Race Reports

Sydney World Cup 2012

Fri, 20 Apr 2012 09:34:26 +1200

WE ARE ALL GOING TO A ROYAL RUMBLE

Getting into a boxing ring mustn't be easy. You walk out amongst a cheering or booing crowd, with most already deciding your fate in there head before you even throw your first punch. As you climb through the ropes, you are enclosed into what is referred to as the 'ring', yet as we all can see, and know, its very far from a ring. The combatants jump around inside warming up, and exuding confidence. They eye ball each other from a far, and then face to face. Then with one word, 'fight' they are into it, pounding on each other with no regard for anything or their bodies!

The similarities to this practice, and how one feels during Olympic selection are scary! After 3 years of training ( and I'm not even speaking of the Olympic year itself ) you are thrown into the gauntlet of Olympic selection, duking it out with mates, other competitors, until the last man is standing ( so to speak). If you feel hurried, you take a backwards step… if you feel pressured you find a corner… if you get hit, sometimes you go down hard… but here is 'sometimes' the difference between the two, and myself personally. You must get right back up! You have to hold your head, and hands high, and never, never, ever, stop 'fighting' ( i use the word loosely, you have seen the first can mealy in ITU races ) the moment you do, you will get KNOCKED OUT!

The feeling's Iv'e explained above have happened to me countless times over my career. It's something that I've come to understand as part and parcel with not only my sport, but sport in general. From the outside looking in, it may always seem rosy. The road paved in smooth asphalt, But behind the scenes it can be very, very bumpy, and often even un imaginable that you will keep going on the same road.

This current Olympic campaign, has never been about settling a score with the Olympics after what has happened over the past two games. It's been about self belief, and why every morning I still wake up knowing and believing I'm one of the worlds best triathletes. Cocky-ness is one thing, but an internal belief that drives determination is a very different beast! I understand the obligations and accountability as in any job, that I have to the people that support my dreams. It gives me the direction needed, to put all the hours of training into great performances around the world. And to me this is as good as any winning combination.

Summer this year was about having fun. Enjoying why Iv'e given so much of my life to this sport and in the future. Why so many people have believed in me over the years. And why they knew I never stopped believing in myself. The decision to base myself in Wanaka and at the Snowfarm, was one built on experience of knowing what works for me, works!. Why wouldn't you want to train 6-8 hours a day in that kind of an environment. The Snowfarm and the Wanaka area, has to be without doubt the most amazing place to train in New Zealand. The facilities and people down there make it a dream to be a part of. The groups we had down there were awesome this summer. With the NZL High performance athletes coming and going, Canadian and French superstars rolling it to mix it up a bit, I mean how could you go wrong. Then there was Mr Wanaka, aka Tony Dodds! Born and bred in those parts.. He was always ready and willing to train when we were rolling solo. Having a happy work place will be understood by you all I'm sure. And for us, that comes down to the environment we are able to train in. And trust me everyone, after training and traveling all round the world, nothing beats Wanaka!

When a plan comes together its like the icing on a cake. The last Olympic selection race in Sydney was all about finishing top 8 to gain that automatic selection for the team too London. I didn't have 100 scenarios of what could, and might happen. I just focused on my own race, and then let everything that was going on externally take care of itself. From the moment I dived into the water in Sydney I knew it was going to be a good day, and here's how it kind of all played out.

As I mentioned already I had a great start. I was doing it pretty easy towards the first can behind Ivan Vassilev. As we approached the first can I felt some touches on my feet, before I knew it, BOOM… I was under the water line. When I came up, my cap and goggles were gone!! panic set in for about 5 seconds, but like I touched on Devonport when a similar thing happened, at the end of the day there was nothing I could do, so I pushed on. I exited the water a wee way back after the first lap, but I could see we were all still in touch as a group, and I was confident I'd move up on the second lap. Swimming with no goggles in sea water is highly not recommended after that experience:-) but it didn't effect my race, so if it happens again it will be easy to deal with.

As we exited the water I could see the front guys running to their bikes around 12 seconds ahead of myself, I knew with a good transition I'd be in the group before hitting the big hill on the bike course. Its a shame we only went up it once this year. But it was like this, and everyone knew so. I saw James Elevery leap off the front of our group after about 500 meters. He attacked very early, but he said he would. Ivan went with him, and to be honest I was quite happy that this happened so early on. From that point the first group swelled with every lap as the back markers worked hard to catch us whilst we sort of played the game with each other up front. I really wanted to maintain myself in the front 5 or 6 throughout the race for two reasons. Number one, its safer there. Number two, if another break went away later on I'd have the choice weather to follow or not. As it was, with 15k to go I managed to jump on the back of a group of 4 guys which I thought was a group that could have sneaked away. They were really strong, and they looked motivated. We were away for nearly an entire lap, but the big group was to hungry to let us get down the road and they hauled us back in shortly after. The time check to the front guys went out to a over a minute before the end of the ride. It seemed like not much for 40k of hard riding like that. And I was confident we would catch them.

My next move was to lead off the bike into T2. I've made a real habit of being able to do this in my career, and this day would be no different. As I placed myself at the front into the final corners, I hit the ground running and racked my bike. I ran out in front of everyone alongside eventual winner Stefen Justus. After the first K there was a group of 6 of us who had pulled a gap over the rest of the field. This is exactly how I knew it would play out. Now I had to stick to my plan of finishing in the top 8 after gaining the early advantage and not ruining that by some gun ho tactics. Its a game I've played well before, and so I set about trying to always be in complete control of my pace, and giving myself the chance to react if needed down the stretch. As I ran into the last lap I could see 4th place just 5 seconds ahead. It was the only moment in the whole entire race I thought about going all in. I tempered that though quickly, and feel back to my plan Myself and Chris had spoken about. I maintained my rhythm, and as we hit the last turn around I could see where 9th and 10th were. At this point ( 1k to go) I have to admit I may have pulled a quick smile as I went past my coach Chris Pilone, but just for a second;-) Those are the moments in racing when you allowed to smile all be it briefly. It's not that I don't know I 'only' got 7th, It's about that I stuck to a plan to get 7th! and why. I executed perfectly on the day for what was expected, nothing more. Winning, and being the best today was not an option, the result was brought about by design. if it happened by default, sure I wouldn't have complained. But focusing on the process was what the day was all about. And in this game, in an Olympic campaign, you better have your game face on.

The moment I crossed the line, everything I spoke about above played out the way we'd hoped. Its wasn't complicated because I didn't allow it to be. I knew that this was part of a plan focused solely towards London. It wasn't about winning.. but all about qualifying! The goal remains the same come August. The trials have all been done and run. The plan is set in place, what happens between now and then, is merely part of the process to ensure my best possible performance will fall on August the 7th 2012 in London, England!

So as I leave for overseas, and my training bases around the world. My desire and drive has never been greater. Executing selection into the Olympics is never easy. Executing the race itself…. well thats a whole different ball game! Believe me when I say, there is still much, much, more to come. Any element of surprise at this level, can be the difference between winning and losing. I played the game well in Sydney. Now we have a new game, new course, new combatants, always better to be the aggressor I say:-)

Lastly A quote from one of my favorite movies 'Usual suspects' its something I think relates to how I feel about this preparation leading into London, and coming out of!

"The greatest trick the devil ever pulled, was making people believe he doesn't really exist" figuratively of course… At the moment they stop thinking about you, BAM! the trap is set, and on the attack you'll go.

Cheers,
Kris

P.S. if any of you run into Lady 'Luck', please pass on my best! I expect she won't forget about me this time round with all the fan mail I've been sending her lately;-)

Oceania Championships, Devonport, Aust. 2012

Mon, 12 Mar 2012 16:52:50 +1300

Happy monday everyone;-)

Arrhhhh the mighty Oceania championships is over again for another year!

The whole Triathlon New Zealand High Performance program ventured over too Devonport in Tasmania during the weekend to try our best to secure New Zealand an automatic spot on the pontoon in London. It was going to take a lot of team work to get this done, and all the guys in the race agreed we would work together to help myself try to get over the line first. I knew heading into the race I was our best chance in relation to our current world rankings. And although it seemed like a lot of pressure, I really enjoyed the opportunity to try and get it done for us as a group.
In what was most likely my last crack at the title I've held for the last two years it was never going to be easy.

With a great field of our fellow neighbors (aussies) she was going to be all on from the get go. However It was pretty simple for us in many ways. Isolate the best Australians athletes, and get me in the best possible position throughout the race. Of course the Aussies had the same game plan too. So the race was fast, and very tactical throughout. My training has been going well down in Wanaka as I head towards the Olympic selection race in Sydney in 5 weeks time. It is the main goal but this race was important also, and so I was confident I could be in with a chance given the added support from all the kiwi guys racing.

