Race Report: Elite Energy Husky Sprint

Rain, cool temperatures and a pretty sleepless lead up. Fun times. It's been a pretty hectic few weeks, busy on my final teaching prac and working weekends meant squeezing in training has been pretty tough. The real test will be next weekend at Shepparton 70.3. Nevertheless, this was a good little hit-out and a fun day despite the weather.

Thanks for pic Mark

Overall result was 15th (out of 398) in the Sprint race, and 3rd in m25-29, with a 1:09 time. Ahead of me were a bunch of fast juniors and consistent dream-crusher Mick Maroney, as well as a number of other studs.

Swim (750m): 11:09. Easy triangle loop in J-Bay. Water looked pretty glassy at first glance, but there was a little bit of swell to contend with. Started in the front row and pushed to keep pace with a few fish. Lost touch ahead of the first can as I drifted off to the right 10m or so, but swam tightly across the next section and exited in 6th.


T1 + Bike (20km) + T2: 38:27 (Actual bike split was 35 and change). Felt much better on two wheels today, compared to Nepean.  I was in the third wave of starters, so there wasn't too much traffic ahead and the biggest challenge was the weather, with a few downpours early on. Cycling still very much a work in progress, but I'm happy with how it felt today. I hit T2 in 3rd.


 Run (5km) 19:32: Didn't quite feel magic, but was able to get along at a decent clip and hold onto 3rd. The kids from the U20 wave were well ahead, so it was pretty lonely for the most part. I saw Mick breathing fire just after the turnaround so I knew he was going to be on my heels if I let up. 3:46/km ave pace just a little quicker pace than Nepean the other week - I just don't have those high-end gears! The course was a touch long, I think - I measured it at 5.23km - but meh, all good.

Looking forward to heading down to Victoria and rolling the dice next weekend!

The Next Elephant 2.0

I would have liked to start this post some a nugget of wisdom about rolling with the punches, or playing the hand you're dealt, but I won't bore you. I'm still on the way back from the stress fracture I posted about a few months ago. It's a slower recovery than I would have liked but I'm confident of a full return to run training soon.

In the meantime I have been busy training my butt off (not literally - it's still there) on the bike and in the pool. Using the PowerTap I got my hands in Autumn, I got busy restructuring my bike training and making inroads into what I perceived to be my weakness - top end and sustainable power on the bike. I can report that I've gained quite a few watts in the last few months which is really pleasing. Also, for those of you who put up with my whinging about not being at 'race weight' and dragging my fat ass around in the off-season, I'd like to share that I've shed ~4kgs since returning from Ottawa. So, upping my power and dropping a bit of weight  makes my Power:Weight (w/kg) ratio a bit less embarrassing! 

I feel I've made good technical progress on my swim stroke, too, over the last couple of months. I'm doing some more CSS training as we head towards race season here in Aus in the next few months, and things are looking good.

I've also made a few amendments to the initial season plan I posted about in May. Here's the new list below! As usual, there might be some tweaks, but the big dances will remain steady. 

• Run Wollongong - October 20th 2013. This is going to be a really fun way to kick off the summer. The Cotton On Foundation is bringing a number of events around Australia to support local communities to improve the health of young people. 

• Nepean Triathlon - October 27th 2013. The OLDEST triathlon in Australia and a true classic on the NSW Triathlon Calender. This is a hallmark event and this year they've upped the pro prize-purse which I think is fantastic - the pro races should be great to watch. Should be an awesome first triathlon of the season in a snappy 1km-30km-10km format. I thought about racing Port 70.3 given it's the Aussie AG Champs, but I reckon it will be a better for the overall season to hold off until Shepp. Still a little indecision here, we'll see!

• Ironman 70.3 Shepparton - November 17th 2013. I'm really looking forward to this one! It's supposed to be one of those big races with a small-race-feel. It will be the weekend after finishing uni so Audrey and I are hoping to spend some time checking out the Snowies afterwards!

