Ironman 70.3 Ballarat

Sunday, November 16, just 10 weeks after the Ironman 70.3 World Champs, in Canada, I competed at the inaugural Ironman 70.3 Ballarat.

I had a short preparation for this race because my wife and I did another 4 weeks of travel around the USA after the World Champs event. I did some exercise where possible on our travels just to keep the body ticking but nothing of any significance.

Upon returning to Australia, fortunately, it only took a couple of days to get back into the time zone and sleep normally so I was able to begin training again without any trouble.

I saw my Chiropractor, Dr. David Riordan, at Holistique Health + Spa, in Ballarat, within a few days after getting home and my body began returning to normal. It was incredible to feel the difference from just one session with him. I saw him in the afternoon one day and when I woke the next morning, I felt like a new person. I have seen him once a week since then and I got to race day feeling well and truly aligned. This certainly put my mind at ease after my experience in Canada.

I focused on strength during the short preparation. Plenty of bike sessions on the trainer using my biggest gear and low cadence. I was using paddles, pull buoy and ankle band in the pool more than I had previously, and I did some long easy runs honing my technique with better posture and arm carry. I probably lacked a few 4+ hour rides and longer swims but I was quite pleased with how I trained for the event.

The most satisfying part of this build up was my running. I focused really hard on improving my posture as, after seeing some photos on the run, in Canada, I could tell that I was leaning forward too much and my arm carry was crossing over my centreline which is not efficient. So, I tried to change this while maintaining a 90+ leg turnover when training at race pace.

My long easy runs were essential in helping to fix my technique. I performed many easy runs between 1 – 2 hours at a pace between 5:00 – 6:00min/km, and only about 80 – 85 cadence. During these easy runs, I was constantly checking my form reminding myself about posture, arm position, relaxed shoulders and arm swing, as well as my foot strike being below my centre of gravity. This transferred over to my race pace sessions where I was performing 1mile repeats, initially on the treadmill to dial in a fast turnover of 92 – 94 cadence at 16kmh+ and progressing to the bike path, near home, closer to race day. I am really pleased at how I was able to return to great running form so quickly.

Race week was a bit strange as I had a few early shifts at work. I had been sleeping really consistently for 8 – 9 hours while working late shift for nearly the entire 5 weeks previous and I didn’t adjust well to these early shifts. I had about 6 hours only for three nights in a row which really set me back. I got so grumpy that I’m probably lucky to still be married. Fortunately, the final 3 nights before the race, I got about 7 – 8 hours each night. This was helped by the fact that the race start time was pushed back to 8:30am, from 6:30am, due to the cold weather predicted. I had never slept so much before a race in my life. If only all races could be that way. However, I did feel a little fatigued from the lack of sleep over the course of the week and I think this played a minor role in my performance on the day.

This is how my race unfolded:

Swim – It was almost a complete rectangle course with just the last 400 metres that veered across to the right towards transition. My shoulders felt heavy and tired all the way to the first turn at about 900 metres. Once I made the turn and started heading back in, they started to free up and I began to find a nice rhythm. I think this comes down to not doing a swim warm-up. I did an extensive warm-up before putting on my wetsuit but, it seems, this wasn’t sufficient for a good swim. I was very disappointed in my swim time of 34 minutes.

In transition, I took 4 minutes as I decided to put on a long sleeve top, which is very difficult when you’re wet, along with full bib knicks and gloves. I don’t regret the extra layers as I was really feeling the cold air for almost the entire first 45km lap.

Bike – My aim was to be consistent for the whole 90km. I felt I was strong going into the race and I knew that would be crucial since the wind was up. It became even more important when I got onto the long out and back section, which covered approximately 30km of the 45km lap, along the Avenue of Honour, to Burrumbeet. This entire section consisted of very strong and gusty crosswinds and remaining strong and consistent in the aero position was essential to maintaining momentum and speed. I was pleased with how I handled the conditions and particularly happy that I got through both laps with almost exactly the same time/speed. My bike split was 2 hours 26:57 minutes.

I went through the second transition a lot quicker than the first and was looking forward to carving up the run.

Run – The course was 2 laps for the half marathon with about 8km of each lap being on the ‘Steve Moneghetti Track’ around Lake Wendouree. It was really cool to be able to compete on such familiar terrain having lived in Ballarat throughout my teens. I felt comfortable out there and found my good run legs after about 4km. I was then in a really good rhythm until just before half way when my right hamstring began threatening to cramp. Fortunately, I was able to prevent it from going into a full blown cramp by trying to shake it out with each step and then resorting to running backwards for about 20 metres. This method proved to be effective as I didn’t feel any potential cramping for the rest of the run. I was able to produce a personal best half marathon split of 1 hour 26:17 minutes.

