Big Sunday - it’s all happening in Perth!!

 I had a 25 lap swim effort Thursday evening. I met a bloke called Rob who is a mate of Rick Twine’s. Rob is doing Busso HIM and knew me via my ‘war and peace’ diary on TriWA some time ago. I have had bike commutes most days of the week with a total of 60kms each day.

Friday was a rather unusual evening with free tickets to a Queen Tribute band at the Charles hotel. Dinner at Da Vinci’s beforehand and it was a ‘different’ evening for Dee and I.

Saturday morning, as I picked my cage trailer up from Kennards, I was committed to clearing rubbish out of my daughter’s apartment for the morning. I saw our bike group finishing up at the Nicholson Rd/Garden St roundabout.

Apparently , Luke Hardy has joined the first third of the ride before turning off on Canning Hwy. He’s a solid rider, placing 5th in last years Freeway Bike Hike. I think Darryl Salisbury has also joined our Sat AM ride so the group is getting larger again. Bit of a hiatus from myself, Richard Kelly, Peter Clark (Singapore HIM presently) and a few others.

I’ve joined up with Rod Mejias and Guy Pritchard on the commute ride a few times. On Sunday, I was so tempted to sleep in after staying out till around 1am at a nephew’s 21st in Araluen. Dee ended up being the voice of my conscience and got me up and to the Coogee Jetty to Jetty Swim on time. I posted just over 29mins for the 1500m but had quite a lot left in the tank . I started the swim at the very back and I must say I swam to the pace of whoever was in front of me. I had some woman give me a fair whack in the face but just accidental. I didn’t notice the half way marker so the last few hundred metres of the swim crept up on me by surprise. I took a line in fairly close to shore and it just felt great - a beautiful morning for a swim.

I couldn’t be bothered passing people but I felt very strong for this swim, in spite of a painfully sore throat. Rod put in a 28min effort and Fiona around 30mins so it was a good confidence builder for us all. Fiona cycled there from Hillarys with her North Coast Tri folk.

I decided that a long hard bike ride was called for so when I got home I knocked off 85kms of pretty hard riding from around 11am to 1.30pm from Canning Vale to City and then our normal anticlockwise river/ coast ride. Another 11km run for today at lunchtime across Windan Bridge, in front of Burswood golf course to Causeway then back in front of Trinity, Gloucester Park and through East Perth. I’ll also fit in an evening swim. I am feeling pretty bullet-proof at the moment and surpised myself with the Coogee swim.

Congrats to Guy Pritchard on a great 38.9 kph average for the 47km Neerabup time trial with a 2min PB. Congrats also to Amanda and Felicity Smith on doing this time trial. It’s not an easy one around the golf course with a few challenging ‘rises’ but a fast sweep at the end.

The BRW Corporate triathlon was on Sunday but all I saw of it was people departing when I was on my long ride. I was in this event last year - not sure of results just yet.

I reckon the Pt Walter OD triathlon will be excellent practice for Busso HIM. The bike leg along Burke Drive is very familiar and I’ve done this event once before.

Train hard in this hot weather.Enjoy it while it lasts. Nice cool nights. Perth’s a great place to train.

Go hard, be determined. Honest training efforts called for in these next several weeks. Only you know if you’re pushing yourself

Had another good start to the day today (16/3/10), having my usual Deepwater Pt lap with my young niece Sarah. She just chats the whole way around and makes the run seem pretty effortless. I saw Hannah Lawton with her cycling training group and Raf Baugh on his bike. People always catch me out when they say gidday. This is just to prove that I knew who you both were!!

What a weekend of sport!! Honestly, if you had told me that 50 people in Perth could time trial 40kms in better than 40kph, I would have called you crazy. And, better still, for Emma Pooley to knock it off in 42.9kph is phenomenal. What an amazing ride….and young Jess Allen coming in second female. Brad Hall and Mike Verheyen battled our first and second male with third place still managing better than 45kph. Lizzie McSweeney posting a solid 34.2kph average( mind you, Liz, that means you didn’t do Darlington!! I’ll need a note from your parents!!) Also noted solid efforts from Doug Brightwell and Paul Speyers, a couple of ‘cyclebuzzers’!!

Paul Covich and I had a lend of the North Coast Tri Club trailer and organised a fun run for my employer (ATO)’s national sports carnival being held here in Perth. We had our first and second runners do the 6kms on grass in just a touch over 21mins so they were flying. Mike Aviet going just a tad over 4min/km pace to finish in 4th. Well done Mike! (plug for Mike as a newly qualified personal trainer/ martial arts cross trainer)

Haven’t heard how the 5 Dams and 3 Dams rides went (230kms and 150kms in the hills respectively) on Sunday. Well done to Ash who gave her Felt S22 its first hitout at the Champion Lakes Triathlon. A great venue for a triathlon in my opinion. Fiona posted a half mara time at Darlington in the 1hr40m to 1hr 50m range so well done Fiona, consolidating fitness after a bout of injury.

So many events I wished I had have participated in. But, that’s the way the mop flops. I’m on the trusty Colnago today. Aside from commute home, a hard 40lap swim at Riverton awaits tonight. May see young Tim Cant from Bikeforce Success. I assume your training is going well mate, along with all the others at your store there.

Best not to mention the Western Farce or the Dorkers. Wildcats we can mention! Any cats for that matter….even the musical!!

I’m doing 10 to 15min strength sessions every morning now. Highly recommended. I’m sure it’s doing me good. Weight now is 78.5kgs.

Great training weather persisting. It’s all good. Mentally feeling great, physically even better.

I’m a long, long way off my 4min/km running goal….but moving towards it slowly but surely. With my cycling goal at 40kph achieved and a decent 29min swim at Coogee for the 1500m, I’ll use that ‘bullet proof’ expression again. No substitute for feeling this way.

By the way, I missed my Saturday morning ride as had to search out migraine medication for daughter in early hours of Sat AM. I set off at 7.25am but never quite caught the group. Couldn’t see them at Kelly’s Café so they either went via Freo or went to the Dome instead. Either way, I’ll be there this Sat AM ready to fire on all cyclinders. And let’s get stuck in for the Thursday ride at 5.15pm at Narrows again. I led a group of cyclists from Causeway all the way to UWA on Sat AM. Someone from the group said ‘nice turn’ as I turned left at UWA. That’s all the acknowledgement I need.

Finally, on Sunday, after I’d organised the fun run in the morning, I decided that a hard 18km run was called for. I set off at around 11am and along Ranford Rd. Noticed lots of cars heading west with bikes on board so they must have just finished the Champion Lakes, It was so humid and at one point felt like wilting and walking. But hung tough, got to Willeri via Roe Hwy path , had my powerade. It ranks up there with one of my harder runs. It was nothing better than 45mins for 9kms but I maintained it on the way back as well. I’m sure traffic on my way back thought I was dying but I imagined those last few kms to be in the Busso HIM. Hard to explain the effort……and then I thought about Peter Clark heading off today to do the Singapore Half Ironman (70.3) in that oppressive heat. And all his training runs in the heat…..with a jumper on. That Brian Kempson is one tough trainer!!

Good luck Clarky. Pete’s looking super fit, strong and mentally ready to give a 4hr 30min half ironman effort. The humidity at Singapore may temper this somewhat. But he’ll back up with the Busso HIM.

Actually, well done to everyone. You all seem to be getting out there and doing it. Honest, hard efforts now for the next 4 to 5 weeks. Come one- toughen up, look after your nutrition, your sleep, stretch well…..and then smash it!!

CHRISTO