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Re: Ask Me Anything About Getting Ugly and Winning IM Melbourne [Symonds] [ In reply to ]
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Will the Jeff Symonds bobble head action figure be ready in time for Kona?

Congrats buddy.
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Re: Ask Me Anything About Getting Ugly and Winning IM Melbourne [realAlbertan] [ In reply to ]
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realAlbertan wrote:
DarkSpeedWorks wrote:
Congrats on the win!

What does an Avril Lavigne Ice Tea taste like?
Is there a little of her in it?





If there is you get a nickel back.

For the win!
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Re: Ask Me Anything About Getting Ugly and Winning IM Melbourne [Rappstar] [ In reply to ]
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Do you view the January 2009 training camp in Maui, in which you stayed in a homeless shelter (aka surfer's hostel) with Andrew McCartney and trained in cotton t-shirts under the supervision of Joel Filliol with myself, Kyle Jones, and Simon Whitfield as the defining moment in your career?

Lot's of, chopping wood and carrying water!

That's what it's all about!


Steve Fleck @stevefleck | Blog
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Re: Ask Me Anything About Getting Ugly and Winning IM Melbourne [Symonds] [ In reply to ]
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Jeff - any upcoming plans for sponsor events/talks at LBS in vancouver/etc...?
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Re: Ask Me Anything About Getting Ugly and Winning IM Melbourne [realAlbertan] [ In reply to ]
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Congrats on the win, always great to see a local win a big race like this!

( I grew up in Kelowna, so Ironman Canada, now Challenge Penticton was always in my backyard and I knew one day I'd do it! )

I've been on and off the injured list ( bike accidents ) but am also considering either the challenge half or relay this year as long as my knee holds up.

How much local training do you do? Does it tend to mostly be solo due to your fitness levels and specificity needed?

I find myself swimming solo ( schedule doesn't work ) but I do try to do a lot of the local time trials, crits and sunday road rides in Kelowna when I can, and am trying to do a bunch of the interior running series this year, just to get my fitness levels back up.
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Re: Ask Me Anything About Getting Ugly and Winning IM Melbourne [y_nigel] [ In reply to ]
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Jeff ^^^^^^^

___________________________________________
http://en.wikipedia.org/...eoesophageal_fistula
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cerebral_palsy
2020 National Masters Champion - M40-44 - 400m IM
Canadian Record Holder 35-39M & 40-44M - 200 m Butterfly (LCM)
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Re: Ask Me Anything About Getting Ugly and Winning IM Melbourne [dfquigley] [ In reply to ]
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Swimming solo - tempo trainer pro to teach stroke rate and PACING. Swim long course as much as you can as well.

___________________________________________
http://en.wikipedia.org/...eoesophageal_fistula
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cerebral_palsy
2020 National Masters Champion - M40-44 - 400m IM
Canadian Record Holder 35-39M & 40-44M - 200 m Butterfly (LCM)
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Re: Ask Me Anything About Getting Ugly and Winning IM Melbourne [realAlbertan] [ In reply to ]
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realAlbertan wrote:
Swimming solo - tempo trainer pro to teach stroke rate and PACING. Swim long course as much as you can as well.


Tempo trainer is probably the next tool on my list to buy. Just had a swim analysis done too. Worth every penny :p

Also Jeff Your link to the Challenge Penticton 2014 Strava link isn't working

"https://www.strava.com/activities/203917568"

Comes up as "
This activity is no longer available."
Last edited by: dfquigley: Mar 25, 15 20:24
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Re: Ask Me Anything About Getting Ugly and Winning IM Melbourne [Symonds] [ In reply to ]
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Hello Jeff. Congratulations on the Win and the Big Time.

Which was uglier, Penticton 2013 or Melborne 2015? The road rash from Penticton established a respectable baseline of badassness.

Do you elites spend the whole day in the red zone? Or, do you spend some time in the comfort zone? As a mortal MOP athlete, I can push Z4 in a 70.3 but don't spend much time there over 140.6. Assuming you redline the day, what mental state is required to sustain that effort for 8hrs, and how do you prepare yourself for that mentality?

Thanks for participating in the forum, and best of luck with your season,

Scott
Last edited by: GreatScott: Mar 26, 15 20:29
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Re: Ask Me Anything About Getting Ugly and Winning IM Melbourne [BCtriguy1] [ In reply to ]
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Not nearly as good as I imagine the Sweet Tea Billy Currington sings about in "Good Directions"!

Apparently Slowtwitch is FORBIDDEN in China! I guess the government wants to control the flow of triathlon information!

I'll definitely be racing something in BC. The plan before Maelbourne was Ironman Canada and maybe the Half at Challenge Penticton. So many great races up here I'll probaby end up doing more!

