build these upto 30 x 100m
Strength – heavy weights session – working on functional strength (see Background)
PM: Run – 45-60 min tempo
Tuesday:
AM: Swim – club session – various paces – totalling 3.5-4.5km
PM: Turbo – threshold efforts- 60 mins
Weds:
AM: Long run – currently 60-70 mins off-road – will build to 2 hours
PM: Rest & recovery (massage every other week)
Thurs:
AM: Swim – club session – as per Tuesday
PM: Turbo – threshold efforts – 60 mins
Fri:
AM: As per Friday- will introduce long TT swim over next few weeks.
PM: Run: As per Friday
Sat:
AM: Bike – currently 3 hours – will build upto 5-6 hours
Run – will introduce 1 hour brick in Lanza then onwards.
PM: Rest
Sun:
AM: Bike – currently 2.5 hours – will build upto 4 hours
PM: Rest
aloha,
sorry for not posting last week but basically I was busted after getting a beating at the EnduranceLife CTS Gower event.
and it was a real beating.
I really love these events and missed them badly last year. They are not only great for maintaining and developing winter strength and fitness but they are also real friendly well-run events.
It was great to catch up with some good friends, find out what their plans are and also share views on a few things.
To a man all of us love the fact that these events are so freindly and stress-free – especially compared to the intense atmosphere of triathlon, especially m-dot races.
Its funny how a lot of my friends and myself have literally been turned off triathlon by the way the races and events are run.
More on this another time as it is a subject which needs highlighting.
I’m aware that I never posted about the 2nd week of my ‘fatswitch’ plan – apologies for that – I know a few people were interested to hear how it went.
The headline is that it went extremely well. I really enjoyed the whole 2 weeks. I enjoyed the cleanliness of the diet and also the raw simplicity of it.
My weight stabilised at 73.8kgs and my body fat went down to 7.7% – and I felt great for it too.
It really showed me what could be achieved by removing a few core components of my previous diet – primarily the starchy carbs and dairy.
The plan was to always return to a ‘normal’ diet for a few weeks after ‘fatswitch’ and this was good timing as last week I was working in London for most of the week.
Obviously not only my diet was disrupted but so was my training. However, I had this down as a recovery week – after the Gower Half – so again, not too disappointed.
I managed to get a few morning runs in – plus an early evening gym session – and interestingly I did a few new sessions under the banner of ‘active recovery’ which I really found beneficial and plan on doing more of.
The first new session was on Monday morning – when I was suffering severe DOMS. I got to the pool all set for a light swim but then spotted the ‘float belts’ – so decided that I would give aqua-running a go.
I got this idea whilst reading Jonny Wilkinson’s autobiography when he mentions how he uses it to recover from games.
I found the aqua-running to be superb – a bloody good workout as its not easy – but also as its non-impact it felt really good to loosen off the muscles.
Moving forward I will be adding aqua-running sessions into my weekly routine – probably as a post-dinner session to promote recovery and also stimulate the metabolism before bedtime.
The second session was in the hotel gym – on the rowing machine. Again, non-impact but a superb way to build overall strength and conditioning.
I would like to use the rower more & more – I just need to think of the best way – probably before I go in the pool for an aqua-run.
As I mentioned above, I have been reading Wilko’s book and will talk more about my thoughts on the book in more detail over on my other blog in the next week or so (I still need to do the Steve Jobs Biography review!).
I guess my key take-out in relevance to The Endurance Experiment is Jonny’s incredible desire for perfection. I loved to hear about his approach to his training, constantly seeking new ideas and methods to improve himself.
I would see both aqua-running and indoor rowing as two opportunities for me to add to my training portfolio.
Nutrition-wise, after coming off the ‘fatswitch’ eating plan I had more flexibility to eat what I felt like this last week.
As you know by now, I was working away from home for the majority of the week so had to adapt my routine and diet accordingly.
I ate out in London for 2 nights – one night Morrocan and one night Japanese – so pleased with these nights but then got home on Thursday night to find an empty fridge. I had to revert to chicken curry & brown rice – which wasn’t too bad but not as pleasurable as it once was.
I have always trained before brekkie so that will just continue – and this week I am now adding in the aqua-running sessions post-dinner – just to aid recovery but also stimulate the metabolism before bed.
This current week is proving to be far more productive than the last – as there is no travel involved.
I’m now back at the tri club swim sessions – the pool quality seems to have improved – and it is great to back to some disciplined and structured sessions.
My swimming has definitely gone backwards (almost literally it feels at times!) so it will be great to get back to some more intense sessions asap.
I have backed up Sundays 2 hour run with a good 1 hour road run on Monday & Wednesday – and managed to squeeze 3 hours of singlespeed riding in so far too.
