Well 20 days after dusting off my triathlon kit and getting out and attempting to put together a strong performance it was unfortunately not the day I was hoping for, ive been non stop since the race traveling home and then to Ohio, USA for a week and a half I am finally home, building back up and able to key my reflection down for your entertainment

My build up to race day had been great, I don’t recall when I had felt as fit or strong as I did, all my set up was spot on, my bike looked epic and everything was dialled in.

I was super proud to be swimming in the new Blue Seventy Helix and their incredible contour goggles, which are amazing by the way so make sure you check them out! In the swim I exceeded my expectations by swimming just over 57 minutes in 8th which I was stoked about, I’ve been swimming solo for the last twelve months so it is great that the dedication had paid off, the swim was tougher than normal due to the two lap swim and with a self seeded start (which suck by the way, people need to be real about where they start) we were lapping hundreds of athletes and having to dodge them but despite that, I smashed it.

Onto the bike however, within the first km I felt my legs not responding as they have in the past, I thought I’d get through the first 20km and they would wake up but they didn’t, it was as if I had done a massive training day the day before, my power was dropping while trying to hold 230 watts at 85 rpm so I could only do one thing, drop my cadence and grind it out for survival, it wasn’t about finishing, for me I want that Kona slot and by in contention, I managed to work in a group for the first lap coming around in 2.23 hour and worked up to 5th place but at this point my legs were aching and before I knew it I was in no man’ land cycling squares and contemplating life decisions but i got through the mental barrier and pushed on. I started to have this unusual sensation in my left quad at 100km mark as it felt like an electric shock from my inside knee to my groin so, I adapted and pushed harder on my right leg and pushed on. This was awesome... until the 150km mark when I was in a situation where both inside quads had cramp along with this electric shock sensation in both legs forcing me to stop peddling and free wheel to almost a stop not once, not twice, but six times. There was nothing I could do at this point, I had to push through every single cramp until it subsided and I could continue until it hit me again.

I got off the bike for the run in still a great time considering what had gone on in 4.57 in 11th, I was praying that when I got off the bike cramp wouldn’t cripple me to a walk which thankfully it didn’t but I had paid the price and after the first lap when stomach issues kicked in I knew today wasn’t my day but it would be a day for me to learn from, dig deep and finish. As the run went on I adjusted my expectations so I would not give in, I honestly have never felt the pain I did, I ran the marathon in 3.54 and for three hours it felt as if with ever stride someone was punching my each quad it really was torcher so to finish under 10 hours and 14th in a competitive age group is not bad.

I need to say a massive thanks to my wife Penny, her sisters and their family, Mikey G and Anna for making the journey from Perth and New Zealand to cheer me on, my coach Simon Cochrane (Athletic Peak) for getting me to the start line in one piece and joining me for the journey and my supporters, @Goodbuzz @Puresportsnutrition @OSM @Savvytouch for believing in me and being part of team Kiwi Triathlete.

So where to from here.. we are going to be working on three things;

1. Do longer harder erg sessions during the week on the bike which is hard with a full time job but something I need to do while maintaining my swim and run volume.

2. Pick back up on my leg/ core strength work

3. Despite me for the first time in many years feeling comfortable with my body image this does not mean I am my ideal race weight as such, I need to slowly drop 4-5kg over the next few months and lean out by just being more structured.

4. Recovery, recovery, recovery. With more training means more stress on my body as such I have started to add sups and focus on foam rolling/ yoga/ meditation and most importantly, quality sleep.

With that said I have a massive 5 months ahead of me with Tauranga Enduro in January (used as a long race effort training day), IM NZL in March and IM Australia in May so for now, the keyboard is down and I’m off to chill, stay tuned and most importantly, have a Merry Christmas and a safe and happy New Year!

Ciao,

Robo

What is this? Surely Robo isn’t doing a blog.... well yup, I sure am and after seeing a post from two years ago saying “I’m coming back to western Sydney 70.3” I thought I better start saying, Ironman Western Australia... here I come!