• Elite Energy Callala Classic Triathlon - December 8th 2013.On minutes from where I grew up! A new Classic Distance this year from the guys at Elite Energy should be a lot of fun. 2km swim in Jervis Bay, 60km bike on Forest Rd (I rode that road a lot in training for Ironman Melbourne!) and a 15km run in around Callala and Myola - should be a cracker! 

• Ironman 70.3 Auckland - January 2014. This is a big one for us - Audrey's first 70.3 and a big crack for a Half-Ironman World Championship qualification slot. Should be brilliant! Also, Aotearoa is calling us for a visit!

• Pearl Izumi Long Course Triathlon - February 23rd, 2014. We're staying put the entire summer (mostly) so I feel I can commit to some 2014 events! I felt I left a lot on the table here in 2013 (mainly on the bike) and want another crack on this stellar course! (Just chuck m25-59 in an earlier wave Emo! PLEASE!) Here's a video I made of last year's race:

Husky Triathlon 2013 from Steve Crossman on Vimeo.

• Elite Energy Wollongong Triathlon Festival - March 9th 2014. I wanted to race this badly in 2013 given it was close and it was an Australian AG World Championship qualifier where there would be a few studs. But, it was only 14 days out from Ironman Melbourne and things got too crazy at uni so I couldn't even go to watch, in the end. Now we've moved to the area, should be fun to hammer on this fast course with end-of-season fitness!

Race Report: Huskisson Long Course Triathlon with VIDEO

Short Version: 4:24:22, 10th m25-29, 129th Overall (1400-odd competitors)


Long Version: Every race, I learn a lot. That being said, I am still quite an inexperienced athlete (certainly as far as long course racing is concerned). Ironman Melbourne (no less than 5 weeks away!) is the A-Race for early 2013. Huskisson LC, being only 5 weeks prior to the big dance, meant that having a really good rest beforehand would not be possible. Despite wanting to race well, I would have to 'train through it'. In essence, this would mean a near-normal training week would precede Husky, with a few tweaks, such as cutting out a tempo run and shifting a day forward in the cycle in order to get a full rest day on Saturday. In the end, I gave myself a few easy days on Thursday and Friday, and a complete day of rest on Saturday. I did feel quite well rested and ready to go.  It would be only my second long course race (meaning IM Melbourne is to be only my third!) and the first which would be a "B-Race".




Pre Race: With the roads closed at 6:30, I wanted to get to Huskisson early. We were out of bed at 5am and in the car 40 minutes later, coffee in hand. We got there and set ourselves up on the beach with our picnic breakfast of porridge to watch the first waves go off. The Pro men began at 6:30am, some 2 hours and 20-odd minutes before my wave which was the second last. After a bit of spectating and finishing my coffee, it was time to get into the transition to set up, before it re-closed at 8am. Once everything was set in the transition, and a visit to the can was out of the way, we had time to relax a bit and wait for my eventual start at 8:50am.

2km swim: 31:31. Despite having all the time in the world, I managed to almost miss my start. I had my wetty  half-on, and was sitting around with Audrey and my parents near the transition. I wandered down to the beach only to jump in the water to have a warm up and a piddle. It was then, standing ankle deep in the water that I heard the announcer say 'Next wave, men under 30 and Clydesdales'. Shit. I got to the start line OK, but didn't get a chance to warm up.
We were off and the first few hundred metres was quick as we headed out to the first can. We ran into a lot of folks doing their second lap and, at times, it was a little messy, forcing us to go around a lot of folks. It was easy going for the first lap, but by the second, my goggles had fogged up pretty badly which led to the poor decision of just following some random guys feet as we headed out into the sun again. Mistake. I ended up swimming 50-100m towards the right of the first buoy and had to stop to clear my goggles before restarting. I swam 'angry' for the rest of the second lap and felt like I was moving through a lot of the other swimmers, which was a nice feeling.

