The last few months have seen some interesting developments with our athletes and their racing goals. Ultimately, the results and outcomes have demonstrated to me that the kind of athletes we coach are dedicated, resilient, and innovative in the way that they set out to achieve their goals despite whatever life throws at them.
The Wild Earth Coastal High 50 - Tamsyn Black
Tamsyn Black came to us in June this year with a goal of competing the Wild Earth Coastal High 50km (QLD, Aus) (September 7th, 2019). She had already been dealing with a number of calf issues and wanted some guidance and load management to help her achieve her goal. Over the next few months, we focused on some cross-training and with the help of Exercise Physiologist and Ultra-Runner (also my husband) Shane Johnstone, a strength and rehab program to get her calf strong enough to handle the anticipated training load. Sure enough she was completing her first 10km runs within a few months, then a 25km trail race, Perth and Sydney City 2 Surf events, and in the lead up to the event hiking over 5+hrs (35kms). We were really impressed with her progress and commitment to the program but also her willingness to listen to her body and take it easy when required.
Unfortunately, due to fires in the area Tamsyn Black’s race was cancelled for the safety of race participants. However, being the dedicated and determined person that she is, Tamsyn and her friend decided to stay in Brisbane and instead run the course of a 50km event that was held the weekend before (The Guzzler Ultra). Logistically, this was a bit harder than running in an organised race with aid stations provided, but the ladies were resourceful in their planning and managed to complete their own 'races'. Just over 10 hours of running and Tamsyn had completed her 50km self-supported, which was well ahead of the cut-off time for the real race. Well done Tamsyn. We are looking forward to assisting you with your training for the Six Inch Trail Marathon coming up in December and also Ultra Trail Australia early next year.
Ironman 70.3 World Championship (Nice, France) - Clint Flood
After qualifying for the 70.3 Ironman World Championship at Ironman WA 70.3 in December 2018, the World Championship build up was always going to be the focus of 2019 for Clint Flood. Having been the subject of 12 months of monitored performance coaching (one of the many, many requirements of the Triathlon WA Performance Coaching accreditation), we were well and truly across what was needed to make improvements in the lead up to this World Championship race. Taking Clint's training to the next level with some weeks over 900+ TSS while working shift work as a police officer was a challenge but not one that Clint wasn't willing to overcome to achieve his goals. After battling a nasty cold in early July (peak of the cold and flu season here in WA this year), we worked hard with focused and consistent training to increase Clint's overall CTL from a low of 65 points to a peak of 105 CTL two weeks out from race day. A tough course with approx 1,300m of climbing (mostly in the first 45km of the 90km ride) meant that the run was always going to be a challenge. A non-wesuit swim meant that the legs were going to be a bit tired on the bike, but Clint managed a great non-wet suit swim and exceptional power on the bike given this situation. Unfortunately, some hydration issues caused Clint's run performance to be less than optimal and not to the level that he had demonstrated during previous weeks in training. Self-admittedly, Clint has learned a lot from the experience and came away from the event enjoying the atmosphere and citing the overall race as a positive one. Well done Clint on your achievements and hard work in the lead up to the event, as well as your performance on race day where you demonstrated that you could dig deep and find an extra 10% when you thought you had nothing else to give!
Race Summary
Swim 00:34:34
Bike 02:54:23
Run 01:48:52
Overall 05:23:14
Gender Rank: 2012
Overall Rank: 2012
Div Rank: 362
Surf Coast Century (100km Ultra Marathon) - Adam Rowe
Adam has been a coached athlete of mine for quite some time now and has made some massive improvements in his ultra trail running over the last year. His main goal nearing the end of the year will be Oman by UTMB which is a 130km Ultra with over 7,300m+ of elevation. Our plan in the lead up to this race was to have Adam complete Ultra Trail Shennongjia Salt Road Challenge (located in Hubei, China), a 62km trail race with over 4,200m of elevation. Unfortunately, due to restrictions placed on the accommodation provider, no foreign nationals were being permitted to stay at the remotely located race start. This meant that one week prior to the event, Adam's plans had to change. Fortunately, he was open-minded enough to be willing to change his plans and head over to Anglesea on the Great Ocean Road, Victoria for the Surf Coast Century (100km) Ultra race. With all the hill training Adam had been doing in preparation for Shennongjia, he was well equipped with the strength and endurance to handle 100km's of fairly flat terrain (600m+) with some sand (and water!) running. Well done to Adam for staying committed to his goals and putting all his training and hard work to good use in the lead up to his goal event. It's full-steam ahead now in training for Oman taking place on November 28th. We can't wait to see how much more progress you can make in the lead up!
Finish Time 11:23:50 OVERALL PLACING 54/351 CATEGORY PLACING 22/105 GENDER PLACING 45/241