Trains, Travels

If you were reading during my Kona build up you may remember I attempted to plan my taper using some tables pulled from Training Peaks WKO+. The idea was simple. Look at performance metrics leading into previous races and correlate to race performance. If I raced well there’s a good chance I tapered well too.

Before you start anticipating a series of tables you should remember tapering is a period allowing a lot of introspection. For the obsessive athlete you scrutinise the past few months of work to glean signs of race readiness. Surely there must be something in the last two months that clearly shows I’ll have my best race ever? That time I pulled my six hour ride short doesn’t mean I’ll have a terrible bike?

I’ve not sat on my laurels. The problem with those tables is they only consider four points in time leading up to race day. Twenty-eight days summarised in four rows. The potential to hide a whole world of sin is massive!

I fired up Excel, pulled the numbers out of WKO+, formulated some new tables and best of all plotted new graphs. So no tables, instead charts!

I’m keeping things simple by considering six races – Australia, Roth, UK, Hawaii, Western Australia and New Zealand. That gives me four races that went well, one that went badly (Australia) and of course the predictions for New Zealand. I dropped Lanzarote as performance there didn’t relate to fitness or taper. I considered dropping the UK as its taper was so unusual given it’s proximity to Roth. For Taupo the curves are generated based on my taper plan.

Run Performance

In terms of run fitness (CTL) the start of 2010 saw me at a relatively low level. After Kona run training dropped off and there was some decline in absolute levels. Since the year began I’ve worked on restoring them and as the chart shows this places New Zealand up near Roth and Hawaii.

It’s worth noting how high my CTL for Australia was. Despite apparently high levels of fitness I had an atrocious run there. Similarly UK and Western Australia have low values and my performances were much better. One message throughout is these numbers only tell part of the story! If that weren’t the case we could all submit our training data to race referees and save ourselves ten hours of hard work!

Note the relatively flat CTL for Taupo compared to the other races, this is particularly relevant in light of the other charts.

Positive form (TSB) is needed for racing, though finding the exact value is an art. Based on race performance Roth, UK and Hawaii would rate the highest. It suggests a race day TSB around 15. Australia had a TSB over 20 and was a horrible day all round. Possibly I’d let run fitness slip too much and my TSB rise too high.

New Zealand will have the lowest TSB I’ve ever entered a race with. It’s gong to be interesting seeing how it pans out. The problem is to raise the TSB into the teens I’d need to let fitness slip to lower level. I’ll be honest I’m not sure which is the smarter move here?

Part of the problem was created by a sustained period of negative TSB as I built up my running. Notice that for Roth, UK and Hawaii I move into positive TSB about a week out from the race and it gradually increases. With Taupo run fatigue pulled me out of negative TSB almost a fortnight before race day. Since then it’s been a matter of balancing run training against taking too much of a hit to TSB. There’s a lesson to be learnt here which I’ll come back to another time.

So the option I’ve chosen is to sustain a very easy level of training to minimise loses in fitness whilst allowing TSB to stabilise and grow a little. I’ve room to experiment at Taupo so we’ll see how a low TSB value effects my run.

Not entirely surprisingly I’ll have the highest fatigue (ATL) I’ve had for a race too. Again the consequence of a short period of big run training spiking up my run ATL. Look at Hawaii or Roth to see a much smoother descent in ATL. Taupo actually sees a very slight growth over the final week as I try to minimise fitness loss.

What’s interesting here is in appearance it looks like I managed the ATL loss for Australia well. The shape of the curve is very similar to Hawaii and Roth. The pattern for good running seems to be reduce ATL gradually over the final fortnight. Effectively a two week taper. In fact if I were to pick a turning point it’s around 17 to 18 days out from the race.

From the bump in that final fortnight a longer or more intensive run about ten days out also seems to be an acceptable part of the plan. In fact comparing Taupo’s line I’d say it’s the absence of this session ten days out that does the most harm. In order to stop a large CTL drop off I’m forced to maintain a level of ATL and that also results in the slow recovery of TSB.

If only I’d done this analysis a couple of weeks ago! For future reference the plan is to build up running fitness until a final long run at eighteen days out. From there I’ll lower the daily training load with the exception of a final decent run ten days out. This should hopefully give me a gradual decline of CTL and a better rise in TSB.

Bike Performance

Fitness on the bike doesn’t seem to reveal as much. Obviously my CTL is way higher this time thanks to Epic Camp! Otherwise the general trend is quite a flat fitness profile in the final month. If anything a very gradual increase till about a week to a fortnight out then a gradual drop off in CTL.

Worth noting is that for both Roth and Busselton I chose to taper the bike for a single week. I also had pretty good races! Perhaps I only need a short taper. Lowering CTL from two weeks out seems to be the longest I’ve done. To an extent Taupo is following a similar pattern to Kona – two weeks out holding steady then dropping in the final week.

