That fell apart quickly!!

It seems the dream of another London Edinburgh London is now finished. I tore my rotor cuff in my shoulder. There is no way that I can continue the training that I need. Probably, it will have healed sufficiently before the actual ride, but it will significantly impact on my training and preparation. Closed

Coastal 200. A Brevet Permanent ride

Well today is my first Audax ride since Paris Brest Paris in 2011. That's incredible. I can't believe how quickly that time has gone. Actually I did the 70 km Mt Buffalo Alpine Classic option in 2012 but I'm not really counting that. That ride was really a manifestation of my cycling 'burnout' and need for a break. I was entered for the 250km but decided the day before that I'd just do the 70 and enjoy it.

I see today's ride as the beginning of the journey to London Edinburgh London (LEL). Riding a brevet ride introduces some discipline. You have to follow the route, in the timeframe and not just go with the flow. This time back though, I'll be more careful to mix it up and still do some long rides 'without the card' so I have the freedom to go where I feel like at the time.

6:00 am was the start time I had designated for this ride. I had no real idea how long this would take but I was hoping that I would finish within 11 hours and therefore be home for dinner!

The start. 202km in front of me

The ride has about 2000 metres of climbing, so not too much, not too little. It would be a ride of quarters. Most of the climbing in the first and third quarters. Stunning scenery for most of the ride, either coastal vistas or country riding. The only downside, if you can call it that, is the amount of navigation. Lots of turns. Today is the first time I've used my Garmin 1000 on an Audax ride so it will be a good test. I'm nervous about the battery life so I've also brought a battery pack charger.



Anyway, lighting check etc done and I'm off.


Winding north through the suburbs of Wollongong, enjoying the quiet streets,  quickly brings the undulations of the coastal road to Bald Hill and Stanwell Park. Traffic is not too bad at this time of day and the workers who are heading off to work are behaving themselves on the road today. It was a stunning, blue sky spring day. Not too hot and whilst a bit windy, not too much. So the option of riding verses going to work was a great one.






The top of Bald Hill has one of the most iconic views of Wollongong. The view south along the escarpment, with the spectacular Sea Cliff Bridge in the foreground, it is a spectacular sight.

Looking south from Bald Hill

Coffee at the first checkpoint was greatly appreciated. 52km and 700 metres of climbing done and feeling pretty good.

The next 50km was the most challenging from a navigation perspective to stay on the designated route. Winding to North Wollongong, around the Steelworks to Port Kembla then along the north edge of Lake Illawarra to Dapto. Time for an early lunch with 102 km and 1002 metres of climbing done. Halfway in all respects.

Now this next 50 km was going to be the test. Roads and hills that I know well, but not with 100 km under my legs. At least not for quite a while. Why is it that I only remember that I need a couple of more gears on my bike, when I'm on my bike, not at home where I can do something about it? The route from Dapto down to Kiama is quite hilly, so there will be a few quite slow climbs today.

It's quite amazing how strong the pull of home is on a course that brings you back to the finish at the half way point. I had no intention of pulling out. Felt tired and a bit sore but still good and yet I could not wait to get 20 or so kilometres away from Dapto so I was back on the ride and away from home. Mind games of long distance riding. Crazy hey?

Kiama Blowhole. Spectacular when there is a big sea running

That's right, it's school holidays. The Kiama Blowhole was pretty crowded even though there was no 'blow' today. A final chai latte at Kiama and then it was back on the road for the last 60 km. Hills for the next 10 km and then the final 50 km is flatter.

I could feel my speed starting to drop and I was spinning rather than powering up the hills now, but I was still going forward.

Eventually I hit the southern edge on Lake Illawarra and followed the bike track around to Yallah. School holidays introduced some traffic onto the bike path but it was all good.

The wind today had not been my best friend, changing direction to give my a headwind for about 75% of the ride but it was not too strong. Heading south west along Avondale Road straight into a headwind did make me struggle. I just kept thinking that the direction and strength on the wind would be a great asset on Cleveland Road. This turned out to be true with the wind helping me over the undulations that can be draining on Cleveland Road.

With just over 2 km to go and around 199km on my Garmin I looked down at the screen and it was completely blank. Time to panic! If it's not on Strava, or at least recorded by a Garmin, it didn't happen. I stopped the bike straight away thinking that the battery had gone flat. I had to connect the battery charger at the halfway point because I was down to 25%. This is poor for a device that is targeted at endurance riding. You should not have to turn off all the functions just to get good battery life.

