Falls Creek- Day Five

And on the fifth day….its snowed.

Whilst the original plan was to rug up in their 2XU jackets and get amongst the elements on mountain bikes, it was just way too cold and the conditions too icy for the bikes.

So the team head down to Mt Beauty pool to do some swimming only to discover that the ITU National Squad had booked out the whole pool for the morning.  Since it was also raining, the next logical step was coffee.

 

Over a fresh brew, John Mergler mentioned to the boys, ‘I thinking of running back up to Falls Creek (a monster 30km hill with no relief)…what do you say?’  Brenton took a moment to consciously look over his body, making sure everything was working before responding ‘hmmmmm, yeah alright, lets do it’.  Whilst John and Brenton head off to get some provisions before starting their climb, Todd and Andy made their way out on a decent run around Mount Beauty followed by a solid session in the pool (once the ITU boys were done).

 

John and Brenton hit the road.  On the way up there, they endured every possible weather condition. First, there was heavy rain, then instantly the weather would dry up and the sun would shine bright creating a steam room effect.  In the next minute, the clouds would fly over and hail would fall.  Then sun, then snow, then gusty ice winds…..repeat x 4.

Todd and Andy met them at the 20k mark in the car and handed them some nutrition. This was very well received as the last 15kms of the run was incredibly steep.  Todd and Andy then dropped the car at Falls Creek and rode down to help them through the final 3-4km.

So this morning, the weather is a balmy -2 degrees.  The team have started packing a few things as today is their last day.  Mid morning the crew will head out for a long intense mountain bike for majority of the day.  The weather this afternoon will likely dictate other training opportunities for the day.

The weather has hindered the amount of kms that the Musketeers had originally planned to cover; however, this has allowed them to focus on quality sessions with a good amount of recovery time in between which has been terrific.

Wow this week has flown.  One thing is for sure, The Musketeers will return in top form and ready to take on IM NZ and IM Melbourne…. Bring it on!

All for one…