The TSB chart is more interesting. Notice how much my Taupo line fluctuates. At the moment I’m not riding every day, tending to have a day of hard riding followed by easier days. It’s also impossible to draw any conclusion about race day TSB. The spread for good races is wide. For Roth and Busselton I had much lower TSB values. I’ll admit I felt tired on the bike in Roth, but less so in Busselton.

Kona is remarkably high and at the moment Taupo looks like it’ll be matching it. Is that a good sign? It’s also close to the less successful Ironman Australia. I will note that in both Hawaii and Australia I came good on the latter half of the bike.

Taupo is lying somewhere in middle ground. Not the highest, but far from the lowest. I think I’m going to have to wait till race day to judge the wisdom of this. If I had any concern it’s that copying Busselton and having a long ride six days out may not be the best move. That said I’d probably only move it forward a day.

Well I’m leading into this race with the highest level of fatigue anyway. There’s going to be a bit more biking in the last week than for previous races. The reason is to minimise a rapid CTL drop and to stop the TSB shooting up to exceptionally high levels. Partly this is a consequence of the high level of CTL I’ve been sustaining since Epic Camp.

This chart supports my view that I need the final big spike around seven days out from the race. Clearly in Western Australia having it six days out did no harm so hopefully the same will prove true here. That said I think I’d have been better to have focussed on riding today instead of tomorrow!

Again for future reference the plan for cycling is to finish any build a fortnight out. Rather than tapering off I will look to maintain cycling fitness for that next week, finishing with a big ride. Finally I’ll taper quite hard in the final seven days. It’s very roughly what I’m doing, but I can be a little more precise next time.

Race Performance

Just as I said last time it’s all very well looking at this data, but it only tells so much. Race performance comes down to a multitude of factors. Good race preparation isn’t just about the rest and recovery.

My gut feel for Taupo is that I should be stronger on the bike than I have been and should be able to post a good bike split. I’m a little uncertain about the run. I feel better prepared than in Busselton which is good, but I don’t think I’m at my best run form yet.

The swim? Well I’ve been in the pool loads and it’s paying off. There are definite improvements over the past month. By all rights I should be able to comfortable get the swim done in an hour. If I don’t then I clearly haven’t executed to the best of my ability. I should also come out of the water feeling a lot fresher than usual. A short swim involves at least 4km these days!

I’ve every opportunity to have a great day in Taupo. The biggest risk is that I’m more fatigued than I’m allowing for. Certainly recovery and rest have at times fallen short. I’ve also worked hard to sustain quite a high training load throughout February and to get myself to race weight. A tough combination to maintain!

We shall see in a week’s time. Then come Lanzarote I can pull these graphs out again and wonder what to do!

Even less than that! Only twelve more training days to go!

The last fortnight has been an up and down time. On one day I can tell a friend in the UK that I’m starting to feel strong and more confident. The next I can come crashing back down to Earth with fatigue after a dodgy night’s sleep. This update is inspired by the question of where my focus is and whether I’m race ready or not.

Focus

I’ll admit I’m not as focussed for this race as I have been for some of my others. This isn’t the first time it’s come up and clearly my Tweets are giving that impression. Last time I mentioned it I put it down to the difficulties of motivation when I already have my Kona slot.

That’s true, but it’s not the entire story. I want to race well in Taupo, I want to perform well. I would love to get myself on the podium again and that’s going to take a serious effort. I’m conflicted though. I’m enjoying training. I’m enjoying logging week after week of solid efforts.

Right now I’m seeing progress in my swimming for the first time in a while. A consequence of motivation and consistency in training. I’m finally making progress on my running and feel that’s coming back to form. I’m making a reasonable effort of maintaining a high level of bike fitness since Epic Camp. All good stuff and I feel strong in each discipline when not too fatigued.

If Taupo were a month down the line I think I’d be much more focussed on it! I spent some of this afternoon napping and the other half starting plans for my build up to Lanzarote. The race isn’t till May, but the goal of breaking 10 hours there and getting on the podium motivates me much more. Maybe it’s just the desire to make up for last year!

So I’m not as focussed on Taupo as I could be. I want to race well there simply because I always want to race my best. I’m frustrated by the interruption to my training it will make. It’s been suggested that if I view Kona as my A race then this is simply a period of building base. It certainly feels that way. Like I’m getting myself to the point where I can really put in the work (I have some big plans for my running later this year). I worry Taupo might derail this, but maybe I need the break?

Race Ready?

Graphs, charts and numbers time. As usual graphs are from WKO+/Excel. Red is ATL (fatigue), Blue CTL (fitness) and Yellow TSB (form). If you’ve read the blog before you must have encountered these by now! The lighter coloured lines are my values for the same time period in the previous year. Do bear in mind I raced Ironman Australia in 2009 which is a month later than Taupo.

The bike performance management chart clearly shows my bike fitness is comfortably and consistently higher than this time last year. The big spike from Epic Camp was unsurprisingly unsustainable. So after a period of recovery I’ve focussed on maintaining fitness at an intermediate level.

