Happy New Year from Team Stack!

Time for a quick Christmas update from Down Under! 

Christmas this year was pretty quiet for me. Unfortunately I had to work the "disco shift" over Christmas so I missed out on most of the festivities. Chris on the other hand had 2 weeks off! Slacker! We had a nice Christmas morning opening prezzies. We then went for a walk around my favourite park (along with half of Perth). King's Park is great and on Christmas it was full of families BBQing and having fun. The weather of course was beautiful! It was pretty difficult to tear myself away to go and spend the next 12 hours in ED (sympathy please!).

 King's Park

Chris dropped me off at work (along with homemade turkey and stuffing sandwich and Rudolph cookie for my dinner!) and then went to have his Christmas dinner with Andrew and Amy. The 'Wagersheps' as we like to call them, once again were very generous in inviting us to spend Christmas with their family. Thanks guys!

After Christmas I had managed to book a few days off. Initially I had planned on taking a trip, maybe down South to Esperance or over East. However time slipped away and I didn't get round to booking anything. Instead we asked coach Paul to organise us a tri training week. We spend most of the week either running, biking or swimming. Perfect! And a great chance to try out our new Christmas prezzies!

New stack hat!

Chris's new skid lid

We did managed to squeeze in some relaxing days too. Highlights included learning to wake board, Swan Valley wine tour and the F4L Christmas Party! We also did a day trip to Busso where we paddle boarded the longest jetty in the Southern Hemisphere.

Core Cider House F4L Christmas Party 

Cider Tasting Paddle

Busso Jetty 

 Moonlight cinema for Chris's Birthday

Pimm's O'Clock - saying goodbye to the Welshies!

Indian Ocean Sunset 

Summer at Cottesloe Beach

Triathlon is sort of taking over our lives at the moment as we prepare for Ironman Melbourne (now only 2 months away!). But we really enjoying the training. Since we last blogged, I have made my triathlon debut and Chris continues to dominate his age group!

Hilary's Tri

My first race was a sprint triathlon at Hilary's. A sprint involves a 750m swim, 20km bike and 5km run. Unfortunately I had double booked myself which meant I was working until midnight the night before the race, then had so get up at 6am to race before getting back to work at midday! Not ideal! However, the race went pretty well. I was pleased with my time and managed a top 10 age group finish (7th).  

Chris did pretty well too finishing in 11th place. He was a bit disappointed with not getting a medal, but raced well considering this was the state championships!

Albany Half Iron

Next on the race calendar was the Albany Half. This is a half ironman involving 1900m swim, 90km bike and 21km run. We booked onto this race as a warm up for Melbourne. It also meant a nice trip down South to a small coastal town called Albany (about 4 hours drive south from Perth).

Photos taken after the race...when the weather decided to cheer up!

Albany is a lovely little town with a beautiful bay. Unfortunately it always rains!

We arrived on the Friday to drop off our gear in transition and were welcomed by rain, wind and freezing temperatures (17 degrees! We left 40 degrees in Perth). Once we racked out bikes we had a quick look at the course. The sea looked AWFUL! I'm not a strong swimmer and I get a little scared in the sea at the best of times. Here the sea looked so rough! In fact it all looked very sharky! I tried to forget about the recent shark attacks from around the area!

Looking sharky!

The next morning we got up early and headed to the beach. The sea didn't look any nicer! I had a quick swim before the race started to try and calm my nerves. The waves were tough but I was relieved the water was nice and warm (in fact I was warmer in the water than out of it!). I was also relieved when the surf lifesavers reassured us that no sharks had been spotted in the area! Phew! The pro athletes set off first on the 2 lap swim course, followed by the men, then finally the women. I watched Chris set off, knowing I wouldn't see him until the finish (although secretly hoping I may catch him on the bike!).  Chris felt the swim went well and got a great time of 30mins! I on the other hand, hated it! The first 200m was directly into the 'cross chop' meaning I could barely breath as I got swamped by waves. I had to have a short rest by floating on my back until I could get my breathing under control. After that I had more space so managed to do the rest of the swim pretty well. I was quite shocked to have swum the course in 33 mins.

Bike racked, ready to go!

Next was the bike section. My favourite part! The race started with a fairly large climb straight out of transition. Great! I managed to pass loads of people by the top and I caught up with all the faster swimmers. The rest of the route was pretty boring. Long, undulating, rough roads. At the half way point we turned around into a killer headwind. 45km into a headwind is tough! I was a little disappointed in my bike time, but overall I suppose it wasn't too bad given the conditions. I did the 90km in 2 hours 55, Chris was 10 mins faster.

