Justin Granger’s Blog

With the Quelle Challenge Roth race 2 weeks away, Chris and I decided we needed a little hit-out to blast away any cob webs. The Spiezathon Classic Triathlon, one and a half hours drive from Leysin, was just what the Doc ordered.

Starting at 2pm on Saturday afternoon, we got a chance to get in a short pool session followed by breakfast and then the drive to the race. We were blown away with how beautiful the area of the race is. The Thunersee (lake) is an unreal colour blue and with the mountains in the back ground, a sight to remember. We had to take a step back and focus on the task - to race, not for a romantic picnic for two, we could do that after the race - oh s%#t no we couldnt, Doc had given strict orders to run the 10km race course again.

So the racing was fast and furious. Chris lead the 1.5km swim out some 22 seconds ahead of me. The out and back 40km ride went well, hilly and windy on the way out but what goes up must come down and the ride home was quick. The run started with a murderious first 2.5km up hill and after a down hill track back to lake level the second half was flat. I finished up 3rd place 1min back from second and 2min away from the winner, Chris! We wasted no time, signing autographs and waving at our fans, as we had more work to do! Our extra loop of the run was spent admiring the amazing view that we didnt quite notice when we had our race face on.

We picked up our prizes and made the journey home very satisfied with our pre-Roth hit out.
Juzzie

Well the results are out and the day is done - Ironman China is now at the back of my mind.

I got to that finish line, finally, and on the day my mind definately defeated my body to do so. I started to suffer cramping in my legs after 100km of cycling. On a day of extreme conditions my miscalculation (or complication) of my nutrition was magnified in these conditions and my body didnt want to co-operate. I hadnt kept things simple enough and I figure that I took too much in too soon and I couldnt break things down fast enough. The last 30 minutes of the bike ride were torture but I never even doubted that I could run well.

Onto the run and I was very mistaken about how I was going to run, by 2km I had a very nasty stomach cramp (stitch) and was forced to walk it out. As soon as I felt the pain had gone I started running again. As soon as I put something down my gob at an aid station I would get the stitch back. Ok then I will just have to do without and water over the head will have to do.

So, the running and walking combo went on until 30km when my stomach said “F%$# you” and the stitch remained even when walking. I honestly still had in my mind that the race is not over until the finish line and if I could miraculously come good I could run down someone ahead. I was so determined to run but all I could do was shuffle and walk. I got to the 39km mark and the streets were lined with people. That combined with the possibility that my bike time could be faster than my run time on this pace, I bit my teeth hard and jogged it home.

I made it to the end of my own personal road to hell - the finish line of Ironman China.

Juzzie

Well except for the cloudless skys of Jan 19th 2008 that is. Wanaka, New Zealand turned on a corker of a race day with warm sunny conditions for the second running of Challenge Wanaka.

It was great to return to this beautiful part of the globe and probably one of the most spectacular race courses that I have ever done. I had a great race in 2007 and returned this year with some good form and with a fair idea of what to expect.

I started the day well exiting the water in the lead group of swimmers. T1 was a highlight, and would find out post race, the only split of the day that I was the fastest in!

Luke and I cleared out of town and were soon joined by Chris after 10km. Around 5km later I watched Big Sexy roll up his gay long white socks (not to offend - firstly its alright to be gay and I do happen to own a few pairs of CEP socks to train in) and I knew he was in business. A few km’s later and he was outa there. I was struggling to find my groove today on the bike but I knew it would eventually happen, so after 35km of riding Luke started to drift away. I worked into things and soon after I reached the 95km mark I had company. I had been joined by a few riders including Mark (the eventual winner) and Peter V. I pushed on and had the feeling that the group that had caught me was content with just doing that. Maybe I had just found my groove and they happened to spur me on, but I dictated the pace and attempted to maintain the difference to Chris. I hit the last torturious 40kms out to Treble Cone and back fairly hard and managed to get rid of the deadwood!

