Reading the Twitter updates from pro athletes at the 2009 Giro and also from friends busting their guts out while others are still lying in bed digesting the Big Mac super sized meal gobbled down with a case of locally made lager. Reading blogs posted by other athletes and friends sharing their chosen 'road to travel' in the finest of detail. Not training alone every single day, but having someone right there beside you sacrificing their time so that your road can be made less strenuous. This is how life should be, this is what relationship is. What a great week it was! I know we must pursue our dreams because that is what makes the best moments in life the BEST!
Seeing my son at 11 years of age committing to giving his all because average just isn't good enough any more, has me in awe! Getting up at 4:30 three times a week to swim in cold water because that is what it takes to be the best. Running five days a week because that is what it takes to be the best. Cycling three times a week because that is what it takes to be the best. Bust your guts. Eat right. Sleep well. Sacrifice a lot...all in the name of a dream. Maybe somewhere someone would see the effort and commit? Maybe have lady luck smile upon him one day just like she did on a little Lewis Hamilton a few years back? Who knows? Those days don't come for free and it takes hours and years of commitment and sacrifice to change fate or to force a dream into reality...keep going my son. I look up to that and he motivates me...being so small, yet every gram of his 29kg stature grinds it out daily. Don't live on favours, but deserve what you get from your hard work.
Back to me. Last week went great. My weight is dropping fast now. I have lost almost 20cm and 6kg since the 6th of April. I have two 'eat what I want' days, on one I may not eat a lot and on the other I can go wild! The gym work is starting to pay off. I am slowly gaining strength and I can feel my core improving weekly.
Swimming = cold! But, I don't care any more....just shut up, dive in and swim. My distances are still very short and I really try to focus on a swimming video posted by Raoul de Jongh on his website http://www.urban-ninja.co.za/. The footage is very clear and it opened my eyes to the many weaknesses of my own stroke. Since we don't have coaches here in Witbank I have to use all aids available to me. I am really focusing on the catch and high elbow stroke. There is a lot of water resistance doing it like this and I tire quickly because of a lot less 'slip'.
I had a little niggle in my right heel and I skipped two days of running and one days cycling. The rest helped and it feels 100%. I think it may be the new running shoes, but I will experiment this week just to be sure. I felt great with both the hills session and the long run. Very very positive!!
The cycling was good and I didn't jippo on the long ride!! Ha!! The time trial was nice, my legs were a bit dead and I did the first 5km with my front break dragging! My time for the 20k's was 29'46 and a full 5 seconds slower than last week.
Thanks to Warren www.pastorwarrengraham.blogspot.com for sticking it out with me on Tuesdays taking the loneliness out of the session. Good luck to Johan Stemmet www.tri-stemmet.blogspot.com with his Kona prep. I know his motivation is running low, but stick it out my friend! In 6 months it's all over and then that medal is yours!!
And lastly, Wessel, keep it going young lad...your future is a big one!
Be inspired and thanks for reading.
TriJackal
Monday, May 18, 2009
Monday, May 11, 2009
STEPPING STONES
As the little Excel blocks on my training program gets ticked off, week by week, day by day, exercise by exercise....they seem like very little stepping stones on a 'oh so long' journey. I think motivation and the need to stay positive becomes my biggest enemy. I constantly find myself digging for any positive and related articles and blogs from other great athletes and those I look up to.
The winter isn’t helping my cause at all and Saturday was a great example of this. We got up early morning to go for our long ride on a very cold and overcast morning. About 18km's from home we were heading right into a thunder storm which made every one turn around.....me too. I thought that I would ride home and from there I would then ride out in the other direction from where the storm was coming, but as we got home the storm was just behind us and 50m from home it started pouring with rain. My next thought was to wait 1 hour and then go out again....but, as I closed the door behind me I also closed my motivation outside. Needles to say, I only did 36km on Sat. Not good enough to reach my targets. Miss any days training, but NEVER the long ride or run!
I have learned from this and will never again be so lazy. Exactly what I am teaching my son, I went and did the opposite. Not a good example and you know what hurt most? He, 11 years old, went for his long ride and off the bike run later that same day! A good example for dad!
