Hey;

Last weekend update for the year…promise.

Richard Roxburgh anyone? I rate him very highly in the current crop of Aussie actors doing the rounds. His eponymous Rake character on ABC is one of my faves. Anyway he’s currently starring in the Sydney Theatre Company’s Cyrano De Bergerac and that’s exactly where we found ourselves on Friday night. The Lovely Samantha insisted on a bit of culture and who am I to turn down the requests of the Lovely Lady.

Unfortunately for me, Richard’s tour-de-force ran headlong into the unstoppable force of my early-to-bed-early-to-rise circadian rhythm which waits for no man, on stage or otherwise. I caught myself doing the sleepy head bob on a few occasions.

Saturday started with my usual Manly swim which just gets more cathartic & enjoyable as time goes by. I managed to coax a hesitant co-worker to give it a try and she seemed to relish it enough to at least intimate she might come again.

Some friends came over for lunch which gave me the excuse to retry my tender bbq roast lamb recipe again. Not as tender as the previous attempt, but still damn good!

I rode to Palm beach & back on Sunday morning with the usual bunch. It’s a longish route at 100km, but easily one of my favourite rides as it tracks the northern beaches seaboard which is simply stunning and reminds you that Sydney’s got some true beauty once you strip back its vanity and one-upmanship (ironic given most cyclists always try to look good with sexy new kits and constantly try to best each other up a hill, or on a sprint).

Back for a bit of pool action with Bodhi and an afternoon lounging in the backyard with friends.

Love to you and yours.

See ya,

Minas.

Hectic in Hindsight

Come to think of it, this weekend was pretty jam packed…

Friday arvo started in the backyard laying turf. Predictions for several days of thunderstorms meant I literally had the timing of the Gods on my side. With extensive experience in all matters backyardish, I can knock over a re-laying ceremony in a little under an hour. So, with the new lawn now in situ the backyard has been declared an overall “Mission Accomplished”! In an ironic nod to the Iraq war, I fully expect the clean up tasks to keep me busy for the next few years.

Bodhi had his Sydney Children’s Choir Christmas Concert in North Sydney on Saturday. He was but one in a sea of white shirted fidgety little sprogs on stage smiling and waving and generally singing in key. Very cute indeed. Great steak lunch afterwards at The Commodore followed by an afternoon working on my school assignment (due tonight) and an evening at the cinema – Exodus, Ridley Scott’s version of the 10 commandments (wait for the DVD).

I’m still suffering a crisis of confidence with cycling, exacerbated no doubt by regularly riding with a bunch of mainly Asian lads who are all around 10yrs younger and collectively weigh about 60kg. So, with masochistic delight, I take to the bike at every opportunity I get (thinking that a little more practice is all I need to get back on top), Sunday being no exception. I only had 2hrs to spare so we just did a 50k loop (shortish by regular standards) from Maroubra north to Watson’s bay via all the beaches which would be lovely and scenic if I wasn’t always looking down at my handlebars, lungs screaming for respite against the continual assault chasing unforgiving companions up & over the undulating terrain synonymous with Sydney’s Eastern seaboard. Home by 8am with just enough time to woof down homemade avocado toast before heading back out to Bondi for a 10:20 wave start in the annual Bondi to Bronte swim classic. In hindsight, I probably could have planned it a little better, say by not going for a ride, particularly as the legs were pretty fark’n fatigued. Then again, to be able to just rock up after doing a bike ride and swim 2.5k through the ocean by 11am (shark infested no less!) is a pretty decent effort worthy of a little self boasting (even if I do say so myself).

 

Oh, and the Christmas tree went up on Sunday evening.

Love to you and yours,

Minas.

If you're reading this Bodhi - Alcohol is only good in moderation.

 

I’m a happy man today. As they say in the movies: “I’m back baby!”.

 

The shock, exhaustion and personal humiliation of my recent DNF at the Fitz challenge had been lingering like a bad smell ever since. Any and all rides since left me completely exhausted and I would be comprehensively outridden by young cubs taking advantage of the once great lion who’s mane seemed to be on the wane. It had me questioning my resolve. Put simply, I was in a funk and needed the shot of confidence that only a good solid ride can deliver to get me back on that pedestal of success. Plus, I wanted  to show those upstarts what a true hard man of the road can do.  Enter The Randonnee.

 

I was a late call up to a friend’s team entry for the 2014 Bikebug Randonnee and had an absolute blast. Even through miserable rain at the start, up and down off-road trails, into nasty 40km head winds and 30 degree heat towards the end and nursing home an injured team mate who required stitches after a yukky fall.