T2 and I had another quickie (but only 4th fastest T2 time) and started the hunt for 2nd. I caught up to Luke after 3kms and moved into 2nd. After 6km I got a split to Chris of 5 mins 30 sec. After 9kms Mark caught up to me. We ran togetherish back to town to complete lap 1 of 2. I had run 1hr21 for the first half and was now 4mins down on Chris. What was going through my mind was that - hey I could take this out. But I just didnt know much about Mark. Anyhow in the end an Ironman is just that and never a sure thing. After 24km I got a nasty stomach cramp/ stitch. Over the next 2kms I did everything I knew how to get this thing “outaa myyy bellie”.I flushed things out with some water and ate some salt tabs. I gave my best attempt to regain time lost but I guess as Mark caught up to Chris their battle commenced and I would have had to of been moving faster than the two of them to get to the finish line first, and that didnt happen. I had run 2:54 and finished in 3rd place in 8hr 54min.

Once again I really enjoyed this tough and honest race here in Wanaka. I am sure to return in 2009 and I hope to watch the numbers grow as the word spreads on the quality of this event.

Home now to Noosa and soon I will be off to Subic Bay for Team TBB’s training base there until May.

Juzzie

Yes the good old USA - land of much choice and then some more!

It was good to be back spending some time in North America. The couple of years that have passed since last being here, had me craving it a little. I know that I am in Kona Hawaii each year but it never really seems like the mainland does, maybe because of all the international triathletes in town over Ironman week, Kona is over run by many different types that time of the year.

I had a good 8 days before coming here to Florida, staying at Hillary Bicay’s place in Tucson Arizona. It was a great time of the year weather wise and a top area to get in my training up to Florida. Hillary was great company and helped me find my way around. She was my swim training partner and post swim Starbuck’s coffee buddy!

I traveled to Florida mid race week and settled in very quickly. There is not much to it here in Panama City, getting around is easy and everything is close to the race site. The weather here was great too and all was set for a good race day.

So onto the race and I swam well in what was the third pack of swimmers. I was 15th place out of the water in 53 minutes. I had some familiar faces around me at the start of the bike and I had a good indicator of whom I would be riding with. My biking has been improving throughout this season and I was going to need every ounce of that ability for this race to stay in touch. The professional field was very strong here, one of the best assembled this year outside of Hawaii. I biked strong (like bull!!) for the whole 180km and watched the speedo just tick over 4 hours and 40 minutes by the time I reached T2.

I started the run in around 15th place but only some 7+ minutes behind the leaders. There was some fast runners ahead but some pure bike specialists also. I kept a good pace right from the start and made sure I remained on economy mode. My bike effort was probably one of my hardest 180km efforts and I had to run smart. I knew that the posible victoms ahead would only be reached in the later stages of the marathon. After 32km and keeping my cool I switched off economy and reached for the turbo. I gave it to myself over the last 10km and made my way up to 8th place at the finish line. My run time of 3 hours and 4 FRIGGINSECONDS! My total time 8 hours and 38 minutes.

My performance was very satisfying and I can finally head home after a full-on year, with a big smile. It was great to spend time post race with my great team mates Steve and Bella and chat about the race and catch up on things.

Once I get home I will tune up a little for the last one of 2007 - Laguna Phuket Thailand.

Juzzie.

After two weeks here in Thailand and some great training with Team TBB all is looking for this next phase of training up to Ironman Florida.

Its is great to be back in the heat of Thailand and a change of scenary after spending time in Korea and Singapore towards the end of last month. This whole month of September will be spent here and then the journey will commence for Hawaii. I will put in the final training up for Florida in Hawaii and cheer for Belinda on race day in Kona. Which is also my birthday!!

So not much else to report on but I will keep you posted on the progress leading up to November 3rd - Florida race day.

Juzzie.