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Re: Ask Me Anything About Getting Ugly and Winning IM Melbourne [Zulu] [ In reply to ]
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Race day nutrition


PreRace
2 Vanilla Crisp Powerbars
3 packs of maple brown sugar instant oatmeal (sent over from Canada)
1 large Coffee
½ bottle of Powerbar Perform before swim warmup

Bike (all Powerbar Perform was mixed at 50g of carbs for 750m bottle)

0-22km 750ml of Perform
22-45km ½ bottle of On Course Endura + a big drink from another bottle of Endura + 250ml Perform
45-67km 1 x Powerbar Starberry Banana Gels + 750ml water +250ml Perform
67km-93km 2 x Powerbar Starberry Banana Gels + 750ml water +250ml Perform
93km-112km 750ml of Perform
112km-135km ½ bottle of Endura + ½ bottle of Perform
135km-157km 2 x Powerbar Starberry Banana Gels
157km-180km ½ bottle of Perform + 1 Powerbar Strawberry Banana Gel

Run

Aid stations were roughly once every 2kms and I alternated between:
-1 Powerbar Strawberry Banana Gel + at least 2 cups of water
-At least one cup of water, but if I felt like more I grabbed more.

The total was 10 Gels.

Race Nutrition was almost exactly as I had planned. The only differences were that I had planned on full bottles of Endura on the bike, but they were handing out ½ bottles and on the run I also grab a few sips of coke if I really felt like it at aid stations.

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Re: Ask Me Anything About Getting Ugly and Winning IM Melbourne [jmwhelan] [ In reply to ]
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See above for details of the nutrition plan. If you meant how did I carry it all, then, I use two bottles on the bike to start with and picked up two in special needs. I went old school and taped 6 gels on my bike. Two on the top tube and 4 wedges between my aerobar pads and bottle cage. On the run I had 6 gels on my race belt and picked up another 4 at my Special needs.

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Re: Ask Me Anything About Getting Ugly and Winning IM Melbourne [Symonds] [ In reply to ]
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So, what about your swim training??? How many meters per day, how many days per week, do you ever do a mini-iron workout like Karen Smyers liked to do: 4000 m sw/60 mi bk/13 mi run??? When you're swimming say 20 x 100 m free, what sort of pace??? Just guessing but i'd say you could prob do 20 x 100 scm on 1:20 coming in around 1:10-ish??? Also, did you swim on a team growing up???


"Anyone can be who they want to be IF they have the HUNGER and the DRIVE."
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Re: Ask Me Anything About Getting Ugly and Winning IM Melbourne [tridoc5280] [ In reply to ]
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Thanks! It's kind of strange surreal feeling because not only have I dreamed of winning a big race like that, but I have mentally rehearsed the emotions of it during long training runs. So when it actually happened it felt like deja vu, yet just a dream. Kind of weird. It was more the commitment to coming over to Australia, working hard and laying an awesome last training block. The Journey not the destination.

With regards to your question, that is what love about the Ironman and why I race. To find out how I will respond in those moments. The ones where you need to throw caution to the wind and go for it. I think Crashing at Challenge Penticton and still running the Marathon allowed me to set a new standard for how much I could push. My left hip was pretty wrecked from the impact and the road rash was quite painful and the pads of four of fingers on my left hand were shredded . There was lots of reasons that it may have been smart to not quit, but I made the conviction before I set out on the marathon no matter what. I also I plan out what i want to think a key points in the race and make sure I have an answer for "Why am I out here?" before I start asking myself during the race.

I also really try and focus in on the moment repeating mantras controlling my thoughts so doubt doesn't creep in. so far I have never been seriously hurt from pushing hard in a race. I have got hurt from racing with prior injuries and running on the Challenge crash. I also think it helps me push hard knowing that the races that have been the most intrinsically rewarding are not necessarily the ones where I place well, but rather the ones where I overcame adversity and push really hard. Just helps with the motivation and giving meaning to the suffering.

I also repeat a Tim Tebow quote from when he was at Florida playing in the national Championships. "You got 30 minutes for the rest of your lives" That's how I think. Push hard for the next 30mins or however much left and who cares how you end up tomorrow or the rest of your life. I also tell myself you never have to hurt this bad again ever again if you don't want to. But the morning after I always want to do it all over again!

Tim Tebow Clip

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Last edited by: Symonds: Mar 26, 15 21:08
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Re: Ask Me Anything About Getting Ugly and Winning IM Melbourne [jar70] [ In reply to ]
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Thanks! It's my pleasure to gave back to a site that I have gained a ton of knowledge from over the years!

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Re: Ask Me Anything About Getting Ugly and Winning IM Melbourne [Scotttriguy] [ In reply to ]
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I am only aware of it because I have seen it on film and heard people talk about it. I don't do it at the start of the run (well not as bad) it happens once I start to dig a bit deeper. But really I don't remember too much at all from that part of races because everything is just focused on the task of going as fastas possibe.