I will stay positive and reading tweets from other triathletes like @tristemmet and @raouldejongh really keeps one going and staying motivated.
The training last week went really well. I am doing power work in the gym three times a week and I can feel my legs getting stronger. Keeping a very sober mind on where my current fitness level is, like I always do, I honestly feel that I am well ahead of where I wanted to be.
The cycling went well with a 20km time trial time of 19"41. Obviously this isn’t done with aero wheels, helmet or clothing, but with my normal training 'kit'. With me focussing on the running and only keeping the cycling miles ticking over, I was very happy with this - knowing by how much I still can improve. During the power session on Thursday I took it easy just to look after my knees. I focussed on a smooth peddle stroke and breathing deep into my stomach. All and all, apart from Saturday’s lazy spell, a good week's cycling.
With the running I am very 'over the moon'! TT's are there to measure fitness, performance levels and improvement. In the time trial on Wednesday I was running 3"40km's and keeping my heart rate at 80%. How is this possible? Is this because of my good base? Is this because of my new running shoes? (Oh, I did not do the tt on my new shoes!) On my long runs I want to keep my speed at about 5 min/ km, but at this stage I get down to about 4"45 just to keep my heart from not dropping too far below 70%. But, my motto is to start slow; first get strong; then push times. With this in mind I WILL have the discipline to not go too fast too early, but wait a few months longer.
Swimming pool = stuff up. 16C water. Need I say more? You just cannot swim in water like that at 5 in the morning. I can just sit and wait for better times. The sad part is that I just have to swim in that water to get fit. One morning Wessel was sitting next to the pool (his 31kg body would freeze in that water) and Johan Stemmet chirped that it would be child abuse to let him swim! Sounded very funny at that stage, being in the water myself. We all hope the water gets warmer soon.
This will be a great week.
Keep fit!
TriJackal
The winter isn’t helping my cause at all and Saturday was a great example of this. We got up early morning to go for our long ride on a very cold and overcast morning. About 18km's from home we were heading right into a thunder storm which made every one turn around.....me too. I thought that I would ride home and from there I would then ride out in the other direction from where the storm was coming, but as we got home the storm was just behind us and 50m from home it started pouring with rain. My next thought was to wait 1 hour and then go out again....but, as I closed the door behind me I also closed my motivation outside. Needles to say, I only did 36km on Sat. Not good enough to reach my targets. Miss any days training, but NEVER the long ride or run!
I have learned from this and will never again be so lazy. Exactly what I am teaching my son, I went and did the opposite. Not a good example and you know what hurt most? He, 11 years old, went for his long ride and off the bike run later that same day! A good example for dad!
I will stay positive and reading tweets from other triathletes like @tristemmet and @raouldejongh really keeps one going and staying motivated.
The training last week went really well. I am doing power work in the gym three times a week and I can feel my legs getting stronger. Keeping a very sober mind on where my current fitness level is, like I always do, I honestly feel that I am well ahead of where I wanted to be.
The cycling went well with a 20km time trial time of 19"41. Obviously this isn’t done with aero wheels, helmet or clothing, but with my normal training 'kit'. With me focussing on the running and only keeping the cycling miles ticking over, I was very happy with this - knowing by how much I still can improve. During the power session on Thursday I took it easy just to look after my knees. I focussed on a smooth peddle stroke and breathing deep into my stomach. All and all, apart from Saturday’s lazy spell, a good week's cycling.
With the running I am very 'over the moon'! TT's are there to measure fitness, performance levels and improvement. In the time trial on Wednesday I was running 3"40km's and keeping my heart rate at 80%. How is this possible? Is this because of my good base? Is this because of my new running shoes? (Oh, I did not do the tt on my new shoes!) On my long runs I want to keep my speed at about 5 min/ km, but at this stage I get down to about 4"45 just to keep my heart from not dropping too far below 70%. But, my motto is to start slow; first get strong; then push times. With this in mind I WILL have the discipline to not go too fast too early, but wait a few months longer.