It’s taken a lot of riding to do this and a fair amount of hard work in the winds and hills round here. I considered growing the CTL more, but realised that to do this while trying to build up my swim and run would be very difficult. Part of the process since Epic has been accepting the limits of what I can do! Fitness is higher than post-Epic recovery, but no massive growth.

There’s been more significant growth in my run fitness. I’m certainly feeling this and combined with the weight loss I’ve managed over the past few weeks I’m running well. Interestingly my fitness is lower than this time last year. I put that down to the huge bike focus I had during November/December and the lack of run focus after Kona.

I think I’ve mentioned feeling my running really wasn’t in great shape before. The chart supports that as far as I’m concerned. I came into 2010 with my run CTL at the lowest it had been for a year. What I have achieved is restoring my run fitness to more reasonable levels. I’m easing back now with Taupo round the corner so there’s not much chance to build further.

I’m aiming to put some solid build phases for the run into my Lanzarote build. Beyond that they’ll be a real run focus in the lead in to Kona. If I want to achieve my ultimate run goals I need to put a lot of work in between now and then.

Charts aside am I race ready? Well fitness is there according to the Performance Management numbers. Comparing the run in to other races there’s enough similarity with my better races to give me some confidence. I’m continuing to train through the coming week and will take a short taper.

Much as I’ve been having sleep trouble I’m going to save looking at the Performance Management tables and the details of my taper for another time! My feeling about Taupo other than uncertainty is that if I can get myself fresh enough then I’m in shape for a good race. The deciding factor is going to be the fatigue I carry into it.

That said with this posted it’s time for a hot, milky drink and some natural sleep tablets (5-HTP). I have no idea if they’ll work or not. I’ll take the placebo effect if they’ll help me rest enough the coming fortnight!

I’m well and truly back into the cycle of training. My days are a matter of getting through a series of session and trying to eat a bit of food between them. It’s sort of working. Sort of…

Weekly hours are high as is the training load. I’m spending more time in the pool than I have in an age and enjoying it. Better I’ve noticed the times creeping down a little for my hundreds. Good signs for sure. In fact were I just thinking about swimming I’d be feeling great about how things are going.

It’s become normal to turn up at the pool and knock out four to six kilometres. I’ve learnt most importantly to always have a plan. Fail to plan, plan to fail and all that. If I get in the water without an aim you can be sure the session will be easy and monotonous. Set myself a target or challenge then time flies by and so far I’ve mostly been hitting my goals.

On (mostly) dry land things are a little bit more interesting. Perhaps you detected an element of uncertainty in my previous posts? It’s there, lurking in the back of my mind and raising questions as the weeks progress. Combine that with vagueness about my Taupo goals and at times motivation can be a little off. Not seriously, but enough to make me wonder if I’m doing the right thing?

Perhaps I’m exaggerating… Running is coming along. The past couple of weeks I’ve been logging good mileage and it’s starting to feel right. Compared to after Kona and through Ironman Western Australia it’s great. I can go out and cruise along at just a little below my Ironman pace anytime I want and it doesn’t seem to have much impact on my legs.

Plenty of longer runs have become staple with at least two over two hours every week. I’ve yet to completely settle back into a daily run routine, often finding it all too tempting to skip out on a short run when I’m tired. I know I could get through it, but that little bit of mental weakness stops me making myself do it.

On the bike I’ve been riding comfortably. Comfortably isn’t really the word you want to hear to describe your training though! I can easily hold steady paces for hours on end. When the road turns up I am climbing more aggressively than before. Throw a headwind in my face (which isn’t a rarity round these parts) and I’ll push. Put my long rides all together though and they feel a little slack.

Resting is where I really fail. Simply going by hours of sleep I can see I’m not putting the work in. I’m trying to train hard, trying to control my diet and return to race weight (it’s working), but failing to put in the sleep I need to get through it all.

It’s a silly, rookie error and one I plan to rectify in the following weeks. Experiences such as Epic Camp or in the Pyrenees show that if I’m sleeping well I can get through a lot of work. I’m training hard. Harder than normal, but not to the level of those camps.

This weekend was a sharp indicator of how significantly I’m failing. After a restless night on Friday I dragged myself for a 6K set at the pool on Saturday. Remember how I mentioned the importance of a plan? I got in the pool with low motivation and no real session to do. Somehow I splashed through a lethargic and unsatisfying two hours.

I’d promised myself a treat for a hard week of training. A little bit of sugar and carbs wouldn’t hurt especially with a two hour run on the schedule. Fatigue, hunger and the motivational dip were enough to expand the size of the treats. Paleo man had discovered the cake shop!

By the time I got home I felt far too out of it to even contemplate a long run. I did the next best thing and planned all my training in WKO+. Trying to work out my fitness and taper for Taupo! If you can’t do the practical the theory is the next best thing after all.

