I do not even own a bike

That time fo the year again....

2011-08-16T09:38:00.001+10:00

So it was that time of the year again

City to surf. A lazy 14k run from the city of Sydney to Bondi…the beach…obviously

I had done some training in the lead up and was feeling not to bad in the lead. As you might know by now that my prior preparation is often derailed by some form of injury / illness

This year it was a case of the man flu up until the day – just what you want when you are going for a run!

By a stroke of luck this year I was in one of the lead groups, filled with some seriously fast runners. My biggest challenge was keeping “my” pace when the gun went off – last year I was overtaking people, this year, until I hit heartbreak hill, I am pretty sure I did not overtake anyone.

I am not sure if it was the man flu, the weather or me but I was not feeling it and really had to grind out the run. Last year I loved it, this year I put up with it

Despite all that I managed to knock off almost 3 minutes from last years time (72:12 this year just out of the top 10,000)

Believe it or not at 34 I am starting to understand how to race!

Cheers

Greg

So i was hacked

2011-08-01T10:59:00.001+10:00

And my site was red-directed to a bible studies website...

Should i be flattered?

it just shows i should take my finger out and blog more often....new post coming up

Cheers

Greg

Still alive...just

2011-05-11T11:45:00.001+10:00

huge 3 months...a bigger update to come

but i am still alive...unfit as all hell but still here

So I got bitten by a dog

2011-02-05T15:13:00.000+11:00

Most days of the week I run home from work. It is a lazy 2.5 run from work to my front door – nothing more than a sprint really.To keep it interesting I load up my backpack with as much weight as possible and try to get it done in under 10 minutes.

The other day was a typical pea soup Brisbane summers day – heavy on the heat and humidity. I was just around the corner from my place and breathing pretty hard when I saw a lady on one of those mobility scooters. I ran around her not noticing her dog…..which jumped and bite me on leg

Now to be fair to the dog what would you do?

A strange looking bald man, dripping with sweat and breathing very heavily is running towards your mum

Luckily the dog just caught me on the shorts without any major damage

Cheers

Greg

Naked Training (well on the feet at least)

2011-01-23T21:04:00.001+11:00

So I am mixing things up with my training including a weekly crossfit class with my buddy Sharif (http://www.sharifit.com)

It is a great class which really pushes me – mainly because he is interested in technique not how quickly I get through it...which is a real challenge
The other challenge for me is the time.

7am

Saturday Mornings

In a park about 10k’s from my place. Now in case you have not been keeping up I am pretty unorganised guy.

I am the kind of person who will turn up to the pool without a towel or swimmers (but will not forget my goggles – this is not a lie it happened to me the other day). So this Saturday I woke up at 6:40 with 20mintes to get dressed and get to the park

Luckily I got to the park bang on 7. As I was putting on my socks I realised something was missing

Shoes

Bugger

I had two choices

Go barefoot or go home

So I went barefoot. Of course Sharif decided to make me so a heap of sprints. Luckily I manage to avoid anything to dramatic and complete the session – although my feet are pretty cut up

The moral to the story for me is not about my preparation (or lack of) but making the best of every situation

I am off to put some more band aids on my feet.....

Cheers

Greg

The Brisbane Floods

2011-01-14T21:09:00.004+11:00

Hi All,

What a crazy, scary week. In case you missed it Brisbane, my new home town, has been subject to floods.

Thankfully whilst our place is still without power we did not suffer any water damage. My family and I we due to head back to Sydney on Friday - we were able to get back just before the floods really hit.

Not wanting to overstate it but Brisbane, like most of Queensland, has been devastated. You might have seen the images of that walkway floating down the river - that was around 300 mtrs from our place

This was the day before the flood

And this is during the flood

All at the end of our street - scary stuff.

Please donate what ever you can and help the people who were not as lucky as my family

Cheers

Greg

Is it good for you?

2011-01-08T10:50:00.002+11:00

So i have started running whilst pushing my son in his pram - a total weight of around 25 kilo's

This morning was a good un...we even managed to overtake some people (at which point my son waves bye bye to the people - talk about rubbing it in!)

My question is...considering my brittle body....is running with a pram a wise option?

I guess time will tell!

Cheers

Greg

A 26 dollar bike...

2010-12-26T17:22:00.002+11:00

is not all i got for Christmas.....in fact it was a couple of weeks before!

As per my 2010 training i have been pretty slack on the blog front - both things i am going to focus on next year

In an effort to get out and ride more i bought a 26 dollar bike from ebay...it is a bit of a brick but will be good to ride around with my son (on the back. Only drama is the gears - or lack off!

Hope everyone had a merry merry time!

Cheers

Greg

How they roll in the Vegas

2010-11-10T12:08:00.001+11:00

So I am just settling into life in Brisvegas (why the vegas? http://tinyurl.com/2586np8 )

Brisbane is a great exercise town. Luckily I work about a 20 minute walk from home so i get to stroll in each morning....and every morning a guy cycles past me wearing suit pants, thongs and a helmet.

Thats right no shirt

Oh and a mullet

I tried to find a picture of it, but, surprisingly there was nothing in Google images that captured it

Oh and i saw him cycle home looking the same...

Cheers

Greg

Everyone wears Speedo’s........

2010-11-03T17:55:00.004+11:00

.....in Brisvegas

So I have started to get back into my swimming. I rocked up to the local pool in my usual swimming gear

- Long shorts
- Sun proof rash vest (short sleeve)

There were about 20 other men in the pool. No women, just men.

All wearing Speedos.

Big and small

All in the short stuff. Basically I looked like a freak in all my gear

To top it off as we are still moving I did not have any swimming towels handy.....so I had to borrow one from my son....which was hooded

Like this

.....in Brisvegas

So I have started to get back into my swimming. I rocked up to the local pool in my usual swimming gear

- Long shorts
- Sun proof rash vest (short sleeve)

There were about 20 other men in the pool. No women, just men.

All wearing Speedos.

Big and small

All in the short stuff. Basically I looked like a freak in all my gear

To top it off as we are still moving I did not have any swimming towels handy.....so I had to borrow one from my son....which was hooded

Like this

Hello Brisbane

Cheers

Greg

I might not even have a bike....

2010-10-26T10:08:00.000+11:00

So my family and I just moved up to Brisbane. It was for a new job and a lifestyle change

I tell you what with all the cycle tracks and running paths I am pretty motivated to get training again. In fact I am going to hit the pool today

The only catch might be my bike.

I had grand plans to carefully pack my bike before it went into the removal truck / storage....unfortunately I ran out of time and had to pack it loose....

Who know how it will turn up!

Fingers crossed

Greg

Commonwealth Games?

2010-10-07T21:46:00.002+11:00

So they are on right now

For those of you who might now know this is a 4 yearly celebration of what used to be the British empire.

Basically Australia will win close to 100 gold medals beating some god awful competition (as a nation we can swim but you know the competition is bad if we are winning gymnastics medals.........)As a result it is pretty boring to watch

Is this how Americans feel about the Olympics?

Cheers

Greg

On Compression

2010-09-24T15:21:00.001+10:00

I love my compression gear…..but when I do use compression gear I believe in following 5 simple rules

1. Do not wear them if you are looking to improve your performance. Train smarter and harder. Wear them for the psychological improvement and to stay warm. Any improvement you get is a bonus

3. Never wear skin coloured compression tights. Go plain. They are a functional item not a fashion item.

3. Most expensive is not always best. I have tired a few different brands and have found my pair, a middle of the ground, suit me the best rather than the most expensive. Ask around and get a recommendation from someone

4. I wear them to stay warm not cool I have seen the “ice” compression wear around and I am not convinced. I have worn compersiions wear in warm weather and found I got too hot. Just not my scence

And last but not least

Do not ever, ever wear just your compression clothing when you for a run. No matter what time of the day it is, no matter how cold it is no one wants to see that. No one

What do you think?

Cheers

Greg

You know it is not going to be your day when.....

2010-08-13T07:53:00.002+10:00

Your umbrella springs open on a full bus spraying people with ice cold water

Off for a swim today to try and shake off the aches and pains from the city to surf. The other night i tired to run home.....

I was about 7k's in when i started to cramp in both my calves. Young Greg would have pushed through....older Greg decided to jump on a bus.

So i flagged down the bus and asked for my ticket (my stop was around 4k's away)

Turns out the bus driver had just done the city to surf and started to take the piss out of me for stopping running....according to him

- it would have been quicker to run than catch the bus (which was wrong as he drove like a madman!)
- I needed to toughen up....a fair point when you think about it

You have got to love Sydney public transport

Cheers

Greg

Results are in

2010-08-11T16:53:00.001+10:00

So the official time is in 74.52....8 seconds below the cut off for the top group next year

NOt bad not bad at all

For anyone interested this is the run

City to Surf
Find more Runs in Sydney, Australia

A run with some company

2010-08-09T19:19:00.000+10:00

Believe it or not over the past months I have actually been doing something

1. I shaved half my left leg (so I could strap my ankle)
2. I went for a swim so bad that an old man doing breath stroke almost overtook me
3. I did the city to surf – with 80,000 other people

The city to surf is a 14k run from the centre of Sydney to Bondi beach. After years of talk I finally decided to enter.

I trained a little and felt in decent shape before hand. Then I looked at my wave start.

I was in the walkers group. The last group out of 80,000 runners…...

As I was warming up at the start line a large group of people started to eat huge bags of McDonalds (with large cokes)

It was that kind of wave

Oh did I mention the guy’s running in full body stockings?

Anyhow the gun went off and I proceeded to dodge my way through the people in sumo and dinosaur suits to finish in around 74 minutes (not bad considering the circumstances!)

I was on such a high that I signed up to do my first half marathon……then I woke up the next day and felt how sore I was! Talk about runners regret….

Wish me luck

Cheers

Greg

Don’t call it a comeback

2010-05-31T13:46:00.000+10:00

I have been here for years.

Yes after far to long I have gotten back on the blog.

So what has been going on?

To be honest not a lot.

I managed to do one short course tri (the same one I have done for the past 4 years) but that is it. I do not have my times handy but I was only slightly slower than last year. Funny, as I am the unfittest I have been for a while, it was the first race I felt that I raced to my full capacity.

Do you need to be unfit to race smart? I am starting to think it works for me.

