Flat Training Rides in Sydney - Kurnell Loops

Training for an ironman event such as Ironman NZ or Western Australia, which have relatively flat courses, can be a bit of a challenge in Sydney.  The terrain is generally hilly and finding a stretch of road that is relatively safe from traffic and not littered with traffic lights is nigh on impossible.

The answer to this is a circuit out towards Cronulla called Kurnell loops.  If you are reliant on public transport like I am then, no worries, it is easily accessed by train.  Just jump on the Eastern Suburbs and Illawarra line to Cronulla and get off at Caringbah, two stops before Cronulla.  It takes 50 minutes from Town Hall station.

Go up the lift from the platform (or carry your bike up the stairs) and start riding, heading left away from the station.  Veer left at the first lights and you will start heading down a hill.  At the next lights turn left and you will go under a bridge, through another set of lights and then soon after reach a roundabout at Captain Cook Drive.

Turn right at the roundabout onto Captain Cook Drive and you are at the start of your first lap.  The road takes you out to Kurnell, a suburb of Sydney on the edge of Botany Bay and right under the flight path for Sydney International Airport.  Heaven for a plane buff, but reminds me of the opening scene of The Castle!

At Kurnell you will arrive at another roundabout where you can go right or left and do a small loop around the suburb, ending back at Captain Cook Drive at which point you head back out to the start.

The road is relatively flat, with the exception of a couple of small rises, and about 90% of the route has a decent sized bike lane alongside allowing for decent stretches of time trial riding without having to worry too much about the traffic whizzing by.

The full loop is around 20km and there is generally enough two-wheeled company around for any cars to have to take notice of your presence.  After you complete however many laps you need to do it is a relatively easy ride back up the hill to the railway station.

A Year in Review - A Move to Sydney

Wow, what a year.

It's hard to believe I've dropped the reins for so long, as it's been almost 5 months since I last posted an entry here.  But what a 5 months it's been.

I sit typing this in our apartment in Sydney and, as the year draws to a close, I have the opportunity to reflect on the curve ball that got thrown our way in 2011 and the changes it forced upon us.

The February earthquake in Christchurch proved to be a game changer.  By the time I wrote my last blog in August my job was about to be disestablished but, on the upside, I had secured a new role in Sydney, Australia.  So St Pete and I were on the move - belongings packed, car sold and house rented out.  At the beginning of September we were on a flight to Sydney and the start of a new chapter in our lives.

It was a tough decision to leave our home town.  Friends and family were all there, training routines and training partners established and there was a real sense of not wanting to abandon a city that we loved dearly and which was going through a really tough time in the post-earthquake era.  However bills had to be paid and it was as good a time as any to take advantage of the new opportunities presented.  With no children to uproot from schools and friends and a home that was able to be rented out in our absence, we were in the relatively lucky position of being mobile and able to make the move.

While moving to a new country is challenging enough, maintaining ironman training takes on a whole new dimension when you are in a new city.  For instance getting to grips with a new job, finding somewhere to live and a myriad of other issues to deal with.  What follows is a snapshot of the changes we have been dealing with since the move.

Transport

North Sydney Olympic Pool

We knew we would have no immediate form of transport so had to work out how to be close to training venues (most importantly a swimming pool).  Public transport in Sydney works really well and so we have committed to not buying a car and using the public transport system as our primary source of transport for the first 12 months.

What this means is that sometimes I need to take the bike on the train in order to get to the start of a training ride.  When looking for apartments to rent, proximity to a swimming pool became a priority - so we are now living in Milsons Point, just 450m away from the North Sydney Olympic Swimming Pool, located in the shadow of the Harbour Bridge.

We have a great little apartment that is close to the city, opposite the train station and just one train stop across the harbour bridge to the CBD.

Terrain
As far as terrain goes, Sydney is about as different from Christchurch as you can get.  Think hills, hills and more hills.  And what's my achilles heel? Hills!

In Christchurch I was happiest riding on the flat and had an almost pathological hatred of hills.  My loathing had decreased during the time I had been on the ironman journey, however I still wouldn't voluntarily go for a hill ride and nothing had prepared me for the terrain I am now living in.

While I had to go out of my way to find some hill rides in Christchurch, in Sydney I now have to go out of my way to find a flat ride! To do so now involves a one hour train ride south to Caringbah (two stops before Cronulla) and then a series of 20km loops as required out to Kurnell and back.  Alternatively, a semi-flat ride can be found by riding over the harbour bridge, negotiating my way through the traffic in the CBD and riding up to Centennial Park where I can join the hundreds of other cyclists completing various numbers of 4km laps around the park.  It's a great spot to cycle but more undulating rather than flat.