The smart move would have been an early night. I crashed out late and slept heavily. My alarm went off at six to get me up for a ride with Laurence Pidcock another Brit in Wellington. I felt terrible. Terrible enough I didn’t question sending a text to say I’d not be making it. Then I hit the sack for another couple of hours.

What a difference two more hours made! I actually felt a bit more normal. I wasn’t massively enthused by my previous training plans so substituted a ninety minute run out towards Pencarrow Lighthouse. I kept the pace easy and felt good. Good enough that I knew I could do more if I wanted. The aim was to hold back though, conserve a little and be fresher on Monday.

As I said I’ve been bad at rest. Change is needed. I can make my plans, but if I’m not recovering enough to execute them they’re worthless. The key objective for the next three weeks is to rest enough that I can flawlessly execute my final preparation for Taupo. With luck I’ll wake up Monday ready to go and able to start putting out the performances I know I’m capable of.

It seems I needed some recovery from the daily blogging of Epic Camp as well as the training! Apologies for the recent silence. The day to day events of returning to a training routine just weren’t that interesting. It hasn’t stopped me before, but after blogging across a country it seemed too mundane!

I’ll briefly delve into events of the past week. It’s been good training. Quality time spent in Freyberg Pool. Fantastic runs down to Pencarrow Lighthouse and the surrounding trails. Great rides, particularly getting hammered by fellow Epic Camper David Craig over in the Wairarapas. It’s all in my Twitter feed.

Only four weeks till the next Ironman. I’ve written a plan and I’m executing it as best I can. Plenty of hours spent working on my swim, bike and run. More discipline with my diet. More discipline in general! There’s lots to do and to fit it all in I can’t slack. Just like I did for Kona I need to commit to my race and the preparation it deserves.

I’d been warned that when you get your Kona slot so early it can be hard to motivate yourself in the lead in. I think I’m beginning to experience that now. When asked about my plans for Taupo I don’t have a definitive answer.

I think I’m going to use the race to test things out. See how hard I can go and what comes of it. Ultimately if I blow up it’s not a problem and in the process I’ll learn a few things. At the same time I can feel my cautious nature holding me back! I could put together another carefully paced race and perform well. If I want to be on the podium though it’s going to take a bit more this time.

As it stands the plan is to train hard for the next three weeks. I’m going to take a one week taper similar to Western Australia. Hopefully this will give me a good idea if short tapers work for me. I’m not one hundred percent sure if I raced well in Busselton because of the taper or despite it!

Once it comes to race day I will go in with the attitude and objective of pushing hard all day. Right from the swim start to the finish line. I’m focussing a lot of time on working on swim and run fitness over the next few weeks and I hope to see some benefits from it. I need to go under 9:25 for a realistic chance of a podium spot.

A simple plan and a simple aim. Race hard, see what comes of it. Come away with another age group podium or perhaps just an average result. Either way take away data and experience to help plan the next races. Even now I’m thinking about that sub-10 in Lanzarote and how to improve on last year’s Kona result.

A week has passed since camp finished. I left Invercargill with plans for very active recovery and also the hints of the camp cold. Those hints became the real thing and my recovery was less active than planned! An interesting mixture of fatigue, illness and some post event blues. I’m relieved I’m not the only one experiencing the latter.

I’m fortunate to very rarely get ill. When I do it frustrates me immensely. The cold was mild not much more than a blocked nose yet it acted as a perfect excuse to do less than planned. I suppose it did interrupt my sleep a little, but it didn’t make me skip the swim session after going to see Avatar. Neither did the street magician I watched for twenty minutes (though he was good).

The first time I went to the pool after Epic it struck me how unfit I felt . I splashed my way through a lazy set of lengths without much plan. Actually completing any distance seemed an achievement in itself. I looked at other swimmers and was convinced they were in much better shape than me. Some of them were at least faster swimmers. I’ve ridden the length of the country and I’m the weakest person in the pool!

Biding my time seemed the best idea. No point rushing things. The potential to do more harm than good is always there. That same instinct that drives me to greater fitness can as easily push me to breaking point. I was carefully reminded of this on Saturday when I headed to the gym.

Wellington was putting on some of its best wind and rain so being outside didn’t appeal. Instead the plan was an easy run in the gym and some core work. For some reason I thought it would be the perfect time to break in my new racing flats. Twenty minutes on a treadmill and my calves and ankles were locking up. Not the gentle return to form I wanted. I smartened up for a moment and called my run short.

Epic Camp has left me heavy. Too heavy to put my tired legs through any kind of running on lightly cushioned shoes. It’s not unusual for campers to gain weight. The sheer abundance of food available and a metabolism working overtime are a lethal combination. As I’ve seen after races I’m particularly good at piling on the pounds. I’ve come away a little too round for my liking. Not the lean image of an athlete I have in my head.

