I do not even own a bike

The 10k run

noreply@blogger.com (Greg) — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 05:10:00 +0000

They say prior preparation prevents poor performance.

At 10:30 the night before the race I was still looking for my bib and timing tag....good job it was less than 10 hours till race time! Did I mention that I left my only working watch at work? There went any chance of a race plan

After one of those nights where you wake up every hour (and no it was not my son...it was me) I was up at 5:30 ready to go.

Pity we were leaving at 7:30

As my wife and son were doing the same course as part of a walk I decided to get creative with my timing chip. Yes I was going to run as my wife.

After the trek to the Olympic stadium...about a 45 minute drive from our place....then another journey from the car park to start line....another 30 minutes...we had about 3 minutes to find our friends before the race started! No real stretch or warm up, it was going to be ready set go....

As we got to the start line it started to drizzle then really rain. I said goodbye to my wife and son and meet up with Ben (my running mate) to head for the start line.

There were around 6,000 runners – it was pretty weird running with all those people! At the 7k mark or so Ben decided to slow down...feeling good I decided to kick on. Before I knew it was running into the Olympic stadium and through the finish. As with every race I have ever done the real issue was the pacing i.e. I felt fine at the end and could have pushed much harder. I guess this will only ever get better with experience

I had my time somewhere around the 48 minute mark but it turned out to be 52.11.

The good news is that I finished 1,290 overall and as the 92nd woman in my age group.....

Cheers

Greg

52 min something....

noreply@blogger.com (Greg) — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 10:51:00 +0000

And i felt fine!

Proper report to come but when i am ever going to get my pacing right???/

Cheers

Greg

6 Days till the 10k run

noreply@blogger.com (Greg) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 04:10:00 +0000

And I have not trained enough and am as unfit as I have been for the past couple of years

How far do you think adrenaline can carry you in a race?

10k’s?

Here is hoping

Cheers

Greg

How do you know when you have not swum for a while?

noreply@blogger.com (Greg) — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 05:37:00 +0000

When you almost drown in a 25 metre pool.

I am back in the pool and it is not pretty. I have never been the best swimmer but after a 3 month break I am worse than before

Back to the fun an splash lane for me

Lord knows what my cycling will be like!

Cheers

Greg

Is it ever okay to take off your shirt.....

noreply@blogger.com (Greg) — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 05:22:00 +0000

......when exercising?

Let’s take swimming out of the equation and I say never.

I never have and never will

While I was in the park doing some stair work (1500 up 1500 down...i will let you know how I feel tomorrow!) when some larger chaps started to do some push ups / chin ups using the park equipment

It was not a hot day. In fact with a strong wind up it was pretty cool...although to be fair I am pretty soft and find almost every day cold

After about 5 minutes of exercising they stripped down to just their shorts. And flexed. And preened. And occasionally exercised

You might ask why I did not move or look away. It is pretty hard when you are on stairs...

Cheers

Greg

Is that what you call an omen?

noreply@blogger.com (Greg) — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 00:47:00 +0000

Lately my training has been ambling along without any particular direction. To address this I thought I would enter my first ever running race the

http://www.run4fun.com.au/

Now here is the cool thing. It finishes insider the Sydney Olympic Stadium.....with a 100 metre run to the finish line. What a way to love out a sporting fantasy. So with my entry completed I thought I would go for a lunch time jog.

Nothing crazy. Get some k’s in the legs sort of a thing

After about 500 metres I had to stop, my stomach was not feeling good. Pre race nerves? Not likely as it is 6 weeks out.....

Bad news is three hours later I was throwing up into a plastic bag outside my 70 year old neighbors living room. Classy.

Good news I have dropped some serious weight and will be lighter on my feet

Cheers

Greg

Why do you need to take your shirt off when you get a chest x-ray?

noreply@blogger.com (Greg) — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 05:52:00 +0000

Well????

I have been sick for 9 weeks, constant cough (read man flu) shivers lack of energy etc. After 3 courses of antibiotics and some blood tests I was sent for a chest x-ray

Good news it was clear. Bad news I need more tests

Man this is playing havoc with my training!