A good weekly plan is now taking shape – including the Monday night Pilates and the aqua-running sessions.
I’m getting my turbo bike set-up in my new bike position – after my awesome retul fitting session at the incredible Freespeed studio in West London.
I seriously recommend Freespeed to anyone who is looking to optimise their bike position – its an amazing service.
Running-wise, I’m coming to the end of the 16-week transistion plan I have been following – to help my adaptation to the inov-8 shoes I am now wearing.
I am currently running in the 255s but will move onto the 233s in 10 days time – pretty excited about these shoes as heard really good things about them and my mate Ian Osborne at Triathlete Europe raves about them.
Fingers crossed I will get on well with them.
I’ll still continue to do my Sunday long run on the trails – as good fun plus not so damaging to run on softer surfaces – although its bloody harder for sure!
You might get the sense that I’m all over my training and overall plan at the moment – and this would be true.
I’m really enjoying my total picture right now – a few months ago I had a long ‘things to-do list’ and I’m now ticking them off. Just a couple more to go – but progress in being made against these too – hence, I’m really feeling on top of things right now.
My motivation is really high – a good sign of recovery and the enjoyment levels are high too – the perfect blend for the start of an Ironman training block.
Lets hope it continues for the next 16 weeks.
Remember its not the destination but the journey which is important.
or as the Germans would say ‘weniger aber besser’….
….impressed?
Don’t be…well you can if you like but this is not a display of my sudden ability to grasp the German dialect but more a display of my ability to steel quotes from great books.
I picked up this beauty in the Steve Jobs Biography which I have read this week.
I’ll do more of a book review kind of thing over on my other site – sun-tanned feet – but I wanted to use that German phrase to introduce the current philosophy I am increasingly adopting for my “total” picture (see Prof. Tim Noakes).
I’m sure I have already mentioned that I have started working with a nutritionist. This was driven by both an ambition and a fascination with how I could really look to optimise my health and performance in the most sustainable and beneficial way possible.
I started to make some changes to my daily diet before I went over to Hawaii and immediately felt good about the new introductions and structure of my daily plans.
I put things on hold whilst in HI, although my diet over there was still full of exceptionally high-quality fresh food. I could talk all day about the Hawaiian lifestyle and the beautiful ability to live so naturally but I’ll come back to it at another time.
So now I’m back from HI, it was time to go into the next phase of my nutrition plan. The phase is called ‘fatswitch’.
As the name suggests, it is an intensive 2-week period where the diet is stripped down to the core basics of vegetables, nuts & seeds, lean protein and good oils.
That means no dairy, no sugars (including fruit) and definitely no starchy carbohydrates.
This is all about re-calibrating the metabolism – to make it far more efficient and effective at using fat as fuel – and keeping those insulin levels under control.
You all know by now that I find this subject completely fascinating & have spent a lot time reading around it. There are a lot of publications out there – ranging from the total horse-shit to the really thought-provoking.
Again, I’ll save all of that for another day….but just quickly…2 films really worth seeing are foodmatters & Food, inc. Both got recommended to me by an absolute legend of a guy…Ian McKellar….who I had some body-work done with HI.
So back to my 2-week plan….
I am now eating 4 times a day – 9am, 12pm, 3pm, 6pm – although these times have flexed due to life but I’m looking to keep to set intervals.
I am training every day before my 9am meal. I am aiming to train again before my 3pm meal and also after my 6pm meal. All aimed at stimulating the metabolism and using fat as fuel.
I’ve introduced a lot of fish into my diet. I’ve also brought in prawns and seafood this week as these are proven to be strong thyroid stimulators. The thyroid is the key driver for energy release.
My training has been cut back to short sessions but including anaerobic intervals – again to fire-up the energy systems.
Today is the end of the 1st week and I must say I feel great. I didn’t after 3 days but I now seem to have shaken the cold I had and my energy levels have picked up again.
I have clearly lost weight and body fat. I am now hitting the scales at 73.9kg & 9.3% body fat.
This is the 1st time I have been below 74kgs for over 10 years – even my Ironman race-weight wasn’t this low.
Performance-wise I am very, very pleased with my running. I am feeling light, my legs feel great and my upper body feels very strong.
The short turbo sessions I have done this week have been encouraging & I am pleased with my power output during the intervals.
My swimming is just ticking along until I join back up with the squad again in 2 weeks time – after the end of this period of the plan and a week away due to work.
I’m finding I am recovering well between sessions but am attributing this to my increased focus on stretching, mobility work and self-massage via the TRX and Trigger Point Therapy kits respectively.
Week 2 will see my increase my run volume – with 3 sessions during the week before the EnduranceLife CTS Gower Half Marathon on Saturday.
