Moving....

Hi all

Just a quick note that after 3 years on here, I'm moving the blog to my new website.

 

Hope the hits continue at
http://pursuitcoaching.com.au/index.php/blog

Thanks to the 13,000 that visited my blog

Australia 8487 United States 2072 Germany 347 United Kingdom 297 Ukraine 140 Russia 135 France 134 Canada 103 Poland 59 Sweden 40   As always train safe Mike

Version 3.0

Time for another comeback...

I've had a month of base training and next week I start my program. The goal for this one was left up to Budgie as Cairns IM is my aim and everything is just a stepping stone to that. That being said I'm quite excited with what he chose, Mandurah State Olympic Distance Champs. I haven't focused on an Olympic distance race since 2007, so this is a nice change.

So the race schedule looks like this

Jan 11th Champion Lakes draft legal race

Feb 2nd Mandurah State Olympic Champs

A bit light on, but with my history I need to cope with the training first of all.

Other tri news....

I'm running a camp with Rob Suriano this coming weekend down in the Ferguson Valley for Stadium Tri Club. First time, so looking forward to it and hopefully it goes well and we continue to run it and I get to go riding down there every year.

I have also been working on my coaching business "Pursuit Coaching" a fair bit over the last few months. Improving the user friendliness of my programs, new websites (driving me insane last week!) and a new venture which will hopefully be set up in the next two months. Old website is still operating until I sort the new one www.pursuitpt.com.au
That and looking after my athletes, who all deserve a bit of praise for what they have achieved! With six competing at the Las Vegas 70.3 World Champs, Becky Lewis at the ITU Sprint & Olympic World Champs in London and Andrew Walker got around Kona (IM World Champs) today in Sub 10hrs.

I'll also be on the mic down at the WA Country Builders Albany Half again on January 4th. Its a great race that I will race one day, but this is just a little too soon when the aim is to get the body right. I like the commentating and as a fan, its a great way to be involved and watch the race. Get on board and I'll seeya down there.

Until next updater train safe :)

Mike

Enjoyed the break

It's been a couple of months since I pulled the pin on racing Pro. Any regrets??? Nope. I've enjoyed the break from the sport and knew it wouldn't be forever. I watched pretty much every stage of Le Tour for the first time in 8 years, enjoyed plenty of sleep ins and got back to doing a few things I had to give up over the past years of racing.

That being said I'm still following the sport and have a passion for it. I could only be impressed with Pete Jacobs' effort at Sunshine Coast 70.3 today!

Looking back over the last year (it was just over a year ago that I broke my neck and back), I made an error trying to rush back. Partly due to disrespecting my injury and partly due to previously going through a recovery from a major injury. I wanted to race! But in the end, my body didn't cope and my mind had had enough of fighting back from set-backs.

I've started the process of getting back into it and like for everyone else, it's been a struggle. I've effectively had 4 months off and may have got a little comfortable. Giving up control of my training to another coach did make me a bit nervous, but now I'm excited to get into it. So far I've just done some test sessions:

Max Heart Rate (Bike) 190bpm
Max Heart Rate (Run) 195bpm
Functional Threshold Power (30min test) 295watts

The program should start in the next few weeks with the aim to get my body right and build a nice big base. A big part of this over the next few months is in the gym. I'll post my gym program on here at some point in the future.

Train safe.

Mike

Retiring from the Pro field

Well the title says it all, it's time.

The decision has gone through my head on a few occasions over the years, but I always decided to fight on. This time I just knew I didn't have the drive to push on.

I thought I had one more year in me, but coming back from injury, this virus that has sidelined me for the past two months and a few other issues have taken away my love for the sport. I needed a break to get my health and motivation back. Which got me thinking about what I still want to achieve in the sport, my future goals don't require a pro licence.

I have had some amazing support from sponsors since 2007. I was lucky to be associated with great brands and people. I couldn't have achieved what I have without their support.

Sponsor since 2007
Murray at Sports Fever was my first ever sponsor and he came on board without even meeting me. I went down to meet him after Busselton Ironman and was stoked with his enthusiasm for the sport. Over the years they have stuck by me when walking with a limp was the goal or just getting through a triathlon with no thought of being competitive.

Murray and Gus have opened doors to other sponsors for me as well as getting my shoe fitting correct, which they've done for thousands of other athletes in WA.

