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.

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.

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.