I sit here almost 12 hours after completing yesterdays race and I am still cramping up! Ironman Korea 2007 was the hardest race that I have ever done. The heat yesterday was hotter than when I raced in Malaysia in 2001 and that course - it is so tough with a hilly bike and run.
I had raced Ironman Korea twice before, once in a different location and the other here but a different course. The past conditions have never been too challenging. So when coach said to me, “lets get to Asia a little earlier and get used to the heat again”. I thought - Mate, its Korea, it aint that hot. Well I didnt get to Asia early and of cause he was right again!
I had a good swim, in the non wetsuit swim, and actually thought at the start that I was going to hold onto the lead pack - yeh for 400m! I was next to exit the water after the lead pack by the end of the swim and just under 4 minutes back in 6th place.
Out onto the bike I was riding well by myself and at the 45km mark was joined by Olaf and Alejandro. We rode together for the next 30km after then I lost contact as the road started to rise. Over the next 125km I was completely solo besides passing 2 guys that had been spat from the lead pack. I caught them at the 130km mark and at the same time Byung-Hoon Park motored past in the hunt for other victoms. After 70km of mostly flat riding this 1 loop course begins to climb. And yesterday this is where the heat made its presence felt. Usually on the bike you dont feel the heat but yesterdays intense heat wore you down every time the road elevated. I had been getting little leg cramps after 100kms of riding, but by the end coming into T2 I had all sorts of trouble swinging my leg over the top tube of my Cervelo on dismount - a good sign for the run, not.
I sat in the T2 change tent, a little longer than usual, not too rev’ed up to get back out into the sun. When I did eventually start the run I saw 4 athletes almost together ahead of me. They had just completed the 1st km loop that brings you back to the run start and the begining of the big loop. I was not that far behind them. It was actually nice to run - maybe just good to get that bike seat out of my ass! The 1st 5km were good and all of a sudden I felt like I had been smoking the wacky tabacy. I was struggling to focus and had to shut my run pace down to the death march. I grabed a 2.5 litre bottle of Gatorade and a large bottle of water at the next aid station - the poor aid station workers had no say in the matter, they wanted us to use the cups! For the next km I consumed the entire bottle of Gatorade and poured the water over my head. After another 5km of the “Ched Towns shuffle” I started to come out of my giddy state and started feeling OK. I completed 1 lap of 3 - SHIT this is going to be a battle of huge proportions! Once I had come to terms with the fact that I wasnt going to run fast today if I wanted to finish, it was clear that it was Ok to shuffle the rest of the marathon. And shuffle I did in a scorching 3:45 or so. The only consolidation was that most of the guys had the same issues and to the spectators it must have looked like a walking race for the pro men.
It was a great relief to finish and in 7th, and the IV drip that I got in the medical tent was gold.
Well done to the other Team TBB athletes Chrissy, Luke and Vinnie - who’s friggin idea was it to race Korea!

Juzzie

Hey Ya

Well they say that time fly’s by when you are having fun and that phrase very much applies to my past month. It has been a very productive period and I have made some massive gains in my fitness level, living and training up here in the Swiss Alpes. I feel alot stronger than I did before I arrived in Leysin and thats only a big plus for an Ironman Athlete.

Another plus of the last few weeks has been the arrival of my new bike, a Cervelo P3C. Of the 25 or so bikes that I have had over my Triathlon career I have not had many time trial/triathlon specific bikes. Actually the last one I had was a Canadian frame called a Guru Chrono, many moons ago. Its the last couple of seasons that many new and fancy Tri bikes have appeared on the market and my taste buds have been craving a tasty Tri set up. So once Cervelo and Team TBB made a partnership my tri bike hunger has now been feed. Now I am riding one of the very best thats out there and loving it.

I have a couple of weeks left here in Switzerland and then I make my way towards Asia and Ironman Korea. For me the timing is great and the gains I have made and will continue to make up to race day, will have me ready for a big shot at Ironman Korea. I have raced Korea on two occasions finishing 10th and 5th. Its been a good few years since then but I look forward to returning and racing a good hard course. The following week is Singapore 70.3, and we will see what is left in the tank 7 days after an Ironman!

From Singapore it is off to Thailand and back to Bor Saen Villa’s with my other Team TBB mates. With most of the team training for Hawaii, there will be another big block of training done and I will have time to confirm my next move, will keep you posted on that one.

Bye for now - train smart and race hard.

Juzzie.

Hi All

One of my all time favourite tracks, U2’s song a beautiful day was the theme song for the day that was dished out to us here in Leysin. After a cold and wet week to intorduce Belinda and I back into Leysin life today was welcomed with open arms.

