A little late but lastest update....

Immediately following Peru my body was feeling zapped, medical tests a few weeks prior to Coquimbo, ITU Pan American Cup, made for a month of mixed emotions. Following my race in Lima, Peru I decided to take a few days off to recover the body as I was feeling run down and fatigued. I did this to give myself the best preparation for the remaining races. I also had some blood test and saw a few indifferent results which looked to be a problem. Two weeks had gone by and training had been some of the worst to date.....inconsistent and poor form! With this, I decided to reluctantly skip the first ITU Pan American Cup in Vina Del Mar and put all my energy into Coquimbo, giving my body an extra week rest. In the month between races I can count a 'good and consistent' training period of 4-5 days from 10 days out from the race...ideal preparation?! Far from it! With a beach start in Coquimbo, it brought me back to my bread and butter and I got a great start and exited the swim first. We then created a small break of 8 on the bike and extended our lead each lap. Onto the run and only 5 were still there at the 5km mark including myself and I was feeling solid. A few changes of pace along the way and it was down to 3 with 1km to go. The Chilean athlete ramped it up with 400m to go and we were strung out. Then out of the corner of my eye I caught the penalty board with my number on it, 15seconds later and the podium slipped, running in for 4th. Taking the result out, I am really happy with the race. A month of garbage training, to be honest, and to fight back from the mini rut for probably my best race in South America, that's what I'm pleased about. Yes I didn't win but this race has given me more confidence and determination for the rest of 2013. What a 3 months in South American!!!! Thank you to the Riveros family and every other person along the way that has helped me here. To my family, friends and sponsors .... thank you! But for now, its home time and I can't wait! Shane

February wrap

It was a month I will never forget. February was jam packed, Mendoza, Argentina and to finish in the historic, Lima, Puru . All of which, I had mixed emotions and results from. Villarrica volcano just outside of the popular holiday destination Pucon, Chile is 2847m high and sees snow all year round. On a clear day from Pucon, you can see the picturesque volcano standing out like wild flower on a postcard. I couldn't stop looking at it from the town. It was truly incredible. And then to climb it, was beyond words! The trek took all day with a 630am start and the zig zag journey took 5hrs to reach the top. After a breather, a walk around the top and the manditory happy snaps, we slid down on little plastic sleds to make for a fast descent. The day was one of the best experiences I've had! Argentina is quickly becoming a favourite of mine. With some of the best steaks and unique scenery. The race was held in Mendoza, seeing 4 athletes, including another Australian, two Argentinians and myself gain a substantial lead out of the swim maintaining throughout the bike leg. I knew I had to run an even paced 10km run for the win. But I was caught by an in form runner from the chase pack and held onto the podium for second place. Back-to-back weekend Olympic distance racing has always been a challenge but nothing I shy away from, so it was a week of recovery before the race in Lima, Puru. The countries population has a huge difference in range of wealth, with little to no sign of commoners. A 90minute bus ride from the hotel (no accommodation at the race site) saw a beach start, a group of 5 formed together on the hilly bike course after many attacks from the front pack . The bike course also had some tour de France like switch back descents which I have never seen before. Onto the flat run and from the start I had zero energy that I still tried to build into, with little to no success I finished in 4th. With a an experience I will never forget, a champagne showered podium in Mendoza and an energy zapped, but still solid 4th in Lima, proved to be an excellent month. I have to recover my body now before my last two races scheduled for the end of March in Chile … Bring it on! Thank you for the continued support, Shane

First update for 2013 - SOuth America

I had four consecutive weekends of racing since I have been based in Santiago, Chile, January 2013. I was lucky enough to have had the opportunity to experience the Chilean celebratory ways of New Years Eve. It’s amazing how welcoming and nice the South American people have been to me. I noticed this at the first sprint distance race in Vina Del Mar, Chile when they wanted to do everything and anything for me! The race saw myself and two others in a breakaway and it was battled out on the run. It was awesome fun because they were both good friends of mine and I came away with the win. Onto to La Paz, Argentina for the first ITU Continental Cup. This place was crazy! The people are driving motorbikes with 3-4 on each with no helmets. Even saw one eating an ice cream and driving with 2 passengers! The Argentinian way of dining was certainly an experience to remember. The waiters dodging busy traffic attempting to cross the street, hands full with our meals, truly an amazing small town. The Olympic distance race literally saw the entire town watch the race. It was like Tour de France style crowds and I ended up finishing 4th after a good swim and bike, a little disappointed with the last 5km on the run but solid points to move up in the world rankings. Straight after returning from Argentina I made the 10 hour bus trip south in Chile to the holiday destination Pucon. Wow! This place is beautiful. I Met up with my good friend Gaspar Riveros from Chile and recovered from the weekends race in La Paz. So it was jet skiing and cruising the speed boat to recover. But we did do some serious training to recover the body and the sprint distance race saw another win for me. I had a solid swim, bike and run which i was happy with after the two previous weeks racing and travel. It was another 'tough' week in Pucon jet skiing/ wake boarding and also a BBQ on the beach from wood fire. I was also lucky enough to have my birthday here which was really nice. The families I have been staying with really treated me like a son and even surprised me with a cake!  An hour and half drive from Pucon saw the last race in Validivia. The town is influenced a lot by German heritage and it’s also a very historic town with fortes from when the Spanish landed. The town has also seen a tsunami in 1960 which still show some damages. With a change in race start time, we managed to get to the start 15min before the gun. Quick change, rack the bikes and the gun went. Both Gaspar and I didn't have time for any sort of warm up but I still come away with the win. It was the strongest I felt out of the four races which I was most happy with. So there has been three wins and a fourth in the first month of racing and it’s now time to take a few days off and recover properly after all the racing. Then I will have a small solid block of training back in the heat of Sanitago for 10 days before the next two ITU continental cups in Mendoza, Argentina and Lima, Peru respectively. Both expected to be hot and humid! I look forward to it! Thanks for all the support, Shane