Swimming pool = stuff up. 16C water. Need I say more? You just cannot swim in water like that at 5 in the morning. I can just sit and wait for better times. The sad part is that I just have to swim in that water to get fit. One morning Wessel was sitting next to the pool (his 31kg body would freeze in that water) and Johan Stemmet chirped that it would be child abuse to let him swim! Sounded very funny at that stage, being in the water myself. We all hope the water gets warmer soon.
This will be a great week.
Keep fit!
TriJackal
Monday, May 4, 2009
12 MONTHS TO GO
Happy times....base training is a thing of the past and from this week on it is full blast ahead. I Will be in a building phase until the end of October later this year. Because the building phase is so long and strenuous, I will build two weeks and rest one. From November to Feb 2010 will be very tough and long with March being my taper month.
Starting wit time trials and power work this week, I am very happy with where I am. I am running very easy and I actually have to purposely slow myself down on the LSD runs (long slow distance)! I have changed my running shoe brand from Asics to Zoot. It is a very light shoe at a much better price. The only thing I have to get used to is the fact that it is a 'bare foot' shoe - no socks! therefore I am currently only doing short runs in the shoe of up to a max of about 9k's. It really feels weird running sock less, but I will get into the feel of it soon.
I luckily don't have to run alone anymore since my 11 year old son is training with me! It sounds funny, but he is actually much faster than I am.....I am actually holding him back! He does the mid week training with me but my weekend long runs he only does between 50-70% of my distances. Boy, what a future he has!
Regarding the cycling, I am only ticking the km's over. This week I start with a 20k TT once a week, and a few power sessions once a week. Nothing serious, just to get the time trial muscles back in action.
The swimming is a pain in the butt. The pool at my gym hast dipped bellow 20C with the same old lame excuses thrown back at us. It is very cold, especially swimming at 5 in the morning. But, I will persevere and push through....happy times are always not too far ahead!! The distances are short, max 1,5k's per session. I am really focusing on swimming faster and getting my body to cope with the higher speed. I thing I have gotten into a rhythm of slow swimming and I will up the pace just a little while the distances are still short.
The gym work steadily picks up and I no longer feel as tired as two weeks ago. From this week Wessel will swim and gym with me, making it less lonely.
Have a beautiful week and keep Tweeting!!
Regards,
The Jackal
Starting wit time trials and power work this week, I am very happy with where I am. I am running very easy and I actually have to purposely slow myself down on the LSD runs (long slow distance)! I have changed my running shoe brand from Asics to Zoot. It is a very light shoe at a much better price. The only thing I have to get used to is the fact that it is a 'bare foot' shoe - no socks! therefore I am currently only doing short runs in the shoe of up to a max of about 9k's. It really feels weird running sock less, but I will get into the feel of it soon.
I luckily don't have to run alone anymore since my 11 year old son is training with me! It sounds funny, but he is actually much faster than I am.....I am actually holding him back! He does the mid week training with me but my weekend long runs he only does between 50-70% of my distances. Boy, what a future he has!
Regarding the cycling, I am only ticking the km's over. This week I start with a 20k TT once a week, and a few power sessions once a week. Nothing serious, just to get the time trial muscles back in action.
The swimming is a pain in the butt. The pool at my gym hast dipped bellow 20C with the same old lame excuses thrown back at us. It is very cold, especially swimming at 5 in the morning. But, I will persevere and push through....happy times are always not too far ahead!! The distances are short, max 1,5k's per session. I am really focusing on swimming faster and getting my body to cope with the higher speed. I thing I have gotten into a rhythm of slow swimming and I will up the pace just a little while the distances are still short.
The gym work steadily picks up and I no longer feel as tired as two weeks ago. From this week Wessel will swim and gym with me, making it less lonely.
Have a beautiful week and keep Tweeting!!
Regards,
The Jackal
Monday, April 20, 2009
Cold is in the air....
With winter looming around the corner, I am steadily getting back in the groove. Early mornings and late afternoons I can smell the winter approaching us like a lion stalking its pray. It is hard to explain, but if you have trained outside through winter before you would know exactly what I am talking about.
