It was with excitement that I packed the car and headed for a 2.5hr drive to Geelong to compete in what was another great event. Upon arrival we had our Team PureSport launch, were I got to meet about half of the team members, the managers and co workers of our sponsors (Puresport, Merida, Champion systems, Vorgee). This package has been strategically placed together so that we have optimal nutrition, equipment and attire to compete at the best of our ability.

The night before the race, saw over 800 bikes racked and rearing to go with what was forecast to be a wet day. 91 of those triathletes were in my age group (30-34).  Amongst that list were some names to be very weary of.  Most of them were there for the same reason as I was… to win.

The gun had sounded and we were off. Peter Court as usual had demolished all in the swim, including the previous two waves! I came into T1 in 5thplace knowing that I had to be very aggressive on the bike to make up some ground. So I did, and managed to come through with the fastest bike split, on my new Merida bike (Time warp 4). This piece of machinery surely contributed to this and so did fuelling up on Puresport before and during this assault!

With the run leg to go I was still feeling fresh as a daisy (thanks again to Puresport workout lemon lime flavour). The race was far from over though. I knew I had to go hard for the first 2km to 3km and then try to settle in for the rest.  I hit the lead around the 7km mark and didn’t look back.  I came home in 1st place for my age group and 2nd place overall.  It was a great day for Team Puresport who brought home plenty of podiums for the day. It surely was an impressive sight to see all those top ranked age group athletes competing in their brand new bright blue uniforms – we sure stood out.

I look forward to racing at my next Aussie age group qualifying races, which will be held at Victor Harbour and Sydney.

Training Update

After a 3 week training camp at Bright and Falls Creek over the new year period I have just completed my last big build block for my goal race for the year. Everything is going to plan, I have managed to stay injury free and consistent in my training which was always going to be the key to a good season and I guess ultimately achieving the goals Jarrod and I set at the start of last year.

Latest Results

Last weekend I competed in the Geelong long course 2.80.20 event. It was great to be able to compete in my home town and have family and friends see the results of the time and effort that I have been putting in. The conditions were wet and windy throughout the race and the course is a testing one. I had a solid swim in what were pretty good conditions, catching some of the pro women late in the swim. I rode hard for the first 20km catching a few of the pro men….the new Giant Trinity is just a treat to ride and has passed the test of my first long course race on it with flying colours!! Settled into a solid pace and rode solo for the remainder of the bike leg. I took a few km to build a rhythm on the run but managed to get dialled in by about the 4km mark. As usual my Saucony Mirages got the job done just as I’ve come to expect and enjoy! The rolling hills over the last 3km were testing but with my Puresport nutrition plan working perfectly throughout the race I found I could push on and finish strongly. My Puresport recovery has also worked a treat having pulled up well from the race.

I crossed the line 5th overall, first age grouper across the line and won my age category by about 10 min. I also had the fastest run split of the day, over a minute faster than any other, a very satisfying result given the calibre of the men’s pro field.

New Zealand Ironman

With the weekends result under my belt I am really looking forward to my next challenge and major goal race on March 3 in Taupo, New Zealand.  It will be my first Ironman race and I look forward to the fun and challenges that the day will bring.
I look forward to this race with confidence knowing that with the fantastic support of Saucony, Giant and Puresport I will be able to perform at the highest level using the best products on the market.

The below links are my teams Facebook and Website Pages for more information or photo’s.

Facebook – www.facebook.com/pages/enduranceteamnet/238474558263
Team Website – www.enduranceteam.net/

Thanks very much for your time and on-going support.

By Kylie Palmer

Week 4:

Hi! One more week of training under my belt! This week has been our last full week of full on hard training. We will start taper at the end of next week, which means our training will gradually ease off so we are feeling fresh and rested for when it comes time to race.

On Thurs night I decided to give a different flavour of PureSport a go. Instead of my usual favourite flavour of grape, I tried the lemon lime. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it! I even had it for the rest of the week.

A lot of my team mates have commented on how much the grape flavour of PureSport smells like Hubba Bubba chewing gum. It’s so nice to have a nice taste in your mouth while your swimming.

I was happy with my training progress this week and am getting more and more excited for our Nationals coming up. A little less than four weeks to go now, and the nerves and hype are well and truly building.

By Kylie Palmer

Week 3:

Hi! This last week has been back to normality and full speed ahead. It has been great to be back home and in my own bed again. Although the down side is I am slowly losing my tan.

We usually have a three week training block where we do the same sessions to try and improve on our times. So this week we had some new sessions. I swam some really fast time in training this week and am very happy with my progress leading into our National Champs.

