Trirock Durban Half Iron DIstance

Right folks im back! Well I did it....my first half iron distance event...TRIROCK DURBAN. Thanks to Dave Vlcek, Chris Pugh and Julie McMurray for all your support and assistance in Durbs and to everyone who sent well wishes!!! You know who you are!!! HIGH 5! So lets start on the race: Saturday nights sleep....limited yet when I woke up at 3:30am I wasn't tired but ready if not bordering on ridiculously excited....probably an over compensation for the nerves. Anyway had breakfast rechecked my transition bags for the 15th time(think by this point the OCD was driving Dave barmy) and off we went to Ushaka for the start and check in! We could not have asked for a finer morning(see pics on facebook) met up with Chris and Julie. loaded my bike then when to put on my wetsuit and go for a warm up swim. For those of you who don't know I am some what paranoid about these fish we call sharks...so the low viz on the warm up swim got those nerves tingling hehehehe silly me! Then we lined up in our waves and pink caps and before I knew it BOOM we were off...what a rush...my tactics were to hang back and not get caught in the mess around buoy 1. I hung back and still got caught in the mess. ploughed through and then suddenly as we turned buoy 2.......no not a shark...the waters cleared and I could see the ocean floor and the FISH!!!! It was awesome! Next I was getting out the water running to T2....I looked at my watch 38min!!! Quicker than anticipated and I was going strong. T2 was fairly descent and off I went on the bike for a ride that I thought would hurt as I had driven the route the day before. Off the bat I opened my top bag to put my gels in my tri suit and I hit a bump and lost half my nutrition....rookie error...but I wasn't phased..figured I would grab something on the way...after 20km I was flying, I reached down for some juice and didn't put the bottle back properly...Boom lost a 3/4 full water bottle....long story short I flew on the bike and loved it!!! TRUST ME MAKE SURE YOU STICK TO YOUR NUTRITIONAL PLAN!!! Because what followed was terrible. I got off the bike in 2h55min. T2 was descent and at this stage I was looking at a sub 6 hour first race......then the rookie demons attacked...both quads cramped after 2km...19km to go. that was a terrible place to be mentally, I was thinking I would have to pull out. Thank god for logic...I figured I only had 19km to and 5hours to cut off...suddenly I remembered why I was there...to have fun!!! and finish!! and with the stupidest smile I could muster off I set. run 1km walk 500m, and repeat. I took on a small cup of water and coke at each water station. and then there was 1km to go. and people I had never seen in my life cheering me on by name(it was on my race number hahaha) Then I was running up the final incline to the finish! what a feeling!!! its possibly the best feeling I have ever felt. Hugs from friends! High 5's everywhere! and for the next 10min I was King of Myself!!! Then I saw the massage tent and disappeared for half and hour hahahaha. For those of you wondering...I finished in 6 hours 20min!!!!! Not to shabby!

Some changes due to my own stupidity

Well you may have noticed a change....the title is now Journey to Ironman Nelson Mandela Bay. This has been done for a couple reasons. Firstly I lost out on my slot because I hadn't paid for it and as such tickets sold out and I went on a waiting list...my own stupidity. however I have realized that my Journey was to be ready to do Buffalo City Half, I had never planned to do TriRock Half Ironman and so I am actually more excited because I have got fitter faster than every expected and am able to move my goal to Ironman Nelson Mandela Bay! That's a full Ironman! Keep in touch!!

The Running man aka Charging Rhino

Well firstly I have to say a big thanks to Chris Pugh and Julie McMurray for pulling me out of bed on Sunday to run my first 21km....The Wits 21km. Plans were made to pick me up at 6:45am from my front gate. My alarm went off at 5:30am followed by the inevitable SNOOZE BUTTON which was followed by me looking at my clock and seeing 6:35am.......HEART FAILURE!!!! Mad panic ensued....shower, dress, get bag, eat? oh crap no time, so a bottle of hammer pertuem and a hammer bar was breakfast on the go.....somehow I was on time!!! Ok all calmed down, get to WITS and pay for my race number and day license...check...oops in my haste I left my Garmin training watch and heart rate monitor behond....oh well!!! I had heard the race was tough, but my gosh hills everywhere hahaha too much fun....I had some guys running with me shouting what I thought were profanities in an African language everytime we got to a hill, when I asked them why they where swearing, they said they were trying to scare the hill! hahahahaha to awesome!!! Needless to say with characters like these and the fact that I felt genuinely comfortable the entire race I was grinning like a Cheshire cat the whole way!!! For those of you who don't know, this was my first real time running race I have ever done!! I completed the event in 2hours and 10min!!!!! Rather chuffed with myself!!!!

August Update....7 Weeks to go!

