GKE Newsletter #007 - July 2019

A Jam packed July

Take your time to have a good scan through this newsletter, as we are featuring some great stuff including Star Physio Discounts, Challenge Roth Recap, New Team kit details and more!!

We also have athletes embarking on Ironman Canada this weekend (good luck Handsome Mick) And a Marathon in San Fran (Tracy)

We have had a super jam packed July with athletes tackling Challenge Roth, Ironman Bolton, Ironman Switzerland, Winter trail series in Perth, Bike races, June Lake Half Ironman, Tri Factor series, 113 Malaysia, Marathons & Half Marathons, PLUS 100KM Ultra Marathon. Yeww Go Team GK!!

COACHES CORNER

THE ART OF SAYING NO

Now this is something a few of your coaches aren't so good at (I'm looking in the mirror) and you can possibly see some of those traits in yourself too?
We are all living busy lives and most of us are prone to saying YES to EVERYTHING and that can lead to fatigue, stress and all round unhappiness.

So when to say YES? and when to say NO?

Now we can probably dive into life in general but I'm not a psychologist and I'm pretty sure no one wants to listen to me rant on about things I don't understand HA HA!
So let's stick to the things I do know a little about and that's training.
In particular your training program and not your friends or your friends friend!!

When to say yes: Do you have a long ride and does it match with a friend? This is a great time to say YES. Team up and ride together, It's safer, its more fun and generally training with people is better than training alone (unless you are like Kate and like to sit on the wind trainer for 6 hours staring at a wall)

Do you have a recovery day? But your friend is riding TT efforts and that sounds like fun... This is when you say "NO" We aren't trying to be mean but generally we have a weekly plan and if you smash yourself on a rest day or recovery day then it will throw out the entire week!! You'll be tired when we want you to be hitting a key workout and thus everyone loses!!

Social: We are all about having a good time. So say YES to social engagements, but don't let that impact you mentally and physically. Training isn't the be all and end all, but over committing yourself can lead to a grumpy individual. Training hard and living the social life = burning the candle at both ends and can only be sustained for a short period of time.

So in short look after yourself and don't say yes to everything. A balance of work, family, training and social is key and saying yes to every activity under the sun will only make life hard. Make life fun and every now and again say "NO" people will understand!!

Guy

COACHED SESSIONS

We have some great coached group sessions run by Janine for those of you looking for company over the cooler months. Reach out to Coach Janine for more info. !! YAY

SWIM:
- Monday/ Wednesday and Friday morning from 5.30-7am at Arena Joondalup. If you are interested in attending these, please contact Janine and she'll be able to give you the low down.

BIKE:
- Tuesday Trainer session - 5.30-7am - Carpark #9 underneath Coles at Whitfords shopping centre. Enter off Banks Street. BYO trainer, towel and water! Janine will bring the "fun" and the tunes!

RUN:
- Thursday evening - 5.30-6.30pm - Whitfords nodes, working on strength and speed. Meeting at the picnic bench near the toilet block. Suitable for all levels

Contact Janine or your coach if you need more info. janine@gkendurance.com

This week in Tips N Tricks we take a look at
Ruth Chang's new work place and the offers on the table!

Good news for GKEndurance athletes!

We have secured a new partnership with Star Physio (Mosman Park, West Perth, CBD). Ruth is now on staff in West Perth, and joins some very experienced physiotherapists. All the staff at Star Physio have raced triathlon and this gives them an unparalleled understanding of the sport. Their service includes open communication with your coach to ensure maximal performance, minimal time off training and optimal recovery.

Star Physio will kindly provide current GK Athletes a 15% discount across all services, including bikefits. See their website for more information on exactly what they offer. Make sure you mention that you are a ‘GKEndurance athlete’ when booking to secure this deal!

https://starphysiowa.com.au book online or call 9212 4254

So how is this a tip and a trick?
1) Well a new bike fit can make a huge difference to performance
2) A body that stays uninjured can make a huge difference to fitness.

