Triathlon season 2011/2012 underway

It's good to start the season off with a long course race and the Forster Ultimate triathlon on October 15th was an excellent event. A 2km swim, 120km bike and 20km run was a really good hit out. The 45kph headwind on the bike made for a good workout and the hot conditions made it tough going for many on the run. The annual Nepean triathlon in November is an iconic event and one of my favourites.

Last weekend I raced in the Asia-Pacific 70.3 Ironman triathlon in Canberra, the debut of a fabulous event in a top location. Weather-wise we had everything from sun to rain, clear skies to thunderstorms. I was very happy with 4th place in my age group.

My next major event is the inaugural Ironman Asia-Pacific triathlon to be held in Melbourne in March. I'm really looking forward to racing on this new course which starts in Frankston and finishes in St Kilda.

Preparing for Sydney Marathon

Looking forward to the Sydney Marathon next Sunday. The 42.2km run is the final leg of an Ironman triathlon and I've done a few of these. So much of running a marathon is in the nutrition as you need to take in fuel during the race in order to finish in good shape. Your pre-race nutrition is very important too and in the week leading up to the race I make sure I eat plenty of good food and take some magnesium supplements. Magnesium loading ensures your muscles won't cramp during the race. The majority of my race nutrition will come from the aid stations which are usually well stocked. I will carry some gels in my race belt for extra nutrition. I use Hammer gels which fulfil my gluten-free requirements and this time I will use the Tropical flavour with caffeine. It's been proven that caffeine in measured doses is highly beneficial when used in endurance events.

I am approaching this race as a preparation for the upcoming triathlon season during which I will be racing in a variety of events with the focus being on long-course racing culminating with the new event in Melbourne, the Asia-Pacific Ironman Triathlon on March 25th 2012.

New season of triathlon

We are kicking off the new triathlon season with a series of duathlons. I have been racing in the Sydney series at Parramatta over the last couple of months so I am going along nicely. We had the first of our Warringah club duathlons for 2011 this morning at North Head. The rain held off but the north-easterly wind was blustery and impacted on the bike leg. I finished in around 1h 21m which is around 3 minutes slower than my best time but everybody's times were slower this morning due to the conditions.

We were greeted with a beautiful rainbow after the race that arched across the harbour in vivid clarity. I had planned to run 20km this afternoon in preparation for the upcoming Sydney Marathon on September 18 but I have decided to run 30km on Tuesday instead.

The next stage

Most people who play an instrument will reach a point where they feel their playing has plateaued and they wish to progress to a new level. This is very true with the guitar which is a relatively easy instrument to play in a simple fashion but one of the hardest to play at a virtuoso level. The guitar is an extremely versatile instrument and perhaps this is what makes it so popular. There are many categories and styles of guitar including classical, flamenco, folk, finger-picking, pick or plectrum method, acoustic, electric, jazz, rock, latin and others and there are also many levels of acceptable proficiency on the guitar. For example, singers who accompany themselves on guitar may only know a handful of chords but this in no way hinders their ability to make pleasing music on a particular level. The main point is that some guitarists may be perfectly happy to stick with one style and one level of proficiency if this is what gives them their greatest musical enjoyment. Again, the guitar is an instrument of many levels. It is a true folk instrument.

The guitar has been the main instrument in the rock genre for over 60 years and shows no sign of losing its popularity. The essence of rock music is its simplicity and raw energy, its rough and rebellious nature. It is rhythmically exciting and can embrace high-energy tempos to down and dirty blues-style feels. Harmonically the basis of rock music is a fairly narrow platform, drawn in essence from the simple major, minor and dominant-seventh chords of the blues. Indeed the blues chord progressions together with the blues and pentatonic scales are the most defining sounds of rock music and are the standard weaponry of most reasonably proficient rock or pop guitarists.

Some guitar players become bored with the same old chord progressions and the same pentatonic-based scale sounds and look to broaden their horizons. Taking the next step involves an increase in musical awareness, an improved knowledge of harmony which includes new chord formations, a different approach to melodic line playing which usually involves learning and understanding new chord scales and arpeggios and a general increase in knowledge of the theoretical side of music. A long and exciting journey awaits.