On the plus side being unfit might not be so bad

- Every session you do it feels like a good work out
- No need for compression gear. All your old clothes are as tight as compression clothes…
- You are never lonely. Every time I have gone for a swim the lifeguards have stayed really close to me

During my blog sabbatical I also managed to go to South Africa and meet some in-laws (my wife is South African). What an interesting and great place – plus we landed just as the SA iron man was on

Talk about a sign

Cheers

Greg

Songs not to sing out loud on the bus

2010-05-24T21:19:00.001+10:00

Crowded bus, me listening to my ipod.....

I catch myself singing "touch me" by the doors....

Missed me much?

Cheers

Greg

Long time between drinks

2010-03-18T14:25:00.000+11:00

(well not that long as all i have been doing is drinking...)

Well it has been a tough couple of months training wise. My back took a long time to get right and then I followed it up with a stomach bug which took me out for another month.

So I have had two months off...and am in the worst shape of the last couple of years

So what am I going to do about it?

I am going to train smarter....and start stroke correction classes....

If nothing else it will give me something to write about!

Wish me luck

Cheers

Greg

That was not good...but not that bad either

2010-01-24T20:12:00.004+11:00

So it is not a good sign when you are swimming out to the start of the swim and your back jams!

As you could probably tell the swim (never my strong point) was more of a struggle than normal. I got out towards the end of my wave..but towards the front of the wave after me....

After about 6k on the bike my back was starting to feel good. I thought this was the moment, time to take it up a notch. So i clicked up the gears, got out of the seat and started to go for it when it happened again

My back........Was almost gone

So what to do 6k's out? I put it into a low gear and tried to spin it out. It was a long course when your spinning like i was!

After the slowest bike...ever....i rolled into transition. It was then i saw my wife who was worried (i was doing this tri with a first timer Ben...who did awesome...but she was worried when i was so far behind him!)

It was make or break time. Should i stop or just try and shuffle my way through?

Of course i went for it. I battled through the run to finish in around 1:28 or so

I was slow on the bike and my run was nothing that great but......i was pretty proud of my effort. This was the first time that i had finished a race not wondering "what if"

And it has given me motivation for the next one!

Cheers

Greg

Brick = Bad

2010-01-11T19:35:00.002+11:00

So i thought i would do a lazy brick session on Sunday

A nice ride followed by a run. The ride was great, felt strong and smooth

As for the run about 2k's away from my place my back went. Out of no where...a long way from home...with no phone....outside a KFC (i is not a good look to be bent over groaning outside the dirty bird)

Here is oping it comes good for Sunday....it is not looking good at this stage

Cheers

Greg

One week to go

2010-01-09T22:57:00.000+11:00

Until my first race in a long time

Have i done enough? No

Is there much i can no now? Not really

Am i looking forward to it?

Bring it on baby

Cheers

Greg

The bargaining game

2009-12-23T12:44:00.002+11:00

When my head is in the right space I am more than capable of completing a quality training session...then again when I am not “on” the bargaining process begins

So what is the bargaining process? Today it started as I dragged myself to the pool.

I had planned to a one kilometer......then again maybe I would not do a kilometer....maybe I could get away with 800 meters.....in the 25 meter pool....not the 50...

The worst part is that this goes on the whole time I am training. Sometimes it is a constant battle / bargain

Does anyone else do this? Or is just me?

Here is the thing – I managed to get through what I had planned and felt better for it.......

Hope you all have a merry Christmas and happy new year

Cheers

Greg

The very occasional athlete

2009-12-14T16:24:00.000+11:00

It finally struck me the other day. I am the occasional athlete

I try to train every day but it ends up 3 to 4 days per week

I plan my sessions religiously but end up doing whatever I can fit in (The plan today was to go for a swim at lunch......to a trainer session tonight)

I like to compete in races but always seem to have something on, so only do a couple each year. Each time I do one I am sure I could have done better

I have all the gear but little or no idea

And when I am not training I am injured

My name is Greg and I am an occasional exerciser

PS I am training for my next race on the 17th of January....and I am injured......

The 10k run

2009-11-09T16:10:00.000+11:00

They say prior preparation prevents poor performance.

At 10:30 the night before the race I was still looking for my bib and timing tag....good job it was less than 10 hours till race time! Did I mention that I left my only working watch at work? There went any chance of a race plan

After one of those nights where you wake up every hour (and no it was not my son...it was me) I was up at 5:30 ready to go.

Pity we were leaving at 7:30

As my wife and son were doing the same course as part of a walk I decided to get creative with my timing chip. Yes I was going to run as my wife.

After the trek to the Olympic stadium...about a 45 minute drive from our place....then another journey from the car park to start line....another 30 minutes...we had about 3 minutes to find our friends before the race started! No real stretch or warm up, it was going to be ready set go....

As we got to the start line it started to drizzle then really rain. I said goodbye to my wife and son and meet up with Ben (my running mate) to head for the start line.

There were around 6,000 runners – it was pretty weird running with all those people! At the 7k mark or so Ben decided to slow down...feeling good I decided to kick on. Before I knew it was running into the Olympic stadium and through the finish. As with every race I have ever done the real issue was the pacing i.e. I felt fine at the end and could have pushed much harder. I guess this will only ever get better with experience

I had my time somewhere around the 48 minute mark but it turned out to be 52.11.

The good news is that I finished 1,290 overall and as the 92nd woman in my age group.....

Cheers

Greg

52 min something....

2009-11-08T21:51:00.003+11:00

And i felt fine!

Proper report to come but when i am ever going to get my pacing right???/

Cheers

Greg

6 Days till the 10k run

2009-11-02T15:10:00.001+11:00

And I have not trained enough and am as unfit as I have been for the past couple of years

How far do you think adrenaline can carry you in a race?

10k’s?

Here is hoping

Cheers

Greg

How do you know when you have not swum for a while?

2009-10-23T16:37:00.000+11:00

When you almost drown in a 25 metre pool.

I am back in the pool and it is not pretty. I have never been the best swimmer but after a 3 month break I am worse than before

Back to the fun an splash lane for me

Lord knows what my cycling will be like!

Cheers

Greg

Is it ever okay to take off your shirt.....

2009-10-13T16:22:00.001+11:00

......when exercising?

Let’s take swimming out of the equation and I say never.

I never have and never will

While I was in the park doing some stair work (1500 up 1500 down...i will let you know how I feel tomorrow!) when some larger chaps started to do some push ups / chin ups using the park equipment

It was not a hot day. In fact with a strong wind up it was pretty cool...although to be fair I am pretty soft and find almost every day cold

After about 5 minutes of exercising they stripped down to just their shorts. And flexed. And preened. And occasionally exercised

You might ask why I did not move or look away. It is pretty hard when you are on stairs...

Cheers

Greg

Is that what you call an omen?

2009-09-30T10:47:00.000+10:00

Lately my training has been ambling along without any particular direction. To address this I thought I would enter my first ever running race the

http://www.run4fun.com.au/

Now here is the cool thing. It finishes insider the Sydney Olympic Stadium.....with a 100 metre run to the finish line. What a way to love out a sporting fantasy. So with my entry completed I thought I would go for a lunch time jog.

Nothing crazy. Get some k’s in the legs sort of a thing

After about 500 metres I had to stop, my stomach was not feeling good. Pre race nerves? Not likely as it is 6 weeks out.....

Bad news is three hours later I was throwing up into a plastic bag outside my 70 year old neighbors living room. Classy.

Good news I have dropped some serious weight and will be lighter on my feet

Cheers

Greg

Why do you need to take your shirt off when you get a chest x-ray?

2009-09-09T15:52:00.000+10:00

Well????

I have been sick for 9 weeks, constant cough (read man flu) shivers lack of energy etc. After 3 courses of antibiotics and some blood tests I was sent for a chest x-ray

Good news it was clear. Bad news I need more tests

Man this is playing havoc with my training!

Cheers

Greg

Whenever you can

2009-08-25T11:42:00.000+10:00

My blogging is a lot like my training. Sporadic, laboured and very much hit and miss

The other day I had a classic Greg moment. It was a fine and sunny day so I decided to take my son out for a walk. After a nice hour strolling around the neighbourhood it was time to head home.

As I walked up to our place I started to look for my keys. They were not in my pockets, not in the pram, not in the bag.......not anywhere.

Then it hit me.

I had left my keys in the boot of our car. Which was not at my wife’s work. 3 kilometres away.

Now for the wanna be tri athlete this can only mean one thing.

Training session

So I put my son back into his pram and started jogging......in black jeans a t-shirt and trainers. Not forgetting the 20 odd kilo’s of pram and my son I had to push in front of me

Did I mention it was the middle of the day...and in typical winter time for Sydney it was around 25 degrees

50 minutes later, covered in sweat later, I had my keys and was back home. All that said I had somehow managed to overtake some other runners...what’s up with that!

I guess you have to fit in the training when you can

Cheers

Greg

My Forrest Gump Moment

2009-07-07T10:45:00.000+10:00

The other day I thought I would go for a lazy 9 k run

The plan was to run half way home then jump on a bus. When I got to half way I heard a voice (go with me here)

Run Greg Run

So I ran. I ran all the way home. A very satisfying 18k’s in around an hour twenty five...with plenty left in the tank

Maybe I am feeling fitter than I thought!

Cheers

Greg

PS I feel a bit dirty after this one as I have a vast dislike for Forrest Gump!

How to look like a freak when running (in 3 easy steps)

2009-06-22T16:17:00.001+10:00

1. Wear black tights. Then wear black shorts over the black tights. Looks like you are running in just tights. Not a good look for a dude

2. Run in the rain holding a closed umbrella. I guess running with an open umbrella would be weirder but what are you gonna do

3. Have a bright, shield your eyes bright, yellow rain cover for your bag

At least I always get a seat to myself on the bus

Cheers

Greg

The things we do for love

2009-06-15T07:38:00.002+10:00

I thought after 6 months of parenting I figured I was starting to get a handle on things.

Turns out I was wrong. Kids have ways of challenging you which is far far tougher than any training session

If you had not picked it up already I am a somewhat unusual person.

