Poor show Challenge Family ... and a tired body ...

Two and a half weeks to Rottnest. Too much work. Battling with a tired body. Sore and stiff. And then Challenge Family Triathlons comes up short and ruins my week totally :-(

Challenge Cape Town - a full Ironman distance triathlon was supposed to be staged in Cape Town end of last year. I was overjoyed and extremely keen to partake! I laid out my R4500 (about $500) for the entry and made sure I was fit. 16 days before the event ... yest, you got it - only 16 days ... they pulled the plug and cancelled the race. Many, actually all other athletes I know that entered, have received their refund ...

... except myself! and apparently some other folk that I don't know. R4500 is a fair bit of money! And I really want that refund. I put some pressure on the local organisers and the German mother company. First they promised refunds over and over again. But no; nothing materialised.

Last week Challenge Family in Germany distanced themselves and disassociated themselves from the local organiser Grant Kunneke. They basically say they can offer me a slot in Roth and that is it. Grant Kunneke , the totally incompetent dreamer in Cape Town, is dependant on some new event and new sponsorship before he can pay me back.

... What does one do? I don't want Grant to organise another event, because I don't want other triathletes getting sucked into his poor event management endeavors. But I also do want him to get the sponsorships ... so that I can get my money!!

On a lighter and more specific swimming note ... I had a great sea swim yesterday afternoon ... kinda cold at 12 degrees. But a nice group of people and I managed very well in the cold.

I am rather sore, stiff and tired of late ... getting some weekly massages to help me prepare for my 20km swim in two and a half weeks. I think I am doing too much speed and power work ... definitely some good tapering required, and a focus on long slow swims for a while.

So for today ... thoroughly enjoying my rest day ... and here is me giving Challenge Family and Grant Kunneke a right royal "up-yours" ... probably much the same as Fabio Capello is giving David Bernstein today ...

Tan lines and a really poor 10km swim

Well, I am trying to think what is worse ... the horrible tan lines I have from my weekend's swim ... or my poor performance in the same swim. Neither of them signal the end of the world (we'll have to wait till December for that); and one will have to have much more drastic changes ...

I did a fresh water dam 10km swim on Saturday ... in 22 degree water and over thirty degree summer weather. At my pace that results in a nice swim cap tan, goggle tan and the HUGE numbers they ink onto our arms and back result in horrid number tans when we wash off the black ink from our pink-red skin several hours later.

Basically I should just swim quicker and I would not have this problem ...

That gets me to my next problem ... the swim just didn't go well ... and I was just unable to swim fast. "Grumpy"! I was sore and stiff from the 3km stage onwards, slow, tired and just didn't get a rhythm. My right shoulder was sore, my arms were tired and my tanks felt empty ... either a nice little wake-up call or a reminder that one simply can have a slow day now and then.

Up front I must say that a bottle and a half of good white wine the night before probably did not help at all. But I do believe a slight re-evaluation of my training has to be done ... and some self recommended changes need to be put in place soonest to get through my 20km swim in 3 weeks; and more later this year ...

So here goes ... in no specific order of importance ...

1. 
   
   Weekly massages for the next three weeks; and then religiously every two to three weeks


2. 
   
   Cut out the coffee and the booze


3. 
   
   More squad training sessions to work on the speed training (already on the training plan after the last three months of base training)


4. 
   
   More longer swims - 10km sessions every two weeks


5. 
   
   More/better sleep


6. 
   
   Eat healthier - loose four kilograms now, and put on weight again closer to the Channel Swim

Lets see what I can get right in the short term (massage booked for Thursday already, and no alcohol today) ... in my last three weeks before Rottnest.

Lets give it horns ...

To Cycle ... To Swim ... To Run ...?

Oh how I miss my cycling and running ... every year at this time I would be cycling a lot to prepare for the Argus Cycle Tour (109km road race around Cape Town) ... and seeing all these cyclists out there in the nice weather is tough. Them in the sun and heat ... myself in the cooold sea ...

The odd run I am fitting in is not as enjoyable as it used to be ... basically carrying a few extra pounds around my waist is not that comfortable ;-)

Well, I presume it is all in the mind ... I will cycle and run loads after September ... but for now I just need to suck it up, put on the Speedo and head down to the pool ...

Robben Island Swim

What a beaut of a day. Off for a nice swim in the morning and then falling asleep in the office ;-)

Huge swell, moderate temperatures, sunny and warm day ... not ideal; but good enough to head for the open seas.

8km swim at a slow pace, relaxing and enjoyable ... until we hit the shoreline ... OMG ... those waves were NOT fun :-(

... and somewhere out there are a very decent pair of swim goggles ...