Cheers

Greg

Whenever you can

noreply@blogger.com (Greg) — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 01:42:00 +0000

My blogging is a lot like my training. Sporadic, laboured and very much hit and miss

The other day I had a classic Greg moment. It was a fine and sunny day so I decided to take my son out for a walk. After a nice hour strolling around the neighbourhood it was time to head home.

As I walked up to our place I started to look for my keys. They were not in my pockets, not in the pram, not in the bag.......not anywhere.

Then it hit me.

I had left my keys in the boot of our car. Which was not at my wife’s work. 3 kilometres away.

Now for the wanna be tri athlete this can only mean one thing.

Training session

So I put my son back into his pram and started jogging......in black jeans a t-shirt and trainers. Not forgetting the 20 odd kilo’s of pram and my son I had to push in front of me

Did I mention it was the middle of the day...and in typical winter time for Sydney it was around 25 degrees

50 minutes later, covered in sweat later, I had my keys and was back home. All that said I had somehow managed to overtake some other runners...what’s up with that!

I guess you have to fit in the training when you can

Cheers

Greg

My Forrest Gump Moment

noreply@blogger.com (Greg) — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 00:45:00 +0000

The other day I thought I would go for a lazy 9 k run

The plan was to run half way home then jump on a bus. When I got to half way I heard a voice (go with me here)

Run Greg Run

So I ran. I ran all the way home. A very satisfying 18k’s in around an hour twenty five...with plenty left in the tank

Maybe I am feeling fitter than I thought!

Cheers

Greg

PS I feel a bit dirty after this one as I have a vast dislike for Forrest Gump!

How to look like a freak when running (in 3 easy steps)

noreply@blogger.com (Greg) — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 06:17:00 +0000

1. Wear black tights. Then wear black shorts over the black tights. Looks like you are running in just tights. Not a good look for a dude

2. Run in the rain holding a closed umbrella. I guess running with an open umbrella would be weirder but what are you gonna do

3. Have a bright, shield your eyes bright, yellow rain cover for your bag

At least I always get a seat to myself on the bus

Cheers

Greg

The things we do for love

noreply@blogger.com (Greg) — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 21:38:00 +0000

I thought after 6 months of parenting I figured I was starting to get a handle on things.

Turns out I was wrong. Kids have ways of challenging you which is far far tougher than any training session

If you had not picked it up already I am a somewhat unusual person.

I hate bananas

The way they look, smell everything about them I hate(a strong word I know but I do not know how else to describe how “they” make me feel)

The other day I had to feed my son mashed bananas. Whilst I was struggling not to gag Luca thought it would be a great time to sneeze

With a mouthful of mashed Banana

He covered me, well mainly my face. I smiled and laughed and acted like I did not want to run and scrub myself under hot water

You have to love parenthood

Cheers

Greg

PS I have been flogging myself in the start of “2 months of pain”. I figure the next 2 months will make or break my season

A kick to the face

noreply@blogger.com (Greg) — Mon, 04 May 2009 05:58:00 +0000

I have slowly started to get back into training after the farce that was the sprint tri. The other day I was at the pool thrashing my way up and down the lanes when I noticed one of my eyes slowly filling with water

Now this is nothing new for me. I am nothing if not sloppy when it comes to preparation.

So I stopped thrashing around and re-adjusted my goggles but still water trickled in. I took them off to have a look.

Turns out that when I was getting kicked in the face during the swim my goggles got cracked

So not only did my eye twitch for the next week but my goggles are now cactus

The question I have to ask is

Is swim training worth it? Am I better off being at the back of the pack?
Cheers
Greg

It is never a good sign

noreply@blogger.com (Greg) — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 03:40:00 +0000

When you start pumping the tyres on your bike at 2:30am

The night before a race

Did I mention I was slightly drunk?

Or that my pump exploded around 3ish

And that I had to leave for the race at 5:30? Just 2 hours or so after I finally got to bed

Have to love having my mother in laws birthday party the night before a sprint! (it was a great night though)

Basically I was about a minute slower than last year. Some highlights / lowlights were

• For once I was strong in the swim finishing in the middle of the pack. In a new experience I was sitting on the feet of someone going at a fair pace when they decided to do breath stroke. Their first 4 kicks were straight in my eye…..

• My ride was okay but the course was packed. I did not get into a groove until the end of it…and ended up swearing in frustration at one point (not cool!)