Next up was the run. The half marathon run was a mixture of boardwalk and beach running. Beach running is tough at the best of times, but after swimming and biking its a killer! My run was pretty slow but I kept a nice consistent speed. I was surprised that I felt pretty strong even at the end. My time was 1 hour 59. I was hoping for closer to 1 hour 50, but my main goal was to get under 2 hours, so I can't be too disappointed. The run was a 2 lap course which was great because I managed to pass Chris (running the other direction) and he got to watch me run the last few km at the end. 

Beach run..the sun has finally come out! 

Chris did a great run to get an overall time of 4 hours 56mins (6th in age group) and I came in at 5 hours 32 (also 6th in age group!). Massive PBs for both of us, all thanks to Paul and the F4L crowd!

Crossing the line after 5 hours 32 mins! 

Jumper weather

After the race we hung around for the presentations (huddled up with coffee keeping us warm!). The presentations included spot prizes which you had to be there to collect. The organisers picked race numbers at random and the prizes included cycle computers, sun glasses, helmets etc. All the prizes were fantastic, but the big prize was the $5000 TT bike. Chris and I joked that if one of us wins it, the the other gets to buy a new TT bike. It finally came round to the big prize draw and the winning ticket was pulled...number 56! Everything was quiet. I bet number 56 was pretty annoyed at leaving early. Everyone agreed that the prize could only be awarded to those who stayed for the presentations. So a re-draw was demanded! Number 243! Quiet again! Wow number 243 is going to be peeved in the morning! Third time lucky...number 172! ME!

I couldn't believe it! I had won the bike! I think the organisers were pretty pleased I had won as Chris and I were one of the few competitors who raced on road bikes (TT bikes are a big advantage over road bikes in triathlon). I also felt is was karma for having my last bike stolen!

So we were 2 happy Stackers, new PBs and new bikes all round (Chris immediately picked out which bike he was going to buy!). We headed home tired, cold but very happy!

 Traditional post-race beer!

And burger! My only DNF* of the weekend

*DNF = did not finish

Next on the race calendar for me is the Big One! Melbourne Ironman! Chris has a few more sprints, but will mainly be focusing on Melbourne too.  There will be no stopping us now on our new speed machines!

Wedding Update

The other bit of good news is that I have finally been granted leave from work to attend our wedding in July. Plans seem to be coming together nicely and we have even booked our flights home. Invites to be sent soon (ish!).

Other good news

And in other news, I will be starting a new job in February. I am starting my physician training and I'm the new cardiology registrar at the brand new Fiona Stanley Hospital (FSH). FSH is the new flagship hospital in WA. Its amazing! Its run by robots! Really, I saw them on my tour! I can't wait to start! I have 5 more shifts in Emergency then I hang up my scrubs for good!   

Well that all for now. Coming up in the near future...Mum and Dad come to visit! 3 weeks and counting! And hopefully another "guest post."

Happy New Year everyone!

The Stackers xxx

Winter, Spring and Summer Update - Been a while since we posted!!

Ok so we have been rubbish at blogging over the last few months, we have been busy so here is a summary.

It was winter, it rained, now summer its sunny!

Ok so we have done a bit more than that.

Last time we wrote we were both in the Pilbara, me working, Naomi not working (as usual). The good news is we are both back in Perth now, I started a new job in July based near Perth Airport, this means a lot more time for a social life, however does mean that we have a bit less time for travelling around Oz.

Final Flight out of the Pilbara- I will miss those sunsets!

The good news is more time for biking to work, and with a commute along the riverfront; could be a lot worse!

Saturday Morning breakfast dates!!! 

The last few months have seen a few new arrivals to the Stack household. First to arrive was Geronimo, my new mountain bike, a treat to myself after getting my new job.

Geronimo's first outing to Jarrahdale. He had fun!

The next arrival was under slightly sadder circumstances, poor Java, Naomi's trusty old steed was stolen from the hospital, leaving her bikeless after finishing her shift at 3am. Another trip to the bike shop was arranged and we came home with Fitz Roy. Another giant with a giant name (big mountain in South America).

So some time ago now we decided to take the plunge and sign up to an Ironman, for those that don't know this is a 3.8km swim, 180km bike and 42km run. Sensibly Naomi decided to seek the assistance of a coach to set a training plan, as we figured it would need a little more than our usual couple of runs, quick dip, go out for a few beers before and wing it approach. So we signed up with F4L coaching in Perth Hills and well that has basically been our life for the last 4/5 months. Going from a couple of rides/runs at a weekend to training everyday with one rest day if we are lucky every fortnight was a shock to the system to say the least, but we have loved it so far. We have met some great friends and have been on some great sessions along the way.