The swim was fairly non eventful, I managed to get a good start and be close to the front right from the start. However, just when you think your comfortably in the small front group something happens. As I rounded the last bouy and headed into shore, I got a nice elbow to the head, and the goggles went flying. It stunned me for a bit, and I didn't think it was a big disruption. But when I got going again I saw that there had been a split, and I was on the wrong side of it. I tried to get back to the tail end of the group, but I was stuck in no mans land. As I hit the ground I could see I would have too chase. My only concern was, without knowing which kiwis ( or any) were in the front, I needed to make sure I didn't drag any good aussies up with me. So as we jumped on our bikes and headed to the first turnaround, I watched closely for who made it in the front.

As the guys went past in the opposite direction, I saw Tony ( Dodds) and Bevan ( Docherty) had both had great swims, and made it up there. It was also a good situation for us, and Tony was capable of winning the race also. I decided to wait and conserve energy, instead of pushing on alone. Soon after I was joined by other kiwis in my group, we then began about arranging our chase to haul in the front. My main partner in crime, came in the form of tom Davison or was with me in my escape at the Auckland World Cup late last year. He was doing a ton of solid work, and we caught the front pretty quickly once we were orginsed. From this point on, it was simply a case of staying as close to the front as I could, whilst staying out of trouble.

The legs felt good on the bike, and knowing I'd been doing some big Ks running over the last weeks, I'd hoped they would feel the same during the run. My plan was to hit transition first, and run out fast! I knew my strength endurance is at a high level at the moment, but the quickness over the first Ks maybe where l'd fall into trouble. I got out early with Courtney Atkinson, and felt we were running really well early on. You know when your moving quickly, the legs were good, and the turn over was there. Shortly after 500 meters or so I heard the sound of more breathing behind me. I assumed it would be Brendan Sexton, he was the main threat from my point of view going into the race.

But I knew it was better from a team point of view that Courtney needed to win this race for the Australians. I expected he would wait and see how Courtney was going, but he didn't sit in behind for long before he was blowing right by. The change of pace was good, and I really had to push to follow him. I found myself quickly having to fight to stay with him without over striding. I started to go into a bit of a hole, I was producing a bit more lactic acid in the body than it had been used to under my current training. I began to fall off his pace, and really struggled for about 2k to regain my composure, and clear my system. By slowing down slightly, I'd been able to get my control back, and by 5k I was back running strong again. At this point I was 30 or so seconds behind Brendan, I knew it was now or never. I pushed again and went past Courtney. Then I just focused on what was up the road. Over the next 5k it was a basic arm wrestle. Every time gap I heard, was either between 25 or 35 seconds. I tried all the way until the last few hundred meters to close the gap but Brendan was to strong for me today.

His form at this time of the year is usually pretty sensational, and he showed it again. So It was not to be a victory for myself, or for the team. The boys worked awesome as a unit and it a shame we didn't come away with the outcome is deserved. However most of the boys also had great races and the form continues towards Sydney for them also.

Personally it was another step in the right direction after my issues last year, and following on from Auckland, and knowing my training is right on track. I continue to be excited about Sydney, and the journey towards London in August. On a side note I became National Champion for my 5th time in my career, I will enjoy this as a victory, it also means a lot. I did lose my Oceania title after two years, but the last 4 years my worst position at the Oceania championships will remain to be 2nd.

Now its straight back to work! A small stop-over in Palmerston North for the Kids triathlon on Monday night, and to see the family and the new addition to the clan ( little Austin). Then I'll head straight back down to Wanaka, for the final run into Sydney.

As most of you know before I left to Devonport we had a great media day up at the Snowfarm in Cardrona Valley. I hope you all could see a little into what goes on down there, and why I speak so highly of the place. I also used the time to continue shooting with my mate Mike Heydon of Jet Photography. We have been working on a small but sensational view into what makes me tick and a nice look into a day in a life of myself. You all know that I appreciate your support, and that it is an integral part in allowing me to pursue my dream. I hope you will like what you see, and when its ready to roll off the cutting room floor, be sure it will be in all of your inbox's asap to take a peak;-).

Cheers
Kris

Auckland World Cup 2011

Thu, 24 Nov 2011 23:35:26 +1300

Where do I start!!!

You all read my email before the race, and well, I'd like to say I did my best to honor every word I wrote down! I think you all saw it written over my face, and heard it in my voice after the race, what that all meant to myself and my family.
Trying to gather myself after the race on live TV was bad enough... But trying to reply to all these emails and messages from complete strangers over the last days, has been heart wrenching. Its amazing how something that feels so normal ( wanting to race my heart out) for myself, can give some stranger a moment of pleasure, and produce a smile in what can seem to be a hopeless situation. You know I spoke of the personal meaning's for myself before the race. It brings me some happiness, that the emotion of the day, spread even wider than I ever considered, before, or even post race for that matter.

To keep everything in order for what I felt I needed to do. I had to get back home after the race. Basking in what happened on Sunday is fine, and I will never forget this feeling, forever. But keeping it in prospective, is about how, and why, its so important to me. I'll be back up in Auckland in the next week or so to catch up with you all. But the Riverdale school sports day was calling for Uncle Kris. And his surprise visit!! There's also a certain someone I want to catch up with, and if things work out that will be very soon when we have the green light!.

What I will do, as always, is try to give you all as much of an insight from the race on the inside. It maybe a little bit of a struggle, as most of you saw the great coverage live on the day from TVNZ and I could be repeating myself. To have our sport portrayed like that just makes me smile. The public were also amazing, and a huge part of why the event was so successful. The weather played nice, and all the athletes knew they were up against a course that would test why they challenge themselves day in, and day out.

The day started off well. I was really relaxed after catching up with my Family ( Mum, Dad, Nicola and Michelle) the day before, for coffee and dinner. I also had my great friend Tyler Butterfield who had been training with me in Boulder, Colorado, over the last 5 weeks, as my roomy. It's the little things that keep you calm and clear before a race like that. And I was really enjoying being back in NZ, having a pie or two, and just chillin out. As we sat in the hotel and watched the girls race, I thought this is just an amazing setting for something special. The crowd was great, the athletes ( women) were hurting up the hills, and Ang was stamping her mark, as I hoped to later on. As we rode down to the course, I could see Ang was running away to another great victory in a stunning year. And knowing her throughout her whole career... be sure everyone, there is more to come!

The swim was my first mark on a special day! As we took up our positions on the Pontoon, I decided before the race I would start on the right hand side looking out at the bouy. I was convinced there was a current, and had spoken to some local boys having a fish off the wharf when I was warming up. They all agreed with me that it could make a difference. As I went out and walked over to the right ( every one lined up to the left) I stood there and never once thought you've made a mistake. I could here people whispering "what is he doing" but this was me racing how I wanted to, right from the gun!
As we dove into the water you can easily spot me to the right, getting left behind. However I didn't have to fight with anyone, and I slowly got into my work. After 100 meters Im still nearly dead last! Then I start to move up, and as we hit the current everyone gets pushed left, and I swim directly to the first can. I arrived at the bouy in 2nd or 3rd, and from that point on, just swam very comfortably and saved as much energy as possible. Tony Dodds passed me on the second lap, and I was able to follow him all the way into T1. As we rounded the entry into transition, I could see we had a small gap. It was maybe the chance I was looking for. And so had to put the foot down right away.

