After a week of rehab, I managed a 40min run, without so much of a twinge in my leg, this morning. It was the simplest of pleasures, running without fear and worry. It was my first run since the brutal 21km at 70.3 almost two weeks ago and it got me thinking about the simple pleasures around me that I may not be taking note of (read: taking for granted). Here is the list of simple pleasures I am grateful for this Friday. I only write it down because I feel it could be a useful exercise for anyone to do, so make your own list today.

There is a lot of talk around the 1% and if you are reading this, you are a part of the 1%. That makes you 100% more likely to have a few things on this list that you take for granted, which puts you in the 1%.

- I am grateful for my car. It’s a reliable source of transport.
- I am grateful for my career. I work in a great office with great people with great prospects.
- I am grateful for my health. I have been on anti-biotics once in the last 5 years.
- I am grateful for my equipment. I lack nothing when it comes to having access to the best stuff.
- I am grateful for the choices my parents afforded me growing up. They are rockstars.
- I am grateful for my friends. They are loyal, trustworthy and mindful.
- I am grateful for this space. Having a platform to produce and be creative puts me in the 0.001%. Thank you for reading.

As is tradition here, I keep it to 7 things to that I can remember all of them. What are your 7 things?

Have an amazing weekend out there.

Continue Reading →

Heart rate is a tough one. I have trained with heart rate, power, a combination and most importantly, found that no combination if perfect and that the best route to take is to learn to feel intensities and workloads.

I wanted to share some info I recently discovered around running with Heart Rates that was exciting for me for Ironman this year. I have always tried to run with a steady HR at Ironman and perhaps this was not the best route to take. It seems I need to be starting a little slower and increasing the heart rate as I go. In Kona in 2010, I opted to not run with a HR monitor as I wanted to hold a pace, rather than a heart rate – seems I was on the right track then, had I not lost my special needs back and completely destroyed every toilet on the Queen K on the way home due to a stomach that had simply stopped processing calories.

I make my athletes start their runs slow and finish them strong and this is a great habit to learn.

Although some of the information is a bit technical, understanding these factors will allow you to use your heart rate monitor more effectively to optimize your training.

Heart rates tend to be lower in the morning. The difference in heart rate between running in the morning and afternoon is typically about 5 to 6 beats per minute, but can be as great as 10 beats per minute. Your maximal heart rate is also several beats per minute lower in the morning. This means that if you set your heart rate zones based on your morning heart rates, and train in the afternoon, then you will train a bit less intensely than planned. Similarly, if you use afternoon or evening heart rates to determine your training zones, and then train in the morning, you will train somewhat harder than planned.

Heart rate increases at high temperatures. Your heart rate is higher when running on a hot day. As the temperature increases from 15 degrees to 24 degrees, a runner’s heart rate at a given speed increases by about 2 to 4 beats per minute. When the temperature increases from 24 degrees to 33 degrees, you can expect your heart rate running at a given speed to increase by approximately 10 beats per minute. High humidity magnifies the effect of high temperatures on heart rate.

To gain the same benefits as on a cool day, you should increase your heart rate zones by 2 to 4 beats per minute when the temperature is in the 20’s and the humidity is low. On a high humidity day in the 20’s or a low humidity day in the high 20’s, you should increase your zones by approximately 5 to 8 beats per minute to correct for the heat factor. In more extreme conditions, such as a high humidity day over 30 degrees, you cannot accurately adjust your heart rate zones for the conditions. On the most brutal summer days, it is wise to adjust your training schedule to avoid high intensity training.

Dehydration causes an increase in heart rate. When you become dehydrated, your blood volume decreases and less blood is pumped with each heartbeat. Your heart rate at a given running speed, therefore, increases. A 1992 study by S. J. Montain and Ed Coyle, PhD, found that heart rate increases approximately 7 beats per minute for each 1% loss in bodyweight due to dehydration. For example, if you weigh 75 pounds, when you lose 800g due to dehydration your heart rate at a given running speed would increase by about 7 beats per minute. Water loss of this magnitude occurs after an hour of running on a mildly warm day. On a hot day, runners typically lose over 1kg of water per hour. If you set heart rate training zones when properly hydrated and then become dehydrated during training, your pace will decrease as you become progressively more dehydrated.