Over the last twelve months I have been what I like to call “ticking the body over” and it feels weird, typically I train hard for a goal, I dedicate 8 months and then move on however, this time with the support of my wife things are different.

Since September 2018 I have been training steadily and consistently with no guidance and to be honest it has been fun, I have always fallen in love with the process of regaining fitness, and with no goal set in stone I have been able to do just that. However, on my list which has twenty sporting goals (primary triathlon based set five years ago) there is one that has remained on my list...... Kona.

Kona for me has always been the ultimate goal because it has always seemed unobtainable and I love chasing something and proving to myself “anything is possible” however as time has gone by and I have seen what I am capable of, I know, deep down, it is achievable and I am confident in backing myself to do it. Like I say, it is not a matter of if, just a matter of when.

For the last two and a half months I have been back training under Simon Cochrane (Athletic Peak) who took my fitness to a whole new level throughout 2016/17 (where I posted a 4.10 70.3 and a 9.46 IM on a tough day) and thankfully once again we are seeing his training blocks and my dedication work together seamlessly as my body has been absorbing the training blocks.

With less than 6 weeks to go until Ironman Western Australia, I surprisingly have no nerves, I know I am leaving no stone unturned. I have learnt to listen to my body to ensure I provide real time feedback to Simon and adjust any training when needed based on any early signs of sickness/ increased fatigue I see or feel through heart rate, sleep, HRV and more importantly understanding what my body is telling me.

What also makes me back myself is that I have done this before, I know what to expect (to an extent) and my mental preparation for race day is well and truly underway, what I am also excited about is that for the first time I am going to be racing multiple ironman races in one season with IMWA and IMNZL booked in I have committed to myself that I am going to do this and this is what I want.

Now, I’m not all serious and no fun, anyone who has been around me leading up to a race knows I am definitely not the serious kind, but 10 minutes before a race start, I naturally flick a switch that puts me in race mode.

However, no matter what happens this season the key with me is, I am out there to race myself and if my best and extending myself beyond my barriers is good enough to get to Kona then I will be overwhelmed but if not, I’ll still be proud of myself, otherwise... what do we do this for!

I’ll be planning on sharing my build over the coming weeks with you all, I am super organised and it is showing as I have purchased my season’ race gear, begun trailing everything to make sure it is dialled in, so I’m keen to share this with you and tell you why this helps me during some of the biggest training blocks I have.

Well until then, I’m all prepped for a big weekend of training so Mahalo! (I thought I better start practicing right 😉)

Robo

Hey team,

its been a long long time hasn’t it, in the last 8 months I have had the opportunity to focus on what is important to me.... my health, as we say on the podcast, my health is my greatest wealth.

By focusing on what we preach on our podcast (Think Fit Pod) I have managed to drop the 10 kg’s that I was sitting on, which is by making healthy choices, being active but most importantly living a balanced life and not following some fad diet.

Not only have I managed to kick a few kg’s to the kerb, with it I have improved my fitness;

• In January I had my half Ironman come back posting a 28.48 Swim, 2.15.51 bike and a 1.36.29 run resulting in a 4.23.11 overall time. I knew going into the race I didn’t have the run fitness which showed but overall I was pretty pumped as I was expecting a 4.30 overall time.

 

• I have run multiple 5 km Park Run's going from 19.50 min to 17.25 min

​

• And I have dropped my half marathon time from 1.35 to 1.22

But of all tha tI have achieved and experience, my highlight has been marrying my best friend.

It was an incredible day celebrating with our closest family and friends at Eagle Ridge Estate in Tauranga, the day went smoothly and we created more memories which will last a life time.

What is coming up next?

Next up I am heading away on my honey moon where I am going to enjoy traveling with Penny, exploring and focusing on my swimming and running before returning and continuing my build to my first race of chasing the Kona reality at IRONMAN Busselton on the 1st December 2019.