I always have one scoop of PureSport Recovery powder mixed with about 250ml water before my training sessions. Then throughout my session I have two scoops of PureSport Workout with about 500ml of water. After my session I have another two scoops of PureSport Recovery Powder. I love the grape flavour. I try and have little mouthfuls throughout the whole session so I don’t get a stitch with one big gulp. I also have a bottle of water at the end of the pool. I easily finish my bottle of Workout and usually finish about half of my bottle of water. I love the taste of it, which makes it very enjoyable to drink and its great to get the chlorine taste out of my mouth.

On Saturday morning I totally forgot to pack my two bottles of Pure Sport. It may have been a mental thing but my times were just off what they usually are, and in gym I did not feel as fresh as I usually do.  Even if it helps me with the mental side of things, it is definitely worth it!

The 2012 Hell of the West started out very similar to that of the year before – a long drive, many comments on how hot it was and i-phone checks on the expected speed and direction of wind.

At the race briefing on Saturday it was announced that the swim course was going to be changed to the same one as the year before. Due to the amount of recent rain the river was deemed a no go area – much to the relief of many athletes. The alternative location was a pond down the road 3km or so, which meant that the 20km run was shortened to 17km. 3 km less to run smack bang middle of a guaranteed hot morning was also a relief for many athletes.

After the race briefing a move was made to find somewhere to get out the last hours of heat and grab a bite to eat. Some stayed for the carbo dinner which was set up under the tents in the park, and some, like us, walked Goondiwindi’s 2 streets and went to the pub (for dinner only, I promise). As it was a hot day I kept hydrated with Puresport Workout (banana berry – my favourite).

Due the heat out west and that the race is run mostly by volunteers, the HOTW is a little unusual in that the transition opens at 3.30am for a race start of 5am, but you don’t rack your bike the day before. My friend and I stayed at the Scout hall this year (we both think that we’re pretty low maintenance – not at all because we never got around to booking something with air-con or a ceiling fan). We set our alarm for 3.30am and settled down for the night at about the same time my children go to bed. As it turns out we didn’t need our alarm – 3.00am was deemed the time to rise by fellow room mates. It was a short pitch black ride to transition where we had a friendly welcome by the volunteers and after a quick set up we were on the mini buses for the 3km drive to the lake.

I’m a swimmer, make that a pool swimmer, and even though I swam in the lake last year for me there’s always that unnervingness (yes that’s a real word) that comes from getting into a brown lake just before the break of dawn. Now it’s not a big lake that we swam in, so to go 2km we had to swim around the little island 3 times. My Vorgee Eclipse goggles were the right choice for the low light to start and early morning glare after. The first lap was quite pleasant in open, calm water (albeit you may or may not have been able to see the first turning buoy in the early morning light), but it was at the start of the second lap where things got a little messy. The final wave start – the teams, coincided with the start of my second lap. From there on it was like a front loader on a 20 min cycle.

The 3km run from the swim to bike was a nice change and a good way to get the legs ready for the 80km not so scenic ride ahead. As predicted the day before there was an ever so slight tale wind on the way out and fortunately the wind didn’t pick up on the way back. I had two bottles of Puresport Workout and collected water at the turnaround. The 40km stretch of road was quite good really, flat as a tack and just a little bumpy. The road was closed to traffic – except for that one rather long truck.

It was all about the run for most of us. By now for me it was nearing 8.00am and it must have nearly reached the expected top of 32 degrees. The run was also a 3 lap course, heading out along the river side, ducking into a couple of side streets and nearly reaching the lake entrance again just before making a u-turn to head home for lap one. Drink stations were located throughout the course offering water, coke and much welcomed ice. It’s out on the run course where you can really see who’s doing it tough and who is just plain tough. The lead girls where nearly finished their 1st lap as I started mine – oh the envy! There were times when I thought to myself – have a little walk, just a little one, a handful of steps, somewhere along a shady stretch perhaps – then I looked around and saw some athletes who seemed more worse for wear than I felt and thought to myself, well they’re not giving in, looks likes I’m running all the way today. Our PureSport team uniforms were easy to spot on the course and we always had a high-five, nod of the head or an encouraging word to each other.

The recovery area at Goondiwindi is one you don’t come across often. On offer were bags of ice for over heated muscles, jelly beans, water, energy drinks, coke and two huge fans. And for a real treat a row of massage tables with the shortest wait time I’ve ever had. Another bottle of PureSport Recovery (lemon lime – my second favourite) and a bite to eat was enough to see me though the long drive home.

Another point of difference for the HOTW is that placegetters receive prize money and that there are quite a few random draw prizes. I think that it’s a well run race with a strong sense of community spirit. I’ll be back next year.

Determining_Heart_Rate_Intensity

We at PureSport are proud to be sponsoring this unique Queensland running festival. The PureSport Twilight 10km run is the perfect opportunity for you to partake in something fun, while supporting a great cause.