I hate bananas

The way they look, smell everything about them I hate(a strong word I know but I do not know how else to describe how “they” make me feel)

The other day I had to feed my son mashed bananas. Whilst I was struggling not to gag Luca thought it would be a great time to sneeze

With a mouthful of mashed Banana

He covered me, well mainly my face. I smiled and laughed and acted like I did not want to run and scrub myself under hot water

You have to love parenthood

Cheers

Greg

PS I have been flogging myself in the start of “2 months of pain”. I figure the next 2 months will make or break my season

A kick to the face

2009-05-04T15:58:00.001+10:00

I have slowly started to get back into training after the farce that was the sprint tri. The other day I was at the pool thrashing my way up and down the lanes when I noticed one of my eyes slowly filling with water

Now this is nothing new for me. I am nothing if not sloppy when it comes to preparation.

So I stopped thrashing around and re-adjusted my goggles but still water trickled in. I took them off to have a look.

Turns out that when I was getting kicked in the face during the swim my goggles got cracked

So not only did my eye twitch for the next week but my goggles are now cactus

The question I have to ask is

Is swim training worth it? Am I better off being at the back of the pack?
Cheers
Greg

It is never a good sign

2009-04-14T13:40:00.001+10:00

When you start pumping the tyres on your bike at 2:30am

The night before a race

Did I mention I was slightly drunk?

Or that my pump exploded around 3ish

And that I had to leave for the race at 5:30? Just 2 hours or so after I finally got to bed

Have to love having my mother in laws birthday party the night before a sprint! (it was a great night though)

Basically I was about a minute slower than last year. Some highlights / lowlights were

• For once I was strong in the swim finishing in the middle of the pack. In a new experience I was sitting on the feet of someone going at a fair pace when they decided to do breath stroke. Their first 4 kicks were straight in my eye…..

• My ride was okay but the course was packed. I did not get into a groove until the end of it…and ended up swearing in frustration at one point (not cool!)

• My run was tough at first but I managed to get into a nice groove. In typical Greg style I finished the course with plenty in the tank. How do I get the pacing right?

• Chris McCormack (Australian Olympic Distance Champion) was in the race. He finished about 14 minutes ahead of me….it just shows that the pro’s are on a different level

• No one is better supported than me. I had almost my whole family come along to see me for around 10 seconds!

Considering I have been sick for the past month, am a new Dad, slept for around 2 hours the night before and have not trained that much I am not too unhappy with my result….but it does give me motivation to get back into it!

Cheers

Greg

PS Word of warning the more I train the more I post – apologies in advance

Short and Sweet

2009-04-01T15:53:00.001+11:00

I have a sprint tri on the weekend.

I am not prepared at all. Put it this way my bike has two flat tyres, my shoes have holes in them and who knows where my goggles are

I have a bung shoulder and a stomach bug (has been with me for 1 month now….basically I do not absorb protein so am tired all the time)

It is in Sydney Harbour…where all the sharks are….

Am I a goner?

Will let you know next week!

Cheers

Greg

Return to Random

2009-03-09T15:17:00.001+11:00

Almost all of the blogs I read are from people in the northern hemisphere.

They talk about running in snow, sleet and watching out for ice. This is a picture I took on a run the other day

Not bad hey?

Is anyone else annoyed by watch shops that do not have the correct time on their clocks? How can I trust you sell me a watch when you cannot even get it right in your own store?

On the training front things seem to be slipping backwards – I am putting in the hard yards but just do not seem to be getting anywhere

Fingers crossed it is a lack of sleep but I might go to the docs this week just in case

Cheers

Greg

PS I am clearly struggling from today's session.....

Interview Me

2009-03-05T16:29:00.002+11:00

Thanks to Coach Liz (http://tntcoachliz.blogspot.com/) I am able to indulge in some more self indulgence…5 questions about me (because sometimes bi weekly blog posts are not enough…)

Take it away Liz (and Greg)

1. Do you eat vegemite? What is this stuff made of and what is it normally eaten with? What does it taste like? Explain

Do I eat it?

Hell no

My wife does. I sometimes gage when she does…..I am pretty sure it is made from yeast and it smells kind of like Guinness (or any stout beer…kind of like the pub at the end of a massive night……..)

It is generally eaten with toast and tastes awful – this is their horrific website

http://www.howdoyoulikeyourvegemite.com.au/?go=profiles

Tempted? Off to buy a Tub? What me to send you some?

2. If you were talking to someone who was going to be visiting OZ for the first time, what would you recommend as the top three things to see? Explain why these make the top three.

1. Sydney Harbour (and a ferry trip to Manly). There is nothing better than having a drink at Opera Bar (http://www.operabar.com.au) talking a short walk to the ferry and jumping on for a trip to Manly

2. Northern Territory (Uluru and Kakadu National Park). I have to put my hand up and say I have not been yet but I know a fair few people that have and say how good it is.

3. Great Barrier Reef. This is awesome. Snorkelling looking at the fish and Coral. In a word amazing

3. Ok, this one is really goofball, but when water drains down the sink in OZ, does it make a clockwise or a counter-clockwise vortex? I just always wondered.

Can I be honest- it just goes straight down……… as far as I can tell

4. Craig Alexander or Chris McCormick, who is more bad-ass? Explain. Is Emma Snowsill the Uber tri-babe or does someone else hold that title? Explain.

Craig Alexander! Who comes 2nd in their first crack at the big show? Then follows it up with a win? That is freakish!
As for Emma Snowsill Gold medallist how can you go past that!

5. If I encountered a playtapus, a koala, and a kangaroo, which one should I be the most afraid of? Explain.

Platypus are monotremes, the only mammals that lay eggs instead of giving birth to live young. That’s just weird and more than a little bit scary. Plus they are just as quick in the water as the land…no where is safe (Kind of the opposite of me - i am jsut as slow in the water as land...)

Koalas apparently that can attack you but I am not sure about – they sleep for 18 hours a day so you would have to be pretty unlucky to be attacked

Kangaroos can actually be pretty violent …….. http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2005/05/0506_050506_kangaroos.html

So it is dead heat between Platypuses and Kangaroos for me (although there are that many snakes and bugs that can kill you really do not worry about it)

To Play Along:
1. Leave me a comment saying, "interview me".
2. I will respond by giving you five questions. (I get to pick the questions.)
3. You will update your blog with the answers to the questions.
4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview others in the same post.
5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.

Cheers

Greg

PS is this the longest post I have ever done?

Ouch

2009-02-26T11:08:00.001+11:00

This week I started to feel my age

On Monday I took a tumble when I was running. No one was around me, not pot holes, no cracked footpath

Nothing

No one to blame but me

I was busting out a classic Greg sprint (think arms swinging wildly from side to side ala the robot from lost in space, feet slamming on the ground like rhino on the charge coupled with a breathing style that can only be likened to that off a pervert…..) when I took a full tumble

Right in front of a packed café full of out door tables

Right near my old work

I broke my mp3 player cut both knees, bruised both hands and managed to get a bruise on my ass…

It could only happen to me…..

Cheers

Greg

Little of this and a little of that

2009-02-11T13:43:00.000+11:00

Sometimes people ask me why I do not blog more

I am strong believer in only blogging when I have something to say. I could write about how the bathroom at my work always smells like burnt hair and is full of passive aggressive notes but that is just wrong……

All that said lately I have stepped up my running (see what I did there) and have seen some unusual things………like the woman who jogs listening to a Discman.

No Mp3 player for her……where does she keep her spare CD’s?

I also feel sorry for the people who sit next to me on the bus after I have gone for a run. It is safe to say that I am not in peak physical condition at the moment………at least I almost always get a seat to myself…..

Cheers

Greg

Buying Speedo’s is never fun

2009-01-21T14:34:00.001+11:00

Clearly by wearing Speedo’s I forfeit the right to care about how I look during exercise. Therefore, swim wear shopping for me is all about function not fashion.

All that said trying to buy speeds in the middle of summer is not an easy thing. I went to three shops and came back empty handed

Shop 1

Sizes available: Large, Extra Large and Extra Extra Large (have you ever seen a pair of speedo’s that big? I would not want to swim next to that guy)

Shop 2

Sizes available: Large, Extra Large

Shop 3

Sizes available: Small (they were tiny…and pink….) Extra Extra Large

Here’s the thing I have only ever seen big fat guys in Speedo’s

Surely the big sizes would be the first to sell out?

Worst thing is I am no closer to a new pair

Cheers

Greg

It's a Boy

2009-01-09T16:02:00.000+11:00

Without resorting to clichés (I know, I know you might be asking why stop now). It is impossible to put into words how my son makes me feel.

All I can say it is one of the best things in the world….and any tri is a synch compared to child birth

I am not a great believer in new years resolutions however I do like to set my self some goals for the year. My goals for this year are

Work life balance. If this is in place then I will be fine

Keep track of my training. I have started to write it down (it makes for depressing reading so far)

Train with a purpose. Do not go through the motions

And to improve my times (35 Min swim, Sub 1:30 bike, sub 1 hour ride)

A belated Merry Happy New Year to you

Greg

Nothing to see here

2008-11-28T17:04:00.000+11:00

It is amazing how training can change when you do not have a goal. I have trained most days just without the intensity and drive of pre Canberra. I am putting it down to resting up before the baby comes.

My wife and I have a labour communication strategy planned. Basically she will call my mobile when she thinks she is in labour. Since we made this plan she has not called my phone in over two weeks.....

Yesterday I was in a cab heading to a meeting when my phone rang......

It was my wife......

My heart boomed and a quick sweat came over me as I fumbled for the phone

Turns out she wanted to talk about the plumber who had just come to look at the leak in the bathroom

It took me 10 minutes to get my heart rate back to normal!

Cheers

Greg

Never Swim on a hot day.....

2008-11-05T09:59:00.000+11:00

Sounds ridiculous right?

Well not really when you are trying to fit in a bit of training

Last week was a fairly lazy one for me. By Friday I started to get a bit toey and decided to go for a lunchtime swim.

I went up to the pool and it was jammed – the lap lanes were full of people doing everything other than laps. Now as you know I am not the greatest swimmer, but I know my limits. Some things observed you should not do in the medium lane (I know look at me I am now in the medium lane!)

· You do not tread water in the deep end
· You do not “run” in the water
· You do not do laps floating on your back

All that was missing was someone with floaties.