I have got to say, I am looking forward to being coached by professional triathlete Simon Cochrane under - www.athleticpeak.co.nz

That's all for now falks, until next time (Which I promise will not be long) stay classy.

​Kia Ora team,

Summer has arrived in true fashion here in New Zealand turning on some record breaking temperatures and pearler days for this time of the year and no, rotary hoeing and leveling my back section is not the only ground I have been breaking lately.

The weather has made it that much easier to throw on the running shoes and head out the door as my training continues and I stick to my plan and stay consistent.

I have found one of the key components to breaking new ground has been embracing the suck and pushing myself in the key sessions when I know it is going to be tough.

Too often when we are getting back into the groove of things or getting started, we can let self doubt talk us out of giving it our all when there are key sessions given to us, that not only build our fitness and strength but most importantly, improve our mental strength in preparation for races.

The key is to not overthink it and break a session down to an effort and then when it is a hard effort break it down again to 30 seconds or more depending on the length. Another tip for say on the bike trainer is to focus on a constant, for me, if I am trying to hit a certain power, once I get to that I then focus on my cadence as it is a smaller number and something that doesn’t spike and easier to hold making you feel like you are in control.

That’s all for this week team, until next time, go on and break new ground 💪🏽

ROBO

Hey team,

​Well.. so much for weekly updates huh 😝, I slightly over committed on my expectation to do weekly posts, due to a busy travel schedule it was not on the top of my priority however on our @ThinkFit podcast we kept you updated.

This week I advised Tim that it has been 10 weeks since I originally started my 10 week plan leveraging off Pete Evans paleo "diet" to set me up.

In summary, it has been a success, after half heatedly dedicating myself to change my lifestyle with minimal results since March. My plan was to use the Pete Evans plan to help me reset and focus which did it's job, helping me drop 7 kg’s and just as importantly, it helped me reset my whole life style including training.

This week Tim asked me if it was specifically the Pete Evans way of eating (the paleo way) or could you achieve this by making changes to your lifestyle without going paleo?

My answer was; It's not because I ate a high fat, low carb paleo “diet” but because I cut out processed foods and reduced my sugar intake which could be achieved with any other “diet” lifestyle change. It's because I followed a plan that made the whole process easier, almost the same as seeing a nutritionist (Although I would rate a nutritionist more than following a generic online plan to get the best results) which removes the thinking/ planning from the process, just follow and do.

The biggest struggle over the 10 week period was trying to eat on the run while traveling, which made following a plan difficult which lead to a few weeks of bad habits.

So where to from here? I feel as though the way of eating is embedded into my lifestyle for now as it is easy to maintain which was the plan all along to find a new routine. In addition to this I am back training and feeling strong, ten weeks ago I was struggling to do certain sessions and cycle for longer than two hours however now I have broken the four hour threshold and am feeling strong and excited to train because of it.

So my recommendation if you are struggling to drop weight.. it would be to identify what it is that is holding you back from achieving your goal and implement strategies to set yourself up for success. As mentioned, for me it is all about routine and although I thought I was doing the right thing my balance was out.

Until next time, write any questions below.. Robo

oh yeah, and keep on.... Thinking Fit 😎

What doesn’t challenge you, doesn’t change you

I think that sums the last week up in one sentence and to be honest I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Like we openly talk about on our podcast “Think Fit Podcast” we are far from perfect but, consistency and persuvearance is one of our keys to success.

On this weeks podcast, we give you an insight to what my co-host and I do, to set ourselves up for success which in a way is also an update of my progress.

In a nut shell, sleeping over the last few weeks has been the best I have had in over a year and not only that, but breathing through my nose has been a lot easier and of course, yes, I have been dropping weight, starting weight 91kg’s and today, 87kg’s.

What was interesting is that I had a treat or two this week and this directly effected not only my sleep quality but also my ability to get asleep which really has shown me the impact of sugar and carbs even in a low dose.