Heart rate during running varies by a few beats from day-to-day. Several studies have found that heart rate during running at a given pace varies by a few beats per minute from day-to-day. It is not clear why this occurs, but most physiological variables exhibit similar amounts of day-to-day variation. This means that if you monitor your heart rate religiously, you will find that some days it appears you are getting slightly fitter and other days it appears you are getting out of shape, when in fact, your fitness level may not be changing. You should be cautious, therefore, in interpreting the results of any one session of heart rate monitoring. Do not put too much emphasis on small changes of 2 to 3 beats per minute in heart rate found during one run. When you find a systematic reduction in heart rate at a given pace, however, you can be confident that your fitness has improved. Similarly, if you find that your heart rate is consistently higher than expected, you can confidently conclude that something is wrong; i.e. you may be losing fitness or (more likely for most runners) over trained.

Training heart rate does not predict racing heart rate. During competition, your heart rate does not increase logically with your running speed. So many other factors affect your heart rate while racing, that it is not a good indication of how fast/hard you are running. If you measure your heart rate at your desired race pace during training, and use that heart rate to determine how fast to run during a race, then you will run quite a bit slower than planned, because with the excitement of the race, your heart rate will be elevated. You could account for the increase and still use your heart rate to accurately select your race pace if the increase in heart rate due to racing was consistent. Unfortunately, how much higher heart rates are at a given pace during racing compared to training has been found to vary greatly from person to person and from race to race.

+++

Thank you.

Continue Reading →

I recently had 2 weeks of racing. One week was an out of this world feeling where I put only a few steps incorrectly all day. The next weekend I had to pull the plug from a race for the first time ever due to a nagging calf strain after receiving a punch in the leg in the opening 50m of 70.3. These things happen.

I was aware of the pain all week and was pretty sure I would be able to run so it was worth the risk of taking a flight and the drive to race in Buffelspoort, where Rehidrat Sports is a huge part of the puzzle for Stillwater Sports and Xterra. Representing the brand on a national level gives me immense pride as the word on the street/trail/pool is out that Rehidrat Sport is the real deal when it comes to simple, reliable sports nutrition.

I would take the race completely on feel. If the calf was out of control, I would have to pull the pin. I had a decent swim at altitude, exiting the water with Dan & Conrad. A year ago I was 30sec down. For the first time in ages, I truly felt the control in the water. When I was swimming full time, I took it for granted and now, it’s like an ellipsis I am hunting for in the pool every time I swim, that pause where there is control, timing and feel in the water.

Onto the ride and I felt great on the flats, but the legs were, without a doubt, undone by the effort at 70.3 every time the road went up. My concentration was not quite there on the technical things either and the bike felt strange underneath me as I had not ridden the mountain bike since EUT11, something I promised to correct before Grabouw. I got off the ride in 7th, struggled with badly laced elastic laces in T2 and was out onto the run, finding my pace, feeling good, but not great.

The calf twitched and tightened to the point of walking on the very first downhill I ran. In previous years, I would undoubtedly have pushed on. Had I raced badly the week before, I cannot say that I would have made the same choice, but the choice was easy to pull out at that point, knowing I had the 70.3 result in the bag.

As a lightie, I would have been hell bent on finishing. Now, as a slightly wiser early 30′s guy, who has a long term athletic vision, I have learned that sometimes, it’s ok to ease up. Every result doesn’t count and I will be back for more soon. As I walked back to the transition area, I was smiling, knowing that growing up sure isn’t easy and that is surely does not come with a manual. Only through experience have I learned to say No. Only through burning my fingers have I learned where the limits are.

See you in Grabouw. I will be ready, rolling faster and with more focus.

Continue Reading →

I wrote an article for Bizcommunity around Health being the new Wealth.

Click HERE to read that and if you have any comments, leave them on the site or below the article here. I am passionate believer in Health being a large part of my Wealth. I intend being healthy far longer than I intend being fit and fast, so its an essential part of my daily life.

Hope you enjoyed the article.

Continue Reading →

Here is a short list of great videos of the things we tend to repeat.

Someone commented on the weekend that without compression socks and headsweats visors, Ironman would be dead. It made me smile.