On Sunday I headed out for my first ride since camp. I was inauspiciously dropped within the first 10km. I knew I’d be riding easy, but hadn’t expected to have to ride quite so easily. These weren’t the legs that got me from one end of the country to another.

Two hundred watts acted as a barrier if crossed muscles and tendons protested sharply. Attempts to put mind over matter were short lived. I accepted the kind of ride I was going to have and enjoyed the sights of the bay. My ego was boosted ever so slightly by casual riders out for leisurely trips along Oriental Parade. Then dashed when a heavy weight cyclist with stick legs cruised by me.

I skipped the roads for the pedestrianised docks. A rough plan had formed to have a coffee and perhaps some cake. It never fully manifested as I couldn’t pick a place that really appealed. My weakness and current body image issues combined to make me question the wisdom of cake anyway.

Instead I returned to the road and the route home. Shortly reaching the highway and ahead the cyclist with the stick legs. Without trying I soon caught him and passed. He sat in my draft as I pushed into the headwind. This wasn’t the hard pulls on the front I’d been doing at Christmas, but at least I was strong enough to give someone a tow.

I got home and reminded myself to be patient. Rushing recovery doesn’t really work. I’m sure I’ve made that mistake once or twice last year. Hard to say for sure, but large breaks after Ironman UK and Kona didn’t seem to do too much harm.

Then today. Exactly one week after camp finished and things are starting to turn round. I didn’t do as much as I might have liked. Then again I realise now what I’d like and what I can manage aren’t exactly the same. What I did felt good. It’s starting to feel like I’m an athlete again.

A longer session at the pool 4.5km in a little under ninety minutes. Then a lazy afternoon as I was overcome by a massive sense of fatigue. As I was starting to worry that for all the good of the swim I still wasn’t up to much I came round. Finally an easy thirty minutes of running. Everything felt good only a little tightness here or there. I started to feel like a runner again all be it a heavy one!

As the week progresses I’ll see how I go. Trying a little more each day, but never pushing myself too hard. I’m hoping that come the weekend I’ll really be starting to feel my former self. Then one final build, three weeks to get myself ready for Taupo. Or maybe four if I feel strong and don’t want to taper so much.

I have an image of the athlete I need to be in my head, I know how to get there and just need to bide my time.

I’m back in Wellington which after a weekend of foul weather has turned on the sunshine for me. I felt a slight inkling to go out on the bike on such a lovely day. After 15 days of riding it felt wrong not to be sitting on a saddle. Fortunately it’s still in the bag so there wasn’t really an option. Tomorrow maybe, but for now I went for a nice, easy swim.

My third time at Epic Camp is over. Once again I managed to complete the camp minimums and throw in a little bit extra for a few more points. I’m waiting to see if I did enough to retain sixth place once the KOM points are factored in. Whilst I enjoy getting a little involved in the points game the main point of camp is the training.

Before I left for Auckland I set myself some goals for the camp. I have to admit to mixed success with these. If I’m disappointed with any of them it’s how quickly I cracked on the nutrition side. I turned to sugars early in the camp and didn’t turn back! I think in the second week my eating habits were a little more controlled and structured, but still nothing like the paleo for athletes plan.

I can check off camp completion from the list without problem. I didn’t run every day though. I didn’t run on the easy day, nor on one other day when I might have. I did run a lot mind you, not to the level of some on the camp, but a reasonable amount considering everything else going on. I’ve handled much bigger running loads in the past, but considering how much running I’d done in the couple of weeks before the camp and all the other training I’m not too disappointed. It does mean I won’t be scoring highly in Gordo’s run game of course!

I swam a lot, missing one or two optional swims in the second week of camp. I was particularly pleased to actually get a 6K swim in and do a reasonable number of the swim sets this time. I finished with a good 7 or 8km more swimming than camp minimums at least. I also picked up run bonuses from doing one 25km run (on day one too) and a day with a couple of 10K runs in.

Did I test my limits though? The straight up answer is yes. I’ve never done training like that. I’ll admit I’m suffering a little from that feeling that perhaps I could have done more. Just like finishing a race and thinking how you could have gone faster. Perhaps I could, but what I did pushed me. I think if I take anything away it’s that I worked myself too hard on the North island and struggled more on the South.

The first eight days were comparable with previous eight day camps for me. I finished feeling a lot less fatigued or worn down. From then on though it became an increasing struggle to maintain the level of performance. It’s not to say I didn’t have some good riding on the South island I just had better riding on the North. In fact much of my South island riding would have made perfectly acceptable long training rides outside of camp.

It’s amazing to see how some people coped with the long camp. Particularly impressive were those who got stronger as the camp went on or who maintained their level of performance. In some cases this may have been down to more sensible pacing over the camp. In others it speaks of superb recovery. Something to work towards.

For those interested in the hours and kilometres my logs say I did this:

Slightly less hours than I anticipated for the distances involved. Still far more than I’ve ever done in a two week period. There was a lot of steady riding, but very little really easy riding. Similarly there were only a couple of days I’d say my run pace really suffered. Swimming didn’t vary that much over camp which is to say I was about as slow as normal!

