Ryan Bourke Triathlete Blogspot

SEASONS GOAL KICKED!! 16/05/2012

Having 9 weeks between Sydney and Geelong I was keen to achieve the goal I had set myself at the seasons beginning; a podium at a national series race. After Geelong I went back to the drawing board with my coach Ollie and analysed were I needed to focus my training efforts. With my new strategies in place I quickly put my head down and began to focus.

There were a few races before my final hit out at Sydney and I would use these races to track my progress. First was Portarlington and I must say it was a real treat of a Race. As always SuperSprint put on a fantastic event and I walked away with 2^nd in the 25-29yrs and 7^th overall. This race was all location, location!! Think next year this may be my first long course event. 🙂

Next up was the season’s final Gatorade race and this turned out to be my best race to date. Crossing the line in 59.59 I was absolutely stoke to get under the 1 hour barrier for a full sprint distance Triathlon. This would see me place 2^nd again to Sam Rix who had a stellar season and 8^th overall. With 2 weeks until my Sydney race my form was looking remarkably good and that podium was in my sights!

Dextro Sydney Triathlon
With all the hard work done I was set for the biggest race of my short triathlon career. With a new Giant Trinity TT bike and a set of Zipp 808’s tubular wheels I was confident to produce a quality bike leg. The day had arrived and it was show time!!

The swim course looked reasonably fast and the bike course challenging. The run would see a decent hill which would be repeated 3 times. And of course the stellar backdrop of the Opera House and the Sydney Harbour Bridge would make the pain that little bit easier to tolerate. Once again in this season my wave start was at the back-end which would see traffic galore. With no warm-up on offer before the swim many were left in ‘panic stations’. If you feel this was you then talk to one of our coaches at swimming and they can supply you with a sufficient dry land warm up. Exiting the swim I was in 4th position and quite satisfied with my efforts. I was feeling good and ready to tackle the mammoth transition!

The bike course was both fast and slow. The downhills left me with no gears and the sharp short climbs; grinding with loads of lactate. I was feeling great on the bike and I felt the course really played to my strengths. To be honest I didn’t even have time to take in the views as my determination and purpose had taken over. Passing two on the bike course would see me start the run in 2^nd Position (I didn’t know at the time). My bike was definitely my standout leg coming in at 8^th overall.

Onto the run and I was definitely feeling the pinch from the efforts of the climbs earlier. I knew others would be feeling the same way and I drew strength from the numerous 70km run weeks I had done leading into the race. I was passed by one other in the run and tried to go with him but the legs would have the last say. I knew I couldn’t sustain the effort and ran into my own race. Crossing the finish line I knew I had left it all on the course and this was the satisfying feeling. To then realise I had kicked the seasons goal of a Podium it made all those early and painful mornings worth it!

With the racing season now over its time to reflect on the season and decide were my attentions will be focused in winter in order to be the best athlete I can. With my sights set on the opens category next season I feel the swim will need to be improved in order to come out with the lead bunch. My attentions will now be on coaching the Tri Alliance squad and working heavily on everybody’s technique. Uni also needs to take some priority in order to finish up my degree this year and begin my working career.

Big thanks to everyone at Tri Alliance (athletes and coaches), Shotz and CBD whom assisted me throughout the season. Also a special thanks to Fusion Health products for supplying me with all the additional supplements in keeping my engine running. Without the tremendous support from the guys noted above none of my results would have been possible. Here’s to a successful season and an even better 2012-13!
Ryan

______________________________________________________________
THE UPS AND DOWNS OF RACING SEASON: 13/02/2012
Has been a few months since my last blog and I have been extremely busy training, racing and coaching/working. Time management is a must when training for triathlons and this period of the season really tests our limits. If you are having trouble trying to fit everything into your weekyl schedule, take the time to step back and review with a clear head. Where can you maximise your time? Where can you save some time? When is it best to recover rather than push through. Once you get a good persepective it can really help.

With so much going on, I had some issues with fatigue but these have now been addressed with Greg from Prahran Health Foods assigning me a nutritional plan for recovery!! The Gatorade series is now in full flight and the Tri Alliance squad is becoming stronger and more dominant each week. We have had some very pleasing results with many athletes recently competing in their first OD or Long Course at either Sandringham or Geelong.

