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.

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.