A couple of weeks ago, I was back on home turf, running and riding around Port Macquarie with my old mate Robbo. And I had one thing on my mind – Ironman Melbourne.<\/p>\n
IM Melbourne is definitely on my list of challenges to conquer and it\u2019s really my first serious race since Kona last year. I\u2019ve been working hard over the last couple of months, both physically and mentally, to get prepared for it. And it\u2019s a great course- a single lap for the swim, two laps for the bike on a freeway and then the run leg takes us all the way up Beach Rd from Frankston to St Kilda. <\/p>\n
Pushing it in Port<\/strong> The IM Melbourne bike leg runs along the Eastlink freeway, which they close off for the day. It\u2019s probably one of the best surfaces we get to ride on in IM competition and it\u2019s certainly flat and fast. A good bike split is going to be critical for success in Melbourne.<\/p>\n Prepared for anything<\/strong> And I think that\u2019s the key – preparation. My aim when I race is to be able to stay present in the moment – being in the zone or in a state of \u2018flow\u2019, whatever you want to call it. The more prepared I am, the easier it is to get into that state and the less distracted I am by other stuff. <\/p>\n It\u2019s about physical preparation- knowing that I\u2019ve done the hard work, but it\u2019s also about the practical stuff – nutrition, hydration, confidence in my gear, etc. Get the nuts and bolts stuff sorted and then it\u2019s easier to focus on the mental game, which is where races are won. Before a race, I work on staying relaxed and loose, so that I can take that into the water with me.<\/p>\n
\nTraining has been going well. Down in Port, Robbo and I put in some solid days on the bike- in fact, that was really our focus for the week, getting some kms into our legs in preparation for the Melbourne course on March 22nd. Had a couple of great days (180km<\/a> one day, 212km<\/a> another) going over some of my old training rides and hitting some of the hills out the back of Port Macquarie. Great for building power and aerobic capacity and all good practice for Melbourne.<\/p>\n
\nLast time I was in Melbourne, earlier this year, the weather was brutal! Very choppy swim conditions, then sidewinds and rain for the rest of the race. We even had athletes pulling out with hypothermia! But that\u2019s Melbourne for you – you never know quite what you\u2019re going to get and often it\u2019s four seasons in one day. You\u2019ve got to be prepared for anything and everything.<\/p>\n