Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Yann's Leaving Do this Saturday!

Dear All
 
Just to let you all know that Yann will sadly be leaving The TEAM CORE on Sunday and heading over to Indonesia and then onto France to complete his round the world trip. He's really enjoyed working with you all and would be honoured if any of you could join him (and me) for a beer at the Loft in Fremantle on Saturday night from 6.30pm onwards.
 
Hope to see some of you there - Yann would really appreciate it, as would I!
 
Cheers
 
Paul

Monday, July 21, 2008

Back to Sunny Perth

Dear All
 
I hope you have been getting some good training base miles under your belts and are ready to start lifting things back up a touch in preparation for the season ahead! I will be arriving back into Perth in the early hours of Saturday morning (2nd August) and will be coaching Saturday afternoon's swim at Claremont Pool at 1pm for those who can attend - it'll be a fun session!
 
So, this week, Judi, Mish, Ceiwen and Yann will continue to run all the sessions as per the past few weeks, with myself taking over the reigns once more from Saturday onwards. I'd just like to say a huge "thankyou" to the coaching staff for their help and support whilst I've been away as I know all of you have benefitted from their knowledge, experience and a slightly different "spin" on things. I am a firm believer in "variety being the spice of life" so I'm hoping that you've all really enjoyed the last 4 weeks break from the "norm". I know that personally I'm even more pumped than ever to be back in Perth and kicking up a coaching "storm" after having had this little break!!
 
For those of you who are interested and know Helen and Rob, their wedding on Saturday was simply superb. I won't steal the thunder from them (obviously) but Helen looked absolutely beautiful, Rob looked "dashing" in his kilt and the weather was absolutely perfect! Yours truly was the wedding photographer and I managed to get some really nice shots of the happy couple which was very easy in all fairness given their photogenic qualities and easy-going nature! I look forward to spending the next week or so editing and developing their photos for them. It was a great experience and one which I personally look forward to doing again.
 
See you on Saturday!
 
Paul
 
 

Saturday, July 19, 2008

Blue skies all the way!!

Dear All
 
I've heard over the grapevine that you've had some pretty rough weather over there in Perth these last 2 weeks?! 125km/h winds don't sound too great for riding! If it makes you feel any better at all, I'm over in the UK and for the last 2 weeks its also been dull and rarely above 18 degrees AND its the middle of summer!!
 
So apparently the MET. Office in W.A assure me that we're only due a short winter and that you'll be back to blue skies and 24 degrees from Monday onwards - perfect timing to start the next phase of your training!! Its supposed to be like this from now up until Christmas apparently, which means you'll be able to get some good, consistent training in. Superb. The MET. Office also tell me that they have several hundred pairs of rose-tinted sunglasses still available in the event that their weather predictions are not correct!! I also have several crates of my own brand of "Tuffen'up" Baked Beans for sale should you feel really desperate!
 
Let's get out there troops!
 
Have a great weekend and see you all very soon!
 
Paul

Saturday, July 12, 2008

King of the Mountain Run

Dear All
 
On Sunday 20th July, the Marathon Club is holding its annual "King of the Mountain" event which is a 16km uphill / off-road running event which is a lot of fun. Its held up at Helen Valley. Start time is from 7:15am. If anyone's keen to race, please email Yann on yannrocheteau@hotmail.fr as he is keen to also head up there and is requesting a lift if anyone would be so kind.
 
Thanks!
 
Paul

Wednesday, July 9, 2008

Pool temperature back to normal!

Dear All,
 
Just to let you know that the pool temperature at Claremont Pool is now back to normal - so you can start coming swimming again!! ;-)
 
As it happens, despite the concern that the temperature would drop to a bracing 20 degrees, it never actually got below 26 degrees - so well done to all those who braved the "cold" and in doing so got a little more coaching TLC from Yann and Ceinwen with the lower numbers present!
 
Look forward to seeing you all in tip-top shape when I'm back at the end of the month. All's well over here in the UK...Swim Smooth Clinics going well and the weather is "passable".
 
Cheers
 
Paul

Wednesday, July 2, 2008

Saturday Ride into the Hills & Wetsuit Tips

Dear All
 
There has been a change of plan to Saturday's ride, planned for the Roe HWY loop. Instead, the group will be meeting (as normal) at 7am at the Bell Tower, but then following the Kalamunda Hills Ride route as described here: http://teamcoretalk.freeforums.org/where-should-i-train-today-t29.html (2nd message down). Its a hilly, challenging ride, but with a coffee stop up in Kalamunda will provide a nice adventure.
 
Please note that it is a 7am start (not 6.30am as per the description). Riders should take extreme care when riding up the ZigZags and also down Welshpool Road. Ride distance ~90km.
 
WETSUITS:
 
Lastly, Claremont Pool has given permission for you all to wear your wetsuits in the pool for the next few sessions whilst the heating system is being maintained. It is likely that the temperature will drop to a brisk 20 degrees over the 10 day maintenance period. This is an excellent period to try your suit on and do some quality swimming in it. Here are some tips and advice on how best to use your suit:
 
 
 
 
Enjoy!
 
Paul

Tuesday, July 1, 2008

Get motivated for summer this winter!

Dear All
 
Hope things are going well over there in sunny old Perth. Just wanted to touch base and make sure you're all making the effort on the colder mornings to get along to the various training sessions. There are various great races coming up on the horizon which would provide you with the necessary motivation to test yourself during this quieter period. This Sunday sees the annual Perth Marathon taking place, which (even if you don't know anyone who's racing) is a great event to pop along to and watch and take some inspiration from. After this there are a few shorter events such as the King of the Mountain run (16km) up in the hills on the 20th July, the Asics 5 or 10km Fun Run on the 27th July and then a build-up to the City-2-Surf 12km run on the 31st August. Go on, challenge yourself this winter!
 
"Captain Core" over here in the UK has been reliably informed that with the colder mornings and all the rain that there have been fewer people out there training this last week. I remember a story as a kid about the British 800 and 1500m track running legend, Sebastien Coe, and how he and his trainer would aim to train in all weather conditions as they knew that 99% of their competition would shy away when the going got tough. Sticking to his plan, Seb Coe managed to pull together a dedicated and consistent training routine which saw him take two Olympic gold medals in 1980 and 1984 and hold the world 800m record for over 16 years, with the current WR only now just 0.6 seconds quicker!! Amazing stuff!
 
The really good news is that whilst the temperature outside might be a little down right now, the Claremont Pool is nice and warm for Yann and Ceinwen's swim sessions and Judi's cracking the whip during the Monday night (indoor) wind-trainer session too! So whilst you can only really reliably say you're doing the "hard yards" in the driving rain at Mishy's Thursday night run session, you can rest assured that if you're out there getting those base miles in, there's a fair old chance your competitors won't be!! What's more, you should also be assured that there will always be someone from The TEAM CORE out there to meet you for one of the sessions too to always keep it entertaining! Yes, yes, I know that hot chocolate and pair of Ugg boots are much more tempting after work when its dark and miserable...but think how much better they'll feel after you've done your session with a big glow on contentment on your face!
 
And if you're really struggling, there's always this which I've put together for you: http://www.theteamcore.com/feelinspired.html Download the images and set them up as your screen-saver and you'll be well on your way to making the hardest Lance Armstrong training-types appear like softies!
 
Enjoy!
 
Paul