GEE-LONG WAY TO GO

Mitch’s Race:

ITU Australian Sprint Championships- Geelong (Feb 10)

It’s now one year on from my first ITU race in Geelong last year and I’m left with mixed feelings about my progress since then. The effort has always been there but at times the quality of my training has been compromised due to a lack of direction, unclear goals and an overly flexible training regime. My knowledge of the game has increased tenfold, however I’m still using the phase “it’s a good lesson” far more than I care to say it. Nevertheless, it’s important to be aware of these lessons, hence the changes I’ve made to my life to accommodate them!

I have now spent two months in Canberra with Darren Smith and his “DSquad” and I’m absorbing the value of a quality training structure. I have been broken down into little pieces, both technically by Darren and metaphorically by the Physio, “Tricky Ricky”. It’s common for athletes to hide their weaknesses when they train alone, altering sessions to suit their mood or misguided belief of what’s good for them. I have been no exception! Darren has exposed many of my weaknesses that would inevitably restrict my capacity to go faster in the future. Therefore, most sessions focus on making technical improvements, rather than trying to expand the size of my engine, or “hayshed” if you like. The mental drain has well matched the physical, and it often takes multiple doses of “comfort” cereal to wind down after training!

All the athletes get along really well which makes it a pleasure to get out of bed and lace up for punishment each day! There’s a good balance in the squad and we all share similar goals and attitudes. After struggling initially to adapt to the training load and other pressures associated with moving away, I have been much more settled of late. It can be easy to feel obliged to race each other in training given the streaks of competitiveness we share as athletes, however we are starting to respect the strengths of one another and have been able to use that to improve the quality of each session. Whether its some technical advice, a wheel to follow or a cover story as to why someone has an empty drink bottle- there’s always someone there to help.

The first ITU race for the year was the Australian Sprint Championships in Geelong. I was a bit hesitant going into the race without having the time to master my new technical prowess, however it was the perfect opportunity to test myself under race pressure.

I had used my new regime to prepare for the race and felt good after the warm up and was clear with my race objectives. Unfortunately, as soon as I jumped in the water those plans went out the window and I resorted back to some old habits. This made it difficult to stay afloat let alone maintain pace with some of the fastest swimmers in the country. I exited the water off the back of the main field and never rejoined the race. Upon reflection I was quite pleased with how I executed the bike and run, although I couldn’t help be disappointed with finishing in a similar position to what I had twelve months ago. The race was an eye opener and it had confirmed my discoveries of the previous weeks, as my weaknesses were laid out on the table. My road trip buddy and training partner Greg Rouault (FRA) won the race without dropping a bead of sweat on the course. His impressive run split was no surprise to me and we can look forward to watching him fly in some bigger races down the track. Cam Good (AUS) also had a great race finishing one step behind Pete Kerr (VIS) who took out the Australian title. Cam has a great work ethic in training and has become a role model in that regard, however I would be wise to find other sources of guidance when it comes to dating advice, diet and Pilates. It was good to have these guys around to keep the morale up and offer their thoughts after a slightly disappointing day at the office…

Greg’s high spirits were enough to get us back to Canberra straight after the race with the intention of training as usual the next day. Unfortunately, I slept a little too long that night (14 hours) which delayed my return for another day. I think I needed it!

Mitch’s Next Race:

ITU Oceania Sprint Championships- Devonport (Feb 23)

Mitch’s Pictures: 

With thanks to "Triathlon In Pictures"

Hanging out the washing at home...

Out for a pedal...

Mitch on the run...

Mitch still on the run....

French Champagne...

Greg's Big Adventure...