Bike fit Information: http://starphysiowa.com.au/bikefit/
They are offering things like Pressure mapping, motions analysis and more. (These things are next level when it comes to bike fit and staying comfortable)

Challenge Roth Questions

With Amanda, Troy and Guy

A few insights about their Challenge Roth experience.
We had a big crew of athletes racing Challenge Roth and there are plenty of race reports and stories to come, but for now we thought we'd feature 3 different experiences of the same race!!

AMANDA SMITH

Pre-race nerves? What were you worried about?
I didn’t really have any serious pre-race nerves, I went there to just have fun and get it done. I was however worried about the 15 hour cut off time – for me that left very little room for errors like flats, cramps etc.

Race Start: how was it and how did you handle the wave starts?
Race start was great, no issues for me with the wave starts. Suzie O’Neill said hi and wished me luck as I was walking in to start gate (she started 5 mins after our wave), she recognised me from the Carbo Party…must have made an impression!!

Solarberg hill: Did it live up to the hype?
Solarberg hill was terrifying! I came around the corner and saw the crowd on both sides of the road, but as I got closer to the base of the hill the crowd closed up - it was basically a wall of people with not much of a space for me to ride through! My leg was cramping and I was panicking about how I would get up the hill without crashing into the crowd. People were tapping me on the shoulders and butt, cheering me on with their faces so close to mine it was unreal. Wish I had data for my heart rate on that climb!

Something weird that happened during the day? Crazy spectator or other?
Second lap of the bike I came down to a left turn at a T-junction on the course, amongst the fields. The guy riding in front of me, probably 50-100m ahead didn’t take the corner very well (remembering turning left means you end up on right side of road in Europe)….he flipped his bike as he hit the road edge and deep drainage ditch, summersaulting across the ditch and landing on his butt sitting upright in the field! He seemed ok, just really surprised! I called out to make sure he was ok and continued on.

Pre-race goal vs post-race goal: did they match?
Pre-race goal….sub 15 hours
Time to spare 1 minute and 1 second – Yep they match J
But seriously, my swim was really awful and didn’t match goal (water was boiling hot in a wetsuit), bike average and windy on the second lap, but saved overall by a run that I actually enjoyed (except the last 1km sprint to make the time cut off) and did ok considering the other two legs (might have something to do with Coach Kate giving me more running than I have ever done before!).

Overall experience ?
I really enjoyed going to Roth with the GK group. I don’t think I would have had anywhere near as much fun without friends. The race itself was fantastic, the course challenging, but really great. I never thought I could enjoy running a marathon…..but I did!

Anything else you want to add?
Other highlights – sitting watching fireworks after the race and Suzie O’Neill comes over to ask how my race was!! She is an amazing lady, so down to earth, she finished in 12:03…..And Commando Steve coming over while I was in recovery and asking how my race was – I think Mrs Clarky really made an impression with him – he kept an eye out for us Aussies!

One more thing….I need help with choosing another epic event……ideas please!

TROY SHORTLAND

Pre race nerves? What were you worried about?
A mechanical issue with the bike was my biggest worry. Transporting it
across the world hoping it would be intact when I got to Germany.

Race Start: how was it and how did you handle the wave starts?
The wave start was very open and uncrowded. the start line was very wide so I started on the front to the outer side. At approx. the 400m mark I started coming up on the previous waves. Some doing breaststroke 3 wide made for interesting manoeuvres.

Solarberg hill: Did it live up to the hype?
Yes, Yes and Yes. I made sure I was behind a slower rider leading into Solaberg so I could absorb the atmosphere.
I spent most of the time with one hand on the bars the other hand jeering up the crowd and they responded.

Something weird that happened during the day? Crazy spectator or
other?
About 10km into the ride a female competitor was slowing down on the left hand side of the road. She had no seat, the seat post was there but no seat.

Pre race goal vs post race goal: did they match?
My pre race goal was sub 11hrs. Busselton I had done 11:40 and 11:20 so I wanted to go sub 11. Janine and I spoke about trying to stay at 180w on the bike but struggled staying that low with the elevation and climbs so I readjusted to 205w trusting my training. It worked perfectly.

