Matty White

Onward and upward

Hey Gang,

Things have been pretty hectic since I have returned from the Big Island with lawns to be mowed, weeds to be pulled out and housework to be done. Not to mention getting back into the groove of things at work, I feel like I need to be re trained after all this time off. I have been feeling great the last few weeks which is unusual for me after an ironman, usually I feel like I have been hit by a truck and want to give up the sport for good! but this time I am motivated and pumped for my upcoming races Shep on Nov 15th then busso 3 weeks after that. My training times and wattage outputs are higher and better than what they were before Hawaii which is really encouraging, but the biggest change I have made to my program is jumping in with a swim squad for the first time in 6 years. Honestly I can’t believe I have been doing it solo all this time and still been able to swim respectable times. Squad training has really bought me down to earth and even though my lats can’t move above the horizontal plane and I feel like I am swimming through Clag glue every session I know the improvements will come. My sessions have now increased from the usual Matt White 3.5km to 6km a session with 4km main sets! I actually forgot how much they hurt.

There is a big SA contingent heading to Shepparton and it will also be great to catch up with my Melb friends so I am really looking forward to it. There is $1000 big ones up for grabs for whoever can break 3hr.47min which was set by Luke Bell a few years ago, so that is a big incentive to go fast. Unfortunately Mitch Anderson broke his collarbone last week and doesnt look like he will race which is unfortunate as I was looking forward to racing Mitch on his home turf, but the field still looks strong with Timmy Berkel and Shortis lining up.

I have been quite busy lately doing sponsorship business so when all the shots come out I will post them on my site. I had another shoot with Dan Peters who was down in Adelaide for a week, plus I did an interview for the Adelaide Vales which we will post on the site. I also did a great interview and photo shoot with Reece Homphray from Messenger press, which will be out in the next week so keep an eye out in your local rag for that one.

Overall its exciting times and I am having a ball training and racing!

See you all out there

Matty

Back Home and Motivated!

I never  thought I would say that after one of the hardest sporting events in the world but yes I am really motivated and psyched for the upcoming season and eventually getting back to the big island next year. The race for me was an absolute eye opener and I believe I gained a wealth of experience from racing pro at this event. When there are 165 of the worlds best athletes lining up on the start line the whole complexion of the race is different and its just so dynamic and faster than the usual Ironman start, and this is what caught me off guard as the pace was on from the start gun where it is usually quite steady! But that comes down to experience and I will certainly be changing a few things around in my preparation for next year.

The actual experience of being on the island during race week is awesome, I met so many people and had such a great time, plus it was great to see so many Aussies doing well and dominating the race again for the 3^rd straight year. I think Pete Jacobs finishing 8^th here was a great result and obviously Crowie is an unbelievable athlete who I think can win another 3 of these titles.  Also it was great to see some of the Age Group athletes do well, such as Kevin Ferguson who won the 50 yr age group and Timmy Reed who took 2^nd in a really competitive 20-24 age group!

As for me personally I am having a week off and will be playing golf with mates, drinking obscene amounts of coffee and going back to work as a full time fireman. I will probably start some light training to get ready for  Shepparton Half ironman in mid November , I have finished 2^nd there the last 2 years and I really want to win it this year, but in saying that its going to be tough with Timmy Van Berkel lining up as well as Mitch Anderson so its going to be a tough day.

I would just like to throw a shout out to my great sponsors who decked me out for the big race, Scody clothing which really kept me cool and comfy in the heat on the Queen K and it was great to see Bernard (the big boss) out there supporting the Scody athletes, he is a really cool guy and passionate about the sport. Neville at Ryders sunglasses, Glen and the teal at TRAK cycles for fixing all my last minute problems with my bike which ran like a dream, Andrew Kuhl (Merida and Shimano) for sending me the new shimano shoes and assisting with the delivery of the Merida Time Warp. Jon Oates from Saucony and Dan Roberts from DTR sports management.

Thanks a lot guys and I look forward to hitting the season hard knowing that I have the best tri gear going  around!