Most of the day was spent in the saddle with a long group ride over the mountains to Bulle and down to Lausanne with the return trip along the lake through Vevey and Montreux before making the climb back up to Leysin.

If this all sounds like too much to handle then the rest of the afternoon was spent in front of the TV watching 3 hours of live tour de France coverage! (including a massage - thanks Holly)What an interesting prologue it was, with most of the favourites getting spanked. CSC’s Fabian Cancellara was on fire on board his Cervelo P3C - what a machine (both bike and rider).

So after another fine dinner thanks to Belinda, it is rest time in preparation for the run up the mountain bright and early Sunday morning under blue skys and glorious sunshine.

Keep it real,

Juzzie.

Hello Everyone

I spent the weekend in the Kraichgau region of Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany. There to race a middle distance (S 2km, C 61km, R 14km) triathlon. This event is a lead up race for my Quelle Challenge Roth preparation and a tune up to see what needs work over the next 2 weeks. The Kraichgau triathlon has a famous tough hilly bike course with many short and sharp rises that zapp the legs and sting them for the run. The Germans love this race and the event gathers some 2000 athletes.

The race attracts a star studded field with the likes of top Germans Faris Al-Sultan, Thomas Hellriegel and Alex Taubert just to name a few. I had a great race here last year in 5th place and was looking for an improvement this time around. The weather had put on a show with temps in the late 20’s. The lake that holds the swim had warmed up to 22degrees and race day was a non wetsuit swim as per DTU ruling. Not good news for many, especially the first timers in the race.

I took my time to enter the water before the deep water swim start, as after training in Thailand the last month, even 22degrees is a little cold for me! I stayed warmer longer but by the time I entered the water, 2 minutes before the start, I couldnt find my way to the other pro athletes and had a very poor start once the canon fired. I stuffed my navigation to the first turn and had missed all chance of swimming with a strong pack. I exited the water over two and a half minutes behind the leaders after a poor swim effort.

The first 10km of the bike ride is the only long flat terrain section of the whole course and I put the pressure on to make up some time. Once I got to the hills I had a number of strong German cyclists pass me but today I just didnt have the extra power to follow. The short sharp hills had me feeling flat and I did my best to get over them and worked the down hills and any flat sections to try and take back any time I lost on the up hills. I arrived back into transition in around the same bike time as last year but well down in 11th position today.

The run in Kraichgau is a two loop(7km per loop) 14km affair. It is mainly flat with a couple of pinches. I ran out fast and felt good to be running. It took me half a lap before I managed to catch a competitor in front, but as soon as I did I was in the hunt for more. My second loop was just as fast as my first and in the last 2km I over took a few more athletes and crossed the finish line in 5th place - just like last year. My bike and run times were similar to 2006 but the massive amount of time lost in the water ment an improvement on last years race was out of reach.

So the Kraichgau triathlon served its purpose as a solid hit-out before Quelle Challenge Roth. The bike course in Roth is totally different with longer gradual climbs and many long flat sections. The swim is also very different with the one turning point at 1.9km from the start and a wetsuit swim for sure. I can make a few adjustments over the next two weeks and I am looking forward to good times in Roth.

Juzzie

Hi guys and girls,

A chance to recover between sessions and to post an update to let you all know what is happening, thats what my Thursday afternoon is all about.

With one week left here at the Bor Saen Villa’s and the past couple of weeks have moved along very quickly. Over this time both Belinda and I have been training very well with the other Team TBB athletes that are still here in the camp. We have had some great rides on new roads (new to us - from our last trip here) and discovered a few other things and places that we missed last time. The only drag has been the early start to the wet season. Cleaning of the bike has become a daily affair and airing out shoes so that they can be kind of dry for the next outing. Fitness levels are on the rise for us both and this is a good thing with the Quelle Challenge Roth, our next major race, being the next main focus.

This time next week it is time to pack up our things and start the journey to Europe. Looking forward to the final destination, Germany, and our next base for the month of June.

Time to leave you with a quote - off a road (painted on the road that is) in Boulder CO, USA.

“pain is temporary, glory is forever”

Take Care,

Juzzie