Cheers

Greg

PS When did I lose my tolerance for other swimmers?

Results are up

2008-10-29T10:47:00.000+11:00

And I was fairly spot on

My splits were

Swim 40:18

Ride 1:45:56

Run 1:02:59

Total 3:29:13

My swim was around 5 minutes faster than I thought it would be, ride about 15 minutes slower and run around 10 minutes slower. Overall there were 5 pages of results and I finished towards the bottom of page 4……..

As for what is next I have my biggest challenge coming up – the birth of my first child!

The next month is about getting the house ready, doing last minute reading and supporting my wife (hopefully as much as she has supported me with the whole tri thing!) Fingers crossed I can get some training in as once the bub is here I will be on a training break for a while!

Cheers

Greg

PS Thanks to all for your messages of support pre and post race!
PPS Yes the results are nagging at me a bit...I want to do it again and better....

To be continued (my first real race report)

2008-10-28T17:47:00.000+11:00

So that’s that then. My first Olympic distance tri in the bag.

It all started on Saturday with an early morning drive down to Canberra with my wife and mother in law.

Canberra is a nice place but I found it hard to shake the small town feeling. For instance at dinner I went to the bathroom and walked past the coat rack. On the rack was a pair of pants.

That’s right a pair of pants

So someone (fingers crossed it was a cook) was walking around the restaurant with their plums out…….

Surprisingly I slept okay and was up about an hour before my alarm. I chewed down some cereal and grabbed all my gear

As you can see there is a fair bit of stuff there! No bike though……

I got there signed in and started to sort out my gear in the transition. As I looked around the other people I noticed I was

· The only guy who did not have shaved legs.
· The only guy who was not wearing a one piece tri suit
· The only guy who had a bike without tri bars
· The only guy who had no idea what the course was like (none at all – it would make the ride especially interesting. I spent most of the time figuring out where I was going)
· The only guy who had 6 people supporting him!

For an amateur hack like me to have my Mother in law, Father in law, Brother in law, a couple of friends (the other Jax and Greg) and the most supportive pregnant wife a man could want supporting me was a very humbling experience.

While I was warming up, I decided to ditch the wet suit. Despite wearing my wet suit around the house I was still not 100% comfortable (poor J having to put up with me prancing around the house in more latex than any man should)

My plan was to hang at the back of the pack and just cruise through the swim see if you can spot me

All was going to plan until the 700 mark when my goggles started to fog up. After struggling for a little bit I decided to ditch the goggles. Thankfully it was a fresh water swim so it was not too hard on the eyes. I was pretty happy that the swim was over.....

I was one of the last out of the water but feeling very good (around 40 min or so – I am sure I went faster than I was timed!)

The bike was tough with the first 20 k’s into a head wind. My favourite part of the ride was when I started to slow down going down hill due to the wind! Turns out my ride was mega slow (around 1 hour 45! How bad is that?) As I had thought pre race my big issue was with pacing. I felt great after the ride with plenty in the tank, I am pretty sure I could have gone much harder

The run was scenic (along bush tracks for a few k’s) and not overly hard. My only challenge was my right foot which went to sleep after 4k’s or so – it meant I had to stop every 1500 metres to get feeling back!

Before I knew it the race was over.

I ended up finishing in just under 3:30 with plenty of room for improvement.

I am happy I that I finished (a fair achievement considering where I have come from) and am sure that experience will serve me well for the next one……

Back into training tomorrow!

Cheers

Greg

You’ve come a long way baby

2008-10-24T14:41:00.000+11:00

Of course I was going to be sick this week.

Anyone who has read this blog will know that if something can go wrong for me it generally will. All that said I have been pretty lucky overall (nothing too serious touch wood!)

So with less than 3 days to go I am feeling good.

Sure it is going to be hard but when you think 6 months or so ago I did not own a bike, could not swim more than a couple of laps and struggled to run because of my knees I am pretty happy with where I have come from…..

Cheers

Greg

Everything you wanted to know about my stomach but were afraid to ask

2008-10-22T17:11:00.000+11:00

I have had my stomach bug for around 36 hours now; thankfully I am on the upswing and starting to feel better.

This morning was pretty dicey as I spent most of it around the bathroom thinking I was going to throw up. Safe to say this put an end to any ideas I had of going for a swim today. In fact I have not done much this week bar a light jog on Monday.

Fingers crossed I can get out tomorrow morning for a light paddle

Cheers

Greg

PS picked up the bike from it’s service, it looks real preeeetty....also when I went for a ride the other day I saw someone flossing their teeth at a set of lights. I like clean teeth as much as the next guy but there is a time and a place for it....

Oh No

2008-10-21T08:40:00.000+11:00

What a time to get a stomach bug.

The only last minute training I am getting in is running to the toilet ever 30 minutes (sorry for being so graphic). Fingers crossed I can shake this today and get in a couple of swims this week

At least I will be well rested for Sunday

Cheers

Greg

PS Apart from the tummy I am feeling pretty good about Sunday. It will be hard but I am confident I can do it and do it well

Crisis averted

2008-10-17T17:07:00.000+11:00

So with just over a week to go I thought it would be a good time to do a full dress rehearsal.

I put on my trusty tri shorts (I am not a fan of the one piece. I have tried on a one piece once but they are not flattering for anyone especially me) and wetsuit and went down to the ocean for a swim.

After my swim I stood under the shower at the beach, struggling to get my wet suit off I noticed that my tri shorts had become see through after the swim.

Put it this way, I could see more of me than I would have liked when showering in a public place.

Thank the lord I figured this out before the race!

Cheers

Greg

10 More Sleeps

2008-10-16T12:18:00.000+11:00

When it comes to triathlon know how I am almost completely self-taught (when you stop to think about it that has to be the cause of all my problems – I am not an especially good student or teacher). What I have learnt is from books, articles websites etc.

As it is only 10 days till tri time I have been reading up on how to taper. One thing I am sure I have not read is to start renovating your place during taper time.

It seemed like a good idea to paint all the doors and skirting boards.

Seemed like a good idea.

After spending a weekend sanding, whilst wearing a mask and goggles, I have spent the next three days coughing up paint.

Mix this in with the hay fever and it is not great for the lungs!

Cheers

Greg

Hair Shorts?

2008-10-03T15:50:00.000+10:00

It just over 3 weeks until my first Tri.

There is no easy way to say this...so here goes....

Should I shave my legs?

If so where do I stop? The knee's?

I am a hairy guy so I think I need to go all the way up...or have my self a nice pair of hair shorts.....

Cheers

Greg

PS I was going to post a picture of my legs but thought people are still recovering from "that" picture of my ass in lycra

The way it is

2008-09-30T17:17:00.000+10:00

Why is this blog the way it is?

I train everyday, sometimes even twice a day (apart from that cherished rest day). A few people have asked me why there are not some more serious training posts.

Well I am new at triathlon and find it hard to offer anything on training programs. Plus there are some great blogs out there (like http://www.everymantri.com/ ) full of good info

Instead you get my somewhat bizarre training observations like…..

I only like to swim in dry clothes.

When I go jogging I try to focus on my form, pace and breathing. The other day I went for a run and saw a dude jogging in the distance with two boxes of Krispy Kremes. It is safe to say that my form, pace and breathing went out the window…I just had to catch him. When I got him I was fairly puffed but it felt very good….although I am not sure how much of an accomplishment it is to overtake a fat bastard carrying two dozen donoughts.

And finally there just some things you do not do whilst naked in a change room

1. Stretch
2. Dry your hair (I know I am a bald man but why dry your hair naked?)
3. Drop things
4. Then bend over / squat to pick up what ypu have dropped

Less than 4 weeks to go!

Cheers

Greg

Help (the worlds worst competition)

2008-09-19T18:20:00.002+10:00

Here is the deal.

I have managed to snaffle a sponsor (to be honest it is a buddy of mine....even my family are not dumb enough to throw money at this thing....and it looks like he is doing some dodgy wog style tax manoeuvring)

The catch is I need to design a t-shirt, with his company logo on it, and wear it around a bit

Now in case you had not picked it up I am not the most creative person going around

So far all I have some up with is a message on the back saying

"you are about to pass Greg"

Kind of like the ones you see on fox trucks....

Email me or post your ideas. The best idea / design will get a t-shirt

Cheers

Greg

Indecent Proposal?

2008-09-18T16:34:00.000+10:00

I have stepped up my training I am not where I wanted to be at this stage of my preparations but I am not that far off. I could blog about my recent training but there is not anything really interesting going on (to be fair you could say that about any post on this blog)

Instead I will tell you about something random that happened to me

I am currently trying to sell my car (anyone interested? One owner, good condition, low k’s……..special price for you…..) there are the ads on the net and for sale signs on all the blind spots of the car. The other day I drove out to visit a client out west (about an hour away).

So I was driving around the wild west of Sydney (lost) when a guy starts to honk and flash his lights at me. After 5 minutes of this, I started to get worried. Here I was in the road rage capital of Australia, with some lunatic on my tail.

I am not the bravest guy when it comes to physical confrontation, the only punch I have ever thrown ended up hitting someone in the back.

Despite feeling decidedly nervous, I thought it was best to pull over. I locked the doors and unrolled my window. The guy pulled up next to me and yelled

“What’s your best price for your car”

I told him $9,000

He said

“I will give you $6,000 in cash right now, but it has to be right now”

A couple of things

Who drives around with 6,000 in cash just in case they see a car they like?
How would I have gotten home if I had taken him up on the offer?

Less than 40 days to go!

Cheers

Greg

Just a short one

2008-09-04T15:47:00.000+10:00

Tonight I am going to try on wetsuits.
If that does not give me material for a blog nothing will.

In other unrelated news I decided to man up, ignore my hamstring pain and just go for it. I went for my first run in a long time and it felt good…..no it felt great!

Apart from that I have taken my training up a couple of notches this week doing double sessions every day.

Look what happens when you have a big cup of toughen the f up…..

Cheers

Greg

Six Things about Me (the self-indulgence post...)

2008-08-29T18:20:00.000+10:00

Instead of bizarre swim stories I am going to dip into the self-indulgence pool (see what I did there) and write a little bit about me…….besides if you get bored reading this you can always fill in time by counting the amount of times I is used

1. Each post takes me at least a week to write. There are several drafts before it gets to this. Here is a scary thought; you are reading the final draft. Can you imagine the first?