In August we headed out to the East of Perth to a place called... York! I have to say it bears no resemblance at all to its namesake in God's Country, but still a picturesque typical Aussie country town. Blink on the highway and you will miss it!

We were here to do the York Cyclo Sportive. Armed with one weeks training I decided I was Chris Froome and set off at a pace, forgetting we had a team of two compared to all the other teams consisting of 8 or 9. This made a big difference in sharing the effort. We died a little on the second lap, but it was good to get a few miles back in the legs after a cold wet couple of months.

Next up on the calendar was the City to Surf Marathon. Last year I did the 12km event, along with the whole of Perth's population. This year time to step it up and do the full Marathon. This meant an earlier start in the dark on St Georges Terrace in Perth CBD.  It was a stunning course, the first half flat as a pancake along the Swan River, before entering back into the city and climbing up to Kings Park (A killer hill with 22km in your legs already), then around Kings Park (hillier than you think) before heading out to the finish at City Beach. The hardest part was at 34km where we passed right past our front door, it took all of our strength to not pull out and grab a beer. Naomi especially was struggling at this point having smashed a half marathon PB was starting to pay for it after the hills of Kings Park. She soldiered on though to smash her Marathon PB by over 20mins. I came in just under my Manchester PB with a 3.27, pretty happy on a hilly course after 12months of FIFO.

All smiles at the start

Look out for Naomi bright orange vest!

Our new diet for training, chuff loads of clif bars. (I take sneaky ones for breakfast sometimes but don't tell Naomi!)

 For a rare break from training we headed down to Freo to watch the Dockers in the play off series. Last year the Dockers got all the way to the  final and were narrowly beaten, so expectation was high. The atmosphere on the Cappuccino Strip was amazing, everyone out in their colours, and the road was painted purple for the game. In the end they lost, but we had fun and now have jerseys for next season!

The winter seemed to drag on this year with lots of rain, storms and facebook profile updates from the UK of Tour de France, friend's weddings and general summer fun. This led to a bit of winter blues and an onset of home sickness, however as Spring sprung and the sun came back out, we realised how lucky we were to be living on the doorstep of one of the world's best parks. We headed out into Kings Park with the whole of Perth for the first sunny weekend and enjoyed a nice ice cream on the lawn listening to live music, not a bad afternoon at all!

So September came around and we were treated with a last minute visit from some ugly bloke from Yorkshire! In true Yorkshire fashion his first stop was to the WACA to show the Aussies how to play cricket!

This all proved a bit too much for him and....

After sleeping off the jetlag we headed out for a road trip to the Pinnacles, north of Perth. Dad was amazed by the nothingness once you passed the Northern Suburbs, and he couldn't wait to see an Emu, after I told him we couldn't move for Emus last time we headed up North. Well all day passed and no Emus! We did see a lot of rocks though! 

After our road trip it was back to work for me for a few days, which gave Naomi the chance to play tour guide. This mainly consisted of walking 100kms per day, knackering dad out then treating him with an ice cream! We nearly had to call in air ambulance when he collapsed up Kokoda Steps in Kings Park!

Whilst Dad was here we managed to prise him away from providing a detailed and comprehensive comparison of cheap souvenir tshirt shops in Perth for a little while and even found 5 minutes where he wasn't in Paddy McGuires (our local Irish Bar) to have a fake 60th Birthday! As we would be missing the real one in December (Only 12 days away as I write this you old git!), we had some Caaaakeee as Horace likes caaaake and got approval from the fire service to light the candles!

To end the trip, we headed over to our favourite place Rotto! We hired bikes and headed off to the far side of the island. Dad was flying, he looked like Wiggo! Well for about 5kms anyway and then he remembered it had been a while since his Tour de France days! Another day, another near resuscitation of Dad! He made it around though and we were treated to an amazing show from a group of whales flapping around in the ocean, and even a pod of dolphins! (This scored major points on the animal spotting game!)

The peleton!

Whale watching

Dolphin Watching

PELICAN!

After Rotto it was nearly time for Dad to head back home for winter. We had one more day to explore so we headed up into Perth Hills, where I promised we would see Emus and Kangaroos!

Sure enough we saw both and even stopped at the Camel Farm for a quick scone and ice cream!

Was great to have Dad over, and show him around even if we did lose him in Mandurah! Paddy's were sad to see him leave!

