Sydney World Champs - USM events report

10 April 2011
Sydney’s David Clark and Germany’s Marion Summerer both celebrated victory at the inaugural Dextro Energy Triathlon Sydney age group race in perfect conditions earlier today.

The event marked the first ever Olympic distance triathlon where competitors had the unique opportunity to swim 1500m in Farm Cove, alongside the Sydney Opera House , cycle 40km on an inner city course that took them over the famous Sydney Harbour Bridge three times and run 10km through the city and alongside the picturesque Royal Botanic Gardens.


In the women’s field, Germany’s Marion Summerer dominated in the cycle leg after coming out of the water behind Sydney’s Lisa Marangon and held on in the run to cross the line in first position.

“I feel like I had a good race, I haven’t raced in a while so I was pretty relaxed and calm, I had no expectations which is usually the best. I was just concentrating on finishing,” said Summerer.

“It was just amazing, I am just stoked right now and thank you very much for the organisation of the event, it was a special race,” she finished.

The Dextro Energy Triathlon Sydney event is the third and final race in Triathlon Australia 2011 National Triathlon Championship Series, which will take some to this year’s World Championships in Budapest later in the year.

In addition to the open category, 2200 age-group competitors took to the impressive harbour-side course ahead of the elite showcase later this afternoon.

RESULTS

Open Female

Marion Summerer Germany - 02:08:31
Lisa Marangon Vaucluse, NSW - 02:09:35
Matlida Raynolds Surry Hills, NSW - 02:09:56
Kym Jaenke Sinnamon Park, QLD - 02:11:02
Natalie Dellow Mooloolaba, QLD - 02:13:09

Reassurance

Reassurance and feedback is probably one of the most powerful influences a coach can give to an athlete. The last few days I have very much missed this source of input; have missed my former coach.
Marion, take a chill pill and stay keen on reaching beyond what's known as possible.

Hungry for Racing

I feel much better today. I went to the Doc and he cleared me for exercising to intensities that feel alright. Okidoki - One good thing about a mandatory-being-sick-rest: I WANT TO RACE AND I WANT TO GO HARD. I will do an ocean 1km swim with the AUS best swimmers in Mooloolaba this Saturday. And here the map for the World Cup in Sydney - Should be more than sweet to race around the Botanical Gardens and Sydney Opera House. I am soo excited to go!!

Japan

I am down with a serious head cold. A few days ago I was blasting PR's in the pool, followed by run and bike interval session bricks. All seems gone and not to imagine to do right now.
But somehow all seems not to matter too much. Instead of worrying about the World Cup in Sydney in a few weeks, my thoughts are with Japan.

High Achiever Attitude

When You go out for your hard training session is it usually your motive to achieve or do you rather try to avoid failure?
Sounds like the same thing, doesn't it. But it is NOT. In the matter of Sportspsychology this is a huge difference.

Elite Athletes are keen on achieving successes, whereas so called "low achievers" are trying to avoid failure. I studied this theory with great interest last semester and yesterday got to experience it riding up Mt Cootha.
I was on my 3rd hill repeat and pushing hard. I passed an older cyclist, whose words to me were, "See you can do it!".
[I pause here for a second, to let you think about this statement.]
Without me thinking I replied "You can do it too!! Just keep going!".

But that was not what he meant. He was in the believe that I had doubt about making the hill. I never doubted though- instead I thought he meant something like, "see you can do it and I am a bit struggling here."

See the difference?

My Dad My Hero

I am done with Exams! The first thing I did was going for a long interval ride up Mt Cootha. In the last couple of weeks my training time was "Mental Rehearsal" of material that I will be tested on in the theory and prac exams. So this was the first ride in loong time that my thoughts were "free" to go and they ended up with my parents, my dad. I have semester break until March and instead of going to winterly Germany I will go "home" to Hawaii, to my Ohana (that is hawaiian for family). Though I do miss my parents.
When I was a kid, my Dad and I usually were sitting squeezed next to each other in a big living room chair watching Der Sandman. Then he would say, "so now the really interesting show starts, the News!". So I sat there trying to find something interesting about the News. I ended up bored, so I watched his belly instead rising and falling whenever he expired and inspired. I tried to go with with the same pace, which made it a really challenging game. I had to hold my breath forever and did not allow myself to breath in again until he started to. Maybe that is why my lung capacity is so well established nowadays (I tested peak flow and Forced Vital Capacity and so on in practicum and scored above average).