2. I used to weight 25 kilo’s more than I do now. In fact, I was a cheeseburger off the 100-kilo mark. How did I get that way? I used to eat bowls of melted cheese. As you can gather this was not my proudest moment (or moments)

3. I am not the greatest friend in the world – you would struggle to find someone who is worse at returning phone calls. Worst part is that afterwards I will feel guilty about it then get too embarrassed to call

4. I have no idea how many people read this blog. I am sure there is some fancy way to find out but I have no idea.

5. I was definitely NOT a child prodigy when it came to triathlon.

I almost drowned at a school swimming carnival; a teacher had to jump in and save me. To be fair it was butterfly.
I did not learn how to ride a bike until I was 13 (I spent one school camp making excuses as to why I did not want to bike riding)
You do not get to near 100 kegs by being a good runner....

6. My lucky number is six. Whilst wearing Six and playing football I have torn my cruciate ligament (twice), broken my nose 4 times and torn a heap of different muscles. Can you imagine how bad my injuries could have been without my lucky number??

Cheers

Greg

PS I was used 24 times (including at the start of this sentence)

Sniffles and softball

2008-08-24T17:33:00.000+10:00

I am currently “battling” a cold and have taken the opportunity to spend some quality time watching the Olympics (even I am not that dumb as to try and take on a cold.....)

Talk about poor coverage.

I was watching the epic softball match between Australia and Japan complete with the heavy pro Australian commentary.

For a while Australia was struggling - the Japanese pitcher was striking out batter after batter. Now this was not the frustrating thing.

What really got to me was the Australian commentator kept on banging on that each swing “ was a good swing” even when it was a strike

I do not know allot about much, especially softball, but I am pretty sure a good swing would equal a hit

And do not get me started on the triathlon coverage. The most exciting finish in how long and the commentators are speculating about where the Australians are?

I am as patriotic as the next guy but come on!

Cheers

Greg

PS It appears as though when I do not train I tend to become a little angry.......

Silver Lining?

2008-08-20T16:54:00.000+10:00

Apart from the one poor sucker who goes out on painfully slow (for him) rides with me, I pretty much train by myself. For some reason no one seems that keen to join me in the pool…..I wonder if it has anything to do with this blog…..

Anyhow on Saturday I tried a new swim session (Pyramid swimming - 50, 100, 150 all the way up to 400). After a good swim I was driving home when it hit me.

I had left my goggles at the pool

Anyway, it was a good excuse to splash (see what I did there) out on some new goggles. After trying on about 20 different pairs, I settled on a new fancy shmancy pair.

As you can imagine I was pretty keen to bust out the new goggles. My old goggles (RIP) were not the most comfortable piece of sporting equipment with a tendency to cut into my face and fog up after a couple of laps.

It was with much excitement that I dove in, new goggles slapped on my face, and started thrashing up and down the pool.

Wow. This IS swimming

As I swam up and down enjoying clear water something caught my eye.

It was a man swimming in skin coloured Speedo’s

Seriously. How many colours are there in the world? Why choose the skin? Why?

If only I had my old goggles!

Cheers

Greg

Is it just me.........

2008-08-14T17:16:00.001+10:00

Or would you find the sight of a middle aged man sitting by himself in a communal spa a bit seedy?

Did I mention he was wearing goggles?

Or that he was sitting directly on a jet?

In case you can not pick it up I am starting to go a little chlorine crazy. Too much swimming not enough run or bike. I have constant waft of chlorine and have drunk at least 2 litres of pool water (this says a fair bit about my swimming style)

Last night I actually dreamt of going for a ride. It was a sweet ride, but to tell the truth I really struggled through it.

Only I would dream about going for a bike ride where I would struggle.

Cheers

Greg

PS Lets hope the hammy heals sooner rather than later - there are only so many pool based blogs I can write!

Well that's new

2008-08-08T17:31:00.001+10:00

A quick training update - this week was all about the swim. My hamstring is still too sore to run or bike (if only it was a oneathan not a triathlon)

Apart from the hamstring I am now carrying another injury.

Each morning I walk around 3 kilometres from my bus stop to work. Being a some what brittle soul I do the secretary - take off my heels (work shoes) put on my sneakers. Now I can appreciate this is not the hottest look going around as I end up looking like a poor mans Jerry Seinfeld

but it works for me (actually looking at the picture you could make a case for me looking more like George)

The other day I had to get to the Opera House. Other people (i.e. smart people) would have caught a train or bus.

Not me.

This idiot thought what a good time to bust out a 4k walk. Regular readers will have noted that I am not the greatest planner going around. Of course this was a day that I forgot to bring my sneakers.

Again smarter people would have admitted defeat. No not me, and to tell you the truth by the time I got to the Opera House I felt great.
Later that night my shin's started to get sore। After a couple of hours I was in a world of hurt. As I sat there legs throbbing I could not figure out why I was so sore.

Then it hit me

My high heels had given me shin splints!

Well done Greg. Well done.

Cheers
Greg

Bugger

2008-08-01T17:02:00.001+10:00

This week was a good training week with strong swims, light jogging and some gentle work on the bike. Today should have been the cherry on top, a swim to finish of the week.

I got to the pool (which is by far the hardest part) and started getting undressed. Now in case you had not picked up on it I am not what you would call an exhibitionist. Basically I am a shy guy who does not like taking his shirt off in public let alone stripping down.

So there I was in a freezing changing room, naked as the day I was born, ready to change into my Speedo's. I took out my towel, goggles, ear plugs and swimming top only to discover that I could not find my Speedo's. I was determined to swim (after all I had walked there) so I started to go through every part of my bag to see if the speeds were in a different section.

Whilst naked

I was taking things out of my bag, shaking my bag and looking in pockets that were to small even for Speedo's. I was a naked man possessed.

After about a minute of increasingly frantic searching it dawned on me

I was naked.

At that point I admitted defeat, got dressed and left the pool

Mental note

Unpack before getting undressed

Cheers

Greg

6 weeks of pain

2008-07-29T17:15:00.000+10:00

My first triathlon is around 12 weeks away.

Realistically the next 6 weeks are make or break for my tri dreams - unless I build a decent base I have no chance of completing let alone competing.

I am swimming almost every morning. Rather than thrashing up and down the pool I am concentrating on my form. I have noticed that the first 200 - 300 metres are a struggle, but once I warm up and get into a rhythm I feel okay.

In fact the toughest part is getting on a early bus. Has anyone caught the bus at 6 in the morning? It is a different world out there

This morning I watched in awe as a guy ate fruit loops straight from the box. Not a small pack but a 1kg box. If that was not bad enough he was jamming them into his mouth handfuls at a time. While he wore woollen gloves.

It was bizarre.

For some reason the bus was actually full by the time I got on. As I settled into my standing up spot a youngish girl offered me her seat.

Now I know I do not look the best first thing in the morning but I do not look that old...........

Do I?

Cheers

Greg

PS back on the bike tonight I hope the hamstring holds up!

Real Stress

2008-07-24T13:33:00.000+10:00

Real stress is not that nagging feeling you should be running, swimming or cycling as you sit watching TV.

Real stress is not the need to produce a mildly amusing (in the right conditions i.e. half drunk) erratic blog.

Real stress is a day like yesterday

As some of you might know my wife is 19 weeks pregnant. Yesterday we had the big scan. The scan where they check the baby is growing as it should.

I am not normally a stressed kind of guy. Getting ready to swim in my first mini tri, knowing that I was woefully under prepared and had a fair chance of drowning, I was not stressed. Stupid yes but not stressed.

Yesterday I was stressed.

I laughed, I cried and I saw my child. Everything went well (we still need to get official confirmation but so far so good). It was truly an unforgettable experience.

I have not completed an Ironman but I am sure nothing compares to days like yesterday.

Going through some of my recent posts this blog seems to be less about training the more actual training I do (I have swam almost everyday this week and the hammy is almost back)

Funny how things in your life seem to take precedence

Cheers

Greg

Inner City Swimming

2008-07-17T16:13:00.001+10:00

My sore hamstrings mean I am spending a fair bit of time in the water. This week I have far I have manage to hit the pool 3 out of 4 days (I even spent some time in the medium swimming lane…till I got tired...). I have to say swimming at a city pool is a different world than what I am used to.

Today in the change room there was a lot of sand. Not a little but a lot. The only thing missing was a small child making sandcastles. I spent my whole swim trying to figure out how that much sand ended up in city (It is not like there is a beach near by).

In the end I came up with nothing

Anyone have any ideas (besides the sand being left in someone’s swimmers from the beach – I do not even want to entertain that thought)

Cheers

Greg

Ever tried to swim with a hamstring strain?

2008-07-15T09:50:00.001+10:00

Don’t

It hurts. It really hurts.

So Sydney is all about World Youth Day. To avoid contestation the government telling people to avoid three places - Darling Harbour, Wynyard and Circular Quay

There are only two places I can get home from work– Wynyard and Circular Quay….and I have to walk through Darling Harbour every day……

As you can gather I have been able to really soak up the Youth Day shenagins. As I have watched I have wondered

Why does World Youth Day go for a week?
Why have I only seen middle aged “pilgrims”, no “youths”? Is it for the young at heart?
Surely the money spent making a pilgrimage be better spent as a charitable donation?

Finally I saw a man in a turban wearing a world youth day t-shirt.

Now that’s good marketing

Cheers

Greg

The start of a new relationship

2008-07-11T17:18:00.002+10:00

That got you interested…..

I am talking about my search for a new gym. As some of you might know I recently moved jobs. It says a lot about my work situation that the saddest part of me leaving was moving away from my old gym.

I loved my old gym; it was the definition of old school. It was like Mickey’s gym in the first Rocky (or how Rocky trained for his fight against Ivan Drago)

The weights room had polished timber floor boards – it used to make the sweetest sound when you dropped weights onto the floor.

My favourite 3 memories were

The guy who wore bike pants to do weights। Not cardio. Weights. Do you know anyone who has gotten chaffing from doing weights?

The grunter who sounded like he was having marital relations every time he picked up a dumbbell (regardless of the weight – where do you look when someone groans “lifting” 5 kilo’s?)