When we got together on the bike, myself, Tony, and Tom Davison caught early swim leader Richard Varga from Slovakia. The 4 of us started to work very well, and quickly hit the first of 8 challenging laps that had hills all over it. After the first long hill, I could see, and gauge from the publics support, we had maintained a small gap. But they were charging from behind, and they were motivated to catch up. I looked at my numbers( power meter) and they were very good. I had great power today, and I thought if someone or a group catches us, they will have worked hard to get here. On the first time through transition I could see Bevan was driving a small group hard up to us. I think most of those guys got pretty lucky to be honest that he was there. But on the other hand, they are also probably hating him right now with how hard he made them ride to catch us. As we ended the second climb on the second lap, Bevan and the group ( or what was left of it :-)) caught us. I had a quick smile to Bev, and said 'what took you so long'! Its pretty normal between us to have a little joke.. it keeps us in the moment. From this point on we were all working really well, and the time gap just kept growing to all the big hitters in the big chase pack. We were all very committed, and I felt like no one really looked comfortable when the pressure was on. I had no pre conceived plan to attack, but I did say that if I felt good, I would look for a moment to test myself. On the 5th lap up the long hill, Bevan really attacked. It was very hard to follow, and caused the other guys a lot of stress. After that hill he gazed at me, and I had the feeling that was him saying to me 'that was my go at getting away'. The next hill I just attacked and went for it! I knew they would all be smashed from Bevans acceleration, and I tried to use this to my benefit. When I went over the top, I just kept going. As I rode back to transition, I kept looking over my shoulder, and tried to gauge are the catching me? can they catch me? do they even want to catch me? Its a dangerous move, and they could have just left me out there to hang. I was still only really 80% committed, but I was using more energy than them. I decided I would hammer it through the technical section, and try and expose the gap for what it was worth. As we looped back on ourselves, I noticed Tom had also slipped off the front. This was the chance I was waiting for, I soft peddled a bit and waited. When he caught up, I jumped on his wheel as he sped past, and it was on. I tried to motivate him right away, and knew we had a small chance If we could get to the hill with a gap still intact. That way I could drag him up there, and we would be away! So the second to last time up the long hill, I rode very hard, and Tom to all his credit hung on for dare life. From that point on, we were gone. I also knew Bevan would know help us out indirectly. By him being isolated in that group, he was not going to drag all those guys around on his wheel. But at the same time, they needed him to. He was the strongest amongst them, and the only who could likely close the gap. So it just panned out perfectly for us at that point, and we cashed in.
The last lap of the bike was really fun. Me and Tom spoke most of the way round, and I knew we had made the right move. You always feel good about that when presented with a chance. However, we still had to run. And to be honest, this was the only time I lost any amount of concentration during the whole race. As we rode into T2, I spotted out of the corner of my eye, an ITU Offical standing in a place I hadn't noticed before when we did our laps. I jumped off my bike with close to a minute lead at what I thought was the dismount line. But I was about 50 meters to soon! Rookie error. I tried to laugh it off, but it actually made me focus even more. I lamented with myself as I ran to rack my bike. 'It's not over yet mate' I said!

The run started well, and I felt as soon as my legs hit the ground they felt rigid and strong. After a bike like that, you always wonder how the pins will feel. But they were great. I'd been running well, and my sessions had gone great in Boulder. I was saying to myself, 'don't sit on this lead'. I needed to use the gap I'd created, and put pressure on anyone who thought they maybe able to catch me. After the first lap I could see I actually made time on most of the guys closest to me. That gave me even more confidence as I went back up queen street and into the crowd. There are some great races we do around the world, but running up and down Queen street will be something I'll never forget. With one lap to go I'd stretched out my lead to nearly 90 seconds. I felt great, and I was really in control. It seemed like I could increase my pace at any time if I needed to. The last lap was something special! on any cold, hard, wet training day over the next 10 months prior to London... that is all what I'll think about. I saw all the smiling faces, mostly strangers as they leaned over the barriers, cheering me on over the last lap. I tried not to look at them, but over the last lap, most of the time I found myself lost in it. The two most important moments came within a hundred meters of each other that day. The first being the high five with Bevan! Iv'e been through nearly everything he has in his career, and Ive been through it with him. I have lived, trained, and breathed the same passion he has for this sport. He knows I respect him more than anyone in this sport for what he has done, and the legacy he will leave behind. It's the small moments like that you can't buy with any amount of riches!
The second was of course my signing to TIM on the TV... I'd thought of how that moment could pan out in my head, a hundred times over in the last 4 weeks. To have it happen as it did was just too surreal. Ive looked back through the race to see some key moments for my own interest. But I found myself replaying that moment, over, and over again. Thank god I can spell!!:-)
As I ran towards the finish line It just felt amazing. I've won World Cups before, and big races around the world. But some of them I really have to think, what did I do as I rolled up to that tape? This one will be firmly etched in my memories forever.
That fist pump at the end, will now become a mark of something that started for myself when many tried to count me out! I kept saying ( and you all stuck by me) I'll get off the floor when I get this sorted! and when I do, I'll stand there like any prize fighter... with my hands in the air, ready for the next fight, if someone wants to take this from me!
This summer will be great, and training will be fun. The Olympics is close there's no doubt! but I'm not about to rest on this... or just jump in the ring and just start throwing haymakers left and right because I can.. Lets get in with a plan, lets execute that plan, the rope a dope is over! Lets get on the front foot from now on Timmy...

I need to make a special mention to those of you who have been effected directly ( You know who you are) or indirectly personally by Cancer. Your words over the last weeks have been great, and I Look forward to sitting down with Tim and telling him of all your special words you have passed on to me for him.

Take care everyone,

Kris

Heading to Auckland World Cup

Thu, 17 Nov 2011 22:25:11 +1300

Good afternoon everyone,

As Dorothy would say.. There's nothing quite like home! Well at least I'm heading that way. It's been a long tour this year, and for a lot of the time a very trying one. But what doesn't break you, only makes you stronger and the whole season can finish this weekend, as it started for me… with a big 'W'.

As I sit here in LAX in the Air NZ lounge a lot of things keep running through my mind, mainly about what this year has tried to teach me. In life there is generally never an easy answer to most issues we face, and in sport it can be just the same. With everything that I've felt like I've had to endure this year, I could easily feel sorry for myself, and to be honest there was some times I did. When the blood poisoning was causing me big problems during the mid part of the season, I was confused and mystified, I knew I'd done the work, but why were the results so far from what id hoped for. After such a promising start to the season, with wins in every distance around the world, from sprint, to half ironman, I knew I'd done the base training over summer to really jump in to it in 2011. I was really hopeful that the big base would allow me to try some things a year out from the games to sculpt the perfect ( or as near to) preparation, But what is, is, And I was left to mop up what was left of a great summers training, and head into races under considerable strain of wondering when I would hit the ground feeling like my old self again.

After the World Championship Grand Final in Beijing I knew I had to try to get to the bottom of why things were happening the way they were. As I write to you, the people that have helped me, still don't really know, but we all believe from the feedback I've been giving them, that we are back on track. It certainly feels like it anyway. And that, as all of you with me, is as big as a weapon as any.
With all of this going on over the last 3-4 months I really did start to ask why the big guy never seems to cut me some slack. Bad luck has been a small shadow that has followed me around my career from time to time. The fact I believe so much in what I do, and that the people around me believe it also, has helped me turn those many shadows of Bad luck into something positive down the line. As I plan to the future with London in mind for next year. I look forward to stepping outside any shadows, and enjoying the warm sun light, with a smile on my face.

Things supposedly happen for a reason as many say, But sometimes we all wonder why can it be like that.The disastrous events in New Zealand over the last 12months are a great example. With the Pike river disaster, and then the Earthquakes in Christchurch. All your personal struggles seem quickly to fall into perspective when it hits so close to home. When family is directly involved in the suffering, things can be even harder to deal with. In the last weeks My family has also had some very sad news. The news came that my Cousin ( Tim Shearer ) had developed a cancerous brain tumor. From one day working as he normally did as a Police officer, to the next being laid up in hospital without himself or his family knowing what the issue was. I know that many people, and I'm sure some of you reading this right now, are thinking, 'Ive been through this, what does he know!' Well I don't know anything… so your right! What I do know is I want to help. I've taken the time to speak to some great people over the last weeks about all of this, (you know who you are). Your words of advice, about how you can make any life, be it long, or short, mean everything, hit home with me. It made me understand that you are never alone. When you are faced with a potential limit on your life, is that a sentence? or is it just a green light to get living, like you never lived before!!

I have undertaken the infamous November challenge for Mens Health ( Movember) in my own special way for TIM. I will be competing for him this weekend in Auckland, at the World Cup event. The last month's training in Boulder Colorado have been amazing. I tried to find everything I could to turn my feeling around for something good. Some days it was very tough, the weather was harsh and cold, but I knew there was no point moping around in the apartment, and just got out there and got my job done. Of course there are 65 other guys on the start line in Auckland who all want to win like I do. But I hope they realize how much I want it, and how much they will have to work to take it from me;-) That's sport to me… a WAR! and with each battle you will always make progress. I know TIM is facing is own WAR right now, and his battle has just begun. I will take pride in fighting it with him, and I believe we both can beat the odds given the chance to go up against them!

Cheers,
Kris

Game on TIM!

Beijing race report 2011

Thu, 29 Sep 2011 20:12:35 +1300

Beijing, what a place!! Of all the races this year where not only did I wish it would be hot as hell, I just assumed it could only be that way.... O how I was wrong!