 

I was really happy with how my nutrition went throughout the day. I had been training on slightly less calorie consumption in the build up because I felt I was getting onto the run with a slightly heavy gut and not digesting fully. Even, sometimes, feeling like there was still water sloshing around as I started running. Previously, I had used up to 8 ‘GU’ energy gels (about 100 calories each), half a banana and a ‘V’ energy drink during the bike leg. So, for this race, I decided to go with just 6 energy gels and the ‘V’ energy drink. It proved to be a very sufficient amount of calories. Also, I only took one drink bottle on the bike, to save a little bit of weight. I filled it with a strong electrolyte mix and drank water as I passed each of the 4 aid stations on the bike course. This was also effective.

On the run, I had decided to not carry my own energy gels but, instead, use the ‘Shotz’ brand that were provided on course along with the ‘Shotz’ electrolyte drink. I looked at their products closely before the event and determined they were similar enough to what I normally use so I didn’t expect to have any issues. There were five aid stations on the run course, plus an extra one at the half way turn around, making 11 in total for the run. My plan for the first run lap was to take some electrolyte drink at the first, third and fifth aid stations and water with half a gel at the second and fourth stations. At the turn around aid station, they also offered diluted Red Bull, which I was looking forward to at that point. For the second run lap, I repeated my lap 1 strategy for the first two aid stations, and then went onto coke and water for the last three for those quick energy hits to get home over the last 5km.

This race was, by far, the best I have felt in terms of nutrition consumed in relation to how my stomach felt along with my energy levels throughout the entire race. It’s just another thing that I have developed over the past few years and I’m certainly more confident that I can adjust it accordingly when conditions make it necessary to do so. For example, the Geelong 70.3 earlier this year saw extremely hot conditions and I didn’t fuel myself appropriately, therefore paying the price late in the race with dehydration. I know I would deal with that situation far better in the future.

Overall, the race wasn’t perfect, and my swim is a concern still, but I took several positives from this race to take through my preparation for Challenge Melbourne on February 1^st.

 

Ironman 70.3 World Championships

It just wasn’t my day.

Unfortunately, my first ever World Championships did not turn out as hoped. I came in with expectations of a high placing in my category. Despite having a really good preparation before heading to Canada, a range of other factors came into play and, ultimately, I wasn’t able to perform to a level which I had trained for.

My result was as follows:-

Ø  Swim – 32:21.

Ø  Bike – 2:26:10.

Ø  Run – 1:34:49.

Ø  Total race time – 4:39:34.

Ø  97^th in Male 25-29 age group.

Ø  600th overall from 2300+ participants.

Let me just point out that the following is my personal analysis of the outcome. It is really important for me to do this because I am always looking for ways to get better. I am hard on myself and I prefer it that way. It helps me to continue striving for improvement.

I am not satisfied with this performance but I am not down in the dumps about it either. I am just looking for what I can take from this race so the next one will be a lot better.

Many wonderful people have provided encouragement and given best wishes for the occasion, which is hugely appreciated. Also, a few even stayed up late, in Australia, to keep track of me. This is truly great to know I have people who have a genuine interest in my aspirations and achievements. No matter how I do, they will always be proud and/or impressed. I would be much worse off without this. My wife, as always, was right by me supporting all day.

I, on the other hand, must take this hard line approach with myself because being proud or satisfied with a performance which is not achieving the goals that I have set out for and trained so hard to reach, will not contribute to my future improvement and success. I need to continue being hungry for those goals and not settle for anything less.

I understand that this will not makes sense to some people. After all, I qualified and participated in a World Championship triathlon event and got to do this in an unbelievably spectacular location of Mont-Tremblant, Quebec, Canada. The experience itself is special. However, I trained harder than ever before and travelled a long way to try and achieve a dream and came away with a tired, below par performance for my ability and standard. With good reason, this doesn’t satisfy my athletic being. I’m hoping this helps you understand the way my mind works and how it’s purely a personal thing which I work very hard on from a psychological point of view to keep pushing myself.

OK, now the race itself.