Winter bike training

During winter I do a lot of bike sessions indoors on my Cateye CS1000 Cyclosimulator, a magnet/fan resistance turbo trainer. The Cateye has been around for a while and is popular with professional track cyclists. It has a very realistic, road-type feel and has excellent stability due to the front forks on the trainer that you lock onto.

On a turbo trainer you can simulate pretty much all the conditions that you encounter in a race or on a training ride. The added benefit is that you can target specific conditions and prioritise them. Set it up with a high resistance to simulate strong headwinds and work at this level for as long as you like to build power. Increase the resistance and do long "hill climb" sessions out of the saddle. These work particularly well on the Cateye due to the overall stability of the unit.

The Cateye is a major component in my bike training all year round. The simple fact that you can target specific conditions and hold them for as long you want makes for excellent training and there is also the added bonus of not having to worry about traffic or weather conditions. In the lead up to an Ironman event I will do 4 hour sessions made up up of two 2 hour sessions with a small break in between to trot around, stretch, refill bidons and perhaps change clothing.

I can highly recommend the Cateye CS1000. They don't make them any more but you can pick them up second-hand.

Improvisation

I love improvising. I was drawn to jazz and latin music when I first picked up a guitar and it was the improvisational element that really resonated with me. The wonderful songs and melodies of the time were the foundations and I would always find myself singing alternate melody lines and "impro" phrases and seeing how far I could take it. The world of improvisation is a fascinating world indeed. In essence you need to be a composer. You need to understand harmony, rhythm, chord sequences, phrasing and the like. The more knowledge you have of these essential elements of music the better you will be at making music through improvisation.

As an improviser you are in fact a composer who delivers an idea there and then, in the moment. To do this successfully you need to be very familiar with your instrument. Good improvisation is singing your ideas through your instrument and so the heart, mind, hands, instrument connection needs to be established through lots of practice.

Winter training

When the temperature drops and the chilly winds start blowing, long training runs can be challenging. Wind chill in particular can get into your bones on a long session so you need to cover up. Your hands will really feel the cold so gloves are a great idea. Long tights are also advisable and there are plenty of good products available. I like the Skins compression tights. They feel great on a cold day and work really well over long distances. I also use a compression top for the close fit and warmth. I wear this underneath a long sleeved cotton top which I can take off and wrap around my waist if I get too warm. A cap and sunglasses, good socks and Gel Kayanos complete the picture.

If you have the clothing sorted out then you should be set for a comfortable long run session. One good thing about running on a cold windy day is that the air is usually very clean and fresh, invigorating and energising.

Triathlon training in the gym

I work out in the gym a few times a week to increase core strength and flexibility which improves my performance in triathlon. I alternate my workouts with legs, shoulders and biceps one day and chest, back and triceps the other. I do abs and stretching every workout. Gym sessions are a great way to recover after races as the muscles really like to be targeted and stretched so toxins can be released.

I always superset my workouts, meaning I do alternate sets of opposing muscle groups. For example, bench press followed by seated rows, incline bench press followed by lat pull-downs. As I am training specifically for triathlon, I work continuously in the gym with no break between sets for the added aerobic benefits.

For legs I do squats/calf raises, leg curls/leg extensions. Squats are excellent for building core strength. Shoulder and arm workouts I triple superset with military press/upright rows/bicep curls.

Sydney Duathlon Race 2

Up at 5.45am this morning for race #2 in the Sydney Duathlon Series at Parramatta, a 3.2km run, 20km bike, 3.2km run event. I always have something to eat before I race and for early races I usually have a couple of slices of gluten-free toast with peanut butter and a cup of tea. The energy from this light breakfast usually kicks in around 8am which is perfect as this is the start time of the race.

A rather chilly morning of 8 degrees at Parramatta so you have to keep nice and warm and make sure to warm up properly. This is a sprint distance race so getting the heart rate up prior to the start is a really good idea. In the colder weather I leave a t-shirt on for the first 3.2km run leg after which I have warmed up for the bike. Arm warmers are a good idea in these conditions and today I kept them on for the entire race. Clocked a good time today of around 1h 8m which should give me a top 3 finish.

I get home around 10am and have a nice brunch, usually eggs for the protein with GF toast and coffee. Looking forward to training this week with some longer sessions.