I've written separate blog posts about Kurnell laps and Centennial Park.

Running is the same.  Our immediate surrounds has virtually no flat terrain whatsoever, apart from a one kilometre stretch around the waterfront from Blues Point to Kirribilli.  Any other destination either requires a climb up to North Sydney and further to Crows Nest, or else a climb over the harbour bridge where we can access a longer flat run around the waterfront from Darling Harbour to the Botanic Gardens.  Our regular running route, then, includes heading over the harbour bridge and then various options around Hyde Park, the Opera House and waterfront areas.

Clubs/Training Partners
Ironman training tends to be a very solitary venture.  The non-drafting aspect of the bike means that last summer I found myself doing the bulk of my long rides solo and getting used to the time trial nature of the ride.  The specific nature of the training program also means that unless there is someone else training for the same event as you, it can be difficult to align training sufficiently to regularly head out with someone else.  The exception to that is St Pete, who does most of my run training with me - thank goodness!

However when you move to a new city the best way to make new friends and find training routes is by joining a club.  I've therefore joined the Balmoral Triathlon Club and, while my training has prevented me from getting involved as much as I'd like, the people I have hooked up with have been a great bunch.

My first contact in the club was Bel (aka the Fonginator!), an absolute dynamo and nutcase who welcomed me onto the girls' early Tuesday morning hill rides.  These rides include multiple hill repeats around Taronga Zoo, Bradley Head and Chowder Bay, all while enjoying the sunrise and each other's company.

Through Bel I made contact with Anne who was getting ready to attempt the Lake Taupo Cycle Challenge and who, with Mel and Fleur, took me on an epic 4 hour hill ride around Berowa and up to Mt White.  While it was a relatively short 89km, it involved four monster hills with a total of 950m climbing.



Thanks to Bel I also found what appears to be the only reasonable stretch of flat riding suitable for time trial training.  She put me on to Rhona who lives out by Cronulla and who recommended to me the Kurnell loop course.  The joy of being a Sydneysider means that the hour long train journey required to get there is simply accepted and accommodated.

Swimming
One of the great things about Sydney is the abundance of pools.  With no car, being within walking distance of a pool became a necessity when we were searching for apartments to rent.  Luckily we found a great spot in Milsons Point and are just 450m away from the North Sydney Olympic Pool.  The saltwater pool is an icon in Sydney, opening in 1936 and retaining most of its original art deco features.  It's most glorious feature, though, is the experience of swimming outdoors in the shadow of the harbour bridge - it really enhances the swimming experience.

Best spot in the world

More difficult, however, is open water swimming.  While Sydney is built around a harbour and has a multitude of beaches, I haven't managed to convince myself to get out into the ocean yet...  And the reason for that is the ever-present thought of sharks.  While being fully aware that they're not actually interested in humans, I have no desire to be mistaken for a large fish and having my leg or other bodily part accidentally munched on!  Most of Sydney's swimming beaches have shark nets around them, however most locals will readily tell you how the nets aren't in any way foolproof.

Apparently the best way to avoid the sharks is to avoid swimming early morning or at dusk, as this is when they are most active and this is apparently why Balmoral tri club schedules its open water swims mid afternoon.  However that thought does nothing to appease me and so I have been content to remain within the confines of the pool for the time being.

Training
So with all this upheaval in our lives, how has my training been going?

Good question.

Coach Dave asked me that question a few weeks ago and after a few seconds of careful consideration I really couldn't tell him.  I say that as, until a couple of weeks ago, I had nothing to benchmark against from last year, as I've gone from flat training to sessions dominated by hills.

Sessions have been harder (because of the hills) and it seems to be a real challenge getting enough sleep for recovery.  Because we are walking much more than we did in Christchurch, we are generally being more active, the heat and humidity of Sydney's climate has also taken a bit of getting used to and of course there's been the psychological tiredness that comes from the stress of moving and getting settled into a new job.

Despite the adversity, the hill work does seem to be improving my strength and my running speed has picked up - I have gone from tortoise to old lazy labrador.  My 4 hour flat ride last weekend gave me the first benchmark and I do seem to be riding faster.  However because I hadn't done a long flat ride for several months it was pretty tough!  So it's all a balancing act and as I stare down the barrel of Taupo (in 66 days time!), the next few weeks will be crucial.