ITU Asian Cup - Subic Bay, PHI

I had my second race back from injury and it was stickier than a honey pot in Subic Bay, Philippines for the ITU Asian Cup. After arriving in Manila, we had a 4-hour bus trip travelling to the race site. Getting out of Manila was an adventure to say the least as we weaved in and out of traffic, breaking road rule after road rule. To give you an idea of what it’s like, Manila has about the same population as the whole of Australia so I can’t believe I didn’t see one crash! We arrived at the hotel at 2am after a solid 14-travel time and I was pretty tired. After a good sleep, my pre race goal was to stay hydrated and put the feet up after doing a light run and swim (race temp was 30 C plus). The two lap swim was a beach start and I got to the lead in the first few steps and pushed hard for the first few hundred metres. At the end of the first lap I saw that myself and the two other athletes behind me had created a small gap entering the second lap. I didn’t push the swim but managed to exit the water (collecting the prime) with a 30 sec lead over the main pack. I have never been in a race where you could say that you heated up in the swim, so once I jumped on my bike it was all about getting the nutrition and water in while I had time. I waited for three athletes to ride up to me and we rolled turns for 10km until we waited for another 5 athletes. Another memorable moment from the race was manoeuvring through a small gap that was created by a bus/4WD crash on the racetrack. There was glass everywhere and it turned out to be quite a sketchy section of the ride! Luckily, there was no trouble for any in the group. Onto the 4-lap run and I was feeling really comfortable sitting in 3rd directly behind the eventual winner from China and catching the leader. As I passed the penalty box the first time, I saw my number on the board, which shocked me! Instead of continuing in a good rhythm with the Chinese athlete, I was forced to stop and take the 15-second penalty. Bad move Shane! Having to run the remainder of the leg solo was tough but I managed to hold onto the podium so I was happy with the progress. Thanks to everyone for their support including Triathlon Australia, NSWIS, Giant Bikes, my coach Jamie Turner, physio Alex Price, my parents and family and all my individual sponsors!

Next Races: ITU Asian Cup – Amasuka, Japan 3rd June ITU Asian Cup – Gamagori, Japan 10th June

Photos from the last couple of months

Punching out the km's at Southport pool early morning

Myself, Tyler, Sticksy and Scotty pre ride on the Gold Coast

Myself, Tyler and Sticksy just being massive

Had the pleasure of having Irish triathlete Gavin Noble stay at my place in Wollongong for 2 weeks.

Mooloolaba Triathlon

So I have had plenty of time to think about the race in Mooloolaba and find out what exactly happened, as it definitely wasn’t the result I was after! Mooloolaba triathlon is one of Australia’s largest and most popular triathlons. It’s a weekend festival with everything from ocean swims, fun runs and of course the triathlon. When I arrived on the ‘Sunshine coast’ it was not living up to its name and was recovering from torrential rain with some parts of the town flooded. I stayed indoors, jumped on the treadmill and the preparation was still going to plan.


I had a solid 8 weeks training block on the Gold Coast with pre‐qualified Olympic triathlete Brad Kahlefeldt leading up to the race (my first Olympic distance triathlon in 18 months). It was awesome to spend time with Brad and see what a true professional athlete does day in and day out. Following his training program for a race that he has won three times and was looking for his third consecutive win, he obviously knows how to win.


With all of the torrential rain, the water was a bit mucky and dirty but that didn’t stop me from leading the whole swim (although I didn’t feel the best) until the final wave zone. A set wave come for the guys sitting around the 20th position to come through and make up ground. I still managed to exit the water in the top 10 and get out onto the bike in good position. The bike was an out and back course on the freeway with not much happening and the field of 60 came together as one big pack. At this point, I still wasn’t feeling the best on the bike but I was confident with my running leading up to event so was patiently waiting for the final 10km run. I left transition two in 4th spot and onto the run I went. Nothing eventuated for me on the run, feeling a little flat and coming over the line in 18th. After the prospect of racing again and the build up I had, I was somewhat disappointed with my finish but now can move on to the next race.


I have had a lot of support post race and one Aussie triathlete said to me “you can't be disappointed with your race. It's a long road back from where you were and you've done the longest, hardest part. Keep ticking away. It comes back eventually, believe me”. He himself would know, having spent two years out (four years ago) with injury and now has all but sewn up the 2nd Olympic spot for London. It meant a lot for him to say that! Moving forward, I have to stay healthy, stay motivated because I know I have a awesome block of training behind me that is ready to be unleashed!


