Welcome to Testing Week on My Road to Ironman #RTIM

With just 20 weeks until the Western Australian Ironman in Busselton, the journey has officially begun. The best advice I received was to fully commit when you start, and I AM COMMITTED.

Week 1 kicked off with a testing week where I evaluated my swim, bike, and run metrics. In this episode, I'll explain what each test involves, break down the results, and outline what the next few months of training will look like.

The tests included:

I’ll also walk you through a typical week of speed work and the long weekend structure, focusing on the aerobic work for swim bike and run that needs to be accomplished.

Thank you for listening!

Got any questions? Then hit me up!

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Could I possibly go sub 5 hours for my biggest triathlon yet??

Swim - 2km

Bike - 80km

Run - 18km

My dream has always been to take part in events here in Busselton having come here for 3 years to watch half and full-distance Ironmans I now get a chance to taste what it will be like come December and if I'm delusional to think I could do a full ironman under 11 hours.

I talk though....

An incredible journey over the last 9 months and in 8 more months I'm back to challenge myself in the biggest event of them all A full-distance ironman .

This was the next step in my quest to complete a full-distance Ironman in December in under 11 hours.

Last weekend I got to step it up from Sprint distance triathlons to double the distance in the Olympic category

Swim - 1.5km

Bike - 40km

Run - 10km

The journey to this stage has been very rewarding and constantly learning and thankfully progressing at a pace I find suitable.

Today ill talk through

If you find this episode interesting or have found value please all I ask is to message me on Instagram or by email and let me know you are listening which will encourage me to record more episodes

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Road to ironman: Overcoming my lack of self-belief around swimming the last few months has put me into a very positive growth mindset. It was significantly holding me back from reaching a lot of goals I wished to achieve. Luckily enough I found coaches and a community of people who believed in me at Perth Tri Club.

A sprint triathlon consists of 750m swim - 20km cycle - 5km run

In this episode, I go through the processes that got me and will get you from the start line to the finish line.

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How can you better your 5km running time? I have been training recently for a sub 20 minutes 5km and here are my top 5 tips that I have found have served me well.

1. Start Point: Do a training run at about 70-80% effort so you have a set point to start and gauge where you’re currently at….leave room so you know you will improve. And for god sake go out slow.

2. Sessions per week: Minimum 2 & Maximum 3 runs a week for 6 weeks. Keep total distance in around 5km or less than 40 minutes total (including warm up and cool down) the sessions DONT need to be any longer. It’s 5km you are training for not 10km so be specific with your training.

3. Intervals: 6-8 sprints at 30-60 seconds rest for as long as you work. If your run 60 seconds rest 60 seconds. This can be increased over time to 2-3 minutes for 4-6 sprints .Include 5-10 minutes warm up and cool down/walk either side.

4. Find a running partner or group if possible to achieve your goals with , the days you don’t want to put on the runners and you have a friend waiting for you ensures you are held accountable which in turn creates a little more discipline in your training.

5. 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐜𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐝 & 𝐀𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠 . Empty the tank for the last 300m. Head up deep breaths every seconds counts.

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Vision boards have been a prominent part of my life over the last 3 years and by writing down what I want for the future and how I want to better myself as a person it has become a very useful tool to keep myself accountable and what I would like to achieve.

I explained the structure of my vision board for 2023 the board was written back in March and while not everything I wrote down has come to the surface yet, my goals and dreams are still on for the future.... A LOT of other areas of my life have improved by the simple fact of recognising what needs work and what I need to let go of.

The 5 structures I use for my vision board are:

1. Upcoming Events ( races, holidays special events, reminders)

2. Build your base (small weekly/daily goals for a strong foundation)

3. Future Goals/Plans (what I want to achieve & where I want to go)

4. My Weekly Weaknesses (where i need to do better in life)

5. Fix it or F#$k it off (what in life is important to work on and what do I need to let go of #F&*KITOFF

You can chop and change and make your own rule my structure has changed over the years but the principles remain the same.

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Going back to my electrical trade after 7 years away was not an easy decision but a choice that I needed to make for myself.

In the last 18 months, I have gone from PT & online coaching to becoming a truck driver for 6 months for an amazing scaffold company in Eire Total Access and then returning to Uon Power and Water an electrical company with whom I spent 4 years with in my earlier years when i first came to Perth in 2011-2015.

Financial stress is not something you might hear too much of but for me its was becoming a big issue the older i got the more i looked towards the future and the uncertainty. Going back to electrical work has certainly reduced the pressures and given me back my time to focus on the aspect of life i enjoy most with the people i love the most.

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Time to overcome fear get into the water learn to swim and join the world of triathlon. It has been on my radar for a few years now I am starting from the bottom with zero experience in open water and beyond struggle in the pool.

I have a long-term vision to complete an Ironman within the next 12 months so if you want to follow along in the journey from starting with a sprint distance triathlon

(750m Swim, 20km Bike & 5km Run)

and progressing to Olympic distance then 70.3 and finally a full ironman.

To find out more about me:

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Months and months of training had gone into this Backyard Ultra

I speak about:

The training plan I followed.

The logistics for such an event.

How do I break down each lap of 6.8km.

The mindset tips and tricks I tell myself.

How I dealt without sleep.

The food and drink I consumed every hour.

How the end inevitably came.

To find out more about me:

Adrians

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I have waited in anticipation for this …How Keith Russell from Navan Co. Meath is recognised as one if not THE BEST “Back Yard Ultra” runner in the world … how in the name of god can you keep running for 65 hours over 3 days?  and to come back a year later to be part of a world record in this event to run for 89 hours while covering 597 kilometres.

Keith has a story that everyone that hears will be emotionally moved by, it’s beautiful in every sense of the word, a relationship between a father and his daughter, Alanna who was born in 2009 with spastic quadriplegic cerebral palsy with no speech or use of her arms or legs, Keith now does a great deal of work to bring more awareness to the condition and what other families have to go through.

It was Alanna who inspired Keith to go outside and start running with her in the pram late at night it was something Alanna enjoyed and it is something Keith will forever be grateful for. #forever8

We chat about.

· The father/daughter relationship.

· Awareness of what families have to go through with the condition Alanna was born with.

· Backyard ultras explained.. the format, the time, training, sleeping, and eating.

· How hallucinations are part of the game.

· Setting Irish, European & world records

· How far are endurance athletes willing to go?

If you enjoyed this episode please let me know you are listening ,feel free to like, and share on Instagram or Facebook if you found this episode enjoyable

You can find out more about Keith Russell by clicking the following

Keith Russell Instagram

Run Ireland Blog Post

Race Report on Back Yard Masters

To find out more about me:

Adrians Website

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