In case you’re not into reading:

Apologies for the blog delay. The time after New Zealand was fairly frantic with the two happiest days of my life taking place.  Monica and I got married and then soon after welcomed our baby boy Oscar James Reed into the world. In an effort to keep on topic and not make this a personal diary I’ll leave it at except to say I’m the luckiest man in the world to have such an amazing wife and one of those overly proud Dads.

It was always going to be tricky training for an Ironman whilst including a house move, preparing for a wedding and including a fair amount of teaching and coaching to keep the bills in check, however I did what I could and while I certainly didn’t feel my prep for an Ironman was ideal I was confident I could still have a decent result. When the race was delayed a day  and cut to a 70.3 distance race due to the crazy ”weather bomb’ that hit NZ I think I was the only one internally cheering. My efforts to train for an IM had me at least in good shape for half the distance.

Race morning produced a stark contrast of conditions from Saturday with clear skies and only a light breeze. With Terenzo Bozzone returning from quite a break from training I took the gamble that he wasn’t in his best form and positioned myself on the shoulder of Marino Vanhoenacker who I saw as the favourite for this distance. My thoughts being that Marko Albert, Terenzo Bozzone, Guy Crawford and Marino would make a break from the rest of the field and I wanted to be dragged along as far as I could with these guys. To my surprise Marino disappeared early on and I ended up on Terenzo’s feet and noticed there wasn’t the usual urgency in the swim pace possibly with the great swimmers realising that the calm conditions weren’t conducive to a solo 90kms time trial. At 1 km I looked back to see Marino several swimmers back, weaving his way through the field steadily moving back up to the front after losing his goggles early on. When he went pass I jumped into his massive wake and didn’t let anyone push me out of it exiting the swim near the front with the main players.

Terenzo must have drilled transition because we got out on the bikes and he was already a few hundred metres up the road. I put my head down and bum up closing the gap. As we hit the first climb on our way out of Taupo there was quite a group of riders. I was probably 3rd or 4th from the front when I bumped my shifter by mistake causing my chain to come off. This can be quite a bugger in this sort of race as sometimes you are forced to get off and fix the chain, losing the pack who riding and pacing together at 7 metre gaps become very hard to catch. Astonishingly, first Terenzo and then another super nice bloke of the sport Aaron Farlow gave me a big push as they went past allowing me to keep my momentum, remain upright and get the chain back without having to dismount. I’m still amazed and hugely thankful that guys who rely on these races for their living did that.
The ride was quite tactical with Marino and Cameron Brown putting in solid turns at the front and then the pace really dropping off as people conserved their legs for the run. I felt comfortable throughout and was quite enjoying riding along with a bunch of media vehicles and a helicopter over head. Towards the end of the ride I was a little concerned that someone would attack in the last 10km so I moved to the front and lifted the pace a little to ensure I was where the action was. Then, as I anticipated Terenzo put in an attack with myself, Cam, Marino and Aaron following closely opening up a small gap on the others.

Into transition and I ripped on my new Zoot Ultra TTs, the laceless shoe once again allowing me the fastest T2, and hit the run in second a few metres behind Terenzo with Cam and Marino blowing gel flavoured breath down my neck. Terenzo was going a fair clip however having had a similar amount of time out with injury a year prior I knew that the speed comes back fast but the strength for the final 10kms takes a little longer so I wasn’t too stressed. What I was fussed about was how strong Marino and Cam are. I won’t go through these guys credentials as anyone reading this most likely follows the sport and knows they are amongst the very best in the world. I knew I wouldn’t run the last 5kms as quick as them however being close to 10 years their junior I knew my first 10km speed should be better.