• My run was tough at first but I managed to get into a nice groove. In typical Greg style I finished the course with plenty in the tank. How do I get the pacing right?

• Chris McCormack (Australian Olympic Distance Champion) was in the race. He finished about 14 minutes ahead of me….it just shows that the pro’s are on a different level

• No one is better supported than me. I had almost my whole family come along to see me for around 10 seconds!

Considering I have been sick for the past month, am a new Dad, slept for around 2 hours the night before and have not trained that much I am not too unhappy with my result….but it does give me motivation to get back into it!

Cheers

Greg

PS Word of warning the more I train the more I post – apologies in advance

Short and Sweet

noreply@blogger.com (Greg) — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 04:53:00 +0000

I have a sprint tri on the weekend.

I am not prepared at all. Put it this way my bike has two flat tyres, my shoes have holes in them and who knows where my goggles are

I have a bung shoulder and a stomach bug (has been with me for 1 month now….basically I do not absorb protein so am tired all the time)

It is in Sydney Harbour…where all the sharks are….

Am I a goner?

Will let you know next week!

Cheers

Greg

Return to Random

noreply@blogger.com (Greg) — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 04:17:00 +0000

Almost all of the blogs I read are from people in the northern hemisphere.

They talk about running in snow, sleet and watching out for ice. This is a picture I took on a run the other day

Not bad hey?

Is anyone else annoyed by watch shops that do not have the correct time on their clocks? How can I trust you sell me a watch when you cannot even get it right in your own store?

On the training front things seem to be slipping backwards – I am putting in the hard yards but just do not seem to be getting anywhere

Fingers crossed it is a lack of sleep but I might go to the docs this week just in case

Cheers

Greg

PS I am clearly struggling from today's session.....

Interview Me

noreply@blogger.com (Greg) — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 05:29:00 +0000

Thanks to Coach Liz (http://tntcoachliz.blogspot.com/) I am able to indulge in some more self indulgence…5 questions about me (because sometimes bi weekly blog posts are not enough…)

Take it away Liz (and Greg)

1. Do you eat vegemite? What is this stuff made of and what is it normally eaten with? What does it taste like? Explain

Do I eat it?

Hell no

My wife does. I sometimes gage when she does…..I am pretty sure it is made from yeast and it smells kind of like Guinness (or any stout beer…kind of like the pub at the end of a massive night……..)

It is generally eaten with toast and tastes awful – this is their horrific website

http://www.howdoyoulikeyourvegemite.com.au/?go=profiles

Tempted? Off to buy a Tub? What me to send you some?

2. If you were talking to someone who was going to be visiting OZ for the first time, what would you recommend as the top three things to see? Explain why these make the top three.

1. Sydney Harbour (and a ferry trip to Manly). There is nothing better than having a drink at Opera Bar (http://www.operabar.com.au) talking a short walk to the ferry and jumping on for a trip to Manly

2. Northern Territory (Uluru and Kakadu National Park). I have to put my hand up and say I have not been yet but I know a fair few people that have and say how good it is.

3. Great Barrier Reef. This is awesome. Snorkelling looking at the fish and Coral. In a word amazing

3. Ok, this one is really goofball, but when water drains down the sink in OZ, does it make a clockwise or a counter-clockwise vortex? I just always wondered.

Can I be honest- it just goes straight down……… as far as I can tell

4. Craig Alexander or Chris McCormick, who is more bad-ass? Explain. Is Emma Snowsill the Uber tri-babe or does someone else hold that title? Explain.

Craig Alexander! Who comes 2nd in their first crack at the big show? Then follows it up with a win? That is freakish!
As for Emma Snowsill Gold medallist how can you go past that!

5. If I encountered a playtapus, a koala, and a kangaroo, which one should I be the most afraid of? Explain.

Platypus are monotremes, the only mammals that lay eggs instead of giving birth to live young. That’s just weird and more than a little bit scary. Plus they are just as quick in the water as the land…no where is safe (Kind of the opposite of me - i am jsut as slow in the water as land...)