Before I get into the race, please excuse me for the delay of the race report. I've been back in Germany for a week and a bit now, and have been going through numerous things over what has happened over the last weeks, and having another look at this issue with my 'massive' ( you all know how big my sticks are haha) legs.

After speaking with our team doctor in Beijing, and giving her all the information I could on how I've been feeling the last weeks since London. The diagnosis from herself and my german doctor seems to be similar, 'Viral Myositis' is the what everyone has come up with... Without re explaining myself over an over again, and boring you all to sleep!! The symptoms are as I've written about previously, and caused by a virus in the blood that attacks the muscles and causes inflammation. Feel free to read more about it... I'm an expert now on it! However, I found lots of information on why and possibly how, but not much on getting rid of it!! To be honest ( touch wood) I'm starting to feel like my old self ( legs wise) which has been 10 weeks now. So hopefully I've turned the corner in 2011, and I can finish it off with a BANG.

Anyway lets talk about the race in Beijing. When I arrived there, it was hot and humid! you couldn't take the smile off my face as I creeped around trying to keep a low profile. The course was one that suits me, and being here in not only 2008 ( all be it injured) all the years before had lead to some great performances. I'd hoped with a combination of weather , a tough course and a fast pace, the race would split up.If not I was prepared to push on the bike, and look for a breakaway heading into the run.

Waking up the morning of the race, I opened my curtains to find a sight I never was expecting. Not only was it raining like mad, it looked freezing! I got dressed and went for my usual easy jog in the morning, and my suspicions were spot on. It really is amazing this year, the luck we've had with weather. Every race bar one I've done this year in the World Championship Series has been freezing, and its rained the whole race long. Don't think for a moment I don't appreciate it can be like that again in London next year. But today the temperature in London is 27!! and 29 here in Germany!! the world is spinning a bit wonky at the moment me thinks. So to even imagine Beijing would ever be like that was crazy. As we rolled on down to the start we all knew it was going to be a long, cold, wet day. I still had my game plan, and so would try everything to make it work.

The swim has been my consistent part of racing this season. A huge thanks has to go out to Andrew Nicholls for his work with me over the years. His understanding of how the swim can be incorporated into the overall training program has led to a big overall improvement for myself and others. I again got off to a good start, and found myself picking a good line to the first buoy. I managed to miss the all important fight to get around it, and then was able to just maintain my position around the top 10, for the rest of the swim without any difficulty.

As I exited the water I was cautious that the pace maybe on to split everyone up on the first hill on the bike. I knew I had to get busy early, and get to the front as soon as I could. I was able to do this quite quickly, and even able to apply some of my own pressure at the front as we climbed for the first time. All the guys I expected at the front were there. Sometimes thats not the best right away, everyone sort of starts to look at each other rather than pushing on. Also the weather was still really bad, and made for some pretty tricky descending and cornering which I'm sure you all saw on the TV. When we went up the hill on the second lap I was already feeling cold, I tried to remain active at the front of the peleton, which would also keep my body temp up, not to mention some blood rolling around the legs. But most of this was to no avail, and by the 4th lap I was shaking so hard it was causing my neck to spasm. I wasn't alone though as I looked around the bunch, there were many others that had similar looks on there faces. However there were some who couldn't hide there smiles. I just kept saying to myself, 'Its sport, whatever it chucks at you, somehow you have to try and deal with it, and throw it back harder'.

Heading into transition 2 I knew this was going to be difficult. I went through the usual hoops to get to the front after being there all ride! and enter and exit in touch with the leaders. As soon as I reached down to perform the simple task of putting my shoes on, well, that was say a little embarrassing... I actually ran most of the first lap with my shoe not on properly without even knowing because I couldn't feel anything I was so cold. For myself, running is all about Rhythm! and without feeling or control rhythm is hard to find. I really felt like I was running up and down on the spot and Chris said it looked so. After two laps I started to feel a bit better but the race and result was well down the road by then and I was left finishing off what best I could. So 28th spot in the Grand Final was not was I was looking for or expecting but nothing went right for me on the day and I will live to fight another one in Sydney next year!!! It was a pretty tough day for everyone out there. But the following day, the sun was out, and so was Andrea Hewitt, Kate Mciilroy and Mykayla Neilson. The girls were amazing, and there results were worth all the hard work they had all put in during the year.

I'm now back in Germany and are actually enjoying the best part of summer here as the weather has been great the last week. However I'm currently sitting on the couch right now writing this report with more than just a head cold!! after all the prodding over the last days and sitting around in doctors clinic's, seems like my virus was lonely and fancied a friend! I'll take it easy for the next few days and catch up on everything with the time I've got, but my end of season plan is hopefully still all go.

I was always planning to race on until the Auckland World Cup at the end of the year. I only ever wanted to have a short break before my 2012 build up to London. In 2007/2008 I found it gave me more time to have a shorter break, and I could be more patent during my build up before the Olympics. It worked well for me then ( all be-it with the injury ) and with some World Cups coming up, and the final in Auckland it was always the plan from December last year. Of course I didnt count on the Myositis virus being such a big issue over the last 10 weeks, nor getting sick for the first time this year!. With that considered, and not really knowing how to handle the suspected virus at the time. The decision to decrease my usual training volume over the most important part of the year, has left me feeling reasonably fresh in body, and in mind.

Although my results have clearly been affected, mentally I know its just a case of having a clean bill of health and the results will come. For sure I'm fed up with the virus, and the timing couldn't have been worse during the season. But with all that in mind, I've decided that I will head back to America ( Boulder) and prepare for the last World Cups of 2011. The first would be in Mexico next weekend, but it will now be dependent on how I feel come this weekend as I've been given three days off training. The next for sure will be in Gautape, Colombia. It will be raced at 2000 meters above sea level ( so that will tickle a bit) lastly I'll race in Auckland downtown in the CBD. It would be easy for me to skip this race and not race at home considering all that has happened over the last 10 weeks. But all the people that support me, do so, so I can work off a plan to achieve my greatest goals. I planned to be there so I want to follow that plan and stick to it as long as it its physically possible. And then we will all see what can happen when things are all pointing in the right direction!

Cheers as always, your support means more than words!

Kris

Des Moines 5150

Thu, 8 Sep 2011 01:19:24 +1200

So the big metal bird is my friend once again!! As I left Des Moines Iowa this morning, the legs and body are a wee bit smashed! but I really had some fun yesterday in the final of the 5150 Elite cup here in Des Moines.

It was a little strange coming back here this year. After 4 years of racing under the ITU format ( drafting and world rankings to be able to race) the WTC ( World Triathlon Corporation ) had taken over and there was a new non drafting format. The 5150 olympic distance events throughout the year, had enabled athletes to gain points to qualify for the big final here in Des Moines. I decided at the start of the year I would try to qualify for a start, and with only 30 places on the start line I needed to get points early. As I said, I made the qualification in May and June which let me continue onto Europe and begin racing the World Championship Series events over there which will secure points for New Zealand to have spots at the Olympics next year in London.
Des Moines over the last years has been a great place for me to race, I think the combination of the course, and heat, always played in my favour. This year the course had changed, and the heat for the first time since Ive been coming here was not that bad. Coming from a fairly mild ( some would say crap) summer in Europe, I was looking forward to racing back in the heat, and also prior to Beijing it would be nice to get into some warm humid weather. The days before the race were very humid and hot but the day of the race was quite cool and very windy.
I was lucky enough to be staying with a lovely family that I stayed with last year also. They made everything so much easier for me after the travel from Europe which helped so much. It really is amazing sometimes, we do so much traveling and living in and out of Hotels around the world, and just to be grounded, and have some company, can make so much difference.

Post London you all know I'd been having these issues with my legs. By changing my training slightly by doing this event, We hoped the easing in intensity of the training ( and I'm not taking anything away from non drafting Triathlon, its just very different!) may give my muscles some time to repair the damage that was evident in the tests. The last weeks I was working more on power and basic strength endurance for Des Moines. Versus the fast explosive speed needed for ITU. Although Arthur Lydiard always said, 'speed comes from strength and endurance!' So with that in mind, it was worth a go. It may even give me the relief in pain I was having daily in my training, prior to Beijing. It seems to be working, throughout the race I definitely had more power than in London and over the last weeks. I still suffered a little from cramping during the race as I did in London. But the dull ache was not as bad. I'm also pretty sure that most of the cramp was due to the fact I was pushing on my limit for most of the 40k on the bike.