It was a perfect day for racing. It started off cool at less than 10 C at 6:00am while we did final checks and placed drink bottles and nutrition on our bikes. I then headed back to our room which was just 500m from transition and my swim start time wasn’t until 8:40am. I had some more to eat and drink before doing some stretching and other warm up movements, applying sunscreen and getting into my wetsuit. At 7:45, my wife and I made the 10 minute walk to the swim start at beautiful Lake Tremblant. At about 8:20 I did a short swim warm-up then lined up with my age-group for the start.

After this, there’s not much to tell. My swim was not an improvement on any previous Half-Ironman races. This was a disappointment but I just remained focused on my strengths being the bike and the run. Fortunately, the temperature had risen to approximately 16 C by the time I was on the bike and it reached 20 C later on.

Unfortunately, the bike and run didn’t go much better. As soon as I began pedaling, my quads indicated a lack of strength and a lot of fatigue. I felt OK on the flatter sections but as soon as the road started going up, which was quite often, my quads wouldn’t cooperate. They lacked their normal power and endurance and threatened cramps most of the time going uphill. Although, I wasn’t able to ride at my best I feel it still indicated that my training for this race had been excellent. My bike split of 2:26:10 is only 4 minutes below my personal best 90km bike split, so, I know I would have gone well below my PB if I didn’t have any issues.

The run was a similar story. I wasn’t able to push the same kind of speeds that I normally would and going uphill was very difficult. Also, at the 6km mark I had to stop as I got some shooting pains going from above my right hip all the way down my right leg. I stretched my glute and massaged the painful area above my hip as hard as I could. This worked and the pain didn’t return for the rest of the run. However, this was a perfect indication that my body was not in good shape.

A few positives from the event were:-

Ø  My bike time wasn’t horrible, despite my legs, which showed good training.

Ø  I ran a consistent speed on the run with a very slight negative split, which indicates good training.

Ø  My nutrition was very good. I didn’t lack nutritional energy at any point and I was well hydrated all race.

I can confidently conclude that the following were the major factors in my poor performance. Sitting on a plane for 14 hours Melbourne to LA and trying to get comfortable for sleeping has really thrown the alignment of my body out, as well as the 5 hours LA to Montreal. This was the main reason for my pain during the run and also contributed to my fatigued muscles when cycling. My spine and pelvis were definitely well out of alignment which is something that tends to happen when I sit for extended periods, like I do at work. My regular chiropractic treatment is what ensures that my body is in its best possible condition for training and racing. Without having this treatment after the long travel, my body was nowhere near its best condition.

Also, the jet lag was horrendous. 6 out of the 7 nights before the race, I only got between 3 and 5 hours sleep. This drained me mentally and physically and made for a very difficult race week. I finally had 9 hours sleep two nights before the race but then only 5 hours the night before the race. All week, despite minimal exercise and being very focused on my diet, my body was fatigued and for some reason I couldn’t stay asleep. It was beginning to drive me crazy.

I don’t consider these excuses for a poor performance. For me, they are exact reasons for it but brand new variables for me to consider and learn from to increase my chances of better outcomes in future races. I need these to be a better athlete.

Finally, I am not proud of my overall performance and result in this race. I will take things from it but I am extremely hungry for redemption in my next race at Ironman 70.3 Ballarat, on November 16.

I am proud of my training for this race which gives me confidence for Ballarat. Also, I am proud of qualifying for these World Championships and grateful to have had the opportunity and the way I focused for so long on training for it. So, I have things I can take from the whole experience to help my continued development.

A different view on training.

The start of my first ever World Championships is only hours away so here is another installment from my wife's unique perspective on her husband, the triathlete.

Week 3: An Ironman’s REAL training schedule (as observed by Mrs Ironman Lincoln)

You all have a pretty good idea about how dedicated my husband is when it comes to training. I have to confess, I mostly zone out when he tells me about his training. I love him, but I tend to get the numbers confused in my head. There have been way too many conversations where my audience politely second-guessed the information I was providing (“Are you sure he runs 90kms?”). Since I am clearly not a reliable source of information, I kind of gave up trying.

Anyway, I offer this thoughtful guesstimate of my husband’s training schedule.

6:30am: Wake up, even though it’s my day off. Yawn; scratch stomach. Stomach is still rock hard. Awesome.

6:45am: Breakfast. Muesli.

7.00am: Get dressed. I’m feeling nostalgic today, so I’ll wear a T-Shirt from the first triathlon I ever competed in. It smells like sunscreen and deodorant. And victory.

7.15am: Admire bicycle.

7.30am: Stretch.

7.45am: Snack time (muesli).