Matty

Kona Race Report

Wow what a day! this race is not easy to say the least, I am sitting here in Lava Java writing this report with tired legs and a renewed boost of enthusiasm for my upcoming races which is unusual after a hard ironman.

My day started with a tough swim start, I certainly didnt expect to be beaten to a pulp n the first 500m, but looking back on it we had 165 of the best pro athletes in the world in a confined space so I will be putting it down to experience for next year. Hence I had a slower than normal swim and got stuck in a slow pack which really put me on the back foot as well as coming out with a nice black eye! I managed to get a good rythm on the bike and felt great getting to within 6.50min of the main group and feeling great. I reached the turn around in Havi and was riding with some strong Germans but out of Hawi most of our group was given a 4 minute penalty. This penalty really hurt me as I couldnt get going again and my legs blew to pieces the last 50km, so I decided to do the best I could and conserve some energy to try and salvage a good run. Most people say your first Kona experience is all about finishing and learning and there is nothing more true than this as I was contemplating not finishing after the bike but a few words from some people in the changing tent namely and aussie chiro called Dave who has been helping me all week with treatment got me going. So I managed to keep going and put together a good run finishing really strong and ended up finishing in 33rd pro male. Overall am really thankful for the great support from all my sponsors, family and friends who sent me messages of support and I am super pumped for my next Ironman in WA.

Thanks again

Matty

3 Days to go!

Aloha
Well I am here in Hawaii and its 3 days left to countdown to the big show and its all happening in town, I have heard people talk about how electric the atmosphere is during race week but you really have to be here to believe it. I have done some light training during the week which included a few 3 km open water swims, a 60km bike ride and a few 45 minute to 1 hour runs. It really is crazy here at the moment especially out riding on the Queen K, it seems to me that if you are not riding at 45km/h in the aero position you have no right to be on the highway! The road is so smooth and the fact that everyone is here on their new TT machines it gives them licence to beat the living shit out of each other on every ride, its pretty funny seeing people flogging themselves on the highway in the week leading up to the race. Even in town people are smashing themselves runnig up and down Allii Drive in the heat of the day, but all this adds to the great atmosphere of race week and it gives you some entertainment while sitting at lava java sipping on a latte! Probably the highlight of the week though is the swim at the pier, each morning at 7 the pier is packed full of people, including athletes, photographers, sponsors and spectators all vying for a sighting of their favorite athlete. One of the other cool things here is the ever popular coffee boat which is placed about 500m out on the swim course which provides free kona coffee on your journey back!
Overall I am feeling great and cant wait to hit the start line for the realization of a childhood dream of mine and that is competing here as a pro athlete! I grew up watching all the videos and feel proud to be here representing Australia in one of the most famous sporting events on the planet. I will update again closer to the race.
Matty

Images from the Big Island

Touchdown in the hot zone

Hey folks finally have arrived on the big island and loving it! its great to be at a place you have talked about your whole life and dreamed of being here racing on the big stage as a pro athlete. We arrived in Kona on the Friday after a comfortable flight with Hawaiin Airlines and both myself and Danielle were picked up at the airport by Shane and the Tri Travel crew who run a great system where everything is taken care of, things like bike transport shopping trips etc are all included so it takes the stress out of being here. So far i have been down the pier for a swim, a ride up the queen K and a run in the energy lab. The heat here is quite bearable and I think having a 5 week training camp in Cairns has helped me a great deal in preparing me for the race. Its pretty cool here at the moment with a lot of the big names running and riding around town. For those of you who have never been here its really hard to explain the great atmosphere in town race week. The race is a realisation of a dream for a lot of the people here and you can really see it on their faces as they run bike and swim around Kona, everyone is really friendly and happy to chat. Overall i am feeling great and everything is going to plan, I just need to stay healthy now as the main body of work is done and now its time to chill out, drink coffee aat Lava Java and prance around town in a pair of compression socks and speedos!
I have some great photos which I will post tommorow.

Matty