Hell yeah!  Doesn't that sum up much of what is going on right now?  We can't control the rain or the COVID storm that surrounds us, but we sure as heck can learn how to make the most of the time we have.  And on that, Coach Ollie has a message (aka grumble) for this week that he needed to get off his chest.  The frustration of seeing missed opportunity and possibility slipping away needed to be shared.

We also feeling for all those who had their hearts set on racing 70.3 in Western Sydney or the Sunny Coast this year, both of which have been postponed/cancelled/unlikely to be going ahead to interstate athletes.  It’s a tough ride at the moment, but well done to those who got in contact immediately, picked themselves up, set a plan and are on track to keep moving forward.  This is all you can do and we commend you on the positivity you’ve shown.

That leaves IM Melbourne.  Just 94 days away.  That’s 13.5ish weeks or just over 3 months.  And for many of us who have not been doing much racing, this is NOT that far away!  FYI…..all intermediate athletes should have been training consistently for the last 6 weeks…..whoa!  Put yourself on that continuum and assess where you are at.  Don’t think you’ll be able to cram it all in at the last minute, which you may have been able to get away with in the past.  With less recent training you’ll want to be heading into the event wisely, and that is with a carefully planned training block.  Now is the time to get in contact with the coaches.  Be consistent.  Ask lots of questions.  And follow the plan.

And for all those Short Course athletes, the beginning of the 2XU series is only 2 weeks after that!  It’ll come around before we all know it.

Just to remind you, you can get in contact with any of our coaches.  You should still be consulting your programs via CoachingMate, prior to each session and following the phase of your program cycle and what has been prescribed.  This is particularly important for the run sessions, which are being completed independently at the moment.  If you have any questions about your program, please reach out to a coach:

[email protected] | [email protected] | [email protected] | [email protected] | [email protected]

We are all here to help where we can. 

We remain optimistic that we will be back to face-to-face training again soon but are realistic that much can still be done in the meantime.  You just need to take the first step and then stay consistent.

The majority of us do not have access to the water right now, but what we do have is the opportunity to work on our swim technique through dryland bands.  Which for most of you, are being done incorrectly.  Even my best swimmers are not doing their band work to the best of their ability.

I know it is tough times right now.  I know it is a demotivating period.  But I believe there is a great deal of missed opportunity happening right now.  For me, there are 3 buckets of people:

• Those who are turning up, getting coach’s advice, working through their technique properly, and taking on all the 1%ers
• Those who are flirting with training, currently in limbo, doing some of it because it’s there but not always putting in the effort
• And those who are completely letting it all go

There’s no right or wrong to these 3 buckets. You can choose which ever one best suits you.  But if you want to improve, you need to turn up.  You need the critique from the coach, you need the push to maintain the effort and you need to not miss the opportunity.  Or you will just be letting another year slip by. 

That is the reality of it.

I’m sure you’ve all heard these words echoed from The General before…Piss poor preparation makes for piss poor performance.  That’s where it’s leading to. 

I understand some athletes have the opportunity to swim in the open water.  Great.  But you should not be sacrificing your dryland session for an open water one.  None of you can afford that.  Do the dryland work and then practice this in your open water…the correct way.  Don’t waste time just ticking the arms over.  Train smarter.  Train with purpose.

Based on the numbers turning up to virtual sessions, it’s clear that the majority just want to sit their band work in the f*it bucket.  And this is disappointing.  I’m happy to review the session times if this increases attendance and helps those who can’t make the current times.  It’s not an excuse.

I’m here to help.  I’m here to offer you advice and work with you to get you the improvement you want.  But you need to take the first step.

~ Coach Ollie ~

Friday morning:

• All athletes @ 7am – to work on technique and strength in a dryland swimming set.  Have all bands available for the session with Coach Ollie (link in programs)

Saturday morning:

• All athletes @ 6am – will be riding a programmed course on Zwift from coaches Ollie and Greg.  Athletes to follow programmed distances.

OR

• All athletes @ 7am – will have an intensive wind trainer session with Coach Gaz.  Variations for both SC and LC athletes (link in programs).

 
Sunday morning:

• All athletes – are encouraged to complete their long run individually and outdoors. This can be achieved within your 5kms local area.  Confirmation for accountability can be shared with the coaching team.

Monday night:

• All athletes @ 6pm – to work on technique and strength in a dryland swimming set.  Have all bands available for the session with Coach Ollie (link in programs)

Tuesday night: **FTP TESTING**

• Long Course athletes @ 6pm – FTP test with The General (link in programs).
• Short Course athletes @ 6pm – FTP test with Coach Gaz (link in programs).

Wednesday morning:

• All athletes @ 7am – to work on technique and strength in a dryland swimming set.  Have all bands available for the session with Coach Ollie (link in programs)

Thursday night: ** RUN TIME TRIAL**

• All athletes – are encouraged to complete their individual time trial (2kms, 5kms or 10kms). Try to achieve this on a similar course to Albert Park Lake (within your local area and in under 2hrs).  Send results through to the coaching team.