Koalas apparently that can attack you but I am not sure about – they sleep for 18 hours a day so you would have to be pretty unlucky to be attacked

Kangaroos can actually be pretty violent …….. http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2005/05/0506_050506_kangaroos.html

So it is dead heat between Platypuses and Kangaroos for me (although there are that many snakes and bugs that can kill you really do not worry about it)

To Play Along:
1. Leave me a comment saying, "interview me".
2. I will respond by giving you five questions. (I get to pick the questions.)
3. You will update your blog with the answers to the questions.
4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview others in the same post.
5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.

Cheers

Greg

PS is this the longest post I have ever done?

Ouch

noreply@blogger.com (Greg) — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 00:08:00 +0000

This week I started to feel my age

On Monday I took a tumble when I was running. No one was around me, not pot holes, no cracked footpath

Nothing

No one to blame but me

I was busting out a classic Greg sprint (think arms swinging wildly from side to side ala the robot from lost in space, feet slamming on the ground like rhino on the charge coupled with a breathing style that can only be likened to that off a pervert…..) when I took a full tumble

Right in front of a packed café full of out door tables

Right near my old work

I broke my mp3 player cut both knees, bruised both hands and managed to get a bruise on my ass…

It could only happen to me…..

Cheers

Greg

Little of this and a little of that

noreply@blogger.com (Greg) — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 02:43:00 +0000

Sometimes people ask me why I do not blog more

I am strong believer in only blogging when I have something to say. I could write about how the bathroom at my work always smells like burnt hair and is full of passive aggressive notes but that is just wrong……

All that said lately I have stepped up my running (see what I did there) and have seen some unusual things………like the woman who jogs listening to a Discman.

No Mp3 player for her……where does she keep her spare CD’s?

I also feel sorry for the people who sit next to me on the bus after I have gone for a run. It is safe to say that I am not in peak physical condition at the moment………at least I almost always get a seat to myself…..

Cheers

Greg

Buying Speedo’s is never fun

noreply@blogger.com (Greg) — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 03:34:00 +0000

Clearly by wearing Speedo’s I forfeit the right to care about how I look during exercise. Therefore, swim wear shopping for me is all about function not fashion.

All that said trying to buy speeds in the middle of summer is not an easy thing. I went to three shops and came back empty handed

Shop 1

Sizes available: Large, Extra Large and Extra Extra Large (have you ever seen a pair of speedo’s that big? I would not want to swim next to that guy)

Shop 2

Sizes available: Large, Extra Large

Shop 3

Sizes available: Small (they were tiny…and pink….) Extra Extra Large

Here’s the thing I have only ever seen big fat guys in Speedo’s

Surely the big sizes would be the first to sell out?

Worst thing is I am no closer to a new pair

Cheers

Greg

It's a Boy

noreply@blogger.com (Greg) — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 05:02:00 +0000

Without resorting to clichés (I know, I know you might be asking why stop now). It is impossible to put into words how my son makes me feel.

All I can say it is one of the best things in the world….and any tri is a synch compared to child birth

I am not a great believer in new years resolutions however I do like to set my self some goals for the year. My goals for this year are

Work life balance. If this is in place then I will be fine

Keep track of my training. I have started to write it down (it makes for depressing reading so far)

Train with a purpose. Do not go through the motions

And to improve my times (35 Min swim, Sub 1:30 bike, sub 1 hour ride)

A belated Merry Happy New Year to you

Greg

Nothing to see here

noreply@blogger.com (Greg) — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 06:04:00 +0000

It is amazing how training can change when you do not have a goal. I have trained most days just without the intensity and drive of pre Canberra. I am putting it down to resting up before the baby comes.

My wife and I have a labour communication strategy planned. Basically she will call my mobile when she thinks she is in labour. Since we made this plan she has not called my phone in over two weeks.....

Yesterday I was in a cab heading to a meeting when my phone rang......

It was my wife......

My heart boomed and a quick sweat came over me as I fumbled for the phone

Turns out she wanted to talk about the plumber who had just come to look at the leak in the bathroom

It took me 10 minutes to get my heart rate back to normal!

Cheers

Greg

Never Swim on a hot day.....

noreply@blogger.com (Greg) — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 22:59:00 +0000

Sounds ridiculous right?

Well not really when you are trying to fit in a bit of training

Last week was a fairly lazy one for me. By Friday I started to get a bit toey and decided to go for a lunchtime swim.

