This post is my benchmark. It is where I started, it is a record of where I was when I embarked on this journey. For each of the disciplines in the Coolangatta Gold, the following illustrates where I was when I was the worse that I was. The point of this post is two fold. Firstly and personally, it is a reminder for me of where I came from, how much I have improved and a reminder of what I can do when I put my mind to it. Secondly, for people who are reading this account, it should make you realise that I am not an athlete, I am just a normal guys who has decided to do something way beyond his capabilities, committed to the goal and chased it down, no matter what the result is at the end.

Running - My running benchmark was measured back in April 2008. My girlfriend at the time Moana Maddever (who is my fiancee at the writing of this and possibly my wife by the time you read it) challenged me to run the 10km fun run which was being raced at the Gold Coast marathon, in the first week of July. I had 9 weeks to prepare, I hadn’t run a bit for about 2 years. My running benchmark is my first jog, where I ran a paltry 1.5kms in 10 minutes and had to stop. I was breathless.

My goal for the 10km fun run was to complete it without stopping. That was it. I had 9 weeks to train. I actually lost 2 weeks of training on the way due to illness, so I only had 7 weeks of applied training to make this goal. But I made it. I ran the 10kms in July 2008 in about 64 minutes, first mission accomplished.

Swimming - The best way I can benchmark my swimming fitness at the beginning of this journey is with my Bronze Medallion 400m qualifying swim. To qualify for your bronze medallion, you need to complete a 400m swim in 9 minutes. I did my 400ms in a smidgen under 8 minutes. That is 2 minutes per 100m for a short 400m course. This is pretty bad. To put it in perspective, in my current squad, my coach says if you cannot do 100m per 2 minutes, you are classified as a non-swimmer. I was a borderline non-swimmer when I started, I am still swimming in the “slow” lane in our squad. This is probably the most scary leg for me, swimming is so technical I really struggle improving my speed in the water. Fitness improves sure, but to me that just means I can swim slowly and poorly for longer and greater distances.

Surf Ski – When I decided on chasing down this massive goal, I had never ridden a racing ski. They looked like a lot of fun, but I had no idea what I was getting myself into. My first hitouts were in October/November 2008, in a flat lake (Lake Hugh Muntz for those of you who know the Gold Coast) on the slowest and most stable ski the life saving club had available. I was pretty proud of my half dozen efforts in the lake as, though it was a battle to stay balanced, I never fell in while paddling. Those half dozen lake sessions were all I did until September 2009.

Paddle board – Once again, until I joined the life saving club late 2008, I had never ridden this craft either. Sure, I surfed a bit and that gave me some paddling strength,  but once again, these boards are different and have different balance and technique. To start with, these boards are made for paddling speed, my surfboard is made to catch waves. They have an entirely different feel to them. Further, when racing you need to get up on your knees, I’d never paddled like this before, it was a completely new skill to me. So just as was the case with the ski, I was starting from scratch with this craft.

Basically, from joining the club in 2008 till the life saving season started in September 2009, I had been given a cursory introduction to the different race craft, I had a minimal level of fitness and I had a massive mountain to climb. From September 2009 though, my preparation started in earnest. My high level plan was to spend the following 12 months concentrating on acquiring the correct techniques for the different craft which would then give me a solid 12 months to work on the endurance fitness.