Time trailing is, very, very, very, different from riding around in the group in a WCS race. It's very specific, and the power output differences are very interesting. For you number freaks out there, here is a comparison of my last two races on the bike. London WCS, Average power output 269, Max power 1089 and 23 times over 500 watts. Des Moines 5150, Average power output 324, Max power 707 and 6 times over 500 watts. So as you can see, very different in every way.

What was also interesting was the river swim we had in Des Moines. To be honest it was quite farcical! and a bit of a shame that such an important race started off as it did. The river had a massive current and made getting around the buoys all most impossible let alone safe. I stood and watched the women contend with the river prior to our race, and some of the ladies couldn't even get around the swim course ( entirely not there fault). They did manage to slow the flow down 'slightly' for our race, but it was still a bit ridiculous considering the course set up. They also changed it from a two lap swim, to a three lap swim. That way we would not have to swim up stream as much, but that meant the first turning buoy was now a classy 30 meters from the pontoon! yes 30 meters... Needless to say the first buoy was a dogfight and one I don't want to re visit in a hurry. Once we finally got passed the first buoy things lengthened out a bit and the swim all be it strange, did break up the field before the start of the bike. I left the river just inside the top 10, and as we got on our bikes the wind seemed to be really picking up. I knew the bike would be hard, I expected nothing else with the guys in the race.

We had World Champions from Olympic distance, 70.3 and even Ironman. The course was tough, with hills and open flat fast roads. For the first lap of four 10k loops I felt completely on the limit to stay in touch with the group. I did so though, and with a good cadence my power readings were good. The second lap was my best, and I actually felt not bad and worked my way to the front of the group. But the big cycling boys were know approaching us from behind, and the lift in pace as they rode through really started to hurt me. By the time I hit the fourth lap my power was starting to drop, and I really had to dig deep to stay near, and in touch with the group. All though there wasn't really any group as such, with just two's and three's all over the road, I knew I still had to maintain contact, but also not to red line to long that I wouldn't be able to run!

I dismounted the bike in 12th, I was 2 minutes down on the leader, but I also knew there were some good guys ahead of me that surely would pay the price for riding so hard. I started the run off fairly conservatively and tried to find some kind of rhythm after the bike and just focus down the road. The run lap was very hard also. It pretty much went 1.25k down, turnaround, and then 1.25k up! its a hilly run that will get you bad if you don't respect it and go out to hard. With every lap I was able to pass a few guys, but I could see that the front guys were running as quick as I, and catching them was going to take a blow up of massive proportions on there behalf. However, with the heat, and on a course like this, it could happen. So I just kept pushing as long as I could until around the 8k mark where I'd moved up to 6th. 5th place was my next target, but he was up the road a bit, and so I decided to shut it down, and save as much of what I had left in my legs ( probably not much!) for this weekend in Beijing.
Crossing the line I was happy, happy that I'd raced hard and pushed myself under the circumstances. Ok I wanted to win the race, but the guys in front had amazing days, and I could be happy that I pushed them along the way to great results.

As I sit here in the Lufthansa Lounge in San Francisco waiting for my flight to Beijing, I can look forward to Beijing and the Final of the World Championship series. Last year I was primed and ready for Budapest ( Grand Final last year), and was unfortunately brought down and everything was lost.. I trained so strategically over the months/weeks prior to that race, and no one was able to see that hard work. This year will be no different, I have some tricks in the kit bag, so why not use them. I feel a lot more relaxed after the weekend, and if my legs are nice to me over the next days, it will be great to get out there and have some fun.
I just want to say thanks to everyone for there support over the last weeks with all the issues I've been having. You all know how hard I work, and when things just come of the rails and your left gasping for breath and looking for answers, the support of friends means more than I can ever show in return.

Take care everyone,
Kris

P.S wanted to send this before I left the US of A but didn't get it away in time before I heard my name over the loud speaker haha. So have finally cracked into hotmail in CHINA! no twitter or facebook here... its still another world, far, far, far from what we know elsewhere, I can assure you.

Kris

London 2011

Tue, 16 Aug 2011 14:22:37 +1200

Morning everyone,

Sitting here there is a million thoughts rollin around in my head, but the one that shouts the loudest is, and was 'why now'.

With the first Olympic selection test event held over last weekend, everything, and I mean everything, had gone exactly how myself and Chris had hoped over the last 8 weeks. We had seen nothing from one session to the next, other than, to be excited about the race approaching. Every athlete has that feeling when things are going well, and your recovery is generally one of the best signs. Train hard and fast, and still recover quickly, means you've got it right. Myself and my training partner Ryan Sissons, had put in all the hard work over the last weeks needed. We had stayed out trouble ( injury or sickness) and all the boxes according to Chris had been ticked. The lead up races in the French grand prix also had gone well. they were very solid hit out's of a limited taper and the results were again encouraging. I also had a dig at the World Championship Series race in Hamburg, where until the last K ( I had to spend 30 secs for a penalty i incurred in the race by not putting my helmet in a box!!) i was floating in the top ten. I just wanted to race an Olympic distance prior to London and this was my chance. These are always fairly good gauges to current form and it made me very confident heading into London.

So with on week to go, the last quality session had been done in Germany and now it was time to tapper!! Its always a funny time, you feel good to recover fully, but you feel restless and itch to be moving. Then Tuesday night came, and I had some different feelings... I wrote you all about this strange feeling I had prior to Sydney, and this feeling of very 'dead aching legs' , since then I'd not had this feeling ever again. I mean we all have had tired legs from training, but this is not tiredness, its like they ache endlessly! When you wake up in the middle of the night, and you feel like you have been doing leg extensions, or leg press at the gym, but actually all you are doing is lying in bed... its a strange feeling! and one that wouldn't go away.

After discussing this with my Doctor after Sydney, I went straight to work on looking for a solution the next morning and saw another doctor here in Germany. Compression was worn 24/7, magnesium and salt were increased, and I drunk like I was on the Sahara dessert. I had some more massage to increase the blood flow, and just started to try to find a 'happy' space to keep preparing for the race. I just kept saying to myself by the time Sunday rolls around let it be back to the way it was. Even more frustrating is I started to feel good everywhere else. I was swimming really comfortably, and my heart rate, even with broken sleep, was lower than it had been in a long time. But those dam legs still weren’t playing ball with the rest of me. I mean honestly, you’ve all seen my legs! they are like sticks... how could that little amount of muscle ache so much! I would have taken any of your legs from wednesday onwards and been much happier, trust me. So lets get out of Germany and get over to London and all will be new. Sorry bad legs, there's no room for you in the bag!

Arriving in London it was great to catch up with everyone again, and also see I wasn't the only nervous athlete walking around. The even bigger thing now was becoming mentally strong about the race with the disruption over the last days. I tried to limit everything I did and stay in my room and be relaxed and focused. But I can't lie, it was really starting to bug me now. I know these days that if you are half a % off your potential, it will cost you places all over the race. The racing and competition is so high now, you just cant afford this. And its certainly not going to help anyone's performance that's for sure.

The girls were first up, so I'd got another day's grace up my sleeve. Anja ( my partner) was also in great shape, and I was really hoping she could make her Olympic qualification, and that I could use her inspiration and transfer it across to my own event. She didn’t disappoint me, or herself, and to be honest it wasn’t a surprise for me personally that she had an amazing race. She finished 3rd, and booked herself a ticket to her 4th Olympic games. She's always has this ability in her, you just have to dig around sometimes to find it. Anja had laid the stake in the ground, and it was something I needed to use to get the good vibes flowing over the crappy ones!

The morning of my race came and things were improving with time, but I was running out of it, and the race was ready to go. I contemplated my strategy for the race, and how I had been feeling I was pretty sure the swim would not be any issue and I should try and remain as clam on the bike as I could to save what energy I had in my legs until the run. I got a great start and arrived at the first buoy around 5th or 6th position. I felt very comfortable throughout the swim and just maintained my energy and stayed in the front. When I exited the water, the first thing I remember is running to my bike and going S@&T legs hurt even running now. It may sound strange, but I can remember all the great races I've had, and its the little things you do so easily that transfer across to amazing results.

I could see we had a small gap in transition though, and when we got on the bike the first half of the lap to Buckingham Palace was very fast. There was around 16 guys in this group, but the second pack with 30 guys was just 10 seconds behind after the first lap. We sat up a bit as the rain started to come down, and the two groups came together. little did we all know how hard it would rain later on. As I said before I needed to look after myself as much as I could. You all know me well enough to know its not my game to sit at the back, and be non existent during the bike.