And last, but not least…

Continue Reading →

To state that it was a big day out there seems fairly obvious but here goes regardless…

IT WAS AN UNBELIEVABLY BIG DAY OUT THERE.

I have to start the report by saying the bike leg I put out on Sunday is directly related to the work I put in 4 weeks earlier, at Epic Unsupported Tour 2011. Every day, I put an hour of steady in there, making sure to ride the downhills and flats quite solidly. I have to add that since 1 Jan, I cut out almost all my loved wine, beer and have been very meticulous about my eating. I have to add that I included loads of specific intervals for specific parts of the bike and run routes. I have to start by saying that I covered all bases this year. I chose not to race at Totalsports Challenge to be at my best this weekend because let’s face it…

With 3200 people on the route, I needed to bring my absolute best. I psyched myself up quietly, searching for the quiet power out on the roads, in the pool, on the trails. I ate with care in race week, when the options to eat rubbish outnumbered the good food options 100 to 1.

I wanted this win.

+++

And so, on race morning, we descended upon Orient Beach. All 3200 of us who wanted to race. 1400 newbies. The emotion and intensity were chewable around transition area. I went through my pre-race routine and made a point to greet everyone I wanted to race on the day, to wish them luck and tell them I was excited to be out there with them.

I found a quiet spot after getting into the Orca Alpha and saying goodbye to my personal assistant (thanks Dale!) for the day and went through my warm-up routine, by now psyched up from the iPod music and fuelled by Rehidrat Sport for the swim which lay ahead. This involved a short 400m swim and then a stretch routine which leaves me rearing to go. I was sandwiched on the start-line by 2 mates, Collin Allin & Paul Cartmel, both who ended up with great races and I imagined myself cocooned from the other 1400 people in my start group by the 2 of them.

As the gun went, I slipped around the guys in front of me and calmly made my way to the water, running, but just keeping with the guys. I saw so many guys sprinting and from past experience, this sprint has ruined a few races for me. I ran as far as I could, then dove a few times, lifesaving style, until I was in clear water. My cocoon worked and I could see one guy to my left and one guy to my right and the three of us rounded the first buoy slightly behind the front guy, who sped off never to be seen again. I noticed a small gap to the rest of the group and made sure to work this gap on the long leg out to buoy 2, as this was an opportunity to not be missed out on.

When we rounded buoy 3 I estimated 60 seconds and so I eased off to the finish of the swim, kicking a little more and readying myself for a fast transition, something I have lacked in the last few races I have done. I flew up the T1 run and got all my gear in in record time, heading out towards the bike my number came loose and I lost concentration and for the next 60 seconds, time stood still as between myself and 2 other marshals, we couldn’t find my bike. The all black Ninja bike was nowhere to be found.

I literally ran into the handlebars to find it, could see the tent full of my competitors and tore off on the ride, knowing well I had blown the extra work on the swim by less than perfect with my concentration out of the tent. Now merely 30 seconds or so ahead of my rivals, I knew I would have to ride the first 10km hard to make sure they worked hard. I wanted to make sure they were riding honest and above what they would think they needed to catch me.

In the past, I was the guy who got caught on the bike. Every time. Last year, I wasn’t able to ditch someone who rode with me almost the entire way and put too much effort into having too little a lead off the bike and paid for it on the run. In the last year, I have worked at that. I wanted to let it show.

I used a few little tricks on the hills on the way out to frustrate the guys behind me, operating just within the limits of blowing up and at the same time making sure the gaps stayed or grew. I was watching the wind turn from side on, semi-tailwind on the way out to a full tail wind by 35km into the ride. This meant a steady headwind on the way back for us all and I knew I was good into those conditions, so I took the last 10km to the turn a little easier with the vision of staying low and flying on the way home.

At the turn I had 1min to Greg Goodall, who I considered my greatest rival. That was all the motivation I needed and I took off into the headwind like a man possessed, staying aero and riding as big a gear as possible (thank you ME intervals!) whilst remaining hydrated and lucid to the fact that there was a 21km run as well. I started passing one or two pro guys on the way back, which served as major encouragement. I passed a smiling James Cunnama en route, commentating on the day before he projects his awesomeness back onto the race course in the next few months.

