The Bike Set-up for Kona

Thought people might be interested in the bike setup for Kona. I posted this on my facebook but figured some of the wider world may be interested.

Thanks to the crew at Speed Theory for helping out finalize the set-up. Had the final pre race tune yesterday and did some modifications thanks to Doug to install an "emergency bottle cage" behind the seat.

If this looks like a promotion post fear not - I am not sponsored by any of the below brands or distributors. Having said that Podium Imports (Orbea, Reynolds, Arundel) put a lot back into the sport and as a result are very happy to support their brands.

Been very happy with my Orbea - I normally run a front Reynolds Strike as well, but with the cross winds known to be gusty are likely going to run with the assault (46mm vs 66mm) to allow me to stay aero for a lot longer.

Full Bike Set-Up

Rear Bottle Cage Holder

Front End Set-Up

The Specs


Frame - Orbea Ora
Components - Shimanao Ultegra
Chain Catcher - K-Edge
Base Bar - Progile Design Air Wing
Aero bars - Profile design carbon stryke
Rear Wheel - Reynolds Strike Clincher (66mm) 
Rear Tube - Vredestein Butyl 60mm race tube with continental valve extender.
Front Wheel - Reynolds Assault Clincher (46mm)
Front Tube - Continental Race 60mm Butyl Tube
Tires - Michelin Pro3 Race
Pedals - Look Keo2Max
Frame Bottle and Cage - Arundel Chrono
"Aero Bar/Stem Cage" - Arundel Sport Black Cage - attached via zip ties and an old easy lace
Behind Seat Cage - Arundel Sport White - attached via a "liquid" special with a mount and zip ties
Spare Bag (Between Aerobars) - Arundel Dual
Spare Kit Contains - Two Vredestein 60mm Butyl Tubes, Two "screw on" Valve Extenders, BBB Microfold 6 Tool, 3 BBB Tire Levers, air chuck elite, 2 x 16g c02
Top Tube box - Bontrager Speed Box

Thansk to the crew @ speed theory for helping finalize the set-up today. Doug for the lend of his high wind friendly front assault, Mike Kiers for the lend of the Bontrager Speed Box to hold salt and the like

Race Week and Race Day Plans

So I just did a new blog post about Race Week and Race Day planning at the Quest for Kona SpiderTech Blog. SpiderTech is one of my supporters for the build to Kona and are a big believer in their product which is a key part of keeping my healthy and hopefully able to perform well on race day in Kona which is 10 days away.

SpiderTech is a awesome application of KT Tape as due to the fact it is pre cut it makes it 100% easier to apply  which for someone like me who struggles with these types of things is a huge advantage as it removes the guesswork.

Here is the start of the blog and visit http://www.l2computingsolutions.com/spidertech/?p=129 for the full version;

For the last month I have been using the SpiderTech Hip Spiders and the SpiderTech left shoulder spiders. I am one of those people that feels incredibly disorganized at times but are told by most people that they see me as the exact opposite. It is maybe my internal fear of not being organised that drives me to do race week and race day plans. So here is .......


click here for full post

Average Week Visualized - Balancing it All

So I did something for work this week that shows a good picture. Having seen a presentation on the web regarding information design (http://www.informationisbeautiful.net) I decided to map out my average week in terms of how the 168 hours are spent. This is the same approach as used in the billion dollar-o-gram to show relationships between amounts proportionality.

The Boxes Explained

SLEEP - As you can see on this sleep takes up  a big chunk of time. I firmly believe a focus on recovery is pretty key to being able to train consistently and race well.

WORK - Like many people work is a reality (Changing that reality is always possible but would have consequences beyond myself). My job does not involve manual labor however as demonstrated here it does take up time. Having said that though have used vacation at some key times this year to get in some key mid-week sessions.

TRIATHLON & RUNNING TRAINING - As you can see beyond work and sleep this is the next biggest box. This encompasses the time used to organize gear and do recovery activities as well. One of the things that I find helps in achieving this is incorporating sessions into my commute where possible. Leading up to a "A" race were sessions are quite specific and recovery time is at a premium is actually the hardest time to do this.

FAMILY & FRIENDS - In a big build the friends part of this gets squeezed. From a family perspective I am lucky to have a awesome wife who is extremely supportive of the madness!!! Come the off season/ winter build i will make sure to carve out more time for this space and appreciate the people who help support me.

RUN COACHING - Is another form of Work I suppose but is quite rewarding. Also do some recovery and strength stuff as part of this so it does have some side benefit in terms of training. One of my aims next year is to have my triathlon / running be close to neutral in terms of expense and income form this activity is a big part of the picture.

OTHER BOXES - Living life takes time, it is important to factor that in. In addition tot his I also volunteer on the board of my Triathlon Club and the Strata council at my building. One decision I made this year was to cut back the number of these commitments and this decision has helped the overall balance. Commuting is something that especially over the winter I like to combine with training to create some additional white space in my life.