In April I set myself the goal of shaving 2 hours off my inaugural ironman time.  It was an ambitious goal but one that Coach Dave and I thought was achievable.  In the meantime life has thrown us a curveball which could have easily thrown that goal completely off the rails.  Given the year we've had, then, who knows if that goal is achievable.  I'm still going to give it my all in Taupo and do everything I can to hit the 13 hour mark.  Getting across the finish line, however, will still be an achievement I will be equally pleased with.

Enjoying a Hill Ride

Sunday morning, as regular as a church outing, we are out riding.  Coach Dave decided it was that time of the year when we should be getting back into the hills, but post-earthquake our options have become quite limited.  Half of the Summit Rd above Christchurch is closed due to rockfalls.  Evans Pass, the road between Lyttelton and Sumner is also closed, and is apparently so munted it possibly won't reopen.

So we took the only other real option: up Hackthorne and Dyers Pass Roads to the Sign of the Kiwi, turn right onto the part of the Summit Road that is open, head all the way along until we hit Gebbies Pass, turn right and head down Gebbies, right onto the main Akaroa-Christchurch highway and back home via the compulsory coffee stop at Tai Tapu.

It was a gorgeous day, not too cold, no wind and beautiful views across to the snow-capped southern alps as we headed along the Summit Road.

It was also a day when I had the opportunity to reflect yet again on the progress I've made in the last 12 months.  This time last year I would have been freaking out about biking up Hackthorne, especially in a group.  However today I chugged my way up, led the way down and when we stopped at Tai Tapu for coffee made Coach Dave do a double-take with my comment:

"I really enjoyed that".

Who would have thought...

Doing a Duathlon - Just for Fun

Came across my debrief notes for Coach Dave after the JD Duathlon in June.  Even though it's a couple of months old I thought I'd post it here as it provides a really good reminder about how sometimes we need to get outside our comfort zone and do something different.  No matter what the experience, there's always something to learn and gain from.  So, this is my email to the coach:

Yesterday was pretty awesome - exceeded my expectations :)

I guess my main goal was to not come last (because that was my biggest fear) ... which I achieved, so that was all good!  I remembered what you said about staying within myself and did that, but tried pushing my pace as well.  The aim was to stay strong and steady.  I intentionally started out at the back and it was a good mental boost to be able to chug my way past a couple of women.  And then at the end of the run I found myself caught up to the last male and so gave it a burst to get past him as well and that also felt good (nope, not competitive at all!).

Looked at my time at that 1km mark on the run and it was 5:45 so that was good.  Didn't have my Nike band on so don't know what my pace was for the rest of it, but it felt much the same.

The bike was a blast.  I went hard and passed pretty much everyone that came into my sights.  Got passed by some of the blokes and 3 of the girls but that was about it.  Had an average cadence of 90, av speed of 32.2km/hr, max speed of 37.0km/hr and max cadence of 102; wasn't wearing heart rate monitor.  Pete took a quick video of me going down the main straight on one lap  ... woohoo!

One of the best things about the bike leg is that I nailed the art of taking out my drink bottle and drinking while pedalling AND staying on the aero bars.    Haven't managed to do that before, so was really happy. Because I was riding so aggressively I took a swig from the drink bottle a couple of times on each lap - really wanted to make sure I could maintain my pace and not die from lack of energy.

I got back into the second run and my hard ride was telling on the legs but I knew I only had to do 2.4km so pushed it again and tried to maintain a reasonable pace (for me).

I did feel strong to the end but also completely stuffed by the time I crossed the finish line.  And while I was a bit tired last night I've recovered well again and had no aches or pains today.  We did an intense wind trainer session at Andi's this morning (Time Trial Power session on DVD) and my legs did remind me that they had raced yesterday so I flagged a little bit midway, but overall I've felt pretty good.  After our bike this morning I also did an easy 30min aquajog session with Pete - a bit of active recovery.

So, despite my scepticism and complaining, I'm glad you convinced me to do it.  And I can see I should be doing several more of them ... for training purposes :) A race definitely keeps the pressure on, that isn't there in a training session, and that's got to be good for me - right?

Plenty to Reflect On

OK, so my blogging has been horribly sparse over the last couple of months.  I have no real excuse except for the fact that life gets in the way sometimes and other priorities take over.  It's not been from lack of enthusiasm, or from lack of training and, in fact, there have been at least four draft blogs that I started writing but which are now so out of date that it seems pointless publishing them.

As I said, though, training hasn't stopped and, if anything, it's been an interesting time for reflecting on the progress I've made in the last 12 months.  What a difference a year makes, so to speak.