But I thought I had to play with the hand I was dealt currently, and so this was what I did. I could see there was a group who rode away, and then some attacks after. On that course, and with the weather we were dealing with, it probably was the best place to be! Instead I was stuck in the big group, watching as guys were dropping like flies around the corners in the wet and slippery conditions. Needless to say we were losing time to the front, but with so many countries focused on Olympic qualification everyone was looking at each other.

With 2 laps to go It really started to get cold, and this was of course not helping my legs any. I tried to move my way up through the group as normal before the hectic plunge into transition 2, and keep playing my cards as I would in any race. I managed to again get to the front as it started to just bucket down. I jumped off my bike at the front, and headed to my rack. As I said, its the little things... and running with my bike to my rack, guys were passing me! its not the way it usually goes. I slammed the shoes on and said to myself you either going to be able to run like you were a week ago, or you better hope you can! After 500 meters, where everyone knows I'm normally hanging around... I was going backwards! with every step I felt no power ,and that I'd already been running for two hours. The rain was coming down like cats and dogs, and I desperately tried to find any kind of rhythm. The racing is so fast these days that if you lose the pack your in big trouble. When you are not at 100%, you are really in for a tough day racing against these guys. I ran 31.20 for the 10k, and felt like crap the whole way... every single step!! and I know its not that slow, but its not anywhere fast enough.

If I'd run to my threshold potential which I'd trained for, Myself and Chris had thought around 30mins I'd be in the top 10... It would have been close. Ryan had a great race, and ran faster than he had ever before, As did Bevan. Clarky was fighting all day like me. And James was in the breakaway during the ride and spent some energy there doing so. But with none of us dipping under the top 10, no one had qualified for the games here in London. Its not a silver lining for me. I would have loved it if the guys had got up. But what is for me, is also for them. And so we all head to Beijing for the next chance, and to try again. I'm sure it will be vastly different conditions in China, and most likely a different style of racing also.

The last days for myself have been, Doctor visit after doctor visit! I'm trying to find out exactly what went wrong. The only thing that seems to be consistent from both races is an enzyme called CPK. It measures inflammation in the muscles, and from this, both tests were through the roof. The amount though is what is strangest from the medical standpoint, as its so high, its like I did a full power session in the gym until failure! I can assure all of you, I did not..

All the blood work is good, and health is perfect. So its a bit of a guessing game still on! I have some muscle relaxants that will hopefully subdue the aching, and have just been doing some very light training. I'll have another check up next week, and see if the levels are coming down or not. The last thing I'm working on right now is my race plan.... I was meant to be in America right now preparing for Des Moines in 3 weeks. But with everything that happened in London, I just needed to see as many people here as I could to find out what was going on. Which means I need to make the move on weather I continue with that plan to race in Des Moines, or stay here in Europe and wait until Beijing. Its not an easy decision especially currently, so Im going to weigh everything up after I've had the next lot of tests and go from there.

So some small things to ponder.. can run 31-mins with no legs!! mmmm, with legs?? And one german doctor said to me ( broken english) "Kris it would have been uncomfortable, but you know everything is still in play, you just have to take what is your's from Beijing"

Cheers,
Kris

US race reports 2011

Thu, 30 Jun 2011 02:46:11 +1200

Three races in 21 days!
Well its been awhile since my last update, but as you all knew, I been racing here in America with the hope to secure a qualifying spot for the big Hy-Vee race in Des Moines Iowa in September. Since leaving New Zealand I've been based in Santa Cruz, California. I've been training there with Bevan ( Docherty) and a small, but loyal band or merry men. Its been alot of fun, and all the big key sessions were met head on!
The first race was in Florida at the St Athonys triathlon event. Now all these races are in the non drafting format, which means no hiding on the bike. I had a brand new custom painted SL-BLUE-TRIAD complete with Shimano Di2 waiting for me once I got to the states, and I was eager to get on it prior to the races. Its a massive change in dynamics to be riding a TT bike, over a road bike. The biomechanics are very different, and after not riding on a TT rig since Singapore 70.3 5 weeks ago, it was always going be a struggle in the first race. I knew however that with every ride, and race, it will feel more comfortable. I knew St Athonys was going to hurt! and running hard after a slid bike, was well, not going to be pretty.
I've done a few races over in America of course over the years. But races in America are raced with so much insurances things just work differently over here. The old kiwi saying "she'll be right mate" or "no worries" about when weather or sometimes even safety, is not a factor over here. The first issue was wind, and what it was doing to the swim course. I've swum in far far worse conditions, but also understand why it is that safety is paramount in any situation. Because of this the swim was shortened from 1500m to about 800meters and into a smaller bay. Cant say I was happy but what can you do!
I had a good start and was in the front early. After coming directly from home and doing the Ks with Coach Andrew at Kiwi-west I had a good feeling in the water. So got out at the front after the 800 meters and ran to transition 1 where my new BLUE SL time trial machine was awaiting me. I jumped on right at the front of the field, but from the first pedal stroke, I knew I was in for a tough day. I was really struggling to be comfortable, and my power was really down. After being off the TT bike for a month things were not feeling good. I thought I may have had an easier transition onto the TT bike, but it was just another point that this type of racing is becoming even more foreign to that of ITU. And how you train for it is even more so. Anyway, I was in a race and I had to knuckle down. I decided that I needed to ride as hard as I could to maintain contact with all the players, and hope like heck my legs would want to run after working so consistently hard on the bike. I was in, and out, of my threshold level, and more than not way above where I needed to ride throughout the 40k. Hanging on was now even giving me difficulties. The boys were riding really hard ( non ITU guys), they knew there best bet was to wear us out on the bike, and they were doing a good job of it. We arrived into Transition 2.30 down on the leader, and with a few solo guys in-between us as we dismounted, the first steps would tell me everything.....they sort of said this- oh, oh!! We have to run 10k? thats not good. I really tried to push out of transition to stay with the guys, but no matter how hard I pushed, I just didn't get rolling. It was ugly and when its like that its not much fun! The whole way I was saying to myself, what's the point? but there was a reason, I needed to get points for Hy-Vee. It was why I was doing the race, and so quitting was not an option. In the end I rolled in for 7th. It was a good field, but I knew with the proper training beforehand, I'd have been in a much better position to have a better result. But it's all about the bigger picture, and this is about qualifying for Hy-Vee! not winning it today.
So back home I went to Santa Cruz for 2 weeks with Bev, and some much needed time on the TT bike. With everyday that I rode It I felt more comfortable. I knew these next races were going to be a much different story with the more specific training, and more so the compatibility I was feeling on the bike from day to day. Myself and Chris, had also spoke about the need to make sure we kept on pushing with the hours of training, and not to focus to much on tapering for each single event. We did still need to treat each race and the athletes I was racing against with respect they deserved, But we though we could still maintain enough hours to make the training a high priority also. We decided I would push on for two weeks after St Anthony's, then have a big aerobic week with no intensive sessions in-between the next races which were on back to back weekends.  Which bring me to the next race, and the back to back trip to the deep south of America. New Orleans was my first stop, and most of you will all be aware of the current situation down there at the moment with all the flooding. I was crossing my fingers like crazy everything would be ok, as a cancelled race was going to cause my Hy-Vee plans to be turned upside down. I was only ever planning on doing these three races to try to make it in. Arriving in New Orleans I couldn't believe how high the river was, and how fast it was flowing. We were actually swimming in a lake, but they were opening the spillways to ease the pressure on the river, and that was going into the lake! The morning of the race we all walked into transition to feel that the winds were pretty extreme. I mean you all know I come from Palmerston North, ( it blows a bit there!!!) but these were winds trust me.. It was causing a lot of waves/chop in the swim just like in St Anthony's, but even worse. They deemed it wasn't even safe enough to get the rescue craft out there, which meant no swim!!! I had a sinking feeling this was not good for me. But later they announced the race would know be a duathlon instead. I wasn't happy it was a Duathlon, but I was happy we would race.
I figured there was no point messing around, and I was just going to go as hard as I could from the gun, and hope that the feeling on bike would be better than St Anthony's. After the first run I was slightly in the lead, but then passed in the first few ks on the bike by Ben Collins of USA. He was flying on the bike, and with the massive cross winds I just focused on my own pace and let him go. I controlled myself really well throughout the whole ride, and even though i was on the limit I got off the bike feeling like I could run. I was in 5th, and was about 2.20 behind Ben who was in the front. I had nothing to lose for sure at this point, I found a good rhythm early and went after everyone. I managed to catch everyone except Ben on the run, and finished just 30 seconds back of him. A marked improvement from the first race, and even more excitement about the up coming event. I felt like I was starting to break through on the bike, and my run was getting stronger with every hard race.
Bit of a road trip was the next up for me as I drove from New Orleans to Memphis for the next round of the series. I'd thought about going back to the west coast, but decided with the amount of training I still wanted to do during the week between each race, flying back and fourth across America was not the best option. So it was off to see Elvis and hang out in the Kings backyard for a week. Everything went really well during the week, and I was really hopeful it would come together for the last race. It was my last chance to secure the wright amount points I needed to qualify for Hy-Vee and I needed them.  What made this race most interesting was its format. It would be a time trail start! We were numbered in alphabetical order, men and women would leave 10 seconds apart as they started the swim. Now this is a true test of triathlon. Throw in some pancake flat roads, torrential rain, a bit of thunder and lightning and you got a yourself a very hard day at the office! I was number 35, so had a few athletes to try to chase, or even catch if things went well. I can't explain more how weird this kind of race felt as I was racing, your basically pushing as hard as you can the whole time without really knowing how you are going until the end. You look forward and see no one, you back and see no one, yet your maybe the fastest athlete on course! So in retrospect of that it was fairly uneventful race. The only person I really had to deal with, was myself. Still Interesting though, how much you can push yourself when there is no one around you forcing your hand. I seemed to enjoy this ( strangely enough) and when I got off the bike I'd ridden 53 mins for the 40k. I knew I was in with a great chance after that ride, and as I started on the run I could see some splits on my watch of the guys ahead of me. It was an easy decision what to do next! run as fast as I could for 10k. I passed everyone except for one athlete, I knew I'd done my best on the day. However there was still athletes behind me I hadn't seen all day long. I jogged back a bit to check some guys finishing, and some looked like they were full of running at the end. We all milled around after the finish awaiting for the results to be posted, another interesting experience for me. Finally they went up, and my hard work had paid off. I'd actually won the race by over a minute which was a great feeling. I think this was a true test of a triathlete, and left me feeling satisfied I produced a solid effort over all three disciplines and the victory was deserved. Not to mention it wrapped up my Hy-Vee qualification for September. I can't wait to be able to train specifically for the race now I've qualified. I know with the right preparation, I can win this race in the non drafting format. After finishing 4th two years ago, and second there last year under the ITU drafting format, I can't wait to get back!
For now its off to Europe... Time to get my ITU-STYLZ back on! I feel like I'm arriving in Europe stronger than I've ever been before with all the different type of racing I've been doing. I'm looking forward to racing Madrid next weekend, but its not London! and that's where the focus is. So what will be will be in Madrid... but watch out, something will happen! From there its straight up to Font Romeu for 5 weeks at Altitude with Coach Pilone, Andrew and my training mate Ryan Sissons. We both know its going to be a hard camp up there, but we are driving each other to be faster and stronger everyday. And come London and the Olympic selection, there will be no holding us back!
Take care everyone, and see you all soon.
Kris

