Belated Elwood Race Report, New Toys, Thanks goes to, Hell Week and Xmas Ride with Stan-ta.

Sorry first up for the belated Elwood Race Report but here it is. Saturday saw the TA group run a light train session at Elwood plus a little walk through of the Transition area.

The weather was nice, the bay was flat, perfect for swimming. Bad news was the there where storms forecast for the afternoon and overnight, Sarah on of our coaches said no swim tomorrow but we hoped.. During the day the storm that was meant to come really didn't, but right on 12:30am Sunday morning a massive storm came through - woke me up! I grabbed the Iphone onto the BOM website nahhh - swim was off.

After getting up at 5am and reading Facebook, SuperSprint made the call and canceled the swim. Great another Duathlon - ok I don't mind them, but not what I signed up for.

I arrived at Elwood approx 6:30am and head over to the TA tent. Started to arrange things like number marking, changing from my Tri top to T-Shirt and then into transition.

As per normal some of the TA Girls and Guys headed over to watch the Active Feet start and support our team mates. When we got down to the start line I noticed it was super windy from the South West. After the finish of the Active Feet racers I went over to David Hansen who was dressed up as Santa and asked for a Xmas Present. Better weather for the rest of the Tri Session.

David responded with "I've ready asked we see what we can do."

With a heap of time left before we had to race some of us went to support TA Team mates on the their race. At the end we chatted with a few to find out about the course. We were told it was super windy coming back in from St Kilda, but we sort of knew that.

Start time, we all showed up and started off with a 1.4KM run then 20km bike and 5km run. Plan was to no go out hard. That was my plan but no-one else’s. The wave I was in was flying. My first KM was 4.38 pace (very quick), once we got out on the bike with a perfect mount and slipping into the bike shoes things change. I caught a few up and a few passed me. on the first lap on the bike TA team mates where there to support along with a few out on the course as marshalls. At the end of the 2nd lap I much better dismount then previous race. Into Transition change to runners and off we went. It hurt like hell, the plan was to push through the pain the run was not the best but considering the conditions I think I did alright. I took some 8 secs off, my final time 1hr 21m 04s.

Here are some of the pics from the race. Taken by Greg (one of our coaches) and Marathon Photos

Out on the road heading for the turn around

2nd Lap done, transition coming up fast

On the run home, almost there

Ahhh the finish line

New Toys.

I recently purchased a set of Race Wheels from Planet X in the UK. They are the 52mm Carbon Fiber rims and are due early Jan. Once they arrive I will need to put rim tape, tyres, tubes and cassette on. Everything is here except the wheels and in addition I also purchased an Aero drink bottle, so I guess I better put those Tri bars on.




Thanks goes to

Alana Melzer (PT)
Kimberley Marsden (Myotherapy) - Recover Sports Med
Ben Erlich (Physio) - Recover Sports Med

Team at Tri Alliance

Xmas Pressie from me to TA Coaches

Hell Week aka Melbourne Training camp.

Hell Week started many years ago by a few TA team members who were not going away at Xmas and with no planned training sessions they did a Long Ride, Run off the bike or Long Run during the day and a swim every day. Somehow this has turning into a club tradition. This week with me being on holidays on the first day I complete a 70km ride, 3km run off the bike. Day 2 the same but with a swim afterwards being total hot from the ride/run a dip without a wetsuit was called for. Day 3 6km run then a 800m swim. So far I have racked up a total of 200km+. Not bad in 3 days. Today is sort of a rest day being Xmas day but with a planned group Stan-ta ride (see below for more) I'll be back at 6am tomorrow for day 4.

Day 2 Riders

One of the jokes re: Hell Week

Xmas Ride with Stan-ta

Another club tradition a ride from Elwood to Mordy and back Xmas day with one of coaches Stan as Stan-ta. I have never laughed so hard on the bike. Ho Ho Hoing everyone from Elwood to Mordy, we had other runners, riders, cars all waving, etc. Now Stan-ta had a cookie tin taped to his tri bars and around Dendy st Brighton the tin lid came off which cause a few to jump out of the way, then shortly after the heart shaped chocolates started to appear on the road. So what does Stan-ta start doing? Grabs a hand full and start throughing them up in the air. Yes it was wet, yes there was lightning and thunder so what we got wet but all had a great time. Thanks Stan-ta.

Stan-ta and TA Xmas Ride Group

Thanks for reading and check back with the End of Year Report Card.

Active Feet Race 2 Race Report

Woke up a little before 5:00 this I could hearing the windy blowing I thought great not for a tri. After eating, showering, getting ready I check the latest weather and looked at the web cam off Patterson River the bit that worried/concerned me was the swim




The Bureau of Metrology Bay Report read

[---cut---]
Forecast for Sunday until midnight

Winds: West to northwesterly 20 to 30 knots easing to 15 to 20 knots and tending west to southwesterly later this morning then tending more southerly this afternoon. Wind further easing to 10 to 15 knots this evening and tending back westerly tonight. Seas: Up to 2 metres decreasing to 1 metre later this afternoon.
[---cut---]

Ok I can swim, but open water swimming I’m ok with open water swimming but not when it’s rough. When I arrived got my bike in the transition bag dropped off, etc. I put on the wet suit and made my way down to the beach for a practice swim which looking at the conditions was a good idea. A few of us headed out for a swim out to the first can and back in. After listening to the race briefing just before race start I thought that the wind had picked up and the bay seemed rougher looking at the weather info at St Kilda (3mins up the road from Elwood) the wind was gusting around 28km at 6am and 40km at 7am race start. Even the announce commented it look more like a surf beach that tri course. The pic below is from Patterson River taken during the morning it shows how bad the bay is.

Port Phillip Bay 12th Dec 2010

+5mins came along – race start time off we went, got to the first can without too much effort, and started heading up north towards the second can getting dunked and tossed around, made it around the second can and started to head towards the beach, but after being run over by another group and taking on some sea water I pulled aside of the swim course and got rescued by the guys at Elwood Life Saving Club. 3 of us all had decided to call the swim off. Looking at the list on the beach as they grabbed our race numbers there was approx 20 people who also had pulled out, but under the rules you are allowed to run over to the swim exit and join back into the race. So I heading into T1 grabbed the bike and headed out. The first thing I noticed was the wind we all were riding straight into it for the first 1.5km then a side wind right up to the turn around and back again with a side wind and bit of tail wind until the last 1.5km then we had a full tail until we hit T2. Put my bike back and changed by bike shoes for runners and head out for a run. Again into a head wind but I managed to keep a 10.5km pace until the tune around which I then picked up speed to 11.5km on the way back to the finish line.

So what’s the plan? Will time to speed some time with John Van Wisse before the next Tri next year.

The results
Race Time 40:35.44

Overall Place 313
Catagory Place 32
Gender Place 190

Swim 10:20
T1 01:48
Bike 15:06
T2 01:51
Run 11:31

As for comparing to last week, well you can’t last week no wind this week lots of it.

BTW: Pics for both this weeks and last weeks Tri to come