If I look at my performance management chart a couple of points stick out. Firstly the overall affect of camp is an all new high for my CTL. Not really surprising the aim now is to recover without too much loss in that fitness. Secondly the rest day gave a nice break and recovery to my TSB. From that point on I didn’t sink too much lower. This also relates to the ‘easier’ nature of the South island. I said I didn’t ride as well and overall stress was lower. I spent a lot more time hiding myself in the packs.

It’s a big start to the year ahead. I’ve pushed up my swim, bike and run beyond last year’s figures already. My aim now is to build on this and work towards bettering on my 2009 performances. It’s going to take some focus and careful work from here on. Recover from camp above anything else.

I’ve some minor goals in the process. I aim to ride over 3,000km in January. I’m well on my way there and good active recovery will help for the next week. It’ll set me up to log more distance on the bike than last year. I’d like to hit 25,000km for a year. Similarly I’ll aim for higher figures for both swim and run. I just haven’t come up with targets for those yet! Maybe 800km swimming and 3000km of running. Don’t hold me to those yet.

Each time I’ve done Epic Camp I’ve gone in a little nervous as to how I’ll cope. My fitness has proved to be up to the test and I’ve managed to push a little and test myself. I come into camp a better athlete than before and I leave seeing how much more there is to do. Lee commented me over the final dinner how he could see the camps being addictive. They really are. I know I’ll be back in the future to test those limits again.

The final day, just 190km to ride to Bluff and the job is done. It was a weird sensation to be that close to the finish. We all went through the morning routine knowing it’d be the last time. Up early, bags packed and out by the vans, breakfast and then get the bikes ready. I wanted to get out on the road as early as possible so I could cruise through the day.

Rob Q, Lee and I set off as a group about 20 minutes ahead of the main pack. Once Lee got over some initial excitement on the first little hill of the day we stuck to the cruisey pace. The morning breeze was chilly and we’d left wrapped in layers. Less than an hour in they were already coming off. Things were looking good for the promised fine day.

Our pace was easy enough that a couple of riders caught us by the first aid station. This was definitely a easy day, but I was enjoying the ride and the chance to chat a bit. The clouds were starting to burn off and the scenery was spectacular once again. Even the daunting profile chart was proving to be misleading with the worst of the hills being quite manageable. My expectations after day 14 were for a much tougher day.

Wind is a big factor in New Zealand riding, it’s why I mention it so often. The camp had got lucky and there were strong Easterlies today. Once we were riding the bottom of the island the wind was on our back. We may have been cruising, but we weren’t going slow for sure. By lunch the whole camp was ahead of schedule.

After days of cold, gray skies it was nice to relax in the sun for our break. It was probably the most leisurely lunch of the whole camp. All together everyone excited to be within 60km of the finish. From this point on we’d be riding as a group. The plan was to reach the end of the island together.

Once again those tailwinds helped us make great time as we rode two abreast down the coastal roads. I chatted with Tara about the trip and plans for the year ahead and time flew by. Soon we were on Bluff road and the town was in sight. Unfortunately the road turned to give us a headwind, but I was sat in the bunch so it wasn’t so bad.

A small group of brave cyclist wanted to ride up Bluff Hill. Significantly steep to the point that elites in the tour of the Southlands suffer. I chose to wait at the bottom with the rest of the group. So close to finishing it was quite surreal to be relaxing in the sun. The riders returned with stories of their struggles and Douglas’s back flip. It sounded fun, but I knew my legs just weren’t up to it anymore – they were about ready to go on strike.

Regrouped we took the last two kilometres to the end of the road at a leisurely pace. There was the end of the road, the trip was over. It’s hard to describe the feelings pleasure at the achievement, a little disappointment it was over, relief too! That was it, the job was done. I can now say I’ve ridden the length of an entire country. I threw in a little swimming and running to add to the challenge too.

That wasn’t quite the end. A quick changeover into run kit and the majority of the group headed off on the running trails to run round the hill. That transformed into running over the hill at the far viewing point. Initial thoughts that it meant a shorter run were dispelled once I realise how steep the trail was. We climbed for ages. My calves were burning as we slowly ran our way to the top.

From the summit it was a very cautious run down the road a few of the guys had ridden up. It was as steep as they claimed. I was in no doubt I would have had to stop before the top if I’d tried. I think we all gained a lot of respect for those who did it after 15 days of riding.

At the bottom the van was waiting to shuttle us back to the hotel. I sat in the back thinking over the two weeks and all that I’d done. I’ve nothing profound to offer. Not now at least. It’s been an amazing experience, but I’ll save that for another time.