It’s going to be a good opportunity to test out some fuelling theories that Jamie & me are considering – again working off less is best.
I am absolutely convinced that I am can perform better by consuming less.
That 24km morning run in San Francisco was a great example of this.
The experiences I have collected both in my own training and racing – but also especially in watching SO many athletes get it wrong in Kona – and then discussing this subject with my Biestmilch friends have convinced me that the way forward is to optimise my body’s ability to fuel itself more efficiently.
Again, this all goes back to the pillar of ‘The Endurance Experience’ which is all about ‘The Process’ or as Steve Jobs once said…
….the journey is the reward…
I can’t believe its 6 weeks since my last post. Thats pretty crap on my part hey?
It’s been an unbelievable 6 weeks too!
So about 5 weeks ago I set off on the road with my good friends at Biestmilch heading for Kona, Hawaii for the Ironman World Championships.
We broke up the outbound journey with a 3 day break in San Francisco – as we needed to do some US administrative tasks – but also because it is one of the Doctor’s favourite cities. I can see why – it is amazing – I loved it.
It reminded me a lot of Melbourne – and both are cities where I could easily see myself living on a full-time basis.
One of the Doc’s traditions is to go for a morning run along the waterfront from our hotel out to the Golden Gate Bridge. I was stoked to get the opportunity to do this – and take in the sights of Alcatraz, Fishermans Wharf and the Golden Gate Bridge itself.
It was a decent run – totalling 24km – and interestingly I did this first thing in the morning with only a small coffee and a Biestmilch Booster as my fuel. I’ll come back to why I found this so encouraging on another post.
After the 3 days we were on our way to Hawaii. It was awesome to be going back again. I had dreamed I would but for it to happen so soon was really special.
I won’t bore (or annoy!) you with all the details of my 16 nights on the Big Island but needless to say it was another memorable experience which has provided some more lifetime memories.
I prefer to drip feed these out to you over a longer period!
There was a lot of hard work involved this year – as we had the Biestmilch store for the first time. The store was a great success and provided me with the opportunity to meet some incredible age-group athletes.
In fact, the reason I have come away from Kona with a far more positive mind-set this year is due to meeting these inspiring age-groupers.
Last year everything was a new experience for me. Getting to spend a lot of time training & hanging out with the Biestmilch athletes was like living a dream. However, I found the whole Kona “scene” to be not to my tastes, it was much to full-on for me. Maybe it was because I experienced how nice and quiet Kona is when the Ironman isn’t there, that when the circus turned up I found it to be slightly ridiculous.
I also have really strong views on how poorly the event is marketed and some of the antiquated practices you see some of the “leading brands” undertake. I’ll save that for another post because I could literally talk for a week on this subject!
However, getting back on track…I left Kona 2010 pretty un-inspired and de-motivated. I found a lot of the age-groupers to be so intense and serious (and up their own arses) that it left a really sour taste in my mouth.
Obviously there were exceptions to this – as I met some really nice people – some of whom who I was lucky to meet again this year.
Anyways my over-riding impression of the Kona age-group field was negative (lets leave it at that!)
This couldn’t be more of a contrast to this years impression.
Through working in the Biestmilch store I got to meet & chat with some of the best age-group athletes in the world. I mean the vast majority are bloody stellar but I mean the “best of the best’…I’m talking age-group winners and podium finishers.
I got so much positive energy from meeting some of Biestmilch’s most loyal customers and appreciating the calibre of these guys – and then meeting potential new customers and the calibre of these guys too. It blew me away to be honest and it was great to see Susann’s (the Dr.) brand and products being supported by these elite amateurs.
Following these guys on race day was more interesting than following the Pro’s race – it felt more real – if that makes sense?
To see these guys perform so well – having much better races than a lot of the Pros (in terms of executing their strategies) was one of the most inspiring feats I have ever witnessed. I cannot praise them enough.
Two kids who really deserve to be heralded are the top two 18-24 Males – Matty Burton and Nick Baldwin.
Both are great kids – super-talented and hard-working – who put together outstanding races. Their potential is frightening. Both have their race data files on their blogs – so just click on their names above. Impressive reading.
The fact that they have managed to inspire and motivate this cynical old dude just shows how good they must be!
They have given me a lot of positive faith that this way I am approaching things is the right way for me. For example, Nick is self-coached but uses his network to review his plans and approach. This is very much my preferred way forward.
So I guess the point of this post was to provide a brief run-through of the last few weeks and so under-pinning points on what I have taken away from the Big Island this year – and how it is significantly more positive than 2010.
I’ll come back shortly on how this positiveness is already delivering results….
Mahalo for listening, aloha…
M.
PS – What were you doing between 18-24 years of age? Put it this way…I know I wasn’t racing in Kona…