Now onto today’s leason;

It is easy to have the right intention to make healthy choices, but too often we do not set ourselves up for success and I have also failed at this.

As an example; we don’t plan the week ahead, we don’t plan what we want to do in the week (fitness wise) and we don’t plan what our meals will be.

By not planning, we set ourselves up to fall into temptation of snacking on unhealthy foods or not have a training plan and before you know it a week has flown by.

So for today, if you have not already, it is key for you to plan how you can set yourself up for success. To help you take those steps, check out our latest Think Fit a podcast by clicking here

Untill next time, feel free to comment below on what you do to set yourself up for success to share your tips and tricks.

Robo - @KiwiTriathlete

Hey team, so a bit of an update for you.

I am now well and truly through my first week and up until today it has been relatively easy to stay focused and not experience any cravings however this rainy Sunday night is proving to be a test for old habits so why not blog about it to get through it right!

Although everything has been straight forward the key mistake I made this week has been with my training.

As you know, I have gone Hi Fat, Lo carp getting rid of everything in the house and have committed to it 100% and it is interesting to notice my heart rate has slowly increased as my body is being challenged but has now started to settle slightly.

At day four and I have the worst migraines you could possibly imagine which I have put down as side effects of not drinking coffee i.e caffeine however after two days the side effects have settled.

Another key point as I mentioned above is my training, I actually have had to change my program from training for performance to training for weight loss and general fitness.

This was apparent on Tuesday when I was doing a hard sessions with My Think Fit counterpart on the Zwift (a virtual trainer) where my heart rate has been 20-30 beats higher than normal meanings my threshold is lower, I experienced this again the following day when I opted for the elliptical trainer and my heart rate at level one was at 155 bpm (Normally I do an hour session level 12-14 and my heart rate is 140bpm)

This has reiterated an episode Tim and I did recently "Think Fit Episode 49: Performance V Weight Loss Training" that it is very hard to achieve both on this lifestyle change, especially at a performance level while the body is adapting

So you know I am following Pete Evans free 10 week activation program and building our meals accordingly with fastings for 13 hours in the morning.
https://thepaleoway.com/our-10wk-program/

The great thing I love about this program is that it gives you all the tools to manage your meals along with a shopping list to help you change your lifestyle long term which is key to success.

From what I understand it is approx. 10 weeks for your body to adapt for performance on a Hi-Fat, Lo-Carb lifestyle, currently I have embrassed the program to reset myself which will be over three - five weeks before slowly we re-introducing foods to focus on a gut reset.

Although there are the ups and downs as expected I have started to see changes which I will continue to monitor, one of them I have lost 2.3kg although considerable for the first week this will also be due to a reduction of water retention.

I would recommend checking out the above link if you are interested in the activation program as I am finding it invaluable! If you do choose to follow it or do you own thing, I would recommend choosing three meals that you can ace and stick to it for a few weeks so you don’t over complicate things which is easy to do.

Until next time feel free to get in touch on my instagram or Facebook if you wish to discuss.

Keep it up team 👊🏽

Robo

 Kia ora guys and girls!
 
As I sit here in one of my favorite cafe’s called Deckchair just off the beach in Mount Manganui, New Zealand it is the perfect Saturday morning to sit back, reflect and take the time to update you all and once again bring you all on a journey as I go from your “every day” athlete to the top of my game for the second time.
 
As most of you are aware my journey started in 2012, when I went from 118 to 83kg’s over a period of 6 months after changing my lifestyle completely, which included but not limited too; focusing on eating healthy natural foods (unpackaged and non-processed foods), having an active lifestyle and I feel most importantly, having a reason why. My journeys key point though is that not only had I managed to drop the weight, but I had gone from being someone out there competing to finish, to competing for the top of the podium which is not always the case for a “big lad” and in no way was it easy as my work ethic reflected my result.
 