And my favourite, the smelly guy who used to stand in front of the fan with his hands on top of his head

Wish me luck on my search

Cheers

Greg

It is enough to make you drown

2008-06-23T16:33:00.002+10:00

Due to my current work situation (and that is a whole other story......) I have a lot of spare time on my hands. Maybe it says something about me but one of my great luxuries is not having to get up at the crack of dawn to train.

The other day I woke up around 8 and thought it would be a choice time to go for a swim. The pool was surprisingly busy for 9am on a weekday. Most lanes were full and there were a lot of old women (think 70 plus year olds) hanging around.

Then I saw it, the holy grail of indoor swimming, a free lane। It was all by itself next to the deep water area (where they do diving etc) .Perfect, on the side with no one else in it. I dove in and started to thrash up and down.

I have a confession to make (my secret shame). When I swim I can only breathe on one side (to the left). If I try to breathe to the right I swallow a lot of water and start the drowning process

As I worked my way up the pool I could hear some music being played. After performing a trademark Szudrich turn I swam back with the diving pool on my left.

Then I saw them

Thirty 70 year old women doing aqua aerobics

Suffice to say I swallowed a hell of a lot of water during that swim

Cheers

Greg

You get what you pay for

2008-06-10T21:22:00.004+10:00

It’s cold and seems to be raining all the time. In weather like this the simple pleasure of getting into bed watching a DVD is hard to top

After the shoes, bike, not to mention all the lycra I am not exactly flush with cash. Despite this I really wanted to buy a second DVD player. Hello 30 dollar DVD player from the supermarket.

Perhaps this was my first mistake, it is never a good sign when you are putting a DVD player into your trolley next to tomatoes and toilet paper.

Second mistake was to buy a palsonic....not a Panasonic but a palsonic....

So I got home, put the rest of the shopping away (you have to get your cold stuff in the fridge..) I set it up and, somewhat surprisingly, it worked. As I started to doze off I thought it would be a smart idea to turn the DVD player off. I hit the off button on the remote and closed my eyes and started to drift off.

After about 5 minutes I noticed a glow in the room. I opened my eyes and saw this

What kind of genius thought it would be a good idea to put an off sign on a DVD player? This is how the DVD platers stays when it is off

Cheap and environmentally friendly.....nice.....

Cheers

Greg

Almost a setback

2008-06-01T19:30:00.000+10:00

My training has hit a lull at the moment.

A combination of the cold weather, crazy times at work and football means I have not been training as much as I would like. The goal was to train twice a day, at the moment I am lucky to get out once day.

In an effort to step up my training I got online, found a store in the UK and bought an indoor trainer for my bike (lets all say a little prayer for birthday money...this tri business is expensive!).

Basically the trainer turns a normal bike into a stationary bike (kind of like an exercise bike).

There was only one problem........ it took me over a month to set it up. It is not like I did not try. Every night I would take the parts out of the box read the instructions and try to put it together (emphasis on try). This thing was harder to build than anything from IKEA. The worst part was it was not like I could take it back to the store!

The situation got so dire that I had to ask my wife to help out. What ever masculinity I had left is now officially out the door (to be fair I have been considering shaving my legs..). Thankfully even she was stumped

In the end I had to get a friend over to sort it out.....

Good news it works and I am back on the bike. Now I have some catching up to do

Cheers

Greg

Have I seen it all?

2008-05-12T15:18:00.000+10:00

This triathlon business is a time consuming hobby. I spend large chunks of my day swimming, riding, running or recovering (to be fair I often spend more time recovering than exercising)

Basically I have a lot of time to think and observe. Some things that stood out this week

1. I rode behind a guy in skin tight stubbies. It could very well be the only time in my life I will say the words “can you please put on some lycra” out loud

2. One of the great pleasures (you could argue it is the only pleasure) of going for a bike ride at 5 in the morning is the post ride coffee.

I was sitting down having my skim flat white (two sugars) when a middle aged woman started yelling at the barista. Turns out he was not using organic fair trade coffee.

Part of her rant centred on how the barista could sleep at night selling coffee that was not made ethically, what about the children in Africa etc.

Funny thing is she was wearing a Chicago Bulls cap and a pair of Nikes all of which are made in sweat shops. I aint no Alanis Morisset but that was ironic

3. I swam next to a guy who was using a snorkel. In an indoor heated pool. Ridiculous.

Have I seen it all?

Greg

Getting serious?????

2008-04-26T17:27:00.001+10:00

The BRW is run and done. Highlights include

I managed to talk my way into a male race on the day (I am sure this was a massive disappointment to all the ladies out there…).

During the swim, which was in Sydney harbour, I went head first into some seaweed – at least that is what I am calling it

I got the swim wrong and had to back track about 30 metres….I was out of the water in around 90th place out of 100 (30 metres is deal breaker to me)

By the time I was off the bike I close to last place

I smoked the run leg. I started feeling very good and at the half way stage I decided to take it up a notch was flying (relatively speaking) by the end.

I passed some “proper” tri guys on the run....and almost everyone who was in my race. Who would have thought a short bald man with dodgy knees would be able to take on some of the glamour boys!

I am starting to realise that I lack confidence in my own abilities. I need to have more faith in myself and my training so I can push myself even more.

By the way I finished in 39:08 - 5 minutes and 19 seconds quicker than last time.....and I bought some arm warmers to ride in

Things are getting serious.....

Cheers

Greg

49, 44:27, 12.4, 9 and Man Woman

2008-04-10T20:01:00.000+10:00

Hi All,

Let’s not even talk about how long it has been since my last blog…..

49. I went for a 49 k ride the other week with my buddy Alex. For those of you who know the Northern beaches we rode from Balgowlah to Bayview and back (kind of near Mona Vale). I have to tell you the more I ride the more addictive it gets. By the end of the ride I was swaying like a drunk and could not sit properly for a good couple of days (padded pants are just not that padded)

44:27. This was my time in the last BRW tri. To be fair I had no idea what I was doing or how to race. When I finished I felt good, probably too good. In fact I felt so good I did the race a second time (and I was quicker). My two favourite memories from last year were

I used a 10 year old rusted mountain bike. With tyres thicker than an average car. And a bell. Every time I got out of my seat to pedal the bell would ring. Imagine me straining to get this 20 kilo thing up and down a hill and all you can hear is ring ring ring. The only thing my bike was missing was a basket

I stopped in the transition area to put on socks, dry myself and change my shorts. I am sure if I had hair I would have spent time sorting that out as well

12.4. 400 metre swim, 8 k ride and 4 k run. This is the BRW corporate tri that I am competing in this weekend. I want to take 4:27 from my time this year and get under 40 minutes. I am going to play football the day before so who knows how I am going to go!!

9. 9 degrees. I went swimming the other and it was 9 degrees. It was awesome

Man Woman. The BRW tri is in waves i.e. you get put in a group of 100 people and you all start at once. Due to a stuff up with my entry I am in a womens wave. I will be the only guy out of 100 women…..I am going to look like an East German swimmer in the 80’s

Wish me luck

Greg (PS hopefully i will get back into the swing of these)

Long Time Between Drinks

2008-02-05T11:25:00.000+11:00

It has been too long since I last wrote! Rather than doing a crappy flashback I thought I would do a short and sweet summary. Here goes

I spent 250 dollars on a new helmet. It is red. Which must mean it is fast and bloody safe

I almost drowned using a kick board (think red flotation device from Baywatch). Have you ever tried to do laps using one of these things? It is hard work

I went cycling with an expert – it is amazing what you can learn. I was not using the correct gears, did not have the correct seat position, right body structure …..

The person I went riding with is so skinny that lycra is actually baggy on him

I pushed an 85 kilo Greek man up and down a gym hall until I almost threw up

I learnt how to take the wheels off my bike. Unfortunately I am not 100% sure how to put it back together

I am starting to run in tri shorts…they are lycra and way too tight

I bought a pair of white boots to play football in. In 27 years of playing footy I have only ever had black ones. These ones have silver on them…..

I heard one of the more funny jokes recently “ If Kevin Rudd wants to apologise for anything he should apologise for Adelaide”

I swam for 1 Kilometre. I remember when I could not swim a lap without drowning. I can feel the self belief building

With the start of the biggest loser I have been able to indulge in my secret pleasure – eating ice cream whilst watching big people exercise.

I heard that Sly Stallone has released another sequel to Rambo. So lately he has done another Rocky movie then a Rambo movie. Has he finally given up on coming up with new ideas (fair enough if you have ever had to sit through “Get Carter”)? Whats next……Tango and Cash 2? Stop or my mom will shoot again (is Estelle Getty even alive?)

Cheers

Greg (the sporadic blogger)

See a penny pick it up

2008-01-14T09:02:00.000+11:00

See a penny, pick it up…..

Exercise: Monday weights, Tuesday 30 Min Bike, Wed 20 Min Bike / Weights, Thurs 30 Min Bike, Today Swimming (700 Metres)

I am a strong believer that you make your own luck. Lately I have been working pretty hard on my swimming technique – keep my core straight etc. I figure even if I can not swim very far I might as well look decent doing it.

Today I was warming up with a few slow laps (try and imagine how slow that would be – I was almost sinking to the bottom of the pool) when saw what looked like a two dollar coin in the deep end.

After another lap up and down I saw it again. I thought to my self why not, and dived down to grab the coin. The only problem was that the pool was pretty busy, so when I re-surfaced it was behind the person who was swimming after me. That had to mess with them a little bit.

Bizarre thing is that I also found 2 dollars at the shops…..

Tomorrow I am going to take out the kick board…wish me luck!

Cheers

Greg

Climb Every Mountain

2008-01-04T16:44:00.001+11:00

Exercise: A couple of more swims – I even bought a kick board (things are starting to get serious)

Firstly a belated happy new year to all.

In an effort to start the New Year in a healthy fashion J and I decided to get out of Sydney for New Years Eve and go down to the Snowy Mountains…that’s right to the snow in summer (it was about 35 degrees every day!).