Musical equipment

I'm enjoying my new Roland Cube 80XL guitar amp. I have long been a user of valve amps but the lugging around got a bit tiresome due to the extreme weight. This new solid-state amp is lovely. It's about half the weight of the valve combos and packs a real punch. I love the on-board effects and amp modelling. It's an extremely versatile unit with plenty of tone control and sound options. Recorded a new YouTube clip on Friday using the amp and my '85 Fender Stratocaster with EMG pickups. I took the Beatle song "I'm Down" and gave it a bluesy shuffle feel. Check it out on my YouTube channel.

Guitar lesson specifics

One of the questions I always ask my students is "What music do you listen to?" This helps me to establish a good connection with the student. I then will ask "What is it that has attracted you to the guitar?" The conversations that follow really give me an insight into the musical awareness of the student and help me to formulate the best teaching program. I believe it is very important to not have too many preconceived plans about how you want to teach the guitar. It has to be a creative process. Of course, you must have a very firm method for imparting the basics of technique but it is very important that the student sees the reasons behind these disciplines and the benefits therefore attained. The student may love to listen to songs in the acoustic/singer songwriter folk style genre and so will respond well to any techniques directed to that particular style. If the student has never really heard music with long extended guitar solos then there is little point in commencing a program of detailed scale study. What works for one student may not work for another. As an extreme example, there is no point in setting about teaching someone a whole set of altered jazz-based chords if they have never listened to that style of music. Of course that is not to say that you never introduce your students to new styles of music. Some students who are very receptive and talented will really enjoy delving into different styles and more challenging concepts. Again, what works for one may not work for another.

For an in-depth look at my guitar technique method go to the link below.

http://knol.google.com/k/rory-o-donoghue/playing-guitar-with-a-pick/222g3fw3z5e9o/2

Winter schedule

It's the triathlon off-season so my focus is on keeping up the core strength work with gym sessions and racing in the various duathlons and running races that come up at this time of year. I wrapped up last season with the Australian Ironman Triathlon in Port Macquarie followed by the NSW Club Championships in Forster where my club, Warringah, were looking to make it 5 State titles in a row. We took out 2nd place to Cronulla this year in a very close finish.

I have my race program pretty well sorted out for winter. There was the Balmoral Burn in May followed by the 10km Mosman Minimosmarathon road run in June. I came 5th in age group in the Burn and 2nd in Minimos with a PB. On June 5 I took out 2nd place in Race 1 of the Sydney duathlon series at Parramatta Park, an excellent event run by the Hills Triathlon Club. Race 2 is this Sunday then race 3 on July 31 which is the NSW State championship event. I'm doing City2Surf again in August and looking to improve on my PB from last year and clock around 65 minutes.

My first triathlon of the new season will be the Forster Ultimate event in October, a 2km swim,120km bike and 20km run. Looking forward to that. Then in November the Nepean Triathlon comes up and that's always a great race on a fast track.

I have been enjoying my new Cervelo P2C triathlon bike and the Easton Tempest 2 carbon tubulars are a joy to race on.

Teaching news

Once again it's a busy time working with the Year 12's at Abbotsleigh as they prepare for their HSC Music performances. As usual we have a variety of singers and instrumentalists and it's my role to accompany them either on guitar or on bass as part of an ensemble consisting of my tutor colleagues in the Music department. The standard is invariably high and it's enjoyable working with the girls in rehearsal and passing on various tips of the trade to help them achieve their utmost potential. With plenty of rehearsal dates, workshops, assessments, assembly and concert performances, trial exams and the final HSC, it is a busy time indeed but extremely rewarding.

Holidays

I'm on holidays at present from my position as guitar tutor at Abbotsleigh School and during this time I'd like to add more material to my YouTube channel. I have many pieces that I'd like to video but we have tradesmen here at present doing some work on the house so it's a little too noisy to begin recording.

Last week I completed a new 45 sec music track for the Outback Spirit bus tours TV commercial featuring some spectacular footage of Lake Eyre. Prior to that I performed at a corporate event in Pyrmont for The Cancer Council with my daughter Jessica and son Ben and last Sunday Jessica and I performed at a wedding expo in Terrey Hills. There is footage of the Pyrmont gig on Jessica's YouTube channel

I did manage, during a lull in the hammering, to post a YouTube clip of a song with my new ukulele. It's a great little instrument and I have many more ideas of good material to do with it. My next video will probably be with my Fender Strat through my new Roland Cube 80XL, a hot little amp with some sweet sounds.