8.00am: Go for bike ride to country town.

9.30am: Arrive at destination. Wander into a quiet country bakery for a snack. The locals are staring at my feet. They must be jealous of my bike shoes, which are currently covered in fetching waterproof socks and making a tapping noise on the tiled floor.

11.30am: Consume vanilla slice*, then head home.

12.30pm: Arrive home; ponder how I could be a better triathlete as I have an ice bath.

1.00pm: Stretch.

2.00pm: Start thinking about what I’m going to have for lunch. Just kidding. It’s muesli.

2.30pm: Stretch.

3.00pm: Speak to my wife on the phone. She is wondering what we should have for dinner tonight. I suggest lean meat and steamed vegetables. I sense that she rolls her eyes before she hangs up.

3.30pm: Stretch.

4.00pm: Shave head. Make a mental note to remind wife how much money we save by doing my own haircuts.

4.30pm: Tape picture of Mont-Tremblant finish line to wall in front of treadmill. Go on treadmill, sprinting towards finish line for 2 hours. I must remember to play the ‘crowd cheering’ track next time for greater authenticity.

6.30pm: Stretch.

7.00pm: Feed wife. I have added chips to her plate to keep her happy. Now she is smiling!

8.00pm: Dessert. Muesli. 

8.30pm: Stretch.

9.00pm: Off to bed. For some reason I dream of the swim leg of Mont-Tremblant being raced in a lake of muesli. Weird!

*OK, OK. He doesn’t actually eat vanilla slice while he is training. But I think we all agree: he should! He earns it!

Well Prepared

It’s all starting to become reality now. Less than two weeks until race day and only a few days until leaving Australia, to first head to LA for a 3 night stopover, then onto Mont-Tremblant, Canada, for the Ironman 70.3 World Championships.

There is always that little bit of doubt in your mind wondering if you’ve really done everything you can to be in the best possible shape. Have I put in enough effort? Have I been disciplined enough? Could I have done more? With only two weeks to go, the answer is – What’s done is done! I can’t go back and change it.

However, as with previous races and preparations, I can always learn something. So, what have I learned this time around that I will be able to use in future race preparations?

Ø  I don’t need to do long, tough sessions as often as I have previously. This means sessions like long rides and runs. Previously, I have felt the need to do them each once a week but in the last 5 – 6 weeks, I have spaced them out to be up to 10 days before doing them again and found I have been able to perform better during those sessions with fresher legs. This also applies to other hard sessions like a track run or hill repeats on the bike.

Ø  The sessions in between big, long sessions are just as beneficial and provide far more bang for my buck than I used to think. Incorporating track sessions into my running has been a major benefit. Not only has it provided greater speed but my technique and strength to be able to run fast when fatigued has improved immensely.

Ø  Core training – I haven’t done as much as I anticipated but I have focused on it in recent weeks and I have noticed the difference. It’s something I can do anywhere too. There is no reason why I couldn’t do core training as much as I want to. I just need to be a little more creative sometimes.

Ø  I need to work on my swim more. I lacked focus on my technique for an extended period a couple of months ago, where I was just trying to challenge myself with different speeds and different length efforts. I have given far more focus to my technique in recent weeks, which has given me some confidence. Even though, I feel slightly more comfortable in the water than before, I haven’t showed any particular improvements in speed overall. I am hoping that, during the race, my endurance and focus on my technique will help me to swim a satisfactory time and not allow me to lose too much time to my competitors.

Ø  My diet needs to be better from the start. I didn’t give anywhere near enough focus to my diet during the early months of this 5+ month preparation. I had intentions of losing a couple of kilos, believing it would be an advantage, but this hasn’t happened. Mainly due to a less than ideal diet to achieve that at the start. As with some of the above points, I have been far more disciplined in the past month or so and this has allowed me to become leaner and I feel my digestive system has been in great shape. I have been far better at getting sufficient vegetables and lean meat in my diet and it has paid dividends to my training output. Despite being leaner, I am not lighter but this doesn’t bother me because my performance is good.

Ø  There is no substitute for hard work! When I needed to work hard and really test myself, I would say 95% of the time, I have succeeded. What I mean by this is, when I had particular efforts in my sessions or certain time splits I was aiming to hit and I knew it was going to be hard, I was mentally tough enough to push myself to those limits. This has got me to where I am now, which is being in the best shape of my life.

