He's baaaaaaaack...

That's right one and all - Bondy is back!!

After the long, cold winter, I am hairier than ever, but it simply adds some wind resistance to the training program.

On that note, I am doing some pre-season training at the moment here in Amsterdam, biking 150-170 km, running 10-12 km and swimming 2km per week.

All of this to get prepared for more triathlons, and possibly a marathon...

Watch this space - Captain Insano is alive and kicking!!!

Monaco?? Done and Dusted!!!

I can now say without a word of a lie, that I have completed the Monaco Ironman 2008 triathlon! My finishing time was 6:52:28


This posting is just a brief account, as post-race, physical activities such as typing require maximum exertion. I will update with more photos in the coming days.

The 1.9km swim took a bit longer than I had hoped, finishing in 52:28. For those who haven't experienced it, think of it as being in a giant saltwater bathtub with giant kicking sardines.

Some improvements were needed in the 90km cycle. The course climbed to 1500m, including a 22km climb to start off with. I completed the cycle leg in 3:36:15, passing 158 of my fellow competitors.

After the cycle, I started into the half marathon (21.1km) run. By this time, the temperature was 30 degrees, and the run circuit involved a hill that needed to be traversed 5 times in total in order to complete the race. While there certainly wasn't any records broken by finishing the run in 2:12:55, I didn't walk at all.

Claire and I with our gang signs - Spock from me, and the number 2 from Claire

Overall I am very pleased with how the race went, and very happy to have this as a starting point for triathlons in other exotic locations - that's right, to coin a phrase from Arnold Schwarzenegger -

I'll be back!

Monaco, Here I Come!

The next step in my build-up for Monaco, was a triathlon on Texel island here in Holland. Click this link to see where the race was:

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=texel+holland&ie=UTF8&ll=53.130294,4.879303&spn=0.34442,0.878906&z=10&iwloc=addr

This triathlon was a 1km swim, followed by a 40km cycle and a 10km run. The sea swim was relatively peaceful without inflicting or receiving any open wounds, and I left the water in the middle of the pack.


In the 40km bike stage, I improved by 10 places, with 3 people receiving a yellow card (a penalty where they need to stop and start) for slip-streaming behind me.

There was a massive head-wind for 8km of the 20km cycle circuit which made it a bit more difficult, but at least it was difficult for everyone who wasn't trying to sneak along in my fart zone.


In the run, I felt a lot better than I did in my first triathlon, and gained another 4 places.


I finished the race in 2:38:36 - a time that I was pleased with.

I feel a lot more confident now, and I can't wait to get to Monaco!!!

Blood and Guts

Just when you thought I had finished with all the blood and guts, it has returned. For those of you who don't handle blood, I wouldn't look at the photos that follow...


Half-way through a 40km bike ride on my way to work on Monday morning, a car pulled out directly in front of me, giving me no choice but to harpoon the drivers side, and take a bite out of the roof of the car. This was the result...

After a spontaneous manifestation of Tourette syndrome, I got a ride home from the police officer that we had called.

I went to the hospital, and got two stitches to hold my bottom lip together, and then went to the dentist to get my front teeth fixed.

Two days later, and I was back training today with a 5km run @ 4:30/km and have a number of cliches that suit my situation, such as...

Anything that doesn't kill you, just makes you stronger

and

Bones heal, and chicks dig scars!

Triathlon debut

Nederhorst mini-triathlon was my debut into the world of triathlons. It was a 500m swim, followed by a 20km cycle and a 5km run. On paper this is like a 'jog in the park' compared to my Monaco Ironman race in September, but certainly required a lot more work than that!

There were a few hurdles for me personally, including being one of three out of the 200+ competitors who didn't have a wetsuit to swim in. For those of you who don't know, a wetsuit makes a major difference in buoyancy, and consequently in speed. Also having the tail-end of the flu didn't help. That said, far am I from making excuses - the race went well. I finished at position 69 with a time of 1 hour 15 minutes, 30 seconds.

My cycling shirt on the day from Tui - my favourite beer back in New Zealand - has a great graphic on the back that really was the best in the race...

I look forward to making improvements in my transitions and extending my triathlon experience in my next mini-triathlon on the Dutch island Texel on August 9th. It is a 1.0km swim, 40km cycle and a 10km run. I can't wait!

A Step Into The TV World

Until now, I have been one of the presenters on the Thursday edition of the English Breakfast radio show from 7-9am from Monday to Friday. It is the only English language radio show broadcast here in Amsterdam, and has an audience of both foreigners and locals. It has always been great fun, but now there has been an entirely new dimension added...

TV!!

That's right, the show is now televised on channel A1 and live on the internet, with an archive of the last month of shows kept on-line. To check out my first televised show, click this link:

http://www.salto.nl/streamplayer/tv/amsterdam_1_live.asp

Also, there was a full-page article published recently in the national edition of the Metro newspaper here in Holland. With a circulation of 560,000, there are a lot of people who were able to see the story behind Bondy 4 Brains.

Although I am trying to get rid of the flu this week, it hasn't stopped me from training. I had an interesting day of training this week where I found a new swimming pool to train in. It is a little busy as people also like to take their boats out in it for a spot of rowing.

Amsterdamse Bosbaan

It is the Amsterdamse Bosbaan - an 8-lane rowing lake used for rowing competitions including world and European Championships.

After speaking to some of the locals, I found out that lane 3 is the best to swim in, as it is the recognised 'no-rowing lane' in order to avoid collisions. This was very good to know, as I don't want to become a speed-bump for Rob Waddell, the New Zealand rowing legend on his next training day in Holland!

Get A Haircut Or Get A Real Job

Bondy in a Beige Brigade shirt with a beige Jeep found in Amsterdam

I was in London this weekend, and sporting the New Zealand supporters uniform - the beige brigade shirt, went to a local pub to watch New Zealand (a.k.a The All Blacks) play England. The manager of the bar was charging 5 pound on entry, and as he was of course English, was not happy that his team was being well and truly beaten by the mighty All Blacks.

There was some light-hearted comments made by all about the relative performance of each team, and as he must have become frustrated, asked me a question loud enough so all could hear:

Bar manager: 'So, did they give you a short back and sides?'
Bondy: 'No, it is a radiation haircut'
BM: 'what????'
Bondy: 'I had a brain tumour the size of a tennis ball, as you can see from the scar, and 6 weeks of radiotherapy, which is how I got my hair cut'
BM: '...'
Bondy: 'and....you have no comeback???'
BM: '....'
[at which point the bar burst out laughing at the bar manager]

A great lead-in to the 44-12 victory to the All Blacks.

In the triathlon world, I am entered in the Nederhorst triathlon here in Holland on July 6th, which is a 500m swim/20km cycle/5km run. This is much shorter than the Monaco Ironman, but will be a great warm-up race. I also have another lead-in triathlon on 9 August on the island of Texel which is 1000m swim/40km cycle/10 km run. I can't wait to see my training come to fruition!