Thanks Murray, Gus and the Sports Fever Team




Sponsor since 2011
One of the brands I was stoked to have associated with me. I love their shoes, whether the Pure Cadence or Ravenna I can't recommend these enough!

Thanks Jacqui and the Brooks Team

Sponsor since 2011
I first went to see Sheldon about getting some rather large dry needling! Having an 8cm needle stuck into my glute wasn't fun, watching me try to walk back to my car would've been very funny. But he fixed the issue and has been instrumental in keeping me on the track ever since. If you're after a masseuse with great knowledge and experience go and see Sheldon.

Thanks Sheldon

Sponsor since 2012, my Physio since 2009

I've said it before, I own John Annear a lot! Getting me back to racing at a pro level after I destroyed my left hip joint was huge. Coming back from that injury there were a lot of set backs and John got me moving again every time.

A big thanks to John, Ben, Rob and the team at Sports Med Subiaco

Sponsor since 2012
Its been great dealing with the team from 32Gi and seeing them grow here in WA. They're always looking at new products for athletes and the addition of low Gi nutrition into the endurance sports mix is a big positive.

Thanks Kristen, Nick, Nic and Nat

 

Sponsor since 2012
Scody came on board last year and I am very happy to be involved with this company. The quality of their products was the reason I approached them and I have been continually impressed. Check them out, Australian made and great supporters of Triathlon at all levels.

Thanks Kristina, Bernard and the Scody Team

Sponsor since 2012

 

Matt from Churchill Cycles came on board late last year and has been a great addition. Nothing is too much trouble and having his knowledge on all things cycling is on another level. If you need a bike, Matt is the man to see!

 

 

Thanks Matt, Rick, Brynt and the Churchill team

Sponsor since 2013
Simon from Upbeat approached me a few months back about the Beetroot drink Nitrate Max. I'd been using beetroot for the last year, so was well aware of the benefits. The big pluses with Nitrate Max are the taste and its been tested thoroughly by Simon and some of the states best athletes at WAIS.

Thanks Simon

As I said above I've been lucky to be associated with such great sponsors and in the future I will still continue working with most. Thanks again.

Last weekend I had a chat with someone who watched Busselton 70.3 for the first time this year and was amazed and motivated by the sport. After being in this sport since 2005, that view of the sport has faded a little. Hopefully after a bit of a break I can rediscover that view.

I'll have the rest of 2013 off racing and will start back with the Albany Half Triathlon on Jan 5th 2014 in the Pro/Open category, before focusing on the Cairns Ironman as a regular age grouper.
In my last post I said I would be working with Coach Andrew Budge. This will still be the case when I return to racing in 2014 and thanks Budgie for your advice.

Looking back on my pro career it didn't go to plan, I suppose that what happens to most who have a crack at it. Two major accidents had a big effect and I really only hit top form in 2012. Singapore 70.3 in March 2012 is the race I look back at with disappointment. I was in great form and the toughness of the conditions would have helped me. Shredding a tyre put me out and I just didn't realise that there was support only minutes away.

Best race was Busselton 70.3 a month and a bit later. In a slow day for Busselton my form shone through and I rode and ran myself into 6th. The race wasn't perfect and I knew I had improvement in me. I was confident going into Mandurah 70.3, it had been a hard 3 years to get back to top form and I was looking forward to training and racing with a strong, fit body, but it just wasn't to be...

For no it's off to grow a beard and do some DIY.

Mike

 

Illness and new opportunities

Bit of an update on a few fronts, some good, some not unfortunately.

 

The first is that I have decided to bring a coach on board. The Stadium Tri Club High Performance Squad that I set up in September last year has grown quicker than I’d anticipated and as a result I haven’t had the time to plan my training as effectively as I would have liked. I met up with Andrew Budge from Trysport earlier this week to put together a program for me. For the non West Australians, Andrew has decades of experience coaching triathlon and also been my bike fitter since I got into the sport in 2005.

I’m generally excited about the future. The training will be slightly different and I’m looking forward to evolving as an athlete and learning more.

 

The return to training itself forms the second part of this update.

The gastro I had which forced me out of Cairns 70.3 has lead to continued illness. I have had two lots of antibiotics so far and although the virus is no longer present, I still am being affected. Blood tests have revealed a low white blood cell count. My GP has said I could be out for up to two months, but as it has been 4 weeks already, I'm hopeful of returning to training in the next week or two.

 

This is frustrating! I hate that I feel like I’m continually making excuses lately. I realise that being hit by a car and illness are out of my control, but that doesn't seem to matter when updating sponsors and supporters that a backing me. Missing a year between Busselton 70.3 2012 and 2013 was the motivation for a winter season – to give back to my sponsors and my supporters. But the reality is that my winter season is over.

The advice I’ve been given is to start from scratch once I’m healthy again. There is little point travelling up to the Philippines if I’m not at my best. So the plan now will be to focus on the Busselton Ironman in December.

Here's hoping for 6 months of uninterrupted training!

Mike

Out of Cairns 70.3

Made a tough decision to pull the pin on my race at Cairns 70.3 this weekend coming.

After Busso I got some good training in, working on my bike and swim. I saw some good improvements in the bike and predicted my FTP was between 350-375watts. I was going to do a FTP test 12 days out to confirm (my 1st FPT test since resuming using a power meter). I could only expect for small improvements with Cairns four weeks after Busso, so I was happy with what I was seeing.

Sunday the 26th I raced the HBF Run for a Reason, coming home in 31st place and 42.21 for the 12km. I wasn't expecting much after a solid week of training, it was a average day, but still good to get the hit out in me.

I pulled up very achy just hours afterward, which then turn into gastro that night. I spent the next week in bed. Not ideal, but the antibiotics finally got me healthy again.

I've had a couple of days back into training and the body is struggling with it. My quads felt like they did a 70.3 yesterday, sadly the reality was a 13km jog and a 30k bike ride. I was not going to be in shape by Sunday, it would be a very average day at best. So you ask yourself what will you get out of it?

Struggling around for a 4.20-4.40 isn't good for me or my sponsors.


I'll head over and support Ange through her race, get healthy and moving again and then be ready to train for 8 weeks into Philippines 70.3. Its frustrating, but this is a reminder to me. It won't come easy, even if you've been there before. I've got to work bloody hard for it!

Train safe and seeya soon.
Mike

Busselton 70.3 2013

Well another Busselton is done and dusted and at the end of this one I am reasonably happy. It's great to be back on the start line against quality athletes again. But at the end of the day I was blown away by the pro field.

How it played out...

As the gun went off I was next to Guy Crawford, the pace was fine initially and the pack started to form a pace line. Guy had moved up and I had Courtney Ogden on my inside, so I eased up to get on his feet. I did it poorly and got checked by his feet, this caused me to pause and I was fighting to stay on the pace line. A few hundred metres later I was off and swimming on my own. I swam on for a 28.42. I had a lot of work to do.

Onto the bike and I set about chasing people down. I had had a good 6 weeks of trying to get my bike leg back up to speed and was confident going in, but this gap was bigger than I'd expected. My confidence was taking a hit as I realised last years 42kph average wasn't going to happen. I held just over 40kph on the first lap, which improved to 41kph for the 2nd lap when my body had warmed up a bit. It was fairly un-eventful being out there on my own, with only the odd camera man shoving a camera in my face when I eating 32Gi chews to break it up.

Into T2 and onto the run, my legs felt good and I settled into a good rhythm. Ben Cureton was around a hundred metres back after a flying bike leg and I was confident I could hold him off. The first lap flew by, but I didn't notice the pace drop on the 2nd lap and heading out on the final lap Ben was only 5 metres back. I had to hurt, but I had another gear and opened up the gap again. There wasn't much pleasure in this as I knew Ben was well ahead of me after starting in the open wave, it just gave me something to focus on late in the race.

Swim was 28.42
Ride  was 2.13.08
Run was 1.19.56
for a 4.05.53

I was happy to pull out a time like that, but my swim needs work ( I need to find a squad) and my bike is still lacking a few %. It will come and I have to be happy with where I'm at 7 months after breaking my neck and back.

I'll look at doing a few different things in training before Cairns 70.3 to try and get that missing few percent.

Finally congrats to Brad Kahlefeldt and Liz Blatchford on the wins and to James Lewin and Rachel Smith on winning the WA Long Course Titles.

Mike