Callala Bay open water swim

As always these days, there is an open water swim before a triathlon, just for a bit of fun and sometimes can be a good way to blow out some cobwebs or just good for a recky for the next days race. This open water swim was 1000m, which in respect to the training we do isn't all that much. But when your used to chasing that black line day in day out and you turn up for the swim to see the wind is up, the weather has come in and threatening to rain and there is a 2-3ft swell hitting the beach that 1000meters changes dramatically to something resembling a massive 5km set from hell.

Fortunately the swim didn't out to be all that bad, it was actually fun. The beach had an easy entrance with no surprises under the water and you could get out relatively easy, the biggest drama was the dumpers coming through - you just had to time it right. There was a nice current running up the beach which helped out quite nicely, so there wasn't too much thrashing and bashing the water. Coming back into the beach for the finish, if you timed it right, again, you could catch a nice little wave and body surf it in.

A nice group of 45 people turned up to enjoy this little paddle and by the looks on their faces as they came out of the water, they all agreed that is was tough but enjoyable. My swim was relatively comfortable, coming out of the water 2nd overall and 1st in age.

Has winter come early??

Unfortunately with the fickle weather that the south coast of NSW tends to deal us, it makes training on the roads a little tricky and very unpleasant at times. As in the case of today I had to pull out and dust off the cobwebs of the home trainer and try and get a descent set on the bike in the comfort of the lounge and hope there is something good on TV to watch while you work up a nice sweat. The benefits of getting home trainer session in, sometimes out ways the benefits of actually geting out on the road. There is some conjecture - depending who you ask - between the relationship of time on the home trainer (HT) to time on the road (R). It can vary from 1hr HT = 2hr R or 1hr HT = 1.5hr R or even 1hr HT = 1hr R. Either way the control of your pedalling and hips throughout your session are invaluable and will aid your training/racing once you get back on the road.

Say hello to my little friends

Once the Christmas holidays are done and dusted and all your left with is the chrissy cheer around the hips, all you want to do is get your arse back in the saddle and work it off. Only problem is that this time of year its either raining, windy, humid and nice and warm or if your really lucky it'll be a combination of all four - like it has been over the last week. Don't get me wrong, I love the heat and humidity and much prefer it over wet and cold, but when your riding everyday, you start to get a bit tender in places that are best not mentioned (but you can use your imagination) and you require something to give a bit of relief and here it is - Beljum Budder. This fantastic cream helps soothe the current saddle sores, relieves the rubbing, stops the chaffing and helps prevent the sores from coming back.

When using it don't be sigh, splash it in there and give it a good rub, you won't be disappointed.

Here is a my other little friend. We all know about the

joys of compression garments, some say they work

some say they don't but I'm gunna have to say that

they do. After a hard days training I've been relaxing in

my Linebreak compression shorts and calf guards

and even wearing them to bed. There's nothing better

than waking up in the morning and having little to no

soreness in the legs and feel like you can do it all over again.

I'm going to have to put a little plug in here for Linebreak and say that the quality of the garment is far better than other compression garments that I have used in the past. They hold there tightness really well - I'm still on my first pair and it's been just under 2 years now. A definite must for the semi serious athlete.