So after the excitement of a visit from home it was back to normality for Team Stack, more training and race prep. The next race on the calendar was the Augusta Adventure Race, the largest adventure race in the world. This consisted of Swim, Bike, Run and Paddle. Pretty typical for an adventure race, although the UK versions usually don't have swims. Having signed up to this months ago we finally read the details, 13km ocean kayak!!! Oh dear this is a bit longer than the token novelty kayak that are usually involved in UK adventure races. We read a bit further... competitors must supply their own kayaks! Ah problem. 4 weeks out, never kayaked and didn't have a boat! 

After a couple of last minute lessons in a Kayak with a local instructor we decided to ignore his expert advice and get surf ski type kayaks. Now these are super tippy, and falls are inevitable, however they are much easier to get back in so we decided to take the risk.

We looked on gumtree and found two identical Skis, Sharkey and George! One problem they were 5.2m long. Our house is 4.2m wide, we have no garage, out back yard is around 4m square, storage was going to be an issue! We decided the only thing for it was to have some new furniture in the front room!

I eventually showed my engineering skills and found a more suitable location for them! They are still up as well, not fallen down yet!

We managed to get one weekend of very quick paddling sessions in prior to the race. We headed to Freo and practised in the wake of the boats passing along the river. Stack score... Chris 6 Naomi 0. This worked out at 1 stack per km for me. A new training metric I would use to gauge progress!

So the first weekend in November we headed down to the Margaret River Region and found our Chalet! Pretty cool and surrounded by Roos!

Car looks pretty cool, although we could do with an estate!

We headed to Gnarabup our favourite breakfast spot on the Saturday Morning! Followed by a quick first outing on the ocean in Sharkey and George! No stacks for Chris. One for Naomi!

We then headed down to Augusta to drop off the gear at transition. It was a gorgeous day, clear skies, ocean was calm and still, no wind perfect racing conditions for those doing the Mini Race. If only it stayed like this!

Car getting unloaded

Bikes in transition

Team stack ready to go

The race was great, the run was incredible hopping from rock to rock from the famous Cape Leewin lighthouse. This is the South Western tip of the country where the Southern and Indian Oceans meet. After a hard 13km run we headed for the swim through some stunning reefs and 1.9km later made it to shore. Now for the dredded kayak. It started OK we headed out on the calm river but then we hit the river mouth. Stack 1... simultaneous stacks from both of us as we were wiped out by a wave. We soldiered on and rounded the buoy about 8km in. This is where it got tough. I was knackered, my arms were dead and core (or lack of it) was aching! The wind had picked up and we were now heading straight into it, and the waves that came with it. I fell in a few more times (I think 5 or 6 in total), and was met by the jet ski asking if I was OK (AGHHH EMBARRASSING!!) We finally made it around the 13km course and I was never more glad to be back on dry land.

Next was the mountain bike, my favourite and I had a new lease of life especially with my new race machine! The kayak and torrential rain had taken its toll however and Naomi struggled out of transition. She settled into a rhythm though after heartbreak hill and we finished strong. 30km done and now just a wet soggy 2.5km run along the beach to finish.

We were by no means winners in this race, losing around 1/2 hr on the paddle, but we had an amazing day out and would recommend it to anyone to take part in. Have a look at the highlights video 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YNO1I1jVpRw (short version)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TIEwvWadnGk (long version)

The aftermath. So much kit to wash!

So that was spring, now heading into the Aussie summer and it was the start of the Triathlon season. First big race of the year was Ironman 70.3 Mandurah. Mandurah is around 75km South of Perth, so we set off and cycled down there for our long Sunday ride. There were a few of the F4L team competing and also one of the best pro line ups seen for these events.

3 x Ironman World Champion Craig Alexander

It was a scorcher of a day, nearly 40degs and tough for the guys out there on the run especially. After cheering the guys over the finish line, we headed back up to Perth stopping for a cheeky ice cream to fend off the heat exhaustion!

Next race was the first local race of the season the Left Bank Sprint Tri. This was a short race, only 400m swim, 19km bike and 4.5km run, but it was flat out from start to finish. The F4L team smashed it and came up with 4 podiums in the age group catagories, including 2nd for me in the 20-29 group.

I unfortunately missed the medal ceremony as I was too busy eating breakfast and catching up with Fiona who was visiting!

Luckily I got my chance 2 weeks later as this was followed up by another whitewash at Power Station Tri with 7 podiums, including 4 1st places (3rd for me this time!)

Naomi unfortunately has been working for the first couple of races, but is making her debut next weekend... watch this space.

So that brings us up to date for now. A lot of training, racing and not too much sightseeing this time, but we have some time off over Christmas so we may have a couple of trips to write about.

Hope everyone has a great Christmas and we will try to update you a bit more regularly!

Team Stack

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