I’d learned my lesson from Fitz’s – rotating through hydration, energy and salts for the entire 135km. We may not have got line honours but the team worked damn well together and gave me the confidence that I’d been previously mourning the loss of. I guess that means I can stop wearing black cycling kit now (get it? Mourning - black kit?).

 

On Friday arvo we had our EOFY knees up with work. What started at 1pm with work colleagues at The Beresford finished at 8pm in a slurry mess at some other bar in Surrey hills with The Lovely Samantha. Thankfully she managed to get home to bed before things headed South. Saturday was a slow start, but better than expected. A bit of landscaping in the back yard and messing around with the boy wonder (who I hope never googles these diary entries in his teenage years as I’m trying to lecture him on the ills of excessive alcohol).

 

Hope you’re all tickety boo.

 

See ya,

Minas.

Fitz Fail

Here lies a broken man (again). Yours truly has been beaten and broken by an endurance event which snuck up and shoved a fist full of humble pie in my face. 

Cast your mind back a few months, when I outlined my plan to complete three epic endurance rides over this summer. The first (110km Amy’s Gran Fondo) was pretty cruisey. Unfortunately the same can’t be said for the second – the (in)famous Fitz Classic. Perhaps it was the 30 degree heat, perhaps the flu a week beforehand, perhaps under-preparedness or just under-hydration on the day. Either way, after cycling 156km (inc. 3km+ vertical climb), Fitz’s ate me up, spat me out and left me lying on the roadside in the foetal position crippled with cramps. Every attempt to cajole my previously infallible legs back into action was met with the same swift painful response. I had nothing left to do but abort...with just 9km till the finish line...Gutted.

The cramps were so painful it took several minutes just to bend my legs to get into the support vehicle. To call it brutal is an understatement. Suffice to say, the third & final endurance ride– the 235km 3-Peaks challenge in March has taken on a new aura of EPIC-ness and has me shaking in my lycra.

In other news, The first triathlon of the season is on this weekend so I’m in recovery mode hoping the cramps subside and there's enough juice left in the tank to carry me home. It’s in Jervis bay which is a stunning location so I’ll be happy just to plod along and enjoy the view.

Bodhi is three weeks into the new nippers season, Sculpture by the sea is on, the weather is starting to sizzle and the cricket is back on the telly. Bring on the summer!!!
 

See ya,

Minas.

Bring Back The Blitz

Folks;

The human bobcat was back in town this weekend. It’s been six long years since the last backyard blitz – long enough for dementia to erase away any manual labour muscle memory I may have had. I was a young, toned 32yr old back then too so in hindsight it’s no wonder my much older body feels like it’s been put through a meat tenderiser after spending two solid days moving earth by hand. I don’t remember the Ironman being anywhere near this level of exhaustion.

In the process two trees swapped spots. The Bodhi tree (so named because I planted it the day Bodhi was born) changed places with a cherry blossom, part of the landscaping that will hopefully finalise the garage/studio build process. Fingers crossed they survive the trauma. Bodhi would be devastated if they didn’t (me too come to think of it).

Glancing back - a few weekends ago we saw ourselves in Lorne with Shalome, Brendan and their brood for Amy’s Gran Fondo – a brilliant 120km closed road cycle along the Great Ocean Road and back through the Otways. It was soooo much fun catching up and the weather (being blissfully sunny), just made it that much more enjoyable.

Last weekend Bodhi made his debut in the Sydney Children’s Choir (3rd row, 4th from the right) and in so doing made the Lovely Samantha and I the proudest parents on the planet. Pretty sure I heard his voice quite distinctly at one stage. I certainly had a very big smile on my dial. 

In other news, my BFF (Shane) has finally fallen for the alluring charm of his significant other and popped the question. In so doing, it’s triggered my honour bound duty to organise his bucks. As the ceremony will be in Bali, I’ve realised that not one, but two soirees will be required – one for the Sydney siders who can’t make it to Bali, and another for the international contingent who can’t make it to Sydney. Being my first (and possibly only) chance to organise such a momentous occasion, I really don’t want to f*&k it up so I’m turning to The Bible – “The Hangover” for inspiration. Wisened council/suggestions most welcome.

see ya,

Minas.

Long time no speak

Hey;

Gosh, has it really been that long? Since I last wrote (back in May) I've pretty much stopped jogging. I still enjoy my saturday morning ocean swims off manly and try to cycle a few times a week, but always hated running at the best of times, so that exercise was naturally going to suffer in the long dark winter mornings when motivation also prefers to tuck its head back under the covers and put off today what could potentially be done tomorrow...or never.