Last week was great sticking 100% to the program and also eating well.....obviously on Sunday I had my weekly 'feed the munchies' day.....nice!! I started by keeping a log of my measurements (chest, hips, etc.) two weeks ago and I have already lots almost 5cm. By only keeping track of progress on the bathroom scale is difficult because of the gym work - fat is lighter than muscle, therefore you loose fat, but gain muscle in the gym and then you don't see the progress in kg's!! Obviously I am not bulking up on muscle and therefore in about 6 weeks my weight will start to drop steadily until it all eventually evens out - hopefully around the 70 - 72 mark.
I felt good running last week, but I felt tired on the bicycle. My long run felt exceptionally good and I am well ahead on running for where I wanted to be right now.
The swimming is also going great and I am easily swimming 20 min per km without a wetsuit, which is great for me this time of the year. I am aiming to get down to about 15min30sec by April next year.
Gym work will increase again this week which in turn will tire me out on the bike again. I think in around 8 weeks from now I wont feel the effects of the gym on my training any more.
Looking forward to a lovely week and remember to cast you vote!
Ciao
The Trijackal
Last week was great sticking 100% to the program and also eating well.....obviously on Sunday I had my weekly 'feed the munchies' day.....nice!! I started by keeping a log of my measurements (chest, hips, etc.) two weeks ago and I have already lots almost 5cm. By only keeping track of progress on the bathroom scale is difficult because of the gym work - fat is lighter than muscle, therefore you loose fat, but gain muscle in the gym and then you don't see the progress in kg's!! Obviously I am not bulking up on muscle and therefore in about 6 weeks my weight will start to drop steadily until it all eventually evens out - hopefully around the 70 - 72 mark.
I felt good running last week, but I felt tired on the bicycle. My long run felt exceptionally good and I am well ahead on running for where I wanted to be right now.
The swimming is also going great and I am easily swimming 20 min per km without a wetsuit, which is great for me this time of the year. I am aiming to get down to about 15min30sec by April next year.
Gym work will increase again this week which in turn will tire me out on the bike again. I think in around 8 weeks from now I wont feel the effects of the gym on my training any more.
Looking forward to a lovely week and remember to cast you vote!
Ciao
The Trijackal
Thursday, April 16, 2009
IN THE GROOVE!
Its nice to be back in the training groove again. It is my second serious week in preparing for IMSA 2010. It is not nice training alone during winter time and that is why I am trying to get as many of my friends to train with me. During the week I am cycling with my good friend Warren and weekends I ride with Club 100. It makes the distance a lot shorter cycling with buddies!
Early morning swims and gym work I do alone, but at least Johan Stemmet (another friend of mine and also a good IMSA participant) is training the same time making it a bit easier.
For the run I have to battle it out on my own. Running pace differs a lot from cycling and it's hard to find a training partner with similar abilities. Also the roads are very busy so running behind one another is also boring!
I am slowly increasing the weights in gym to build power through winter and to get my left and right sides to equal strength. This will ensure ultimate performance and eliminate 'over fatigue' of the stronger side of the body. I am also joining a vets cycling team to keep me motivated whilst climbing the winter 'mountain'!
Swimming is not my favourite, but I will grind it out. If I can get my swim down to 60 minutes over the 3.8km swim - well, I'll be ecstatic!
Diet wise I am giving sugars and bad fats a kick in the butt! Bags of fruit and veggies, white meat aplenty and lots of water! If I can get around 70 - 72 kg next April I will fly like a bullet! Ha ha.....it felt good saying that!
Thanks for reading and I will post bits of my training program from early next month.
Have a great time!
The Trijackal
Early morning swims and gym work I do alone, but at least Johan Stemmet (another friend of mine and also a good IMSA participant) is training the same time making it a bit easier.
For the run I have to battle it out on my own. Running pace differs a lot from cycling and it's hard to find a training partner with similar abilities. Also the roads are very busy so running behind one another is also boring!