With the incredible crowds that this race draws and a lot of people screaming “Go Terenzo”,  I slowly pulled away running sub 3.15/km pace for the first 8kms before trying to find a steady rhythm. Unfortunately that rhythm didn’t come. I got to 11kms with a 1 minute 30 lead but I was feeling very nauseous, a feeling that I haven’t had before in a race, perhaps from going too hard, perhaps nutrition, I’m not really sure. Either way I was forced to back things off to bring my guts into check but by 15kms I knew Marino was getting ever closer. I was starting to feel good again but Marino was obviously feeling much better as the big Belgian belted past me at the 17km mark.  Someone told me after the race that he ran the final 5kms in well under 16 minutes.

Of course I was extremely happy to finish 2nd and to celebrate with my sister Catherine who had flown over as a surprise with my Dad. Unfortunately my Dad had to shoot back to Australia Sat night and missed the race with the weather issues but I appreciated the massive effort all the same.

Cam Brown was just starting to warm up and was pulling back time coming in close behind for third showing how good his form would have been for the full Ironman distance. Now with Ironman Melbourne passed Cam once again proved why it would have been near impossible to beat the human metronome. So strong! It was an honour to race such a legend of the sport.

Hats off also to the Ironman New Zealand organisers. They did everything possible to ensure that a race went ahead despite everything  mother nature threw at them. As expected, all aspects of the organisation were brilliant.

Anyway, off to change nappy, thanks for reading and big thanks to my sponsors.

Men

1. Marino Vanhoenacker: 3:55:03
2. Timothy Reed: 3:55:51
3. Cameron Brown: 3:56:38
4. Romain Guillaume: 3:58:03
5. Aaron Farlow: 3:58:57
6. Marko Albert: 4:00:43
7. Terenzo Bozzone: 4:01:51
8. Guy Crawford: 4:03:29
9. Jamie Whyte: 4:12:05
10. Shanon Stallard: 4:14:46

I nearly pulled the pin completely. I was already a little unsure whether I should desert Monica on a weekend when we were suppose to be moving house when I read Mitch Anderson’s tweet that race day temperatures were suppose to reach a high of 9 degrees. I’m small and runtish which I blame completely on my twin sister for stealing precious nutrients while fighting for space in Mum’s womb. Hence, I hate the cold and have never raced well in the cold. Thankfully that size thieving twin, Liz, was incredibly generous and offered to fly up from Sydney and help Monica make the move. That sealed the deal. I was off to Falls Creek to see whether I could not embarrass myself and hopefully be in the mix for an Aussie title.

With prize money that seriously needs an upgrade, there certainly wasn’t all the top Aussie guys there. A $10 000 prize pools looks particularly poor when 30th place at U.S 5150 Championships pays $1000 more then the win here. TA- Maybe cut the $500 000 on coaches (well some are actually called development officers because they are not actually suppose to coach) and build young athlete depth in the sport through re-creating what Australia had through the 1990s- An exciting, sponsor attractive televised series that gets thousands of kids wanting to try triathlons as opposed to the very small number that a talent ID program based around useless individual sport time trials. Wow, two coffees and I’m off topic and ranting already.

However, there were some very good guys competing indeed. Joe Gambles is widely recognised as one of the best in the world at this distance and recently finished 2nd at the ITU Long Course World Championships. Luke Bell has had more 70.3 and long course wins then all but one other (I think..), Mitch Anderson, is an Ironman champion known as one of the best bike riders in the sport with a run that ain’t shabby and a swim that is. Also in the field was bronze Olympic medallist Jan Rehula and Noosa triathlon winner, Dave Dellow.

I tried to warm up but the 13-15 degree water was inflicting a fairly heavy ice cream head ache. The gun went as did any sufficient amount of oxygen as I was quickly reminded that we were racing at 1500 metre above sea level. I was dropped early from the front pack but as I warmed up I rallied to get back onto the feet of the front guys. With 400m to go Ben Allen, an exceptional swimmer with a competitive surf life saving background lifted the pace and I popped off the back into no mans land. I did what I could to minimise the damage and took advantage of my numb feet through the stony transition run to end up only being 20 seconds down on the main group.