I realised after the half ironman i probably don't have a full ironman in me (it's the marathon thingy at the end that scares the crap out of my old knees). I looked for another half ironman event, but couldn't find anything convenient so in trying to prolong this midlife health kick thing as long as i can  i've decided to target some cycling events instead. So the plan is going to go something like this: First up is the 100km Amy's Gran Fondo warm up in Lorne with Brendan, Shalome and The Lovely Samantha in September. Following that, it's the gruelling 165km Fitzs Challenge loop around Canberra in October which is again a warm up to the final killer - the 235km Three Peaks Challenge in Victoria in March next year - urghhh!!! It's been voted one of the top ten toughest single day cycling events in the world. Each one gets that whole lot tougher and after the three peaks, i'll make a call as to whether i risk it all and go for the ultimate prize - The Haute Route Pyrenees.  Seven straight days covering 800km (including 20000m climbing) it lives up to its byline of "The hardest and toughest Cyclosportif in the world". My fingers get cramps just typing it.

Anyways, enough about cycling. Guess what? Our garage/studio is finally finished and It looks brilliant! Had i known it would be so expensive i doubt i'd have gone ahead with it, but it's there now and ready to be filled. We've drawn up boundaries to prevent any potential marital disputes - Sam does what she likes upstairs, i do what i like downstairs...so long as Sam likes it first. She's decorating upsairs to rent out (maybe), and as any self respecting man will tell you - no new garage is complete without some serious racking space...oh...and a drop saw. After dusting off the old Bunnings VIP card, my new garage now has both. When i build a workbench my mancave will be complete.

That's about it really. Congrats to the Tahs. Still rueing the last round when i forgot to put my tips in and crashed from 3rd on the office tipping ladder to mid table ignominy. And i was doing so well sticking it up those ra ra toffs who gave no chance to a league upstart like me.

see ya,
Minas.

 

Ferrous Man

We spent Easter camping down at Depot beach (think national park bushland, pristine beaches, kangaroos hopping by while you're sun-baking, kiddie cliques running around for hours on end. In general, bliss).It's the second year in a row with much the same friends so i guess you could call it a tradition.
Unfortunately i was in the throws of a horrible man flu, so couldn't get to sleep on the air mattress, didn't sunbathe, thought the kids were all brats and just wanted to curl up and die.
More concerning at the time though was the impact to in my Ironman training. I basically did nothing for the 3 weeks lead up.
Come race day, come the man...or men in this case, all around me looking like lean, mean, Ironman machines. Even the female athletes walked with purpose. I felt ridiculously out of my depth and inadequate, even more so for not shaving my legs. I don't think I've ever seen such a gathering of lycra, carbon and smooth thighs in the same place before.
Anyway, turns out i have an Ironman in me after all - or a half Ironman as Bodhi correctly points out. To be brutally honest with myself though - beforehand i thought i had a full Ironman in me, and while i really did enjoy the half It's left me realising my limitations and wondering if two halves make a whole.  

While in WA for the Ironman i also took the chance to visit Ningaloo reef (Pilbara coast) to do some scuba and whale shark diving - bloody brilliant!

Back to work for a week, then off to Port Stephens this past weekend for the final triathlon of the summer. This time around, the star of the show was The Lovely Samantha who courageously conquered demons and put her newly honed skills to the test in a 750m ocean swim, 20km bike and 5k run. Move over Margie Thatcher, there's a new Iron Lady in town.

And so endeth the 2013-14 triathlon season. No more events until next summer yippee!!!!

see ya,

Minas.

Sore, tired and under prepared

Gang;

 

Today I’m hurting. With four short weeks until the single greatest feat of athletic endurance in the history of my short lived life, apprehension about being unprepared has started to set in. The run leg is by far the most concerning for me as I’ve never done long distances. On a whim I decided to go for a 19km jog last night and this morning my soles feel like they’ve trudged over hot coals, broken glass and rusty nails in no repeating order. It’s particularly difficult to get up from my desk.

 

On the swimming front, The Lovely Samantha and I are three weeks into a total immersion program. You may remember, I’d lost my swimming mojo so I did a bit of research and settled on a new technique. When I looked into it, I realised it’d also be good for Sam so we’re both enrolled in swim school and learning to swim together. I’m not sure who has it harder – Sam learning freestyle basically from scratch, or me having to “unlearn” and re-learn. Needless to say, my fellow student looks hot (lovely) in a one piece, and if I play my cards right I might be in with a chance.