I plugged the charger in and the device came to life, still with the ride loaded. Great, what a relief. I checked and there was still 65% battery life, so I don't know what caused the Garmin to shut down. By the way, navigation worked without issue for about the first third of the ride. After that, I had to follow the navigation line. I was not getting the advance turn information. I'll be interested to keep an eye on this. Was it an issue with the Garmin or an issue with the route loaded from RidewithGPS??

Finished with a smile

With that saved, it was time to finish the last 2km. Then before I knew it, it was all over. Time 4:01pm. By the time I had got off my bike, took a finishing photo, found some change in my handlebar bag to buy an icecream it was about 4:03. The lady signing the card rounded it off to 4:05!! Oh well, it's only time... 202km. 10h 05mins.

Such a great day, such as great ride. More to come.

Now to ride home and tackle my home hill, that tops out at 18% in places.

New Adventures

It's been a while since I last posted. Seems to be the bane of many blogs.

I've set my sights on a long distance cycling comeback. The next part of this blog will be the journey to get there.

First I have decided to try to do London Edinburgh London next year.

But first, at lease three major hurdles have to be overcome.

1. Will my body handle the extra kilometres needed in the training and riding?
2. Will I still enjoy the longer distances?
3. Can I actually get entry to the event. Numbers are limited.

Each of these are quite important. If my body can't do it anymore, it can't. If I don't enjoy it still, I'm not going to do it, and finally, if I don't get my entry accepted, obviously I can't do it!!

I'm going to focus on getting my average distance consistently up each week, which has started, and then start to do some longer rides. The first of these being tomorrow as I tackle a 200km Brevet Permanent.

20 January 2017 is the entry date for LEL so I need to focus on answering questions 1 and 2 before then.

The following posts are going to reflect the journey.

End of another year: Go for a paddle

Well it's the end of another year.

I checked out my work diary and realised that I could take the day off.

The forecast for today is hot northerly winds and blue sky so it was out for an early morning paddle in the entrance of Lake Illawarra. You can often get some great little waves coming through here which are perfect for a 2-300 metre run.

Today was no exception, though they had a tendency to get steep as they stood up against an outgoing tide. Made for some fun.

Getting ready for a good time

I have not used the GoPro much lately so I decided to take it as well.

A few times I got quite a bit of air paddling out through the waves, a few times smacked in the mouth by the waves. Each time this happened I hoped the water cleared from my eyes before the next one hit!

Heading out through the waves. 

I picked up some great runners and had a ball. Most of the time I was out I was by myself, with just the fishermen on the breakwater as spectators. Eventually I was joined by a couple of SUPs but I was pretty much spent by then.




The Thursday evening paddles in the wind and waves of Botany Bay are starting to show in my confidence and skill in the bump and slop. Still a long way to go, but I'm definitely improving

Go for it. 

The paddle back (about 1.8km) was still into the outgoing tide but it was peaceful and relaxing as I just picked a rhythm and enjoyed my surrounds.

All in all a great way to finish another year. Birthday tomorrow :)

Bridge to Beach

This was my first race on Sydney Harbour and the first time paddling across the Heads to Manly. The forecast was almost perfect so it was a great day to launch into it. Registration done, stickers on the boat and I'm ready to go.

Great turnout on a great day. All types of ski, kayaks and even rowing boats lining up. These events certainly are colourful.

Under the bridge was the normal choppy conditions with bounce back everywhere. One guy was paddling a boat made out of recycled bottles he collected from the harbour. I had a feeling most of them were going to end up back in the harbour. 

I stayed out of the mix for the start and managed to miss a couple of big pile up as boats got jammed up. 

Clearly there were a range of skills out on the water, from newbies (like me) to elite. A number of people had an unplanned swim, including one SUP paddler who came across in front on me, then fell in. I just missed him.

The conditions were probably quite tame. However the swell coming from the heads still kept me focused. I made it across the worst of it, and then within sight of the finish, fell in! I had a bit of an issue getting back on the ski, constantly falling off when the swell kept coming through.

Eventually I was back on and paddling to the finish. Actually, the 100m run along the beach to finish was the hardest part with my bad knee.

This is a great event so I plan to be back next year.