Finally some thanks. Thanks to John, Scott and Gordo for organising these camps. Particularly to John for all the work he does whilst still doing all the training. Massive thanks to Super Dave and the support crew. None of this would happend without their work. Of course, thanks to all the other Epic Campers for being great company and helping me get through. Hopefully I’ll be back on another camp in the future.

The penultimate day of training and whilst I’ll be sad for camp to end, my body is crying for it to be over! With under 400km to the end of the island I’ll be getting myself there somehow. Of course the last two days are some tough ones with plenty of Kiwi rollers in our way. On the other hand it looks like the weather has turned in our favour.

Once again it was an early start. Straight up and ready for the bike as the plan was to hold an Aquathon at Port Chalmers. You could sense the lack of enthusiasm for this over breakfast. Still my day bag had my wetsuit and run kit in ready for the event.

We rolled out at around 7:30 and the bunch rode very friendly for the first 50km. Nothing too hard at all even for my excessively tired legs. Somehow they keep going though there’s a lot more strain involved in keeping up the pace. At least in the group the time passed quickly and we were soon off the highway and onto more scenic coastal roads.

The views were once again spectacular and the terrain a little more lumpy. Climbing is really starting to take a little more out of me now. There was a KOM planned at a nasty little spike just before Dunedin. I’ve come to accept that I can’t do much in the KOM competition now so don’t worry about it. Despite that the lure of a little competition makes me push harder even if it’s for the final placings.

With a few of the guys riding ahead of the mandatory regroup at least I wasn’t quite last on points! It was a tough climb, but merely a preamble to what was to come. The reward for a climb is a nice fast descent. The roads were a little twisty for my taste and i took is easy till I met the group the other side.

Good news the aquathon was cancelled due to the cold. I don’t think anyone was too disappointed to see it go. We rolled friendly into Dunedin to visit the bike shop for a couple of repairs. It was also suggested I needed new shorts. Unfortunately most of the pairs I’ve brought with me have thinned to the point anyone on my wheel sees far more than they want. I’d managed to pick a particularly bad pair for today. The worst most people had ever seen!

Nick acted as the local guide through Dunedin and used it as an opportunity to show off a particularly vicious climb. It was out of the saddle grinding nearly the whole way. I started to wish I had a 27 on the back just for that little bit easier gearing. it proved I could still raise my heart rate though.

Lunch came a bit later in Brighton. A nice beach about 10K south of Dunedin. The climbing had really taken it’s toll on my legs and I made the decision then that I’d drop off the group. It didn’t more than a few kilometres of riding before I followed my plan. I teamed up with Lee for the remaining 60K with an aim of riding easy.

The final big climb of the day made that easier said than done. The road turned up once more and there was plenty of grinding to be done. It was a particularly cruel climb combining very steep sections which gave the impression of summiting the climb. Once you got there you’d find a small dip and then more ascent. I was wondering how many more I could take by the fifth of sixth time. Eventually it came to an end and a fantastic descent followed. Spectacular views over lakes and valleys. Lee and I agreed it looks a lot like the lakes back home.

The final section was along the highway once more. It seemed a little quieter round here than some of the past few days. We shared turns on the front. I wasn’t feeling that great so would secretly hope Lee would happily pull me along the remaining 40K! Halfway through that was a final drinks stop with some tasty flapjack on offer too. A bit of light refuelling and I perked up.

Just a few more hills remained between us and the motel. Mercifully they were no where near as steep as the previous ones. We kept a comfortable pace all the way to Balclutha. Arriving a little too late for it to be worth me heading to the pool. I’d not have time for a points swim and with all my swim and run done I was happy to call it a day.

One more day to go. 190km of riding with plenty more hills in the way. It’s going to be a tough one. No KOM to worry about and the final section will be ridden as a group. I’m sure the fact I’m so close to finishing will give me the motivation to get me through the day. After all that’s gone another 190km is nothing!

Somehow I dragged myself out of bed this morning to get a 10K run in before my swim. It was a hard effort for a very average run. Fatigue is a common theme for all of us on camp by now. Two more days to go and they seem daunting!

So 10K of running finishing at the pool in Geraldine. Unfortunately my swim bag hadn’t turned up so I had to swim in my shorts and borrow some goggles. Last night I’d contemplated doing a second 6K swim for the bonus points involved. This morning that plan was gone. I figured I was probably ahead enough on points to hold 6th place and a 6K swim would mean a minimal breakfast.

Four hundred metres medley is an Epic Camp tradition. Every one I’ve done has had it. For most of us it’s a comedy event there are few medley swimmers here. I swam out the 2.6K I needed to get a 3K swim once my IM was done. After watching a couple of rounds of the IM it was my go. It’s been a while since I’ve done much swimming other than front crawl. This was definitely about survival not performance!

Swim and run done it was just another 150K day on the bike to get through. I rolled with the A group today. Fortunately things were pretty friendly for the first 50K or so. Nobody pushed the pace too hard. Winds were good and we made excellent time. Once the aid station was gone it was a different story.