I am slowly increasing the weights in gym to build power through winter and to get my left and right sides to equal strength. This will ensure ultimate performance and eliminate 'over fatigue' of the stronger side of the body. I am also joining a vets cycling team to keep me motivated whilst climbing the winter 'mountain'!
Swimming is not my favourite, but I will grind it out. If I can get my swim down to 60 minutes over the 3.8km swim - well, I'll be ecstatic!
Diet wise I am giving sugars and bad fats a kick in the butt! Bags of fruit and veggies, white meat aplenty and lots of water! If I can get around 70 - 72 kg next April I will fly like a bullet! Ha ha.....it felt good saying that!
Thanks for reading and I will post bits of my training program from early next month.
Have a great time!
The Trijackal
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Congrats to all our mates at IMSA 2009
It was a day of records! Both the men and women swimming records were shattered as well as both course records! Our friend Johan Stemmet had a dream to qualify for Kona 2009 in the men's 34 - 39 age group. I just want to congratulate him for making it and I wish him all the best for his preparation leading up to the race.
Now it is full steam ahead for IMSA 2010 and we can only hold thumbs for good weather a third year in a row!!
Till later,
Trijackal
Now it is full steam ahead for IMSA 2010 and we can only hold thumbs for good weather a third year in a row!!
Till later,
Trijackal
Thursday, March 12, 2009
2009 Cape Ar'gust'!
Beautiful was the weather....Friday, Saturday, Monday, Tuesday..... Did I miss to mention Sunday"? All I can say is WIND WIND and more WIND!
Worst wind ever on Argus day. Only the pros managed to break 3 hours, that is about 140 riders out of 25,000 finishers! The news paper reports claimed that wind speeds of up to 130km/h were measured at some places!
At the start we stood amazed as the wind just pushed riders onto the tar as if they were plastic shopping bags. I could not believe what I saw happening around me!
But, it was fun. Great fun. I have never laughed so much during a race in my life. I rode with my friend, Warren, who did his maiden Cycle Tour. We did not go out to race hard, so for the first time ever I had time to enjoy the surroundings and 'taste' the Argus like a good wine. It was 4 hours of madness. 4 Hours of concentration NOT to be blown into the sea!! Every time the wind lifted my bike off the ground I just giggled and put more weight onto the front wheel.....what a marvelous day.
At the end of the day as we went to the car to leave, Warren's wife was blown right off her bike only suffering some minor bruises. The wind blew me onto the pavement and as I held my Cervelo in my right hand it was literally horizontal in the air one meter from the ground, flapping madly like a beach towel being shaken clean!
We enjoyed some beers afterwards and relived some of the crazy moments. The next morning I went for a jog and it was quiet, warm and windless.
Good old Cape Town, lovely.
This week I pick up the swimming and gym sessions. I am looking forward to this.
Talk again.
Ciao
Worst wind ever on Argus day. Only the pros managed to break 3 hours, that is about 140 riders out of 25,000 finishers! The news paper reports claimed that wind speeds of up to 130km/h were measured at some places!
At the start we stood amazed as the wind just pushed riders onto the tar as if they were plastic shopping bags. I could not believe what I saw happening around me!
But, it was fun. Great fun. I have never laughed so much during a race in my life. I rode with my friend, Warren, who did his maiden Cycle Tour. We did not go out to race hard, so for the first time ever I had time to enjoy the surroundings and 'taste' the Argus like a good wine. It was 4 hours of madness. 4 Hours of concentration NOT to be blown into the sea!! Every time the wind lifted my bike off the ground I just giggled and put more weight onto the front wheel.....what a marvelous day.
At the end of the day as we went to the car to leave, Warren's wife was blown right off her bike only suffering some minor bruises. The wind blew me onto the pavement and as I held my Cervelo in my right hand it was literally horizontal in the air one meter from the ground, flapping madly like a beach towel being shaken clean!
We enjoyed some beers afterwards and relived some of the crazy moments. The next morning I went for a jog and it was quiet, warm and windless.
Good old Cape Town, lovely.
This week I pick up the swimming and gym sessions. I am looking forward to this.
Talk again.
Ciao
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