The trick on the way out in Buffalo City is to ride strong, but not kill yourself. The way back is way hillier than you think. It feels like 45km of hills on the way out, but it’s not true. 700m of vertical on the way out, 350m on the way back.

The gap had grown considerably to the point where I couldn’t see a soul behind me. Extra motivation and on the last 2 kickers back into town (they SUCK!) I put my head down and thought that if the other guys save here, I`m going to attack and put in another 30 seconds before the line. Honestly, I cannot tell you what I thought of during the ride. I was very much in the zone of being 100% aware of my body. I raced without a power meter, without a heart rate monitor and purely went on feel and applying the little tricks I have learned over the years. There is no magic trick, only years of hard work paying off.

Coming into T2 I heard Paul Kaye announce that I had over 4 and a half minutes to the next age grouper. More motivation to run a steady run and have something in reserve the whole way. I was out of T2 with no hassles, much better than T1 and out onto the run course, a route which ate me alive last year. The wind was gone in town, leaving a heat that I knew would be deceptive and could be a deciding factor on the day. I spoke to myself about staying cool whilst remaining just so slightly dehydrated and drinking only to thirst.

I slipped on the FAAS250′s and made my way out the tent.

I wanted to run 4min per km the whole way, but knew I would fade a little. I managed to hold just under 4min per km to the halfway split on Lap 1 of the run, including Bunkers Hill, which I ran at 5:30 per km. I slowed down on purpose up the hill to be able to run the drags out the back of the course with purpose, rather than have them as an element of survival.

It was time to check where the others were. I expected Greg Goodall first but was shocked to see Jason Spong, a world class duathlete (currently ranked 7th for Powerman in the world according to his sponsors), hauling towards me. I knew that I would have to run very well on the day to keep him at bay. I had him at 6 min down. Greg came by at 7:30 down and I knew it was a 2 man race between myself and Jason for the day.

I kept the pace I was running until 10.5km, one lap in, when I had a very low point in the race. I was hurting, dizzy and could see in my pace that I was slowing. Jason came by and I had him at 4 min. I poker faced through the crowds so that nobody would tell him I was hurting. 4min was JUST enough to hold him off. If I faltered even for 1km, I would gift him the win I wanted so badly. With an ex-pro chasing you, a guys who is currently a world class runner and biker, you don’t take these things lightly. There was work to be done, despite feeling like trash. Some choice words went on between myself and my legs at that point.

I knew that if I could hold him at 4 min in the next 5.5km, I could cruise home. I grit my teeth and hurt a little more, making sure to run all the way up Bunkers steadily. I was holding pace and grimacing like a champion internally, unaware of people and at times, of noise at all. I was 100% in the zone.

I made the turn at 5.5km and checked my time and had to wait to see Jason. A minute went by and no sign of him, so I knew I was potentially safe. I saw him and knew it was mine. 4 minutes was the gap. He was grimacing too and I knew that I could run smooth to the finish and be ok.

When I hit the esplanade, I slowed down to soak it all up. I didn’t want to hurt badly coming home and ran within myself, letting the energy return and the emotion settle in that it was mine. I didn’t look back once, letting trust get the better of me and giving high fives to friends on the way in.

I walked from before the red carpet. I stopped to greet Mike Finch. It was a proud moment and I knew that despite it not being the perfect race, I had raced immensely well. Near perfect, filled with control and being aware of the conditions and changes the whole way.

It’s a race I`m proud of. One I can look back on and claim I owned it from start to finish. I can honestly say it’s only the third race ever like that for me and it’s a privilege to have experienced what I did on Sunday.

A big thank you to the sponsors who made it possible, who allow me to dream and be all I can be whilst forging out a career that I love, non-related to the sport. BoE Private Clients, Rehidrat Sport, Velocity Sports Lab, Puma & Orca – your support is incredible. A great start to the year for Pure Planet Racing, Urban Ninja and yes, myself.

To the organisers – I salute you. Perfect race execution. To the volunteers – you rocked my world out there. To the countless supporters who shouted words of encouragement when I was unable to respond – thank you. To the other athletes – you inspire me endlessly and your stories are as important as mine, so please feel free to share in the comments section below.

To Jodie & Marino, who won the Pro races – outstanding work and well deserved victories as well.