So, some edited highlights -

Wellington Half Marathon:
St Pete and I went up to Wellington and I had high hopes of nudging a PB out of it.  Coach Dave, however, suggested a not so lofty goal which as usual was entirely sensible given it would be the first race of the season, or race in the off-season, and first race trying out the new running style.  So rather than a PB he suggested I focus instead on a good technique run.  So I did that, but still secretly really wanted to nudge my PB (yep, just a touch of stubbornness there!).

On the day the weather had other ideas.  It howled with wind and threw in a bucketload of rain as only Wellington can.  I did, however, put in a solid performance which included flashes of brilliance when I wasn't leaning into the gale force northerlies.  Eight kilometre splits (of 21) were at sub 6 minute pace, compared to last year when I only managed one kilometre split at sub 6 minute pace.  My overall placings (overall, age group, gender) were on average 12% improved on last year, so I came away very satisfied.

JD Duathlon:
Coach Dave suggested I do this event "for fun".  I was less enthusiastic.  A 2.6km run, 15.5km bike, 2.6km run is way too short (and fast) to be my idea of fun but, hey, who am I to argue with the coach?  So St Pete put up with my grumbling on the morning of the event and I did my best not to embarrass myself at the back of the field.  In the end the positives far outweighed the negatives - I maintained good form on the run (check out that photo!) and had a blast on the bike.  Being held on a motor racing track meant there was no traffic to contend with and a fantastic smooth surface so it was head down, aero position, going for it....hehe.

Swimming:
The last couple of months have been good for reflecting on my swim.  It's amazing how the mindset can change as soon as you've knocked off a 3.8km ironman swim.  That leg holds absolutely no fear for me now and I am totally in tune with the idea of finding another 15 minutes off my swim time next year.  I've found rhythm and power in my stroke and have gotten used to the feeling of exerting more power from my shoulders and arms while swimming.  Coach Dave suddenly hasn't got much to tell me when we have our group sessions and I'm enjoying the workouts much more. 

Biking:
My strongest and favourite discipline hasn't changed much.  I'm still happiest on the bike and noticing an improvement in my climbing.  A ride out to Sefton a couple of months ago had me shouting for joy as I crested a hill in the middle of pack.  It wasn't a big hill but last year I didn't have a hope of keeping up with the group as we climbed.  More recently we headed out to Kaituna Valley where the turnaround point is at the head of a reasonably steady climb.  And while I was not trying to be at all competitive, it was a very happy irongirl who made it to the end of the road (and top of the climb) in second to last place in the group (rather than last place!!!).  It's the small things that delight...

Running:
After a couple of hard months getting used to my new running style my perseverance is starting to pay off and I am feeling less and less like a penguin and more like a runner.  Others have noticed my improved form - more bouncy, less ploddy (!) and my speed has definitely picked up.  I am now managing to maintain around a 6.00 minute pace on my 10-14km runs whereas last year I was about half a minute slower per kilometre.  That half marathon PB is in my sights!

Weight:
Always a bone of contention, last year I resisted the idea of consciously trying to drop any weight before ironman.  It's been such a lifelong battle for me and I felt that my real focus had to be getting to the finish line no matter what my weight was.  Fuelling my body adequately in order to properly prepare it was more important than shaving off a couple of kilos.  In the end I lost about 5kg leading up to Taupo, which I certainly didn't complain about.  This time around, with a 2 hour improvement to focus on, I found myself mentally prepared to make a slight adjustment to my diet and see how much I could drop over the winter months before training ramps up again.

So St Pete and I downloaded an app onto our iPads called Tap and Track.  It's a comprehensive calorie counter which records all the food you eat and the exercise you do.  You program in initial data and what sort of weight goal you have, ie goal weight and how much you want to lose a week.  From that it gives you a daily calorie allowance and therefore provides you with the tools you need to make sensible decisions about what you eat.  Diets don't work and so I am not on a diet.  I've simply made a slight modification to my routine with the aim of dropping no more than half a kilo a week.  With the app I can, and do, still have my favourite chocolate.  I can still have McDonalds for lunch.  The only difference is I now know when I've done enough exercise to be able to enjoy those treats without feeling guilty or wondering if it's blowing my calorie intake for the day.   So my McDonalds Angus Burger, fries and hot apple pie is truly savoured guilt-free after a minimum 3 hour bike ride (for example).

So far it's working really well - I've lost 5kg since ironman and I don't feel like I've been on a diet, so there's no sense of undue restriction.  It's just a way of life, just like training is now a way of life.

Post Earthquake Swimming

One of the big challenges with the earthquake is that your routine is completely thrown out the window. For several weeks after the 22 February earthquake all of Christchurch's swimming pools were closed and the damage to the city's sewerage system meant that the only safe open water swimming option was the lake at Pegasus.