In the heat of summer and after the festive season overindulgence, it’s sometimes difficult to motivate yourself to get up and go for a run, but why not kick off the year with this great fun run. The 10km run is perfect for all ages and abilities and will leave you feeling good about yourself. Of course there is also the half marathon for those out there wanting to clock up those few extra km’s.

The official charity of the Twilight Running Festival is Cure Cancer Australia, who provides vital start up funding for innovative, ground-breaking research projects across all types of cancer. So whether you enter this festival to reach a goal, beat a personal best, fulfil a New Year resolution, or just to support a great cause – we know that you will be glad that you took part.

Be a part of this fantastic event in Queensland – take the Twilight challenge on 18th March 2012 and enjoy something different!

Festival Timeline

The Twilight Running Festival was first run in March 2009 with fantastic support shown in the first year. The event is family focused aimed at creating a fun filled atmosphere whilst providing participants with a memorable and unique experience of running under the moon and stars of a March evening.

Twilight Running Festival has grown each year by approximately 1000 participants. The event establishes a new and exciting theme each year, one that is voted on and selected by participants through an online survey. To date we have assumed the following themes for each edition of the event:

2009: Midnight blue
2010: Sunset orange and black
2011: Storming purple and black
2012: Thunderous green

Team_PureSport_Media_Release_Feb12

Hard Day Out

As dawn broke along the bay at Sandringham over 1800 athletes started to prepare for a tough day. With weather going to play a major factor as race conditions would see extreme winds and heat. For the athletes it would make it tough going, as the Northerly winds were predicted to reach 60 to 80km throughout the race. And guest what they did. From the start at 7.15am the Northerly winds reaching 30km to 40km. This would be a major factor wind crosswinds and head winds on the bike and run course. As my wave started at 7.30am the gusty Northerly winds made the swim course choppy and testing, l lead the swim once out the water the long 800metre run uphill to transition was straight into the headwind. By the time l reach the transition l felt it was going to be a hard day, with my legs already heavy from the swim to bike. Once on the bike course heading straight into the wind for first 3 km then we turned around into the trail/crosswind over the out and back undulating bike course to Mentone. Once we hit the turn around at Mentone we were faced with a 40 to 50km head winds and we had to do all again as it was two laps on the bike. By the second lap the wind had increased again, with the trail/and cross winds were giving a great assistance in several parts of the bike leg heading South, but in certain parts they were causing havoc as some riders found it difficult to stay in a straight line due the crosswinds. On the last 10km it was straight into the headwinds at times reaching 50 to 60km, reducing the speed on this to under 20km.

Back into transition, for the run and it again became a tough battle with the first 3km straight into the head winds reaching gusts up to 60km along the bike path,  by the first turn around l had gain time on Geoff Hall, who is an old elite warrior from the past, Geoff must have ridden past me on the bike into the head wind and he just kept on going. But at this stage, l didn’t realise who he was, let alone in my age group. It wasn’t till l finished, that l realised their was another athlete in front of me across the line. At recovery area, Geoff and l reacquainted on some stories over the past after 25 years. Geoff, is currently training for the Melbourne Ironman event in Melbourne in March. Geoff is also racing at Geelong which will make an very interesting as he rode at 58min bike on a day on winds l haven’t seen for years, he also had the 3rd fastest bike split overall. Well done Geoff. So its going to be game on at Geelong for the 50 to 54 athletes to run him down. With my last comment to Geoff, catch you on run next week, which we both had a laugh.

By the way placed 2nd, which I’m happy with after heavy training month.

By Kylie Palmer

Week 2:

Hi! This week was our second week on our squad training camp. The weather was a little nicer to us this week and we managed to have three days of sunshine. It was great to have a swim at the beach between sessions and spend more time outdoors. My Monday started off great. I had a great swim session in the morning with an aerobic set, followed by a tough heart rate session Monday afternoon. The two girls I usually train with on a Monday were both sick, so I was on my own for heart rate. It was hard to get my head around having to do a 3.5km hard main session by myself but with the help of my great assistant coach walking every lap with me made it ten times easier. It was by far the best session I have done for a few weeks which was really exciting for me. I just kept thinking about our Olympic trials coming up in 6 weeks and put my head down and went for every lap as it came. This naturally made for a slow Tuesday morning session. Our Tues and Thurs sessions are usually considered a little more relaxing. We do a kick and pull session to strengthen our skills at separate times. On Thurs morn we do a 400 kick time trial. I managed to kick the fastest time yet this season, which was very pleasing. On Thurs afternoon we had heart rate. I was vey lucky to have Janelle Elford come and watch me train. She is an Olympian from the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games. She is a great motivator and I feel very privileged to have her right behind me. I finished off Saturday morning on a high with a great session to end off our two weeks away.

That sums up my week of training, back to reality next week with 5 weeks to go until Olympic Trials!