Onto the bike and I was relieved to note that the legs were there. With quite a few casual teaching days the past two weeks while taking on a lot more coaching clients I had been forced to cut back the training and after a heavy block it was probably exactly what I needed for this race though not desirable for the fast approaching Ironman New Zealand.

I could see Luke Bell had already made his move with Gambles pulling away also. I put my head down passed the main pack and over the next 10kms gradually pulled Gambles within about 30-40 metres. Luke Bell was clear and it was obvious he was not going to be brought back once again demonstrating his dominance on two wheels. There was nothing I could do except to try to minimize the damage his power output was causing.

The course was tough. While there are no real killer climbs, you are always descending or climbing with a nice altitude induced burn in your lungs and my electrical tape shoe warmers not quite doing the job. My heart sank as I realised I had made a very rookie error. I normally mix my SIS energy gels into my speedfil bottle and suck them as I ride to avoid the hassle of opening gels while trying to remain aero. While this normally works brilliantly, the current temperature had meant that they were close to solidified at the bottom of the speedfil container and were not coming out despite my best sucking effort. I was carrying one emergency energy gel in my back pocket and had one in transition for the run which meant I was going to have to race off two gels when I normally have about 8 for a race of this distance.

Gambles was putting time into me on every descent while I would hold my own on the flats and make back a little on the climbs. Gradually he would extend his lead to about 40 seconds with Luke Bell jumping off the bike 2 minutes clear.

The 2 loop run is completely off road climbing up the main ski slope before running on a reasonably flat out and back trail. It didn’t take long to see something was wrong with Bell. Word is that he had given his ankle a roll on the ascent up the mountain and when I passed him he was coming out of the bushes. We ran together for a few hundred metres before he dropped off. Gambles had a clear lead however I felt relaxed, fluid and comfortable and I could see that he was slowly coming back to me.

I kept the breathing steady and by the 10km turn around I had closed the gap. You can’t beat this situation. Joe shouldn’t be beaten by me so I have nothing to lose and everything to gain. I decided to really rest up before I made my move and let Joe lead the next 2kms. As we climbed up the mountain section I felt my inner thighs cramp and I let out some silent screams of frustration but was grateful I was behind Joe so that he couldn’t see my awkward stride. Thankfully they subsided as soon as we stopped the upward climb. Back on the flats I listened to Joe’s breathing and was disappointed to note that he was breathing fairly easy. I figured that he was probably cruising for a bit waiting for me to make my move. I decided to opt for the dummy surge, lifting the pace for 100m  just to see how he where he was at with a quicker pace. I lifted pace to 3.20/km and came around Joe. After 100m at that pace I turned to note that a decent gap had opened up and it was a dummy move no longer. I went hard for the next 2kms building a reasonable lead.

From there, I was returned to a comfortable pace and felt the goosebumps arrive at the idea that I was going to win an Australian title. At 18kms with only two gels on board my body was really craving some sugar to fight the growing light headed sensation, thankfully the finish line arrived in time and I was able to lift the banner in disbelief that I had won an Australian title. Gambles finished 2nd with Mitch Anderson blasting the bike and run to finish 3rd.

Since sorting out my gluten intolerance/anaemia issues September last year I’ve felt a drastic transformation in how I feel when racing.  It’s as if someone handed me back 5th gear. There has been a big mental improvement too. Knowing that Monica and I have a baby on the way has also increased my all round professionalism. I can’t keep doing this if I can’t justify it with financial benefits. Many people look from the outside and accuse me of having an amazing lifestyle and while I wouldn’t argue against this I wouldn’t say it’s all smooth sailing. Coaching 25 athletes, teaching and trying to be of some assistance to my amazing fiance (who makes what I do look like a stroll in the park) means that I rarely get more than 6 hrs sleep and certainly makes for a lot of 4am zombie training sessions. The worst part is that Monica doesn’t always get the day to day support she deserves as I try and train sufficient hours and then use my free time to support my racing income.

