Top end training and TRAC

My training is now very firmly pointed towards the pursuit, a race I've managed to avoid for 2 years while my focus was more on longer time trials on the road and on the track in the form of the hour record.

While the pursuit is definitely of the genre of race I excel in, I hate it...with a passion. I hate the training that I have to do leading up to it and I approach the race itself with mega dread. The difference between going at 40kph in a road TT (my ultimate goal for the world road TT in Austria and not quite achieved) and doing 20s laps on the boards is a hurdle I struggle with. However it is the only race that I compete in that I have not won at World Champs level..I have a stack of silver medals...and so it remains unfinished business.

Pacing over the 8 laps is a skill that remains a mystery to me..the old rush of the blood to the head after the standing start lap is always my undoing. So my pursuits regularly go: standing start lap 25+s, lap 2 - low 20's maybe even 19 , then 20, high 20, 21, 22, 23, 23 or worse. Of course that was 2 years ago..I'm not even going to publish what this year's lap times might be!!! Back then I thought I was flying until I saw a video of my ride and realised how slow I was.....now......pffft! I'll just have to try to look good ! ;)

My TRAC project is rolling along nicely....all 82 teams are still there and since we're closing in on the halfway mark I'm hoping the anticipated 10% drop off rate will not be met. The leading teams are 7000km along the way, travelling down the West coast, while the back markers are still tramping they're way up the New South Wales coast on the east of the country. The interest remains high and as I move the flags around the maps each week I have a small crowd around me checking what's happening.

Its become obvious that the composition of the leading teams is instrumental in their success..not because they are sporting heroes, but because some of them work part time, whereas others have been on long holidays. So I've set up another league for those teams comprised of full time workers who haven't had more than 4 weeks annual leave between them.

This week we are having the "half way through the project" lunches with our Psychologist giving a talk on maintaining motivation. With freebies and spot prizes on offer as well as the free lunch we've had an RSVP from 100 out of the 328 people which is better than expected....

The other wellness project I organise is the singing group who are currently busily getting together a repertoire of Australian songs for the Anzac Day Ceremony which is in late April. Following that there is the Wellness Expo in late June.....and in between it all I treat patients..not that I'm complaining as I thrive on being busy.

In 2 weeks time our health network is going through Accreditation and I and a my co- leader will have to give a presentation on the Wellness/communications group. We go through these accreditations every 2 or 3 years..it's a period of hurried bringing up to date of paper work and coaching the staff to say the right thing!!! and (as I remarked to someone the other day "ah! the heady smell of pre-accreditation paint")..the hospital gets a bit of a face lift.