0 The Inconsiderate Cyclist. Breaking The Rules And Getting Caught

I am an inconsiderate cyclist.  As a matter of fact, according to a fellow cyclist, I'm a" f#@king idiot!" I am a vocal critic of drivers in Melbourne who disregard the safety of cyclists with their dangerous driving and thoughtless actions.  I can't count the number of times I've been in danger of being run over, clipped by an opened car door, or abused by  irate drivers for no reason.  I have blogged about how much it annoys me, and have bored many a person with my rants about the aggressive attitude that Australian drivers have towards cyclists. So it is with great shame that I admit that on Monday I did the wrong thing...

2 Ironman?? Why everyday people put themselves through hell.

I didn't just wake up one day and decide to do an Ironman.  My journey to that decision was a more subtle and slow evolution that began in my late twenties.  I was your stereotypical office worker.  A few kilos overweight, mainly sedentary, drinking a lot and smoking too.  I felt heavy, slow and uncomfortable.  One day I realised that I had man boobs and my disgust at the state of my body was the initial spark that led to the burning passion that I now have for endurance sports.  I began to focus on getting myself healthy, losing weight, getting active, and starting to participate in a more active lifestyle....

0 Injury! What Now?

I'm injured. I pushed too hard, and ignored a couple of small niggles (against my own advice).  A couple of weeks ago I had reached that magical level of fitness where you feel invincible.  You are energised, strong, fast and feel as if you can run all day.  I smashed a half-marathon PR on Saturday and then my 10km PR on the Monday.  A week later, and I couldn't run at all.  Shin splints, and a disturbingly painful left ankle had brought my quest for world domination to a screaming halt. Faced with my own physical frailty, and robbed of my regular fix of exercise induced euphoria, I've found myself struggling to stay...

0 Look After Yourself. Knowing When You've Had Enough Exercise

Pushing yourself hard is the best way to see improvement in your mental and physical conditioning.  Nothing beats the satisfied, warm feeling you get after a strong week of hard training.  Whilst you need to keep challenging yourself, it's very important that you know when it's time to take a break.  Pushing your body to far will almost always result in an injury or illness that will set your training back further than you might think. As I've mentioned before, rest and recovery are the most important part of any training regime.  Your body needs time to repair damaged muscles and overcome built up fatigue.  Without...

2 Too Busy To Exercise? Get fit and lose weight in no time!

How many times have you heard (or said) "I don't have time to workout".  As our work lives become busier and more stressful, it becomes easier to convince ourselves that we are too busy to dedicate long hours to sweating in a gym.  It's an easy trap to fall into, and unfortunately it has some serious consequences for our health.  The sedentary, desk-bound lifestyle that has become the norm, has been proven to shorten our lives significantly and has direct links to the increase in heart disease and diabetes in the Western world. The good news is that you can take some easy steps to not only re-incorporate exercise into your...

0 Lycra And Lattes: Cycling Is The New Golf

We've all seen them.  Groups of weekend warriors, wrapped in brightly coloured (often overstretched) Lycra, sipping lattes in a cafe packed with what looks like a slightly overweight version of a pro cycling Peloton.  The familiar "click-clack" of cleats on polished concrete is all too familiar in most inner-city cafes on weekends.  Mixed with the usual brunch conversations, you'll hear earnest debates on topics like average watts, the aerodynamic benefits of shoe covers and the best leg hair removal techniques. Whilst MAMILs (Middle Age Men In Lycra) have long been a widely mocked, and dismissed as try-hards suffering...

0 Shin Splints. What Causes Them and How To Get Rid of Them

Shin splints.  If you run on the road regularly or play high intensity sport, you'll more than likely experience this annoying, pain in the front of your lower leg.  More formally known as Medial tibial stress syndrome (MTSS), is a common, and potentially debilitating injury that plagues many runners.  Symptoms vary in intensity, from a vague discomfort or tightness in your shin area, up to sharp, recurring stabbing pains that hit every time you take a step.  Bad cases can even lead to stress fractures that will keep you off your feet completely if not treated properly. Last week I noticed that I was sore...

0 St Croix Triathlon: Beauty and THE BEAST

Lance Armstrong continues his incredible return to professional triathlon tomorrow in St Croix.  He last raced this event 22 years ago, and comes back with a very real chance of finishing at the front of the pack in what is considered the most brutal Ironman 70.3 race in the world. Good luck Lance, and all the other competitors.  Have a great race. St Croix Triath...

0 Climbing Hills. Build Strength AND Speed!

It's very easy to get into a routine in your cycling that includes lots of long, flat rides that build fitness and endurance, but can lead to your fitness plateauing and boredom setting in.  Hill climbs are a great way to build leg strength, cardio-vascular fitness, and just as importantly, mental toughness that can help you push yourself harder and faster on race day. True climbers are a strange breed.  Small framed, lean and weighing about 60kgs dripping wet.  You see them every year in the Giro and Tour de France, dancing on their pedals as the rest of the Peloton dies a slow, painful death on the slopes of Alpe d'Huez. ...

0 Pacing Your First Triathlon. Make Sure You Finish Strong!

"Will I be able to finish it?  What if I can't complete the swim?  Will I be too tired to run?" Competing in your first triathlon can be a pretty intimidating thing.  The fear of not finishing is enough to stop some people from even competing.  The combination of self doubt, race day nerves and inexperience can lead to first time triathletes going out too hard, too early, or worse, not racing as hard as possible and finishing with the thought that they could have done more.  The simple trick is this: play to your strength.  If you are a good swimmer, you can use this  to place yourself towards the front...