It has been almost four weeks since I made the podium at the Ironman 70.3 Yeppoon. What we took away from that race was that even with the fastest bike split, I needed a stronger run. It wasn’t a surprise that I didn’t have the legs that day, as I had only started back running five weeks prior to the race.  

We arrived home from North Queensland and bunkered down to put together a big four weeks of training. My coach, Kristian Manietta set a really demanding program with the emphasis on the third leg.  It has been full on to say the least. I am not sure if I enjoy the intensity training required to run well over the 70.3 distance, but I have got through it and I am running a lot better than I was a month ago. 
 
Now the training has been done, I am now sitting at the airport heading to Osaka for the 2011 Ironman 70.3 Japan.  This race is my first opportunity to open my KPR account which will count towards qualifying for the 2012 Hawaiian Ironman World Championships. Although I am the youngest professional male and the only one from Australia, there is a strong international field toeing the start line on Sunday. From multi Ironman champion Cameron Brown from New Zealand and Sydney Olympics Triathlon Bronze
Medallist Jan Rehula from the Czech Republic to Hiroyuki Nishiuchi who will be a home town favourite.  Despite this strong line-up, my focus will be on my own race and I really look forward to implementing a great bike/run combination in the heat and humidity. 
 
As always, my sponsors need thanking for their continued support.  I wouldn’t be able to go to these races and chase my dreams without all of them. I encourage everyone to go to My Sponsors page and see what businesses you can support.

 Finally I want to thank Lisa for getting me ready for this race. She has gone the absolute extra mile to let me achieve my training. On top of that she has done all of the organising to get us ready for the trip. Without her, I would be lost and most definitely still packing my bags back at Mooloolaba :)

I hope everyone is doing great!!

RT