Why I Will Grab an Aussie Flag on Ali'i Drive

So was going through photos from the trip to Australia at the start of the year. When riding down to see the Queen Stage of the Tour Down Under dropped by the cemetery were my grandparents were buried. Unfortunately my Grandad died when my mum was 6 months old so I never got to meet him. My Nan died when I was 13 but had a huge influence on my early life. 

Stubborn, argumentative and competitive she was a tough women who lived in a few remote communities during her time (including being first women on site at Radium Hill (A uranium mine in Outback Oz) which included such adventures as killing snakes in the laundry room). I remember her telling a story about bike racing as a young girl as well but are not sure of all the details around that. Nan was proudly Australian, a little annoyed that all her children married "POMS" (English) and was pretty big into sport.

When I registered for Kona online I had to think which country i would represent. I am about to apply for my Canadian citizenship and after 5 years definitely see myself as a little Canadian. However I know in the Winter Olympics i was cheering for Dale Begg-Smith much to the chagrin of many a Canadian. So for this time around I felt having AUS next to my name in the guide was the right thing to do.

When I grab that Aussie flag will make sure to think of everyone back in Australia who has and still have a huge influence on my life. It just happens that race day this year in Kona is on the 9th of October which is the same day that my Nan passed away 17 years ago. When the going gets tough out there I will make sure to draw on that stubbornness, toughness and determination that Nan taught me and push on through the pain.

One Month to Go

So it is one month to Kona. a Couple weeks of hard work, feeling tired and struggling to get the work done ahead. Going to try and enjoy every bit of it. The good thing is only remember the good parts of IM CDA so it is perfect time to be getting ready to race my 2nd IM of the year.

Kona will be the my 4th IM but for those of you who are into Triathlon it represents something special and I feel honored to have the opportunity to go smash it (or get smashed) on race day. Hopefully this time in a month I will be running back into town down Palani Hill about to come down Ali'i Drive.

Its been a fun year and I thought I would share some of what has gone in terms of photos. I don't take as many photos as I should but some of these share part of the journey that has gone on in 2010. The selection below are from January and early February this year during my trip back home to Australia. Have a few more but all of these have a training and racing theme.

2010 began for me in an airport about to fly back to Australia. My first long run of 2010 i did as a destination run which involved running from my hotel past the opera house and over the harbor bridge in Sydney

Next up was a trip Tasmania and my first race of 2010. My parents got to see me race for the first time here at the Cadbury Half Marathon in Hobart, Tasmania

While in Tasmania I got to get a fair chunk of training in. This was actually the scene of my largest climb to date in 2010 climbing the 1210m (4000 ft) form sea level to the summit

Next up was Adelaide - this photo demonstrates what you look like after climbing for 45 minutes with insufficient water on a 42 degree Celsius day (108F)

Self portrait in Transition at the Geelong 70.3 in February.

It Has Been a Busy Two Weeks

Started with the drive to Penticton to train, volunteer and cheer at Ironman Canada and run the 5km Fun Run. Following the drive back to Vancouver,  a week of work and coaching a couple of run session it was back in the Car and off to Sicamous. Following two nights on a houseboat it was time to be dropped of in waist deep water with my road bike near a forestry road for the 130km ride back to my car and back to Vancouver.

Helped support a long run on the Sunday Morning, checked my bike in for the Vancouver Olympic, got my swim and run in and crashed. Raced Vancouver Olympic on Monday, chilled (quite literally) post race then did some planning for the Winter of 2010. This am swam before work and a return to normal life for the next few eeks.

Some Recaps

5km Ironman Canada Fun Run

So it is a fun run, you get a bib but beyond that nothing. No timing, no medal etc. Having said that it was good to have a good TT effort, being Ironman Week a few of the Sherpas come out to run, however this year the fastest ones must have stayed on the sidelines.

After about 1km found myself in front of the field and just kept working my rhythm. Crossed the line first in around 16:02 with a slightly positive split over the two laps. Was a good hit out holding my HR near max for the last 10 minutes, and a new unofficial PR for the distance. Considering the course had 3 180 turns and was not tapered at all gives me good confidence I can run mid 15 at the 5km on a good day.

Good Penticton Training

Around the Fun Run managed to get in a couple swims in the lake and a good chunk of time on the bike laong with some informal hill repeats while getting in position to take photos at Ironman Canada. Is fun to get of the course at IMC and rode both green mountain road and narramata bench during the trip.

Ironman Canada

Woke up about 15 minutes before race start and took photos from the highway near the turnaround. This was a awesome perspective and a lot less crowded than the foreshore madness. After this hopped in the car, did a quick bit of cheering in OK Falls then headed out to 90km on the bike to volunteer and help run aid station 6. After that headed down to Maclean Creek Road to cheer on the run and get some photos before heading into town to see people after they had finished.