Overall experience /Anything else you want to add?
During the run we ran through many villages with hundreds of spectators cheering on. through one village they had a MC on a microphone, he walked over to me a read out my name so I yelled out Aussie, Aussie ,Aussie so he shoved the microphone in my face and I yelled Oi, Oi, Oi, and the crowd went off.

GUY CRAWFORD

Pre-race nerves? What were you worried about?
Yeah, I had some nerves mostly due to the amount of work tat went into it and wanting a good day to reflect that work. But it soon dissipated when all the other GKer's turned up and I realised I was alot less nervous than some.

Race Start: how was it and how did you handle the wave starts?
Starting at 630am certainly has it advantages. It was an easy start with little to zero congestion or fighting. In my head I was expecting a battle for 3.8 KM, but I don't even think I got touched once!! About 200m we formed a single line. I was at the back of a pace line and at 1500m I was still in the lead group, but due to someone dropping feet I was left in a group of 4 slightly back from the lead. (still happy with that)

Solarberg hill: Did it live up to the hype?
It was mental. I loved every second of it. I remember grinning ear to ear and thinking "I'm sure those German's are saying nice encouraging things"

Something weird that happened during the day? Crazy spectator or other?
I had one very intense German man following me round the bike course (or what felt like he was following) I saw him 4 times and always by himself. He was screaming at me with 100% of his being and I felt like telling him "dude I have no idea what you are saying" but I was to deep in the hurt box and he seemed to be enjoying himself. I will say his timing was impressive and he always appeared on a hill where I was going slow and he'd run along next to me for about 10seconds.

Pre-race goal vs post-race goal: did they match?
Well not quite, a little mechanical took a bit of my thunder. But I was happy to get to the finish line in 9:02. It wasn't the 8:20 I thought I could muster. But the Ironman distance always keeps you on your toes and coming back for more.

Overall experience / Anything else you want to add?
Fantastic, when I look at the big picture I would have to say it's the best Iron distance race in the world.
Having a big group of GKer's there was my highlight. Makes you appreciate how cool our group of athletes are. You are all great people (whether you raced Roth or not) it is a big endurance family!!

NEW PEDAL MAFIA KIT COMING

The Design below is nearly finalised. We might have one or two small changes.
We've sleeked up the design thanks to Janine and Francis for the input and design help!!
The kits should still match any of the OwnWay apparel or Coeur gear you have, so you can still mix and match!

We've done this to ensure a cost effective kit ($205 A Kit should do that). We also know how much you all love Pedal Mafia Kit and having a store locally in Perth for sizing issues means no one should have a poor fitting suit. (YAY)
I will be opening up a customer portal link for you to purchase kits ASAP!!!

We aren't making a cent on this, because we want you guys and girls to have a quality kit at great rates, so we hope this encourages you to grab one of these awesome kits.

Cost :
Top: $90
Bibs: $115
Vest: $85

We also have the possibility fo add one piece Tri-suits, socks, arm and leg warmers to the line up as well. These will be featured on the online portal once it's up and running. (very soon)

International Athletes - no worries, you will also be able to purchase whatever you like....but will just have to have it shipped to us in Perth first then we will send it on you. (this will save shipping costs)

Thanks
TEAM GK

PS: We will still be working with Couer and OwnWay Apparel for those of you that love their product. The OwnWay apparel GK store is always available (24/7) for one off orders.

GKE ATHLETES OUT & ABOUT!

This one is dominated by race and birthday pic's. Both of which we love!

THINGS THAT CAUGHT OUR ATTENTION

What the? I laughed when I saw this and thought it was a joke. But apparently you can get more aero if you mount your Garmin under your seat!!
As a coach I'm going to tell you "don't do that".

That said, if you are interested in watt savings this website does have some good stuff like waxed chains and ceramic pulley wheels.

https://www.shopforwatts.co.uk/collections/all-products/products/saddle-rail-mount-for-garmin-and-srms

Laugh for the week

(one for all your crazy Ultra people)