T1: 1:59. Small run up to transition was uneventful and I made it to my bike. It took my a little bit to get my wetty off. I must trim the ankles.

83km Bike: 2:26:32. This was the difference between me and the top-5 in my AG. I have the slowest split in the Top-15. On the first lap, things were good and I biked steadily. I did drop my nutrition bottle and had to stop to get off my bike and walk up the road to get it, costing me a minute or so, maybe. Once settled, I thought the second lap would be a bit quicker. Not so. I slowed, in fact. Not because of a lack of effort, or trying, I just didn't have the power. The third lap was a bit better and I was able to pick things up a little. Disappointing. I think it was simply a question of not having an ideal lead up to the race in terms of rest resulting in being flat on race day. All that being said, it was a really fun course with lots of rolling hills. Despite being a touch crowded on the first and second laps with stragglers from the first batch of waves, the TO's did a good job in pinging those who drafted.

T2: 2:00. Socks are slow, but I didn't want to risk blisters with a few important weeks to go.

20km run: 1:22:18. I felt good on the first lap and held a steady pace. There were lots of folks out on the course, including Macca and Paul Ambrose hamming it up with the crowd, and it made for some quick-footed moves around some of the slower runners. I was feeling strong until about 16kms when I started to develop a few nasty stomach cramps. I think I overdid it at an earlier aid station. I stopped to walk and massage them out a couple of times. In the end, I was able to pick it up to a decent clip and finish well.


I'm happy, in hindsight, with the race. I swam well, I cycled OK on tired legs, and ran strongly. I have learnt a lot and now I'm really counting down to Melbourne!

Thanks a lot to supporters and Elite Energy for another great weekend.



Husky Triathlon 2013 from Steve Crossman on Vimeo.

Race Report: Elite Energy Nowra Triathlon

Sunday January 13th was my first race in a while. It showed. 

I wanted a local race to blow off the cobwebs and get a feeler for my fitness. Nowra, being 10 minutes from home, was perfect and I'd heard that Emo's Elite Energy crew puts on a good show. 

Being me, I didn't taper or rest and came into the race a bit flat. Well, I'm not building for that race so I'm not too concerned. My time wasn't very flattering thanks largely to a very bad swim. But I limped in to finish 25th position overall (17th AG'er behind the Open's), passing a few guys on the run. 

Swim: 30:02   Wow. Worst. Swim. Ever. Couple of things here. It was the culmination of a few things outside of my control, such as, questionable course accuracy, non-wetsuit conditions, a roaring tide and jellyfish stinging the be-jeesus out of everyone, and my own form. Since arriving in Australia my swimming has been poor. Can't offer an explanation other than I've been doing way too much long aerobic stuff and need to get into a few solid speed sets with lots of 25's, 50's and 100's. It just felt like my turnover was poor and my form ordinary. Oh well. 

T1+Bike+T2: 1:08:23    Not bad, but not great. It was my first ride on my new Teschner 703 TT rocket. That was a lot of fun but perhaps not a great idea. I hadn't had the chance to tweak my fit and I believe I have over-torqued the crank resulting in a lot of extra resistance. I'll take it into Ultimate Cycles and have the guys give it a good tune up and I'm sure it'll be ready for some lightening splits very soon! Not much else to report on that front. I haven't been doing any structured riding in a month or so. Time to start incorporating more intense race-pace efforts into my rides. I suppose I can't be too upset with this ride. 

Run: 38:50  Good. Have only done a few tempo runs since last season so it was good to see I can still hold a harder pace comfortably. Room for improvement though, here. I need to stop doing a lot of my runs right off the bike and focus on getting the quality of some of those runs up. 

Next race is potentially Elite Energy's TriOrange event on February 3rd. If not, I'll be in Huski for the Pearl Izumi Huskisson Long Course on February 17th.

Special thanks to Brendan and Luan from O2 Creation Australia for getting my sharp new kit to me on time!