So and update on where I am at; I am 15 months on from exceeding expectations by completing a 2017 Taupo ironman on a very windy and hot day in the time of 9.46 hours. At this time I weighed 74 kg and was extremely fit after building on the base I had, in addition to this I also achieved a 4.10 hour half Ironman to my surprise!. It is amazing to look back to my first half Ironman where I finished in a time of 5.14.59 😱.
 
So what’s new, where am I at? Well after Ironman my priorities changed and I made the decision to focus on my career, buying a house and life with my fiancé I balanced out at my natural weight of 83/84 kg but, with the last six weeks of traveling Europe I have found myself tapping on 90 kg’s.
 
So I thought to myself, why not share with my readers, followers and ThinkFitPod listeners my journey and commit to a weekly blog over 10 weeks to share my journey and give you my step by step guide on what I do to get fit, get on top of my game and live a healthy life.
 
So here is today’s lesson; Establishing your why, Setting a plan and Accountability.
 
I feel these three things for me are so, so vital in a lifestyle change and below I will touch on these and next week I will explain in more detail.
 
Establishing your why; the first vital step toward losing weight successfully is mental. Determine why you want to lose weight and let this reason be your motivation. Do you want to regain your health and self-esteem? Are you looking to be a role model for your children? Do you simply want to fit into your old jeans again? Any reason is valid as long as it minimizes your self-destructive behavior. I also believe you need to ask yourself the question “Why” of your answer multiple time's to truly have a strong reason why.
 
If you don’t question your reason why and don't get what I call “below the water line” at the beginning, then giving into temptation can be far too easy.
 
What is my reason why? My reason re-sounds with me which is “I want to feel healthy, I want to feel confident about myself, I want to run with ease, I want to have a healthy and strong mental health” these for me are my reason why, why I want to get out and exercise when I feel tired, why I want to eat healthy and why I will put my health and mental wellbeing first.
 
Setting a plan: now that I have my reason why, I can begin to set a plan, this is what I want to achieve in the week as a goal without a plan, is planning to fail. So for me this is planning my weekly meals, weekly exercise/ stretching and daily reflection. I will go into more detail on this next week!
 
Accountability: that’s what this is! But also, I have set accountability with my fiancé. To kick start my accountability, it is weekly weigh in, daily reflections of my food log and weekly post reflecting on the week. Accountability is a great way to ensure you stay to your plan, especially when your why might not seem that “important” when you are in the moment of temptation.
 
So with that said, if you are up for the 10 week accountability plan to get started then post below your why and who is helping you be accountable (if that’s me then let’s go).
 
I’m looking forward to sharing my journey with you along with the challenges.
 
Until next week, let’s do this team!
 
Robo

Kia ora guys,

Well it’s exactly a year to the weekend that I smashed out my second ironman, and as I watch footage of athletes from last year I am reminded of how amazing the sport is and as such I have jumped on my bike and currently doing a session midday sweating my butt off 🤣

So, build part two; for the last few months I have been clocking up km’s on the bike and focusing on key swim sessions from Perth’ swim smooth group and as such have done a fair amount of benchmarking as I enter phase to of my re-build.

This week I posted a strong FTP (bike test) to test my bike strength on my RevBox wind trainer and posted a 265 watt FTP and in the pool I set my CSS (Swim strength test) and posted a 1.27 min/100m

It’s funny, I found I was doubting myself coming into these sessions because of anxiety over a number.... even though with minimal expectations I found I was judging myself.

To be honest, I don’t have the answer but I feel it might be because of how strong I was last year and although I know where my priorities have been for the last year, I guess a side feels others would judge.

It’s funny how the ol mind work’s and if you don’t realize it there is potential for some people this could restrict them from achieving their best or pushing themselves out of their comfort zone (just something for you to be aware of as self awareness is so key).

So with that said, before we go to deep here, I have my benchmark and this next effort is going to help me increase it.

Until next time, keep on thinking fit!

Robo

And what a new year it is kicking off to be from the photos below.. I am engaged! :)