March Athlete of the Month 2010

Reddog AOTM, how do you feel about that?

It freakin' rocks! I must say I was surprised and a bit mystified. A lot of the Reddogs preparing for Mooloolaba and Port Mac have worked very hard and are probably more deserving so I feel very honoured.

What attracted you to the sport of triathlon?

I really enjoy swimming, cycling and running.  If you don't like doing these things and you are doing triathlon you need to be asking yourself some serious questions.

Now that you are an IRONMAN, how does it feel?
It's hard to describe.  Mentally, I found it a very centering experience to do something like Ironman.  I could start getting philosophical but I wont.   Physically, I felt absolutely rooted.  Maybe people just have to find out for themselves. I know for sure I have a feeling of immense gratitude to my fiancée, Mari,  for her amazing support and for doing heaps of cooking and housework and not nagging once (Actually, Mari never nags me anyway).  

If you were Reddog coach for the week, what would you do differently?
I would introduce a Tuesday night yoga session preferably lead by a really hot yoga chick.  I think attendance would be good.

How much training were you doing to prepare for Ironman?
The volume got ridiculous.   I did about 10 weeks of specific ironman training with my biggest week being about 20hrs.  I just felt punch drunk that week.

Least favourite session and why?
Pool sessions with jump ups.  We don’t do them that often but anyone that has seen me diving in would understand.  I either lose my goggles or whack my nuts when I dive in. Both suck.

If you had one wish, what would it be?
To have more time to train better so I can race faster.  A bit selfish.  I would settle for an end to war and poverty instead.

Favourite motivational quote?
If it is to be it is up to me.

What advice would you give to other Reddogs who would like to be AOTM?
I guess being ATOM is a really great byproduct of committing yourself to train consistently well so don't even worry about it.  My aim for the start of this year was to train well enough to finish an Ironman. This is an extra cherry on top of that cake.   The simplest approach would be to bribe Reddog!

What are your goals?
Get married, make babies.  Been practicing that.  Endurance is the key so I am told.  The sprint distance athlete is not appreciated.  Triathlon wise,  Gold Coast Half Ironman, Gundy and Port Mac 2011.  I learned a lot at Port Mac this year about what I have been doing well and what I need to work on.  Will see if I can improve next year.

Who would be your ideal training partner?
The obvious thing would be to say something like Jennifer Hawkins or someone like that.  Good company would be my prerequisite.  I think I will stick with Mari for the baby making practice.