Petro went to the front and put the hammer down. He pulled us along at a hard pace for the next 20K. I was seriously reaching my limit and considering a tactical withdrawal from the bunch! At this point Steven went to the front and eased back the pace a little. I think everyone in the group breathed a sigh of relief.

Steven kept things going strongly, just slightly more manageable for me. With 30K till lunch I figured I should be able to stick in. The kilometres flew by and we reached the 100K lunch point in under 3 hours. Pretty good going. Not that I could claim much contribution to that, I’d sat in all day.

I wasn’t sure how things would go after lunch, but figured I’d stick with the train as best I could. As it was a combination of Steven and John pulled us through to Oamaru at a decent pace again. I was certainly feeling the effort especially after the break had let blood pool in my legs.

I figured after Oamaru I’d drop off and go at my own pace to the motel. It’d only be 30K so not too far to be left on your own. Despite those thoughts an overall easing of pace in the group kept me with them. I wasn’t having to work as hard as earlier in the day and I’d get to the end quicker. It was certainly a little bit harder than what I’d do left on my own, but manageable.

The last 30K down the coastal road made the ride. There was spectacular views down the beaches or over the fields. The terrain rolled with the odd little hill, but nothing too severe. Enough to tax my aching legs, but not to stop me. Time and distance passed quickly and we rolled into Waianakarua having average 33kph. Not too bad even if I’d spent all day sitting in.

Not having to run or swim once there was a nice feeling. Just relax, clean up and think how close I am to the end. There’s two tough days ahead. 180km of biking tomorrow with a KOM and an aquathon. I’m not sure anyone’s looking forward to that! It may involve a lot of athletes hobbling for 7K. There are plenty of tired legs out there and some very sore ones too.

Yet another early start to the day. Up before six ready to have a quick breakfast before heading off to run the Godley Head loop in Christchurch. Increasingly with the runs and swims the number of campers turning up for each event is shrinking. A small group of us got in the vans and headed over to Scott’s house for the start of the run.

I’d been warned the route was challenging and it didn’t disappoint. The first thirty minutes were spent running up trails into the hills. My calves and ankles ached like mad from the start and I was seriously questioning the wisdom of opting for this run.

When it eventually reached a single lane road I found my legs and picked up the pace. The views over Christchurch and the ocean were spectacular. Well worth the discomfort of running up there. The road winds round the hills before you return to the trails for a long descent back to the beach front. There’s just one last large hill in the way before you reach the start.

It’s tough going, taking me 1:45 to complete just over 18.5km. Then another 6 minutes to join Steven in tacking on a further 1.5km to reach 20K for an extra point. At least that last 1.5K could be done on the flat so didn’t kill the legs quite so much.

Everyone done we headed home for a quick breakfast before the 150km ride. Whilst the morning’s weather had been fine and sunny the forecast didn’t look good for the trip ahead. Already the temperature was dropping and the wind was picking up. By the time we rolled out of the motel it was obvious we were heading into some nasty conditions.

The route from Christchurch to Geraldine is essentially flat. This should have been the easiest ride of the camp. Instead we faced nasty headwinds and soon rain. The group stayed together with the ride neutralised till we passed New Zealand’s longest bridge at about 55K. I don’t think anyone was too disappointed to have the pace kept down.

In the nasty conditions we had one accident with Pete going down and knocking Nick off too. Nick was fine, but Pete had to visit the doctor once the ride was over. Hopefully it won’t prove too serious and he’ll have no trouble riding the rest of the country. With bad weather and increasingly tired athletes accidents are always a risk.

Once we were across the bridge and off the highway everyone was free to ride how they wanted. John and Dave C time trialled off the front of the bunch. The rest of us choose to work together until lunch. We established a neatly rotating pace line that helped everyone along. It made the time pass quickly in such miserable weather.

We arrived at lunch together all cold and wet. It was a remarkably quick affair, more time spent on adding layers of clothing than eating. Then back on the road to try and get warm again. I caught up with Dave L and as we were chatting Clas came by pulling a train. We tried to jump on, but neither of us had the power to do it.

Neither of us felt our best so we worked together taking short turns on the front to keep the pace up. Not my best effort by far mostly I just wanted to get to the next hotel. I was having fantasies about the hot shower I’d have when I got there! Just keeping things going and slowly making our way to Geraldine was the focus. I was counting down the Ks on my bike computer from about 40K out.

Once we arrived that was my day done. I heard some had gone to the pool, but it seemed a little late for me to try and fit that in too. So unfortunately it was my first day on camp without a swim for points. Also means I miss out on the bonus 3 points for swim, bike and run on the day. I’m fine for overall camp minimums, but it feels a little like I missed out.

I’ll aim to get a 6K swim in tomorrow to make up for it. They’ll be bonus points for that anyway and I can throw a run in too. We’ll also have the entertainment of the 400m IM at the pool. Always good for a laugh, very few of us are talented medley swimmers!