I’m more motivated then ever to keep racing well because if it works out it would allow an amazing family life. I didn’t leave full-time work on a complete gamble. A good friend paid for me to go and get as much laboratory testing as I could before I made the decision. The testing showed that I had an exceptional aerobic engine at the very upper ranges of elite levels so I was confident  that if I could put in the training and remain injury free physiologically I could be successful.  I’m training with and beating guys earning 2-3 times what I would get with full-time teaching salary so while there is definitely a part of racing that is all about ego, I’m also motivated by what I think could be very good for my new family. For now I’ll keep my head down and legs ticking over and hope that 2012 is a very good year.

As always,  biggest thank you to Monica, her family and my family.

Huge thanks to my sponsors: Zoot, Vision, Rudy Project, SiS, Speedfil, Aeromax Team and Budgy Smuggler.

Top photo courtesy of www.trizone.com.au

I’m on my second vino, so I’m a warning this could get a touch deep. Let me start with some cliche dribbling. I would far rather ride out the massive highs and massive lows of doing something a little different and prone to failure then be lying on this couch at 50 years of age wondering what would have been possible if I had just given something a really good crack.

I’m almost certain that highs of triathlon such as winning races, magic days in training belting along a bush trail, enjoying a Sunday ocean swim, riding breathtaking mountains in Colorado, having the flexibility and time to spend quality time with loved ones or friends  and much more is cancelled out by the lows of triathlon. Constant travel, pushing your body to the edge of sickness, dealing with injuries, financial insecurity when you’re racing poorly, the extra pressure it puts on partners, staying motivated to get through 20-35 hour training weeks, non-triathlon friends and family just not getting that it’s your job and much more. So when you iron out the hills and valleys the triathlon experience is possibly completely neutral. I hope this doesn’t sound negative because I think neutral is great. I can’t think of many other jobs that are neutral. When I weigh up most other occupations the negatives far outweigh the positives. I’m sounding pessimistic but grant me a few more lines to further clarify or confuse.

Big high’s and big lows allow a full spectrum of feelings and emotions. It’s true living. I wouldn’t give up the last couple of years for anything.  This is a job I truly love for the entire experience it provides and geez I hope I can keep doing it for quite a while.

Canberra 70.3  was a complete contrast to how I felt in Phuket. I had trained so hard to peak for Phuket and it paid dividends on race day. In a relative sense, everything felt comfortable. Obviously I’m disappointed that I lost 5 minutes on the bike with a puncture and a crash but to get back into fourth, against some of the best over this distance makes it by far the race I’m most proud of.

Canberra on the other hand was up there with some of the most difficult hours of racing I’ve done. I felt horrible in the swim but decided early that I was going to stick with Ollie Whistler for the first two laps of the bike so I tucked in behind him. When Ollie’s head is right, he can push some incredible power through those pedals and back it up with a very solid run so I wanted him to be my target to stay with on the bike. I swam up alongside him twice to try and share the load and to minimise the time to the small group of front swimmers who got away but he didn’t get my hint and we just ended up swimming side by side slowing each other down so I settled in behind him and let him do the work. We exited a little over a minute down on four guys including a major threat Joey Lampe who despite being only 22 years of age is rapidly improving every race and is a threat over both short and long course racing.

I was fairly relaxed about the time gap as I’m confident about my cycling form. Prior to Phuket, my functional threshold power was up 40 watts from where it was when I returned from injury in March this year. My confidence was instantly dashed to pieces as I put in my first few pedal strokes. They felt tired. However the main issue was my head would not shut up. I take pride in being able to quieten my mind into a state of  calm focus but my brain would not stop throwing up reasons why it didn’t want to push the body through another 3.5 hours of racing.

At about 5kms into the bike leg my saviour appeared in the shape of a course marshal who directed Ollie and I down the wrong road. We had only ridden about 30 seconds before a h0nking van pulled up alongside us and told us we were going the wrong way. Another extremely slow 30 seconds ticked by until we were back on the correct road. I had calculated that a week after a 70.3 that I could afford to lose a minute in the swim to Joey and hopefully get off the bike together or a little ahead to try and hold him off on the run. I hadn’t factored in two minutes, hence I was pissed off. All of the excuses dried up. I could handle pulling out if it was my own fault but I didn’t want a course marshall ending my day.  In a weird way the marshall reignited my competitive nature and saved my race from my uncooperative brain.