Whenever I told people that I ran cross country and Steeplecahse in Penticton they would ask if I was going to do Ironman that year. When I said no, they would always say "just no good enough". The summer after my Sophmore year of University I was working in a Vinyard and biking to work. I thought I would do a triathlon to prove to people it wasn't as epic as they made it out to be. I was wrong it was totally epic and I was hooked. I still focused on running until my University eligibilty was up, but my heart was away from the track. When I graduated from University in 2007 I made the switch for good.

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Re: Ask Me Anything About Getting Ugly and Winning IM Melbourne [Rappstar] [ In reply to ]
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It was definitely a defining moment! I googled that place the week before I came out and the reviews were all about bed bugs and tripping on Vitamin L (Which I found out was LSD). I flew in a bit late and Joel and Kyle dropped me off there at around 10:30pm. Andrew came the next day so it was me on my own. The place looked dodgy and I'll always remember the shit grin on Kyle face as I went in the door. He was giggling like a school girl trying to peak in the hostel. The room had 6 bunks and 5 guys already asleep so I jumped into bed without being able to turn the lights on to check for bed bugs or see if the other guys were kill me in my sleep. The room didn't even glass in the window and in January the temperature would swing so much that I started off sleep drench in sweat and would have to get up in the middle of the night to put on a hoodie and sweatpants! We met some really interesting people there!

In hindsight I would definitely do it all over again! I learned a ton from you guys even if I had to put up with derogatory hostel boys jokes the entire 3 weeks!
I am also fortunate to have learned a ton from yourself and Jill in Penticton. I'll always remember ragging on my for drink tap water when we have filtered water right there. "If you are going to drink water you might as well drink the best water" Great mentality to have!

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Re: Ask Me Anything About Getting Ugly and Winning IM Melbourne [mdgreene] [ In reply to ]
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Hey come one now I am Country boy! I also throw in a little Bon Jovi when I want to take things to another level! "Shot through the Heart and your to blame....."

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Re: Ask Me Anything About Getting Ugly and Winning IM Melbourne [charlesn] [ In reply to ]
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The hat is definitely Australian! I saw it at a Bendigo dollar store for $9.95 to see what the guys at swimming would say. It has Mick Dundee written all over it! I think it might have even been made for a costume.

I have done a good mix of indoor and outdoor sessions. I think the indoor sessions were great not just for nailing down high quality session but also for getting mentally coached when I first got going. Spin classes are a rare situation where coaches can give you instant feedback during the middle of hard interval. The classes were also great for hearing story of previous Ironman races. I could learn the mistakes people had made before I had to go out there and make them myself.

Being in Vancouver I can get out for outdoors sessions pretty much everyday, however I think there is a point where it takes so much mental willpower to battle the elements that you sacrifice the quality of the workout.

I use a powermeter and posted my file earlier in the thread. There are quite a few of us pros that are on Strava so it kind of cool to see how the other guys races were going.

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Re: Ask Me Anything About Getting Ugly and Winning IM Melbourne [mattvannus] [ In reply to ]
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Ha! Ironically that is what being a pro is all about! That race was being televised nationally on TV. With my sponsor at the time the only logod race kit that I had was a 2 piece suit that was made for long distance racing not swimmig in. My sponsors had invested a lot in me and I needed to make sure there logos were represent on TV, even if it meant cost me time and looking bush league in T1! The following year I started working with Champion Systems I order a CS Elite Tri Suit specifically for that race!

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Re: Ask Me Anything About Getting Ugly and Winning IM Melbourne [Halvard] [ In reply to ]
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I would love to race that course! The fact that I got hooked on the TV show Vikings while training in Bendigo increases my desire to race there! Ultraman Hawaii is on my list of races to do one day as well and after hearing Jack Mott hype it up I also want to race Savageman!

When I do Norseman I am going to turn up with a badass beard like Ragnar Lothbrok!



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Re: Ask Me Anything About Getting Ugly and Winning IM Melbourne [Symonds] [ In reply to ]
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Congrats!!! I caught the last part of the race where you were just getting amazingly ugly out there.
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Re: Ask Me Anything About Getting Ugly and Winning IM Melbourne [Symonds] [ In reply to ]
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No real questions from me, Just a few simple statements.

Firstly - Nice work (allthough I will say that as I gave my bike to the catcher in Frankston, you had just jumped off the podium.) I will say I had no idea who won, even watching the video.

And Thanks for giving me my medal a good 6.5hours later - a nice touch after a shite run.

Again - Well done, and hopefully we can see you again next year (you have a title to defend)
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Re: Ask Me Anything About Getting Ugly and Winning IM Melbourne [Symonds] [ In reply to ]
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Your knowledge of country music struck me as impressive in your Slowtwitch front page interview. Pulling that Dierks Bentley reference was a pleasant shock, how often do you listen to country music, and who would you say is your favorite country artist currently?
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Re: Ask Me Anything About Getting Ugly and Winning IM Melbourne [Symonds] [ In reply to ]
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Thank you Jeff. Much appreciated you taking the time to do this
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