What a place to train ... Silvermine Dam

After a period of de-motivation, laziness and not 100% health I feel I am back into a rhythm of sorts. My body definitely feels as if it has had too much rhythm of sorts!

Silvermine Dam ... one of the most beautiful places in the world. A freshwater dam up in the mountains around Cape Town, and the location for a lekker 13km (4.5hour) swim this morning. My weekly mileage coming up to 23km this week. Tomorrow a little run and a gym session ... strict instructions from the chiropractor to do a land based activity to "open up" some of the tight mechanical chains I am developing through my swimming.

We try to fit in one 10km swim every weekend; in the dam. Currently a comfortable 18 degrees. It offers a great 600m too and fro swim ... which can be a little mind numbing when you do 15 to 20 reps ...

I am quite chuffed to have plodded through this swim today ... although totally knackered now ... mentally it was very good to have paddled around for close to 5 hours (about 4h20 swimming ... and a bit of chit chat to get through the lot).

Now for another DVD ... and lots of food ... ;-)

A bit of fun before resuming some serious training

Well ... I recon I have had a far too long a break now! Tapering to race week. Then a failed race. Then a week of holiday. Then no swimming for a week due to a nasty upper respiratory infection ... that adds up to four weeks of being lazy. It is now high time I dig deep and up my training to a good 25 km per week.

The Plan ...

- Three mornings a week at 5 to 6km swimming (squad training most sessions)

- One long weekend swim, preferably open water (10km)

- Two (or three) gym sessions

- And when time allows, and training has been good ... some cycling or running as a reward

And on a lighter note I didn't laze around totally while sick ... it might not have been ideal, but I still went out to enjoy the annual Argus Cycle Tour ... this time purely for fun and laughs ...

Two different days off Perth

The sea conditions for the Rottnest Swim on the Saturday of the race ... and the tranquility of City Beach, Perth (just up the coast) three days later ...

Rottnest Swim failure ... but a great holiday

Well rested, recharged and ready to get going once again. I have just spent a good two weeks in Perth, Australia. Baby sitting, sleeping, a little swimming, eating, shopping, more sleep ... really just relaxing :-)

Unfortunately the Rottnest Channel Swim did NOT pan out as planned. I had to pull out after 2h45 ... probably about 9km of the 20km completed. I started of very well - fit, strong, energised and happy with the conditions ... but then slowly became extremely nauseous :-( The conditions were not great, yet also not terrible. There was a constant chop and irritating swell that battered us the whole time. After about 90 minutes of swimming I progressively felt more and more nauseous and tired. Eventually I had to stop and relax/breathe every ten strokes or so.

It was probably the toughest decision in a sporting situation I have had to make - hundreds of thoughts going through my mind about battling on, digging deep, taking it bit-by-bit ... but ultimately I was feeling horrible and really didn't have the energy and stomach to carry on for another four to five hours like this. I am also very pragmatic about the whole thing - we have to take what we get dished out; things didn't pan out this time ... and I basically need to work towards the next one ;-)

My dear paddler (Russi) was actually over the moon that I pulled out ... he had been hurling his guts out (unbeknown to me) for the last hour already ... and was quite happy to get out of there too ... thanks a mill mate ;-)

Many, many thanks ...!!!

I need to extend an amazing thanks to several persons with regards to my Rottnest attempt. First and foremost to Lynn and Rowan Matthews for offering their boat and skipper services ... you were amazing, extremely hospitable and helpful in every regard. Further thanks to John Turner for your support and options to do my final training sessions in Perth. Furthermore, many thanks to my good friends Russi and Vivian (and family), as well as Tania, for support, accommodation and a fabulous holiday.

It was a great trip. Very relaxing. Slightly disappointing. And a good learning curve.

Thanks to all ... and now for the next SIX MONTHS ...

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.