I didn't make it back to the boat for the trip to the harbour with the boat ... those waves were just a tad nasty ... and therefore had to do the speedo and cap hitch-hiking back through town ... now that was interesting!!

January 2012 ... now for the serious stuff ...

Well ... here we are ... eight months to go ... and a lot of training to be completed ...

As extra motivation for myself I have decided to post my completed training sessions on-line ... maybe guilt will get me to be a little more diligent with my training sessions ;-)

My plan for the time being is to do three mornings a week at 5km swimming and one weekend morning of 6km (21km per week); supplemented with some gym sessions and time allowing, at least one decent cycle per week.

Track my training work successfully completed on:

http://www.patrickthomas.co.za/2012-english-channel-training-progress.php

Excuses, excuses, excuses ... and Happy Holidays!

OMG ... I really need to get down and do some proper training!!!

First work kept me from getting down to the required training; then I was tired and run down from the work and year past. Now it is the holidays, friends, workload and everyone's festive expectations ... aagghh ...

... DISCIPLINE? Where art thou? I really do not wish to alienate you ... and I need to keep you close for the months ahead ...

The only good thing is that i am putting on some much needed weight. I feel highly uncomfortable carrying the extra pounds about ... but much needed for my upcoming cold water swims.

So on this note of the Crazy Season and extra pounds we carry - I herewith wish you all a Happy Holiday, lot of fun, relaxation and way too much food.

Skipper found ... Perth here I come ...

The good news is that I have found a skipper for the Rottnest Channel Swim in February 2012!

This good news is coupled with even better news that I have found a training partner for my swim endeavours ... Myles is down to swim the English Channel in the exact same slot as myself (September 2012) - he is the same age as myself and also lives in Cape Town.

... Now just to get our acts together and actually get down to doing some proper training :-)

Myles put me in contact with his Rottnest skipper from last year - who was still available (after having mistakenly held a slot for a different Patrick) ... oh how nice life sometimes works out.

So Perth here I come ... Flights booked, qualifier swum, skipper found ... now for the training.

Rottnest Channel Swim Escort Boat ... anyone ...?

Well ... I have entered for the Rottnest Channel Swim in Perth in February 2012. A great 19.7km sea swim from Perth to Rottnest Island

I have swum my qualifying time.

I have accommodation. I can take leave from work. I can book my flight.

BUT ... I need an escort boat ... if anyone actually reads this blog of mine ... and has any connections in Perth of any sort ... Please find out if anyone can assist me next year for the swim on the weekend of 25 February.

I would be big time indebted to anyone who can actually help to organise this ... ;-)

A Porno Sunburn for 10km Swimming

Well training is progressing slowly - unfortunately still the endless travels! At least I have achieved my training goals for the last two weeks - that must be good. 14km in the water last week and 16km this week. Still nothing major when compared to previous training programs; but soon there will be some noticeable extra time to train.

I completed an enjoyable 10km fresh water, dam swim. Rather tedious procedure of swimming ten 1km loops. But brain numbing activities are vital to train the brain to cope with long, boring endeavors ... what on earth will I think about for 12 - 14 hours crossing the Channel ... ??? The actual swim went well. No thrilling speed freak activity, but an enjoyable 3h19 ... a good, steady 20 minutes per km.

Happy enough :-) Except for the ridiculous sunburn I have on my face, shoulders, back and speedo lines ...

Work, travel, friends ... when can I train ...?

Maybe it is the time of the year, maybe I take on too much.

One can't really do too much about work needs ... after all I do have to earn the money to be able to afford the beeeeg swim. Weekly cross-country travelling doesn't help - especially into remote, outlying areas with no swimming pools and poor routes for running - nor does the fatigue of the flying, driving and living out of a suitcase help the cause.

Then we also need to spend time with friends and time to just chill-out and unwind ...

... so when does one swim? aagghhh ...

Although this is time for base training and just getting in some good mileage (as well as some basic cross-training) one still gets a bit antsy when one doesn't complete the mileage intended. Even if one has been training for these endurance events for many years - one always feels guilty when ramping up the training and not meeting one's own expectations.

I keep having to remind myself the most important rule in endurance event training ... Do Not Play Catch-up!

If I miss a session or two it does not matter. Try change your program and lifestyle going forward to fit in the necessary training ... but do not cram in missing miles. There is a reason why we couldn't fit them in ... most of the time we were too busy and now can't afford to add extra (current/catch-up) mileage into our schedule ... and add to the chaos and time/energy depleting activities.

With ten months to go I will have more than enough time to swim :-)

FYI ... my current training routine involves ... four week training cycles; each one supplemented with 2 gym sessions and some running or cycling if time allows:

Week 1: 12km Swim

Week 2: 15km Swim

Week 3: 18km Swim

Week 4: 20km Swim