No more running - taking up a new sport - paddling an Ocean Surfski

So I've been grounded from running - severe patellofemoral osteoarthritis  of my right knee. An MRI has confirmed, bone on bone, no more Ironman races. Really disappointed, I was so looking foreward to racing Ironman Melbourne this year

Still coming to terms with this - though I am hoping that I will be able to race some shorter distances

Decided to do something left field and take up ocean surfskiing. Thought about an sea kayak, but ended up with a surfski

I went for a test paddle a couple of weeks ago with Mark from Expedition Kayaks on Botany Bay with a good NE'er blowing. Touchy craft. This is a great service they offer. Basically an hour and a half lesson in a couple of different skis, for no cost!

I tried the Think Ezy and the Epic V10 sports

Then I went for another test paddle with Owen as well on a perfectly still day

Short version of a long story - went with the V10 sport. It will stretch me to start, but then should be ok (I hope)

Today is my first solo paddle. On the Pittwater. Somewhere I am not familiar with, and of course I turned up with flat batteries in my camera.  There's lesson number 1

It was a great paddle, loved it, though whenever a boat passed, I was very unstable.

Finished with a smile on my face :) 

Ironman Copenhagen

The alarm was set for 5:15am. Race Day.

But this day really started in June 2012 when I was 'swimming' in the tropical waters of Maui and then running the Kona Marathon on the Big Island a few days later. The seed was sown. I wondered if I could actually do a triathlon. Ultra distance cycling was in my blood having competed a range of long rides including three Paris-Brest-Paris 1200km events.

Back to 2013: My gear was all ready from the previous night, so it was a quick change and off to the 7eleven to get a pastry and a coffee. Racing away from home makes you more flexible in your nutrition.

One change of train and a 15 minute walk and we were at the swim start.

This was really happening. The worst of the nerves were now gone. They really went with the swim I did here on Friday. Time to finalise my bike set up. This is pretty easy as you had to hand in your bike bag and your run bag with the bike check in last night. I had a great bike rack location. Last row before the bike exit. Easy to find.

Crown Prince Frederik

Crown Prince Frederik from Denmark was racing today with the professionals and all the age groupers. Triathlons really are a sport for everyone. They are expecting 200,000 spectators on the course. The organisers thought about family and friends with lots of information about the best places to see your athlete on the various legs of the course.

The Pro's left at 7:00 but my start time was not until 8:05. Although this is an Ironman, they decided to keep with the wave start that was planned for "Challenge Copenhagen".

I had an energy drink 20 mins before the swim start - Perform. Eventually it was time to line up. In my familiarisation swim I swam basically the first section to the first bridge and from the last buoy to the finish. This was great as it gave me confidence. I was worried that the water was going to be cold but it was just fine, around 19 degrees C. This was to be a good swim for me. Clearly the work put in at the "Swim for Fitness" and the tri club aquathon sessions was paying off.

It was a one lap swim that passed under three bridges (twice) so it was great for spectators. Elizabeth could spot me and could not believe how well I was going. With my lack of experience I was not really sure how hard to push (this would be a re-occurring theme of the day) so I concentrated on trying to keep my stroke slow and long. There was the usual hustle and bustle of the swim, but I was glad to be in the mix as it meant that I was not dropping off the back. I even managed a bit of drafting. Before I knew it the swim was over and I was really excited when I saw my time. 1:24. Not quick by many standards, but I was so excited as I was worried about getting timed out! Later, my Garmin showed my that I actually swam 4.1 kilometres so I must practice swimming straighter.

The swim done: Bring on the Bike!

T1 went without incident and it was on to the bike and through the main part of Copenhagen before heading up the coast into North Zealand. The first part of the course was flat with a side breeze assisting. Once the course headed inland it cut through forests and small villages and things got a bit harder. There was more of a head wind and it was a bit hillier than I expected. Once we hit the hot spot at Holte it was incredible. On the hill up to the aid station people lined the course 20 deep, cheering, yelling and banging things. I saw Elizabeth there, which was great. She looked like she was having a great time as well.

The course was well marked and there was a well-stocked aid station roughly every 30kms. With hind-site I could have taken less on the bike.

When we turned in to the country on the second lap the weather took a change for the worse. The wind really picked up and we got rain. In some of the forested sections it was really starting to get dark. This was a bit of a problem for me as I wear prescription sunglasses when I ride. In one of the small villages I was sitting about 15 metres behind the guy in front on me when we encountered a farm vehicle coming around a blind corner. He headed off the road and 'almost' kept it upright. I stopped to see that he was ok, which he was, and then it was off again into the rain. Eventually it passed and once we hit the main road again, the speed increased as the headwind moved to a cross wind.