Continue Reading →

How cool is that little guy…

If you are one of the 3000 people racing in East London this weekend, that should be you right now. Focus on the basics. I am focusing on getting a back spasm to relax, personally, but I am pretty sure that by Sunday, it`ll be ok and I will be able to take my best to the course. These things happen and I am focused on rehab rather than moaning about it.

Here are some key things you should be focusing on this week:

Race Gear

Is it all purchased? Have you ridden with your race wheels and in your new tri suit?

I see so many people trying out new stuff on race day. It’s simply not advised.

Race Nutrition

Is your plan ready or is your plan a lack of planning?

Over the shorter distance, nutrition is not quite as vital, but you should be attempting to get in more on the bike and hang tough for the run, when we are all hurting with smiles on our dials. Use what you know and like – don’t try the new “Super Gel that provides PB’s 4 times a day” for the first time 20km into the bike and realise you just can’t stomach it.

Recovery

This is the week to sleep in a little, go to bed earlier and relax at work. If you have let work pile up over the last 8 weeks thinking that you could catch up this week… naughty!

Some other elements you should be focusing on this week:

- Please don’t wear compression socks, tights, sleeves and other compression stuff around the expo, to the Spar and to restaurants. Keep it tight, but keep it at home.
- Please don’t irritate every other nervous athlete you see by asking stupid questions like “Are you fit? Are you ready? Can you tell I`m pooping myself?”
- Remember that your taper makes you irritable, short on patience and long on selfishness.
- Eat a little less, but eat better, whole foods. The temptation to smash your face full of chocolate is there, I know. I feel it too.

More than that, I simply urge you to focus on breathing all week and before you know it, you`ll be coming down Bunkers Hill towards the finish line wishing you had taken more in, relaxed a little and had more time to share.

Focus…it`s almost over, again. Enjoy the video as a piece of inspiration.

Continue Reading →

No one likes the feeling that other people are waiting – impatiently – for you to get back to them.

At the beginning of the day, faced with an overflowing inbox, a list of messages on your voicemail, and the to-do list from your last meeting, it’s tempting to want to “clear the decks” before you start on your own most important work. When you’re up-to-date, you tell yourself, your mind will be clear and it will be easier to focus on the task at hand.The trouble with this approach is that you end up spending the best part of the day on other people’s priorities, running their errands, and giving them what they need. By the time you finally settle down to your own work, it could be mid-afternoon, when your energy has dipped and it’s hard to focus on anything properly. “Oh well, maybe tomorrow will be better,” you tell yourself.

But when tomorrow comes round there’s another pile of emails, phone messages, and to-do list items. If you carry on like this you will spend most of your time on reactive work, responding to incoming demands and answering questions framed by other people. It’s a never-ending hamster wheel. And it will never lead to remarkable work, in Seth Godin‘s sense, “worthy of being remarked on.” We don’t find it remarkable when our expectations are met – only when they are exceeded, or when we are surprised by something completely unexpected.

The single most important change I’ve made in my own working habits has been to start doing things the other way round – i.e. begin the day with creative work on my own top priorities, with the phone on silent and email switched off. And I never schedule meetings in the morning, if there’s any way of avoiding it. This means that whatever else happens, I get my most important work done – and looking back, all of my biggest successes have been the result of making this simple change.

We don’t find it remarkable when our expectations are met – only when they are exceeded.

These days, I have two brands to manage and 10 partner brands to work with and manage expectations for. I am soon to release by first e-books, already doing training programs, and soon, a new brand to launch as well. On top of this, I have built a great network of great contacts I can call on for help. All of these things are assets that create ongoing value for my partners and sponsors. Yet there wasn’t a single day when I sat down to write each individual essay, blog post, training plan, or e-book chapter, without a string of people waiting for me to get back to them.

It wasn’t easy, and still isn’t, particularly when I get phone messages beginning “I sent you an email two hours ago…!”

By definition, taking this approach goes against the grain of others’ expectations, and the pressures they put on you. It can take an act of willpower to switch off the world, even for an hour, during the working day. For some strange reason, it feels “unprofessional” to be knuckling down to work in this way.