Ø  Weight training has been a great part of my preparation. I did plenty of strength work in the initial couple of months, before backing it off to focus more specifically on swim, bike and run, but I have brought it back in over the past 6 weeks for purposes of power development and core strength. I am very pleased with how this has contributed to my progression.

Ø  My mind is strong. I used my mind to conquer hard training and eventually, not succumb to sweet cravings too often to achieve a leaner physique. I’m particularly happy with what my mind has achieved.

Whatever happens on race day, there will be lessons to be learned.

My previous two 70.3 races have raised questions about my race day nutrition and training specifically for a race course. This has come in very handy for this preparation. I’m sure one thing I will learn from this race is how to ride on the opposite side of the road.

I would like to make special mention to a few people and businesses.

First of all, special thanks to Dr David Riordan, Stacey and Mandy at my major sponsor, Holistique Health and Spa. Without the expert regular treatment from Dr Riordan, my body wouldn’t have remained in such good shape for this entire preparation and allowed me to push so hard. I can’t speak highly enough of his chiropractic treatment and how beneficial it can be for anyone.  They are located at 10 Errard St. North, Ballarat and don’t forget to check out their website - http://www.holistiquehealth.com.au/ - Thanks so much guys. You’ve contributed so much to this race preparation.

I would also like to make an honourable mention to Cycles Galleria - http://cyclesgalleria.com.au/ - who have looked after me with various bike products, along with expert servicing which has my beloved Focus Izalco TT bike in tip top order for the big race. They have 3 stores now. I am a frequent visitor to the original store in the Galleria shopping centre, corner of Bourke and Elizabeth St. They also have their larger store at QV shopping centre on Russell St and the brand new shop at 475 Riversdale Road, Camberwell. Do yourself a favour and go check them out. Awesome staff too!

Also, Evelyn Faye Nutrition - http://www.completehealth.com.au/ - at 360 Bourke St, Melbourne, is where I have picked up most of my nutritional supplements and their expert advice has made a big difference to the way I have fuelled and recovered during training. They have an amazing range of products and some highly knowledgeable staff who are only too glad to help you.

I can’t wait to get on the plane with my beautiful wife. There is no other person who I would rather take this journey with. She will always be my number one supporter and I am truly lucky to have her.

I look forward to updating you all while on my travels.

Make sure you have me on Twitter @Ironman_Lincoln and Instgram @ironman_lincoln.

Rules for Triathlon Success (An outsider's view from the couch)

Here's the second weekly installment from Mrs Ironman Lincoln. It's a witty understanding that, we athlete's, sometimes need things to be just so. 

As well as liking to display our passion in more ways than just the training and racing, we don't tend to see things in the same way that as others. Of course, we're the normal ones, right?

So, here's some very true observations from my beautiful wife. Enjoy and please add your own in the comments section. We've all got our own weird ones, I'm sure.

1.                   Respond with a look of pure disdain if anyone mentions a heated pool or a 25 meter pool as a potential training location.

2.                   It is entirely reasonable to service a bike more often than a car, and, although it has no motor and fewer wheels, it is perfectly acceptable that the service cost hundreds of dollars.

3.                   In any given situation, at least one item of clothing on your person MUST communicate to others that you are a Serious Triathlete. Try a competitor’s T-shirt, compression tights, wraparound sunglasses, or, in a bind, Fancy Watch which Beeps Incessantly and is the Size of a Chicken Breast.

4.                   Muesli is not just a breakfast food. It is perfectly acceptable to eat muesli four times a day. Buying it ready-made in small packages is laughable; buy the ingredients in bulk and store it in a large bucket or clam pool.

5.                   Play to win. This also applies in everyday life. Your wife may think it’s over the top, but she’s a whiny loser who should have put houses on Park Lane when she had the chance.

6.                   After an ice bath, it is common sense to place the multiple large bags that held the ice in the tiny bathroom bin. Be sure to close the lid so they can’t escape!

7.                   Get the following message printed on a T-shirt to save yourself hours of explanation: “No, the Ironman on the beach with the paddle-boards is different. I do the other kind. The kind with a bike.”

8.                   Food is fuel. Taste is immaterial. Sardines, anyone?

9.                   Stretching can (and should) be done anywhere. Take every opportunity. Stuck in a meeting? Sit on the floor and stretch out those legs. Comforting your wife after an episode of Offspring? Stretch out your neck as she mops up those tears.

10.               The shower is a convenient place to hang your wetsuit to dry. Just remember to warn your wife it is there, so that when she goes to the toot in the middle of the night she doesn’t think a headless floating zombie is about to eat her brains.