Sydney 2011

Thu, 14 Apr 2011 14:22:53 +1200

Bad legs before a race, mean even worse legs in a race!! This is pretty much all I can say about the first round of the World Championship series in Sydney yesterday. I'm never one to make excuses, and sometimes in this professional game of sport, it's just hard to put your finger on why things went the way they did. From the moment I landed in Sydney I had 'bad legs'. What I mean by this, and it's the only way I can explain it to you all. It's like when your a kid growing up, and you get those dreaded growing pains that wake you up in the middle of the night. My legs just felt heavy, I did everything I could to throw some life in them before, and in the race. I always knew it would be a tough ask to race at a higher speed with the best in the world off what I've been doing, but my overall fitness was excellent at the moment, and with my recent form, my confidence was where it needed to be to punch out a good race.
I was hoping unlike many, that it would be hot, hot, hot. That combined with a very challenging course would mean the race would slow down a bit in terms of the speed, due to the fact every athlete would just have to work harder on the bike, and the run. But instead we got mild conditions, and rain like no other I've had in a big city race before. With the oil on the roads, it made it feel like you were riding on a skating rink around most corners. For those who saw it live on TV, I don't how many crashes there were in the bike, and even on the run. But it meant you were 100% concentrating to hold on to your bike to not just come down. And the general overall speed was pretty low. Which also meant the accelerations were higher, as the speed was always lower around the corners.
All the boys were here to start the year off in Sydney with a bang. With every country having there own ideas about how Olympic selection will play out, it was always going to be interesting just to see who is in good shape, and who are starting slowly. There are some athletes that have already booked there ticket essentially ( due to country numbers and spots availible) and they have free reign to do what ever they want throughout the series. Then there are the other athletes who are fighting for the spots in certain races nominated by each Country federation ( ours is in London in August) and so will be at a different performance level. When you take the two, and put them together, there is always going to be some interesting results. I was really looking forward to the race no matter how I, or my legs felt! The course is a ripper. And it takes a ture triathlete to win around the steps of the Opera house in Sydney harbour.
Walking down to the start I felt relaxed. With a massive swell I knew it was going to a tough swim, and that I needed to get out early to have a safe passage to the first turning bouy. I managed to get there without to much scrapping. And sat quite nicely just inside the top ten. I exited the first lap feeling good and dived back in just on the first group. The second lap was alot faster than the first, and the swell and chop increased due to the wind and the rain that started to fall. As I exited the water I was still in the front group, but it had splintered slightly. We had to ride quite hard for the first half of the lap to reach the front, and just as we did we had the first of many big crashes.
The rain was only lightly falling, but it was still playing havoc with everyone's lines into and out of the corners. By the time the 3rd lap started, the rain was really coming down and we had been caught by two more groups from behind. With such a big group, and the weather deteriorating, the next laps were tricky to say the least. During all this time I was wishing my legs to come right. I really wanted to have a go in this race on the bike. But the way I felt I just wasn't sure it would work. After two times of being in small oppurtunities that never really got further than a few seconds off the front, I decided that I'd have a go. Maybe it would fire my legs into action, and give me something to work from. I rode hard up one of the climbs, and managed to get a small gap. I was never intending to go it alone, but rather hoping that someone would bridge across and we could make a go of it over the last 20k. By now the weather was really settling in, and I think most had decided to stay cool and just wait for the run. So after half a lap in front without anyone coming across to me I decided not to push any harder and rejoined the group.
The last lap is always exciting in any ITU, WCS event. With the rain, slippery roads, big peleton and corners, it was going to take some nice work to be off the bike in the front. I was hoping that the moment I put my shoes on, things would just change, and I'd be ready to go. So getting to the front off the bike was all about remaining positive, and racing how I would, no matter how I felt.
I hit transition and threw my shoes on and burst out of transition in 3rd right behind Johnny Brownlee and Sebastain Rank. I had a quite word to myself and said 'ok here we go' but as I was thinking this, the guys from behind passed me like I was standing still!! Now if there's one thing I'm good at, it's charging out of transition on the run. So getting passed like that was confusing to say the least. I tried to keep focused, and knew 10k is a long way. But with every meter they got further and further away. I was just stuck in 2nd gear. As I said before, I had this feeling in Seoul last year and it was the same result on the run there also. I know I was trying to push, but it was just not going anywhere!! My form looked good, and my cadence was high, but the ground I was covering was, well... not much! Every one of my laps felt like it was the same as the other, the time and pace in the results showed that. After a race like that its not a case of wondering why or how it all went down like it did. But there must be a reason! and I want to know what it is.
I've been to the doctor here and awaiting the results, but he assumes I must have had a small virus for my body to play games like it did. I know my training had been great, my form in training had been great, and most of all my recovery was spot on. To be honest though, there still was some surprises for me in the race even from where I was ( I had a good view from back there). There seems to be a few guys that have really been knuckling down over summer and were a bit short of a gallop when the heat went on. But even more interesting, was the form of others at such an early phase in the season. It will make for an exciting July/August period in the World Championship Series when everyone should in retrospect be in there best form of the year. The ones who started slowly will be back and the one's going so 'fast' now will be holding on for dear life I'd assume. Also want to make mention of Ryan Sisson's great race. He has been on fire all summer, and I know exactly what he's been up to, so more to come from him that's for sure. Andrea's performance off her build up was also impressive, and a great start for her.
Now I'm just chilling at home tying up a few things around here before heading to Atlanta. Then I'll be jumping on my new BLUE bikes, that are awaiting my arrival to test them in the WInd Tunnel for the important races to come. May even get a lucky trip to the Nascar this weekend if it all works out!! yeehaa. After that its off to Santa Cruz to hang out with Bevan Docherty. Then we will get stuck in with what we need to do over the next 3 months to be ready to rumble in London. Next race is in three weeks time in Florida and part of the 5i50 series that will be used to select qualifiers for the big HY-VEE triathlon in September. These are all non drafting events, so will suit my current training to a tee. Also looking forward to getting back on the Blue Triad TT rig, and getting aero!
Take care everyone,
Kris