I started crunching the pedals with rage and thankfully my average speed came up. I soon calmed down and was able to get back into a good mental state and maintain the average speed I knew was required on this tough bike course. Ollie was struggling in his new bike position (he had never ridden his new bike before) and then his Shimano Electronic shifters wouldn’t go up to his big ring ending his day.

At 30kms I passed Joey who was on the side of the road with a puncture. I didn’t feel any relief, only disappointment as I had pictured a good battle between myself, Ollie and Joey.

I gradually reeled in the other front guys. I guy I really like, Michael Fox gave me a thorough briefing on where everyone was so I yelled at him to stick with me and he did for quite some time. Former ITU athlete, Josh Maeder was having a good 70.3 debut but was lucky not to cop the wrath of the draft busters as he really pushed the permitted drafting distance. I predict a big future for Josh over this format as he matches his speed with greater strength endurance. I was shocked at one point when Monty Frankish, a super friendly bloke whom I  first met in Boulder this year,  powered past me with his thundering thighs forcing me to lift my pace a little.

I hit T2 as the highly talented swim/biker Matt Bailey was putting on his running shoes. Having backed up 70.3 events before I know that I have about 10-13kms of good running in me before the accumulated fatigue of back to back races starts to really set in and the spring in my step disappears. So I went for it, holding a good pace for the first 12kms. I didn’t feel good but I knew I was moving well enough to put decent time into the other guys. From 12kms onwards it was war between my legs and mind with my legs winning and slowing my pace every kilometre that passed. Some people asked me if I switched off during the last 10kms because I had enough of a gap for the win. I absolutely didn’t. I didn’t trust my legs to carry me the entire way and was simply looking at the ground as I ran, willing off impending cramps.

The burn in my toasted legs quickly evaporated as I jogged down the finish chute to my first 70.3 win. It was so special to have my beautiful fiance Monica and my great friends Phillip and Michelle Whistler waiting at the finish line. Phil and Michelle introduced me to the sport and have been incredibly supportive as I’ve steadily progressed. Fittingly, Canberra Half Ironman was my first race in the elite/pro category where I finished 3rd a minute behind Pete Jacobs. Now, a few years later it is the race where I had my first win over this distance. To have so many podiums at this distance but never quite being able to get the top spot made this race almost a relief to tick that goal off.
My finish line speech was fairly composed until I went to thank Monica and got a little choked up as she has really ridden the rollercoaster with me over the past c0uple of years and has provided amazing support and belief.

Thank you to my sponsors. Zoot have helped me out from the start and as I’ve progressed have steadily increased their level of support. It’s a literal pleasure to wear their shoes, wetsuits and clothes.

Despite Steven from Kestrel bikes, not being in the best of health of late he still does all he can to look after me in the bike department with the slickest, quickest bikes on the market. Thanks Steven and the other people behind Kestrel.

Budgy Smugglers are still the most comfortable item of clothing to race in. There’s no argument. Old school is the only way.

I’m excited to now be working with Vision/FSA. Their marketing manager is second to none doing everything he can to ensure I’ll be riding pure speed, with everything from race wheels to chains to bars to head stems to cranks and more. I just received many crazily fast Christmas presents from them which I’ll be posting pics of up on facebook soon.

Thank you also to my most recent sponsor SIS sport nutrition. I always hunt down the sponsors with the best products and these guys certainly are the leaders in sports nutrition.

To my coach- Grant Giles, my US parents- Pam and Warren Shuckies, my real parents, Karl from www.trizone.com.au, my manager Chuck Dender (www.dendersports.com) and the people I coach. I owe you guys big time. Thank you very very much and Merry Christmas.

Cheers, DD.