Triathlon Spouse

You don’t get far in triathlon without some serious support. I am no exception.

Particularly in my first few years of competing, I must have been the worst possible person to be around on race morning but, my now wife, Mrs Ironman Lincoln, has done an exceptional job at absorbing those moments. Especially, the times when we were on our way to a race at 5:30am and half way there I remember something that I had neglected to get before leaving home. I’m quite sure she regretted getting out of her nice warm bed sometimes just to stand in the cold, usually on her own, and cheer for me in the fleeting second that she caught me going past on my bike and then as I entered the finishing chute.

I think I have improved my race morning attitude a lot since then but I still struggle when I don’t fit in every second of training or can’t find exactly what I want to eat.

Of course, there are other family and friends who have been wonderful support but my beautiful wife has attended nearly every race I have ever done. She’s a real trooper.

Over the past 5 and a half years of triathlon gradually creeping further and further into our lives, Mrs Ironman Lincoln has discovered many traits of the obsessive triathlete. You may be familiar with some of these but you may also be missing the crucial signs. Don’t worry, she’s here to help and over the next few weeks, as I build towards the Ironman 70.3 World Championships which is less than one month away, I will post some blog pieces from her which will provide you with a detailed account of what life is like with a triathlon junkie, like me.

Are you a triathlon spouse?

By: Mrs Ironman Lincoln.

How many water bottles and backpacks do you have in your home?

A. Well, I don't live with any primary school aged children or camping fanatics, so, zero.

B. I have my old high school backpack that my friends graffitied in year 11, but that's it.

C. At least eight backpacks and a dozen water bottles. I’m quite sure they are breeding in the night.

Which of the following is standard behaviour for you on a Sunday morning?

A. We sleep in, tidy the house then wander around Bunnings eating sausages and arguing about whipper-snippers.

B. We relax with a coffee while sharing the Sunday paper, then we head out for a walk or a jog.

C. We get up at 4am to hunt for a car park, then I lug around two backpacks, a bike pump, sunscreen, umbrella and folding chair whilst trying to catch a glimpse of familiar Lycra as it whizzes past.

Your partner wears stockings, and he's a man. What is your reaction?

A. I guess it’s time for the, “It’s not you, it’s me,” conversation.

B. I hope he's not wearing my heels, too. He'd stretch them out.

C. They're not "stockings"; they're compression tights. They aid recovery.

How expensive/ difficult is your partner to feed?

A. He eats what I eat, so not hard at all

B. Men eat a lot, don't they? He eats about double what I eat.

C. It's like having eight husbands. He eats constantly and he can never just eat what the rest of us are having. It has to be balanced and contain low GI carbohydrates. (Is it just me or does wholemeal pasta taste like the box it comes in?)

Where does your partner get most of his wardrobe?

A. I buy his clothes and he gets gifted socks, jocks and hankies.

B. He shops for himself - he wears suits to work and trackies or jeans on the weekend.

C. He gets given all of his t-shirts at sporting events, and then teams them with whatever else appears in his wardrobe.

Does your partner have a bike?

A. No.

B. Yeah, its main function is providing shelter for a family of Daddy long-legs in our garage.

C. Yes, it is part-bike, part- the other woman. It cost more than his car and he can't use it to commute anywhere because he is afraid someone will steal it.

What happens if your partner can't exercise?

A. Nothing, he just gains weight like the rest of us, but it doesn't bother him.

B. He gets super cranky and restless.

C. This has never happened.

What does your partner say when you suggest a holiday location?

A. Sounds good, babe.

B. Can't we go camping instead?

C. They have a great triathlon course there! They have transition in the park near the beach and it’s the best tri in the region and my mate did it two years ago and got stung by a jelly and we should go in February cos that's when it is...

How did you go?

Mostly A's: Your partner is perfectly normal with little to no interest in participating in triathlons. If you are happy with this, be sure that your spouse doesn't train for a triathlon, 'just for fun.' He or she will love it, become addicted and you will lose your Sunday mornings.

Mostly B's: You and your partner have a great relationship where neither party participates in triathlons and both of you are happy about this. Nip any dangerous behaviour in the bud by prohibiting Lycra items and restricting the number of runners he can purchase in one year.

Mostly C's: You are a triathlon spouse. Your loved one is psycho for swimming, bonkers for bikes and raging for running. Oh sure, he loves you, but better not ask if he loves his bike more. Be happy that he keeps so fit and try not to worry about him finding dead bodies when he's out running.