So 7 weeks to go! Race Entry Paid Up..No Looking Back! I have officially got comfortable at running.....not fast, more like that long haul diesel truck that just wont stop!!! Swimming is getting well up there too, feel like a fish! Well im 22kgs lighter...that puts me at 98kgs!!! and gone from a 42" waist to a 36" waist! Needless to say i'm super stoked and look like one of those guys, "I lost 20kg with this diet" except i'm eating like a horse hahahahaha. i'm in BEAST MODE! Gear Updates: I now have my road converted tri-bike in full aero position...surprisingly comfortable. I have also started breaking in a new pair of running shoes, Asics Gel Noosa Tri8's, the most lumo pair of running shoes I could possibly find! Having said that, the New Balance will still be my choice of running shoe for TriRock as unbelievably, I have put nearly 400km on them! YES I HAVE ALMOST 400KM RECORDED!!!! ITS AMAZING!!!!!!!!! I'm using Hammer Perpetuem for training rides and will use it in the race....orange vanilla flavour, it's not delicious, but is strangely comforting, tastes malty and your first sip, if you have never tried it, is a special moment, and yet it goes down easily, no stomach issues on long runs or rides so im sold and the energy just keeps coming with it! Also playing with eating on rides now, bananas, hammer bars, gels. New piece of kit...my ICE ID..bright yellow and all my details, everyone should be wearing one!!! A top bar bag....i think thats what its called, but what a great investment for keeping food and phone etc!!! And My Pride and Joy......GARMIN FORERUNNER 910XT helps my training so much it just doesn't make coffee but bloody hell, it has a little virtual trainer i have named Jimmy who I race against hahahaha!!! I almost beat him!!!! Still doing 99% of my training alone, there is something to doing long sessions alone that gives you a sense of freedom! Anyway i'll catch up soon with some new updates

Long Time>>>>Update Time!!!

Well its been a while since my last post, so whats new and whats happening? I have broken the 100kg barrier, 99.7kg Now!! for those of you reading this who dont know me, at the start of 2013 i weighed in at a Sumo 120kg!!! lots of hard work and training later and bye bye 20kgs!!! im not on a wonder diet or calorie counter or body for life etc but i am eating healthy and eating Breakfast lunch and Dinner now instead of just binging at dinner time and drinking 15 cups of coffee a day to get me through. im now comfortably running 10km in under an hour and just to mix things up my first event will not be Ironman Buffalo City it will be the Trirock Durban Event which is also a half ironman distance!!! Gear Update....Lake Cycling Shoes! The Bomb!! Thanks to Bike Basement for there blowout sale that let me afford these amazing shoes. Linden Cycles for Pimping my Snake with White Shimano Pedals>>>hahahaha "Dont you know that white kit make s you faster" Im SUPER AMPED AND GETTING SUPER FIT! Its bloody chilly at the moment here in Johannesburg so I try to get as much done while the sun is up which is leading to more treadmill running and less road time and more brick sessions on the weekends....surprisingly i love these, i think im a little crazy! Hahahaha BOOM Chat Soon and will post pics after Trirock!

Tips and bits and bobs and start of the real training

Right so heres a tip if you cycle like i do and are 25km from your car when you get a second flat and have no more spares. (1) CARRY MORE SPARES (2) CARRY YOUR CELLPHONE AND PHONE YOUR SIBLING TO FETCH YOU!!! I got 3 punctures all told this last week and can now officially change a tyre faster than an F1 pit crew! Also i have invested in gel filled tubes! The Snake is in for a service and will be ready to go for tomorrows training. I have completed the "Prep" session of the program and moved onto "BASE 1" this morning with a sprint swim session>>>>>im alive There is a lovely little note on the training program that says "find a nice hill that takes about 5 minutes to climb and get to know it intimately!!!" OMG I have aquired a pair of Pearl Izumi insulated winter gloves as winter is upon us and i would like to avoid frostbite at all costs..............(I hate the cold) Tomorrow will be my first "BRICK" session...........yes i had to google what this meant, ride for 90min then go swimming for 30 min straight after!

My Current Gear List

Hey so as i go along i'll be updating my gear list, let me be the first to say that this sport is ridonkulously expensive! so if you want to get into it and arent flush do a purchase plan, buy second hand etc etc Watch Nike Plus with GPS: This Magnificent watch has really helped me with my running and cycling! it monitors everything on your run so you can really push harder and the webpage shows your routes run thanks to the TomTom GPS!!! Its great but limited when it comes to swimming. i linked the nike account to endomondo and i can now differentiate the trainings between cycling and running as the nike website only measures "running" so its awesome when the watch reads that i have done a 60km "RUN" in 2h10min hehehe Running Shoes : New Balance 759 Cycling Axis A90 Mountain Bike with Shimano Cleat Pedals Axis AR50 Road Bike with Shimano Cleat Pedals(mountain bike pedals) Bell Helmet Olympic Mpuntain Bike Riding shoes Pearl Izumi Winter Insulated Riding Gloves **NOTE** at present i am using the mountain bike shoes and pedals on the race bike as they do the same job, albeit that the are heavier but also that at the moment i dont have moola to buy racing bike shoes and pedals Profile Design T1+ Aero Bars ISM Prologue Saddle.....(IF YOU CAN AFFORD ONE GET IT!!!! ITS SO COMFY IN AERO POSITION!!!!) First Ascent Cycle Shorts Mr Price Long Leg Cycle Pants(Surprisingly very comfy) Camelbak - Donated by my brother....thanks greg **NOTE** various bits and bobs from chain cleaner to lube to saddle bag, puncture kit and spare tubes etc etc etc etc can set you back quite alot quite quickly without you even realizing) Giant Control Tower Pump with pressure Gauge!!! u have to get one! makes life so much easier!!! * Thanks Gill* Bike rack for the car....Greg found one at a thrift store for literally nothing! Thanks Again Swimming Speedo Half length swimming shorts(i refuse to wear a banana hammock!!) Latex Swimming Cap 2XU T:3 Wetsuit 2XU Trisuit Mr Price Goggles(Also work really well!! for a cheapy ) So what you can see from all this is that i dont have a monster budget to buy gear but i am very happy with all my gears performance so far!!!