charles dugalle airport

Now is the right time to slow down a little, look back and reflect on�at how far I have travelled down the road of the 2008 IUTA�World Series. 9 Ironmans in 14 weeks. Loads�of stories to tell.�Many great times catching up with�good old pals and making new buddies.�

Training and recovery

I now have a much clearer picture of how�much recovery and training I need in between key races. Although I set certain races as the key ones - e.g. Lensahn Triple and Hungary Double. Two�others are low key season- or pace-testers, so to speak; They are the double World Championship in Levis, Quebec City and the double in Virginia. So far so good, I must say. :-) My�gradual shift in focus on speed and power�toward the end of the season (before the Deca) seems to have worked well for me. My inability to handle cold weather in Virginia has potentially sabotaged my chance to pull off a PB�in the Virginia race but based on my pace during the swim, first part of the bike and the run, and the rate of recovery, I am happy with the overall outcome.�

Soon, training will begin for the grand-daddy of all ultra triathlons - the Mexican Deca, conventional format.�

Deca, once more

The entire season has been devoted to this one and only race - the pinnacle of any ultra triathleteapos;s achievement. I�completed the 10-in-10 (10 Ironman in 10 days) in 2006, but without finishing the conventional Deca at least once,�my list is never complete. By "conventional" I mean you need to finish the entire 38-km swim, followed by the entire�1800-km bike, before topping it off with the 422-km run.�

I have worked out my target pace and achieving that requires a fair balance between rest and work, as well as�an acute sense of self at the moment in the race (which will allow me to adjust myself according to how the days will unfold). Come Monday, I will put these target pace numbers into motion. I am actually very much looking forward to it. Nothing beats the excitement that I am�gearing up, once again, for the greatest ultra triathlon of all times

Asian Ultra Triathlete

This is a special year for Asian�ultra triathletes. Commandoes Jack and Leon join�the�worldwide community of ultra triathlete by finishing their triple in Lensahn very strongly. They showed consistency in their preps and were very motivated throughout their races I can see more and more Asian triathletes venturing into�ultra triathlons in�the years to come, especially those from Singapore. But completing an�ultra takes alot more than many people would expect. The process is necessarily�going to be very tough, and the races tougher; but with humility and a wicked sense�of humor, anyone can enjoy their maiden ultra triathlon (and still alot left in them to want to return for more, I guarantee)

I have to admit that when I started out planning for this world series, I never took one thing too seriously - the stress constant travelling can place on oneapos;s body. An ultra - the training for and racing of it�- is already tough.�Travelling stress can throw even the best prepared athlete off track. Most of the races in the calendar are in Europe and they are an average of�13 hours of flying away. As if fighting jetlags is not tough enough, the cramped seats and general environment in an aircraft are not conducive to full recovery after a race. This is further compounded�by the fact that I need to travel overseas quite oftenly this half of the year for�conferences and invited talks on my research on climate change and�sustainable development.�Having a full time job also means that I need to cramp my work schedules during the few days before departure and,�oftenly, jump right back into work after returning from an oversea race (with jetlag still in the system). In this sense, I would fairly say,�Asian ultra triathletes are at a�wee bit of disadvantage when doing the world series. But, hey, this world can be rather fair in many things - Asian triathletes are at an advantage in other ways in this sport So, guys and gals, heads up This is life and there is always a silver lining in everything. Go...find it and live it :-D











�
charles dugalle airport, charles dugalle, charles dugall, charles dugal, charles duffy gavan sir.