After completing the Kinloch (Erin Baker) Triathlon, I had to get ready for the 4th event out of 5 for the Cameron Brown Award a couple of weeks later, being the Across Lake Taupo Swim. This is approximately a 4 km swim, which starts in Acacia Bay and you swim across Lake Taupo finishing at 3 Mile Bay. Pretty straight forward, well…
There was a slight problem. That thing called work got in the way. Well that’s just an excuse really, but I was on a task for a few weeks which meant long hours with early starts and late finishes. As such I couldn’t commit to any of Coach Ray’s training plan. To find a solution I made contact with Coach Ray and we decided the best thing was for me to conduct whatever training I could fit in around the long hours I would be working each day and Coach Ray would review and advise on my progress. Knowing my next event was a swim I focused on that, but at the same time I knew I couldn’t turn my back on cycling and running, which remained my aim with swimming as my goal.
I managed to maintain the three disciplines and the fourth discipline of nutrition, but I would be the first to say that with having a Coach, and not just any Coach, but having Coach Ray, it made me realise how on track he keeps you. It becomes very easy to skip training or think of an excuse when you are self coaching. That aside I managed to complete training every day of either discipline except one where time just simply didn’t allow.
The distances haven’t been what I would of wanted, but it was reality. Coach Ray knows me from long ago, and knows I would of done extra if I could fit it in. So the kilometres have ticked over on the 3 disciplines, but more so in the pool. The next event is the Swim Across Lake Taupo as part of my journey towards the 5 events of the Cameron Brown Award, having already completed the 3 events of the IronMaori / Port of Tauranga Legend Series.
Stay tuned team, as my next blog will advise how the Swim Across Lake Taupo went.
Regards John Humphries (aka UltraHumps).
Humps will be writing weekly as he continues his journey raising funds for the Fallen Hero’s Trust.
Read Humps’ article from last week here:
And all his previous articles are stored here: