The Festive Season

Well, trying to make an attempt to get fit again, after catching up with friends (which basically means allot of drinking and late nights out).
The combination of late nights out and the early morning starts aren't agreeing with me at the moment.. as December is upon us AKA the festive seasons begins, this means an onslort of Christmas parties and a few too many adult beverages, which means a few too many (adult headaches).
I find this the hardest time on year to get a good routine of training together, as most of us (triathletes) who have been racing and training all year, need to unwind and party, where most of the time we are unable to do this, as we are isolated training and traveling in remote destinations..

New Manager

Hi everyone, well after a well wind trip in the states, its time to relax, catch up with old friends (which means their will be a fair bit of partying)
Struggling at the moment with a combination of jet lag and being hung over, though its a new pain from training 8hrs a day/ is a well deserved on..
I pleased, to say after the Ups + Downs of season 07, i will have a manager looking after my affairs... his is a very successfull business man, who has confidence in the development and growth of my triathlon career from now and the future... this has been a great confidence booster, with someone as successful as him, backing myself for the future... (this will take a huge weight off my back, allowing myself to have the best physical and mental preparations for my racers ahead...

Winding Down

Back in Sydney
After racing in the 70.3 world ironman champs...
well i had a great trip, i met up with some friends of mine in Miami, 10 days before the race.. had a blast, just chilling out on the beach and laying low...
met up with some other friends from Aus in clearwater and hung out and took out minds off triathlon for awhile..
My mates from Miami came up also to support me race which was great, they were definitely the best cheer crew out their...
got to say thanks for all the support, definitely helps you lift to the next level...
race wise: all went really well besides the swim i had some technical difficulties, which placed me in a really bad spot for the bike...
ran well, though i had a rookie error by wearing shoes that were as thin as tissue box's, end up running the last 5km with a fractured foot (very painful) but the shear volume of the race pushed me to the finish line..
Partied hard after the race, (well alittle too hard) can't remeber most of the night.
time now for some good RnR
again thanks for all the support
cheers Ambrose

Back in Sydney

Sorry its been awhile since my last post....
allittle recap: been to cologne germany to race the cologne classic triathlon, missed a couple of flights here and their (conecting flights too close together)..
i raced in cancun where we had every type of weather during the race....
got a new bike (planet X), trying to get used to the set up, (quite different from my previous orbea)...
Now i'm back in sydney for 3weeks training hard for the 70.3 world champs in clearwater...
the weather my training partners have been finishing their season, and it was starting to get cold in boulder colorado (my base over the US summer)...
so i come back to focus on my speed work with a couple of my old training partners..
its been good to come back and get back to a solid training resume for the next couple of weeks, and it is also good to catch up with friends and family...\
can't wait for the worlds champs
cheers Paul

Next Stop Boston

Hello...I've just competed in my new local town of boulder colorado, in the EAS 5430 Long Course race. I had a better result than the horrific display at the boulder peak tri a couple of weeks ago. I started the race with a solid swim, rode hard with the front runners and managed to hold onto 5th place.

I'm now travelling to new Hampshire, which has been a taxing task as I didn't really know the length of travel I was getting into. After my flight was delayed for over an hour, I arrived in Boston Airport (approx 4hrs later). I then hired a car and took a gamble on the north route to new hampshire, luckily the roads in america are easily to negotiate. I then got stuck in peak hour traffic and was delayed for another hour, which added up to a 3hr dive to gillford new hampshire)

This place seems to have nice open roads with rolling hills, I hope this will come to my favour. My next stop will be monaco 70.3, I will be flying in there for 2 weeks and will catch up with a buddy in frankfurt, may visit Amsterdam if i get a chance.

Cheers
Ambrose

Preparing to Deliver!!

Hey everyone,

It's been a good summer, I'm starting to dig myself out of the hole that I fell into after the past weeks of training at altitude. I went out with a good crew of people for my birthday the other night (23 getting old). It's been a good time for me to unwind and not think about training and racing, just chilling out over a couple of beers and food. It was an eventful night and really helped me to balance my urge to go out again. I will have to wait until after a race to unwind again.

I started swimming in a 50 metre pool, after training in only a 25m one for the past 3 months. The good thing about the 50m pool is that they don't lie. If you are unfit or not up to scratch they will let you know.

I've moved down town with training partner Chris. It's perfect area for training and chilling out and is located close to a college student central (trying not to get too distracted). I've got two half Ironman races coming up. I'm looking forward to racing again, This is the best thing about training in the anticipation of an upcoming event.

The good thing about training in boulder is that you can rub shoulders with the legends of the sport, so many of my sport idols live in the area, and are friendly to talk too. I found it rewarding speaking to these legends, its great to be around these people as they inspire me to achieve what they have done.

All the best
Paul

Racing at Altitude

Since arriving in boulder, I haven't been able to do any quality training due to the taxing altitude environment.

I tried to have a hit out before the boulder peak triathlon by competing in the local aquathon, which hosted over 300 people. After finishing this race, I knew I was in trouble for the Boulder Peak Triathlon in the coming weekend.

I rested up with the same preparation as I would normally do in any other Olympic Distance event but racing the peak proved to be more of a challenge than I first expected. From the word go I went into oxygen depth, which means in altitude that your race is over...

I struggled through the event, with one of the worst racers of my career. Weather I choose to compete again at altitude is the decision that I will have to make leading into the 5430 Half.

I'm prefer racing at sea level as I am finding it very difficult to compete and train at a quality level in an altitude environment.

P.S The good news is that I'm starting to get on top of my injuries so hopefully I can increase my running base again over the next few weeks.

Keep it Real
Paul

Success at UK 70.3

I'm now back in Boulder at last, it has been a stressful couple of weeks now with traveling to Mexico, then straight to the UK and nursing my injury through two Ironman 70.3 races. I have missed some flights and have experience delays for up to 24hrs in total, This has really tested my patience.

After these problems, it still seems worth it!! I had an ordeal with my running (as i haven't done any for the last few weeks). I was still able to perform with a 4th place in Baja 70.3 (later DQ through a mistake from the officials) with a cracking 2nd off the bike against the sports top riders. 3rd at UK 70.3 in possibly the hardest Half Ironman I've ever done. This included 1st off the bike as I struggled to finish on the run.

The support from my friends & family back home has been fantastic and without their support during the last couple of months, I would have found this journey even harder than it already has been. I'm going to have a couple weeks of easy training. I'm going to reassess my racing schedule and try to recuperate from this injury. I'm looking forward to running freely again.

I am loving racing the world best athletes in this great sport. I can't wait to compete again with no physical obstacles. I believe that my training has been building well and I'm hoping to get a couple more podiums this year before I return back to Sydney and chill out. The weather has started to heat up, so I'm itching to get back to business....

Keep it real
Paul

Now in UK after Mexico

I've just arrived in the UK after completing in the Ironman 70.3 Baja Mexico.

I've experience some troubles finding this place after missing my flight and shuttle bus, but I have now arrive safely. It's going to hard to train in the lead up to UK 70.3 event, as the area is not very triathlon friendly.

I have a some doubts leading into this race, as I have an injured hip. This has stop me from running over the past 2 weeks, my plan is to attacked the race with a strong swim bike combination and then see where I am at off the bike.

This worked well for me in Mexico, as I rode a real solid pace and managed to get off the bike in 2nd place behind Craig Walton, who also approached the races in the same fashion. The bike course was very hilly which worked in my favour. This gave me the opportunity to bridge a gap on the rest of the field.

When I got off the bike, I could feel the extreme pain coming from my hip. I could only manage a jog on the run, which cause me to lose a couple of places. I finished over the line in a respectable 4th place.

I was happy with the result after I had serious doubts of finishing the race. I will be looking to race the UK 70.3 this weekend with the same strategy, due to the troubles I am experiencing with my hip.

All the best
Paul

Racing in Memphis

Hey... I'm now in Memphis, after a solid couple of weeks in Boulder. I have just started to get use to the extreme altitude and I'm feel stronger than ever. I will be racing this weekend in the Memphis in May triathlon (1.5km/40km/10km).

It's great weather here at the moment and the people are very friendly and welcoming. I am really enjoying the great community vibe, with the big festival on that celebrates a country each year (this year is Spain). It makes you feel part of the spirit of which Memphis is all about, this is very cool. I can't wait to race this weekend, its the kind of area where racing is a pleasure..

Keep it real

Ambrose

Arrived in Florida

I'm now in Florida. The weather great, feels like a warm summers day in Australia. I'm staying with a really nice family in their yacht with a fellow pro triathlete from Germany Markus Biegal. The water is crystal clear and the sand on the beach is super white (It couldn't be more picturesque). It seems like the community of Bradenton consist mainly of retirees (the older generation).

The course looks like it will be flat as a tack, so I'm expecting fast times over this distance. I believe this will suit me as this will help me to bridge a gap on the strong euros competitors that will be competing...

Keep it real

Ambrose

Florida here I come...

I leaving Australia today.....

I can't wait to head down to Bradenton, Florida for the first race of the Triathlon One O One Series. All is looking good, i'll be staying with another triathlete Markus Biegal, I think he is European.

After talking to Macca seems that Matt Reed won the St Anthony's Olympic Race. I can't believe that reedy pull it off, i have been training with him over the last couple of months.

Looking forward to a great season ahead.

Ambrose

Welcome to my New Website

Welcome to my blog.....

I would like to share my experiences with you as I travel across the world. I will provide you with regular updates on my racing and training aswell as what's happening in each town....

Check out my new website at http://www.paul-ambrose.com/

Thanks to all my supporters.

Ambrose