In my clearer moments, I see the hazards of having a job that is focused on providing answers.

Every answer I give can reinforce my thought patterns and biases. In one sense, having a wide range of clients provides me with an opportunity to work through a coherent picture. However, without caution and effort, I can dig deeper and deeper into creating my personal athletic dogma.

I have a few tactics that I use to balance consistency bias. This week I'll share them - you can apply them to sport, specifically, or life, generally.

My personal outlook is influenced by two lessons that I have learned.

#1 - I'm responsible for my life, and my feelings, right now.

#2 - If something bothers me then consider if I am willing to change. If I am not willing to change then get over it.

I'm still working through my endurance "hangover" from the 100-odd hours of training I did over in New Zealand. One of the effects of endorphin withdrawal is that I can feel dissatisfied with things. It is a common post-camp, or post-race, experience to feel dissatisfaction with some aspect of our lives.

I didn't do myself any favors as I picked of a few bad habits both at the camp, and after. It all stems from getting "too tired" and "too stressed". I can fall into the trap of tell myself "it's OK" and giving myself "treats" that are the EXACT recipe for screwing myself up further.

As much of the EC team is on the verge of kicking off ‘Swim Game v2.0’, I could not think of a better time for this post.

I received a little bit of heat/disbelief when I posted some comparison tables looking at relative fitness standards for swim, bike and run in a recent blog. To be fair, the upper end ranges in that table were assuming ‘elite’ swimming skill/economy.

Elite swimming skill can be an elusive thing to define, let alone achieve. Certainly, in the triathlon world, it is seen as a ‘holy grail’ of sorts, something that is the exclusive domain of the fortunate few who ‘grew up swimming’. But before we write off the possibility of converting ourselves into ‘skilled swimmers’, let’s consider what it means to ‘grow up swimming’.

The first part of this letter will share some ideas on setting up a high performance mind-set. The techniques can also be used as a coping strategy when dealing with challenging people/situations.

The second part will be an update on how I'm settling back into the real world following my big trip across New Zealand. With a little over a week to regroup, I've had some insights that should be interesting for you.

We're going to start taking deposits for our Moab Camp shortly - (May 3rd to 9th) - if you are interested in signing up then drop me a line.

We were blessed with great weather and tailwinds for our final stage into Bluff at the bottom of the South Island.

A few of us decided to tack-on a very steep climb up Bluff Hill at the end. How steep? We had three Kona-qualifiers walk sections and a fourth flipped his bike over backwards and landed on his head. Thankfully, no injuries. The scariest part for me was riding back down!

We then rolled to Land’s End for photos and backslapping! I was surprisingly emotional down there. Likely from a mixture of: fatigue; exhaustion; endorphins and the removal of stress.

I have a feeling that this trip will mark a closing of a chapter of my life – I wanted to give Molina a big hug but thought that I might start crying so just sat there working on my breathing! Everything that I achieved as a triathlete is due to Scott taking an interest in me.

Phew! Big day out there and most of the camp is still crushing it on the bike. Wish I could say the same about my ride performance... I'm pooped!

We have a very challenging ~190K to finish off the camp tomorrow. When we arrive in Bluff there will be an optional ride up Bluff Hill (very steep) as well as the chance to run ~7K around the bottom of the country. My lower leg issue has not cleared up and it tends to be worst when I come off the bike... could be a hike around the bottom of the country for me!

A few changes in the overall today as folks stepped up for the swim/bike/run bonus.

PROVISIONAL