I went up to the pool and it was jammed – the lap lanes were full of people doing everything other than laps. Now as you know I am not the greatest swimmer, but I know my limits. Some things observed you should not do in the medium lane (I know look at me I am now in the medium lane!)

· You do not tread water in the deep end
· You do not “run” in the water
· You do not do laps floating on your back

All that was missing was someone with floaties.

Cheers

Greg

PS When did I lose my tolerance for other swimmers?

Results are up

noreply@blogger.com (Greg) — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 23:47:00 +0000

And I was fairly spot on

My splits were

Swim 40:18

Ride 1:45:56

Run 1:02:59

Total 3:29:13

My swim was around 5 minutes faster than I thought it would be, ride about 15 minutes slower and run around 10 minutes slower. Overall there were 5 pages of results and I finished towards the bottom of page 4……..

As for what is next I have my biggest challenge coming up – the birth of my first child!

The next month is about getting the house ready, doing last minute reading and supporting my wife (hopefully as much as she has supported me with the whole tri thing!) Fingers crossed I can get some training in as once the bub is here I will be on a training break for a while!

Cheers

Greg

PS Thanks to all for your messages of support pre and post race!
PPS Yes the results are nagging at me a bit...I want to do it again and better....

To be continued (my first real race report)

noreply@blogger.com (Greg) — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 06:47:00 +0000

So that’s that then. My first Olympic distance tri in the bag.

It all started on Saturday with an early morning drive down to Canberra with my wife and mother in law.

Canberra is a nice place but I found it hard to shake the small town feeling. For instance at dinner I went to the bathroom and walked past the coat rack. On the rack was a pair of pants.

That’s right a pair of pants

So someone (fingers crossed it was a cook) was walking around the restaurant with their plums out…….

Surprisingly I slept okay and was up about an hour before my alarm. I chewed down some cereal and grabbed all my gear

As you can see there is a fair bit of stuff there! No bike though……

I got there signed in and started to sort out my gear in the transition. As I looked around the other people I noticed I was

· The only guy who did not have shaved legs.
· The only guy who was not wearing a one piece tri suit
· The only guy who had a bike without tri bars
· The only guy who had no idea what the course was like (none at all – it would make the ride especially interesting. I spent most of the time figuring out where I was going)
· The only guy who had 6 people supporting him!

For an amateur hack like me to have my Mother in law, Father in law, Brother in law, a couple of friends (the other Jax and Greg) and the most supportive pregnant wife a man could want supporting me was a very humbling experience.

While I was warming up, I decided to ditch the wet suit. Despite wearing my wet suit around the house I was still not 100% comfortable (poor J having to put up with me prancing around the house in more latex than any man should)

My plan was to hang at the back of the pack and just cruise through the swim see if you can spot me

All was going to plan until the 700 mark when my goggles started to fog up. After struggling for a little bit I decided to ditch the goggles. Thankfully it was a fresh water swim so it was not too hard on the eyes. I was pretty happy that the swim was over.....

I was one of the last out of the water but feeling very good (around 40 min or so – I am sure I went faster than I was timed!)

The bike was tough with the first 20 k’s into a head wind. My favourite part of the ride was when I started to slow down going down hill due to the wind! Turns out my ride was mega slow (around 1 hour 45! How bad is that?) As I had thought pre race my big issue was with pacing. I felt great after the ride with plenty in the tank, I am pretty sure I could have gone much harder

The run was scenic (along bush tracks for a few k’s) and not overly hard. My only challenge was my right foot which went to sleep after 4k’s or so – it meant I had to stop every 1500 metres to get feeling back!

Before I knew it the race was over.

I ended up finishing in just under 3:30 with plenty of room for improvement.

I am happy I that I finished (a fair achievement considering where I have come from) and am sure that experience will serve me well for the next one……

Back into training tomorrow!

Cheers

Greg

You’ve come a long way baby

noreply@blogger.com (Greg) — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 03:41:00 +0000

Of course I was going to be sick this week.

Anyone who has read this blog will know that if something can go wrong for me it generally will. All that said I have been pretty lucky overall (nothing too serious touch wood!)

So with less than 3 days to go I am feeling good.

Sure it is going to be hard but when you think 6 months or so ago I did not own a bike, could not swim more than a couple of laps and struggled to run because of my knees I am pretty happy with where I have come from…..

Cheers

Greg