For those of you who do not know the highest “mountain” in Australia Mount Kosciusko is in the snowys. When I pictured the highest mountain in Australia I had always thought of a jagged peak, a step climb with some sort of a rock face and maybe some snow

Not this (it is the one circled in red)

It looks more like a hill, and not a very step one. To be fair it was a vigorous 1 hour walk but you could tell it was not overly difficult by the number of small children who where at the “summit”. In all it was one of the best holidays I have had although there was a down side…….I had the unfortunate experience of watching the Catherine Zeta Jones movie “No Reservations”. What a steaming heap of crap! She has to be the worst actress I have ever seen.

How do they make these movies? It was clichéd, boring and poorly acted! (rant over)

Cheers

Greg

A 13 year olds view on Christmas

2007-12-28T09:09:00.000+11:00

Exercise: I put a swim and ride together on Monday…..it was tough but I went okay (bad news is the ass cheek is sore again…) otherwise not a lot! I have decided to rest, get the cheek right and really go hard in Jan

I am not an overly religious, Jewish raised, balding, 30 year old wanna be tri-athlete. As you can understand Christmas did not play a large part in my life until I meet my wife 13 years ago. I like to think of myself as being 13 years old this Christmas (as I have only celebrated it 13 times) going through that tough teenage view of Christmas

My experiences of Christmas lead me to believe that it is almost like every Jewish festival – you get together with family and eat too much food. All that said my family / friends have been exceptionally generous this year. Here is a list of some of the things I was given………..see if you can you spot a theme

Bell for my bike
Bike seat
New pair of swimmers (some more lycra) that are also bike pants
Bike light
Tri Mags

One question I have to ask is

Why does the date of Easter move every year but Christmas stays the same?

Cheers (and Merry Merry)

Greg

Once, Twice, Three Times an Uncle

2007-12-18T10:24:00.000+11:00

Does eating bad food and drinking count as exercise? (I did do some weights, swiming and a bike ride or two)

Last week I became an Uncle for the third time. I know I am biased but I have the most perfect nieces / nephew. The only problem with having such awesome kids in the family is that it puts a lot of pressure on J and I to produce a good un…here’s hoping if we have a baby it look’s like J!

While I did not exercise on the weekend I did go shopping for some more gear. My current helmet is old, borrowed and sits on my head like a top hat. I found a couple of helmets in my price range and decided to try them on. The geniuses at Rebel (I know what am I doing going to Rebel for bike gear…I was just looking okay…) had no mirrors in the helmet section

Have you ever tried to try on new helmets without a mirror?

Being a resourceful lad I decided to take a photo of myself with my phone. I lined up the angles and pressed the button just at the same time as one of the perky young assistants came up to help me.

The look on his face as my phone made the “camera noise” was one of fear and amazement

Once again I looked like a freak….

Cheers

Greg

If it looks like a duck, sounds like a duck…….

2007-12-12T19:27:00.000+11:00

Exercise: Weekend lots of wine tasting and some poor dancing at the Lionel Ritchie concert, Monday Boxing, Tuesday Nuthin, Today Swim and Boxing

If you own a home (or in my case a 2 bedroom unit) in Sydney you have to be on a budget. It goes without saying that when you are on a budget you need to make certain choices on how you spend money.

I was presented with one of those choices last weekend. I was heading up to the Hunter Valley to watch Lionel Ritchie and was faced with the dilemma

Spend money on accommodation or on wine?

Then again I do not think it is much of a dilemma wine V accommodation (wine will always win out)

As a result we were staying just outside of Cessnock. Now Cessnock is famous for a couple of things

Entry Point to the Hunter Valley Wine Country
Cessnock Correctional Facility i.e. Jail

After an especially indulgent Friday I thought it would be a good idea to go for a slow jog. As I settled into my slow Cliff Young shuffle I was asked not once, not twice but three times where the Cessnock Jail was. So I either I

Look like a local (and if you have hung out in Cessnock you will understand why this is an insult – then again I was a touch hung over so would fit right in)

Or I

Look like I have been in Jail

I think I need to rethink my exercise apparel as I must look like a Bogan who has just been released from jail…..

Cheers

Greg

PS Yes that was a picture of my ass last week

A Picture says a 1,000 words....

2007-12-06T10:29:00.000+11:00

Exercise: Monday Swim, Tuesday Weights, Wednesday Swim, Today ride…farce…..

They say you never forget how to ride a bike. Well let’s just say my memory was a bit hazy this morning. I woke up at 5am this morning, threw on some lycra, strapped on my helmet and got on the new(ish) bike

I had better stop for a second talk a little about the bike pants.

They have padding.

Down there. Between my legs.

Having trouble visualising this?

Here you go....

It looks like I have had a accident in my pants.

If you add up the Speedo’s and padded lycra shorts there goes what dignity I had left. To finish it i just need to start shaving my legs

So I get on my bike this morning and start to ride. In the past I have always ridden mountain bikes with big thick hummer style tires. Now I was on a road bike with very thin tyres. After a few shaky moments I was off and peddling.

My fairly easy 30 minute circuit and was going okay until I had a man moment. In this man moment I decided to go into the highest gear (i.e. hardest) possible

I got all the way up to the hardest gear and thrashed at it for a minute or two then decide to turn back home and lower the gear. Here’s the thing the gears did not move and I had to ride back home on the highest gear

Hello sore ass cheek.

On a side note I am not training this weekend - off to the hunter valley to Lionel Ritchie…..

Cheers

Greg

PS Yes that photo will haunt you for years......

Sorry Lance

2007-11-30T15:17:00.000+11:00

Exercise: Nothing at all, just waiting for the backside to heal

I finally have myself a bike.

An Avanti Monza road bike – and it looks pretty s hot!

It is sitting at work begging to be taken out for a ride. The only problem is that my ass muscle is still too sore. Luckily my wife is an acupuncturist and has been helping me out. The other day I was in a fair bit of pain and J offered to give me a treatment. After the treatment I felt significantly better, so much so that I felt the need to rave about it to my team

Let me set this up by saying I have a very informal relationship with my team (there are plenty of times I think I am just a little bit to David Brent)

“My bum feels a lot better today it must have been from last night when J put some needles into it”

When I took a closer look at my staff, who had horrified looks on their faces, it dawned on me

Bum Cheek. Bum Cheek. Bum and Cheek, do not just say bum without the cheek

On the weekend I am going lycra shopping. Should be interesting….

Cheers

Greg

Another Day Another Injury

2007-11-27T12:36:00.000+11:00

Exercise: Monday Boxing (sort off) the rest of the time resting

If nothing else I am an innovator. A forward thinker who is constantly looking for new ways to get injured.

Last week I decided to do a bit of cross training. I was hoping to wear my legs out to recreate the jelly legs feeling you experience (apparently) going from bike to run. I worked out and was feeling fine – slightly jelly but fine. The next day I felt a little bit sore in yet another delicate spot. Not the groin this time but the ass check. Normal smart people would have rested for a couple of days, then eased their way back into it

Not this camper. I went boxing yesterday and managed to strain the life out of it (which caused my back to seize up)

So now I have tweaked my groin and strained my buttock.

In other news it looks I will be picking up my bike tomorrow! An Avanti moza Road bike……

Now I just need to sort out my ass so I can go riding!

Cheers

Greg

Mo Troubles

2007-11-23T09:52:00.000+11:00

Exercise: Tuesday 30 Min Bike, Wednesday Boxing, Thursday 12 Minutes Bike + Upper Body Weights, Today Swim

I am big supporter of Movember. Anything that raises mental health awareness has to be good. I wanted to participate, and being a hirsute man I would have grown quite an impressive Mo.

When I mentioned this to my wife (who puts up with a hell of a lot…….like me and this whole triathlon thing) she said that she would donate what ever I thought I could raise to if I did not grow a tash. So whilst I am not actively participating I am a supporter. The other night I meet a friend for a drink during which one of his mates popped in. I quickly noticed he had a nice mo going on. I believe anyone who grows a mo deserves a little bit of credit.

I looked at him, gave a slight smile and said “Movember Hey?’

He looked and me with a blank look. Now because I am an idiot I said again “Movember Hey?” only to be faced with another blank look

Suddenly it dawned on me – he was a guy in his mid to late 20’s growing a Mo for no other reason than he thinks its looks good……

Also when I was swimming this mornings I saw a person do lap after lap swimming backwards using a kick board and flippers

Huh?

Greg

Equipment poor

2007-11-19T17:27:00.000+11:00

Exercise: Thursday - Exercise bike 30, Friday – Swim and Weights…and rest all weekend…Today Boxing

I am starting to realise what a significant investment in equipment a triathlon is (simple Simon me is just understanding that you need good equipment for all three legs..)

As per the “Ultimate Training guide” (a mag for Tri People...) I need

Sunscreen - Check I am bald man!

A wetsuit - I have a pair of faded speedo’s

Spare Swim Cap - You need two? I do not even have one

Race Singlet - Does a wife beater count?

Goggles - Check

Bright Towel- If everyone has a bright towel then how does your towel stand out? I am going for a beige towel

Baby Oil - Apparently this is for getting in and out of your wetsuit (and no I do not have any)

Vaseline - I am starting to think I might be reading the wrong kind of list

Bike - Maybe by the end of this week?

Bike - Shoes What do you think?

Bike - Pump I have a foot pump does that count?

Helmet - Check (long story but I do have a helmet..)

Baby Powder - No chance

Running Shoes - I have an old pair which are in desperate need of an upgrade

Sunglasses - Do Aviator sunnys count?

Hat - Check

Spare Safety Pins - I am starting to wonder if this is a tri or a new born child? I mean Baby powder? Safety Pins? Whats next nappies?

Toilet Paper - Now I am scared

Cheers

Greg

Speedo’s and Sponsors

2007-11-14T19:30:00.000+11:00

Exercise: Monday: Boxing Class, Tuesday (700 Metre Swim 21 Minutes) Today Circuit and Boxing Class

I have finally cracked.

Normally I swim in

1. Big baggy board shorts (the kind with bright floral patterns on them)
2. Speedo’s under them
3. Grey sleeveless rash vest
4. Clear goggles
5. Bright Orange ear plugs

Basically I look like a freak who is only missing floaties and one of those inflatable rings around their hips

Tuesday was another cold and windy morning. I must have still been sleeping but I thought it would be a good idea to go for a swim in Speedo’s sans board shorts. This was the first time I had worn speeds since I was 6 (I am now 30…)

After getting over the shock of diving into a pool wearing a lot less I have to admit I am a convert……how much easier is it to swim in speeds? Sure it looks awful but it makes a huge difference. I promise until I get old and fat I will not wear them to the beach.