My first race of 2012 was Gatorade Race 3 at Brighton. Finally a swim went ahead which was very pleasing to all athletes whom had been putting in the hard yards in the pool. Having a cold/flu the week leading into the race I was feeling ordinary and knew this one was going to hurt. I ended up in 4^th place in roughly 57 mins which was pleasing and I actually felt alot better than I was expecting. I now had the Melbourne Olympic Triathlon (Sandringham) and the National OD Championships (Geelong) in sights which were two weekends back to back. I am more content to race the longer format which is where my future in the sport is heading.

Sandringham Olympic was a solid hit out and yet another learning curve for me. This was my 4^th OD race and I was feeling confident. I began with a gem of a swim putting approx a minute on the rest of the field. Onto the bike and the conditions were windy and the course challenging. I was passed by one on the bike and headed into transition in second place and feeling strong. The run was going to plan heading out an estimate of 3.40 pace and feeling comfortable. However after 3km it all went downhill. My Hamstrings cramped up and I was left walking and stretching them out. This went on for the rest of the race however I did manage to still produce a competitive time and come away with 3^rd place in my category.

Keen to address the cramping issues I had the week earlier the Geelong National championships was one of my key races for the year. The race had all the big name athletes in my age group and it was going to be a tough hit-out. The weather was not so great come race day however this was not going to shape my day. My swim again was strong coming out in 3^rd position. Onto the bike and I was comfortably in 3^rd position for the majority of the leg; the conditions were tough out there and the legs were not feeling as strong as the week before. As I headed into T2 I was in 5^th place and had 3^rd and 4^th well within my reach. Onto the run and the cramping issues definitely were in the back of my mind. Luckily this would never eventuate and my pre-race strategy had payed dividends!! I would not however cover the ground the boys had on me and I finished in 5^th place in 2:06. The run leg again not being quite where I wanted it to be; this will now be the key in my lead up to Sydney.

All in all a solid hit-out for my first National Series race with my sights now set on Sydney in April. 9 weeks to secure myself a position on that podium and achieve my 2012 goal. I will be putting it all on the table and hope to see everyone out there training hard for their end of season races and achieving their 2011/12 goals!

Ryan

______________________________________________________________
RACING SEASON IS UPON US!
We are now into the hectic part of the season full race mode is upon us. Since Noosa I have been back into solid training and put a couple more races under my belt. I have been coaching more and really enjoying seeing newcomers having a go at triathlon. The ‘Learn to swim/stroke correction program’ seemed to be a success and our second course is due to start in mid January 2012. CLICK HERE to read details and secure your spot…

St Kilda was the first race of the Gatorade VIC series however this became a duathlon after Mother Nature caused the cancellation of the swim. This definitely did not play into my favour but either way I was going to give it a good crack. My race went great with the first 2km run being completed at just over 6 mins. Onto the bike and again I felt strong. There were 3 of us within striking distance of each other and we all went sub 30mins for the 20km bike leg. It was now down to the run; into T2 I must say the legs felt heavy!! Again the pace was relentless into the 5km run. The first 2km felt ok and I held my own hoping that I would come good for the back-end. This would never happen however and I held on for dear life in the last 2 km to finish up 4^th in my category. A good hit out however and back to the drawing board to see where I can improve for next time. It was great to see such a strong presence by our club!

The following weekend I ventured to Ballarat for the Olympic distance. The days leading to the race the weather was absolutely shocking however race day was a gem! This wasn’t a planned event however and I only decided on the Friday I would race. I was feeling pretty good considering I just had a heavy week of training. Coming in 5^th overall and 2^nd in the 20-29yrs in a great time of 1:55 I was pumped with the result. Good to know the body could perform whilst a little fatigued.

I passed on the second race of the Gatorade Series at Elwood last weekend and looking forward to a solid month of training including attending the Tri Alliance Altitude Training Camp in January.

Bring on 2012!
Ryan

______________________________________________________________

NOOSA AND BEYOND! 10/11/2011
I would like to dedicate this result to my late friend John Cornish (JC); this one’s for you boss….

Noosa Olympic Triathlon was my first hit out of the year and it definitely didn’t disappoint. I walked away with 2^nd in the 25-29yrs and a colossal hangover! Noosa is the largest event I had ever seen by far; I believe it’s the largest triathlon in the southern hemisphere and the 3^rd largest in the world! There was no escaping the after party and the philosophy of ‘train hard, party harder’ was out in force amongst the triathlon community. Not sure if the legs were shot from the race or the dance floor efforts… Dance floor I’m thinking!

