So this is 50 – The journey continues

I have been thinking about what it takes to complete Ultraman. I don’t think it is just my commitment to the event, there is so much more. Of course, I have to be willing to commit a heck of a lot of time to training for this, but there are others around me that need to be onboard as well. As I have mentioned before, I am lucky that I can work from any location, all I need is my computer and access to wi-fi, which makes it easy to travel. I can also shuffle around my hours, giving me some time to go on my long rides during the week if needed. This definitely makes it easier to get the training done while working. My children are adults now and have their own lives. Having Jason as my partner and coach makes it easy, we are both on the same page. Jason completed Ultra Man in 2018, he came 2^nd in what was an inspirational race to me and many others. I can’t imagine training for this kind of event without his support. We all know how selfish triathlon can be as a sport, training days can take time away from family, holidays planned around events and let’s not even mention the cost! And this is all as an amateur, wannabee, well for me anyway, Jase is actually a very accomplished athlete. He is a 3-time Kona finisher, runs a very successful coaching business – Thrive Endurance, all while working his full-time job as an Orchard Manager. So, he knows what it takes to get this done. I feel confident that I can get there with him onboard. His coaching philosophy ISN’T about ‘no pain no gain’ it’s about training sensibly and setting a foundation for longevity in the sport. The commitment also comes from your support crew, without them you won’t be doing this race. Ultra-Man is a fully self-supported race, your crew is responsible for making sure the athlete has hydration, nutrition and can offer mechanical support if needed, and speaking from experience, they might even have to help with some navigation. The crew are going to be supporting you for the 3 days of the event, that is a big commitment. My crew have signed up, but I just want to make sure I haven’t scared them off! 

Week 6

This training load this week has ended up a bit lighter than what was originally planned. I made it to my last swim squad session with the Noosa Tri Club, these sessions have been great. 

I have been out on 2 rides this week, I finished off the last 80km of the 280km Day 2 course Wednesday and rode most of the 140km of Day 1 on Friday. I can tell you that my legs were HEAVY! I failed to make it up the last pinch of the first climb and walked the remainder, I wasn’t overly disappointed, as I have had a few big weeks of training and if I don’t make it up on race day, it doesn’t really matter, but, I still have 13 weeks of training to get stronger. 

Tuesday and Thursday I headed out onto the run course, making the most of my last week in Noosa before heading home. The humidity on the Sunshine Coast has been crazy, I am very thankful that the event is held in May and not January. I had a 1:50 run planned for the weekend but ended up booking a flight home, so thought I might get the run done on Sunday when I returned. BUT I made it back to Melbourne in time to enter the 2XU Sprint Triathlon on Sunday, on the provision that I don’t do anything stupid, in other words, pace yourself. Due to the downpour in Melbourne on Saturday that left the Elwood water quality poor, the race was turned into a Duathlon, which is not ideal for me, since the run is my worst leg. I was so happy with my result, I ended up 3^rd in my Age Group and had a 5km run PB. A great way to end the week, and glad to be finally home again!

Week 6

Swim – 7 km

Bike – 228 km

Run – 30 km

Strength/Core sessions – 1

Training Hours – 16 Hours

Lesson Learned: Tired legs will recover