The News and Weather.

Part 1 – THE NEWS

I don’t watch the news, it’s full of sad depressing stories, or stupid pointless stories. And the weather is hardly ever right for tomorrow, let alone a week in advance!

Here’s my news. Here’s what has happened.

A lot has happened since Gundiwindi, but a lot has also stayed the same.

I still have the bug in my stomach, since just before Gundiwindi half almost 3 weeks ago, which hasn’t been helping my training for IM NZ. I’d had it nearly a week before I went to the doctor, he gave me general antibiotics, they didn’t work, but the prescription for the symptoms did help, and still is the only reason I can train ok. A week later (Thursday last week) I gave a stool sample for pathology tests and waited. Tuesday – My mum rings up while I’m out doing a 4 hour ride and gets a couple of antibiotic scripts from the doctor despite full results not being back from pathology, he covers a couple of bases. Thanks mum. Today, Thursday – Still the same.  Hopefully full pathology results come today.

So what has this meant? Well I have missed a lot of sessions. The bug just kills my recovery, and I only have one good session a day, and if it’s really good, I’m buggered the next day too. But despite that, I’ve still been kicking goals – I’ll talk about them later.

My girlfriend (from now on I’ll just call her by her name, Jaimie, because you all should know by now that Jaimie is my girlfriend, I love her, and she’s not going to suddenly disappear) had a worrying afternoon in hospital after a surf boat incident on Saturday. In Australia you might have seen the Ocean Thunder series on TV, Jaimie competes in that. She rows in the bow position (up the front) and when they go over a big wave just before it breaks the boat (and Jaimie) goes almost vertical and then, comes crashing down from 25 feet in the air with the boat and she lands on her bum/back. Even when she lands on the seat it can be dangerous, but on Saturday she landed on the side of the boat – on a very solid timber edge. She still continued the race (on adrenaline) and not until a minute after the finish did she start to hurt. An ambulance trip, X-rays, and CT scan showed nothing broken, thankfully. The result is just a lot of inflammation and misalignment, and rest needed. It was not an exciting day. But a happy ending (of sorts) resulted. Now I just have to deal with an athlete obsessed with training who is unable to train. [Haha just jokes gorgeous!]

PART 2 – THE WEATHER
Recent rainfall has been unusually high. This means training on the wind trainer at home or treadmill at the gym has become more frequent. But really, my patterns would have been the same, even if not forced by the weather.

I love the treadmill. And it is the treadmill sessions I will document so when I reach my goals there will be no doubt, no questions of legitimacy or slurs against my performance. I say this light heartedly, not in arrogance, but in interest. I’m giving you an insight into how my (and some other professional athletes) motivation and confidence is formed. I’m not afraid to say my goals, my thoughts and feelings.

These sessions may not seem huge to others, but it only matters relative to MY past training and performances.

Documented Progress – part 1
About 2 weeks ago on the treadmill I ran 15mins @ 3:45/km or 16km/hr then 60mins @ 3:40/km or 16.3km/hr. This is much quicker than the 4min/km pace I felt was enough for my 1hr race pace run in training before Roth last year, when I ran 2:44.

1 week ago I ran 5mins @ 4min/km or 15km/hr and 1km @ 3:30/km or 17.1km/hr and 5mins @ 4min/km. Then I repeated 2km @ 3:30/km and 5mins @ 4min/km 5 times.

These sessions felt great. And despite the fatigue from the gastro bug in other sessions (especially swimming which has made me feel like bricks in mud since I got the bug), it is these sessions that I have still been able to achieve which make me confident I am running the best I have ever been running, I am fitter than ever, and I’m more confident in my cycling and nutrition than ever before and can win in New Zealand.

So like the weatherman, I’m just telling you what has happened, where the pressure systems are, and sounding confident of the outcome, even though it is very unpredictable what will happen Saturday next week in Taupo, New Zealand.

Take care of yourselves.
Pete