My training leading up to the race had been relatively short but 12 weeks of consistency left me feeling relaxed and prepared. Come race day I felt pretty good and knew from my training the pace I was capable of. The aim was a podium in my category however I really wanted to see how I stacked up against the big boys in the open and elite categories. The elites fastest was a cracking 1hr 46mins and they had already finished by the time my wave started. The opens however were a little off this pace and I have locked myself in for this division next year.

My swim began at 8.20am and there was a mass amount of traffic in the water. The swim felt good and I settled into a comfortable tempo early. Navigating through the traffic I think I came out of the water in about 4^th. Onto the bike and I needed to play to my strengths. I began rounding up the boys in front of me and really worked the first 10km heading out of town. The Noosa hill was definitely something I didn’t dread and the climbing done over winter was advantageous. Overall the bike course was quite fast and I came away with 62 mins for the 40km. With 2/3 of the job done I now needed to stay strong in the run. I led out at a comfortable pace with the intentions of negative splitting my run. It was warm! Not unbearable but the folks out the front with their hoses was something special! One bloke had the pressure of a fire hose and was almost taking people out as they ran past!

The legs felt a little heavy which was to be expected from the bike effort. Trying to pick up the pace and surge the legs wouldn’t allow me. My breathing was under control but I couldn’t get my cadence to rise. I felt I was running at a solid pace but not the pace I had been doing my intervals at. The run time however was quite pleasing at a touch over 38mins.

All in all a great kick off to the season with the Gatorade Sprint series just around the corner. Always good to get the first race out of the way and establish where improvements can be made. I’m hoping to hit some good form in the 5km run off the bike and set myself up for a big race at Sandringham Olympic!

Ryan
______________________________________________________________

Gearing up for a promising season: 29/09/11
Training is ramping up and spring is in the air. Thank god for the warmer temps that makes rolling out of bed at 5am that little bit easier. My first campaign is the Noosa triathlon in late October. I’m a little unsure of how I will perform in my first race of the season however my training is really starting to flare up so I’m quietly confident. My season comprises of the Gatorade sprint series with my focus races being the Geelong and Sydney race which are part of the National Championships. Olympic distance is my forte for the next few seasons and then the transition to longer distances is likely.

After a tragic and devastating off-season my lead up has not been ideal. However the past 8 weeks have seen some consistent and solid training. Some specific strength sessions and mileage has seen good improvements in my swimming and I have begun altitude training to fortify the cardio system. I would recommend altitude training to anyone looking to take their performance to the next level.

The Apollo Bay camp was a hard-hitting weekend with 5-6 hour rides followed by an hour run off the bike. The ironman athletes however pumped out allot more km’s than I did. All in all a great camp which tested your endurance and helped build a stronger mind-set of just how capable the body is. We were blessed with glorious weather which made being out on the road a pleasure. Well the flatter parts anyway; some of the climbs were ruthless! Check out pics from the camp here

I have just been signed up to help out with some coaching over the hectic racing season. Swimming is my sporting background so feel free to ask any questions or queries about your swimming, my training or anything on your mind; I’m more than happy to help. With only 8 weeks until race 1 of the Gatorade/Active feet series my speed training is nearing full flight. Speed is an essential and very important part of my training due to the shorter distance races I’m competing in. I have my sights set on some fast times in the sprint races which will be breaking the 1 hour barrier. If all goes to plan an appearance in the elite division for the later races of the Gatorade series may be on the cards.

Ryan

______________________________________________________________
Lorne Camp – great training camp experience: 20/06/2011

This was my first triathlon camp and I was expecting a hectic 4 days with a lot of training taking place. Lorne was a first timer for me also. We arrived lunch time Friday and was into a 40km ride shortly after. Lorne seemed like the ultimate camp location with lengthy hill climbs and the testing Great Ocean Rd. Friday arvo a 10km trail run went down and was a good chance to see some of the amazing scenery the rainforest has to offer.

Saturday morning saw a 90km ride to Apollo Bay and return. The day seemed to be quite overcast and 5mins into the ride the rain arrived. It was light but persisted for long enough to soak the clothes and keep the journey honest. Arrived back a little over 3 hours later and thought I would go for a quick spin up Benwerrin with JC. Pretty solid persisting climb that did a nice job on the legs! Few presentation Saturday day time then in the arvo back to the bush for a 12km trail run.