The thing is, if you want to create something truly remarkable, it won’t be built in a day. A great novel, a stunning design, a game-changing software application, a revolutionary company – this kind of thing takes time, thought, craft, and persistence. And on any given day, it will never appear as “urgent” as those four emails (in the last half-hour) from Client X or Colleague Y, asking for things you’ve already given them or which they probably don’t really need.

So if you’re going to prioritize this kind of work – your real work – you may have to go through a wall of anxiety in order to get it done. And you’ll probably have to put up with complaints and reproaches from people who have no idea what you’re trying to achieve, and can’t understand what could be more important than their needs.

If you’re going to prioritize your real work, you may have to go through a wall of anxiety in order to get it done.

Yes, it feels uncomfortable, and sometimes people get upset, but it’s much better to disappoint a few people over small things, than to sacrifice the big things for an empty inbox. Otherwise you’re sacrificing real productivity for the illusion of professionalism.

Here are a few tips to help you make the switch:

1. Creative work first, reactive work second.
Either start the day on your creative work, or make sure you block out time for it later in the day – preferably at a time when you typically feel energized and productive.

2. Tune out distractions.
You know the drill – email off, phone off, work from home if you can, stick your headphones on if you can’t.

3. Make exceptions for VIPs.
Don’t be reckless. If you’re working with a client to a deadline, or your boss needs something urgently, treat them like VIPs and give them special access – e.g. leave the phone on and answer if they ring (everyone else gets the voicemail).

4. Be really efficient at reactive work.
You can’t ignore everybody all the time. The better your productivity systems, the more promptly you’ll be able to respond to their requests – and the more time you’ll have free for your own work.

+++

If you can get those 4 simple things right, I believe you are more than halfway to creating remarkable things.

Please share your stories and tips – that way we all grow, including myself.

Continue Reading →

This is part of a journey and is neither the beginning nor the end. I am a student, not the law. I know a little bit about a little bit, so leave your comments below…

When you click that eating local, seasonal, ethical food, you just get “it”. You feel the difference, know the difference and value the choice. You make the decision to work a little harder to source your food because it’s ethical, clean food. You sacrifice time to source the right farms, the right butcher and possibly, the right wine maker. This is a journey for me. I am attempting to do the following:

1. Order fruit and vegetables from local suppliers.
2. Use seasonal fruit and vegetables only.
3. Choose local suppliers who I trust to get their food from ethical producers.
4. Drink wine & beer from farms and brewers who treat their staff with respect and farm the land with a vision for the future.

I eat meat. Sure, at home we toy with Vegetarian meals as a commitment to explore options and use creativity to spice it up a little. But I love meat.

However, I choose to buy meat from an ethical butcher, whose commitment to finding farmers who are ethical is stellar at a minimum.

I eat less meat than ever before. Coming from the Transvaal, being an ex swimmer, more was more growing up. I realise that eating meat is taxing on my system at times, especially when I eat loads of red meat, so I am careful, but it’s one of those things I truly enjoy, like a great red wine. Where you draw your line in the sand is entirely up to you and I don’t judge. People will make assumptions and get up in your face for eating meat when their choose is to NOT eat meat. I draw the line at less meat, but ethical meat I trust.

Perhaps you follow the Slow Food Movement (click) or something similar. Perhaps Meat Free Mondays are your thing or you only drink Organic Wines as a lifestyle choice. As long as there is some sort of conscious behavior around the fuel you put in your belly…

It’s your source of energy, vitality and recovery.

So take it seriously!

Good food costs a little more, but with careful planning, a bit of compromise and a little less mindless spending, we can all make a plan to feel better, live better and be better.

Continue Reading →

For the last 2 days, I haven’t had a word to say for Urban Ninja. I have written press releases, environmental business pieces and countless long, detailed emails. But when prompted to write something insightful, wise and inspiring for Urban Ninja, I have drawn a blank every time.

Needless to say, its immensely frustrating as I simply love writing in this space which is a space for me to talk about the things I want to talk about.

So I`m taking the day off. Same philosophy as when I completely hit the wall with training. Take a day or two off, sleep a lot, pull yourself toward yourself and come back rearing to go.

I`ll be back on Monday. It’s 70.3 race week and I am sure there`ll be lots to talk about.

Continue Reading →