All indications preparation heading in the right direction
I had an important hitout for my impending Ironman at the weekend's Campbell's Shepparton Half Ironman Triathlon in Shepp.
Thankfully I didn't encounter any bad luck this time and was able to get the performance I have been looking for with the form I knew I currently possessed.
Crossing the finish line in 1st place with a nice 3-4 minute buffer and time of 3:53 and change (and encouraging 1:14 half marathon), it was great to feel like I could have kept going a lot longer, providing me with great confidence for Bussleton in just 3 weeks time.
Thanks to all family, friends and sponsors again for the great support and I definately couldn't have come so far without it. Everyone knows you need patience when playing the 'Ironman' game, however I have enjoyed a fantastic preparation over these past few months and I'll be standing on the start line in Bussleton giving myself every chance to take a victory on debut. I look forward to letting you know how it all goes.
If interested, you can find a shepp-post race interview and thoughts on my upcoming Ironman debut here as I spoke with firstoffthebike.com's Phil Wrochna.
Regards,
Leon
A slow start
Hi everyone,
A quick update. Unfortunately I was unable to cross the first 2 events off my list of the previous post, thanks to going down for a few weeks with the flu. It has subsequently put me a little behind where I'd like to be in my preparation for my debut Ironman, however with 7 or so weeks to go, I think that leaves enough time for a quality block of training barring any more setbacks.
Next up will be the Noosa Triathlon, which I'm super excited to be doing this year. It's probably my favourite triathlon in the World, and I'm looking to get back amongst the pointy end of the field as the recent lack of racing has made me hungrier than ever!
I've also added the Shepparton Half Ironman to the calendar in preparation for Busso. I completed the Shepp race back when it was only an Olympic distance race some 10 years ago, so can't wait to make the trip over as being so close to Bendigo it means I'll have some great family and friends support which is rare due to racing on the other side of the globe most of the time.
A quick congrats also to Craig 'Crowie' Alexander for claiming the World Ironman Championship title in Kona last weekend. After completing a few sessions with Crowie in Boulder this past US summer, I could tell he was fired up to go one better than last year and he was absolutely training the house down, leaving no stone unturned. It was great to see close up what it takes to be the best in the business and I'll be definately taking what I can from Crowie's preparation and adding it to mine as I chase Ironman glory in Bussleton.
Cheers
Griffo
Return to Melbourne
Thanks to everyone for their support during this tough time.
A few weeks back I got that dreaded 'middle of the night phone call' from Merridee informing me doctors had found some tumors on her mum's brain and of which would have to be operated on immediately, followed by an intense course of radiotherapy. Heather is a very tough customer as she had only just beaten off breast cancer 6 months earlier! We're all crossing out fingers for her and know she has what it takes to beat this dreadful disease.
So I decided the best thing to do was pull up stumps and jump on the first plane home to lend my support.
Unfortunately it meant an early finish to my US season, but I'm also excited about being able to refocus my attention on some of the best home grown events that I grew up on here in Australia.
I've decided to pursue the following program for the remainder of the year:
Gold Coast Half Ironman - Oct 5
Melbourne Marathon - Oct 12
Noosa Triathlon - Nov 2
Bussleton Ironman - Dec 7
That's right...I'll be tackling my debut Ironman later this year and I can't wait. The Hawaii Ironman is what captured my imagination and got me hooked on this sport, and I look forward to getting the ball rolling with my first one, hopefully leading me to success one day in the lava fields of Kona.
I've just laid down a nice months base training and look forward to reporting back with good news after my frst race back on the Goldy in a few weeks.
Cheers
Leon