Sunday was a killer of a ride which saw 7 of us venture up Skenes creek rd along to Deans Marsh and then back up big Beny to Lorne. 120km or so later we rolled in pretty worn and got straight into a good feed. The afternoon was another long session running for a solid 1.5-2 hours. I was pretty shot at this stage and kept to a fairly slow pace. Few beers up the pub that night and I was ready for sleep. A few boys flared up after dinner and put on a bit of a show afterwards – we won’t name names…

I was expecting to be pretty wrecked Monday morning considering the past 3 days of training and minimal sleep. Woke up feeling pretty ok though, must be that ‘Ascend Elite recovery’ protein (thanks Ascend!); absolute rocket fuel! Rolled out for a 60km loop along Great Ocean Rd, easy heading out and then ‘see what you can do’ on the return. Felt good on the way out and put in a good effort on the way back trying to stay on the tail of Armstrong (JC). Finished up the ride and began the process of departing. One final session was left which was the aquathlon. Water was icy and a few braved the conditions with no wetsuit, respect! Felt good to get the legs kicking after the beating they had been through. However when I hit that sand and began to run it was a different story!

All in all was a great first camp. Everyone seemed to push themselves to new places and I am definitely feeling physically and mentally stronger. Over the 4 days I covered around 350km on bike and 40km running; exactly what I needed to give my winter base training a kick start. Next camp in July is appearing to be pearler and I am looking forward to pushing some serious Km’s out….

Check out pictures from the camp here

Ryan

______________________________________________________________

Byron Bay Olympic Triathlon: 07/05/11

Keen to put last week’s result behind me I was expecting big things in front of the old home crowd!! My taper week felt amazing and the days before the race I felt energised and ready to smash it up.A 12:30pm race start left me wandering around lost trying to pass time. The day was sensational and perfect racing conditions. Water was recorded at 22 degrees so wetsuits were optional. I decided the wetsuit would be faster and gave it a whirl! 1.5km swim felt like an eternity and I couldn’t wait to get onto the bike and make my mark. My wave was the second last so the traffic in the water was intense!Onto the bike I was feeling strong and began to rope in allot of competitors and got myself into a good rhythm. The road is a little ordinary and the butt was getting a work over. Into transition I was happy with my bike effort and felt like I had plenty left for the 10km run ahead of me. Being my first Olympic distance however this was unchartered waters. The run was 4 x 2.5km laps and I thought I wouldn’t go out to hard and build on my pace in the first 2km. I felt good from start to finish in the run and all those miles I had pumped out in the previous 6 weeks were definitely paying off. Apart from some minor cramping I was actually really enjoying myself and the pain felt good!! I finished off strong and felt I would have run a sub 40min for the10km.When I found out I had placed 3rd in my category I was extremely happy but to finish 11th overall was an even better result!! My overall time was 1.55.58SWIM: 24.34 BIKE: 54.03 (36km) RUN: 37.20Looking forward to kicking back with some easier training and technique work over the coming months : ) Being only my first triathlon season there is still plenty of learning areas to improve on..... The swim being where I struggle if I want to step up next season and race with the big boys! Big thanks to Ollie and Tri-alliance for taking me under their belt late in the season and getting me a great result in Byron. Stay tuned for some updates over the off-season!!Ryan______________________________________________________________Luke Harrop Memorial Sprint Triathlon: 01/05/11 @ Southport QLDRyan Bourke

I was using this as a warm-up race for the Byron Bay triathlon the following Saturday. I had put in a huge week of training before the race and was a little unsure of how the legs would perform!! Bike racking was compulsory on the Saturday afternoon and this was something I had never done before. The size of the transition and the amount of bikes I was sure to get lost!!  After racking the bike I had a good look at the course and it looked fast!

Race day was an early start with my race beginning 7:30am. The day was perfect and the water a sensational 25 degrees. A little different from the arctic conditions in Melbourne! My swim was solid coming out in 3^rd position in my wave. Up into transition and finding the bike was a bit of a mission, all good though and i was out onto the road in no time…. What happened next was an absolute disaster!!! Within 200m of riding my front tyre was flat. Devastated and frustrated I jumped off the bike and threw it to the ground. Initially I thought my race was over and I would throw the towel in. As I walked back to the starting area I had calmed down and thought I should man up and get back out there!! This just was really another training session leading up to the big race in Byron.

I then realised the rookie mistake I had made!! I didn’t tighten the valve up properly when I pumped the tyres up that morning. Anyways…. I pumped up the tyre and got back out there. I was now cycling in anger and was absolutely flying around the 2 lap course (20km). Off the bike and into the 5km run the legs were in some serious pain. I battled through the first 2.5km and surprisingly started to feel good for the second 2.5km lap. I finished off strong and ended up with 5^th place in my category.

Now for the big test next weekend….

Ryan