Singapore 2011

Wed, 23 Mar 2011 03:53:08 +1300

Evening/Morning ladies and gents,
Well Its been a good week! Firstly retaining my Oceania and National Title, then yesterday winning at my first ever start in the 70.3, half ironman distance here in Singapore. Since arriving in Singapore I felt pretty good considering how the body was after Wellington. My legs were not to sore, and my body felt like it was recovering well with every day I had before the race. Knowing that this was my first taste of the Half Ironman distance, I was really weary to spend as little time as possible wondering around getting caught up in all the fan fare that goes with these events. WIth 2700 age group athletes its easy to get caught up in it all. So unfortunately ( singapore is a beautiful city) I spent a lot of the time in the hotel room before the race.
My first introduction to all the drama around this race came at the press conference for the Professional athletes. There was a really good group of athletes here racing. Former World Ironman champions, to current world champions at 70.3. But the biggest factor in this race without a doubt would be the conditions! I've done many races over my career in Asia, and it has always been hot, hot, hot, but also very kind to me. I seem to really relish the heat and humidity, so the hotter the better is what I was after. My excitement thought was only matched by every other pro athlete that was at the conference. I Suppose I should have guessed that if you come to SIngapore you know what your going to get and 36 degrees and 90% humidity is standard. Most of the questions directed at me during the press conference were very obvious and to the point,. "So Kris why are you here? this is not an ITU Olympic distance race" mmm " yes you are correct, but it's a race! and I'm not here to make up the numbers", " but its a really long way and you have never done one before", " yes but I'm prepared and that means I'm ready to race. I still explained to everyone that this was not my playground, and if I did want to play, I better be ready to play hard!
The morning of the race arrived and I still felt very relaxed. I went through a similar warm up I would for any race I've done in the past, and just stuck to myself. One thing about these races is there is no lazy afternoon start, trying to find how to waste time in the hotel the day of the race is not an issue. There I was up at 5am trying to get some food down for the big day ahead. Once I managed that, I took a easy jog down to the race start 7K away. We had checked our bikes into transition the day before, so no other way to get there... another ITU trick ( you can ride your bike to the race). The atmosphere in transition was a bit more relaxed than a WCS race. It made me feel even more at ease with what was about to happen. So with everything sorted, 3 bottles of POWERADE and one bottle full of 12 gels at the ready, my new BLUE SL TRIAD was ready to go and I headed off to the swim start.
Standing on the start line I could see there was a massive current. We were to do 2 laps of 950 meters, and the direction of the current meant it was going to be a slog with the way the course was set. I wanted to swim fast, I figured If i swim hard I could make some time on as many guys as I could. I also wanted to conserve my own energy. One way of doing that is swimming in front and controlling the pace. You then stay out of the crash and bash in the pack. It was a long swim because of the current time wise, but I was very comfortable and used little energy. Exiting the water there was still about 4 or 5 guys on my feet and we charged to transition 1.
I ran pretty hard to transition just like I would in any race I do. I opened a small gap, and got onto my bike quickly. I really wanted to not have to ride so fast at the start. I know I can do this from all the ITU racing, But pushing to hard early on would be something I would pay for later on the 90k journey. I got organised smoothly, and with my feet in my shoes I started quickly on my nutrition, and begin to hydrate. My plan was to take the gels throughout the bike, and just force myself to have as much as I could. After 25k I still found myself in front, a small group behind me was growing in size but no one was willing to lead. I was a little confused at this point, the guys were not riding as hard as I thought they would, or as I had prepared to ride.
But as long as I was comfortable, I didn't feel like I would be gaining any advantage by being behind and risking any kind of penalty or infringement. At 30k Faris Al Sultan joined the group. He rode straight to the front and I thought right here we go! But it didn't increase as much as I had thought and we stayed together. As we ended the first of three laps, we took a sharp corner. I hit it at speed and then went over a small bump in the road. I was so concerned about punctures or mechanical but I didn't think of what happened. My bottle with my gels ( 15 or them ) went flying out of the bottle cage and on to the road! I couldn't believe it... I spent close to an hour squeezing all those bloody things into the bottle yesterday, and I probably had one and half if I was lucky. I must admit I panicked a little, but just had a quite word with myself, and just knew I had to get more water at the aid stations on the bike.
As we started the second lap of 30k we were joined on the road by the age group athletes. There were athletes everywhere! we all had to be very alert about what was going on in terms of infringements and accidents. At this point our speed also dropped a bit due to the influx of bodies on the road. By the end of the second lap the group had swelled to around 15 athletes. One Athlete that had joined us was James Cunnama from South Africa. James is as strong as an OX. He has repeated wins on the 70.3 circuit last year, and is one of the fastest runners over the half and Ironman distances. Now that James had arrived, and also Pete Jacobs from Australia ( fastest run split in Kona at the World Ironman Championships last year 2.40 ) it was going to be a fast and tough run. The temperature and humidity was rising throughout the day. I knew that I had to keep drinking all the way to the end of the bike with the lack of nutrition I'd missed. I was quite surprised that no one really picked the pace up in the last 20k on the bike. I had imagined that someone would have tried to break away, or at least hurt some of the guys with the good run legs before we got to T2. But I guess with the heat factor in the back of everyone's mind, most were just cautious and happy to wait for the half marathon.
I again managed to get myself in to the front heading into transition 2. I used this to my full advantage, and with a very quick transition I was out running well before the others. My plan was to run out at a tempo that was fast enough that if anyone could follow, they would have to be working harder than I. After the first K or so I could see and hear that they couldn't bridge the gap back up to me I gained from transition. From that point I kicked again and then settled into a nice rhythm I knew I could sustain for the entire Half Marathon. After 5k I had around 30 seconds to James and Pete. I was pretty relaxed at this point, but i had to consider how much my nutrition plan had been compromised with the dropping of my gel bottle. The most likely was I'd have to change my run plan. I was hoping to control my pace until around 12k, then start to push a bit more. Doing this race was a personal test for myself as well. I had some small goals I'd set myself within the race. So basically at this point I was still racing off 1 and half gels and 3 bottles of POWERADE. I'd decided to carry half a can of Lift Plus as a bit of a safety blanket during the run.
This was more than lucky, and I used it over the last 10k like it was the last can on earth! I did have the aid stations on the run. There I was able to grab water, sponges and banana's. I was of course planning to be fueled up at this point. Instead I was not even close.. Considering everything, this was still my race to lose. I decided to play it safe and slightly slowed down a bit between 12k and 17k. I just needed to save everything I could incase Pete or James came at me late. When I turned for home the last time I still had 40 seconds over James who had now dropped Pete. I knew I'd been holding back a little and they had not made any time so was clearly struggling as well. So with 4k to go it was go time! The lift plus went first... and it felt like instantly my legs and body were good. I started to pick the pace up with every meter. And the last 3k actually went very fast as I ran it in 9.37. From here it was a simple case of enjoying the moment and how my debut in the half ironman distance had gone exactly how I'd dreamed it would. I hit the finish chute, and in usual Gemmell style I celebrated! I think any athlete should when you work so hard for a victory. I broke the tape with a time of 3hours and 50 minutes. I ended up running a 1.13 half marathon, which under the circumstances and conditions I felt proud of. James fought all the way to the line and was just under a minute behind myself. He's racing Ironman South Africa in three weeks, and with that kind of speed I would put my house on him! Australian Pete Jacobs rounded out the podium in 3rd after another great run.
So there it is..... I'm in the ironman game now! well half in ;-). Honestly though, I really loved the experience in Singapore. It was something I've always wanted to do but for one reason or another it just didn't work out.This is by no means a change of direction for me. I'm 100% focused on qualifying for the Olympics. It just leaves me with some options at the end of the year now. For myself personally the olympic distance is the hardest and deepest competition in our sport. I dream to be the best, and to be the best, you have to race the best!
For now its back to the grindstone. With just under 3 weeks until the kick off of the World Championship Series for 2011 in Sydney, there is no room for relaxing. Its not the focus of the year by any stretch of the imagination. But I have to keep an eye out on my recovery from Singapore. And then try to transfer this great early season form and confidence, into something special in Sydney. You can be sure what ever happens, I'll be throwing my hat in the ring in true Gemmell style.
Cheers, Kris