Weekend Training

Dear Athletes

This is the plan for the weekend:

Friday - all sessions as normal including the new 430pm session.

Saturday - meet at the slightly earlier time of 6am in cott beach car
park for a spirited 2hr ride followed by a dip in the ocean (subject
to warnings) at 8am. Would love for you to then join us at the John St
Cafe for a breakfast celebration for Trevors 55th birthday at ~915am.

Squad swim is on at 12pm this week due to waterpolo comp.

Sunday - Team Relay Competition at Claremont Pool. Registration and
warm up at 930am for a 10am start. BBQ from 1230pm.

Hope to see you then!

Cheers

Paul

Thursday Morning Ocean Swim Cancelled this week!

Dear Swimmers

Please be advised that due to the proximity of the two large great white sharks feeding on the whale carcass off Floreat beach yesterday, we have made the decision to cancel tomorrow's Open Water swim session at Cottesloe Beach (6am). We plan to maintain the swim on Saturday at 8am (subject to warnings and advice from the fisheries) and will return to the Thursday 6am session next week (watch for an update on this). Thanks for your support in this matter!

Cheers

Paul

Seeking female swimmer for Anaconda event!

Dear Swimmers

Any of you ladies keen on joining a strong team for the Anaconda event down in August on the weekend of the 7th/8th November? A team including a former Avon Descent winner is short of a swimmer. You'd need to be able to swim 1.8km and also do a 1.8km beach run. Accommodation is provided. Please contact sallyh@hale.wa.edu.au if you can!

Thanks

Paul

Mark finishes 17th at Bathurst

Dear Athletes

It's that time of year when we're starting to post out numerous reports of different athlete's results at different multisport events around the country and further afield. Whilst you wouldn't necessarily refer to V8 Supercars as multisport racing, it does require an exceptional level of endurance, skill and mental acuity to perform well in. We are very proud at The TEAM CORE to have one of the best up and coming V8 Supercar drivers in Australia as part of the squad in driver Mark McNally.

Last February, Mark McNally (whom many of you now know who swims at 5.30am on a Tuesday and Friday in Lane 1 when he's in town) joined the squad to build his fitness and endurance for his V8 goals and this last weekend had the chance to perform at the highest level at the Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 at Mount Panorama. Running as high as fourth overall at stages in the event, it certainly provided exciting watching for those of us who know Mark. Andrew Holmes (also of Lane 1) said:

"A bit of drama in the last handful of laps pushed them down to 17th overall, but this is a fabulous result. I know I was excited!!"

Mark said of the race:

"The team did an unreal job, I'm really happy with them. Oscar did a great job with the strategy to keep us on the lead lap and a great position, which is probably a surprise for a lot of people that we were running as high as fourth."

Full details of the race can be seen at: http://www.bammedia.com.au/news_article.asp?news_id=11232

From all of us here Mark - well done!!

Results in from Kona

Dear Athletes

Hope you all had a great weekend. Whilst some of us were grumbling about the rain (again!) over the weekend, 6 guys from the squad were doing it tough over in Kona at the Hawaiian Ironman at the weekend. It certainly looked to be a tough day out there and especially the swim and run seemed to knock a few people around a bit. Our local Ironman "guru" (Mr Sandy Burt) who was busy analysing all the results as they were happening in real time believed that whilst the conditions were reported to be very windy on the bike, the times didn't necessarily show this with slow bike rides, but tended to manifest themselves with people struggling a little more on the run this time around.

We await full race reports from the guys when they arrive back, but for now, big congratulations to Ben, Todd, Ron, Matt, John and Rob for getting through the day - I am in awe at your tenacity chaps and would love to one day (one day) be out there at that event!

Cheers

Paul

The painful road from 12:18 to 9:46 Ironman!

Dear Athletes

Today I'd like to share with you Des Adkinson's race report from the recent Challenge Barcelona event - an Ironman distance event in the picturesque city of Barcelona.

I have been coaching Des since 2007 and is one of the athletes that I coach remotely over in the UK using our sophisticated Training Peaks software platform. To be efficient in this manner, communication is essential and Des is extremely good at keeping me informed with regular updates and uploading his data files from his power meter and polar HRM. Whilst some think this is a little "geeky", it was one of the primary reasons why Des was able to knock off a whopping 2.5hrs off his Ironman P.B to record a brilliant 9:46 at the Ironman event!

At 43 years of age, this will ensure that Des has a very realistic shot at going to Kona next year. It wasn't all "plain sailing" though, and whilst Des's report is a little long, it is incredibly detailed and thought-provoking and might just be the sort of thing you need to read if you're considering an Ironman in the next year or so, or even if you're just interested in the science behind what goes into the programs I write.

I've read many a race report over the years, but I'd suggest that this is easily one of the best I have ever read from an "information to others" perspective in particular.

Thanks Des - we're very proud of you! ;-)

Enjoy: http://www.theteamcore.com/images/Barca2009_Race_Report.pdf

Cheers

Paul

Training this weekend

Dear Athletes

Training this weekend looks like this:

Friday - usual 5.30, 6.30 and 9.30am sessions all in operation as well as the 4.30pm Friday afternoon session as well.

Saturday - meet at Cottesloe Beach Car Park ready to leave at 6.30am for a 1.5hr tempo ride up the coast before a quick transition to meet the crew for a swim at 8.00am. No charge for these two sessions. Squad swim at the pool is on again at 1.00pm this Saturday (usual fee applies).

Sunday - not a huge amount of local racing on this weekend, but Carl A, Mel C, Rob B and Helen B are all taking part in the Great Southern Adventure Race this weekend which we'll hear a report back from next week. Sounds exciting!

Also, we have Ron Sammut, Rob Newman, John Annear, Ben Curetin, Todd Skipworth and Matt Illingworth all racing at the Hawaiian Ironman on Saturday too - a monster event!! Let's wish them luck...6 from the squad at Kona - wow guys, you've done well!!!

Cheers

Paul

P.S Great article here posted to me by TEAM CORE Ironman WA prospect and rapidly rising star of 5.30am Lane 1, Dan Timbers: http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2009/sep/16/teams-do-better-research-proves - thanks Dan - great stuff!

P.P.S News just in from Mel C re. the Great Southern race:


Helen, Rob, Carl and I are heading down to Denmark to do the Mountain Designs Great Southern Adventure Race – it’s a 2 day event with 13 stages covering approx 200kms with running, mountain biking, ocean and river paddling, navigation and rope work (no swimming which explains why you haven’t seen us in the pool much over the last few months!). We’re in two separate teams – Helen and myself have joined with Janet and Keira Macfarlane (she of the there and back Rotto crossing in some crazy fast time), and Carl and Rob are joining two guys we don’t know so well called Brett and Dave from Perth’s southern suburbs. The course we’ll be following is a secret until Friday evening when we’ll receive our course maps and handbooks. There are four people in each team but only three have to do each leg so there is always someone sitting out helping our support crew (Judy Young and Sarah Kepert – names you know well). Apparently you can get updates on our progress over the weekend at http://www.rapidascent.com.au/asp/Main.aspx And if you can keep your fingers crossed for the ocean to be calmer than the 3m+ swells they’re predicting for Sunday – we’d be most appreciative! Hopefully we’ll all return in one piece and you’ll see us back in the pool late next week (well, Helen will be in the UK but hopefully I’ll be back in the pool next Friday).