In completely unrelated news I might have to change the title of my Blog. I have received my first sponsorship which might allow me to buy some form of bike (is it sponsorship if your dad gives you money?)

Anyone for

“I did not even have bike”

Cheers

Greg

Misguided Priorities

2007-11-12T10:28:00.000+11:00

Exercise: Sunday 600 Metre Swim (I really need to step this up)

Every car park has a number 1 spot; it is the spot that is right next door, closest you can get to the entrance that is not a disabled spot.

Sunday was another cold drizzle morning – the kind of day where only idiots (me) and serious swimmers (one day me) go for a swim. As I sat in may car pondering why

I was up at 6:30am on a Sunday morning
I was swimming in the rain…again

I saw two people racing too then getting into an argument over the number 1 car spot at the pool (the argument was along the lines of “I was here first’ versus “No I was”). It was not like there was not a heap of spots around – some almost as close. As I watched the carry on a thought hit me

You are at the pool to exercise. If you are upset at having to walk an extra 10 metres from your car maybe you do not have the right attitude

In land mark occasion when I was doing laps another swimmer offered to swim before them as, and I quote

“You would be too fast for me”

Admittedly she was 70 and wearing a frilly pink swimming cap but it was still an achievement!

Cheers

Greg

Something a bit random

2007-11-07T19:43:00.000+11:00

Exercise: Tuesday 30 Min on exercise bike + Weights, today Boxing class

Training is humming along with nothing to noteworthy happening (apart form the fact I have exceptionally sore legs from boxing class – figure that one out)

Let me set up this story by saying I do not have any children (I do have cat who is like child but that is a whole other topic)

A couple of months ago my wife and I had just been out for dinner where we had a touch too much wine. Being responsible adults we thought it best to wait for half an hour or so before driving home

Luckily as my wifes mum (Joyce) lived close by we decided to drop in for a quick cup of tea. In a further slice of luck she was not home……… (Sorry Joyce - those of you who know me that I love my mother in law)

As we sat down to enjoy a steaming fresh cup of green tea Jacqui and I heard a panicked woman shouting

“Joyce…Joyceare you home???”

Suddenly a woman popped her head over the fence. After quickly registering that we were not Joyce the woman asked

“is Joyce home?”

I managed to reply that Joyce was not home

The front gate opened with a bang and a heavily pregnant women barrelled her way into the front court yard. In a panicked voice, whilst clutching her swollen stomach, she shouted

“I need to get the hospital NOW”

If anything is going to sober you up quickly it is the sight of a extremely pregnant women grabbing her stomach asking you for help

After figuring out which hospital to go to (thankfully it was just down the road) and wedging the pregnant woman struggled into our two door car (have you ever tried to get a pregnant women in / out of bucket seats) we drove to the hospital. After I had dropped her off at the front door and parked the car it hit me

I had no idea what her name was, and no idea what I was meant to do.

I walked sheepishly up to the reception area of the hospital and said

“Hi, I just dropped off my mother in laws neighbour from two doors down. Is she okay?”

The receptionist seemed to have an understanding of what I was talking and said

“go on up to the birthing suite”

Nothing strikes fear into a childless person’s heart like “Go on up to the birthing suite”

I went up a couple of levels to the birthing suite and started looking around for the neighbour. I was soon found by a nurse who ushered me into one of the birthing suites.

Now I always thought that the first baby’s heart beat I would hear would be my own. Alas this was not the case as when I walked into the room my mother in laws neighbour from two doors down was hooked up to the ultrasound machine having her baby scanned.

Luckily the baby was okay and a lull in action allowed me to introduce myself to my mother in laws next door neighbour from two dorrs down. After a couple of minutes the doctor said

“now I am going to have to check if you are dilated”

I have never moved from a room quicker.

While I was in the waiting room I saw another man and a 4 year old child. He looked at me in the eye and proceeded to give me a slow nod of the head, like he was welcoming me to father hood. Talk about awkward….

What could I do? I could not say I am a fraud who is just here to drop off my mother in laws next door neighbour from 2 doors down.

All I could do was nod my head slowly as if I was saying yes I know I am happy to be a father

Luckily soon after that her husband turned up and I was off the hook!

Cheers

Greg

Self Control…

2007-11-05T15:54:00.000+11:00

Exercise: Saturday – Swim (600 Metres) & eating my body weight in Chocolate, Sunday – coming down from the sugar high, Today - Boxing

After pretty much eating my body weight in chocolate on Saturday (I had some Mrs Fields cookies and brownies, a “few” M & M’s and a couple of violet crumbles) then paying for it the next day…you know when you can still taste chocolate the following day….I have decided to cut out the chocolate, lollies and cakes for 30 days

That’s right no bad stuff for 30 days! It is time to get the mind in tune for what the body is going to do. It is going to be a challenge – I would kill for something sweet now!

I am also going to try out a new swimming program tomorrow.

Wish me luck!

Greg

How did I manage that?

2007-11-02T14:54:00.000+11:00

Exercise: Wednesday – Boxing Class, Circuit Class, Thursday – 30 Min Exercise Bike, Today – Rest Day!

In a slight setback I have suffered my first minor injury from training. As you can imagine from someone who has undergone 3 knee operations I have more than a slight predisposition towards getting injured.

After my swim on Tuesday I have pulled up with a slightly sore groin muscle

That’s right a sore groin from swimming…..

What the hell am I doing in the pool? I think I need to get to a swim class fast

Cheers

Greg

Attention to detail

2007-10-30T09:52:00.000+11:00

Exercise: (Boxing Yesterday, 600 Metre Swim Today)

What is the saying? Prior preparation prevents pXXX poor performance?

Well I need to pay more attention to my preparation. From the moment I woke today up my training was a farce. Lowlights were

I forgot to put anything on my feet when I went to the pool (Strike 1)
I forgot to bring a towel (Strike 2)
I failed to put my ear plugs in properly. Hello blocked ear after one lap (Strike 3)
I forgot to bring any food to work (Strike 4 – Can you tell I am Australian without a thorough grasp of baseball)

If I am going to do this thing I need to get these things right - any ideas apart from getting organised?

Cheers

Greg

Swimming in the rain

2007-10-26T08:19:00.000+10:00

Exercise: (600 Metre Swim 17 Minutes – and felt pretty good!)

Today I went for a swim in the rain. Funny thing is the pool was pretty dead with about half the people normally there on a Friday

Were people afraid of getting wet?

On a random note I watched "so you think you can dance" last night – man those people can move! If I had my time again maybe less football and more dancing growing up

Cheers

Greg

How could they?

2007-10-24T09:19:00.000+10:00

Exercise (600 Metre Swim 18 minutes)

In my swim today I was hit 4 times by other swimmers (twice on the legs, twice on the arms)

It is not like I swim that fast I just appear out of no where.

I am kind of like a truck on a freeway – you can see me in the distance and you know you are going to have to over take me. The tough part is that I am in the slow lane, there are not a lot of places left for me to go!

Back to the fun and splash lane for me....

It is never a good sign……..

2007-10-23T08:32:00.000+10:00

Exercise (Boxing Class 50 Min)

…..when you turn up to a boxing class only to be paired up with someone who brings their own gloves (and is massive - i am about five foot 10 / 11 and 73 kilo's this guy is over 6 foot and must be at least 100 K's!). I knew I was in trouble when he crouched down displaying perfect technique stalking me around the gym.

He beat seven shades of you know what out of me.

My only hope was to wait until he got tired to try and get some revenge….considering I can not punch to save my life you can guess the result

Cheers

Greg

Is Cricket Exercise?

2007-10-22T09:56:00.000+10:00

Weekend Exercise: Cricket Saturday & Swim Sunday (600 Metres in 17 Min)

I am not sure where I sit on this one. I think cricket can be great exercise if you are good at it however I suck. I scored 4 runs and took 1 wicket…in z grade

At least my swim was better

But in all not a great weekend of exercise although I am very sore today and not looking forward to boxing

Swimming with Flippers

2007-10-19T15:49:00.000+10:00

Exercise Today: 600 Metre Swim (about 18 minutes..)

Due to a lack of bike I have decided to focus on swimming. Where I swim there are four “zones” to swim in. There is the

Fast Area: Pretty much dudes in speedo’s and serious women belting up and down the pool
Medium: Almost the same but everyone seems to be hairier
Slow: My New Home
Fun and Splash: This is where I started – it used to be just me and the 7 year olds learning to swim.

Today I was thrashing my way down the slow lane when I felt someone lurking behind me, then overtaking – it was an old man swimming with flippers!

Whats up with that? Why not strap an outboard motor to your back? Whats the point of swimming with flippers? Especially in the slow lane!

Anyone have any ideas???

Cheers

Greg

A Confession

2007-10-18T15:29:00.000+10:00

Exercise Today: 30 min jog with 20 sets of stair sprints

I have a couple of confessions

1. I am bald
2. I have competed in a sprint triathlon previously (this was VERY short)

There are 3 benefits to being a bald man.

1. Doing your hair takes next to no time
2. No bad hair days
3. People assume you are a good swimmer

Imagine how upset I was during my previous triathlon to find out swimming cap’s were compulsory

I wonder if I will have to wear one again

One Small Step

2007-10-17T11:03:00.000+10:00

Here’s the deal

I am a moderately fit 30 year old married man who works for a marketing company

In a moment of male bravado (clouded by red wine) I committed to doing an Ironman Triathlon within the next two years

For those of you who do not know an Ironman consists of
3.8 Kilometre Swim
180 Kilometre Bike Ride
42K Kilometre Run

Sounds tough hey……..my problem is that at the moment

I can not swim past 100 metres without stopping (or hanging onto the lane rope..)
I do not own a bike
I have had two knee reconstructions as well an arthroscopy

So why am I doing it?

For a couple of reasons

To raise money for Beyond Blue and Youth off the Streets
I grew up watching the Hawaiian Ironman (think Greg Welch etc) and have always dreamed of doing one

I am hoping this blog will help to keep me motivated and help raise some money (feel free to give me some tips...)
Wish me Luck!
Greg