Next race: ITU Asian Cup – Subic Bay, Philippines May 5th.


Shane

Iron-Off

The Iron-off was the ultimate challenge! Never used an iron before but hey, I love a challenge!

The Morphy Richards Iron-Off seen Kelloggs Nutri-Grain Ironman Ali Day line up against Super fish and Australian Champion David McKeon, World Champion track runner Ryan Gregson, Australian Triathlete Aaron Royle and Australian High Jump Champion Petrina Price and myself.

It was set in the main street amphitheater of Crown street mall in Wollongong. Plenty of people turned up for a laugh but the funniest part was the elderly who stopped by ... I think they thought it was going to be a ironing exhibition! Little did they know we were stripping down to our Waxx undies and ironing our own cloths in a competition.

It was good fun and pictures are below.

More photos can been seen here.

A full report can be seen here

Shane

Latest scoop ... first for 2012

The silly season is done and dusted. For me, it is a period to enjoy the time with friends and family as I am away for 5-6 months of the year racing abroad. I hope everyone had a safe and enjoyable Christmas and New Year too! I kicked back with a beer or two and had a more relaxed attitude with my training. I managed to gradually increase my volume of training after returning to running from my injury setbacks.

At the end of 2011 I was able to join up with the NSWIS crew and spend 10 days down at Falls Creek, Victoria training at 1700m – getting some altitude benefits. I was there for another 3 weeks in January doing the same but increasing my volume again.

January is just a great month. One reason is that it is my birthday! ☺ I didn’t do too much other than spending some quality time with my family/friends and a nice dinner.
This was all good preparation for the annual Australia Day Aquathon held in the picturesque Wollongong Harbour the next day. I was not expecting anything much from the race other than having fun and getting back to racing after a terrible two years with injury. I could have come last in the race but still would have had a smile on my face! But that result didn’t happen … I was in a sprint finish for the win with my good mate and training partner Aaron Royle. He managed to out sprint me but I was very excited with my result, a massive positive for the upcoming season.

The next day I was travelling 12 hours in the car headed for the Gold Coast. I am up here as a training partner for pre-selected 2012 Olympic triathlete Brad Kahlefeldt for 4 weeks. This was arranged between my coach Jamie Turner and Triathlon Australia. I absolutely love it up here training with Brad! I am supposed to be helping him but I think I am getting the better deal out of this one, learning so much off a very professional athlete. It has been a very solid two weeks with base miles and some speed work as well. This is all putting me in good shape for the Mooloolaba triathlon on March 25.

Until next time!

Weekend of wins!!!!!!

A weekend of racing and a weekend of two wins from two!

The inaugural Ocean Splash 'n' Dash was held in Wollongong over the weekend with hundreds of competitors taking part. The weather turned up on Saturday for the ocean swim but not on the Sunday for the aquathon (swim + run) - absolutely cold and miserable! I took part in the 1400m ocean swim and took the win! So happy to be back racing especially in my hometown.

As I am unable to run at race pace just yet I teamed up with good friend Russell Dessaix-Chin for the aquathon. The swim was 700m and I was able to give Russ a lead for the 6km run. We manged to sneak another win. Happy Shane!!!!!!!!!!!

Below is a link to an media article from the weekend:

http://www.kaokreative.com.au/?p=666


This is just the beginning of my return to racing - bring it on!

Hope you have a lovely Christmas and even better New Year!

Regards,

Shane

A while between drinks...

Frustration: The feeling of being upset or annoyed, especially because of inability to change or achieve something.
Anger: A strong feeling of annoyance, displeasure, or hostility.
Disappointment: The feeling of sadness or displeasure caused by the non-fulfillment of one's hopes or expectations.

After another ITB release surgery 9 weeks ago (other leg – now symmetrical) these are some the words that have described these past weeks/months. I feel the past two years have been the hardest in my short sporting career – it really does play on your head and make you think, what have I got myself in to? Not only have I had to come home early from trips away or stop training because of these injuries, I know I haven’t raced to or even close to my potential! This is probably the most difficult thing. I love racing. I love the feeling of winning. There is only so much I can do with injury management (and I am doing everything) but I still believe that this will keep making me stronger and more ambitious. I still want to race and I still want to win - and I will!

Moving forward I have started back training and I am swimming the best I have for some time. My times in training have been very positive and I am feeling strong in the water. My bike and running is coming along slowly but I am happy with the progress so far (similar to last time, it is a slow recovery process). In December, I am looking forward to altitude training with the other NSWIS triathletes in Falls Creek. This will enable me to get a good block of work done before the season starts. I haven’t been down there before so it will be interesting to work with the NSWIS crew and I am hoping for some positive changes.

Without the team behind me (too many to thank individually), I don’t think I could have done this. It has definitely made it a lot easier … Thank You!

I’m slowly but surely ticking off my list. The things I need to do before I’m back racing and ‘back in the game’!