I knew I was starting to suffer on the bike as I had neglected bike training for swim training. It was a call I made because if you don't finish the swim in time you don't get to play in the rest of the game. I could not wait to get to the main road that headed into Holte as I knew that after a few hills it started to flatten out. The intersection never seemed to arrive.

I was making sure that I kept spinning, riding comfortably and keeping my head clear as I still had a marathon to complete but I was surprised that I was still passing people.

Before long I was back in central Copenhagen and it was time to run. This was totally new territory for me. Yes, I had done some brick sessions in training, but nothing like this. Into T2, and they took your bike and racked it, kids scrambled to grab your blue run bag and give it to you and then it was into the change tent. I was planning a complete change here and as I had got pretty wet, this was a great idea. Clean dry socks were great (fantastic last minute suggestion by my wife). Volunteers even picked up you bag when you were finished with it.

I thought the scenery and spectators on the bike course were great, but the run was quite incredible. Basically four 10.5 km (ish) loops along the water front in Copenhagen. The crowds were incredible. There was a Kona spot up for the athlete who had the best cheer squad and many were obviously going for it.

I ran the first 10 km at my marathon pace but got nervous that the infamous wall was going to come crashing down on me (again the lack of experience). I was using a run/walk strategy. 4 mins run, 1 minute walk and I wanted to try to run the whole 42 km fairly consistently. I backed off a little for the next 10km and kept chugging along. Each of the laps finished near the finish line, so it was psychologically difficult to see runners finish and you had to turn left and keep going.  This got tougher on each lap even though I knew that some of these athletes had close to an hours head start on me. You had to collect four arm bands. Red, green, black and eventually the coveted white band indicating that you were on the last lap.

The darkest section for me was between kilometres 22 and 23  as I was starting to cramp in the hamstrings. I decided to up my fluid intake a bit and have some of the salted crackers they had at the aid stations. This did the trick, as long as I made sure I finished eating the cracker when I still had some drink in your hand. The aid stations were great, clearly marked with what was available - water, High 5, Coke, Red Bull,  gels, energy bars, fruit, crackers and sponges.

I'm always amazed at the volunteers at triathlons who give so much of their time, energy and enthusiasm so that I can have a great day following my dreams.

The organisers had partnered with Samsung to allow family and friends to send their athlete a 'boost'. They could send a text message or video and when the athlete passed a sensor near T2 the message would appear on the big screen. This was great. Really like cheering from home.

I must admit that I was waiting for the wall to hit but it never did. Yes, I was tired, but not excessively considering what I was doing.With hind sight, I should have pushed the whole marathon harder. However, a by-product of this, was that I could really enjoy the last 10km passing many people who had resorted to walking or stopping. No one passed me on the last lap. Although the crowd was dwindling on the last lap and the empty cups were starting to outnumber spectators (downside of being in the last age group wave), there were still groups out there cheering you on, trying to get every last athlete home. One guy said "keep going Greg, I'll be here for you on your next lap" - and he was.

The last few kilometres were simply to be enjoyed. The crowd started building again as I approached the last kilometre and I could feel my hamstrings just starting to cramp again. There was no way I was stopping on the way into the finish line. Down the home straight, past Elizabeth, onto the red carpet, high fives for everyone including the finish announcer to hear the words... Greg Lansom from Australia, you are an Ironman!

The medical people took one look at me and ignored me then it was on to get the medal, the gold space blanket and some food and drink that was not High Five). I caught up with Elizabeth. It was such a special feeling.

This was the culmination of my first year of competing in triathlons. 12 months ago I could just swim 25 metres but I was able to focus, plan and executed step by step my journey from club distance, olympic, 70.3 and onto Ironman.

The Ironman distance is not for everyone, but as an athlete who has focused on long endurance activities for some time, it certainly is a pinnacle. Getting out of bed at 4:30 am some days (5:00 was my sleep in days), commuting to Sydney, training whatever the weather, had payed off. I had done the best preparation I could given my circumstances. I had a plan for the race and executed it. I could not have asked for more. My bike went great and I need to thank Ryan from Spearman's Cycles for the work he did we me to get the best fit for me. Even after 180km on the bike I was still comfortable.

I was hoping for somewhere between 13:30 and 12:30 hours. My total time was 12:19:37 I was stoked. The splits, swim 1:24:08, bike 5:56:06 and the run 4:41:59. The main aim at Copenhagen was to experience and finish an Ironman. I did that, and loved it.

Now for Melbourne...