March Newsletter

Race Results

We had a particularly big weekend of racing with many squad members racing locally and overseas. Full results can be viewed on Facebook but we have a few special mentions from the weekend:

Tweed Coast Enduro

Chris Bailey 1st place 35-39 and 5th overall in 4:21. Chris’ family and work commitments make training extremely challenging but he works very closely with head coach Mark on a very specific program to ensure when he races he is fit. Next up is Malaysian 70.3 in an attempt to qualify for the Age Group World Champs.

Stella Foley 2nd place in 30-34 and only her second long course race in 5:01. After doing our beginner course late last year and having come from a marathon running background Stella clearly has some natural talent and is now working with Mark on getting ready for Ironman Cairns. 

Sue Meehan 2nd place in 50-54. Getting back into the long course game and also getting ready for Cairns , Sue is working with coach Brad to have her fit and firing for her third Ironman. 

Jane Saxby completed her first half IM in 7.22.  The family that plays together stays together as fiance Ian Parnell also raced. Next is their wedding. 

Thanks also to Ian for taking the tent to Tweed for squad members to use. 

Coffs Harbour
Paul Dodd. New Tri Nation member, ex pro and World Age group medalist Paul was 7th overall in his first triathlon at Coffs Harbour tri yesterday since Sunshine Coast 70.3 last year. Paul is aiming for 70.3 Worlds later in the year. 

Ironman New Zealand
Christy Collis. First time Ironman finisher in the 45-49 age group. Christy balances 4 kids, working at QUT as a professor and training and did it with aplomb in 13 hours flat. Great effort and smiled the whole way.

Craig Stocks. First time Ironman finisher and in the process has lost around 12kg and did everything right to finish in 11:41. Is now looking towards Cairns Ironman as he enjoyed it so much.

Kate Wardrope. Another first timer, married to Dave and mother of 2 kids that balances everything very well. Came across in 11.56.

Sarah Jones. Mother of 2, wife to Brad and delivered a personal best time by over an hour to come 8th in 10.48 on the back of a 3.44 marathon. Very impressive. 

Amanda Lucas. A 30 min PB and 3rd in her age group just missing out on a Kona spot. Will only get better and executed the perfect race.

Kristin Muir. Has been struggling with a knee injury leading in but ran tough to record a 30 min plus pb and looked great all day.

Training

March is race month for many athletes in the squad and sessions will work towards fine tuning the body in those final weeks. With such a busy month of racing and the conclusion of two of our major long course events, the Saturday morning sessions will take a break in March returning after Easter. 

In April the Cairns Ironman and 70.3 athletes will be focused on their last 12 weeks of training with Saturday sessions planned out accordingly. We have also now introduced a monthly short course weekend cycle. This ride will be with Ray and the date/location for the first ride will be released shortly.

Changes to the training timetable will be in place starting the week of the 21st March. These changes allow us to offer more in our cycling program as well as allowing the week to balance out better for most members.

Six Week Beginner Triathlon Course

Our last beginner’s course for the season will start on Tuesday 29th March. The course runs for six weeks and covers all aspects of the swim, bike and run. There is no minimum fitness or ability level required and all sessions have a technique and skill base.

At the end of the six weeks course participants will take part in the Byron Bay Triathlon weekend which includes Tempta and Sprint distance options. Full details are available online (click here).

Cairns Training Camp

Due to popular request we will be running a training camp in Noosa that will target the Cairns Ironman and 70.3. The camp will run over the Anzac Day long weekend and start late afternoon on Friday 22nd April. As we only have limited accommodation booked please ensure you register as soon as possible to confirm your spot. 

We now have over 10 athletes entered in the Ironman at Cairns and many more planning on travelling up for the 70.3 event so it should be a great weekend. Full details are online (click here).

Thanks Tim!

Unfortunately with our new timetable changes and Tim’s commitments to his new shop and trail running group he is no longer able to continue coaching with us at Tri Nation. 

We are very sad to say goodbye to Tim in a coaching role as he has been a great asset to the team over the last 2 years. With 3 sessions left, coffee post run next Tuesday will be an extra special one as Tim’s last Tuesday run session.

8 IM in 8 Days Around Australia

Our good friend Craig Percival is currently doing 8 IM in 8 days in 8 States to raise money for the John McLean Foundation. This Saturday he will be doing the Brisbane leg of the event starting at 6am from Healthstream. If you’re not at Mooloolaba for the Tri he would love for people to join him. It will be the 7th of his 8 IM events so no doubt he will need all the support he can get. The ride will be 6 x Riverloops and the run will be out and back from Healthstream to the Regatta along the bike path.

Beginner Triathlon Tip

Rest and recover. To get the most out of your training sessions you need to ensure you are recovering adequately. This includes not doing too much training too early, getting enough sleep and having something to eat within the first 30 minutes after a hard session. 

It is common to find people not recovering properly after they train. To see the best results, get your rest right and you’ll not only make improvements but stay in the sport for years to come.