Hung around town till after midnight, watched the latecomers come in. During this time one of the most rewarding experiences was doing the last 2kms along lakeside with a guy who finished in 16:58. It was good to see someone just keep on pushing to make that cutoff and achieve their goal.

Was a great day at IMC, so many people achieved their goals and will try and do a “spectator report on IMC later in the week.

Back to Vancouver

After a day of work in Penticton along with lunch with some of those who had raced it was time to drive back to Vancouver. Passing Hope it was kind of daunting I was headed back to the interior in less than 72 hours time. A busy three days ensued with work, training and a couple coaching sessions. Did part of my long run with a friend I am doing the run coaching with and the middle 8km were at his “easy” pace which is a lazy 4 minutes a km. After running on Thursday night it was time to head back out in the car and drive to the interior once more.

Houseboating

Quite a while ago had signed up to go house boating. Had I known my race schedule I may have reconsidered but it turned into fun times. I am in pre race mode so was a coffee and water couple of days but still had fun with jumping of the boat, hot tubs, going to the 2^nd biggest party beach in North America, doing a trainer workout on deck and sleeping in a closet!! Was cool to hang out with a group of people who I don’t always get to hang out with heaps. With 8 of the 24 people having done Ironman in the past 3 years it was also a crew who understood the need to bring a bike and bike trainer on vacation.

NewRide – St Ives to Sicamous

So I was due back in Vancouver before the houseboat was due to dock. So it was onto the road bike followed by a wade through waist deep water (To much current to beach the boat) and via a little bit of forestry road to the highway for a 130km ride back to the car. Was a good hilly ride and the section on highway 1 was still quite scenic and makes me understand why people ride across Canada. One day I may ride across BC to Jasper or something but the allure of the prairies is not there yet for me. The ride was rewarded with a 6 hour drive home and knowledge of an early wake up the next day.

Sundays are meant to be relaxing

After a 5am wake up it was time to get ready to support the weekly long run I coach. After doing this in the am, picked up my bike from Speed Theory and checked it in for the Vancouver Olympic Triathlon in Stanley park. Being a no taper race it was then time for a swim and a long run. Is kind of daunting doing workouts with 12 hours of a race start but got them done and then crashed at home for a few zzz’s before an early wake up.

Vancouver Olympic Triathlon

3^rd fastest Bike Split, 3^rd Fastest Run . 2nd Fastest bike/run combination yet finished 8^th. Needless to say the swim cost me a little in this one (quite literally as there was money for the top 3). Having said that was happy with the effort, even spent 30 seconds on the bike to pick up my sunglasses I had dropped on the previous lap (otherwise would have had 2^nd fastest bike).

Good news for me being on a long course focus is that;
A. The swim in a Olympic distance race makes up approximately 22% of my time (Bike = 49% and Run 26%). Compare this to Ironman were it equates to around 12% of my time on a good day (Bike = 54% and Run 34%)

B. This was totally non taper race – even a negative taper if you look at the few days of training that proceeded it.

C. Felt like I could have held the paces at all three sports. Even though I tried to smash the swim could have held this pace all day and came out of the water fresh. On the bike I was working but top end but ability to power though the flats was a little down. Felt I I could have held this intensity for a half ironman so that is good to know. On the run ran pretty well but knowing I was a way back of the front was hard to really push. Ran well but didn’t have the “spring in the step” to really lay it down. Felt like I could have kept up the tempo for another 5km or so which is good to know as this was a tough run course to run fast one (Sharp turns, mix of surfaces and a few short sharp hills)

Will do a full race report in the coming days but in the end came in 8^th Place with a time of 2:09:32 (Swim 29:02, Bike (Including T1 and T2) 1:03:40, Run 36:51)

2010/2011 Planning

After a cold cold wet wet wait for awards did some planning for 2010 and 2011 with a friend. Will be an exciting year I hope and is fun to start to formulate some long term goals. After dinner with Leslie (who was able to step out of her office to cheer me on at the triathlon as it went right past the aquarium) it was time to go to sleep at the later hour of 7pm.

Back to the Chain Gang

Missing swims is not really an option given my current lack of talent so it was at dolphins with a bandaged foot (couple slight cuts from the rocks at second beach) for a 90 minute set before heading to the office. Routine is good and glad to be back into it as I prepare for Kona

Whats Next

Well its about putting the head down and executing every session before Kona as well as possible. SIMPLE AS THAT. If I manage to do that then I will have a good day. The last 10 days involved some reorganisation due to my travels but happy with the work I got done. If I can have a few solid weeks I will be looking forward to laying down a good effort in 4.5 weeks time.

Have a heap of photos to  post so will do a picture post once I sort them. Although I will include one which is me training on a houseboat. Good work on Kate for Photojacking this shot - ended up pretty sweet. Note the water slide in the back of shot - was a pretty sweet boat and my post ride recovery happened about 1 foot to the left I were I was riding.