 

I dunno if I mentioned but new neighbours have moved in and as luck would have it, the guy’s an Ironman! What are the chances? He just completed the Melbourne Ironman in 13 hours which makes my “long” distance concerns pretty minor in comparison. Thankfully, they’re also lovely people so that helps. Ohhh…and he’s got a shweeet performance tuned BMW convertible that we drive (top down) to Manly each Saturday for an ocean swim so that helps even more.

 

What else?...ummm…we went to the footy on Friday night. Easts v Manly. Bodhi loved every minute of it. In fact I don’t think he watched a single minute of the game, what with the face painting, ice-creams, chips, admiring the dancing cheerleaders, high fiving the mascots and general running around the empty seats of a poor turnout general admission stand.

 

Oh – we finally got our new garage door installed. It’s now completely sealed off from the back laneway and the only thing left to do is to get the stairs made. Fingers crossed it doesn’t take another three months for that.

see ya,

Minas.

Relief Pitcher

It rained the entire weekend which dampened (poor pun intended) any plans to get in a long ride . The combination of slick wheels, slippery roads and 4-wheel death traps is not one that favours the cyclist, so I went swimming instead.

Kids - I've lost my mojo…in the water that is. I've gone from hero to zero in the ocean in just a few weeks which is concerning particularly with the upcoming half ironman 2k swim. I snuck out before the family woke on Saturday morning for swim in Manly but had to sneak back in, tail between my legs, having pulled out half way after being overcome with a particularly severe strain of i-just-couldn't-give-a-f*%k-itis. Shalome – if you've got any tips to rekindle the mojo, speak now (I don’t want to get pregnant though).

We did a food safari trip to Cabramatta (little Vietnam) on Saturday evening. Little did we know that most pho places close at about 7 pm, but you expect these things when travelling to another country. At least they could’ve mentioned something when The Lovely Samantha rang and booked a table for four at 6:30pm. Fortunately a chance encounter with an old uni colleague who happens to be Vietnamese (automatically elevating him to expert status and local tour guide) set us on the right path. Interesting experience, but in hindsight not worth the direction arguments between driver & passengers to get there in the first place.

On Sunday morning in the wee small hours while the family still slept, having just sat down to a cup of tea and the paper, I was stirred into action to address a medical alarm that had  triggered at my grandparents. After my uncle (away in the blue mountains), my cousin (away somewhere else) and my mum (who’d conveniently left her car at our house), it fell to me, the fourth string relief pitcher to step up to the plate. Thankfully it was a false alarm - my grandfather had rolled over onto his emergency beeper and hadn't even flinched. My grandmother on the other hand was a ball of nerves wrestling unsuccessfully with the base unit that was constantly sending out high pitched warning calls in her bedroom. When I arrived on the scene I immediately performed triage and unplugged the base unit, restoring calm and order. Job done, I returned to the bull pen for a cold cup of tea and the paper.

Avoid old age at all costs.

Love to you and yours,

Minas.

Happy New Year

Considering this is my first report for 2014, here’s a quick recap:

With the New York trip and the (nearly complete) renovations parting us of cash faster than Moses through the red sea, the purse strings were crying out for a bit of time off over the holidays so we obliged by spending the Xmas break at home. The Lovely Samantha even baked her own mince tart!

New year’s eve consisted of a relaxed picnic at the park at the end of our street watching the fireworks from afar. Perhaps I’m getting on a bit, but they seemed far more impressive in years gone by. I was back at work by the 2^nd of Jan.

I continued training over the break, but it proved absolutely useless at the Nowra triathlon last weekend. I just couldn't find my mojo, finishing well outside my best time. On the bright side though, Sam single handedly salvaged our family's reputation by being nothing short of inspirational. She squared up to her demons, took on a Sprint triathlon all by herself (including a 750m open water swim) and came out the other end a very deserved mother/lover to two incredibly proud boys. Bodhi is now hell bent on completing the family trifecta and is already in training for a Mini man (kiddy triathlon).

While we're still on the topic, I've decided to try a half Ironman (2km swim, 90km bike, 21km run). In summary - pretty gruelling. I'm comfortable with the swim and bike legs, but I'm very nervous about the run (my least favoured discipline). Still, I've registered for the one in Busselton (WA) in May, so i have 4 months to prep. Keep me in your thoughts.

To kick things off I went for a long ride on the weekend with some cycle buddies - much longer than anticipated. Up to Palm beach, ferry to Ettalong, then back down to Sydney along the Pacific Hwy via Bobbin Head. 170km in total...fark me! Talk about hurt. By the time i got home i had no feeling below the waist...except pain.

see ya,
Minas.