Cycling has also been a little complicated with cordons, damaged roads and more concentrated traffic on those streets that are in working order.

The timing of the earthquake in relation to ironman couldn't have been much better. The lack of facilities during March and April wasn't really missed as I was on a programme of rest and recovery. Structured training was off the menu and it was a case of doing some fun stuff and making the most of the down time.

This lack of activity can last only so long, though, before you move past the rest and recovery phase and into the fat and lazy stage. Add to that the need to get back into a normal routine in order to aid the emotional recovery of the earthquake and you can imagine that reopening of Jellie Park was very welcome.

When I say "reopening" I guess I should clarify that as a partial reopening. You see Christchurch has one other 50m pool and that is at QEII Stadium, venue of the 1974 Commonwealth Games. Problem is, as mayor Bob Parker would say, it's munted. So that means that Jellie Park is the city's only 50m pool, and it's an outdoor one. And usually it would close for winter by Easter each year.

However we are now heading towards the end of June and Christchurch is still chronically short of swim space - and it's a problem that's likely to be around for a while.  The city council operates four indoor swimming complexes: QEII, Centennial, Jellie Park and Pioneer.  Of these QEII is closed indefinitely and Centennial is also closed pending a structural assessment.  Jellie Park and Pioneer are operating and doing their best to accomodate the demand from the closed facilities.  In addition we have two private pools, Wharenui and Aquagym.  Wharenui has just reopened and Aquagym is hoping to reopen in August.

Jellie Park has therefore been keeping the outdoor pool open and this has been well supported by swimmers, which has been great.  Every time I go in it seems the closing date has been extended further and the current expectation is that it will close mid July.  After that we will be limited to the 2 x 25m pools at Jellie, 1 x 25m pool at Pioneer and 1 x 25m pool at Wharenui.

Fun times!

Learning How to Run Again - from Boxer to Penguin

A couple of weeks before ironman Coach Dave saw me run for the first time.  It wasn't a pretty sight.  Well, it probably wasn't such a bad sight, but like all aspects of ironman, there's always room for improvement.  And in my case, a lot of room.

"Did you know", he said, "you run with really tight shoulders?"

Look how high those hands are!

"Yep", I replied.  "I run like a boxer."  High shoulders, arms tight and swinging in front of me, my hands actually rub against my front as I run.  It's been my strange way of trying to conserve energy for those long runs and I've done it that way for my entire running career.  I'd been aware that I should probably try to relax my arms and drop them down a bit but somehow I had never been able to manage it and, truth be told, the incentive was never there to do anything about it.  I had managed before, have 11 half marathons and 2 marathons behind me and so why change?

Things are now different, though.  Now I want to run better so I can achieve this goal of taking 45 minutes off my marathon time in 2012.

So it was off to the park with Coach Dave and St Pete for some running drills, video analysis, and a complete rejig of my running style. 

The focus is now on keeping my elbows bent at 90 degrees and perpendicular to my body so they swing parallel to my legs rather than swinging across my body. My hands, instead of brushing my chest, need to be brushing my hips.  To start running I hold my elbows behind me, rise onto the balls of my feet and fall forward, starting a process of bouncing on the balls of my feet rather than a step initiated by a heel strike.  The stride length is shorter but the running cadence is faster and you lift your knees more.

The first time I tried it, we ran about 50m across the park and Coach Dave asked me how it felt.  My first reaction was that it was like I was running with a plum in my mouth.  I felt very stiff, and prim and proper!  However Dave was like a kid at Christmas, he was so excited.  He took an "after" video and played it to me, talking about how my chest was much more open (allowing me to breathe easier) and my overall technique looked much more relaxed.

Tell me, how can something that feels so stiff look so relaxed?!!

However I am persevering, and have been at it for a couple of weeks.  And it's been hard.  Really hard.

The level of concentration required is huge.  And concentrating so hard on your technique is exhausting.  The first time out I'd be stopping and restarting every kilometre or so just to reset my positioning and get back into the right mindset.  I found that my left arm was more stubborn than my right arm in trying to swing in front of my body.  And I figured out that it was wanting to do that because it was overcompensating for my left leg which wasn't doing as much work as the right leg.  So changing my arm swing exposed the natural dominance of my right over the left. 

Things are slowly improving though.  Overall I have graduated from running with a plum in my mouth to running like a penguin.With this new technique I am running slightly faster and on Saturday I did my longest "new-style" run at 10km.

 Old habits die hard, but I've got plenty of time to knock this one on the head.